Media Representations of the Poor

Media Representations of the Poor Maia Vogt Comms: Television criticism The Social Perversion Towards the Poor There has always been a negative stigma of the poor, and whats more it is highly accepted to stigmatize, those who are lower in the social economic chain. Reality T.V is an inexpensive program which exploits its cast/situation by pitting them against social groups (in this case the poor). It also perpetuating stereotypes and rewards ruthless behavior. As a result, it has normalized this Darwins animalistic behavior. Reality TV offers the allure of stardom in its messy intricate web of exploitation. It promises casts fame by trying to have them constantly push buttons on acts that make it more of a guilty pleasure to watch (Strachan, 1). In this case, shows such as Buckwild, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo and The Beverly Hillbillies has further perpetuated the stereotyping of rural Americans, especially in the South. CBS’s The Beverly Hillbillies depicts rural â€Å"rednecks† who are put into wealthy Beverly Hills with their lives recorded for a year to see how this family reacts to the life of the lavish. Despite this innocent intention, The Beverly Hillbillies inevitably became the laughingstock which created great controversy. However, this show was like the catalyst which sparked the creation of future Reality TV shows which starred urban low classes (Telegraph Herald,1). The show was less about healthy family dynamics but more about mocking of the poor rural citizens through their spontaneous, out-of-place reactions. Ghen Maynard a CBS alternative programming executive, indicates that reality TV is not harmful and quotes that â€Å"viewers enjoy the humor that comes from the fish-out-of-water scenario of the show.† (Telegraph Herald,1) He also goes on to say that main purpose of selecting of this cast is because â€Å"we want a family who has a sense of humor about them selves.† (Telegraph Herald,1). In other words, there is no intentions to harm or stigmatize the poor. Viewers want a glimpse of a humorous family. However, that is not the case because these shows do not bring a sense of community. Instead, it directly mocks rural culture. Another illustration is the raging MTV show Buckwild, which depicts young rural Appalachians teens who like to spend their free time drinking and mudding. Despite its light-hearted atmosphere, the show made viewers oblivious to the mere fact that they are laughing at the cast not with the cast. This not only gave viewers the negative received idea of Appalachia, but also internalized the cultural norm of mocking the poor. On the other hand, some critics argue that the show actually highlighted poverty in that region. As a result of this show, numerous popular program such as ABC’s 20/20, PBS Frontline and even the popular teen clothing brand, Abercrombie Fitch have attempted to make money off the hardships of rural life ( in this case, Appalachia). Conversely, these attempts actually steered viewers away from the core issues that affect the Appalachian community and further perpetuated more stereotypes (Bradner, 2). The truth is, seeing people suffer is perversely entertaining. For example, when Grandee a cast member of Buckwild says â€Å"I dont’ have a phone. I don’t have a Facebook. I don’t have none of that Internet Stuff.† (Brander, 3) We as viewers find that laughable and pathetic, but viewers forget that Grandee saying this in broken English is the result of years of exploitation of Appalachians from the mining companies that once operated there. Viewers do not understand the correlation of lack of education, basic healthcare, high teen birth rates and c hronic disease that ravaged through this Appalachian community. The primary focus is the humor which stems from the lack of these necessities (Bradner, 2). However, executive producers of MTV defended these shows by indicating that this is reality. On the contrary, if that was the case, MTV would be showing how these people are isolated from the most basic needs. The reasons the casts go â€Å"mudding† to waste time is because they have no disposable income to do anything else. The show would highlight the everyday struggles of the cast and families living under the poverty line in Appalachia, but that would not result in a high ratings show (Bradner,3). It is a risk producers are not interested in risking. The reason for this exploitation of the poor is to create a barrier. As Bradner states â€Å"without the foil, we would have to face our own poverties, our own barbarism, our own shelterness, our own lack of sophistication.† (Bradner,3) Brandner’s point is that this is an emotional barrier in which we as viewers intentionally let ourselves to be divided from how we truly think of ourselves and our values. The psychological effects on targeting the poor is that it results in viewers, in this case non-Appalachians feel that the are somehow superior to their rural counterparts (Bradner,3). Harold Rogers, a U.S. Rep. once asked said â€Å"no one would dare propose creating a program focusing on stereotypes about African Americans, Muslims or JewsWhy then would it be ok to base those of us living in rural America?.† (Bradner,2) Roger’s point is that American society is a double standard which makes it acceptable to bash the poor and make them the ridicule of our jokes. Ultimately this perpetuation of the poor changes our values. The depictions of reality TV about the poor are not only seen through the cast, but it is lived vicariously through its viewers. Stereotyping poses a problem because it forces groups to conform into a set standard and this affects the viewers perception by not allowing them to break past these set standards. Consequently, one can not create healthy relationships because there is a barrier due to what we see on reality TV (Bradner, 4). Moreover, the greatest damage of all will forever be the cast which will be seen as the fake person alities producers have made them to become (Bradner, 4). These shows are devastating on both viewers and the demographic. These findings have important implications on the border domain of just how much reality TV has become an American staple. Its negative jokes are contagious (Strachan, 1). The point is there can still be Reality TV shows starring the poor, however these shows should not show the molded personalities of the cast and their outrageous behavior. Instead, it ought to show how these people are just like everyone else, with a dream a sense of individualism and how the conditions of poverty has propels them to better their life. One example of this kind of show could be The Wire which shows how urban inequality affects the poor and their drive to overcome these set stereotypes (Blair, 2). Today, we we live in a realm of Reality TV because we have been so internalized by set standards. Reality TV’s influence is a persisting force which in the end, results in the producers having the last laugh. It is our duty as citizens to not become ambiguous to the colorblind biases perpetuated through television. It is our job as audiences to determine what is real, what is reality and redefine the accepted life lessons taught by reality TV. Citations: Blair, Elizabeth. From Good Times To Honey Boo Boo: Who Is Poor On TV? NPR. NPR, 05 Aug. 2014. Web. 13 May 2015. Brandner, Alexandra. America’s Favorite Joke Is Anything but Funny.Saloncom RSS. Salon, 7 Jan. 2013. Web. 13 May 2015. Strachan, Alex. Effects Are Real, Even If Shows Arent. Times Colonist (Victoria, British Columbia) (n.d.): n. pag. LexisNexis Academic [LexisNexis]. Web. 14 May 2015. Herald, Telegraph. Reality TVs Potshot at Poor Goes Too Far; Turn It Off: CBS Hopes to Get America Laughing at the Expense of Real-life hillbillies in California. Telegraph Herald (Dubuque, IA) (2002): n. pag. LexisNexis Academic [LexisNexis]. Web. 14 May 2015.

Meniscal Injuries :: essays research papers

The meniscus is one of the most commonly injured structures in the knee. Meniscal injuries can occur in any age group, but causes are somewhat different for each age group. In younger people, the meniscus is fairly tough and rubbery, and tears usually occur as a result of a fairly forceful twisting injury. In the younger age group, meniscal tears are more likely to be caused by athletic activity (Sutton, 1999).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In older people, the meniscus grows weaker with age. The tissue that makes up the meniscus becomes degenerative and much easier to tear. Meniscal injuries in older people occur as a result of a fairly minor injury, even from the up and down motion of squatting. Degenerative tears of the meniscus are commonly seen as a part of the overall condition of osteoarthritis of the knee in the older population. In many cases, there is no one associated injury to the knee that leads to meniscal tears (Sutton, 1999).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In order to understand how the menisci can be injured, you must understand the basic anatomy of the menisci and why they are important. The menisci are two oval (semilunar) fibrocartilages that deepen the articular facets of the tibia and cushion any stresses placed on the knee joint. They enhance the total stability of the knee, assist in the control of normal knee motion, and provide shock absorption against compression forces between the tibia and the femur (Booher, 2000). Articular cartilage covers the ends of the bones that make up the joint. The articular cartilage surface is a tough, very slick material that allows the surfaces to slide against one another without damage to either surface. This ability of the meniscus to spread out the force on the joint surfaces as we walk is important because it protects the articular cartilage from excessive forces occurring in any one area on the joint surface, leading to degeneration over time (Sutton, 1999).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Blood is supplied to each meniscus by the medial genicular artery. Each meniscus can be divided into three circumferential zones: the red-red zone is the outer or peripheral one third and has a good vascular supply; the red-white zone is the middle one third and has a minimal blood supply; and the white-white zone on the inner one third is avascular (Arnheim,1997).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The medial meniscus is larger and more oval or C-shaped in the outline than the lateral meniscus. The medial cartilage is also more firmly fixed to the tibia and the capsule than the lateral meniscus; as a result, it is much more frequently injured than the lateral cartilage.

Life of Usain Bolt Essay

Jamaican sprinter Usain St.Leo Bolt was born in Trelawny, Jamaica on August 21, 1986; to Jennifer and Wellesley Bolt. His siblings are a sister named Sherine and a brother named Sadeeki. Since a young age, Bolt was fascinated with sports such as cricket and football or soccer. He attended Waldensia Primary School and William Knibb High School. While at Waldensia School, Bolt was honored as the fastest runner over 100 m. When he entered William Knibb High School, his cricket coach, impressed by his height and speed, insisted that he should try track and field events. Dwayne Barrett and Pablo McNeil, a former 100 m Olympic athlete, guided him about improving his athletic abilities. In 2001, Bolt won his first silver medal in the 200 meters with a time of 22.04 seconds at the annual high school championships. Bolt displayed his personal best of 48.28 seconds in the 400 meters and won a silver medal at the 2001 CARIFTA Games, a Caribbean regional event. He also finished the 200 meters in 21.81 seconds and achieved a silver medal. Bolt’s debut in a world level competition was at the 2001 IAAF World Youth Championships in Debrecen, Hungary. He did not qualify for the finals of the 200m event, but he set his personal best of 21.73 seconds. He set the record of 20.61 seconds and 47.12 seconds finishes at the Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships. Bolt moved to Kingston with the support of P.J. Patterson, the Prime Minister of Jamaica then, who saw the potential that Bolt possessed as an athlete. At the age of 15, Bolt won one gold and two silver medals at the 2002 World Junior Championships in Kingston. He was a subject of attraction due to his exceptional height of 6’5†³ and his extraordinary performance. He set his new personal best of 20.16 seconds in the 200 m. Bolt also displayed an amazing performance in the Jamaican sprint relay team, achieving two silver medals. He set national junior records in the 4Ãâ€"400 m and 4Ãâ€"100 m relays by finishing in 3:04.06 minutes and 39.15 seconds, respectively. He won a gold medal at the 2003 World Youth Championships and set a new record of 20.40 seconds in the 200 m. In his final Jamaican High School Championships in 2003, he broke the records in both the 400 and 200 meters, with 45.30 seconds and 20.25 seconds. Usain Bolt became a professional athlete in 2004 under the guidance of his  new coach Fitz Coleman. He started with the CARIFTA Games in Bermuda, where he was the first junior sprinter to run the 200 m in less than 20 seconds and broke the world junior record, previously held by Roy Martin. Bolt lost the opportunity to compete in the 2004 World Junior Championships due to a hamstring injury. However, he was selected for the Jamaican Olympic Squad, but was eliminated in the first round of the 200 meters due to a leg injury. However, in 2005, Bolt got a fresh start under the guidance of his new coach Glen Mills. He scored the season’s best finish of 19.99 seconds for the 200 meters at the London’s Crystal Palace in July, of the same year. Bolt reached the top five on the world rankings in 2005 and 2006. He set his new personal best at the 2006 Grand Prix in Lausanne, Switzerland, setting the record time of 19.88 seconds. Bolt got his first major world medal at the IAAF World Athletics Final in Stuttgart, Germany. He won a bronze medal by finishing in a time of 20.10 seconds. He achieved his first senior international silver medal in the IAAF World Cup in Athens, Greece. In 2007, he finished the 200 m in 19.75 seconds at the Jamaican Championships and broke the record of Don Quarrie by 0.11 seconds. He won silver medals in the 200 m and 4Ãâ€"100 m relay at the World Championships in Osaka, Japan. On May 31, 2008, Bolt established a new world record at the Reebok Grand Prix in New York. He r an the 100 m event in 9.72 seconds and broke an earlier record of 9.74 seconds set by Powell. After winning the 100 m, the 200 m and, along with his Jamaica teammates, the 4Ãâ€"100 m relay, all in world-record times, Usain Bolt scaled unpredicted heights in the 2009 Berlin World Championships, making a new 100 m world record of 9.58 seconds. He also broke his own 200 m record made in 2008 by 0.11 seconds, this time bringing it down to 19.19 seconds. Due to his remarkable performance; he was also honored as the IAAF World Athlete of the Year in 2008 and 2009. Although he could not make any new world records in 2010, Bolt comfortably won the 2010 IAAF Diamond League. Bolt wanted to break the 300 m record set by Michael Johnson in the Golden Spike meeting in Ostrava, but he could not do so due to an injury in his Achilles tendon. After the recovery from the injury, which took a month, he came back to track and field and comfortably won the 100 m at the Athletissima meeting in  Lausanne. He also defeated Asafa Powell in Paris at the Meeting Areva. However, he lost the race to Tyson Gay at the 100 m finals at the DN Galan. In the 2011 Daegu World Championships, Bolt was disqualified in the 100 meters finals because of a false start. He won the 200 meters in 19.40 s. He also won a gold medal in the 4Ãâ€"100 meters relay, setting the world record of 37.04 s, along with teammates Yohan Blake, Michael Frater, and Nesta Carter. In the months leading up to the 2012 London Olympics, Bolt was widely criticized for supposedly not taking the competition seriously. After being beat the top spot at the Jamaican trials by Yohan Blake, there was widespread doubt over Bolt’s ability to defend his 2008 titles. Bolt later said that losing to Blake was a wake-up call just before the Olympics and it helped him â€Å"get his head in the game†. At the London Olympics, Bolt made history by becoming the first athlete to defend both the 100 m and 200 m Olympic titles, in addition to the 4Ãâ€"100 m relay, as part of the Jamaican team. The closest anyone had ever come to that achievement was Carl Lewis, who won the 100 m and the 200 m in the 1984 Olympics, and the 100 m in 1988. Bolt is well known for his completely honest interviews as well as his speed records. After winning the gold medal in the 2012 Olympics 100 m, among widespread doubts about his fitness and attitude, he said to his critics, â€Å"All they can do is talk. I said it on the track†. In the same Olympics, he won the 200 m gold and then declared that he â€Å"is now a legend†, a claim refutable by few.

Standard State Conditions of Temperature and Pressure

Standard State Conditions of Temperature and Pressure Values of thermodynamic quantities are commonly expressed for standard state conditions, so it is a good idea to understand what the standard state conditions are. A superscript circle is used to denote a thermodynamic quantity that is under standard state conditions: ΔH ΔH °ÃŽâ€S ΔS °ÃŽâ€G ΔG ° Standard State Conditions Certain assumptions apply to standard state conditions. Standard temperature and pressure commonly is abbreviated as STP. The standard state temperature is 25 °C (298 K). It is possible to calculate standard state values for other temperatures.All liquids are pure.The concentration of all solutions is 1 M (1 molar).All gases are pure.All gases are at 1 atm pressure.The energy of formation of an element in its normal state is defined as zero. Sources International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (1982). Notation for states and processes, significance of the word standard in chemical thermodynamics, and remarks on commonly tabulated forms of thermodynamic functions. Pure Appl. Chem. 54 (6): 1239–50. doi:10.1351/pac198254061239UPAC–IUB–IUPAB Interunion Commission of Biothermodynamics (1976). Recommendations for measurement and presentation of biochemical equilibrium data. J. Biol. Chem. 251 (22): 6879–85.

Healthy Living Essays

Healthy Living Essays Healthy Living Essay Healthy Living Essay Essay – Healthy Living The four main, key ingredients in leading a healthy lifestyle is exercise, healthy eating, making sensible decisions when it comes to sexual behavior, as well making good choices when it comes to smoking, alcohol, and drugs. One can benefit from following these four guidelines and become a better individual, not only when it comes to your health, but also when it comes to your confidence and body image. Eating healthy is a key element in feeling good and staying in shape, a good balance in your diet is key. Intake and output levels should also be close in relation with each other, meaning the amount of food or energy you intake should equal the amount of physical activity and energy you output. A healthy diet should consist of lots of fruits and vegetable as well as meats and proteins. Sugars should be limited as well as fatty foods such as fast food. The problems with fast food are that the grease and trans fat don’t agree with your body. The excess amount of fat could lead to health concerns such as heart conditions, obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, and decreased metabolism. Exercise is another key ingredient in maintaining a healthy well balanced lifestyle, the need to look good or â€Å"hot† is concentrated a lot in our society today, and the overwhelming pressure coming form the media and friends doesn’t help, teens especially, as well as people of all ages feel that they need to have an amazing body just to feel good about themselves and to fit in. It’s important to get plenty of exercise, even if something for a short time everyday, also keep in mind that too much exercise can lead to other issues, a god balance between these two extremes is a good goal. Some daily exercises you can do are: chin-ups, push-ups, yoga, and biking. Everyone wants to feel good about themselves, by doing exercises or workouts you can achieve a healthy body figure, as well as feel good about yourself. Smoking, alcohol and drugs are things that can seriously harm your body, getting into these types of habits can lead to nothing good. The best way to stay away from these habits is to simply stay away from the temptations. Avoid situations where you would feel pressured into something your not comfortable doing, and if the situation was to arise, always stick to what you know is best. Society can try to eliminate these substances by putting stronger laws and regulations on them as well as advertising about the negative effects of these substances. Sexual decisions are also an important decision that most people will one day be faced with, especially when it comes to unprotected sex. Unprotected sex can lead to many different STI’s or STD’s, which can be very difficult or impossible to remove or overcome. Unprotected sex can also lead to pregnancy, which in it self is a miracle, but could potentially be a problem for an unmarried couple. Some preventative measures that could be taken could be, possibly carrying some form of protection, and also you could refrain from being put into a situation where you would be pressured into participating in sexual activities. There are many pressures put on teens to have a â€Å"perfect body†, to smoke and drink or do drugs, and also to have pre-marital sex. It’s always important to remember that it’s your body that you are doing harm to, and that it is you who will have to deal with it in the future. It is also important to think about the future and plan ahead for possibly bad situations that may arise.

Survey interview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Survey interview - Essay Example Likewise, it was emphasized that deciding respond was completely voluntary and the results would be presented only as part of the class requirements. From the designed survey, it could be deduced that the respondents were able to accomplish it in the stipulated time frame since the questions were mostly close-ended questions and only one was open-ended (question 13) (Attending a Women’s Varsity Sport , 2014). The findings revealed that only freshmen students were not fully aware of the women’s varsity sport which could be due to their being new to the campus. Likewise, the students from the junior and senior levels were more aware of the sports events for women but their attendance to these events depend highly on their enthusiasm for sports or if they have friends who they want to support and see. The response to the last question regarding motivating them to attend women’s varsity sporting event in the future depended on the time for extra-curricular activities; as well as their genuine enthusiasm for the sport. After the survey and interview with each respondent, I thanked them profusely and expressed how grateful I was for their participation and support to this endeavor. I reiterated that the results would be presented in class, and if they are interested, I could provide them with a report on how the results eventually emerged. The experience provided me with the opportunity to build my confidence in interacting with people from diverse backgrounds with the aim of achieving the learning objectives identified for the class. As such, it was an enlightening and rewarding learning experience where interview skills were enhanced; as well as the ability to interpret survey

List of countries for Obscure Country Project Research Paper

List of countries for Obscure Country Project - Research Paper Example It was in this year that the country gained independence from Ethiopia. The independence was the resultant of a referendum in which nearly 100 percent of Eritreans advocated separation from Ethiopia. Long before this in the year 1890 Eritrea fell under the colonial rule of Italy. Becoming a province of Italian East Africa in the year 1936. The Ethiopian forces joined hands with the Britishers to expel the Italians from the country and took over its charge in the year 1941. The British rule over the state under the UN Mandate continued for almost ten years. Eritrea was given solely under the federation of Ethiopia after this. Independence from this rule has given rise to the present day Eritrea. The territory of Eritrea has come under disputes even after its independence. A dispute over Hanish Islands and fishing rights in the Red Sea erupted with the country of Yemen in the year 1995. This conflict was resolved after the intrusion of UN. Both the countries complied with the organizat ion’s verdict. In the year 1998 a territorial conflict erupted with Ethiopia. A ceasefire in the year 2000 was followed by an arbitration decision made by a boundary commission that represented both the countries. This decision has not been implemented upon as yet and thus the conflict has remained unresolved to date. Since the year 2005 3,300 troupes have been deployed at the mutual border of both the countries by the UN over a span of 25km on the Eritrean land. (History of the Nations). GEOGRAPHY AND NATURAL HABITAT The location of Eritrea is 15 °Ã‚  N; 39 °Ã‚  E. The neighboring nations of Eritrea are Djibouti, Ethiopia and Sudan. The coastline of t state is 1151 km long. The borders that connect the neighboring nations have the following lengths: With Ethiopia the border length is 912 km the border length with Djibouti is 113 km and finally that with Sudan is 605km. The sea limit that comes under the territory of Eritrea is 12 km long. The sea that this country border s is the Red Sea. The Total area of the country is 124,320 square kilometers. The time zone of the nations of 3 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time. The topography of the country can be divided into the broad categories of an arid narrow lowland strip along the red sea, the north-central region (this region is an extension of the Ethiopian Plateau and is dissected by rivers valleys) and the plains on the west that border Sudan. The highest point in the Country’s physical region is at Emba Soira. The lowest point of the terrain is in Denakil Depression which is along the Red Sea. At some places, this depression is 130 km below sea level. (MongaBay 2006). The major rivers of the country include Setit River. This river comes into Eritrea after passing through Ethiopia and then passes onto Sudan later on. There are other rivers as well but they are usually dried and live only in the rainy season. Names of these rivers include Anseba, Barka and Mareb. Its inhabitants are racially, culturally and linguistically Tigrayan. The population of the country reaced 4.3 million in the year 2004. These statistics are in accordance with the studies of the UN. Nearly 120,000 Eritreans are living as refugees in the state of Sudan. About 20 percent of the country’s population lives in the urban areas while the rest of them reside in the rural areas. RESOURCES The natural resources of the nation include  precious elements and minerals like copper, salt, gold, potash, zinc. (Eritrea Economic Statistics and Indicators 2011). Natural