IT-6 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

IT-6 - Essay Example Differences in culture and language barriers are significant issues requiring scrutiny, as virtually every foreign nation has a different value and belief system, while making the process of relating to these customers more difficult due to the use of a different language. IS systems must be built with these factors in mind, including the appropriate usage of the foreign language on the international auction website. Political barriers are the most complicated, as many foreign countries block the free access of information to its society, therefore these factors must be considered prior to building the appropriate international auction website. Will the people in this type of nation be able to help build profitability? These are questions that must be considered prior to going international. I have located three commercial sites in different markets which offer affiliate programs: PowerWebsites.com, Office Depot.com, and Barnes&Noble booksellers. Powerwebsites is a marketing entity which utilizes its technological expertise to help companies build higher customer volumes through affiliate marketing. The online version of Office Depot provides office-related products, including papers, printers, desks and more. Barnes & Noble is a leading bookstore with bricks and mortar locations across the country. Powerwebsites provides FREE sign-up for the affiliate program, with a 20% commission on all sales generated by the program. Payouts are promised at a minimum of $25 in return for placing a companys web link on their site. Powerwebsites pays their commission on a pay per sale basis, meaning that the customer must not only click on the link, but also must make a purchase at the partner website. OfficeDepot.com provides an affiliate program which is also a pay per sale, meaning that customers must actually click this link AND make a purchase at the site. Their affiliate program promises a 20% commission on these

How structural and linguistic devices are used to target specific audiences in printed media texts Essay Example for Free

How structural and linguistic devices are used to target specific audiences in printed media texts Essay Different audiences expect and react to different ideas, presentational devices, linguistic devices and so on. For example teenagers may expect bright, vibrant colours and exciting design, whereas older people may look for softer, neutral colours and a more formal design. Of course, these are stereotypical views but the designers of the media texts must make them with a stereotypical view of their audience in mind. In this essay I will look at three different media texts aimed at different groups and explain how they attempt to appeal to these audiences. Firstly I will compare the ideas put forward in the three texts. In the Club 18-30 leaflet the focus is mainly on going out and having fun, in clubs, pubs and on beaches. The Superfamily piece talks about the activities that a family can participate in, such as pool games, quizzes, tennis courts, squash courts and fantasy golf. It also tells the audience about the things done to make a family holiday easier, such as baby care, childrens clubs and so on. The Forever Young brochure focuses on the older generation ands talks about the activities and facilities that they might enjoy, such as tennis, aerobics and golf, cathedrals to visit and conveniences like laundry services, money exchange, spacious bar and sun terraces. Now I will look at the presentational and structural devices in the three texts. In the Club 18-30 text bright, vibrant colours are used such as pink, blue, yellow and red. The title states the target audience straight away making it very obviously eye-catching to the right people. The pictures used are those of people dancing in a club and having fun as this is what most people going on this holiday want to do. This is not a full page advertisement as there is only a very small amount of information wanted; about the clubs, bars, beaches etc. This is all given in a fun, jaunty font with not too much reading needed. The Superfamily brochure is done in red, white and pale yellow. These are soft, welcoming, almost primary colours. This emphasises that this is a family advertisement. There are pictures a families by the pool as well as kids playing and having fun. All the borders are wavy and curved making this feel like a safe place for children and the font is plain. The Forever Young brochure has soft, autumn colours as well as natural blues and greens. Also, the pictures are serene. This is because the average older person wants a calm relaxing holiday. There is a full page layout with plain, simple borders. There are pictures of a cathedral and an empty pool. This helps add to the feeling of calm and relaxing on the holiday. I will next look at the language used in each of the pieces. In the Club 18-30 piece the language used is cool and slang with misspelled words such as in yer face. This is to target the younger audience. It is humorous yet with some facts, such as bars, clubs and beaches to visit. There are some opinions such as home to some of Europes premier DJs. It states what the younger audience may worry about when it says that youll need a fair bit of wedge. It also states that there are many things to do on your doorstep suggesting great ease, an important factor to youth. The Superfamily brochure uses informal yet informative language, like for the sporty among you. It is persuasive and serious, giving the reader a lot of reasons why the holiday is right for them. However in doing this it keeps a very friendly and approachable attitude as it wants to appeal to families. It states the many things that they will do to make family life easier, such as baby care and childrens clubs. Forever Young uses formal language as this is what appeals to a lot of the older generation. It is serious and informative, stating plainly what things there are to do and makes them seem calm for example it has a traditional, relaxed feel about it. This is important as most older people want a relaxing holiday. It is persuasive as it uses opinions about things like prettiest and traditional. Overall I believe it is very important for advertisers to use all means at their disposal to attract the target audience. They must choose the right presentational devices, the right language and the right style in order to convince the target audience to buy their product.

The Lesson of Quinns Ishmael :: Quinn Ishmael Essays

The Lesson of Quinn's Ishmael There are some books that you can just sit back and enjoy, just let the authors words wash over you and, most importantly, you don't have to think. And then there's Daniel Quinn's Ishmael. The novel Ishmael, "an adventure of the mind and spirit," opens with a disillusioned and depressed man in search of a teacher, and not just any teacher. He wants someone to show him what life is all about. And so he finds Ishmael, a meiutic teacher (one who acts as a midwife to his pupils, in bringing ideas to the surface), who turns out to be a large telepathic gorilla of extraordinary intelligence. The largest part of the book consists of their conversations, in which Ishmael discusses how things got to be this way (in terms of human culture, beginning with the agricultural revolution). Ishmael shows the narrator exactly what doesn't work in our society: the reasoning that there is only one right way to live, and that that way is with humans conquering the planet. Daniel Quinn points out that many other cultures, most notably those who have a tribal lifestyle, work, in that they do not destroy their resources, have no need for crime control or other programs, and do not have population problems. He insists that our culture is not based on humans being human, it is based on humans being gods and trying to control the world. Ishmael has a habit of raising questions and ideas. The gorilla Ishmael not only brought out thoughts and questions in the narrator, he brought up a lot of questions and ideas in Coast to Coast 2000. Ishmael took us all aback. Although many of us questioned some of Daniel Quinn's minor points, we all agreed on one of his main points: that there is no one right way to live. The Bushmen of Africa are living in a way that is just as right and works just as well as ours, and possibly even better, as they are capable of living without destroying everything in their paths. These "Leaver" cultures are in no way inferior to ours though we consider them to be uncivilized. In fact, Ishmael says that it is "Taker" civilization itself, the hierarchical structure that locks up food and spreads through the idea that people must live the same way, that is actually inferior.

Gay male culture Essay

American culture has focused much more heavily on gay men than on other members of the LGBT community. This may be due to larger numbers of men than women and it may also be due to gay men having more resources available to them to justify, explore and perform their sexuality. The western culture as a whole still sees men and male experience as the central experience in culture, even if the men in question are transgressing established gender norms. Gay culture relies upon secret symbols and codes woven into an overall straight context. The association of gay men with opera, ballet, professional sports, , musical theater, the Golden Age of Hollywood, and interior design began with wealthy homosexual men using the straight themes of these media to send their own signals. In the Marilyn Monroe film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, a musical [filmfreakcentral. net] number features a woman singing while muscled men in revealing costumes dance around her. The men’s costumes were designed by a man, the dance was choreographed by a man, and the dancers seem more interested in each other than in the female star, but her reassuring presence gets the sequence past the censors and fits it into an overall heterocentric theme. Today gay male culture is publicly acknowledged. Celebrities such as Liza Minnelli spent [topix. net] a significant amount of their social time with urban gay men, who were now popularly viewed as sophisticated and stylish by the jet set. Celebrities themselves were open about their relationships. Gay men can’t be identified by the way they look or what kind of music they like. There are gay men in every field and all sorts of fashions and music. Lesbian culture A lesbian is a woman who is romantically and sexually attracted only to other women. The history of lesbian culture over the last half-century has been linked to the evolution of feminism. Older stereotypes of lesbian women stressed a dichotomy between women who adhered to stereotypical male gender stereotypes (â€Å"butch†) and stereotypical female gender stereotypes (â€Å"femme†), and that typical lesbian couples consisted of butch/femme couples. Today, some lesbian women adhere to being either â€Å"butch† or â€Å"femme,† but these categories are much less rigid and there is no express expectation that a lesbian couple be butch/femme. There is a sub-culture within the lesbian community called Aristasia, where lesbians in the community adhere to exaggerated levels of femininity. In this culture, there are two genders, blonde and brunette, although they are unrelated to actual hair color. Brunettes are femme, yet blondes are even more so. Also notable are diesel dykes, extremely butch women who use male forms of dress and behavior, and who often work as truck drivers. Lipstick lesbian refers to feminine women who are attracted only to other feminine women. Bisexual culture In modern western culture Bisexual people are in the peculiar situation of receiving hatred or distrust [Lunde 1990] or even outright denial of their existence from some elements of both the straight and lesbian and gay populations. There is of course some element of general anti-LGBT feeling, but some people insist that bisexual people are unsure of their true feelings, that they are experimenting or going through a phase and that they eventually will or should decide or discover which (singular) sex they are sexually attracted to. One popular misconception is that [Lunde 1990] bisexuals find all humans sexually attractive. That is no truer than the idea that, say, all straight men would find all women sexually attractive. More people of all kinds are becoming aware that there are some people who find attractive sexual partners among both men and women – sometimes equally, sometimes favoring one sex in particular . Distinctions exist between sexual orientation (attraction, inclination, preference, or desire), gender identity (self-identification or self-concept) and sexual behavior (the sex of one’s actual sexual partners). For example, someone who may find people of either sex attractive might in practice have relationships only with people of one particular sex. Many bisexual people consider themselves to be part of the LGBT or Queer community [Barris, 2007]. In an effort to create both more visibility, and a symbol for the bisexual community to gather behind, Michael Page created the bisexual pride flag. The bisexual flag, which has a pink or red stripe at the top for homosexuality, a blue one on the bottom for heterosexuality and a purple one in the middle to represent bisexuality, as purple is from the combination of red and blue [Lunde 1990]. Transgender culture The study of transgender culture is complicated by the many and various ways in which cultures deal with gender [hrc. org]. For example, in many cultures, people who are attracted to people of the same sex — that is those who in contemporary Western culture would identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual — are classed as a third gender, together with people who would in the West be classified as transgender or transsexual. Also in the contemporary West, there are usually [hrc.org] several different groups of transgender and transsexual people, some of which are extremely exclusive, like groups only for transsexual women who explicitly want sex reassignment surgery or male, heterosexual only cross-dressers. Transmen’s groups are often, but not always, more inclusive. Groups aiming at all transgender people, both transmen and transwomen, have in most cases appeared only in the last few years. Some transgender or transsexual women and men however do not classify as being part of any specific â€Å"trans† culture. However there is a distinction between transgender and transsexual people who make their past known to others . Some wish to live according to their gender identity and not reveal this past, stating that they should be able to live in their true gender role in a normal way, and be in control of whom they choose to tell their past to. Epistemology of the closet. The expression â€Å"being in the closet† is used to describe keeping secret one’s sexual behavior or orientation, most commonly homosexuality or bisexuality, but also including the gender identity of transgender and transsexual people [branconolilas.no. sapo. pt]. Being â€Å"in the closet† is more than being private, it is a â€Å"life-shaping pattern of concealment† where gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender individuals hide their sexuality/gender-identity in the most important areas of life, with family, friends, and at work. Individuals may marry or avoid certain jobs in order to avoid suspicion and exposure. Some will even claim to be heterosexual when asked directly. â€Å"It is the power of the closet to shape the core of an individual’s life that has made homosexuality into a significant personal, social, and political drama in twentieth-century America†. (Seidman 2003, p. 25). Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, in her book Epistemology of the closet, majorly focuses on male homosexuality. She is also an intellectual who is interested in gay and lesbian studies, queer studies, gender studies, and feminism. Sedgwick (Seidman 2003, p. 25) â€Å"proposes that many of the major thoughts and knowledge in twentieth-century Western culture as a whole are structured—indeed fractured—by the now endemic crisis of homo/heterosexual definition, indicatively male, dating from the end of the nineteenth century†. Incoherent ideas about homosexuality inform the way men are acculturated in the modern West, and (Seidman 2003, p. 25) since this is so, this incoherence has come to mark society generally. Incoherence characterizes the attitude toward homosexuality in the West and is beyond debate. examples, are gay men ridiculous figures of fun or are they sexual monsters who prey on young children? ; is the homosexual a limp-wrested effeminate unsuited for the armed forces, or the lothario of the showers who will gaze upon and/or rape his fellow servicemen? ; Is sexuality an orientation or is it a choice?; are homosexuals born or are they made? ; essentialism or social constructionism? ; nature/nurture?. These are all part of the effect of this crisis in modern sexual definition. Sedgwick believes that it is impossible to adjudicate between these (Seidman 2003, p. 25). In describing in general terms the mass of contradictions that adhere to homosexuality, she proposes that one consider it in terms of an opposition between a minoritizing view and a universalizing one. A minoritizing view takes the position that homosexuality is of primary importance to a relatively small group of actual homosexuals. A universalizing view takes the position that homosexuality is of importance to persons across a wide range of sexualities. Under the universalizing view, one can put nurture, social-construction, choice and a warrant for social â€Å"engineering† to eradicate homosexuality(Seidman 2003, p. 25). Sedgwick says that the current debate in queer theory, between â€Å"constructivist† and â€Å"essentialist† understandings of homosexuality is the most recent link(Seidman 2003, p. 25). She goes on to conclude that the continuation of this debate is itself the most important feature of recent understandings of sex. The aim of the book is to explore the incoherent dispensation under which we now live. Through an examination of a number of mostly late nineteenth century literary and philosophical works, including (Seidman 2003, p. 25). Melville’s BILLY BUDD, Wilde’s THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY, various works of Nietzsche, James’ THE BEAST IN THE JUNGLE, Thackeray’s LOVEL THE WIDOWER, and Proust’s REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS PAST, Sedgwick discovers a number of pairs of opposing terms (binarisms) which she then shows to be inconsistent with and dependent upon each other. I found it fascinating to follow her explication of the ways in which these terms were related. Among the pairings that she assembles and dissects for our consideration are secrecy/disclosure, private/public, masculine/feminine, majority/minority, innocence/initiation, natural/artificial, new/old, growth/decadence, urbane/provincial, health/illness, same/different, cognition/paranoia, art/kitsch, sincerity/sentimentality, and voluntarity/addiction (Seidman 2003, p.25). She asserts that a true understanding of the force of the opposition of these terms must be grounded in the realization and acceptance that the content of all of these terms was determined around the turn of the century amid and through anxious questioning over who and what was homosexual. These opposing terms, all of which operate today, therefore have a residue of the homo/hetero definitional crisis(Seidman 2003, p. 25). In addition, Sedgwick perhaps delivers the coup de grace(Seidman 2003, p. 25), if such was needed, to sleek, masculine, modernist objective criticism. She demonstrates that modernist criticism finds its genesis in the homo/hetero definitional crisis and both its flight into and prizing of abstraction is a direct reflection of its homophobia.

Political, Social, Economic, and Intellectual Life

Between the time period of 1840 and 1860, slavery played an influential and pivotal role in the development of a new southern lifestyle. In the struggle for dominance in America, slavery was the South’s stronghold and the underlying cause in much of their motives for many of the economic instigations along with the affirmative political actions. By dominating the everyday southerner’s life, slavery also dominated the economic and political aspects of life during the height of the slavery period.By the 1840’s the Southern economy had become almost entirely slave and and agriculturally dependent. Without the dependence of slaves in the south, a person was to remain landless, poverty stricken or struggling to sustain life through the means of a minute, ineffective farm. However, even though slaves dominated the southern economy, slaveholders only included about 2 to 3 percent of the population, and most owned less than ten slaves. This small percentage of fortunate individuals were the few people successful in a slave based, cash crop, agricultural, Southern economy.In turn, the Southern economy was controlled and dominated by those who did and did not have slaves, which generated the political ideology and political atmosphere formed as a result of the utter reliance on slavery controlling all aspects of everyday life. ?Slaves in the south were the main contributors to the South’s economic success. The invention of Eli Whitney’s cotton gin made possible the wide-scale cultivation of short-staple cotton.All professionals worked diligently with one another to make sure each function, from production to distribution, was properly executed on the plantation, and that an ample supply of cotton was always present. An organized network of commerce never developed in the South, as the high demand for cotton in Europe, primarily Great Britain, and in North America, more slaves were needed in the south to continue to produce the lucrative cash crops, booming the southern economy and the need to create and reform the cash crop business.The the new cotton crop and other rising crops like rice and tobacco led to the increasing demands that were higher than the current production rate. In order for them to generate a more lucrative business, the south used slaves as a labor source to produce crops, which had the largest impact on the southern lifestyle. This in turn boosted the south's economy, which allowed the the southern life to thrive and create a distinction between themselves and the other economies of North America. Whilst slaves dominated the southern economy, slaveholders only accounted for about two to three percent of the southern population.This small, yet powerful percentage of individuals were the people successful in agricultural business and the driving force behind the usage and continuation of slavery in the South. Without slaves there would be no cotton, tobacco, or sugar production and without these integral items, the Southern economy would absolutely collapse. The South depended on slaves to fuel their economy which in turn allowed for slavery to dominate the economy and be the sole resource of the South. ?Between 1840 and 1860 many political issues, debates, and actions were inflamed by the presence of slavery.As America grew, both in population and in size, the South wanted more slave states and the North wanted more free states to increase their hold in politics and sway decisions in favor of what put them in a position for the greatest success. One important act that provoked the slavery dominated political world of 1840 to 1860 was the Kansas and Nebraska Act, composed by the highly acclaimed Democrat Stephen Douglas. This act was successful in repealing the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and called for popular sovereignty in Kansas and Nebraska which under the Missouri Compromise had been free, as dictated by federal law.The Missouri Compromise was originally an act to se ttle disputes about free states and slave states entering the Union in an attempt to keep the balance of free states and states that permitted slavery equal. To repeal this was to almost beg for revolution; hence the term â€Å"Bleeding Kansas† which included the John Brown riots and caused political and social unrest in these areas affected by the law. The Compromise of 1850 was another feeble solution to the predominate problem of run-away slaves and the recurring issue of slavery in new territories.This Compromise created stronger fugitive slave laws which satisfied Southern slave catchers and enraged Northern abolitionists. Millard Fillmore, President at the time, was inept in favoring any side and felt that this compromise would be the driving force that would keep the already fragile union together. The compromise also made California a free state, and the area won in the Mexican Cession would be subject to popular sovereignty, and lastly, dictated that there would be n o slave trade in Washington D. C. but it would remain a slave state to keep the proper balance. The weak and extremely controversial compromises would would only further split the nation on the topic of slavery and create a greater schism within the topic. From 1820 to 1860 slavery was a recurring topic in Congress and the House of Representatives. Slavery is even considered to be the cause of the Civil War and in the end, was grasped as the main reason for bloody fighting. All political issues during this time could not be discussed without the topic of slavery behind it. Read also: Theories Actually Seen in Practice in Ojt

Sexual Suicide by Honeybees

Sexual Suicide by Honeybees The male honeybee, called a drone, exists for one reason and one reason only: to mate with a  virgin queen. He is entirely expendable after he provides this service to the colony. The drone takes his mission seriously, however, and  gives his life for the cause.   How Honeybees Do the Deed Honeybee sex occurs in mid-air when the queen flies out in search of mates, her one and only nuptial flight. Drones compete for the chance to mate with their queen, swarming around her as she flies. Eventually, a brave drone will make his move. As the drone grasps the queen, he everts his endophallus  using a contraction of his abdominal muscles and hemostatic pressure  and inserts it tightly into the queens reproductive tract. He immediately ejaculates with such explosive force that the tip of his endophallus  is left behind inside the queen and his abdomen ruptures. The drone falls to the ground, where he dies soon after. The next drone removes the previous drones endophallus and inserts his, mates, and then dies as well.  Ã‚   Queen Bees Really Get Around During her one nuptial flight, the queen will mate with a dozen or more partners, leaving a trail of dead drones in her wake. Any drones that remain around the hive in the fall will be unceremoniously  driven from the colony  before cold weather sets in.  Honey  stores are simply too precious to waste on a sperm donor. The queen, on the other hand, will store the  sperm for use throughout her life. The queen can store 6 million  sperm and keep them viable for up to seven years, with the potential of producing 1.7 million offspring during her lifetime, as she uses a few at a time to fertilize her eggs. Bee Egg Development In late winter, the queen then lays eggs in the cells of the hive, up to 1,000 in one day at the height of the season. The hive needs mature bees to be ready to go when flowers with pollen are emerging, but she will continue to lay eggs until fall. Worker bee eggs mature in about 21 days, drones in about 24 days (from unfertilized eggs), and other queens in about 16 days. The hive needs backup queens in case the queen dies, becomes incapable of laying eggs or is lost because a hive doesnt survive without one.   What Workers Do In contrast to the drones, female worker bees take on many jobs. They clean cells for eggs to be laid; feed larvae; construct the comb; guard the hive; and forage. They can lay an egg to become a drone if needed, but their eggs cant become workers or queens.

Free Essays on Best Friend

Have you ever had someone in your life who helped you figure out who you were? Someone who showed you the right path. Someone who was there right next you even if you did not take that path. Someone who always seemed to be right, but never held it against you when you were not. Someone whom without your life would most likely be entirely different. I have. Her name was Melissa. Melissa was more than my neighbor. She was more than my mentor. She was my best friend. Melissa lived three houses down from me when I moved into a new neighborhood. She made moving to a new neighborhood a lot easier. She was one of those people who was friends with everybody. She was friends with everyone because she was so special. She was always in a good mood, always had something pleasant to say, and no matter what was going on, she could get you to smile. Melissa was a few years older than me but we were both young. I was in the fifth grade and she was in junior high when we met. She was tall for her age and practically towered over me. She almost always kept her long golden hair pulled back into a pony tail because she was a bit of a tomboy and liked to be athletic. But when she let it down and it waved in the gentle breeze, there was no doubt she was a girl. Her facial features were very soft, yet if you met her once, you would never forget her name. She also had the deepest green eyes that would sparkle so bright when she flashed her pearly white teeth, she would light up an entire room. Everywhere she was, there would be laughter, smiles and happiness spreading out like some sort of delightful virus. She would listen to you. She would be your friend, even if she just met you. I can not remember a time when she had something unpleasant to say about someone. That was one of many valuable lessons I learned from her and have made apart of my life. She seemed to know everything. Anytime I had a perplexing question I knew she would know what to tell me. Her w... Free Essays on Best Friend Free Essays on Best Friend Have you ever had someone in your life who helped you figure out who you were? Someone who showed you the right path. Someone who was there right next you even if you did not take that path. Someone who always seemed to be right, but never held it against you when you were not. Someone whom without your life would most likely be entirely different. I have. Her name was Melissa. Melissa was more than my neighbor. She was more than my mentor. She was my best friend. Melissa lived three houses down from me when I moved into a new neighborhood. She made moving to a new neighborhood a lot easier. She was one of those people who was friends with everybody. She was friends with everyone because she was so special. She was always in a good mood, always had something pleasant to say, and no matter what was going on, she could get you to smile. Melissa was a few years older than me but we were both young. I was in the fifth grade and she was in junior high when we met. She was tall for her age and practically towered over me. She almost always kept her long golden hair pulled back into a pony tail because she was a bit of a tomboy and liked to be athletic. But when she let it down and it waved in the gentle breeze, there was no doubt she was a girl. Her facial features were very soft, yet if you met her once, you would never forget her name. She also had the deepest green eyes that would sparkle so bright when she flashed her pearly white teeth, she would light up an entire room. Everywhere she was, there would be laughter, smiles and happiness spreading out like some sort of delightful virus. She would listen to you. She would be your friend, even if she just met you. I can not remember a time when she had something unpleasant to say about someone. That was one of many valuable lessons I learned from her and have made apart of my life. She seemed to know everything. Anytime I had a perplexing question I knew she would know what to tell me. Her w...