Marketing, Advertising, Style and Art Essay -- Marketing Advertising A

Marketing, Advertising, Style and Art: Life Should be Lived, Not Painted Man-made objects produced for acquisition depend on the ability to carry an image of style. The consumer is persuaded that ownership will enable them to inherit this style transforming their lives into perfect, happy reflections of the people featured in advertisements. These objects can be applied to any aspect of life as a fast answer to the question of style. The media promotes and reflects the current mainstream culture's standards for life style, class and importance of appearance. The media uses images of thin, beautiful women in well kept stylish homes and links these images to other symbols of prestige, happiness, love and success for women. Repeated exposure to this ideal via the various media can lead to the internalisation of this ideal. It also renders these images achievable and real. By targeting advertisements at set demographic groups, the choice of how to split responsibility for domestic chores is taken away. Instead we are presented with a list of acceptable social rules that are different for each gender. An example would be Fairy washing up liquid, in the advertisements we always see a mother doing dishes, with her child somewhere near by. This is communicating a message that washing up is a women’s work and worse still a feminine thing to do, as if to say a man who washes up risks losing part of his masculinity. When considered it seems ridiculous that we would let the media keep such sexist themes alive but the sad fact is that the majority are so conditioned to this train of thought, in order to preserve our gender identities, we must conform. Objects therefore not only posses the power to add style to our lives but to delegat... ...lives it is just a case of applying the same recipe. For instance look at a new sofa in a shop window now forget its advertising style and price, refuse to listen to the cocky sales person and think. Look at it for what it is, an object, with one use and one use only to sit on. Obsession with possessions is everyone’s burden the key is in realising we are all involved in a universal scam. Instead of accepting things as they are presented, take them out of context and produce a new meaning. Once this new meaning has been regarded something of the original meaning is lost forever and in this way we can liberate ourselves. Using these ideas as a tool to reject the regimes that the media present, to re-write the language of style. Many people have used an expression as a defining point of their admiration for Marcel Duchamp’s ideals â€Å"life should be lived, not painted†.

The Long-Suffering and Self-Pitying Odysseus Essay

What would it take to do Odysseus. the celebrated warrior and the pride of all Greece. call uncontrollably? Surely. he must be put through some kind of utmost physical hurting that no other person could last or possibly he is even forced to watch the awful slaughtering of his companions. But more frequently than non. it is merely mere words and memories. driven on by self-pity. non atrociousnesss committed against his crew. that make Odysseus call. Alternatively of moving as a compassionate leader who grieves for his lost friends. Odysseus calls to indulge his ain sense of sorrow at his jobs. and uses this to derive attending from others. By analyzing Odysseus’ eruptions of heartache. it becomes obvious that his selfishness and pride are at the very bosom of the obstructions he has faced on his journey place. Odysseus calls to fulfill his feelings of solitariness and desperation at being so hated by the Gods. When we foremost encounter Odysseus. he is sitting entirely on Calypso’s island. â€Å"weeping. his eyes ne'er dry. his sweet life fluxing off / with the cryings he wept for his defeated journey home† ( 5. 168-169 ) . At this point. Odysseus has been a captive on Calypso’s island for seven old ages. and has an intelligibly forlorn mentality sing his journey place. However. Odysseus spends every dark on the island moving as a lover to the beautiful goddess. whom he even admits is far more lovely and alluring than the married woman he yearns to return to. Though he pines for Penelope. his Acts of the Apostless of changeless unfaithfulness show that his guilt is non plagued by his actions. He is described as being an â€Å"unwilling lover† ( 5. 172 ) . but there is no grounds to propose that Odysseus feels he is perpetrating a offense against his married woman. Alternatively. Odysseus is described as being â€Å"no longer pleased† ( 5. 170 ) by Calypso. which suggests that at one point Odysseus may hold been really satisfied with his state of affairs. until he became homesick once more. It is an admirable trait that Odysseus so longs to travel place. but his self- commiseration twenty-four hours in and twenty-four hours out is anything but admirable. He seems to be holding his bar and eating it excessively. After seven old ages. he is still wallowing in unhappiness. unable to see that his destiny of being alive and good ( and seduced every night ) is still a much more favourable result than what his crew encountered. His selfishness merely lets him see â€Å"how long I have suffered! † ( 7. 181 ) . Odysseus besides uses his cryings to pull strings others into sympathising with him. When Odysseus eventually gets off Calypso’s island. he is beset by still more jobs. He finally finds shelter with Alcinous. the male monarch of Phaeacia. As is the usage. he is the receiver of great cordial reception and is made to experience at place. even though his hosts have no thought who he is. However. one dark after banqueting. the bard Demodocus sings about the struggle between Odysseus and Achilles during the Trojan War. At this point. Odysseus becomes so overwrought and overcome with emotion that he â€Å"hid his face and wept† ( 8. 109 ) . The text besides says that he is â€Å"ashamed his hosts might see him casting tears† ( 8. 103 ) . but why is he shouting in the first topographic point? The bard is non even singing about all that Odysseus has suffered. and is merely mentioning to his statement with Achilles. which was a prophesied triumph mark. It is really possible that Odysseus is shouting because he wants to be found out. These people evidently adore the Odysseus they know through narratives. so wouldn’t they worship the flesh and blood version if they were of all time to run into him? Alternatively of merely stating. â€Å"I am Odysseus† . he alternatively waits. calls a 2nd clip until his heartache is publically noticed. leting people to experience regretful for him and inquire what would do him so much hurting. This gives Odysseus the perfect chance to state the atrocious narrative of his trip place. which he does. full of the problems that could hold been avoided had Odysseus restrained his pride and selfishness. The shame that Odysseus might experience at openly shouting in forepart of aliens is outweighed by the satisfaction he gets out of stating his narrative. because wretchedness does so love company. Odysseus’s pride besides prevents him from demoing regard towards his work forces. by non minding their advice and by non decently mourning their ill-timed deceases. At Alcinous’ tribunal. Odysseus recounts his experience with the Cyclops. The whole problem with this one eyed monster begins when Odysseus decides to linger in the Cyclops’s cave after eating his nutrient. to see â€Å"what gifts he would give† ( 9. 258 ) . Alternatively of welcoming the Achaeans. the monster decides to eat the work forces who had impolitely eaten his nutrient. In sudden daze and horror. Odysseus and his work forces â€Å"wept and cried aloud† ( 9. 331 ) . Finally. through a clever program by Odysseus. he and his work forces escape. but about decease once more because of his pride. Teasing back to the Cyclops. Odysseus reveals who he is. which allows the monster to about fall in their ships. and besides to publish a ailment to Poseidon that he should non allow Odysseus return place. Poseidon hears this. and as a consequence. Odysseus and his crew are from so on beset by job after job. Had Odysseus listened to his crew who begged him to go forth the cave before the Cyclops returned and besides to non boast his individuality to the monster. the work forces would hold made it safely place. Even after witnessing the cannibalism of some of his crew. Odysseus is merely â€Å"glad to get away our decease / yet sick at bosom for the companions we had lost† ( 9. 630 ) . He does non look to be excessively devastated by everything that has merely happened to him. expletive and all. Possibly it is because he is surrounded by others who portion the same destiny. and aren’t as willing to be every bit sympathetic as a group of aliens hearing the narrative from a legendary hero would be. Odysseus besides tells the narrative of the Laestrygonians. who eat a high figure of Odysseus’ crew. Once once more. Odysseus is â€Å"sick at heart† ( 10. 147 ) . but feels small else for his dead friends and does non cry at all for their memory. When his crew begins to mourn for those lost. Odysseus about seems fed up and says â€Å"They explosion into calls. howling. streaming unrecorded cryings / that gained us nil – what good can come of heartache? † ( 10. 221 ) . At this point it becomes really obvious that Odysseus merely deems it necessary to shout. when he is the one being wept for. He has no job shouting in forepart of aliens who are unwittingly praising him. he sees nil incorrect with shouting mundane for seven old ages because he is marooned with a beautiful goddess. yet there is something uneconomical about crying for work forces who were viciously killed and eaten. all because he felt the demand to state the Cyclops that he. the great Odysseu s. was the 1 who blinded him. While pride may hold been the ruin of Odysseus. without it he would ne'er hold reached the position of a hero. His pride and desire for glorification were a major drive force behind all his great schemes and war attempts. Without his strong self-esteem. Odysseus would hold alternatively been merely another expendable member of his crew. Yes. the selfishness of the crew is besides evident when they open the bag of air currents and blow the ship off class. but actions like these are to be expected from work forces who are of such low importance in the heroic poem that they are non even named. But from Odysseus. the reader should demand a higher degree of criterions. and expect him to move responsible for the work forces whose lives are entrusted into his attention. When Odysseus does non shout after his work forces are slaughtered and alternatively goes on with his work. it appears that he is merely moving as a strong leader. But when you consider other minutes when he is really weak a nd does shout openly. it is apparent to see that he merely weeps for those deserving crying for. And to Odysseus. the lone one worth casting a tear for is himself. Thesis: Alternatively of moving as a compassionate leader who grieves for his lost friends. Odysseus calls to indulge his ain sense of sorrow at his jobs. and uses this to derive attending from others. By analyzing Odysseus’ eruptions of heartache. it becomes obvious that his selfishness and pride are at the very bosom of the obstructions he has faced on his journey place. Subordinate Ideas: 1. Cries out of ego commiseration and solitariness 2. Cries to pull strings others 3. Does non esteem shipmates a. Does non listen to their advice and suffers the effects B. Does non decently mourn them when they die partially because of his actions 4. Pride and selfishness allow Odysseus to go a hero

Succubus Dreams CHAPTER 12

â€Å"I can't believe you keep coming back,† Dante told me when I showed up at his shop the next day. To no one's surprise, the place was empty. â€Å"Me either,† I admitted. I never felt welcome here, yet I didn't feel I had anywhere else to go. â€Å"How do you stay in business?† â€Å"Beats me. I don't suppose you're here to give me the best night of my life? You missed your El Gaucho chance, though.† â€Å"I'm here because I had another dream.† â€Å"You're using me, succubus.† He sighed and sat down at the chintzy table. â€Å"Okay. Give it to me.† Settling down across from him, I recapped the latest dream events. â€Å"Not really much in the way of new developments,† he pointed out afterward. â€Å"You got, like, thirty more seconds of plot.† â€Å"Does it mean anything?† â€Å"Hell if I know.† I narrowed my eyes. â€Å"You are the worst dream interpreter ever.† â€Å"Nah.† He rested his chin in his hand, elbow propped on the table. His expression was typically lazy. â€Å"I'm a very good interpreter. There's nothing to interpret in your dream, though, unless it's just your subconscious lamenting your infertility. Which is likely. It also suggests you have bad taste in music. Is ‘Sweet Home Alabama' really playing each time?† Now I sighed. â€Å"The dreams clearly aren't prophetic either since we know it's impossible for you to have a kid.† He drummed his fingers on the table, face thoughtful. â€Å"You sure you might not adopt or something?† â€Å"She was mine,† I said firmly. â€Å"My own flesh and blood. I could feel it.† â€Å"Okay. Far be it from me to argue delusional maternal instincts. But like I said, it doesn't really matter. The content, I mean. What matters here, I guess, is the energy loss.† I could have hugged him. â€Å"Finally, someone fucking thinks that's important.† â€Å"It's a pattern now. Can't really blame it on anomaly anymore.† â€Å"So what's it mean?† â€Å"You sure you want the opinion of the worst dream interpreter ever?† â€Å"Good grief! Get on with it.† â€Å"If you were human, I'd say without a doubt that you were being preyed on.† I flinched. â€Å"What? What do you mean?† He reached across the table and caught my hand, flipping it over absentmindedly while he thought. I was too caught on the word preyed to care about him touching me. Little Kayla's words popped into my head. They're monsters. They swoop in the air and go in people's dreams. â€Å"You and I both know there are plenty of supernatural beings walking the world. Some walk the dreamworld and don't really have humans' best intentions at heart. Not that you do either. And honestly, some aren't too different from you. They crave human life and energy, and they can suck it out of dreams.† â€Å"But they can't do that to me?† â€Å"Mmm.† He let go of my hand. â€Å"I don't see how. You don't make your own energy. You steal it too. But who knows?† I shivered. The idea of some creature – some parasitic creature – latching on and sucking out my life made me ill. I was fully aware of the hypocrisy, however, seeing as I did the exact same thing all the time. â€Å"So†¦what kind of creature might be capable of doing that?† â€Å"Dunno. Not my specialty.† â€Å"But you're a dream expert! Shouldn't you know about dream†¦creatures?† â€Å"Supernatural creatures are Erik's thing, not mine. You should ask him.† â€Å"You're the worst dream interpreter ever.† â€Å"So I hear.† His earlier seriousness flitted away. â€Å"So†¦are we going to have sex now?† I stood up. â€Å"No! Of course not.† Dante threw his hands up. â€Å"What more do you want? I actually gave you useful information this time. And it's not like you couldn't use the fix – small or no.† â€Å"It's more than that,† I said. Suddenly, I hesitated. â€Å"I†¦I know you now.† â€Å"What's that supposed to mean?† â€Å"If you were some anonymous guy, there might be a chance. But now you're like a†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Friend wasn't quite the word I was looking for. â€Å"†¦an acquaintance.† He appeared genuinely baffled for once. It was almost amusing. â€Å"I'm really not following this, succubus.† â€Å"I've got a boyfriend, remember? When I have anonymous, casual sex, it's not really cheating. But if I do it with someone†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"†¦you like?† Was it my imagination, or was there something hopeful in his eyes when he asked that? â€Å"No, I don't think I like you. But I don't exactly dislike you either. The point is, you aren't anonymous. It would be cheating.† He stared at me for several moments, and whatever glimmer of hope I thought I'd seen was definitely gone. â€Å"No wonder succubi are so good at passing as human women. You've certainly got the head games and complete lack of rationality down.† â€Å"I've got to go.† â€Å"You always have to go. Where to now? Some anonymous guy?† I rose. â€Å"No, I'm going to find Erik and see if he can actually give me useful information.† â€Å"I did give you useful information!† â€Å"Debatable.† â€Å"Well, let me lock up, and we'll see what Lancaster has to say.† I froze. â€Å"What do you mean ‘we'?† Dante grabbed some keys from behind the counter. â€Å"You've piqued my curiosity. I want to see how this turns out. Besides, you owe me for my help, seeing as you won't put out.† â€Å"‘Help,' indeed,† I muttered. He walked to the door with me. â€Å"Did it ever occur to you that in spite of how unuseful you think I am, I'm still kind of concerned about what happens to you?† â€Å"No,† I said. â€Å"It actually hadn't.† But I let him go with me over to Arcana, Ltd. When we stepped inside, we found Erik unpacking a box of books. He smiled without looking up, having sensed me. â€Å"Miss Kincaid, always a – † He stopped when he noticed Dante. For the first time in our friendship, I saw Erik look angry. It was disturbing. Frightening, even. â€Å"Mr. Moriarty.† Dante nodded his greeting. â€Å"Always nice to see you.† The expression on Erik's face showed the feelings weren't mutual. He straightened up from his work and walked over to the counter. Crossing his arms over his chest, he peered at both of us. â€Å"What can I do for you?† No cordial host or tea chats today. The air between the two men suddenly felt thick and oppressive. I spoke uncertainly. â€Å"We†¦that is, Dante thinks he has an answer to my dream problems.† Dante laughed, wearing his trademark smirk. If he bore Erik the same animosity, he was hiding it well. â€Å"I wouldn't call it an answer, succubus. More like a theory.† â€Å"I've had the dream again,† I told Erik. â€Å"More than once now. And I still keep losing my energy. Dante says it could be some kind of†¦dream creature preying on me.† I stumbled over the words. The concept was still too ludicrous. â€Å"But he didn't know what kind. He said you might know.† Erik shifted his eyes from Dante to me. I could tell the old man was still unhappy about us being there together, but he cared about me too much and couldn't stop himself from helping me. I wondered at what point over the years I had earned such regard. And how. He sighed and gestured us to the table. We all sat down, but no tea was offered. â€Å"Something like that going after a succubus is hard to imagine,† Erik said at last. â€Å"That's what I thought,† said Dante. His lighthearted mask had slipped a little. He looked much as he had in the store, thoughtful and curious. He reminded me of a mechanical engineer I'd once known. The guy couldn't help himself when it came to fixing some technical problem. Give him something in pieces, and he had to analyze it and figure it out. Dante might give me a hard time, but his nature, corrupt or not, couldn't stay away from this. Erik's eyes studied me, hard and intent. I was an intriguing puzzle for him too. â€Å"If I had to pick†¦I'd say the symptoms most match Oneroi.† I'd heard of them. They'd been in the Greek myths I'd grown up with. â€Å"Dream spirits?† Dante considered. â€Å"More than spirits. They're the children of Nyx and Erebus.† I shuddered. I'd heard of them too. Nyx and Erebus. Night and Darkness. Primordial entities of chaos. They were powerful and dangerous. The world had been born of chaos, true, but it was also a fact – even science agreed – that the universe was always trying to move back toward chaos. Nyx and Erebus were destructive – so much so that they were now locked away, lest they tear the world apart. The possibility that their children could be sucking away my life made me feel sick again. Dante was still turning this theory over in his head. â€Å"Yeah, that'd be the closest. But they still don't match one hundred percent.† â€Å"Nothing does,† admitted Erik. â€Å"I've never heard of anything attacking a succubus.† â€Å"What do Oneroi do exactly?† I asked. The two men exchanged glances, each waiting for the other to explain. Erik was the one who stepped up. â€Å"They visit mortals in their dreams and feed off the emotions such dreams stir up. Victims of Oneroi wake up drained and sick.† More irony. Legend said that succubi visited men in their dreams too and took their life. â€Å"That's what's happening to me,† I argued. â€Å"Why couldn't it be them?† â€Å"It could be them,† agreed Dante, â€Å"but like we said, the details don't fit. Oneroi can seize control and shape what you dream. But the dreams they stir up are usually nightmares. Fear and other dark emotions tend to be more intense – they offer more for the Oneroi to feed off of. Your dreams are short, and they're†¦fluffy.† â€Å"Fluffy?† â€Å"Well, I don't know. Not nightmares. They're intriguing to you. They bring out emotions – fascinated, happy emotions. They're giving you visceral reactions, I suppose, but not the type that the Oneroi usually go after.† â€Å"And,† continued Erik, â€Å"there's also the fact that you aren't an ideal choice for them. You're inefficient. You're a conduit, a link to the mortal world and their energy. If Oneroi are stealing from you, they have to wait for you to get your power from someone else first. Far simpler for them to take directly from a human.† I suddenly realized I'd forgotten something. â€Å"One other weird thing happened†¦more than the energy loss†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I explained about waking up feeling cold and wet. â€Å"I guess that's kind of weird,† said Dante, â€Å"but I don't know that it's really related to this.† â€Å"Well, except later that day, I read this article about a guy who went crazy and tried to swim across the Sound. He thought it would help his family – and it did because he drowned and they got his insurance money. When I read the article, the wet and cold feeling came back. It was like†¦for a second, I was him. I felt exactly what he'd felt. Like I was drowning too.† â€Å"Empathy,† said Dante. â€Å"You read it and imagined what it must be like.† â€Å"No.† I frowned, trying to bring the feeling back. â€Å"I†¦I felt him. I knew it was him I was feeling. That guy. The same way I knew the girl was my daughter. It was in my gut.† Dante looked annoyed. â€Å"Would have been helpful to know this earlier.† â€Å"I forgot. I didn't really see it as relevant until now.† â€Å"Have you ever had anything like this happen before? Knowledge of something you didn't experience?† â€Å"I don't think so.† Erik glanced at Dante. â€Å"Clairvoyance?† â€Å"I don't know. Unlikely. Too many variables. None of them mesh.† Dante turned his gaze back on me. â€Å"Have you talked to your own people about this?† I shook my head. â€Å"Jerome's been gone. I mentioned the first dream before he left, but he didn't seem very concerned.† â€Å"Well, I don't know what to make of it,† Dante said. â€Å"Nor I,† said Erik kindly. â€Å"But I will look into this for you.† â€Å"Thanks,† I told him. â€Å"I really appreciate it.† We stood up, and like that, the momentary truce between Erik and Dante vanished. Erik looked stormy once more. Dante appeared smug and condescending. â€Å"Miss Kincaid,† Erik began stiffly. â€Å"You know I have nothing but the highest regard for you, and I am more than happy to assist you in any way you need. I also recognize that Mr. Moriarty can also offer you help. But I would prefer it if†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"†¦if you don't bring me around anymore,† finished Dante. He saluted. â€Å"Noted, old man. Meet you at the car, succubus.† He turned and walked out of the shop. Erik's mood didn't vanish with Dante's departure. I could still sense the fury radiating from him. Erik had said Dante was corrupt, but really, so was I. Erik didn't have this kind of reaction around me. There was something I was missing here. â€Å"I'm sorry,† I told Erik. â€Å"I didn't know it would bother you so much.† â€Å"You couldn't have known,† he replied wearily. â€Å"And after all, I was the one who directed you to him.† â€Å"I'll keep him away,† I promised. I thanked him again and went out to meet Dante. He leaned against my car, his thoughts obscured by a lazy smile. â€Å"Why does Erik hate you so much?† I asked. Dante glanced down at me. â€Å"Because I'm a bad man who does bad things.† â€Å"There's more to it than that,† I said. â€Å"And you don't seem that bad. The worst things you've done are trick customers and offer useless information. Although†¦well, you actually were pretty helpful just now. But like I said, I don't think you're as bad as your reputation implies.† â€Å"How would you know?† I shrugged. â€Å"Instinct.† In one swift motion, Dante snaked his hand behind my neck and pulled me to him. I put a hand on his chest and started to push him away and then stopped. There was a warmth in his body, the eagerness of a man who'd been deprived of something for a very long time. To my surprise, I felt arousal burning in me – a yearning of my own to touch someone who wasn't all business. I experienced that feeling a lot, and it usually got me into trouble. My succubus nature woke up, wondering if energy might be on its way. And despite my lofty talk earlier about not sleeping with people I was acquainted with, I suddenly wanted him to kiss me. I wanted his energy – just a taste. His mouth moved toward mine. I started to close my eyes and part my lips – then, abruptly, he stiffened. Releasing me, he stepped back. I opened my eyes, staring in astonishment. â€Å"What the hell?† I asked. â€Å"You backed off. And after all the grief you've given me about sleeping with you.† â€Å"You're drained and hungry, succubus,† he said. â€Å"It'd be like taking advantage of a drunk girl.† â€Å"Right. And you've never done anything like that.† â€Å"Yeah, well, I'm not eighteen anymore.† He opened the car door. â€Å"Are we going or not?† I studied him a bit longer, thinking again I saw that hope and compassion from earlier. I was starting to wonder if a lot of his cattiness was just bravado, hiding the same insecurities everyone in the world had. I kept my psychoanalysis to myself, however, and joined him in the car. We drove back to his shop, our usual flippant banter obscuring anything serious that might have happened.

Ethical Hacking Essay Sample

Ethical Hacking Essay Sample Ethical Hacking Essay Today, one of the most sought after individuals and/or companies are those who employ ethical hackers. Although the term â€Å"hacking† might seem vague and distrustful for most individuals because of how hackers are portrayed in mass media such as unlawful and people who are hunted by the government. Nevertheless, there are plenty of times when hacking is useful and productive. In some cases, hacking can be used to fix systems and software, and more importantly to prevent future probabilities of these systems being hacked themselves. This useful application of hacking is called ethical hacking. Ethical hacking simply means attempting to hack one’s system, network, or software in order to identify the threats to it and mitigate it in the future. In other words, ethical hackers are the â€Å"preventers† for hackers such as black hats, who are generally regarded as cyber criminals for trying to infiltrate security systems simply for their own gain. Another term for these ethical hackers are â€Å"white hats† and most industries today, ranging from digital companies, security providers, and especially banks have hired them. Because of the demand for these ethical hackers more and more people today are engaging and trying to learn to hack, both inside and outside educational systems. For one, this is important since it is believed that the technologies today and the abilities of the companies which create them, are just in their inception and thus more and more companies would need the help of these ethical hackers in the future. In other words, an increase in the jobs available even in the comforts of their own homes and just as any online jobs, could mean the decongestion of our cities. However, not all people are thrilled with the continuous increase of white hats in the society. For them, since white hats are just humans and are equipped with the knowledge that black hats have, then more black hats could also come from this population. Adding to the fact that these white hats are usually allowed more freedom with the use of such technologies, these increases the worrying of these people. Following from the statements above, it is apparent that the number of white hats is continuously increasing. Therefore, in response to this situation and the potential risks that it carries in the future, I believe that it is necessary that more rules and regulations must be established in order to prevent any thing detrimental that might happen not only for these technologies but also for the people who use them. One of the most prominent tech savvy and entrepreneur in the world, Elon Musk, has already warned us about the dangers of AI. He said in an interview that â€Å"the machines will win†. In line with this, I believe that hacking (both ethical and unethical) is one of the things that would determine the fate of the world as AI technology continues to grow. For one, black hats might start the use of â€Å"destructive AIs† which could pose potential dangers for the existence of human life in this planet. On the other hand, White hats could then serve as the savior s if and when such a time comes. Countering the decisions that AIs could make regarding how the world should run, especially when taking the human factor is a part of its equation. In conclusion, what this means is that hacking could be productive and essential for the advancement of technology in the world especially in this ever growing environment. However, as this trade grows, additional rules and regulations must be placed in order to keep hacking more helpful than destructive.

The Domestication of Horses

The Domestication of Horses Domestication is the process by which humans take wild species and acclimatize them to breeding and surviving in captivity. In many cases, domesticated animals serve some purpose for humans (food source, labor, companionship). The process of domestication results in physiological and genetic changes in the organisms over generations. Domestication differs from taming in that tamed animals are born in the wild while domesticated animals are bred in captivity. When Where Were Horses Domesticated? The history of horses in human culture can be traced back as far as 30,000 BC when horses were depicted in Paleolithic cave paintings. The horses in the paintings resembled wild animals and it is thought that true domestication of horses did not occur for tens of thousands of years to come. It is thought that the horses depicted in the Paleolithic cave paintings were hunted for their meat by humans. There are several theories as to when and where domestication of the horse occurred. Some theories estimate that domestication occurred at about 2000 BC while other theories place domestication as early as 4500 BC. Evidence from mitochondrial DNA studies suggests that the domestication of horses occurred in multiple locations and at various times. It is generally thought that Central Asia is among the sites that domestication occurred, with sites in Ukraine and Kazakhstan providing archeological evidence. What Role Did the First Domesticated Horses Play? Throughout history, horses have been used for riding and for pulling carriages, chariots, plows, and carts. They played a significant role in warfare by carrying soldiers into battle. Because the first domesticated horses are thought to have been quite small, it is more likely that they were used to pull carts than for riding.

The Role of Reading Fluency Tables in Comprehension

The Role of Reading Fluency Tables in Comprehension Listening to a student read, even for a minute, can be one of the ways a teacher determines a students ability to comprehend text through fluency. Improving reading fluency has been identified by the National Reading Panel as one of the five critical components of reading. A student’s oral reading fluency score is measured by the number of words in a  text that a student reads correctly in a minute. Measuring a students fluency is easy. The teacher listens to a student read independently for one minute in order to hear how well a  student reads accurately, quickly, and with expression (prosody). When a student can read aloud with these three qualities, the student is demonstrating to the listener a level of fluency, that there is a bridge or connection between his or her ability to recognize words and the ability  to comprehend  the text: â€Å"Fluency is defined as reasonably accurate reading with suitable expression that leads to accurate and deep comprehension and motivation to read† (Hasbrouck and Glaser, 2012). In other words, a student who is a fluent reader  can focus on what the text means because he or she does not have to concentrate on decoding the words. A fluent reader can monitor and adjust his or her reading and notice when comprehension breaks down.   Fluency Testing A fluency test is simple to administer. All you need is a selection of text and a stopwatch.   An initial test for fluency is a screening where passages are selected from a text at the students grade level that the student has not pre-read, called a cold read.  If the student is not reading at grade level, then the instructor should select passages at a lower level in order to diagnose weaknesses.   The student is asked to read aloud for one minute. As the student reads, the teacher notes errors in reading. A student’s fluency level can be calculated following these three steps: The instructor determines how many words the reader actually attempted during the 1-minute reading sample. Total # of words read ____.Next, the instructor counts up the number of errors made by the reader. Total # of errors ___.The instructor deducts the number of errors from the total words attempted, the examiner arrives at the number of correctly read words per minute (WCPM). Fluency formula: Total # of words read __- (subtract) errors______words (WCPM) read correctly For example, if the student read 52 words and had 8 errors in one minute, the student had 44 WCPM. By deducting the errors (8) from total words attempted (52), the score for the student would be 44 correct words in one minute. This 44 WCPM number serves as an estimate of reading fluency, combining the students speed and accuracy in reading. All educators should be aware that an oral reading fluency score is not the same measure as a student’s reading level. To determine what that fluency score means in relation to grade level, teachers should use a grade level fluency score chart. Fluency data charts   There are a number of reading fluency charts such as the one developed from the research of Albert Josiah Harris and Edward R. Sipay  (1990) which set fluency rates that were organized by grade level bands with words per minute scores. For example, the table shows the recommendations for fluency bands for three different grade levels: grade 1, grade 5, and grade 8.   Harris and Sipay Fluency Chart Grade Words per minute Band Grade 1 60-90 WPM Grade 5 170-195 WPM Grade 8 235-270 WPM Harris and  Sipays  research guided them to make recommendations in their book  How to Increase Reading Ability: A Guide to Developmental Remedial Methods  as to the general speed for reading a text  such as a book from the  Magic Tree House Series  (Osborne). For example, a book from this series is leveled at M (grade 3) with 6000 words.   A student who could read 100 WCPM fluently could finish  A Magic Tree House  book in one hour while a student who could read at 200 WCPM fluently could complete reading the book in 30 minutes. The fluency chart most referenced today was developed by researchers Jan Hasbrouck and Gerald Tindal in 2006. They wrote about their findings in the International Reading Association Journal in the article â€Å"Oral Reading Fluency Norms: A Valuable Assessment Tool for Reading Teachers.† The major point in their article was on the connection between fluency and comprehension: â€Å"Fluency measures such as words correct per minute has been shown, in both theoretical and empirical research, to serve as an accurate and powerful indicator of overall reading competence, especially in its strong correlation with comprehension. In coming to this conclusion, Hasbrouck and Tindal completed an extensive study of oral reading fluency using data obtained from over 3,500 students in 15 schools in seven cities located in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and New York.† According to Hasbrouck and Tindal, the review of student data  allowed them to organize the results in average performance and percentile bands for fall, winter, and spring for grades 1 through grade 8. The scores on the chart are considered  normative  data scores because of the large sampling.   The results of their study were published in a technical report entitled, â€Å"Oral Reading Fluency: 90 Years of Measurement,† which is available on the  website for Behavioral Research and Teaching, University of Oregon. Contained in this study are their grade level fluency score tables  designed  to help instructors to assess the oral reading fluency of their students relative to their peers. How to read a fluency table Only three-grade level data selections from their research are in a table below. The table below shows fluency scores for grade 1 when students are first tested on fluency, for grade 5 as a midpoint fluency measure, and for grade 8 after students have been practicing fluency for years. Grade Percentile Fall WCPM* Winter WCPM* Spring WCPM* Avg Weekly Improvement* First 90 - 81 111 1.9 First 50 - 23 53 1.9 First 10 - 6 15 .6 Fifth 90 110 127 139 0.9 Fifth 50 110 127 139 0.9 Fifth 10 61 74 83 0.7 Eighth 90 185 199 199 0.4 Eighth 50 133 151 151 0.6 Eighth 10 77 97 97 0.6 *WCPMwords correct per minute The first column of the table shows the grade level. The second column of the table shows the percentile.  Teachers should remember that in fluency testing, percentile is different from  percentage. The percentile on this table is a measurement is based on a grade level peer group of 100 students. Therefore, a 90th percentile does not mean the student answered 90% of the questions correctly; a fluency score is not like a grade. Instead, a 90th percentile  score for a student means that there are nine (9) grade level peers who have performed better.   Another way to look at the rating is to understand that a student who is in the 90th percentile performs better than 89th percentile of his grade level peers or that the student is in the top 10% of his peer group. Similarly, a student in the 50th percentile means the student performs better than 50 of his or her peers with 49% of his or her peers performing higher, while a student performing at the low 10th percentile for fluency has still performed better than 9 of his or her grade level peers. An average fluency score is between 25th percentile to 75th percentile Therefore, a student with a   fluency score of 50th percentile is perfectly average, squarely in the middle of the average band. The third, fourth, and fifth columns on the chart indicate into which percentile a students score is rated at different times of the school year. These scores are based on normative data. The last column, average weekly improvement, shows the average words per week growth that student should  develop to stay on grade level. The average weekly improvement can be calculated by subtracting the fall score from the spring score and dividing the difference by 32 or the number of weeks between the fall and spring assessments. In grade 1, there is no fall assessment, and so the average weekly improvement is calculated by subtracting the winter score from the spring score and then dividing the difference by 16 which is the number of weeks between the winter and spring assessments. Using the fluency data   Hasbrouck and Tindal   recommended that: â€Å"Students scoring 10 or more words below the 50th percentile using the average score of two unpracticed readings from grade-level materials need a fluency-building program. Teachers can also use the table to set long-term fluency goals for struggling readers.† For example, a beginning fifth grade student with a reading rate of 145 WCPM should be assessed using fifth grade level texts. However, a beginning grade 5 student with a reading rate of 55 WCPM will need to be assessed with materials from grade 3 in order to determine what additional instructional support would be needed to increase his or her reading rate. Instructors should use progress monitoring with any student who may be reading six to 12 months below grade level every two to three weeks to determine if additional instruction is needed. For students who are reading more than one year below grade level, this kind of progress monitoring should be done frequently. If the student is receiving intervention services through special education or English Learner support, continued monitoring will provide the teacher the information on whether the intervention is working or not.   Practicing fluency For progress monitoring on fluency, passages are selected at a students individually determined goal level. For example, if the instructional level of a 7th grade student is at the 3rd grade level, the teacher may conduct the progress monitoring assessments by using passages at the 4th grade level. To provide students the opportunity to practice, fluency instruction should be with a text that a student can read at an independent level.   Independent reading level is one of three reading levels described below: Independent level is relatively easy for the student to read with 95% word accuracy.Instructional level is challenging but manageable for the reader with 90% word accuracy.Frustration level means the text is too difficult for the student to read which results in less than 90% word accuracy. Students will better practice on speed and expression by reading at an independent level text. Instructional or frustration level texts will require students to decode. Reading comprehension is the combination of numerous skills that are performed instantaneously, and fluency is one of these skills. While practicing fluency requires time, a test for a students fluency takes only one minute and perhaps two minutes to read a fluency table and to record the results. These few minutes with a fluency table can be one of the best tools a teacher can use to monitor how well a student understands what he or she is reading.

Hospitality service and facilities management Essay - 2

Hospitality service and facilities management - Essay Example Productivity is usually interlinked with the industries which involve extensive purchases so it is really significant to manage the productivity. In simple terms, productivity can be taken as a ratio between the input and the output of the industry at a particular level or in some particular field. It can be measured in different ways like shift wise productivity in some cases or by means of different departments or in terms of capital assessment. Productivity management is quite a troublesome job which can prove to be a complex assignment for the administration of hospitality organization like hotels. This task can become even more complex if major proportion of the staff is working in the organization for part time. According to different studies, one of the dilemmas in this industry is the allocation of different shifts to different groups of staff working in there but this problem has been solved quite efficiently by the latest technologies like using computer based scheduling of the shifts or using software specifically designed for this propose. One other problem in this industry is non availability of certified professionals at all the levels in this industry and one of the main reasons for this is the non attractive pay structure in this field offered by the owners of the major hotels and restaurants. So this is one of the major issues which is faced by the human resource (HR) department of the hotels and it results in decreased performance of the employees due to increase work load on them. This problem is reduced to some extent by the recent increase in the salary and by giving other complimentary packages to the specialized staff of this industry. As all other fields are affected badly by the terrorist activities all around the world so is the hospitality industry, according to different scholars, initially there