Illegal downloading of music and its effects on the industry Research Paper

Illegal downloading of music and its effects on the industry - Research Paper Example This "Illegal downloading of music and its effects on the industry" essay describes how the invention of the Internet and the growth of illegal music downloading and file sharing changed music market. Despite being a lucrative business, on average, Verderber, Verderber and Sellnow highlight that musicians earn peanuts annually with no additional benefits. This irony emerges from the fact that some other people infringe or steal and distribute copyrighted music illegally thereby decreasing the music sales. In their argument, music companies state that free and unlimited downloading of music has led to the violation of their rights. These industries suffer lose not only in terms of money but also in effort and time. Apart from individuals, record stores also contribute to the menace of promoting illegal music download. The record stores benefit through selling ad space on their walls and gain profits. Such profits play a significant role of paying musicians for their work thereby reduc ing incurred expenses. Additional arguments by the music companies reveal that burnt CDs containing favorite songs by the consumers cost a great deal of money since each CD would only contain (a) particular song(s) (Essaylib para3). For the musicians, recording contracts include obtaining advances and loyalties from recording companies. Advances are provided to musicians prior to the recording releasing. In the case of the recording earning sufficient money, the recording company recovers its money for the advance paid out. Conversely, little music sales mean the recording company has to call off the loss. In order to avoid loses, recording companies are forced to offer lower advances to musicians and fire some of their employees to cut down costs like in BMG and Sony music. In terms of loyalties, artists are paid for each song

Critical Book Review Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Critical Book Review - Term Paper Example All that is left is a glimmer of the origins from where their values and ethics had held their foundation. Through examining five different critical reviews, the substance of this novel will be analyzed for its rich ethnic content. The lives of the four women whose stories are highlighted enrich a story that is first of women, then of the cultural influences that created their personal stories. Their stories reveal the gap between themselves and their daughters, children who have grown up in a very different world than that from which their mothers came. The Joy Luck Club, first published in 1989, represents a door that was open into American literature to female Asian writers by the 1976 publication of Maxine Hong Kingston’s memoir, The Woman Warrior. The Joy Luck Club sold 275,000 hard-cover copies and widened the door for Asian female fiction so that within two years, four more Chinese American writers had books published that were selling very well (Cliffnotes, 2010). The initial setting of the book is within a social group called The Joy Luck Club, a group of four women who play mahjong. The book was made into a movie in 1993 starring an ensemble cast of some of the finest Asian actresses in Hollywood. Gloria Shen (2009), in her critical review of The Joy Luck Club, discusses the theme of mother/daughter relationships within the novel. In examining the relationships between the women, she focuses on the narrative style, stating that the narration is not one story, but is divided into sixteen individual stories that are told from the point of view of those characters that each story represents. According to Shen, this narrative style is more conventionally associated with novels from the 19th and 20th centuries, giving the work a contemporary nostalgic style (p. 3). The exception to this point of view style is the story that is told about Suyuan Woo, who has died before the

Christmas carol Essay Example for Free

Christmas carol Essay Set in Victorian England Dickens A Christmas Carol famously shows a transformation of the character of Ebenezer Scrooge he is portrayed as a tight fisted old man. Scrooge ends up repenting with the help of the ghost of his old business partner, Jacob Marley, and the three spirits. The last stave celebrates Scrooge enjoying Christmas e. g. I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. In this essay I intend to explore in detail, the variety of ways Dickens uses to show the development of Scrooges character Stave 1 In stave 1 we see Scrooge presented as an old, grumpy and selfish man. Jacob Marley, his business partner, had recently passed away on Christmas Eve. Scrooge attended the funeral but on the same day Dickens tells the reader that Scrooge went back to work, where he gained an undoubted bargain. This shows that Scrooge is more interested in money than his business partners funeral. The first words at the start of stave 1 are, Marley was dead Dickens had to make this abrupt point to make it clear Marley had died to prepare the reader for the fact that his ghost can come back. Charles Dickens uses a narrator, to both describe Scrooge and to judge him. The more the narrator describes Scrooge the angrier he seems to become and the harsher he speaks of him e. g. when he exclaims that Scrooge is a tight fisted hand at the grindstone Scrooge! he then uses a long list of adjectives to emphasise the meanness in scrooge and how he is prepared to hurt others deliberately so that he can be more wealthy. These are: A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner. The narrator also makes it clear that scrooge is self-contained and as solitary as an oyster. This is a simile. This may imply that Scrooge is a cold creature protected by his own hard shell, but in the interior he may have the ability to create a beautiful pearl this may be saying that scrooge has the ability. This may be saying that scrooge also has the ability of creating something beautiful and long lasting. No warmth could warm, nor wintry weather chill him. The narrator is saying that Scrooge is unnatural in some ways and the weather doesnt affect him however hot or cold it is. Even the blind mans dog stays away from Scrooge. This tells the reader even the natural world knows that he is a man to be avoided and feared. Dickens uses contrast to highlight Scrooges character at this stage. On page 4 Scrooges nephew comes to meet Scrooge He greets him with a Merry Christmas. Scrooge then replied bah humbug, which shows Scrooges disbelief in Christmas and his sullenness. Later Scrooge asks, What reason do you have to be merry? Your poor enough. This shows that Scrooge bases his happiness only on wealth Scrooge then had two visitors. They were portly gentlemen who ask Scrooge if he will donate money for the poor and destitute Scrooge didnt give them anything. This shows how tight fisted and selfish Scrooge is. Scrooge suggests to the men that work houses and prisons are the place where the poor should go, Scrooge is showing that he does not believe he has any responsibility to help others. This was a common attitude in Victorian England, which Dickens wants to challenge. When Marleys ghost appears for the first time he suspects the ghost is a figment of his imagination. He tries to hide his fear of it by assuming it is an upset stomach which is causing these disturbing images. However when the ghost speaks he begins to believe it is true. The arrival of the ghost disturbs him. The ghost tells him he is going to be visited by three spirits. Scrooge takes this news and replies to it as a chore or menial task. The ghost speaks of why he is weighed down by chains and shackles. He told Scrooge these chains represent all the bad things he did in his life. He also told scrooge that he had a similar chain but longer. His reaction to this is of disliking. He doesnt like what he hears. He asks the ghost to speak comfort to him, but the ghost cannot speak comfort to him because he has done nothing good or pure in his life. His greed and loathing for everything has turned him into an evil bitter man who has no time for friends of family and he is heartless to his employee Bob Cratchit. Now Scrooge has had a terrible warning about what may come to him if he does not change his ways. Stave 2 Scrooge is visited by the ghost of Christmas past in stave 2 who takes him back in time to see his childhood. This is a very effective way of enabling the reader to see how Scrooge was when he was younger and bring the reader to understand why Scrooge is so mean and to show he hasnt always been like that. Scrooge is shown sitting in a classroom on his own while all the other children have gone home for Christmas. This is because Scrooge and his father didnt get on very well and his father didnt want him home for Christmas. We know this because his sister comes to take Scrooge home one Christmas and she says father is much kinder than he used to be Charles Dickens uses this to show the reader that scrooge was very used to being alone and this might explain why he is so solitary when he grows up. This would have had a great affect on Scrooge at an early age and could be the reason why he is so cruel, mean and bad tempered. At this point the reader starts to have some sympathy for Scrooge and care about his future life. The first change in Scrooges personality is when Scrooge looks back at his younger self and is reminded of the carol boy he saw earlier that night. He feels guilty for not giving the boy anything. We can tell this because he says I should have liked to have given him something thats all. This is the first example of kindness and regret we see from Scrooge, reinforcing the point that Scrooge is not completely heartless and cold and shows he is able to change. Dickens involved Scrooges sister fan to remind Scrooge of his nephew because they are similar generous characters. We can see that Scrooge cared about fan. This may be a sign that there is the potential that Scrooges view of his nephew may also change. Dickens next includes a visit to Fezziwig, Scrooges old employer. This is to show a contrast between how scrooge as an employer treats Bob Cratchit and the way Fezziwig treats Scrooge. Whereas Fezziwig threw a party for Christmas. Bob Cratchit had to ask Scrooge for the day off and Scrooge was still reluctant to give it to him. We can see that Scrooge liked Fezziwig by his reaction when he first saw him. He exclaims, Why its old Fezziwig alive again. This makes Scrooge think of Bob Cratchit. He says I should like to be able to say a word or two to my clerk just know. Again Dickens involves this episode to show that a change in Scrooges personality is possible.

A Profile of United Nations Children’s Fund

A Profile of United Nations Children’s Fund United Nations Children’s Fund â€Å"We believe in a world where ZERO children die of things we can prevent.   The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, is an intergovernmental organization (IGO) that was started by the United Nations in 1946. UNICEF is non-profit and works to prevent childhood death by improving the healthcare, education, and nutrition of children around the world. They also provide emergency relief to those in need. Their reach is international and their goal is to have zero children die from preventable causes (UNICEF). On December 11, 1946 the â€Å"United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund† was started by the United Nations General Assembly. Its creation coincided with World War II in order to bring food and medical care to war-torn children in Europe, the Middle East, and China. The name was shortened to United Nations Children’s Fund in 1953 when it was made a permanent fixture of the United Nations System (UNICEF USA). Despite its name change, the fund kept the acronym UNICEF; which is still in use today. In 1965, the United Nations Children’s Fund won the Nobel Peace Prize for ‘the promotion of brotherhood among nations.† (UNICEF). In its 68 year history there have been many famous UNICEF Goodwill ambassadors including Sarah Jessica Parker, Susan Sarandon, Jackie Chan, Shakira, David Beckham, Audrey Hepburn, Danny Kaye (first celebrity ambassador), and the entire Manchester United Football Club (Borgen Project). UNICEF focuses its energy in more than 190 countries, including the United States (UNICEF). In order to conduct their humanitarian operations they have established offices worldwide. Major operations are carried out through these offices in the event of a natural disaster or emergency. Additionally, there are programs and trainings there year-round. The United States Fund for UNICEF is located in New York City, and is the main U.S. office for UNICEF. The U.S. Fund works in cooperation with the government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to help UNICEF achieve the goal of zero preventable child fatalities (UNICEF USA). The United Nations Foundation in DC, Friends of UNFPA in New York, and the International Peace Institute in New York are other associations in the United States that help fund UNICEF projects (UNICEF). UNICEF has a number of programs to help raise funds for their causes. One of the most popular UNICEF fundraisers is Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF. Since the 1950’s over $170 million dollars has been raised by children for children through the Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF program. The premise of the program is that when kids go door to door on Halloween that instead of asking for candy, they ask for spare change to donate to UNICEF. Not only does this raise money for UNICEF to use towards helping children, but it also teaches the children doing the fundraising the value of helping others (Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF). A newer campaign that they have implemented recently is the UNICEF Tap Project. This project raises funds to give those in need clean drinking water. It works by having people stay off of their phone for as long as possible, and the longer they are off of their phone, the more money that gets donated by a 3rd party company, Giorgio Armani (UNICEF). None of the funding for UNICEF comes from the assessed dues from the United Nations; instead their donations come from individuals, NGOs, foundations, governments, and corporations (UNICEF). For the 2011-2012 Fiscal year UNICEF had a total income of $3,866 million. When broken down fifty-seven percent of donations came from the government, and 32 percent was raised by NGOs and members of the private sector. UNICEF is known for being a reputable charity that uses a majority of its income for its cause. Of the total income $3,416 million dollars went to development, $322 million went to management, $127 was for special purposes, and $2 million was for United Nations development coordination (Charity Navigator). There are a number of ways that individuals of all ages can get involved with UNICEF’s mission. Young children can help through programs like Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF (Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF). High school and college students can join clubs that are dedicated to raising money for UNICEF. Adults, with at least a bachelor’s degree and experience in certain fields, can even personally volunteer with UNICEFs missions. Another way that anyone can be involved is by monetary donations made to UNICEF or one of its funds (UNICEF USA). One of the most prevalent causes of preventative childhood death is starvation. UNICEF battles childhood hunger in many ways including giving children peanut paste and micronutrient powder. Peanut paste is a high-energy therapeutic food. It works well because it is high in calories and does not require any preparation or refrigeration. Like its name suggests the micronutrient powder contains many vitamins and minerals necessary for healthy growth and development in children. It also improves immune function and helps prevent disease (UNICEF USA). For only $10 UNICEF can distribute 321 packets of micronutrient powder. UNICEF helps infants who suffer from malnutrition by teaching mothers the benefits of breast feeding. Breast fed children are six times more likely to survive the first few months than children who are not breast fed. Also, UNICEF still helps provide food in emergencies such as natural disasters (UNICEF). Along with helping fight childhood malnutrition, UNICEF also improves children’s lives by providing healthcare, clean water, and educational supplies. More than one third of the world’s children have received a vaccination or immunization thanks to UNICEF. They have also helped 1.8 billion people have access to clean drinking water. If there are not drivable roads UNICEF will deliver supplies by bicycle, boat, and even donkey when necessary. They are well trusted and have even made cease fire agreements to get to children in war zones (UNICEF USA). In the 68 years since it was founded, UNICEF has helped save more children’s lives than any other humanitarian organization. They are extremely dedicated to helping lower child mortality rates, and have been successful so far. A number of their programs work with children from birth to help end childhood malnutrition. Their work has reached billions of people in the last seven decades and will continue to in the future. Works Cited Charity Navigator Advanced Search.Charity Navigator. UNICEF, n.d. Web. 1 May 2014. Help Children | Humanitarian Aid Emergency Relief | UNICEF USA. UNICEF USA. United States Fund for UNICEF, n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2014. Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF. UNICEF. United Nations Childrens Fund, n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2014. UNICEF | United Nations Childrens Fund. UNICEF. United Nations Childrens Fund, n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. UNICEFs First Celebrity Ambassador, Danny Kaye The Borgen Project. The Borgen Project RSS2. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.

School Violence Essay -- Violence Education Security Technology Essays

Over the past several years, an epidemic of school violence has overtaken our nation. From monthly shootings, to daily bomb threats around the country, violence is becoming more and more common in schools. It is typical to hear about acts of violence among our youth everyday on the news. Although more numerous in cities, this violence does not discriminate against inner city or suburban areas; it happens everywhere. When addressing this quick spread of crime, one can inquire as to its history and why it happens, myths about school violence, and how was can taper it, by the use of technology. History of School Violence The history of violence in schools has no set pattern, but statistics report back to the 1970s. In 1978, a reported 282,000 students were assaulted in high schools, and 5,200 teachers were also assaulted that year (Elliot, 1998). Between 1984 and 1994, the number of teens who were killed doubled, while the number of adult homicides decreased (Elliot, 1998). Over the years, students have felt increasingly more afraid to go to school. Along with the number of homicides increasing, lesser crimes like theft and assault have gone up as well (Elliot, 1998). An outrageous statistic from the book â€Å"Violence in American Schools,† states â€Å"nearly half (47%) of all teens believe their schools are becoming more violent, and one of every ten report a fear of being shot or hurt by classmates that carry weapons to school† (Elliot, 1998). Sadly enough, over the years, children have become afraid to go to a place, which once made them feel safe. Myth and Fact of School Violence People have many different perceptions about what school violence is, and how it is handled. There are many misconceived ideas about... ...ology. American School & University. Retrieved April 11, 2015 from www.ephost@epnet.com Garza, Katie. (2002). School Security Moves Into the Digital Age. The Journal. Retrieved April 11, 2015, from www.ephost@epnet.com. Goldberg, L. (2003). Creating Safer and More Efficient Schools with Biometric Technologies. The Journal. Retrieved April 11, 2015, from www.ephost@epnet.com. Goldberg. P A. & Conoley.J.C. (Eds.)(1997) School Violence Intervention. New York: The Guildford Press Shafii, S, M. & Shafii, S.L. (Eds.). (2001). School Violence: Assessment, Management, Prevention. Washington , DC: American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc. Szczerba, Peter. (2000). Advances in Protection. American School & University. Retrieved April 11, 2015, from www.ephost@epnet.com. Trump. K. (1998) Practical School Security. California : Corwin Press Inc.

Robert Boyle Essay -- essays research papers

Robert Boyle (1627-1691) Robert Boyle was born at Lismore Castle, Munster on 25 January 1627, the fourteenth child and seventh son of Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork. Robert Boyle was educated mainly by tutors and himself. He had no formal university education but read widely and made contact with many of the most important natural philosophers of his day, both at home and abroad. He had independent means which enabled him to have his own laboratory and to support religious charities. He was active in the ‘Invisible College’, an informal body devoted to the ‘new philosophy’ which in 1663 became the Royal Society, of which he was a Council member. He moved to Oxford in 1654, where he set up a laboratory with Robert Hooke as his assistant There he did most of his experimental work until 1668 when he went to live in London with his sister Lady Ranelagh. He was made an honorary Doctor of Medicine of Oxford in 1688. In his autobiographical account (Works, vol. 1, pp. xxi–xxvi) he reflects on his noble birth that ‘being born heir to a great family is but a glittering kind of slavery’ and ‘is ever an impediment to the knowledge of many retired truths, that cannot be attained without familiarity with meaner persons’. He indeed developed a keen interest in the work of artisans because they tend to know more than anyone else about the materials of their trades. He makes a general remark about religious beliefs that ‘though we cannot always give a reason for what we believe, we should ever be able to give a reason why we believe it’, which is surely a precept that guided his attitude to natural philosophy as well. Boyle was a prolific writer and experimenter on most scientific subjects that were attracting interest at the time. He investigated some alchemical claims about which he was largely skeptical in his published works. He was a devoutly religious man but wrote mainly about practical and ethical religious matters rather than engaging in theological controversy. He argued for the tolerance of different religious beliefs, and spent a good deal of money on propagating the gospel in New England and the Orient, sponsoring translations of the Bible into foreign languages. He published many experimental reports and did original work on chemical indicators, human blood, color, fire, medicine, and hydrostatics. With Hooke he developed Guericke’s air pump, which he need... ...paratus. He never claimed to have got very far in providing firm empirical evidence for complex corpuscular explanations but he remained optimistic. It has recently been argued, partly on the basis of Boyle’s unpublished notes, that his interest in alchemy has been greatly underestimated by earlier scholars. It is well known that he attempted to confirm many of the alchemists’ experimental claims but he is also said to have believed in the existence of the Philosopher’s Stone and to have accepted some alchemical explanations. It has even been suggested, rather obscurely, that he saw alchemy as connecting the material world with the spiritual world. (Principe, 1994). In his published work he clearly accepts the possibility of the transmutation of metals but that is because a corpuscular explanation would be readily available. He respects the alchemists’ experimental work because he strongly approves of the experimental investigation of the natural world and he thinks that the ‘nobler’ of the alchemists have made important empirical discoveries. His published comments on their theories, their search for the Philosopher’s Stone, and their penchant for secrecy are usually critical.

Attendance Monitoring System for Sydney Hotel

Chapter 2 Methodology In order to come with good and quality software for the Sydney Hotel, the researchers had undergone into systematic and appropriate stages. Each stage that the researchers choose to venture is surely supplementary to the outcome of the study. Rapid Application Development Model On the other hand, the proponent made use of the RAD (Rapid Application Development) as their methodology. RAD (Rapid Application Development) is a development lifecycle designed to give much faster development and higher-quality results than those achieved with the traditional lifecycle.RAD is used by the researchers to develop a high quality system that can both meet the needs of the customers and the call of versatility of the model that can adopt with the changes of the real world requirements. The study will only cover up to the 3rd phase of the model excluding the Implementation or the Deployment Stage since this study is restricted for deployment. 2. 1 Requirements Planning/ Concep t Definition Phase In this phase, the proponents gathered information in the form of interview with the help of the Sydney Hotel manager Mr.Elmar Fabiala. Though he was busy to accommodate the request for an interview, he asked Mr. Erwin Genotiva, IT Head, to entertain the queries of the researchers. The interview that happened last January 12, 2013 and January 15, 2013 was conducted upon the availability of the interviewee. After gathering data, the researchers brainstormed and summarized the given information and had identified the requirements of the system to be built. The study will only focus on the attendance monitoring system of the hotel and not the system of the hotel as a whole.In order for the proponents to come up with the best output, the researchers also conducted an actual intervention/ observation on the hotel. This was to observe how the current attendance monitoring system of the hotel behaves. Through this activity the researchers were able to determine the input and output needs of the system. The main purpose of this research is to provide solution to the hotel’s state of dilemma with regards to their attendance monitoring system by developing a stand alone ttendance monitoring system. 2. 2 User Design/ Functional Design Phase The researchers will make use of the Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD), Context Diagram, and Data Flow Diagram (DFD) to chart the input, processes, and output of the business function in a structured graphical form. These diagrams will help the researchers to conceptualize the necessities in making the proposed attendance monitoring system for the Sydney Hotel. 2. 3 Construction/ Development StageIn this stage the researchers will utilize the information being collected from the first two phases to model the actual attendance monitoring system. They have also worked with the users, to design the outputs that satisfy the needs of the hotel. During this stage the researchers prefer to use VB. Net as their progr amming language in order to create a good form and screen designs. The recommended system design was highly patterned upon the needs of the company itself. The researchers will make a GUI (Graphical User Interface) out of the given resources.