Body Ritual Among the Nacirema Essay Example for Free

Body Ritual Among the Nacirema EssaySandra Bullard November 27, 2011 Body Ritual Among the Nacirema Dr. Chan Body Ritual Among the Nacirema The Nacirema are a North American group living in the territory between the Canadian Cree, the Yaqui and Tarahumare of Mexico and the Carib and Arawak of the Antilles. According to the Nacirema mythology, their nation was originated by a culture hero, Notgnihsaw, who otherwise known for two great fears of strength- the throwing of a piece of start across the river Pa-To-Mac and the choppin down of a cherry tree in which the Spirit of Truth resided. The focus of the Nacirema culture is the activity of the human body, appearance and the health of which predominate as a dominant concern in the culture of the people. The belief underlying the whole system appears to be that the human body is ugly and that its inherent tendency is to debility and disease. In the hierarchy of magical practitioners in the Nacirema culture, second in the lineup ar e the holy-mouth-men. The Nacirema have a pathological horror of and captivation with the mouth, the condition of which is believed dto have a supernatural influence on all social relationships.If it werent for the rituals of the mouth, they believe that their teeth would fall out, their gums bleed, their jaws shrink, their friends desert them, and their lovers would reject them. throng seek out a holy-mouth-man once or twice a year. Holy-mouth-men have an impressive set of paraphernalia, consisting of a variety of augers, awls, probes, and prods. The use of these objects are for the eviction of the evils of the mouth. The holy-mouth-man opens the clients mouth and, using the above tools, enlarges any holes which decay may have created in the teeth.If there are no naturally occurring holes in the teeth, large sections of one or more teeth are gouged out so that the supernatural substance can be applied. In the clients view, the purpose of these ministrations is to arrest decay an d to draw friends. The natives return to the holy-mouth-men year after year in order to keep sacred and traditional character of the rite. The medicine-men of the Nacirema union have an imposing temple, also called latipso. The latipso is a very elaborate ceremony that is required to treat very sick patients only.These ceremonies are so harsh that it is astounding that the sick natives who enter the temple incessantly recover. When the supplicant first enters the temple, they are first stripped of all off his or her clothes. In every-day life the Nacirema rid of exposure of his body and its natural functions. Once in the latipso, the body secrecy is lost and the man finds himself naked and assisted by a vestal housemaid in which he then fulfills his natural functions into a secret vessel.These procedures are necessitated by the fact that the excreta are used by a godly to ascertain the course and nature of the clients sickness. Female clients who enter the lapitso, find their naked bodies are subjected to the scrutiny, manipulation and prodding of the medicine men. One demeanor that these people address wealth is with shrines. Every household has one or more shrines. The most powerful individuals in society have several shrines in their houses. The shrine rooms of the more wealthy are walled with stone.Poorer families imitate the rich by applying pottery plaques to their shrine walls. Another way I think wealth is defined in their community is the gifts that are given to guardians of temples. The lapitsos guardian for example, will not admit a client if he cannot give a rich gift to the custodian. And once a client is admitted, they must be able to give the custodian another rich gift before organism permit out. Cultural relativism is demonstrated by Horace Miner and his capability of understanding and gaining trust of the individuals culture.The individuals of the Nacirema community opened up to Miner and let him see their sacred and traditional ritu als. It was his willingness and openness that let the Nacirema community to trust him. Its hard for me not to display ethnocentrism towards their community and rituals because its completely antithetical from what I have learned and grown up with. None of their rituals that they perform make any sense to me. For example, the women putting their heads in the oven and letting them bake for an hour is hard for me to understand and conceptualize.So, its hard for me to say that I think that theyre strange, because thats their culture and thats the only think they have ever known. When I put it in perspective and think about their opinions on our culture, they wouldnt know why we do the things we do within our community. It is very kindle to read about people who once lived in North America and maybe still do live in North America that perform these types of ritual.

Does School Prepare Children for the Real World Essay Example for Free

Does School Prep be Children for the Real World Es takeGetting a good education and acquit good grades no longer ensures conquest. Because these would not merely help us to be a successful professionals. Not all things be being taught in school. Does school prep atomic number 18 children for the real world and ?. but rather the skills and knowledge you are able to apply with your income separates the lower middle class from the wealthy. study heavily and get good grades and you bequeath run across a high paying job with great benefits for you to attain success in life. education is the foundation of success conscionable as scholastic skills are very important, so are financial and communication skills. in force(p) as what it is stated, education plays an important role in life. For an individual to be a successful. The author tells us how to achieve success but with very disparate approaches Throughout the book, the author compares both fathers , their principles, ideas , financial practices, and degree of dynamism and how his real father, the poor, struggling but highly educated man, paled against his rich dad in terms of asset building.He compares his poor dad to those good deal who are perpetually scampering in the Rat Race, helplessly trapped in a vicious cycle of needing much but never able to foregather their dreams for wealth because of one glaring lack financial literacy. His rich dad, by contrast, represents the indep demolitionently wealthy core of society who deliberately takes advantage of the power of corporations and their someonealized knowledge of tax. The books theme reduces to two fundamental concepts a can-do attitude and fearless entrepreneurship.The author highlights these two concepts by providing multiple examples for for each one and focusing on the need for financial literacy, how the power of corporations contribute to making the wealthy even wealthier, thinkering your own business, overcoming obstacles by not fost ering laziness, fear, cynicism and other interdict attitudes, and recognizing the characteristics of humans and how their preconceived notions and upbringing hamper their financial freedom goals. For or so parents today, they are having a hard time keeping their children in chool. merely in light of our changing times, as parents, we need to be open to freshly and bold ideas. life is the best lecturer in life it does not deal any secs of an indi Vidual but rather having its experiences in life. few people may think of money that has been involve. But the more money you have it will put you into more depths. Always keep in mind of knowing how to work for money not knowing how to necessitate money work for you. The more money you get, the more you spend. If one is able to focus getting jobs that develop these three major skills sets, he is well on their way on the highroad to success. After sharing these main lessons of the rich, Kiyosaki goes a step further by addressing th e 5 main obstacles keeping people from actually following through . initiatory is Fear, Overcoming the fear of losing money. The fear of losing money is real. Everyone has it. The difference becomes how a rich and poor psyche handles the fear. Wealthy individuals use failure as a teaching moment and arent afraid to fail.Second is Cynicism, This deals mostly with those around you. Follow your own path, because at the end of the day, wealthy individuals are a small percentage who go against the grain and dont follow the crowd. Thirdly is Laziness, One moldiness be willing to put in the time and effort to build up their financial knowledge. This means being selfish and taking time out to build ones personal wealth. Fourth is the Bad Habits, it is Reducing expenses is easier state than done, but one must(prenominal)iness be willing to break those bad spending and investing habits in order to be successful.And lastly is the Arrogance, Always be willing to reach out to those who are s uccessful and those you deficiency to emulate. To become wealthy, its often a collaborative effort, bouncing ideas from prospective mentors. Its not what you say out of your mouth that determines your life, its what you whisper to yourself that has the most power it tells us of being a dependent individual. one must determine his/her life. By means of the employment of business. Dont lose hope, and move straight forward for the future ahead. let me give you an example to deeply understand these.Grace was a booster rocket of mine. She was my best friend a long time ago. We had a promise of seeing each other again after 10 years. Ive bring forward that she told that she would be a good doctor in a hospital. She always tell me that its her dream to be a doctor. We always spend time with each other saying our ambitions years from now. But years have passed, and life changes. She suddenly told me that she would stop after graduation and her ambition will go to an end because of nea r family problem. She told that her dream of becoming a doctor has come to an end.But as her best friend Ive told her not to give up, and pursue her dreams. It must be a trial from god to see her faith and hope for him. And so she started again and start all over. Life is too short, so we must all enjoy what we have. And do even pursue more. Youre solely poor if you give up. The most important thing is that you did something. Most people only talk and dream of getting rich. Youve done something. in life, you must not give up. Every individual experiences a lot of things.Every time you fall, you must stand up. Face the reality. lways keep in mind that f you did something bad or good, you must not give up and not lose hope. Just dont let it get to the point of hurting someone respectable for you to have a standard status in life. But as generations have passed, all people are know thinking of how to be rich. Richer in life. Winners are not afraid of losing. But losers are. Failure i s part of the dish up of success. People who avoid failure also avoid success. In our generation today, people know are always taking risk on their fortunes, some of them are gabling on their lives just to let their status in life ranked high.Every individuals always think of having competition with each other. They always want to be called the winner in terms of their competition. So know, things have change as times passes by, they are now afraid of losing in any kinds of competition. But in vice versa. Always keep in mind that every failure is a part of every success of every individual in life. The love of money is the root of all evil. The lack of money is the root of all evil. We all know that the possession of money by a person makes him/her evil. Every individual who loves money. ill suddenly turn to a bad person when he/ she loves money so much that even he is whence starts to forget all nigh his/herself and even his/her family loved ones.When it comes to money, peopl e take their own risk in life. Many people strive hard just to save dollars. Always remember money is a form of power. But what is more powerful is financial education. Money comes and goes, but if you have the education about how money works, you would gain power over it and can begin building wealth. if you want something, work for it. We all wanted thengs to satisfy us. If youre the kind of person who has no guts, you just give up every time life pushes you. If youre that kind of person, youll live all your life playing it safe, doing the right things, miserliness yourself for something that never happens.Then, you die a boring old man. Life is the best teacher of all. Most of the time life does not talk to you. Its just that it all pushes you around. Each push is a life saying theres something I want to say to you, wake up and face a new life. Intelligence solves problems produces money. Money without financial intelligence is money soon gone. Every individuals have rights to have education. Getting a good education and make good grades no longer ensures success. Because these would not merely help us to be a successful professionals. Not all things are being taught in school. but rather the skills and knowledge you are able to apply with your income separates the lower middle class from the wealthy. study hard and get good grades and you will find a high paying job with great benefits for you to attain success in life. education is the foundation of success just as scholastic skills are very important, so are financial and communication skills. Just as what it is stated, education plays an important role in life.For an individual to be a successful. Emotions are what make us human. Make us real. The word emotion stands for energy in motion. Be truthful about your emotions, and use your mind and emotions in your favor, not against yourself. God created man with his own image and likeness. He created humans all complete. Emotions can served as the princ iple and aspects in decision making process of an individual. accredited person can be associated as real, if he/ she has its own true feelings and emotions. lways remember to be truthful abouy our emotions and use it in a proper(ip) way. In school we learn that mistakes are bad, and we are punished for making them.Yet, if you look at the way humans are designed to learn, we learn by making mistakes. We learn to walk by falling down. If we never fell down, we would never walk. education is the foundation of success just as scholastic skills are very important, so are financial and communication skills. Just as what it is stated, education plays an important role in life. For an individual to be a successful.For most parents today, they are having a hard time keeping their children in school. But in light of our changing times, as parents, we need to be open to new and bold ideas. life is the best lecturer in life it does not require any moments of an individual but rather having its experiences in life. Some people may think of money that has been involve. But the more money you have it will put you into more depths. Always keep in mind of knowing how to work for money not knowing how to make money work for you. The more money you get, the more you spend.

Management Information Systems Essay Example for Free

Management Information Systems EssayInformation Systems Failure The Case of Computer-Aided Dispatch (Cad) System at London Ambulance Service 1. Introduction The LAS covers a geographic area of just over 600 square miles and handles emergencies for a resident population of 6.8 million people. The CAD project is one of the most frequently quoted UK- base examples of information musical arrangements trial that took place in early 1990s. The prominence of this particular case is due to the safety critical disposition of this placement and the claim that 20-30 people may suck up lost their lives as a resolvent of CAD ill fortune. 2. Description of the Manual Dispatch System The manual(a) dispatch outline of rules consists of a) call taking, b) mental imagery identification, and c) resource mobilization. Call Taking Emergency calls are received by ambulance control. Control assistants write down details of incidents on pre-printed forms. The location of each incident is pla ce and the reference co-ordinates are recorded on the forms. The forms are then placed on a conveyer belt which transports them to a central collection point. election Identification Other members of ambulance control collect the forms, review the details on the forms and decide which resource allocator should deal with each incident.The resource allocator examines the forms for a particular sector, compares the details against information recorded for each vehicle and decides which resource should be mobilized. The status information on these forms is updated regularly from information received via the wireless operator. The resource is recorded on the original form which is then passed on to a dispatcher. Resource mobilization The dispatcher either telecommunicates the nearest ambulance station or passes instructions to the radio operator if an ambulance is already mobile.A number of problems exist with the manual dispatch system. Most problems are related to the time-consuming and error-prone nature of activities such as identification of the precise location of an incident, the physical movement of paper forms, and maintaining up-to-date vehicle status information. thitherfore, a Computer- Aided Dispatch (CAD) system was considered as a solution to overcome these problems. 3. The Computer-Aided Dispatch System 3.1 Purpose The objective of the CAD system was to automate many of the human-intensive processes involved in the manual despatch system.3.2 How the CAD system was intended to lick The essential features of the CAD system are shown in Figure 1 which illustrates how the system was intended to work in practice. British Telecom (BT) operators would route all 999 calls concerning medical emergencies to LAS headquarters. A total of 18 receivers were then expected to record on the system the name, telephone number and address of the caller, and the name, destination address and brief details of the patient. This information would then be genic over a LAN to an allocator. The system would pinpoint the patients location on a map. The system was also expected to monitor continuously the location of every ambulance via radio messages transmitted by each vehicle. The system would then determine the nearest ambulance to the patient.Figure 1 The structure of CAD system at LASExperienced ambulance dispatchers were organized into teams based on three zones (south, north-east, and north-west). Dispatchers would be offered details of the three nearest ambulances by the system and the estimated time each would need to reach the scene. The dispatcher would choose an ambulance and saddle patient details to a humiliated terminal screen located on the dashboard of the ambulance. The ambulance crew would then be expected to confirm that it was on its way. If the selected ambulance was in an ambulance depot then the dispatch message would be received on the station computer. The ambulance crew would always be expected to acknowledge a message. The system would automatically alter HQ of any ambulance where no acknowledgement was made. A follow-up message would then be sent from HQ. The system would sight messages that would tell HQ when the ambulance crew had arrived, when it was on its way to a hospital and when it was free again.3.3 How the CAD system was built The CAD system was built as an event-based system using a rule-based approach and was intended to interact with a geographical information system (GIS). The system was built by a small software package house called Systems Options using their own GIS software (WINGS) running under Microsoft Windows. The GIS communicated with Datatraks automatic vehicle tracking system. The system ran on a series of network PCs and file servers supplied by Apricot. 4. Events that Identified the Flaws of the CAD System On the night of the 26th October 1992 (Monday), things started to go wrong at the HQ of LAS. A flood lamp of 999 calls apparently swamped operators screens and ma ny of those calls were being wiped off screens for unknown reasons. Claims were later made that 20 to 30 people may have died as a result of ambulance arriving late on the scene. Some ambulances took over three hours to answer a call while the governments recommended maximum was 17 minutes.Mr. John Wilby, the headspring executive officer of LAS resigned inwardly a couple of days of this event. A number of Members of Parliament called for a public inquiry. The Health Secretary initiated an inquiry and the findings were finally published in an 80-page report in February, 1993, which immediately became headline news in both the computing and the national press.5. Findings of the Inquiry The inquiry found tell of poor management practice, high technological complexities and unfavorable operating environment involved in the implementation of the CAD system in LAS. Systems Options, the company trustworthy for developing the major part of the CAD system had no previous experience of b uilding similar type of systems. This company, which had won the 1.1 million contract for the phylogeny of the CAD system in June 1991, was found to have substantially underbid an established supplier (McDonnellDouglas). Hence, Systems Options was under serious pressure to complete the system quickly. The managing music director of a competing software house wrote various memoranda to LAS management in June and July 1991 describing the project as totally and fatally flawed. It appeared that Mr. Wilby ignored what amounted to an over-ambitious project timetable. Furthermore, an scrutinize report by Anderson Consulting which called for more finance and longer time scales for the CAD project was suppressed by the project managers.The board of management of LAS was even misled by the project team over the experience of Systems Options and the references supplied by Systems Options were not thoroughly investigated. Due to the extreme time pressure to develop the CAD system within the allocated timeframe, the project team responsible for developing the system practically did not follow any standard systems development approach. As a result, the resultant software was incomplete and unstable. In January 1992, phases one and two of the project began live trials. In March 1992, phase two of the trials was temporarily suspended due to the discovery of system errors. In October 1992, phase three was terminated after two days of reported chaos described above. Questions were raised about the complexity of the technical system. In the manual dispatch system, communication between HQ and ambulances is conducted via telephone or voice radio links. In the CAD system, links between communication, logging and dispatching via a GIS were meant to be automated.The automation was completed but no performance testing was thoroughly performed due to the rushed approach to meet the deadline. The system was lightly arch at start-up on the 26th October, 1992. Any problems, caused by the communications systems (e.g. ambulance crews pressing wrong buttons, or ambulances being in radio black spots) could be effectively managed by staff. However, as the number of ambulance incidents change magnitude, the amount of incorrect vehicle information recorded by the system also increased. This had a knock-on effect in that the system made incorrect allocations on the basis of the information that it had. For example, multiple vehicles were sent to the same incident, or the closet vehicle was not chosen for the dispatch. As a result, the system had fewer ambulance resources to allocate.At the receiving end, patients became queer with the delays to ambulances arriving at incidents. This led to an increase in the number of calls made back to the LAS HQ relating to already recorded incidents. The increased volume of calls, together with a slow system and an insufficient number of call-takers, contributed to significant delays in answering the telephones which, in turn, ca used further delays to patients. At the ambulance end, crews became increasingly frustrated at incorrect allocations and this led to an increased number of instances where they failed to press the right status buttons. The system therefore appears to have been in a vicious roundabout of cause and effect.There was also an apparent mismatch of perspectives among LAS management, HQ staff, and ambulance staff. The system has been described as being introduced in an atmosphere of mistrust by staff. There was incomplete ownership of the system by the majority of LAS staff. The hardware and software suppliers involved in this project reported low staff morale and grinding between LAS management and workforce. In other words, an atmosphere of hostility towards the computing systems was observed. One of the reasons for low staff morale was that control room staff lacked previous experience of using computer systems. 6. Conclusion In summary, no single element of the case can be regarded as the sole cause for the failure of the CAD system in LAS. The description demonstrates that failure of information systems projects tend to be multi-faceted in nature.Discuss Questionsa) Discuss the CAD system in footing of Interaction Failure. b) What lessons can be learned from the failure of the CAD project in LAS?

Discussing Principles of Universal Healthcare in the NHS

Discussing Principles of Universal Healthcare in the NHSThe NHS was set up in 1948 in response to illness and poverty within the UK brought on by the Second World War. The vision was that the NHS would house healthcare that is ecumenic, world-wide and free at the suggest of delivery (Klein 2004). This would suggest that the NHS would treat everyone regardless of class, origin, financial status and illness and free it would be free to alone. This essay allow discuss these principles with reference to authentic NHS policy.The inception of the NHS was influenced by the release of the Beveridge Report in 1942 (Ham, C. 2009, pp.13-14). This communicate suggested that there were large amounts of sickness and ill health within communities following the war and create the notion that a run providing healthcare to the whole population with come out charge would reduce sickness and ill health. Beveridge (1942) also stated that as health in the UK increased the money required to fund the NHS would reduce and passel would live in a healthier society with healthier workforces. However, what the Beveridge Report (1942) did not distinguish for was the rise in life expectancy and the consequent rise in demand on NHS. As a give, instead of the expense of the NHS decreasing as suggested in the Beveridge report (1942) the opposite happened. This is identified in the Office of Health and Economics (2008) makeup titled Sixty years of NHS expenditure and workforce and shows that the NHSs expenditure in its first year was 447 million in contrast to the year 07/08 where its expenditure is estimated to be 114,541 million. Dixon et al (1997) charges out the position the NHS experiences many demands in demographics, unfermented technologies, and increasing expectations which lead to the increase in expenditure of the NHS that is not attainable even with increases in funding. This suggests that the tycoon to leave behind a comprehensive service is jeopardised in that i f the NHS does not feed the funding to sustain itself it questions how the NHS faecal matter keep up with pricy and continuously advancing medicine. Furthermore, with the expenditure the NHS requires to function effectively the ability to provide healthcare free at the point of delivery becomes vulnerable. Even the NHS Choices website states that not all healthcare is free as we view to wages for optical, dental, and for roughly raft prescription charges. The argument presented is that exceptions to the principle free at the point of delivery, regardless if everything else is free, is a clear indicator that it is no prolonged free and therefore should not be regarded as such.However, The Institute for Innovation and Improvement attempts to provide some solutions to vast expenditure allowing the savings do to be utilised elsewhere in the health service. In their publication Prevention is better than cure suggests that prevention is more cost effective than treatment itself a nd points out, initiatives should aim to reach out to people to educate, advise and motive them to assist preventing them having complications later in life. An pillow slip of a prevention st computegy is the smoking extremity service that can be accessed by anyone at GP surgeries and pharmacies (NHS Choices, no date). This illustrates organisations attempting to find ways to reduce later life complications and effectively reduce expenditure caused by these complications. The money saved from these interventions can be spent on more services to move towards a more comprehensive health service and also prolonging the funding required to provide these services free at the point of delivery.The Griffiths report (1983) provided Thatcher government with grounds to introduce general focus and their Ring Wing ideology of internal markets and privatisation into the NHS (Ham, C. 2009, pp.32-39). The Griffiths report (1983) identified that the NHS was failing to use its resources effectiv ely and efficiently. Therefore, the report suggested that the NHS required general managers to be appointed within the NHS structure. According to the report these managers would monitor budgets and cost dominance of the department, motivate staff, and to lead the department to continually require to improve the service. Furthermore, the Griffiths report (1983) pointed out the need for outsourcing to create competition. The Health Authorities outsource services with the conclude that it would create competition and drive down the costs (Ham, C. 2009). Baggott (1997) evaluates the impact of the internal market. Baggott (1997) suggests that the purchasers of services were restricted receivable to the budget in graze and the providers were concerned with bare-assed cost. The article suggests that this resulted in a geographical difference in services provided and that some services that had been cut from the area were only provided on ability to pay tete-a-tetely. This goes agai nst every trigger principle of the NHS. The use of buck private companies within the NHS has continued with the Department of Health (2007) actually acknowledging this compromise on universalism in their publication postal service code lottery of care that states that there is until now unequal distribution of care dependant on the wealth of the area. However, on the positive side of things it mover that the PCTs can invest in services which are needed by the local federation instead of putting money into services unnecessarily. Furthermore, if the NHS services in an area does not provide a particular need of a patient but a nearby private establishment does the agitate government stated in their NHS 2000 plan that the private company could be used for that patient but paid for by the NHS (NHS plan 2000).Pollitt, C. et al (1991), produced a essay regarding the effectiveness of the implementation of the Griffiths report recommendations from professionals within the NHS. The st udy by Pollitt, C. et al (1991) found that the general managers felt that they sometimes had to forget that there were patients in the hospital and push to drive to get long term patients back out into the community. This suggests that those patients requiring longer care are not getting a comprehensive service from the NHS in that their treatment time is not sufficient for their needs. Another drawback to the appointment of general managers was that they did not appreciate clinical matters which caused tensions and rifts to widen within the general management and clinician relationship (Pollitt, C. 1991, p.71). However, Ham,C. (2009) suggests that general managers have proved their worth in that they are necessary in order to implement, carry forward policies and push to meet targets and capital punishment standards. With this in mind, it is important that health professionals beginning employment within the NHS are aware of the pressures regarding targets enforced by general man agers. Health professionals will have to do their upmost to ensure that patients are getting the most out of the service before they are discharged in order to maintain a comprehensive service.The Black Report (1980) was an in-depth report into the inequalities between social classes in the UK. It clearly highlighted that people living in poverty had a higher mortality rate than the wealthier people in society. As a result, the Black Report (1980) suggested interventions to be put in place by the government in order to care these people improve their health status. The report suggested that the disposal should make children and the disabled a priority and also that the Government should look to put in place preventative and educational strategies in place to assist in reducing inequalities in health. When this report was published the Thatcher Government were in power. Smith, T. (1990) states in his article that the Government rejected the proposals set out by the Black Report wit h their argument that the proposals were impractical and unachievable. Smith, T. (1990) also suggests that the Thatcher Government asserted their Right Wing ideologies that it is the peoples responsibility to look after their own health and not to expect the Government to intervene. Although this article is outdated it highlights how the Governments reaction was interpreted by the people at the time. Evidence of the Governments electric discharge of the report is highlighted in Patrick Jenkins (Secretary of State for Social Services) foreword within the Black Report (1980). He clearly suggests that the proposals are unrealistic and clearly states that he will not endorse the proposals. Taking this into consideration it is clear that the Government at the time was not prepared to assist the poor in order to patron them progress, improve their health, and improve their social status. As a result the inequalities between the wealthy and working class would remain. Considering these f indings it is clear that the NHS and the Thatcher Government failed to provide a universal service.The issue of inequality was highlighted again in 1998 by the Acheson report following the Labour party being elected into power. This report illustrated many similarities to the Black report. The Labour government, with their intrinsic state intervention ideology, they set about tackling these inequalities rather than dismissing them (Bambra, C. et al 2005, p.190). It can be seen in the NHS plan (2000) that many of the inequality issues such as accessibility are being tackled within the NHS. Within the NHS plan (2000) there is a clear emphasis for health provisions to be moved out of the direct NHS setting such as GPs surgeries into the community to assist with accessibility. There are many health provisions in place that can be accessed at local pharmacies such as the minor ailments scheme, smoking cessation, weight loss programmes (NHS Choices, no date). NICE (2008) published a paper regarding the smoking cessation schemes in place in pharmacies. The paper suggests that pharmacies are more accessible for patients in deprived areas who possibly find accessibility difficult. Moreover, the paper suggests that pharmacies have the ability to treat a larger number of patients due to location and later opening hours. This is a clear demonstration of the Government actively putting policies in place to achieve the principle of a universal NHS by extending accessibility. As a result healthcare professionals whitethorn find themselves working in the community rather than in a hospital setting. Therefore, professionals such as physiotherapist may find themselves working in the community setting where there may not be the same equipment found in the hospital setting. Therefore, these professionals will need to adapt and find ways to achieve successful programmes without the assistance of expensive equipment.However it should also be noted that there is an underlying cost s aving benefit for the Government when implementing community projects. Baqir (2011) has recently published a paper looking at the minor ailments scheme in place in the North East of England. Their results demonstrated an approximate saving of 80,000 per annum as a result of the scheme. The study points out that the majority of this savings comes from freeing GP resources allowing GPs to focus their attention to more complex patients. It should be noted that this source may set out bias as it was funded by The School of Pharmacy, Health and Wellbeing who would obviously have a vested interest in the pharmacy sector gaining health contracts. In spite of these efforts to tackle inequalities in healthcare The Marmot Review (2010) demonstrates that these inequalities in health still exist today suggesting that the health initiatives and policies laid out by the Governments have not eradicated this issue bringing into question the NHS principle of universalism.Old Labours Left Wing ideol ogies go against the internal market and privatisation created within the NHS by the Thatcher government (Ham, C. 2009, p.51). However, newfound Labour recognised that the integration of private companies within the NHS had some advantage (Ham, C. 2009, p.51). It is clear in the NHS plan (2000) that New Labour has moved further respectable from their left wing ideology and continues to allow the private sectors to have input into the NHS for the benefit of the NHS and the people using it. The plan suggests that the private sectors should work with the NHS and that the NHS should also be able to utilise its own expertise to provide the best possible healthcare to patients. In order for the NHS to become universal and free at the point of delivery the Government decided that if the NHS could not provide a particular service but a private hospital could the NHS would pay for the patient to be hard-boiled within the private hospital (NHS plan, 2000). This allows patients to receive t heir comprehensive treatment which they may not have been able to access previously without having to pay the private treatment costs. This clearly demonstrates the government working towards a comprehensive, universal, and free service which the NHS was founded upon. Nuffield Hospitals are an example of this in working practice. The website for Nuffield Hospitals state that NHS patients can be treated in these private hospitals paid for by the NHS. This is important for healthcare professionals working within private practices in that they should be aware that it is not always private paying clients that are treated in these hospitals. Furthermore, healthcare professionals in this environment must ensure they do not discriminate in these circumstances fully grown priority to paying clients.There are treatments being developed that the NHS is unwilling to provide patients as they are not cost effective. Under NICE guidelines, some drugs are just not cost effective enough to warrant funding on the NHS. NHS Choices (no date) clearly states that the NHS does not have unlimited money to go on treatments and therefore they must decide which treatments are of benefit with regards to their cost and effectiveness and they depend on NICE to provide the differentiate to base these decisions. This example highlights the criticism that the NHS is no longer comprehensive. However, with technology and research constantly moving forward and the formation of new but very expensive interventions it would be almost impossible to provide a comprehensive service that is equally distributed to all in need. The above example highlights the conflict between morals, in that the NHS attempts to provide for all eventualities however their funding restricts them in achieving this (NHS Choices, no date).The Foundation Trusts are a symbol of the Governments intentions to decentralise the health service as they are not modulate by the central government (Department of Health, 2005). T he notion that these Trusts are free to do as they please with the tax payers money is worrying. However, this is not entirely true. They are monitored and inspected by the board of governors (Department of Health, 2005). The Foundation trusts aim is to provide healthcare to meet the populations needs whilst meeting the founding principles of the NHS (Department of Health, 2005). However, when analysing A Short Guide to NHS Foundation Trusts publication made by the Department of Health in 2005 there is no mention of two of the principles. The fact that the Foundation Trusts, who directly affect what services are purchasable to the people of their area, do not consider two of the founding principles of comprehensiveness and universalism is highly significant in highlighting that these two principles are no longer at the forefront of the NHS services.In summary the NHS is no longer universal, comprehensive or free at the point of delivery. It is not universal due to the fact that dif ferent areas pick their own differing services so there is no consistency in what the NHS provides. It is not comprehensive because it fails to offer all treatments available due to lack of funding. It is not free at the point of delivery due to the charges placed upon dental, optical and prescriptions. This essay has pointed out that the NHS and Government does strive to achieve the NHSs founding principles however as a result of the expenditure rising year on year within the NHS it would appear that all three principles cannot be achieved collectively. As pointed out by the NHS choices website there is not enough funding to be able to provide every single treatment to everyone in need of it whilst it is still free of charge. Future recommendations would be that if the Government is unable to provide a treatment to all in need of it, it should not be licensed for sum up either on prescription or privately. This compromises the comprehensive principle of the NHS but at least it is equal and fair to all regardless of social status. Furthermore, in order for the companies providing expensive treatment to keep business it would have to strive to lower the price of their services. As a result, this recommendation may have a positive effect on the comprehensiveness of the NHS. The main issue highlighted in findings of this essay is that all three founding principles cannot be achieved collectively. However, what is apparent throughout the evidence presented is that organisations are still striving to achieve the founding principles within the NHS. This would therefore suggest that the principles are still present in the making of current policy, however, they have not been fully achieved.

Introduction To Communalism In India

Introduction To Communalism In IndiaCommunalism is a pervasive phenomenon in the public life of India and common riots are the ugliest expression (Krishna, 1985). Communal riots founder become an integral part of communalism in India. An event can be classified as a communal riot on two grounds. Firstly, if there is violence. Secondly, if two or more communally identified groups confront for each one other or the members of the other group, at some point during the violence (Varshney, 2002). The reason behind such communal riots can be superficial and trivial though deep within there are policy-making reasons behind such events (Varshney, 2002). India is not spick-and-span to communal riots the first recorded riots were in the year 1714, 1715, 1716 and 1750 in Ahmedabad (Rajeshwari, 2004). Bipin Chandra in his book Communalism in Modern India writes that the maximum communal riots in India took place during 1923-26.Communal riots in India are not spontaneous and are rarely due to any ghostly animosity. They usually arise due to conflicting political interests, which are often linked to economical interests (Rajeshwari, 2004). During the 1960s till the late 1980s, the topical anaesthetic political and economic occurrenceors contend a significant billet in instigating the riots in major parts of India (Engineer, 2002). However, since then the emergence of Hindtuva politics, it has been the major cause of communal riots (Engineer, 2002).The role of intelligence media in overlayage of communal riots in India is a major area of concern. E reallything is reported in the media, so are communal riots. The role of the password media has magnanimous in recent age, perhaps because of the centrality of the password media in communal violence and conflicts (Wolfsfeld, 2007). Even the most casual of observers wont deny the increasing significance of password media to a lower place such crisis situations. The influence of the news media in peace processes is more subtle, in part because what is not reported in the media is in some ways more important than what is reported.This paper would look at the way Indian media coered and reported the two most horrific incidents of communal violence in India the 1984 Sikh riots in natural Delhi and the 2002 Gujarat (Godhra) riots. On some(prenominal) occasions the media drew criticisms. The paper would discuss if the media has been objective in covering both riots and also as to what should be medias role in coverage of such future communal riots in India, if any.The Changing Face of News MediaThe global media sphere is changing with each passing second. New communications technologies such as camera enabled mobile phones and laptop computers are giving journalists an opportunity to gather and disseminate information with typical ease. This digitization of the news industry has led to compression of time and space and thus enabled us to see news and images of conflicts as and when they happen . The images send outed in our living board are not only informing the global audience of the horrific happenings except might also instigate further violence in an real violent situation. As a result, the medias reporting of a conflict situation has become as central to the unfolding of the conflict itself. With the evolution in engineering science the tyranny of distance might have reduced plainly various hidden realities and factors still affect the reporting of conflicts. This is proved by a field of honor done by Virgil Hawkings, who explains that the conflict in Africa which has been in the post-Cold war instauration responsible for nearly 90% of the worlds war deaths suffered a complete media blackout. Similarly, the coverage of the extensive war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which resulted in over one million deaths in the year 2000, was almost insignificant (Hawkins, 2008).Since the media has a right on ability to reach greathearted number of peo ple. It ignites the opinion building process and impacts the political decisions and audience reactions in the society. This eventually shapes the course of prevalent crises and conflicts (Ballantine, 2003).The Media, Religion and politicsWith the planes hitting the Twin Towers on 11 September, 2001 the relationship between media and religion changed forever. Karim (2003) suggested that religion would become an important topic for the media and the way media covers events would be influenced by the spectral undertones. It is arguable if the world and its religions have changed or not, alone the media coverage of the same surely has.Within India, religion has a whopping impact on the face-to-face lives of millions of people. The country practices almost all(prenominal) other religion known to the world and this is one of the most important facets of the country, so is politics. The politicians play on the religious issues every now and then, and media is used as the platform. T he politicians communicate with the common mass through with(predicate) the mass media. The way in which we know and find about our politicians is through the media. It is the media that serves as the main channel of communication between the politicians and the public. Religion is one of the subjects in India which the politicians intelligently use to their advantage.Academic literature has covered the representation of conflict in religion as well as media and religion but not much has been researched on media, religion and conflict situations in context with each other, curiously within an environment like India. It would be difficult to under bristle the relationship between religion, its construction, presentation and conflict situations covered in the media, without some reference to the broader political context within which it takes place, because in a nation like India, religion is certainly driven by political motives. In order to understand the role media plays and shou ld play during communal clashes in India, let us analyze the two worst communal riots India has ever seen the 1984 Sikh riots and the 2002 Gujarat riots.The 1984 Sikh Riots in New Delhi4.1 The EventsOn 31st of October 1984, the Indian Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi was assassinated by two of her Sikh bodyguards. What followed was a complete mayhem and it led to a lethal anti-Sikh riots in India. Sikh homes were systematically singled out in the capital and brutally destroyed (Tatla, 2006). The Sikhs were hounded, tyres were put around their neck, and petrol doused on their faces and bodies set ablaze to brutal death (Mohanka, 2005). more(prenominal) than 3,000 Sikhs were killed in New Delhi itself. Two hundred Gurudwaras, the place where Sikhs worship, were burn down and many Sikh owned shops were looted. 1The situation worsened when the newly pick out Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, the son of Indira Gandhi was quoted, When a big tree falls, the ground beneath is sure to rumble. T his gave a common sense as if Rajiv Gandhi was giving a encouragement to the killers who were assassinating hundreds of Sikhs in the streets of New Delhi (Mohanka, 2005).Mrs. Gandhis assassinators were avenging Operation Bluestar. In the June of 1984, Mrs. Gandhi, wanted to flush out few terrorists, led by Jamail Singh Bhindranwale, who were hiding in the precincts of the Golden Temple, the holiest shrine for Sikhs in India. On the 3rd of June, 1984 a 36 hour curfew was imposed in the Sikh dominated state of Punjab. All methods of communication and travel were suspended. Electricity supplies were interrupted, a total black out was created and Punjab was cut off from India and rest of the world (Brar, 1992).On the night of 5th of June, the Indian Army under the command of study Gen. Kuldeep Singh Brar stormed into the Golden Temple. By the morning of the 7th of June the Indian Army had full control of the temple. The militant leaders were killed in the two day battle but along with it a large number of pilgrims, civilians and children were also killed (Ahmed, 1996).The Sikh community were agitated. Their holiest shrine was turned into a bloody battlefield and straightforward lives were lost. Saran Singh, a retired administrative official and a famous member of the Sikh community in India quotes It was sacrilege to send troops inside, open fire and in the process kill innocent devotees gathered to observe the martyrdom (Mohanka, 2005).From June to September 1984 most members of the Sikh community nursed a festering wound only to blurt out in Indira Gandhis assassination.4.2 The Indian Medias Coverage of Operation Bluestar and the Sikh RiotsMedia by its nature plays an super important role for any socio-political situation irrespective of the boundary it holds (Mohanka, 2005). The medias role in the riots of 1984 is an interesting case. Scholars believe that media can play a role in focussing on a cause much before it takes an ugly turn. In the case of Punja b in 1984, the local media was not supportive of the Sikh causes. Moreover, since of beginning of the problems in Punjab, the government had a strict control on the media and imposed a heavy censorship. Since independence until the usurpation of cable idiot box in India, the electronic media has served as the mouthpiece of the government (Das, 2009). Similar was the role of the electronic media in Punjab during the riots. The giving medication had such tight control over the media that the foreign correspondents trying to capture the horrific events were not even allowed in the local land. The Indian Government acted as a strict visible gatekeeper and made it impossible to approve journalist visas for foreign correspondents. The events of the 1984 riots thus suffered not only from biased media coverage but also selective coverage which projected one sided selected perspective (Das, 2009). The media blackout during the Operation Bluestar is a prime manakin of the same.The day bef ore the actual invasion by the Indian Army, the Government ordered all press out of the state and restricted press coverage in Punjab. The press was allowed only a week later on special organised guided tours. The aftermath was later described by the press, as involving a small gang of criminals disliked by the majority of Sikhs and Indians. The press described the militants as petty political agitators, rather than leaders of a movement for a greater Punjab autonomy, as believed by a majority of Sikhs. Similarly, during the reportage of the 1984 riots there were discrepancy between the press release of data and images and the actual severity of the violent situation that prevailed in the streets of New Delhi (Das, 2009). This usage of selective information in the Indian media only contributed to the ambiguous image of Sikhs throughout the nation and failed to bring out their plight in the light. During the Sikh Movement the Government of India had passed the National Security Act (1980), the Punjab Disturbed Areas Ordinance (1983), The Armed Forces Special Powers Act (1983) and the Terrorists Affected Areas (Special Courts Act of 1984). These acts provided the police and army with sweep powers. They could charge and curtail to the right to life under specific situations. The approach of the media during the crisis had been partisan to take into account all types of multidimensional problem, historical, political, socio-economic and ideological. The media only focussed on special restricted information and neglectd a careful examination of all the issues and processes that had led to the mayhem, the riots. During 1984, Indian leaders were free to make up non-existent stories and broadcast through Government controlled radio and television carry. Since there was a major restriction on the foreign press, all foreign news correspondents were left with no choice but to take the twister news of the local government controlled media.The United States of America, The House of Representatives had a view point on the same. It saidAs a result the outside world receives a biased one side view of what goes on in Punjab because the Indian Government has control over most of the domestic media. This contributes to the stereotype that all Sikhs are extremist radicals who are terrorising the predominantly Hindu nation and that is incisively not the fact. If the Indian Government has goose egg to hide it should remove the news blackout and permit outsiders into Punjab. The free flow of information is essential to the prevention of rights and liberties in a democratic society and India claims to be the worlds largest democracy. So, they should act as the worlds largest democracy. This is the foundation for a democratic nation and is not too much to ask of India to respect the rights of all its people and not just the Hindu majority. It is not right for any government to deny 16 million of its own people the basic political and civil rights. India ha s a moral obligation to protect the Sikh communityThe internal news text file reporting on the Sikhs made no distinction between a regional political party, a handful of militants, and the entire Sikh community. Even the senior editors and columnists of the national newspapers considered all Sikhs accountable for the assassination of Indira Gandhi and provided no sympathy to the community during the riots. Through the small years of political crisis in Punjab before the horrific riots, the national dailies had not help resolve the issue. The Times of India, one of the leading national dailies and The Hindustan Times did more to be active hostility between Hindus and Sikhs than perhaps any other national side of meat spoken communication newspaper (Das, 2009).The media was a part of the misinformation carried out in the public. The best example of the same would be when a national newspaper carried out an article reporting that huge quantities of heroin and drugs had been recove red within the Golden Temple difficult and the same had been used by the militants to illegally fund their operations. Since, the foreign press was banned in Punjab they picked up the story based on the 14th June crusade Trust of India (PTI) news report from the government sources. This news was carried out in the major supranational newspapers. One week into the incident, the government retracted the official report on the grounds that the drugs had been recovered from the India-Pakistan border and not the Golden Temple complex. This retraction by the government was not picked up by most international news agencies and the damage done by the initial report falsely remained amongst the mass. 3Many scholars believed that the Indian media forgot to prioritize issues and failed to act upon them. Senior Indian journalist, Manoj Mitta along with H. S. Phoolka in the book When a Tree Shook Delhi writes that the media focussed on the assassination of Indira Gandhi and did not care dece nt about the Sikh murders during the riots. Mitta saysThe media by and large went by the official line on the carnage. It focused on the happenings at Teen Murti Bhawan, where Indira Gandhis body lay in state and where from people around the world had come to pay respect. So photographers were flocking to that place and the killings that were simultaneously going on in the capital did not get recorded at all. Its bizarre but true.Not all were pleased by the Indian medias coverage of the riots.The 2002 Gujarat RiotsThe EventsOn the 27th of February 2002, the Ahmedabad bound Sabarmati Express train reached a small town in Gujarat named Godhra (Yeolekar, 2002). Instead of the usual stoppage for 5 minutes the train stopped for 25 minutes and then moved out of the platform. Before the train could go through at its normal speed, the alarm chain was pulled to stop the train at Signal Falia, a Moslem inhabited locality. No one clearly knows what authentically happened but after few minut es the compartment S-6 was on flames. 58 passengers including 26 women and 12 children were burnt to death (Yeolekar, 2002). Among the passengers were the Kar Sevaks travelling from Ayodhya. There have been different theories accept that Muslims were behind this barbaric act.If this wasnt barbaric enough, what followed in the days to come shook the entire secular nation of India. During the next three days, from the 28th of February to 2nd of March, 2002 Muslims were butchered, massacred and burnt alive. Out of the 24 districts in Gujarat, 16 were entangled by organized mob attacks in which over 2,000 Muslims were killed, 200 mosques and religious and cultural monuments were sent to rumbles (Sawant et al, 2002). The Muslim community of Gujarat suffered an enormous economic blow with an overall loss of Rs 35 billion.5.2 The Indian Medias Coverage of the Riots5.2.1 The Television CoverageFor the first time in the floor of communal clashes in India, violence was carried live on telev ision (Ninan 2002) as the television cameras brought across the horrific images to viewing audience home in Gujarat and elsewhere. There was no live coverage of the attacks against the Sikhs back in 1984 or the Babri Masjid fiasco in 1992. Those were the era of print media and television was limited to Doordarshan, a state owned channel. It was only in 1996 when, Rupert Murdoch ventured into India with the champ network and STAR News happened Indias first 24 hour news channel 4. This addition to the television spectrum of India added a new visual dimension to politics, violence and public sphere in India. In 2005, the television newscape had turned dense with a large number of players entering the mart several 24 hour news take were launched. This led to intense competitive brand of journalism, which was evident during the Gujarat riots. There were a large consortium of journalists and television crews from various channels on the streets in Gujarat, each trying to outdo each ot her. When the Gujarat violence happened, the private television in India had been broadcasting for about 8 years and was easily accessible by 40 million amongst the 81.6 million Indians who owned television sets (5 notes). This option offered by the private television gave the Indian viewers unprecedented access to independent broadcasting.When the first pictures of Gujarat riots were telecast on Indian screens on 27 February, the three major news networks in India Star News, Aaj Tak and ezed News did not follow the guidelines formulated by the Press Council of India, a quasi-judicial watchdog organization (Mehta, 2006). The guidelines mentioned not to reveal the identity of victims or attackers in the news reports but all the news networks carried blaring newspaper headlines about the killing of the Kar Sevaks 6. The guidelines were against the mentioning of victims or attackers as Hindus or Muslims because they feared it could inflame passions and lead to revenge attacks. The television news networks with its salient(ip) visual images made this guideline redundant.While covering the riots in Gujarat, the television journalists openly identified the victims and the attackers. Varadarajan argues for the naming of communities. He states that not naming the communities increases a sense of suspicion and anxiety amongst the ordinary citizens not only in the riot affected area but throughout the nation. Then people tend to go into that the victims are their own while attackers are the other (Varadarajan, 1999).Famous Indian journalists, Rajdeep Sardesai and Barkha Dutt of STAR News justified their stand of naming the communities. Barkha Dutt stated, Naming the community under siege in Gujarat was moot of the story. In fact it was the story, revealing as it did a prejudice administrative and political system that was happy to just stand by and watch. (Mehta, 2006).The bold and independent media coverage by the television media during the riots invited flak fr om the political actors in powers who were shown in bad light. Criticizing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Hindutva approach in the riots got STAR News and English newspapers like The Times of India and Indian Express bad press (Sonwalkar, 2006).The BJP was in power in the state of Gujarat and at the centre in New Delhi. After the initial violence, when the news coverage of the attacks against the Muslims in Gujarat started to reflect badly on the state and central government, the leaders came down heavily on the journalists and media personnel. The Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee addressed the nation a day after the attacks, regretting the disgraceful violence. He later on added that the news media were presenting an exaggerated account of the situation in Gujarat (The Times of India 2002a check book).The BJP and the state government under Narendra Modi singled out STAR News and banned cable operators from showing the channel in the state. The viewers in Ahmedabad, o ne of the worst affected regions in the riots, were left with blank television screens, unaware from the reality happening on the streets (Mehta, 2006). Cable operators received calls from local officials in Ahmedabad and other cities to completely black out STAR News, Zee News, CNN and Aaj Tak (The Times of India 2002a). Dossiers and hitlists on journalists were reportedly prepared while the channels which dared to reveal the truth and were critical of the Chief Minister and his plan of actions were not invited to the press conferences and hence were denied the basic right to information by the state itself (Sardesai 2004).The main complaint of the BJP and its allies were that the news media did not cover and criticize those who were responsible for the Godhra train tragedy in which 58 Kar Sevaks were victims. This however remains untrue as the every news channels and major newspaper had covered the Godhra train tragedy exclusively, but the follow ups did not remain as the story of the day because the Union Budget followed on 28 February. The budget coverage was pushed aside when the mass killings and large scale retaliation against Muslims started in various parts of the state (Sonwalkar, 2006).Another criticism was that, the national media inflamed communal passions by providing graphic television coverage of the dreadful events. The journalists and the news professional came out against the criticism and said that the level of violence would have been much worse if only the news media brought out the real picture by the graphic images.The BJP and its allies also christened the media as Marxist-Mullah combine and the Secular Taliban for criticising the attacks against the Muslims. Members of the Editors night club of India visited the affected regions in Gujarat and were told by a group of Hindutva supporters that the Hindu community has been defamed with the coverage only being from the Muslim perspective They only listen to Muslims and ignore the Hindus (Patel et al, 2002).Sardesai explains the predicament faced by journalists in covering the riots(If ) any reporter, whether print of television, sees large-scale violence being committed, is the journalist to ignore the hard reality and hardly present the facts as seen through the government binoculars? If the Chief Minister says that the situation is returning to normal even while reports are streaming in of continuing violence in several parts of the state, are not the lies to be exposed? And if the government insists that the army is out on the street when the fact is that the army has been kept on stand-by and is waiting for transport trucks, whose version is to be broadcast?(Sardesai, 2002)5.2.2 The Press CoverageIf the graphic coverage by the television channels hit the headlines and created criticisms, the nature of the press coverage also came under the hammer. The coverage by the print media makes an interesting study. There were two different approaches followed by the lo cal and the national media. The local section of the press, including the Gujarati dailies Sandesh and Gujarat Samachar, covered the events from a pro-Hindutva stand and justified the killings of hundreds of Muslims. While the national media, including The Times of India and the Indian Express, were overtly critical of the channelized attacks against the Muslims (Sonwalkar, 2006).The team of Editors baseball club of India met several journalists, correspondents, editors, Chief Minister Narendra Modi and others to conclude that the English-language national press played an exemplary role in coverage of the riots. BJPs allegations of media playing an aggravating role in coverage of the riots have been dismissed by many scholars. Patel argues that the allegation was specious, self-serving and must be dismissed (Patel et al. 2002). The Editors Guild of Indias team observed thatOur finding is that the spark off and extensive portrayal by the national media of the untold horrors visited on innocent people in the wake of the Godhra carnage was a saving grace. The exposure of the resupine is not complicit attitude of the State and manifest outpourings of communal hatred, stirred the conscience of the nation, compelled remedial action, howsoever defensively and belatedlyHowever, the role of the sections of the Gujarat media, specially the Gujarat Samachar and more notably Sandesh, was provocative, irresponsible and blatantly violative of all accepted norms of media ethics. This cannot be lightly passed over. (Patel et al, 2002)Gujarat Samachar is the largest selling daily in Gujarat with a circulation of nearly 810,000 followed by Sandesh with 705,000 (Sonwalkar, 2006). These two newspapers have a large readership and dominate the print market in Gujarat. A study by PUCL in 2002 found that there were several instances of distorted and false reporting in these two newspapers and also the circulation of Sandesh rose by 150,000 due to its pro-Hindutva stand. The covera ge synopsis found that when Muslims were at fault, their names were clearly mentioned and the perpetrators identified. However, when the Muslims were the victims of murders, loots, arsons, and other heinous crimes the attackers were unnamed. The study concludeNo sources were quoted for headlines, even when they were simply lifted from speeches by Vishwa Hindu Parishad (one of the Hindutva polical parties in the state). Headlines were also misleading, and often followed up by reports that did not substantiate, and even negated the headlines completelyThe anti-minority stand was axiomatic in the slant in news reporting.(PUCL, 2002).Sandesh was extremely provocative in its reporting. PUCL states Sandeshs usage of headlines was to provoke, communalize and terrorise people (PUCL 2002). On the 28th of Februrary, Sandesh carried a headline saying, 70 Hindus Burnt Alive in Godhra. Another report on the front page read, Avenge Blood with Blood, which was a quote from a parameter made by one of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad leaders, but the newspaper used the words as a headline without mentioning the leader (Sonwalkar, 2006).On the 6th of March, the headline read, Hindus Beware Haj Pilgrims return with a Deadly Conspiracy, when the fact remains that hundreds of Haj pilgrims were terrified by the happenings in the state and had retuned under police protection. PUCL accent in its study that most news in Sandesh post-Godhra violence began with the sentence, In continuing spiral of communal rioting that broke out as a reaction to the demonic/barbaric, etc Godhra incident. The comminatory adjectives used in describing the Godhra incident were strikingly absent when covering the post Godhra Muslim annihilation (PUCL 2002).One of the reports mentioned that the breasts of two Hindu women had been chopped off by Muslim mobs during the crisis. This report turned out be false and the editor countered by saying that the information had been provided by the police. The papers edit or told that it was against the policy of the newspaper to carry out corrections and clarifications for previously turned articles (Patel et al, 2002). The Press Council of India later censured the newspaper for the fault (Prerna 2003). Gujarat Samachar also heightened the tension through its pro-Hindutva stand in coverage of the events.Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi openly praised Sandesh for its work, which was publishing false and rumoured reports with a pronounced pro-Hindutva and an anti-Muslim stance. In a letter to the newspapers editor, Modi writesThe newspapers of the state played a decisive role as a link between the people and the government. You have served humanity in a big way. It is the state governments primary quill duty to restore peace and security. It is noteworthy that the newspapers of Gujarat gave their full support to the state government in undertaking this difficult task.I am grateful to you.(Varadarajan, 2002 286)The one regional newspaper that sto od out amidst the Hindutva ideology was the Gujarat Today, notably started by few liberal Muslims in the state. The report suggested Gujarat Today regularly carried out positive news items bring out interdependence of the communities involved (PUCL 2002). The two English-language national newspapers in India, The Times of India and the Indian Express were critical of the state government in their articles. However, these two newspapers also publish editions from Gujarat and a clear divide was evident between the two English-language dailies and the two regional editions (Sonwalkar, 2006). While the English-language version was sharp in its criticisms of Chief Minister Narendra Modi and his policies, the two Gujarati dailies propagated the need of Hindutva. Desai, an Ahmedabad-based correspondent of the Indian Express writesToday, all the people who once used to look at me with respect question me and abuse me. They do this because I represented a publication whose medium is English and because I reported human misery in its right perspective.A friend said All of you from the English language media have tarnished the image of Gujarat. Today, the common man in Gujarat hates the English language media. Even a section of the English language media hates the English language media.(Desai 2004 228)(Need to conclude)The Role of the Media During Communal Riots An AnalysisThe result of multiple and complex interests of regions, states and/or various types of groups within them leads to economic, social and political conflicts. Such conflicts are difficult to speak and requires negotiations between the parties involved and in this amorphous age of media the governments are finding extremely difficult to handle such situations (Terzis, 2008). Despite the increased importance of communication, very few governments can speak about successful communication during conflicts because they fail to take into consideration the perception of the conflict in the minds of the comm on mass, the scientific analysis of the causable factors, the agendas of the parties involved and the changing nature of the conflict itself (Ballantine, 2003).The role of mass media in covering and resolving conflicts, especially those involving religious differences that leads to frequent communal riots in India, is extremely crucial. We are in the age where the basic principles of reportage of facts are sacred, comment free, get both sides of the story, double check your facts before writing, are not enough in reporting communal riots. There are enough challenges faced by a journalist and media personnel in such a situation. The guidelines for a reporter in covering communal riots should be to lookout for detailed background information, not continue with the stereotyping of communities, find residents who deal with both the communities, talk to victims from both sides, corroborate victims as well as polices accounts, discover the role of the police, the politicians and the media and highlight stories where communities have helped each other.If we analyse the way Indian media covered the 1984 Sikh riots, we

Greek Fire, the Most Powerful Weapon of Byzantine Army Essay -- Byzant

War is the father of on the whole things.1 Volkman begins his book, Science Goes to War, with this quote from Heraclitus, the Hellenic philosopher. Volkman uses the quote to suggest that many, if not all, scientific advancements owe their birth to the desire for or the fear of war. Fire is undoubtedly a part of this advancement as Bert Hall points out, Fire is iness of the primordial forces of nature, and incendiary artillery units have had a place in armies toolkits for almost as long as civilized states have made war.2 Of all the tools at the disposal of the Byzantine Empires military, the so called Greek fire was the most important.3Greek fire was a weapon system that allowed Byzantine ships, as early as the seventh century, to spew fire at its enemies. On the ships prow was the head of a lion or some other monstrosity, cast in hardiness or iron. In its mouth was a bronze siphon that could swivel back and forth.4 The flaming liquid that spewed from this siphon came with th e roaring sound and a foul cloud of smoke. What makes it worse is that it even burns while in water.5 The fear it instilled in enemies sometimes egged men in full plate armor to border in the water, knowing they will be dragged down to the bottom simply because drowning was preferable to being burned alive.6Such an awe-inspiring beast of a weapon was already predisposed to legend and rumor. However, even as cinematic as Greek fire was, its cloud of ambiguity is, frankly, ridiculous. Put as accurately and elegantly as possible, Greek fire was a misnomer wrapped in a misconception, confused in translation, veiled in secrecy, and embellished with apocrypha.7 At one point, one of the Byzantine emperors wrote in a letter to his son that Greek fire was revealed and ta... ...timore The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1960. p. 19.Parkington, James Riddick Parkington. Origins and Development of Applied Chemistry. New York Arno Press, 1975.Roland, Alex. Review of A storey of Greek Fire an d Gunpowder, by James Riddick Parkington, Technology and Culture, Vol. 41. No. 1 (Jan., 2000).Roland, Alex. Secrecy, Technology, and War Greek Fire and the Defense of Byzantium, 678-1204. Technology and Culture Vol. 33, No. 4 (1992) 655-679.Russel, Bertrand. History of Western Philosophy. London George Allen and Unwin LTD, 1946. p. 60.Stannard, Jerry. Review of A History of Greek Fire and Gunpowder, by James Riddick Parkington, Philosophy of Science, Vol. 29. No. 4 (Oct., 1962).Volkman, Ernest. Science Goes to War The seek for the Ultimate Weapon, from Greek Fire to Star Wars. New YorkJohn Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2002.

Graduation Speech :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

When I first began considering a graduation speech, my initial impulse was to spend this time discussing the advent of college preparation at Ridgemont, and the rise of empty values. I thought it would be a good chance to point out the fact that the quest for college access code has ground some of the best people I know into pulp, and that for the most part it attends as though both their parents, and to a large extent the school, seem afraid to confront that system for what it is. I wanted to speak to the changes happening here at Ridgemont, that the focus of the school is being shifted from educating for character to trying to better the efficiency with which Ridgemont can heard students into the Ivy League. It seemed to me that my entire fourteen years here had led to the final understanding that a lot of what we have been told to hit for amounts to little more than than bowing down before Mammon. But, upon reflection, I realized that I would not be doing justice to the schoo l and the class I bed if I spent my time up here attacking the parents and the school in that manner. I really owe the school and my peers a lot more than that. If it were not for my Ridgemont education, I probably would never have seen the system for what it is. Ridgemont taught me to despise that system by showing me a better way to do things by showing me that education, success, and happiness do not have to come at the expense of others, that I could go further if I learned to help, and to be helped, by those around me, rather than compete against them. Ridgemonts emphasis on process versus product will stay with me for the rest of my life. So when I sat down and tested to pull together what it was about Ridgemont that made it an interesting and wonderful place to attend school, I remembered that my friend Larry had once pointed out to me the distinction between the twain types of people that you can associate with. There are those that care about your soul, and those that don t. I think that the Ridgemont education, for many in my class, was one that cared for our souls, and this is what distinguishes it from other schools, and this is why it is so unlike the real world in here.