Analysis for( drugs and body class) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Analysis for( drugs and body class) - Essay Example Cocaine was banned in the United States when the cases of cocaine related deaths became over 5000 in 1914 (Platt, 17). This is because people were snorting cocaine and this had an effect on their body by causing nasal damages. Cocaine has its important aspects since it helps to reduce pain for patients undergoing surgery. Cocaine is used as an anesthetic in eye surgery and used to treat morphine addiction. The use of cocaine was glamorized in the 1980s because it had become famous for its uses and since it is a highly addictive stimulant that produces profound feelings of pleasure. Platt stated that cocaine was popularized by dealers and glamorized by the Hollywood media in the 1980s despite its devastating effects in the society. Cocaine is introduced to the body using various ways depending with how the individuals wanted to satisfy their body systems. Cocaine can be snorted, injected in body, smoked, or eaten (Platt, 20). Cocaine was glamorized in the 1980s because it is a powerful stimulant and directly affects the brain. Platt stated that the drug introduces a sense of exhilaration in the user primarily by blocking the reuptake of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the midbrain. The use of cocaine makes the user a slave to drug since it makes the individual want more drugs to gratify the body’s needs. Cocaine was expensive but people still bought the drug to make their bodies’ active, decrease fatigue and to increase concentration in various activities like learning abilities. In the movie Al Pacino Scarface, a story is told of Alpacino the Cuban refugee who goes to Miami with nothing and rises up to become a powerful drug top dog. The movie shows how people are addicted to cocaine and are involved in dangerous criminal activities like drug trafficking to satisfy their needs. Other movies that portray the use of cocaine include; Trainspotting

Ethics, 2 questions assigned each answer is 3 pages about the book Essay

Ethics, 2 questions assigned each answer is 3 pages about the book Ishmael by Daniel Quinn - Essay Example hat his or her cultural perspective is indifferent towards saving the world because perhaps he or she does not see any problem with the world as it currently is. Quinn uses a pantheists approach by using a gorilla, who is non-human to effectively criticize human civilization without the risk of looking or sounding hypocritical. Ishmael is endowed with abilities that are uncommon in non-human beings, these include attributes such as intelligence, ability to communicate through speech and understand human being’s speech patterns in communication. In addition, Ishmael has a profound understanding of the imperfections of human beings, his or her existing culture and solutions to these problems. The gorilla’s cultural identity as a captive to human beings provides him a distinctive perspective to the human condition of captivity. According to Ishmael, human beings are as much captives of their own civilization as gorillas are to the same human beings. This is because contemporary human beings’ cultural mindset coerces them to destroy the world they live in in order to sustain a comfortable life by their standards. Ishmael pokes fun into human beings for their destruction of the very environment that they depend on; Ishmael’s captivity enhances his ability to portray human beings as captives to their own way of survival (Ishmael, p. 15-17). The aggravation that gorillas experience through human beings’ destruction of the natural world, results in rapid loss of gorilla’s natural habitat. Ishmael’s advertisement in the newspaper sought students willing to embrace change in their cultural mindset to one that is ready to embrace new environmental laws which will protect the environment and by extension gorillas’ natural habitat. He seeks people who recognize that recycling such as newspaper recycling is paramount to solve the problem of environmental degradation. In his dialogue with the protagonist, Ishmael brings out human beings’ apathy towards issues

Leadership Public Health

Leadership Public Health QUALITIES OF A GOOD PUBLIC HEALTH LEADER Definition of leadership What is leadership in public health Difference between Management and leadership Discuss issues/trends related to Healthcare that make Leadership in public health significant (to address and keep up with the trends in healthcare) Governments role Digital divide in the system (ex. Electronic health records) Political social functions Budget (optional)- but since we covered this topic this past week- discretionary budget process covers the public health costs, which is very minimal Qualities of what makes a leader Conclusion PUBLIC HEALTH LEADER QUALITIES OF A GOOD PUBLIC HEALTH LEADER Abstract Leadership skills are different from management skills. While the two are equally important for the success of public health organization, they are different in terms of roles and abilities. Managers are placed in power, whereas leaders are given power by their followers. Leaders also inspire their followers as well the local and national community he/she serves. Recent events have caused public health leaders to take on new roles. CONTINUE†¦ The topic of leadership is one that has been studied and researched for years. Professionals and managers desire it and companies and organizations seek it from their employees. The coveted skill is wanted by all, but possessed by few. What is considered a good leader, or a great leader, is even harder to come by. And the field of public health—a field that changes constantly and evolves quicker than health officials can keep up with—demands great leadership. A good public health leader is defined in many ways and by many skills. It can be argued that any manager can be leader, but the literature and research prove otherwise. There are certain skill-sets that set a good leader apart from the manager. Being knowledgeable in several areas relating public health and management is integral for the success of the public health leader and the organization he/she serves. Equally important are having the personal qualities expected of a leader and being perceived as a leader by the supporting staff. Combining these attributes along with management skills ensures that a leader is prepared for and ahead of the public health curve. Management versus Leadership Being a great leader is demanding, but even more so, is being a good public health leader. Public health is different from other fields because the work itself is always evolving. The target audience, the methods, and the promotional plans are always changing. Managing these tasks is not enough, especially when dealing with an audience that often does not want the information. Work can become redundant and employees and quickly lose interest, stamina, and sense of purpose. This is where a great leader can emerge. One of the key differences in leadership and management is the ability to inspire. Almost anyone can manage or run a task if proper instruction is received. Everything from distributing the work, creating work plans, and managing the budget can be done by a manager. But leaders can inspire people and create a single vision. When staff is truly motivated, the end result is a much better product that involved a united team (Cooper, 1990). In fact, if given a choice, people â€Å"would rather follow a leader than a manager† (McLean, 2005). This notes a clear distinction in favor of the leader, as noted by staff. Ideally, a manager can be a great leader, and some may argue that leadership is one of the roles played by a manager. However, McLean makes another distinction in the leader, suggesting that the leader â€Å"is conferred power from followers that allow him/her to influence their actions† (2005). This means that the leader is given power by those following him, versus the manager who is appointed to the manager role. This power comes with the ability to influence followers and have an effect on their outcome(Peter, 2001). While there are clear differences between management and leadership, it is impossible to say that a successful organization could still exist without the two of them working simultaneously. After all, the above assumes that a great leader can be a great manager. However, great leadership does not come automatically with great management skills. Each role requires a different skill set. Managers are essential to a public health organization for their attention to detail and ability to follow orders and complete tasks in a timely and efficient manner. Leaders are then essential for the motivation and inspiration of supporting staff. As McLeans wraps it up, â€Å"both are essential and both have their place they just have different emphases† (2005). Definition of a Public Health Leader Other than the ability to inspire, the leader is defined by several other abilities. The leader is also influential, and has the ability to attract followers and have them transmit their goal and vision to new potential followers. This is especially important when working with large public health firms and organizations. It is nearly impossible for the leader to individually reach every single person and inspire them directly. Leaders thus depend on followers to inspire others as well. This is where the next definition of a leader is introduced; the ability to be a great mentor as well. Mentoring is a great way to mold someone and teach them the importance of leadership in public health. Novick et al. describe leadership mentoring as â€Å"experience, by the work of insight, by personal growth, and by learning from mentors† (2008, pg. 292). While some may argue that great leaders are born, many great leaders can emerge from the situation they are presented. Gaining experience and learning by following a leaders example are a great way in which new leaders can emerge and benefit by seeing a good leader act before it is their turn to. Thus leadership also involves the skill of making leaders out of others. The public health field also demands that its leaders be influential outside of the organization it immediately serves. One of the most important tasks in public health is the ability to influence your local community and national niche organizations that share similar goals and objectives. This means that a leader in public health must possess the competency of building and keeping ongoing relationships with community organizations (Saleh et al. 2004, pg. 1247). Forming successful partnerships helps an organization reach its goal faster and more efficiently. For this reason, it is imperative that the public health leader be in tune with the goals of its organization in order to partner with the right organizations. At the same time, public health leaders need to be aware of the larger picture. Public health is so grand and it becomes impossible for a leader to be great in every aspect of the field. According to the American Public Health Association, being aware of the larger picture is recognizing ones role in public health, or rather taking â€Å"ownership of ones particular job and having the creativity to do it (2000, pg. 11). This also involves setting appropriate priorities based on the current needs of the organizations. This involves looking at the larger picture, assessing which goals are most important to the future of the organization, and setting priorities to accomplish these goals. Leadership also requires the ability to react to new sudden needs of the public health organization. Clear examples of these are the events of September 11, 2001. These events left public health officials dumbfounded. Almost immediately, officials became aware of how little they were prepared for such a disaster. Leaders were forced to think and react quickly, and soon after there was a surge of new educational opportunities related to emergency preparedness. The same leaders learned to be â€Å"more effective in responding to ever-changing public health challenges† (Saleh et al. 2004, pg. 1246). The role of an effective leader is clearly not easy. While a leader mains role is to inspire a vision and work in others, leaders must also possess a variety or related skills. Therefore, the definition of a public health leader includes the ability to mentor and produce new effective leaders and serve as a leader in both the local and national communities with a same vision. Leaders must also be able to see the grand picture and set timely and relevant priorities, as well as think and react to sudden public health needs( Donald, 1991). Current Trends in Public Health Leadership Using the example of September 11, 2001, it became obvious to officials that there were clear gaps in the system and that current leaders did not all possess the adequate skills for such a disaster. Programs emerged to educate public health leaders about bioterrorism, crises response, and disaster management (Burrell, 2007, pg. 62). These subjects fall outside of the comfort zone for many public health leaders, since much of public health falls within the field of heath, nutrition, environmental health, physical and emotional well-being, and disease prevention. The goal of these programs is to provide formal training in areas that are critical. In fact, several accredited universities have made this effort easier by providing programs relating to homeland security, terrorism, emergency preparedness and related disciplines. Burrell states that such programs help address the â€Å"threats [that] have created a need for all public managers to expand their knowledge and develop new skills† (2007, pg. 63). Several universities, particularly those in the DC area, are now making it easier for public health leaders to receive training in these areas. Qualities of what makes a leader Competence By carrying out preventive medicine and communicable disease control, occupational health, food safety, and disaster response programs a good public health leader exercises a sense of responsibility. This is a good attribute of a public health leader who is able to relate well to the ground in respect to the above issues. By carrying out all the assigned duties and disseminating to the relevant staff within a public officer fulfill all the doubtful acts that responsibility is not being undertaken. The work of a public health leader ranges from various areas and in order to fulfill the required fields he or she had to assign various duties to his colleges. Without a good sense of responsibility, effective work performance will not be put in place which might end up putting the public at risk since poor service deliver y will be delivered .therefore a good public health leader should be one who is able to exercise effective responsibility in a senses that they are able to be judged acc ording to how dissemination of what has been assigned to the m has occurred. A well established focused and self defined health leader should be able to establishes and maintain contact with medical treatment facility and local public health agencies to ensure an integrated public health program flows between all the sectors. The medical sector .without a continuous flow of events service delivery will be impossible which requires that a public health officer should resolve to having good communication skill that enable effective passage of information from one section to another. Courageous As a public health leader, one must emulate courage in order to be decisive person. A good public health leader ought not to be afraid of failure since without this, he or she will not be able to function as a leader. One should have the courage to maintain their convictions or go with a gut instinct. A good public health leader should always admit that a mistake has been committed without hesitation showing how brave one is in the tackling of the environment. Skillful This attribute will be able to ensure that a public health leader lays down corrective mechanism that are able to ascertain aspect which show that he or she is capable of undertaken the task in hand. This will involve showing of skill knowledge and the aptitude by the leader. A well focused skilled leader in the public health sector carries out all the necessary task making his or her colleges follow due to extra ordinary character that he or she will display in managing a given scenario. The matters that concern health are the most complex tasks that a leader might handle since this are real life situation that unless taken seriously into consideration, loss of life might occur. Therefore the leader should be able to tackle the hardest thing that surrounds the immediate environment since he or she has the necessary skill available. The skills can range from practical, mental and technical skills. A good public health leader should emulate good advisory skill which bears in mind on h ow advises will be given out on military public health issues, manning, and training. This is a fundamental aspect that requires great attention. Advising on critical issues requires that one has good counseling skill that enable him or her put into practice what is needed. Influential In the sense that even when carrying out various developments he or she will be able to initiates, nonstop and conduct preventive medicine and communicable disease control programs .being influential requires that one will be able to disseminate all that is required to all the colleges therefore boosting the morale of what is being done. Patience gives clear characteristics of a public health officer who will, be able to clarify all that is needed before acting upon them. For example when the employees are unable to clearly clarify or understand what is being talked about, the public health leader ought to verify it in details and make sure that all the tasks assigned to the are done according to the intended purposes. A good public health leader should embrace loyalty in that he or she should be able to perform mutually to the colleges what seems desirable by all since unless this is emulated ,the same will be fall him making progression in this sector top reduce by a large margin ( Swayne E. 2001). Flexible Having such attributes a public health leader will be able to change from one aspect to the other successfully ensuring that effective measures are put in place to minimize lost efforts. With these qualities a public health leader will be able to adapt to the immediate environment when fluctuations arise .this in reality entails a leader who has the intellectual capabilities of focusing on the prediction of what is to occur. Take an example where an outbreak of a specific epidemic occurs, flexibility of this situation will be determined by the leader. Being resilient will enable the leader to ensure that failure is an opportunity to expand to the real life scenario without fearing what might succumb to them but tackling it with ease with resilience, public health leaders should consider every failure as a step closer to the realization of their dreams. A leader has to lay down good examples to others, taking a role model position .All the people working around and staff members would like to emulate what they see that is positive and that doing this is the person in charge of their affairs. Public health officers should bear this quality such that what is perceived by them to be a right perspective still remains to be so by the other team players. By being a role model the public health officer embraces a sense of confidence which also is gained by the other team players and with this service delivery in highly enhanced. Tackling some issue in the public health sector requires great confidence in the interest of the public sefty.Take a case where gaseous poisonous substances have spilled in the air, the public health sector will have to make appropriate action in the determination of the root cause of this phenomena. To an ordinary person without skills, training and confidence, doing this task will be a great risk to life, however if one is trained, the confidence usually inspired by the trainer who in this case is the leader of the public health sector keeps them going. Conclusion A good public health leader should instigate buoyancy in others and be persistent in a crisis. Though this sector is a tough one to tackle leaders her should embrace one another and come together to solve the relevant problems that exist within the locality. Good listening skill should be developed since communication is a two way traffic, therefore leaders should try as much as possible to be good listeners. In the course of coming up with new ways and means of communicating a smooth flow of events will prevail therefore saving on other irrelevant costs that might occur. Management and leadership should go hand in hand in that though leaders are people are followed by other people through their own choice and managers have to be obeyed; these two disparities have to be merged in order to come up with a formidable action plane that will be able to facilitate smooth flow of events The public health leader has to have the capacity of embracing new talent and nature it. Sincerity and re liability are particularly significant for any good leader embracing realistic goals. By setting goals a good public health leader will be setting avenues that lead to the attainment of the goals. This targets when attained should be credible to the participants who took part in the achieving of results unlike praising the leader. The public health sector being the toughest areas to tackle should be reformed such that there is always the division of labor. This will enhance inventions and innovations which will give out the definition of development through the total commitment and support from the whole team. References Cooper, T. (1990). The Responsible Administrator. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Donald, S (1991). â€Å"Innovative Organizations Require Innovative Managers.† Public Administration Review. 41:5, 507-513. Peter, N. (2001). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage. Swayne E. (2001). Leadership and Management, Public Health: Cases and Context, by Sage Publications

Music as Clay :: Composers Musical Essays

Music as Clay In our study of Bach, we have seen how he was able to take traditional, sacred texts and write accompaniments for them that capture the meaning of those texts in a very unique way. Bach had the power to write music that was so expressive that it could actually make the listener feel what the text was saying. This power of Bach's music is often overlooked in our society, because the modern human culture it quick to judge the beauty of music. By doing this, we fail to hear the truths Bach wrote. The following is a close study of how Bach was able to combine text and harmonies in one specific movement of his Cantata No. 78 to express certain messages. Bach's tenor aria (movement 4) in Cantata No. 78 is a good example of how Bach uses the expressive power of text, harmonies, and instrumentation to speak to his audiences and really say things through his music. This way, he was able to make music not only more powerful, but more accessible. One way Bach uses Movement 4 to speak to the audience is through the form and tonal structure of the piece. Movement 4 is a binary aria with the text split evenly into a three-line A section and a three-line B section. The opening ritornello is in g minor, and the piece stays in g minor until the last cadence of the A section. The second ritornello is in Bb major followed by the B section, which moves from Bb major through many other keys and eventually ends up back in g minor. Then the final ritornello is also played in g minor. The form Bach has chosen seems, from the conventions mentioned by Crist, to be an irregular form for the text given. It is a very short text that could easily be repeated in the da capo form, but Bach must have chosen this form for another reason. Perhaps he was trying to accentuate more on the meaning of the words rather than portray its poetic sound. The actual meaning of the words do not really seem to fit well with a da capo form. The first three lines talk of how Jesus makes the heart light and the spirit free. Thus, a freer style makes sense. Also, the last three lines talk of how Jesus brings victory over the "Lord of Hell", so ending the song after that last line can somehow be paralleled to the victory.

Dth Services in India

Introduction to DTH Services DTH stands for Direct-To-Home television. DTH is defined as the reception of satellite programmes with a personal dish in an individual home. How does DTH work? A DTH network consists of a broadcasting centre, satellites, encoders, multiplexers, modulators and DTH receivers. A DTH service provider has to lease Ku-band transponders from the satellite. The encoder converts the audio, video and data signals into the digital format and the multiplexer mixes these signals. At the user end, there will be a small dish antenna and set-top boxes to decode and view numerous channels. On the user's end, receiving dishes can be as small as 45 cm in diameter. DTH is an encrypted transmission that travels to the consumer directly through a satellite. DTH transmission is received directly by the consumer at his end through the small dish antenna. A set-top box, unlike the regular cable connection, decodes the encrypted transmission. Difference between DTH & Cable TV :- The way DTH reaches a consumer's home is different from the way cable TV does. In DTH, TV channels would be transmitted from the satellite to a small dish antenna mounted on the window or rooftop of the subscriber's home. So the broadcaster directly connects to the user. The middlemen like local cable operators are not there in the picture. DTH can also reach the remotest of areas since it does away with the intermediate step of a cable operator and the wires (cables) that come from the cable operator to your house. As we explained above, in DTH signals directly come from the satellite to your DTH dish. Also, with DTH, a user can scan nearly 700 channels! DTH offers better quality picture than cable TV. This is because cable TV in India is analog. Despite digital transmission and reception, the cable transmission is still analog. DTH offers stereophonic sound effects. It can also reach remote areas where terrestrial transmission and cable TV have failed to penetrate. Apart from enhanced picture quality, DTH has also allows for interactive TV services such as movie-on-demand, Internet access, video conferencing and e-mail. History of DTH in India :- DTH services were first proposed in India in 1996. But they did not pass approval because there were concerns over national security and a cultural invasion. In 1997, the government even imposed a ban when the Rupert Murdoch-owned Indian Sky Broadcasting (ISkyB) was about to launch its DTH services in India. Finally in 2000, DTH was allowed. The new policy requires all operators to set up earth stations in India within 12 months of getting a license. DTH licenses in India will cost $2. 14 million and will be valid for 10 years. The companies offering DTH service will have to have an Indian chief and foreign equity has been capped at 49 per cent. There is no limit on the number of companies that can apply for the DTH license. Growth Potential of DTH in India :- Today, India has about 120 million television homes, out of which 75 million are cable TV homes, with the majority share on analog mode. There is a gap of approximately 45 million between these two figures alone. DTH currently caters to about 8. 9 million subscribers . There would always be a lot of areas that cable still cannot reach but DTH can between MSOs (multiple system operators) and DTH. Given the size of the Indian market there would be large volumes in both cable and DTH. In this industry, 10 years is too long; hence a five-year view would be more realistic. DTH will grab a major share and be at about 20-22 million subscribers by 2013. CAGR (compound annual growth rate) for DTH in India is 30%. DTH Players in India. Sr. No. DTH Service ProvidersOwner 1DD Direct +Prassar Bharati 2dish TVEssel Group. 3Tata SkyTata + Star (JV) 4BIG TVReliance (ADAG) 5Airtel Digital TVAirtel 6Sun Direct Marans and Astro group (JV) 7Videocon D2HVideocon 8ETH Air TVSterling Group Major DTH service Providers in India DD Direct plus :- Honorable Prime Minister of India inaugurated the service on 16/12/2004. Presently the DD DIRECT+ is envisaged to telecast 56 free-to-air TV channels (containing both Doordarshan and private channels) Satellite Earth Station for uplink of signals has been setup at Delhi. The high power Ku-band transponders of Indian Satellite INSAT-4B at 93. 5? E are being used for hosting the DD DIRECT+ services. DD Direct+ is a free Direct to Home (DTH) service that provides satellite television and audio programming to households and businesses in the Indian subcontinent, owned by parent company Doordarshan. It primarily competes with cable television and other DTH Service providers such as Dish TV, Tata Sky, Sun Direct, Airtel digital TV and Big TV throughout India. Advantages : (1) DD Direct Plus is India’s first and only DTH service that offers its services absolutely free of cost. No monthly subscriptons to be paid when you are with DD Direct Plus. (2) Small one-time initial investment on STB and Dish and you can use it life-long. (3) Apart from all DD chs, DD Direct Plus offers several popular private FTA (Free-To-Air) chs. (4) As a bonus, DD Direct Plus also offers additional chs, from Dish TV’s satellite which are FTA from time to time. Disadvantages : (1) DD Direct Plus does not offer any EPG (Electronic Program Guide) facility, which all other DTH operator provides. Due to this, users are not able to check schedules on channels before-hand. (2) New channel addition process is very slow. Several ch wait for approval from Prasar Bharati (DD Direct Plus), but its sloggish attitude makes the addition of new chs too late. (3) DD Direct Plus revises and hikes its carriage fees all of a sudden due to which some channels tend to quit the platform. 4) Signal fluctuation issues occur at certain times, due to which some chs black-out temporarily. dish TV :- dishtv is an Essel Group venture. Essel Group has a vast range of national and global business interests that include media programming, broadcasting & distribution, speciality packaging and entertainment. The businesses have close synergies in the areas of content, distribution and infrastructure. Continuing with the same path-breaking tradition, the group now brings to you a new era of digital quality TV viewing. It not only broadcasts high quality programmes straight from the satellite to your home, but also gives you absolute and complete control of what you watch and pay for. It is almost like having your own satellite up in the sky. dishtv takes television viewing to the next level as it supports various futuristic features like Electronic Programme Guide, Parental Lock, Capacity up to 400 channels, Games, Interactive TV, Movie on Demand etc. Brought to you by a Zee Network Enterprise, dishtv has changed the face of the Indian television home, bringing it at par with the global entertainment ndustry. Dishtv Becomes India's First DTH Service To Cross 4. 5 Million Customer Mark 23 Million Happy Indians Have Made Dishtv No. 1 About Dish TV India: Dishtv is India’s No. 1 direct-to-home company and part of the biggest media conglomerate – Zee group. Dishtv has on its platform 225 channels & services including 21 audio channels with registered 4. 5 million subscribers, which is gr owing. Dishtv has a vast distribution network of about 650 distributors & 45,000 dealers that spans around 6500 towns across the country. Dishtv has 24* 7 call centre with 1600 seats in 11 different languages to take care of subscriber requirements at any point of time. Today, Dishtv is the leader in DTH sector with a market share of more than 53 per cent of the total subscriber base of 8. 9 million. Dishtv’s footprint covers 5400 towns across India bringing smiles to 23 million Indians. Today every 50th Indian out of the total population of 115 crore is enjoying the Dishtv experience. Advantages : (1) The biggest advantage of Dish TV is its cost. (For old or existing customers at this point). It offers most of the popular chs at low cost. The highest pack costs Rs. 325 per month, after which only 1 or 2 add-on packs are required to all almost all chs, unlike other DTH where you need several Add-on packs even after subscribing to the highest pack. (2) Dish TV’s satellite being located very near to DD Direct Plus’s satellite, all Dish TV users enjoy the complete ch offering of DD Direct Plus as well. So any new ch added in DD Direct Plus automatically gets added to Dish TV channel offering. (3) The software of Dish TV STBs are stable at the moment. This makes the switching speed between chs pretty fast. Also very less hang-ups of STBs reported till now. Thanks to Dish TV STBs’ great software. (4) Only Dish TV gives its users access to exclusive never-before seen international channels which are not available even in cable till now. The platter includes MGM, TCM and Boomerang. Airtel Digital TV provides MGM India unlike Dish TV which still carries the direct international feed of MGM. (5) Several new channels added recently are provided at no extra cost for the highest pack users, except for a few chs. (Currently only for existing or old customers). Whereas other DTH operators, have added the new launches in seperate Add-on Packs. (6) Dish TV has a good no of Transponders to offer more chs to its users, including the recently contracted Protostar which means more chs for its customers. Disadvantages : (1) One of the biggest problems of Dish TV is its Customer Care and Customer Service which is definately not upto the mark. The CC executives lack professionalism in their attitude and after-sales support in certain areas are allegedly poor. (2) Another serious issue is its audio and video quality. Quality on several (but not all) channels on Dish is not upto the mark. Too much of pixelation is seen on some chs and the audio standard is of course not of true CD quality. (3) Dish TV misses out on few important ch packages which includes the Neo bouquet and the UTV group of chs. Due to this exclusive cricket matches and world TV premier of latest movies on these chs are missed by the Dish TV users. (4) New ch addition process is extremely slow when it comes to Dish TV. It takes a huge amount of time for Dish TV to enhance its bouquet offerings. (5) The time taken for activation of packages after renewal is too long sometimes. Users had to wait for as long as 5-6 days for activation even after making payments on time. (6) Official website is not updated regularly. Official weblog which was meant for the interaction of Dish TV users, too does not work till date. Tata Sky :- Tata Sky is a JV between the TATA Group and STAR. It was launched on 8th August, 2006. Tata Sky endeavours to offer Indian viewers a world-class television viewing experience through its satellite television service. The Group and its enterprises have been steadfast and distinctive in their adherence to business ethics and their commitment to corporate social responsibility. This is a legacy that has earned the Group the trust of many millions of stakeholders in measure few business houses anywhere in the world can match. STAR is a leading media and entertainment company in Asia. STAR’s parent company, News Corporation, owns an International group of DTH businesses that include BSkyB in UK, Sky Italia in Italy and Foxtel in Australia. How does Tata Sky work? 1. Tata Sky uplinks all channels from broadcasters to its satellite (INSAT 4A). 2. The satellite sends these channels in digital format to the minidish fixed outside your home. . The minidish relays the channels to the digicomp which decodes the channels and sends them to your television, giving you an unparalleled television viewing experience with DVD quality picture and CD quality sound. Does the service get affected by rains? A few minutes of outage might occur during rains. This phenomenon is called RAIN OUTAGE and occurs in DTH platforms across the world. It will result in your televisio n losing reception for some time. We have tried to cut down this time so it might happen only for one or two minutes in a year. This too is automatically detected and gets corrected by itself. Tata Sky offers :- Tata Sky offers over 160 channels and services, designed to suit the varying needs of our subscribers. The packages include a wide array of television channels in DVD quality picture and CD quality sound and a host of new-age interactive services (Actve Cooking, Actve Wizkids, Actve Learning, Actve Stories, Actve Sports, Actve Games, Actve Matrimony, Actve STAR News, Actve Astrology, Actve Darshan and Actve Doordarshan). Showcase can be ordered with any of the Base packages. Different packages available on Tata Sky :- Base packages, designed to offer maximum choice.  » Super Hit Pack: Rs 99 per month  » South Starter Pack: Rs 125 per month  » Family Pack: Rs 200 per month  » Super Saver Pack: Rs 260 per month  » South Value Pack: Rs 260 per month  » South Jumbo Pack: Rs 310 per month Tata Sky also offers Add-On packages in addition to the Base packages. We can choose from  » Education Gold Pack: Rs 30 per month or Rs 300 per annum  » Lifestyle Gold Pack: Rs 45 per month or Rs 450 per annum  » Sports Gold Pack: Rs 30 per month Sports Platinum Pack: Rs 65 per month  » ESPN & STAR Sports Pack: Rs 40 per month  » A La Carte Channels: Ten Sports Rs 15 per month, STAR Cricket Rs 25 per month ,Topper Rs 1010 annually Tata Sky's SMS number :- SMS number is 56633. You can SMS only from your Registered Mobile Number (RMN). To register, send RMN to 56633 from your mobile phone. Advantages : (1) India’s first and only DTH service to have made a joint venture with a reputed international DTH brand, Sky, which is famous for its exquisite technology. 2) The audio and video quality of TataSky stands up to the expectations of its users. Customers have reported about TataSky’s true DVD quality picture and CD quality sound. (3) Only TataSky gives its users an exclusive access to some authentic international channels which includes BBC Entertainment and Ceebebies. (4) TataSky offers uniform volume level across all channels, unlike other DTH services where the volume level keep varying with each ch. (5) The STB of TataSky is stable enough. There has been very less or no reports of TataSky STB bugs or issues till date. (6) TataSky users argue that its Customer Service is satisfactory. Issues are addressed on time and the after-sales support is great. Disadvantages : (1) TataSky has too many Add-on packs. Several add-on packs need to be subscribed to for enjoying all the chs, even after going with the highest pack. This makes the over-all package too costly. (2) The channel strength of TataSky is less compared to other DTH operators. This is because of the less no of Transponders purchased by them. Reliance BIG TV :- 9th Aug. 2008. Launched. Launched in August this year, Big TV is available at over one lakh retail outlets across 6,500 towns along with over 2,000 exclusive Reliance branded stores. Big TV to slash prices by over 40% Ashish Sinha / New Delhi October 17, 2008, 0:07 IST (Business Standard 15/12/2008) Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (R-ADAG) is all set to begin a price war in the direct-to-home (DTH) market by offering its connection about 43 per cent lower than any of the existing players. Big TV will offer its DTH service for Rs 1,490, while the lowest-priced connection is currently being offered by Dish TV at Rs 2,190, followed by Tata Sky at Rs 2,400. Big TV, which is the fourth entrant in the DTH space, is selling its service Rs 700 lower than its competitors. â€Å"This will be one of the biggest price cut offer by a DTH player for the coming Diwali season,† says Arun Kapoor, chief executive of Big TV. Reliance ADA Group has launched its DTH/satellite TV venture BIG TV, with 202 channels including 50 subscription VOD channels. The company says it is targeting 40 percent of the market within a year of launch, a very ambitious target, but will use all its muscle to promote it, including broadband Internet, mobile phones, home video, film production and the Adlabs cinema chain, reports Variety. Meanwhile, the company also mentioned that its IPTV service is ready and will launch within this year. Reliance has a deal with Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) under which the software giant supplied the IPTV software to the company for a $500 million licensing fee. BIG TV – 1 Millian. As on 25/11/08. (Source :- Televisionpoint. om) Future Investment Plan Right now this is the stage where the industry is in a phase of building the market. Just a few months ago when we launched BIG TV, the market penetration was in the range of 5–7% and today it has crossed 10%. So this is the stage when everyone is investing in terms of building and expanding the market and I am pleased to inform you that in the three months that we have been in the market it has expanded by 60%. In June-July the net addition in the month was around 600,000 and now we have crossed a million or will be around a million this month Advantages : 1) Big TV is has incorporated MPEG-4 technology unlike other DTH who are still on MPEG-2. The most basic difference between the two is that MPEG-4 is capable of carrying more chs in its offerings which means more chs can be added within a short span of time. After Dish TV, Big TV offers the highest no of chs. (2) Another merit of Big TV is its awesome picture and audio quality which are much better than any other existing DTH. For the first time, a DTH that lives up to the expectations for a true digital quality experience. (3) Big TV is perhaps the only DTH that offers several chs in its base pack. In fact, Big TV’s package and pricing is absolutely tailor-made to suit the exact needs of the customers. With this advantage, customer get more chs by paying less. (4) The Active or rather â€Å"Select† services on Big TV allows users to watch 12 chs at a time on a single screen unlike other DTH where you can watch a max of 6 – 8 chs. (5) Rain-fade is an issue that is common for all DTH. But its Big TV, so you can enjoy your favourite programs even when it rains. Big TV’s advanced technology lets you watch chs even when it rains heavily. Chs may blak-out for just about 5-6 seconds whereas in other DTHs, ch black-out lasts the entire length of the rain. Disadvantages : (1) The biggest problem of Big TV is its STB software which is still now not stable. Customers across India have reported about STB hanging problems innumerable no of times. STB gets over-heated, hangs several times, slow channel navigation, does not work after a manual update are some of the many issues that keep occcuring to the Big TV STBs. (2) Another demerit of Big TV is its Customer Care and Customer Service. The CC Executives lack professionalism in their behaviour. The after-sales support is too not good. (3) Incorrect package activations have happened with several users at times where the customer was wanting one pack and some other pack was activated instead. (4) The Big TV logo placed on the top left corner of screens is quite big and not transparent which is irritating. Whereas the logos of other DTH services are relatively smaller and of watermark type. Airtel Digital TV . (â€Å"Come Home To The Magic†) Bharti Airtel Limited announced the launch of Airtel digital TV , its Direct To Home (DTH) Satellite TV service. Airtel digital TV, which is a perfect blend of latest technology, unique features, and great content, promises to redefine the digital home entertainment experience. The service will be available to customers through 21,000 retail points including Airtel Relationship Centres in 62 cities across the country starting October 9, 2008 . With over 175 channels, the packages will start from Rs. 2499 for a six-month subscription in which the channel price band will range from Rs. 99 to Rs. 424. Vision & promise By 2010 Airtel will be the most admired brand in India: Loved by more customers Targeted by top talent Benchmarked by more businesses Airtel always think in fresh and innovative ways about the needs of our customers and how we want them to feel. We deliver what we promise and go out of our way to delight the customer with a little bit more Besides the latest technology, Airtel digital TV brings many firsts to the DTH segment in India : †¢Universal remote for both Set Top Box and TV that offers enhanced viewer convenience; †¢Highest Set Top Box memory enabling more interactive applications; †¢Exclusive content such as World space Radio; Interactive applications such as iMatinee (Book cinema tickets), iTravel (Browse and book travel packages), iShop (Shop on TV for your favorite brands), iCity (Get your city's information) and Widgets (Update yourself on latest stock news). 8 screen iNews, 2 / 4 screen iSports . †¢Amazing games with high quality graphics, refreshed every 6 weeks †¢Audio gain control for uniform audi o levels across all channels †¢Simple and intuitive search †¢On screen account meter †¢Last viewed channel in case of power disruption/switch off †¢Low battery indicator on the screen These great viewing experience and unique features are backed by 24Ãâ€"7 customer care available in 8 different languages and a team of 800 professionally trained service engineers. Market Shares: Currently, the market is dominated by Essel Group's Dish TV DTH service (about 4 million subscribers) followed by Tata Sky (2. 7 million subscribers), Sun Direct (1 million subscribers) and Big TV ( half million subscribers). State-owned Prasar Bharati's DTH service DD Direct Plus is the only free-to-air service, where consumers do not pay any monthly subscription fees. According to sources, DD Direct Plus has a subscriber base of about 3-4 million subscribers, mostly in the remote corners of the country not connected by terrestrial or cable television. Advertising Strategy: Airtel has also launched a teaser campaign for its DTH service, called ‘See you at home soon’. It has four teasers – Masai (infotainment), Cowboy (movies), Band (music) and Meercats (kids). The common element is all these teasers is a big, red couch. Advantages : (1) Airtel Digital TV offers true DVD quality picture and CD quality sound which are absolutely flawless. So its customers can be assured of its crystal-clear video and stereophonic sound. (2) The external appreacnce of Digital TV STB is sleek and stylish unlike the STB of other DTH operators which are huge and bulky. Digital TV’s STB proves to be a fantastic eye-candy. (3) For the first time, Digital TV is a DTH that offers universal remotes for its users. So no more hassle of using two remotes at a time. (One for TV, the other for STB). Digital TV’s STB remotes (after programming) will work with both your TV as well with the STB. (4) Only Digital TV exclusively offers 10 popular and premium World-Space satellite radio chs to its subscribers. There is so much to hear, when you have World Space Radio with you, another first from Digital TV. (5) The Dish antenna of Digital TV is considerably bigger than other DTH dishes. This makes sure that you dont loose connectivity even when it rains wild. The bigger dish has been brought up keeping this aspect in mind. Disadvantages : (1) The only disadvantage of Digital TV is its price which is comparetively higher than any other DTH. The highest pack goes up to Rs. 424 per month which comes out to be too costly keeping in mind the present cut-throat competition in the DTH market.

The Negative Impact of Bilangual Education

It is true that, fitting in and adapting to two different linguistic and cultural world can have lasting impacts on individuals, hence, Richard Rodriguez, in his book â€Å"Achievement of Desire†, addresses his struggles as a young boy, trying to adapt to a bilingual education and how that education alienated him from his uneducated Mexican parents. Additionally in the excerpts â€Å"How to Tame a Wild Tongue,† Gloria Anzaldua, while she mainly focuses on the language of â€Å"Mexican† people in different aspects, also mentions her strife as a bilingual student. Although these two stories are different in many ways but they both reflect the negative impact of living in the â€Å"borderlands†. To better understand those cultural conflicts, it is essential to know exactly what the borderlands consist of and who spans there, but most importantly what they represent in this context. The concept of â€Å" the borderlands† informs â€Å"a variety of disciplines at the start of the twenty-first century, with many studies focusing on the boundaries where two or more disparate conceptual, social, or political entities overlap productively†(Ybarra, 1-3). However, Anzaldua’s idea of the borderlands as an active place where people can form their own identity and political resistance remains the most influential according to multiple respected scholars. Understanding the bioregional and ecological aspect of the US-Mexico borderlands, amplifies our knowledge of how colonization, exploitation, and racism impact the land and mostly the Chicanos. Furthermore, one can attribute the concept of borderlands with bilingual education with both English and Spanish being the two territories in question, as experienced by both Anzaldua and Rodriguez. In Anzaldua’s essay â€Å"How to Tame a Wild Tongue† she describes her early childhood struggles in school. One of her memories from elementary school was when she was speaking Spanish with her friends during recess, they would tell her â€Å"If you want to be American, speak ‘American’. If you don’t like it, go back to Mexico where you belong. †(Anzaldua 43). In this situation she is forced to be silent and not speak. Growing up, she was constantly told from many of her elders that she needed to speak better English, and sound more American. Anzaldua’s own mother was ashamed of the way that she spoke English, saying it sounded like a Mexican. She reflects on two speech classes that she was required to take with all other Chicano students that had only one purpose, to get rid of their accents. â€Å"In childhood we are told that our language is wrong. Repeated attacks on our native tongue diminish our sense of self. Until I can take pride in my language, I cannot take pride in myself. † (Anzaldua 45-46). Part of language includes culture identity. It is unfair for people to feel ashamed of their identity due to the way they speak. Your language is what keeps you connected to your homeland and you should not feel guilty for speaking it. One should not have to go through speech classes to correct a native accent; the accent is a part of your identity, it is part of who you are. You should not be ashamed to speak and express yourself, because you should never be judged on how you speak, but by the content of what you’re saying. From adolescence the dominants are imposing their degrading views on the subordinates. Many of the teachers that approached these students, telling them â€Å"if they want to speak Spanish go back to Mexico†, are making assumptions based on prejudice about the individuals. The constant degrading ultimately lowers their self-esteem, making it difficult for them to feel that they can overcome being a part of the subordinate group. Anzaldua however rebels against these comments. She seems hostile to the English language and to a culture that does not honor the Spanish language in general or various Spanish dialects in particular. Her general response is one of defiance, for example when she says that to attack an individual's form of expression (in her case, speaking her Chicano Spanish dialect at school) with the intent to censor â€Å"is a violation of the First Amendment† (40). She makes it very clear that she is determined to be linguistically free despite English oppression â€Å"free to write bilingually and to switch linguistic codes without always having to translate† (41). She is determined always to have a â€Å"wild tongue. â€Å"She proves that it is okay to know more than one language and that by speaking Spanish it does not make her less of a person. It possible that she wrote her story partly in Spanish so that she could make a point that she was proud of her native language. Rodriguez suffers the same oppressions but reacted differently to them. If Rodriguez is hostile to the same culture, he does not seem to be hostile to either Spanish or English as such. Instead, he realizes that in American culture, where one language only and educational accomplishment are connected to social and material benefit, those who capture the power of language and education are more likely to obtain those benefits. But this comes at a price because obtaining those benefits usually force emotional and cultural separation from family members who lack language or educational accomplishments. Rodriguez himself admitted that â€Å"[he] cannot afford to admire his parents†¦He permits himself embarrassment at their lack of education. And to evade nostalgia for the life he has lost, he concentrates on the benefits education will bestow upon him† (Rodriguez, 15). Even Henry Staten, in his essay, remarks â€Å"how his education, which culminated in a Ph. D in English from Berkeley in 1976, gradually alienated him from his uneducated, Mexican-born parents† (Staten 8-10). In all, from both excerpts, we encounter the negative impact of bilingual education. â€Å"Rodriguez, for whom â€Å"monolingualism† in English becomes a strategy for success in U. S society, brings his personal experience to the political realm by promoting English as the sole language of public education in the U. S†¦Anzaldua, on the other hand, reflects her linguistic background with a fine toothed comb, un tangling the many strands of English and Spanish that coexist in their multilayered identity. (Ramsdell 12-16) The diversity within America is constantly growing, which in turn means American culture is frequently changing. With all of these new and foreign cultures migrating to the U. S, come many new languages. Generally, many believe that language is power, but yet, people are constantly being silenced because of their â€Å"broken English† and accent. While their politics differ widely, both Rodriguez and Anzaldua lives have been forever altered due to t heir linguistic affiliations, and most significantly by straddling on the â€Å"borderlands. †