Social Work Volunteering

Question: Discuss about theSocial Workfor Volunteering. Answer: Introduction Volunteers change peoples lives by helping them to self-help. Volunteering refers to development of social skills while giving back to community selflessly. This work is similar to what most social workers do in their profession. However, for social workers it is a paid job and volunteering is the part of their profession. Therefore, many people misconstrue social workers as volunteers. On the other hand volunteering is to gain experience while benefitting others without any monetary benefits (Son Wilson, 2015). There are various benefits associated with volunteering. Social workers engage in volunteering to excel in professional life. The paper discusses how social workers can be misconstrued as volunteers and will propose ways to enhance social work as a profession. How Social Workers can be Misconstrued as Volunteers People do not understand the historic relationship between social work and volunteerism. Even before social work was introduced in the society, the importance of volunteerism was realized (Aked, 2015). For functioning democracy, it was vital to have liberty to participate in volunteer movements. The development of volunteer associations and its prosperity has allowed people to survive and have the right to survival. These volunteer associations led to the improvement in the transportation, communication, infrastructure, health care and education (Schech et al., 2015). In addition, it also advocated for fair treatment of women and children. For example, Mother Teresas work for children will be recognized in every generation. Son and Wilson (2015) believed that volunteering is an effective option to gain meaningful hands-on experience in the field of social work which is the profession of people. It gives the students a chance to prepare for a real world work. For current social worker s volunteering is an efficient opportunity to reinforce their experience. Hence there are more number of social workers who are participating in the volunteering work. Therefore, it is justified for people to misconstrue social workers as volunteers. Volunteerism is the basis of existence of the social work professionals (Pollard, 2012). Activities or initiatives taken by the social workers are successful because of volunteerism. Since, volunteers established restoration services, supportive associations, child welfare organizations, childrens homes day care and several mental health services and movements it is justified to misinterpret social workers and volunteers. In short it can be said that volunteerism is the origin of social work (Mundle Buck, 2012). In every discipline of practice, the volunteers have paved the way for social work. The rich literature available on social welfare and social care services acknowledged volunteerism as the basis of the social work profession. Further, the function of volunteers and its connection with the surfacing of the career of the social work is evident from the associations such as- SHINE Singapore Charity Project, Singapore Kindness movement. Volunteers work for people who are strugg ling with crisis or manic-depressive illness, adults, children animal, and others staying remotely from home. They thus gain insights into peoples lives similar to social workers. However, volunteers work in range of places when compared to social workers. The later has limited range of opportunities. Volunteers has opportunities in sport teams, libraries, senior centre, community theatres, local animal shelters, wildlife centers, museums, monuments, service organizations such as Rotary clubs, or Lions clubs, after school programs, places of worships, historical restorations. Moreover, the volunteers do not have specified time for their work. They can work as long as they feel comfortable (Pollard, 2012). On the other hand, social workers have specified working hours such as those working in aged care centers or rehabilitation centers. Moreover, they cannot switch their domain or jobs as frequently as volunteers can. Volunteers can always render the service delivered by a social worker however; the later cannot invest time as volunteer. Social workers mostly deliver systematic and professional services. On the other hand, volunteers provide a hidden safety net (Mundle et al., 2012). Hence, public who are not aware of these differences misconstrue social workers as volunteers. According to Son and Wilson, (2015) in a typical social worker the power dynamic inherent are not so prominent. The relationship they built with the service users are not strong enough. Aked (2015), argued that the volunteering is the effective way to enable better personal relationships with the service users. For instance, there are social workers who act as befriender for a childrens charity group and have gained priceless transferable skills. It was not merely interacting with children. It also includes issues around confidentiality, regular communication and engagement with the families and using different communication styles in regards to different developmental stage and the age of the child (Schech et al., 2015). To hone these skills there is a need for social worker to participate in volunteering. Therefore, social workers were misconstrued as volunteers. Singapore has many charity organizations and these mainly initiate volunteer movement however, it has become important precursor to the social work. The mission of many of these charity movements is to help poor people. These movements consist of volunteers who help families help in meeting their spiritual, economic and physical needs (Gazley et al., 2013). The study executed by Dubois and Miley (2013) showed that volunteering is the rewarding experience and also helps in building reputation of the young and nave social workers. Since volunteering is the effective way to meet new people and understand their lived experiences, many social workers invest time in volunteering to develop new skills to solve their daily problem (Freeman, 2016). According to Muir et al., (2010) several social workers are participating in volunteering despite their commitments to people and busy schedule. The reason for this added benefits of volunteering include reducing stress, anxiety, mental stimulation , combat depression, and to have a sense of purpose in life. They can also advance in career as they tend to develop skills such as problem solving, task management, conflict management, project planning and organization. Therefore, social worker can stretch their wings to other career or domain once they hone these skills in volunteering (Bulmer 2015). In addition, volunteering does not involve a long-term commitment. American research showed that the percentage of being happy increases with time spent in volunteering (Glasby et al., 2013). The research also showed that people working as volunteer tend to be physically healthy and exhibit high self-confidence. Therefore, there are misconstrued as volunteers. It is a misconception that volunteering only enhances a basic skill because it is mostly unpaid. Volunteering also includes extensive training (Whittaker Holland-Smith, 2016). For example, one can become crisis counselor while he or she is volunteering for a woman who is a victim of domestic violence. Many such volunteers have turned to social working after mastering the skills of communication and advocating. Social workers who have previously worked as volunteers are creative, motivated, and have a clear vision that is carried into their personal and professional life (Haynes, 2012). Hence, social workers working as crisis counselors are also misinterpreted as volunteers. Propose Ways to Enhance Social Work as a Profession In Social work, Jane Adams was recognized as one of the matriarchs of the profession (Thyer Myers, 2010). Currently, the practice of social work is different from what she has envisioned before. Social workers work in diverse setting such as hospitals, drug and alcohol treatment centers, hospices, mental health centers. Therefore, the work practice has narrowed. In the last three to four decades, it was found that most of the practitioners in the social workers do not engage in partnership with people using their skills, values, knowledge to address the systemic social problems of the people (Gazley et al., 2013). In fact, methods that involve working with volunteers do not exist anymore. Therefore, less people are working towards the stated mission Meeting the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty (Haynes, 2012). It is possible to enhance social work as profession by sev eral ways, which are discussed in subsequent sections. According to Dubois and Miley, (2013) increasing the number of posts in the field of social work other than regulation and advocacy can encourage more people to uptake social work as profession. In addition increasing the number of colleges offering both bachelor and master degree in social work would fulfill the ambition of students interested in social work. These programs must be able to train the students to improve the developmental capabilities of people. They must be trained to improve the problem solving skills, realize goals and accomplish essential life tasks. Haynes et al., (2012) argued that the true definition of the social work has to be amplified at the national and the regional levels. The true definition of social work is- a practicebased profession that promotes social change and development, social cohesion, and the empowerment and liberation of the people (Cournoyer, 2016). Most educational institutes fail to instill in the mind of the students of social work that their primary sense of duty should be attitude of service. Professional networking helps to strengthen social work career (Gazley et al., 2013). It includes attending face-to-face events such as conferences, responding to social work issues post on social media, connecting to LinkedIn official group, and being in touch with the social work happenings on the popular YouTube Channel. To secure the future of the social work it is crucial to advocate for social work (Cournoyer, 2016). Therefore, the non-governmental organizations must promote their social work and the clients and communities they serve. Every country must take initiative a collaborative effort comprised of leading social work organizations. The initiative may include other stakeholders committed to strengthen social work profession through federal and state investment pertaining to retention, training and recruitment (Huybrechts, Mertens Rijpens, 2014). Schech et al., (2015) suggested that the volunteering is an effective way to enhance social work a profession. Social work agencies must provide more opportunities for its staff to volunteer. Volunteering not only expands the social work network but also enhance skills. Volunteering can also be gateway to connect with popular service organizations such as American Red Cross, The Samaritans Purse and many others. These organizations are dependent on the volunteers to run their food banks, staff thrift stores, tutor children or prepare meals for homeless. Moreover, these organizations have several networking possibilities. Hence, volunteering is vital to enhance the profession of social work. Social workers face several challenges when dealing with diverse populations and trying to keep up with evidence based methods which leads to job burnout and fatigue (Thomas and Choi, 2014). Therefore, the proposed method for the service organizations is to emphasize on forward thinking and interdisciplinary approach to social work practice. It is necessary to omit the thinking social work means individual clinician working with individual client (Cournoyer, 2016). There is need of applying out-of-the box tactics to interface with the clients and systems. The rationale for this proposed method is the many other forms of practice that is incorporated in social work. It is not an exclusive discipline. Hence, the field can be taken forward if people can transform how present social work practice is viewed and conducted. Conclusion Social work involves tremendous responsibility. The practioners in this field have power over the well-being and lives of others. Volunteerism is the basis of this profession and hence social workers are misconstrued as volunteers. The paper has discussed how social workers are misconstrued as volunteers and various reasons for this behavior. The paper has proposed ways by which social work can be enhanced as profession. It can be concluded from the above discussion that social work requires the practioner to have broad knowledge on wide range of human behavioral areas. To enhance social work as profession an individual need to understand the interaction between various social, cultural and economic elements. It requires the practioners to have a high degree of ethical integrity. It is evident from the discussion that there is a need to redefine the practice of social work in order to respond to new challenges emerging in the profession. References Aked, J. (2015). What's Different about How Volunteers Work? Relationship Building for Wellbeing and Change.IDS Bulletin,46(5), 29-42. Bulmer, M. (2015).The Social Basis of Community Care (Routledge Revivals). Routledge. Cournoyer, B. R. (2016).The social work skills workbook. Cengage Learning. Dubois, B. L., Miley, K. K. (2013).Social work: An empowering profession. Pearson Higher Ed. Freeman, K. R. (2016). Exploring the Lived Experiences of Supervising Child Protection Social Workers. Gazley, B., Bennett, T. A., Littlepage, L. (2013). Achieving the partnership principle in experiential learning: The nonprofit perspective.Journal of Public Affairs Education, 559-579. Gazley, B., Bennett, T. A., Littlepage, L. (2013). Achieving the partnership principle in experiential learning: The nonprofit perspective.Journal of Public Affairs Education, 559-579. Glasby, J., Miller, R., Lynch, J. (2013). Turning the welfare state upside down?Developing a new adult social care offer.Health Services Management. Haynes, K. S. (2012). Empowering and.The SAGE Handbook of Social Work, 264. Huybrechts, B., Mertens, S., Rijpens, J. (2014). Explaining stakeholder involvement in social enterprise governance through resources and legitimacy.Social Enterprise and the Third Sector: Changing European Landscapes in a Comparative Perspective. New York: Routledge, 157-175. Muir, K., Fisher, K. R., Abello, D., Dadich, A. (2010). I didn't like just sittinaround all day: Facilitating Social and Community Participation Among People with Mental Illness and High Levels of Psychiatric Disability.Journal of Social Policy,39(03), 375-391. Mundle, C., Naylor, C., Buck, D. (2012). Volunteering in health and care in England.A summary of key literature. London: The King's Fund. Pollard, N. (2012). Voices talk, hands write.Groupwork,17(2), 51-73. Schech, S., Mundkur, A., Skelton, T., Kothari, U. (2015). New spaces of development partnership: Rethinking international volunteering.Progress in Development Studies,15(4), 358-370. Son, J., Wilson, J. (2015, December). The Psycho?Social Processes Linking Income and Volunteering: Chronic Financial Strain and Well?Being. InSociological Forum(Vol. 30, No. 4, pp. 1059-1081). Thomas, M., Kohli, V., Choi, J. (2014). Correlates of job burnout among human services workers: Implications for workforce retention.J. Soc. Soc. Welfare,41, 69. Thyer, B. A., Myers, L. L. (2010). Behavioral theory is one of the oldest and most extensive theories applied to clinical social work. Almost 80 years ago, the distinguished social work educator Virginia Robinson (1930) provided the following observations in this regard.Theory Practice in Clinical Social Work, 21. Whittaker, C. G., Holland-Smith, D. (2016). Exposing the dark side, an exploration of the influence social capital has upon parental sports volunteers.Sport, education and society,21(3), 356-373.

Cultures of Criticism and Accountability in Discussions

Question: Discuss about the Cultures of Criticism and Accountability in Discussions. Answer: Introduction: To understand the role of media in reformation, it is important to understand how it is planning to build up the political viewpoint. They generate viewpoints, anxiety, perceptions, aspirations and strategies for supporting particular policies and practices. The politicians and the religious leaders have stated that there is a causal link between the violence shown in the film, computer games, TV programs and the actions in real life. It is often argued that those particular media content states a terrific negativity on the young and innocent audience. Such beliefs have resulted in an increased state control over the worldwide media. One of the most constant arguments is concerned about the extent to which mass media can be responsible for causing anti social or criminal behavior. It is a matter of concern that to what extent media is responsible for bringing a negative effect on the viewers and audiences. The two prime sources of mass society theory and behaviorism have resulted in the phenomenon of effects research (Anderson and Carnagey 2014). Effects research is often called as hypodermic syringe model as the relationship between the audience and the media is considered as an unrefined and mechanistic process. With this process the media evoke information, values and ideas directly to the audience which further produces instant and immediate response directly from them. The book Ill effects: The media violence debate by M Barker and J Petley claimed that the possible effects of cruel media are true and they vary from a daft to the mischievous. The reason to be considered behind this is the claims that are being used inconsistently are wrong. The cause behind these inappropriate questions is due to the fact that violence does not exist in reality to pose a harmful effect on the media. Violence exists in the form of music, color and so on to develop the effects of violence. There have been old claims about new and bad media images and these are so common that they are always a debatable issue. But these claims are unjustified as they lack any kind of evidence or logic. On the other hand, it is a raising question that how the media influence can be understood. In the report given by Elizabeth Newson, the principle that what is experienced vicariously will have some effect on some people is an established one, and is the reason why industry finds it wor thwhile to spend millions of pounds in advertising, is a common and consistent sentence found in various words. If it is assumed that TV or film or other media have some influence on the life of the people then it is that kind of influence that they want to attribute. For instance, a man took a gun and shot his entire family after getting influenced from the news. When he was taken for trial he casually explained that on the basis of bad world news no one has any point to live. In this example the blame cannot be totally given on the effect of the media. This is because there is a probability that he was depressed and upset because of a family problem which let him murder his family. It can be said that the man in this case was unusual and the news cannot be blamed completely (Svensson 2016). This is not an example of anti- media campaign because the media or news cannot be considered as causes. Andy Ruddock contradicted in his book understanding audiences by mentioning about cultivation analysis which is evolved from the debate on media violence. The question that is frequently asked in this respect is that why television was so violent and what were its impact on the viewers and their behavior towards society. To analyze this question the author had to go beyond content analysis for creating a cultural indicators project. This project took care of the institutional research, scrutinizing the broadcasting structures, analysis of message system and cultivation analysis. The findings explained that the violence shown in television carried the message of social structure with it (Barker and Petley 2002). But the intention is not to provide violence among the audience but to fill the programs with a melodramatic representation. It was revealed in the survey that a major chunk of television viewers overrate the amount of violence in reality with that of their own chances of bein g a victim. The critical treatment of cultivation analysis made it possible to have a focused view on the claim that is made by Gerbner that TV has a distinguished and recognizable effect. But there can be questions and issues that need to be addressed in this respect. Research has shown that there is a relation between the effects of cultivation and the development of media literacy. It can be suggested that the cultivation effects can be created with the tendency to puzzle the information gathered from the TV shows and those that are shown in the news. Lawrence Lessig explained that there are many ways to think about constitutional laws and limits that might be imposed on government regulations (Ferguson and Beresin 2017). Copyright law, defamation law and obscenity laws are continuously threatening the permit for the violation of legal rights. There are policies and norms which can regulate market behavior. The constraints related to these laws are not found easily and they can be changed in different ways. The real difference and similarities between code and law cannot be missed. The fact that can be considered here is market mechanism which helps in observing the regulation behind law. It is also observed by the author of the book, code and other laws of cyberspace, that the government uses a range of tools to evaluate. Thus, the government can attain regulatory ends by the regulation of code writing. This can often take place without experiencing any kind of political consequences that would have been occurred otherwise. But the rule that makes regulation easy is a strict matter of concern (Ferguson 2015). It is often argued that the power of government has a vulnerable sense of value that can enhance efficient regulation. In his book the cultural industries, David Hesmondhalgh has critically put forward that the governments intervene in all areas of commercial life. There is no existence of free market in todays modern and complicated society. But it is appropriate to be inspired by those who believe in the concept of market in the ideal situation. This can be regarded as the best way to issue resources and address human needs. The three areas of legislate, regulate and subsidise are known as policy. These policies of culture, along with the media literacy and communication help in providing knowledge about cultural industries and the changes that have taken place in the previous years. The key elements in the book focus on the consequences of cultural industries since 1980 that had taken place in broadcasting and telecommunication sector (Gentile 2014). In the early 20th century, most places had used telecommunications which was available to the entire population of the area. To be influenced by the actions of the media hence, is not something new. Most of the democratic liberal states had had the role and responsibility to organize telecommunications that passed the authorities in charge of the postal system. Radio was also developed to form one- to- one communication, similar to the kind of telephone or a telegram using the airwave instead of broadcasting. The power of radio as a broadcasting technology became apparent socially as well as commercially and politically. The reason behind the high intervention of the government in the broadcasting and telecommunications were breaking down under the terrible attacks of 1980s and 1990s specifically due to private business from the critics and policy makers who were responsible for supporting their wellbeing (Hesmondhalgh 2007). There are many variations in the public service system but the most important one being funding of television system and the public service channels that are included in it. The other variation is state control of public service broadcasters in some open-minded independent countries such as Greece and France. With the improvement in marketisation the public service broadcasting is pulled apart on the basis of the effort put to arrange the cultural industries. The pro- market union was operated through lobbying and Public Relations along with the policy makers, critics and opinion leaders of the media. One of the important consequences of telecommunication marketisation took place in juxtaposition with a long term effect in broadcasting and the changes that took place in the IT industry. Thus it can be said that the media had actively influenced the society from a long time in the post colonization era and is still continuing to do so which are evident from the given sources (Lessig 2 009). The media reader by John Thompson throws light on the significance of the term communication media. The relevance of this term in this assignment is beyond explanation as the topic is based on the effect of media on the behavior of people. But the term mass is sometimes misinterpreted as in it evokes an image of a large gathering constituting millions of individuals. This can be considered as an appropriate icon of for the media products such as film, TV programs and newspapers. So it can be said that the term mass should not be used in a narrow way. The originality of mass communication lies in the availability of the products to plurality rather than a large number of people are receiving the products. Also mass culture and mass society was considered to have an adverse impact on the society by creating a homogenous culture which entertained the individuals without involving their critical faculties (Mackay and O'Sullivan 1999). The innovation and development in the new media of communication and transport had affected the means by which the individuals experience spatial and sequential characteristics of the social life. Before the media industry was developed many people had the knowledge of time and distance only through symbols. Thus, it can be said that the media had not only affected the society in a bad way but also in a good way. The communication media has given rise to the development of mediated historicity. Verbal interaction and personal communication are considered to have molded the society in recognizing the past which grabs the symbolic attention from the media industry products (Ruddock 2000). The evidence gathered from the books as well as other sources have affirmed that there has always been a controversy on how the media has a negative impact on the society in the form of inflicting violence and changing the opinion of the people. The accusation has varied from a simple claim to a major panic sometimes. The discussion throughout this assignment is a proof of why media has always this reaction from the society. The readings have referred to the debate as whether the media has influenced the public to behave in an aggressive way and change their thinking or the people are only responsible for their difference in behavior. The social impact of the risks associated with the debate of media violence can cause panic and nervousness among the public. The social implication of the risk in relation to the society and the moral panic that is created out of media violence is a debatable issue. It can be said that it is not always the case of media violence but the organization ca n also cause panic in the society. The instances of media violence vary from the childrens cartoons to the horror films of the adults which pose a negative impact not only on the individuals but also on the society. The individuals which are affected by the media have a tendency to imitate the scenes and action that they have experienced on the screen. Video games can also be regarded in this respect as the children are getting affected by its activities. Reference Anderson, C.A. and Carnagey, N.L., 2014. The role of theory in the study of media violence: The General Aggression Model.Media violence and children,, pp.103-133. Barker, M. and Petley, J. eds., 2002.Ill effects: The media violence debate. Routledge. Ferguson, C.J. and Beresin, E., 2017. Social science's curious war with pop culture and how it was lost: the media violence debate and the risks it holds for social science.Preventive Medicine. Ferguson, C.J., 2015. Does media violence predict societal violence? It depends on what you look at and when.Journal of Communication,65(1). Gentile, D.A., 2014. Why dont media violence effects look the same on everyone?: Developmental approaches to understanding media effects.Media violence and children: A complete guide for parents and professionals, pp.45-69. Hesmondhalgh, D., 2007. The cultural industries. Lessig, L., 2009.Code: And other laws of cyberspace. ReadHowYouWant. com. Mackay, H. and O'Sullivan, T. eds., 1999.The media reader: continuity and transformation. Sage. Ruddock, A., 2000.Understanding audiences: Theory and method. Sage. Svensson, G., 2016. Blaming the media. Cultures of criticism and accountability in discussions over refugees, immigration and integration. InECREA conference, Panel The Mediation of Refugeedom. Europes refugee crisis through different lenses, 9-12 November 2016, Prague, Czech Republic..+

Football Essays (1142 words) - Pittsburgh Steelers, Steagles

Football This is a crwative essay only A Steeler Game I harbor a lot of passion for the game of football. It's more than just a game to me. Some people fish or do crosswords. What I do to relax and have fun in my spare time is watch or read about football. While engaged in watching or reading about this particular sport, I escape from the everyday grind of life. Going to a sporting event like a football game is outrageous. The building anxiety weeks before I attend a Steeler game can drive any normal fan to insanity. It's 6:00 AM Sunday morning. There was no need for an alarm to wake me up on this fine morning. I am about to pack my portable grill and a few cases of beer into my car to go on a two-hour road trip to Three Rivers Stadium. I am going to attend a Steeler game. On the road it's WDVE on the radio all the way to Pittsburgh. Myron Cope, WDVE's celebrated play by play analyst, sounds off. As usual he is as exited about toady as I am. Myron Cope is talking about players, injuries and coaches. There are a lot of things he'll talk about with Tunch Ilkin, his sidekick and former Steeler player. As they make their predictions, as to how the day will go for the Steelers, and other teams in the Steelers division. After two hours of listening to the analysts, its time to pay the ten dollars to park my car. I open my car door and its pandemonium. Organized chaos! Thousands of people (fans) parking their cars, setting up their grills and cracking their first beer of the morning. All of this is happening at 8:00 AM. The day has just started, and it gets better. My breakfast on a day like today would consist of two hamburgers over easy and sixteen ounces of beer. In this kind of environment, Fruit Loops and O.J. just won't do. It seems as though a lot of fans feel the same way I do. I smell nothing but grilled food and stale beer. For those of you who come from other planets, and with me being a responsible citizen of earth, I must tell you this. Sitting in a parking lot or open field, drinking alcohol, eating large quantities of food, and socializing before or after any football game is called tailgating. There are other things to view before the game even starts. Low flying aircraft with advertisement banners in tow. You know the kind, the same ones that interrupt your quiet time at the beach every ten minutes. Sometimes one of those huge blimps will be flying over Three Rivers Stadium too. I really like those blimps, and the blimps fly really low to the ground in the parking lot too. But I did not pay to see an air show. I came to watch a football game, and the only thing that I want to see in the air is a football. And looking at Three Rivers Stadium is quit a site, in itself. It's not just its size, but its history that impress me. Well its time to get inside the stadium to watch the game. I'll pass many scalpers in the parking lot on my way to the stadium. At this time I'd like to address the visitors from other planets again. Scalpers are not Indians trying to cut your forehead off. No sir, they are humans selling tickets to the game for three times their original value. I then get my game day program. I always buy this program. It makes a great souvenir. Once inside the stadium, it's a new world. It's nothing like watching the game from home. Everything looks different; the field is ten times more colorful than on television. The fans cheering are ten times louder, and more exciting. It feels like you're apart of something really big. Once I sit down in my seat, like most fans I stay there until halftime. And at that point in time I wonder why I waited, because now I have to fight my way in and out of the restroom. That my friends, is the only bad thing

khdsaf essays

khdsaf essays Universal Essay: Slaughterhouse Five Throughout history, society, in general, has been molded by the ravages of war. From King Henry VII's invasion of Brittany, to the bloodshed on the shores of Iwo Jima, all the way to the present-day territory dispute in Bosnia and Herzegovina, war abounds mankind and its short history. As nations, ethnicities, ect. constantly attempt to outdo one another war will continue to arise. In recent years much has been said about the poor effects war has on society in a general sense; but what does war do to an individual? This is a question often avoided as a result of the bitter truth: War can all but destroy the sane mind of the common man. This is a fact that was abundantly presented in Kurt Vonnegut's "absurdist classic" Slaughterhouse Five. The story is initially set during World War II, but moves from place to place, and from time period to time period throughout the novel. The story centers around the infamous fire-bombing of Dresden and the mythic journey of an American soldier/ prisoner-of-war named Billy Pilgrim. Pilgrim suffers from post traumatic stress syndrome and imagines his abduction by aliens, and a great journey through space and time, to a fictional planet named Tralfamadore. A great deal of strange thoughts occurred inside Bill Pilgrim's mind, but Billy had no control over these thoughts. War has an uncanny ability to inflict mental stress on man. The story of Billy Pilgrim is a near-perfect example of the horrendous way in which war can affect the mind of the common man. As a prisoner of war, Billy Pilgrim is subjected to daily torture ranging from beatings and malnourishment. Pilgrim also witnessed the beatings of many other soldiers, some of whom he was familiar with. Billy Pilgrim's mind was not only a victim of torture, but also the Dresden fire-bombings one of the most deadly acts of war ever. Despite the fact that Billy was confined to a subterranean prisoner-of-w ...

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Pedestrian and bicycle facilities - Essay Example Both regional and local authorities have the responsibility of planning, and implementi8ng cycling policies. National level commitment is essential for putting right the legal, regulatory, and financial framework that lead to successful implementation of cycling initiatives. This is the city in the region with a well advanced form of League of American Bicyclists Bicycle Friendly Community where bicycling is an important means of transport and recreational activity. According to the 2007-2011 American Community Survey, 4% of Newark households engage in bicycling for recreation (Delaware Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan Survey). It is a normal phenomenon that all cyclists at one time have felt to be invisible to motorists. Bike Delaware has provided the â€Å"intentional blindness† that addresses this phenomenon. Another issue of safety is the question as to why cyclists’ and pedestrians’ safety is termed as invisible to traffic engineers. Most traffic engineers pay close attention to road safety and traffic congestion. Despite this safety, little is realized on the ped/bike safety projects. The federal program called the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) is responsible for funding Road Safety in Delaware. According to the data collected from the research, Delaware has spent more than $8 million HSIP dollars every year on road safety improvement projects but none focused on reducing pedestrian or cyclist fatalities. As a result, motor vehicle occupant fatalities have reduced while pedestrians’ fatalities have not. Cycling around Delaware University and Newark area is a favored means of transport to students, staff, faculty, and locals living in the area. Cyclists are assisted by the Newark Traffic Relief Committee (NTRC) that has prepared a Newark City Bicycle Map. The map shows cycling and pedestrian routes in the city and provides

Sports Sponsorship Paper Term Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Sports Sponsorship - Term Paper Example This paper is aimed at analyzing the extent of sponsorship by indicating what has been spent and by whom with the aim of arming the readers with the relevant information in planning for sponsorship. Sports sponsorship is a golden opportunity for companies to market their products on a large scale. Whenever companies align their products with the value of the sport, the result is that the customers associate the success of the brand with that of the sports team that they sponsor. The linkage of brands and the emotional connection that the target consumers have for particular sports in one of the largest market places in the world can have a profound impact on the market share of those brands. Brands and corporations can have the power to leverage upon the sponsorship of certain sports with the goal of building a long lasting relationship with the customers. The emotional bond that sports enthusiasts attach to the sports can be transferred to a brand if the sponsorship is right. Such b onds are not usually temporary and in most cases last for a lifetime (Dobson & Goddard, 2001). This presents the corporations with the perfect opportunity to capitalize on those opportunities by building customer loyalty which may be the cure for surviving economic uncertainty in the long term. Discussion TV programming now encompasses a vast diversity in terms of coverage of sports events. There are many channels that are now dedicated entirely on sports. Studies that have been done on the Spanish population reveal that 70% of them watch news where about 20% is dedicated to sport which is the same amount of time dedicated to politics (Garcia & Rodriguez, 2002). It is no wonder that sports stars now enjoy the same level, if not more, of prestige as do the politicians. Olympic Games and world football are the two major events in the world that drive people in a frenzy. These events easily bring countries where they are being held to a standstill. The previous events and most recently the Olympics in Beijing, previous world football events like the recent world cup in South Africa are some of the examples of the enthusiasm that is attached to sports. The physiognomy of a country changes rapidly due to hosting an international event. The Olympics for example changes both the physical as well as the economic standing of the country it is held in. PricewaterhouseCoopers, an audit firm conducted a study in 2004 which placed the impact of the Sydney Olympics as having been 2.78% of Australia’s GDP in that year. The 1996 Atlanta Games also accounted for 2.41% of the American GDP. Professional football also has a profound impact on the GDP of a country. In Spain, for example, the industry accounts for 1.7% of the GDP and rises to 2.5% when in relation to the service sector. With such immense numbers both in terms of revenue and the attendance by the people, corporations see it as a perfect opportunity to market their products. Real Madrid, a football club in Spa in, is one of the most reputable worldwide. The election of Florentino Perez as its president had a profound effect on the club. He is responsible for the success of what was referred to as the Galacticos era or the Galaxy players. These players were world class and they were brought in order to improve the image of the club. Perez referred to the club as being both a brand and content. The brand was built on the human resources who included the players, coaches and the management