New York Times Newspaper Paywall Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 33

New York Times Newspaper Paywall - Case Study Example New York Times used a device-specific and metered system that allowed the readers to access up to 20 articles a month for free, but readers would be charged to access more articles except for the front page that was free all the times for all the users. The number of free articles was made to ensure active readers remain engaged and promote the social buzz generated by the articles. The strategy entailed differentiated pricing strategy that entailed three tiers depending on the device used by the reader to access the content and introductory offers and discounts for the customers. The digital pricing was cheaper than print home delivery, but the price was higher than that charged by other newspaper companies’ digital content. The distinctive pricing is essential in order to cater for the unique needs and amount of content accessed by the user (Kumar, Anand, Gupta and Oberholzer-Gee 7). The ‘leaky wall’ design accommodated users from social networks and search engi nes. Readers from Google search were restricted to five-articles per day limit over and above the 20 monthly free articles (Kumar, Anand, Gupta and Oberholzer-Gee 6). In addition, readers who came in from social media sites like Twitter and Facebook faced no links if the articles were linked directly from those social media sites. The paywall is a complement of the print newspaper since it provides the additional revenue stream and enhances the audience. Some readers will prefer the print newspapers especially advertisement companies. The newspaper industry is in trouble due to decline in the overall circulation and decline I the traditional sources of revenues such as subscription, classified advertising, and retail. Accordingly, the nature of the industry makes it difficult to reduce editorial staff, production and distribution costs since they are fixed.

Reasons for applying to Boston University and personal experience Essay Example for Free

Reasons for applying to Boston University and personal experience Essay This is an important point in life that would perhaps provide me with the capacity to develop personal reformation. It is a comparative outlay of the epochs that have defined my life. I am aged twenty-seven with a great affiliation of developing a more rational and attractive imagery that blends me with the capacity of a better societal model. This is an important step however much it came at such a time in my life. However, the same has been catalyzed by the affliction and passive rejection from my family. At my early days in school, my character and personality was never straight forward, an impression that downplayed a poor education qualification. At the plane of the outlook of my family, my siblings have continued to request me go back to finish my education. Occasionally, my grandmother was a special icon in sensitizing a better state of reformation. Her long trailing motivation in completing my studies however came to an end after her death from cancer. This was such a big stumbling block in my future conception at school compounding that I was deeply held at work for helping my family. With such a norm, the transition from working at my age to going back to school remained however difficult. Elsewhere, my family considered it more rational to working than going back to complete my studies. At high school, I was an average student who tirelessly worked hard and managed to get between A’s and C’s. However, my dreams went surging after failing to complete my studies. However, I now want to join your university for adequate completion of my studies so as to achieve such dreams. The conception of developing my character and personality however necessitated my going back to school where I enrolled at Massachusetts Bay Community College. Such a transition was not a simple attribute but its cost equaled great sacrifice and personal contribution. In the due process of recapturing my educational etiquette however, I found myself with a learning disability. This was yet a drawback in the circumstances. This disability went over providing my incapacity to meet the challenge I met when I chose to attend one of the information sessions at Boston University. Coupled with all this life achievements however, I would like to apply for finishing up my education at your University (Boston University) To me, this is a great opportunity that will offer me a chance to have a cementing effect from the personality drawbacks that characterizes my life. Your university is amongst the best in the country with a diverse educational reputation. Either, its adequate perception of a wide flexibility in student learning and environment gives the pleasure to seek admission in this university. I have fountain knowledge in lieu of what the university can offer to safeguard my interest. I am a well-modeled and behaved person who has the capacity of adhering to the required values and requirements in your university. Either, I have a collaborative attribute where I will be adequately able to interact with the various structures and persons in the university. Given the chance, I will understand therefore to have the role and obligation of following the candid stipulations and requirement which safeguards every student’s threshold at the university. I greatly promise to fully abide by the regulatory dispensation which is the basic outlay of interactive limitations with the different parties and structures within the institution.

Aesthetic Rehabilitation of Non-syndromic oligodontia

Aesthetic Rehabilitation of Non-syndromic oligodontia Case report Title of the article: â€Å"Esthetic Rehabilitation of Non-syndromic oligodontia-an innovative approach.† Abstract: This case report describes the esthetic rehabilitation of a 13 year old girl presenting with non-syndromic oligodontia, who compromised in esthetics, occlusal function, development and functional growth of the bones. The oral rehabilitation was performed with direct composite restoration using thermoformed templates along with reinforced polyethylene fibers since it is a viable alternative to re-establish the masticatory function and esthetics, allowing the patient to achieve greater self-esteem and better social acceptance. Key words: Composite restoration, Oligodontia, Reinforced polyethylene fibers, Thermoformed template. Introduction: A tooth is defined as congenitally missing if it has not erupted in the oral cavity and is not visible on the radiograph. All primary teeth should have erupted by the age of 3 and all permanent teeth except third molars between the ages of 12 and 14. Therefore 3-4 year old children are suitable for diagnosis of congenitally missing primary teeth by clinical examination and 12-14 year old children, for diagnosis of permanent missing teeth, excluding the third molars.1 Dental agenesis is most common developmental anomaly in human, which can occur, in an isolated fashion or as part of a syndrome.2 In the permanent dentition, hypodontia has a prevalence of 1.6% to 9.6%, excluding agenesis of the third molars. Oligodontia has a population prevalence of 0.3% in the permanent dentition. It occurs more frequently in girls at a ratio of 3:2. In the deciduous dentition, hypodontia occurs less often (0.1%-0.9%) and has no significant sex distribution.3 Dental agenesis is classified according to the number of teeth involved and may be classified into hypodontia, oligodontia, and anodontia. Thus, hypodontia is defined as the congenital absence of less than six permanent teeth, full anodontia as the absence of all permanent teeth.4 The term oligodontia is generally used when the development of six or more teeth did not occur (KOTSIOMITI et al., 2000), and such a condition may be related to family history, syndromes, traumas, infections, and severe intrauterine or endocrine disorders (KOTSIOMITI et al., 2000; MCDONALD; AVERY, 2000). Oligodontia usually occurs as a part of syndromes. It may occur as a non-syndromic isolated familial trait linked to mutations of the MSX1 and PAX9, or as a sporadic finding.5 Non-syndromic oligodontia has been found either sporadic or familial in nature.6 Syndromic and non-syndromic form of Oligodontia can be differentiated by ruling out the presence of associated symptoms. Oligodontia presents clinical symptoms depending on the number and location of missing teeth. Positional changes of teeth, variation in their morphology and size may occur in the existing teeth. It may be associated with growth disturbances of the maxillofacial skeleton thus affecting the facial appearance.7 The absence of teeth in young patients can cause esthetic, functional, and psychological problems, particularly if the teeth of the anterior region are involved. The most commonly used method of diagnosis of dental anomalies is clinical examination accompanied by radiographic examination.8 There are several treatment options for adult and young patients with agenesis although, there are few studies demonstrating treatment in pediatric patients.9 The optimal therapy should include an interdisciplinary team approach, and rely on positive interaction between pediatric dentists, orthodontists, oral and maxillofacial surgeons and prosthodontics.10 The early diagnosis and treatment are important to improve masticatory function, speech, and self-appearance to reduce the psychosocial impact.9 This case report describes the dental rehabilitation of a young patient with direct composite restorations using thermoformed templates, which not only act as crown formers to re-establish the anatomical contour of the defective teeth but also control the amount of restorative material used and minimize the patient’s chair side-time. Along with this reinforced polythelene fibers are also used as an interim restoration. Case Report: A 13-year-old female patient referred to department of Pedodontics and preventive dentistry, college of dental sciences, Davangere, complaining of spacing between teeth in the upper and lower front region. A detailed history was undertaken with the patient and his legal guardian, who revealed her past medical history, was non-contributory and family history revealed that she was born to non-consanguineous marriage parents with normal delivery and mother did not suffer from any disease during pregnancy, none of the family member had congenitally missing teeth. The patient had no history of trauma but had severe aesthetic dissatisfaction which resulted in several social problems. On general physical examination her height and weight were normal according to her age and she was well oriented and active. On extra oral examination she was normal in her facial appearance and did not show any physical or skeletal abnormality. She had a mild concave profile, a mild reduction of the lower third of facial height, with a marked nasolabial angle and procumbent lip contours; however, the facial symmetry was not affected. No clicking or crepitus of the temporomandibular joint was detected and masticatory muscles were not sensitive upon palpation. On intra oral examination, soft tissues examination was normal. Oral hygiene was considered satisfactory. Hard tissue examination revealed presence of erupted 11 permanent teeth and 8 overeretained primary teeth (11,21,24,37,34,33,31,41,42,44,47) 63 and 83 were in grade II mobility. The remaining permanent teeth were missing clinically; she also had upper midline diastema between permanent central incisors, generalized spacing and underdeveloped alveolar ridges in the anterior mandibular region. In addition, no parafunctional habit was present. Suspecting the congenital absence of permanent teeth panoramic radiograph was taken which showed missing teeth; 12,16,17,22,26,27,32,35,36,43,46 [Figure 1], [Figure 2]. There was absence of dental caries and no previous treatment for the missing teeth was done. A provisional diagnosis of partial anodontia was given with differential diagnosis of ectodermal dysplasia; Rieger syndrome and Witkop syndrome were considered. In view of the oligodontia of permanent teeth, a detailed examination was done to rule out syndromes associated with oligodontia. Paediatric consultation was taken regarding general health status of the patient. Complete set of investigations were done. Routine examination of blood including serum calcium, alkaline phosphate, TSH, T3, T4 was done. The findings of these investigations were within normal range. During physical examination, hairs were not thin and sparse, nails were not brittle and no difficulty in perspiration was seen, which ruled out absence of ectodemaldysplsia. On occular examination, no signs of glaucoma was seen, ruling out Rieger syndrome and Van Der Woude syndrome was ruled out as there was no associated cleft palate or any mucosal cysts in lower lip. Final diagnosis of Non-syndromic partial anodontia/o ligodontia was given. Full mouth rehabilitation was planned; the teeth present were abnormal in morphology and were aesthetically restored after extraction of mobile teeth. The restorations of the defective teeth were carried out in stages. Each treatment session lasted between 1 and 2 hrs depending on the patient’s tolerance and acceptability toward treatment. Problems encountered when attempting to restore the palatal or lingual sites of the affected teeth using composite with free-hand technique so as to create a proper anatomical contour and to obtain a homogenous thickness of the material used. To overcome this, alginate impressions of both the dentitions were taken and stone casts were made. The defective areas of the tooth structure on the stone casts were filled and reconstructed anatomically using inlay wax [Figure 3]. Over the contoured cast, secondary impression was made and final cast was poured with stone. The reconstructed stone casts were sent to the laboratory for fabrication of transparent thermoform â€Å"Biostar† templates that conform to the anatomical shape of the reconstructed crowns. A 0.5mm thickness transparent thermoforming disc made of copolyester was heated up to 170 ºc for 50 s and, once the disc softened, it was pressed onto the stone casts. The pressed templates were allowed to cool and later removed and trimmed [Figure 4]. The produced templates act as crown formers to reconstruct the defective teeth. Initially, the upper four permanent incisors were restored. Minimal tooth structure was removed in order to provide additional retentive element to aid adhesion of the restorative material. Adequate volume of composite material was packed into the template that corresponds to the desired area of teeth to be restored. The template was then placed over the affected teeth and light cured. Upon curing, the template was removed from the teeth and the restored areas were examined for any defectiveness. The composite restorations were polished and contoured using a combination of rotary discs of various grades of polishing burs to create aesthetically pleasing restorations. Due to congenitally missing 43 there was a wide gap present between 42 and 44 which was aesthetically not pleasing even after restoring all 4 lower anteriors. Therefore fabrication of a fiber reinforced composite (FRC-RIBBOND) space maintainer using the acrylic tooth was planned. An acrylic crown of desired size and form was selected. Horizontal groove was made in the middle third of the crown palatal to at nearly 2-mm depth using a round diamond bur (No. 8) to accommodate the thickness and width of Ribbond. The required length of the fiber (Ribbond) was measured using dental floss between the adjacent teeth extending from distal surface of 42–44. Enamel on the lingual surfaces of both the acrylic crown and adjacent teeth were etched with 37% phosphoric acid for 20 s (Scotchbond Etchant; 3M ESPE, St Paul, MN, USA). The fiber soaked in bonding agent was adapted using a tweezer onto the acrylic crown to ensure that it fits into the groove and light cured. Thereafter, it was coated with flowable resin (3M, ESPE) and light cured (Elipar 2500, Halogen Curings Light; 3M ESPE) from multiple directions for 20 s, which increased the mechanical strength of the space maintainer. Fiber-adapted acrylic crown was then positioned in the edentulous space and adapted to the adjacent teeth. Flowable composite application was initiated starting from the distal aspects of 42 44 and cured. This enabled us to stabilize the acrylic crown and check for its correct position. After confirming the correct position, the remaining fiber was coated with composite and cured. Finally, occlusion was adjusted; finishing and polishing (Sof-Lex; 3M ESPE) was performed [Figure 5]. The patient was informed about the importance of good oral hygiene and regular follow up. Follow up of 6 months revealed good retention and satisfactory esthetics [Figure 6]. Discussion: Oligodontia (severe partial anodontia) is a developmental dental anomaly refers to congenital lack of more than six teeth excluding third molars. The exact etiology for oligodontia is unknown. Various factors have been described in the literature.11 Oligodontia condition should not be neglected as it may result in various disturbances like abnormal occlusion, altered facial appearance which may cause psychological distress, difficulty in mastication and speech especially during the formative age. Thus early diagnosis and treatment of these patients is very important. The treatment of oligodontia could be challenging if there are several missing teeth and malocclusion present. Treatment planning should take into account the age of the patient, number and condition of retained teeth, number of missing teeth, condition of supporting tissues, the occlusion and interocclusal space.12 The treatment should be planned thoughly as it needs multidisciplinary appoarch. Treatment options include orthodontic therapy, speech therapy, implants, adhesive techniques, removable partial prostheses, fixed prostheses and over dentures to ensure adequate and durable results.13,14 Most young patients require the fabrication of a partial denture as an interim procedure before definitive restoration is planned. Early treatment improves speech and masticatory function in addition to psychological implications that may greatly help in regaining self-confidence of the young patient. Prosthodontic rehabilitation is fundamental in these situations that allow the child to lead a normal life without damaging self-esteem or psychological development and ensuring that behavior remains unaffected.15 The prosthetic rehabilitation using complete dentures had lot of benefits including better social acceptance, self-esteem and restoring normal functional demands of the patient such as chewing as showed in case report by Manu R et.al.16 The age of the patient for the present case was carefully considered, since younger adults require special attention with regard to their psychological and emotional condition, and particularly the anatomical changes related to facial growth. In the present case, the patient was in an early adolescent stage. The posterior teeth were still in the erupting phases and, therefore, restoration of the defective teeth with permanent and complex restorations was contraindicated. Composite restorative material was selected as a suitable replacement of the defective structures because of its esthetics and high sustainability and also it provides excellent conservative transitional treatment.17 Initially, the defective anterior teeth were restored using a free-hand technique. However, due to small inaccessibility on the palatal and lingual aspects of the teeth, it was not possible to carry out proper restorations. The time spent to restore a single tooth was prolonged and each restored tooth needed more trimming and polishing. Thus, these templates act as an adjunct to allow easy restoration of the defective teeth. Similarly with the present report, this template method has also been proven successfully in a case report by Sockaling am et.al.18 Satisfactory restorations of the lost teeth space present in between mandibular anterior teeth was a challenge to the paediatric dentist as there are limited treatment options in children.19 While long-term single tooth replacement options such as conventional fixed bridges, resin bonded dentures, removable dentures, and single tooth implants may be the treatment choice for adults, they have limited use in children. As in growing children, gingival and bone architecture undergoes changes demanding provisional restorations to achieve good esthetics and maintain edentulous space until definitive restoration is planned.20 For the success of single tooth restoration bonding of the restoration to adjacent teeth is important. So grooving, use of etching, and bonding procedures increase retention.19 In the present case, a groove was made on the lingual surface of the acrylic tooth, 42 and 44 to enhance maximum adhesion, durability, and also to provide mechanical support. Acrylic restoration provides several advantages such as desirable esthetics (a sense of natural feeling), ease of use, and direct bonding to tooth structure with reduced cost. Besides, it provided better gingival health (lesser plaque retention), greater patient–parent satisfaction, and less clinical time in acquisition of natural crown anatomy.19 Minimally invasive adhesive restorations using Ribbond was selected in the present case, as it is an ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene fiber having virtually no memory, translucent, colorless and disappears within the composite or acrylic without show through offering excellent esthetics. Hence, it adapts to the contours of the teeth and dental arch. Children with oligodontia appear to have worse oral health related quality of life than children with dental decay and malocclusion.21 However long-term studies are required to evaluate their prolonged use. Conclusion: Child patient suffering from oligodontia may have severe functional, esthetic and psychological problems especially during the early years of life as reported in the present case. Thus, these thermoformed templates act as an adjunct to allow easy restoration of the defective teeth. The FRC space maintainer technique described in this case can satisfactorily restore esthetics and function and hence suggested as an alternative to conventional techniques. However, it can be considered as an interim treatment until a definitive restoration can be performed. 1

Comparing Alienation in My Life to Frost’s Mending Wall and Melville’s

Comparing Alienation in My Life to Frost’s Mending Wall and Melville’s Bartleby, the Scrivener A mere cursory glance at my life suggests that my life has been free from alienation. While it is true that as a heterosexual Caucasian male growing up in a predominately white community I did not experience much isolation based on my skin color, my gender, or my sexual orientation. I was not immune to alienation as a child. My timidity that came about as a result of having no older siblings in whose steps I could follow, in addition to my slightly above-average intelligence proved to be the grounds for fellow students to treat me differently than they treated others. My feelings of alienation while growing up are similar to those both the speaker of Robert Frost’s "Mending Wall," and Bartleby, of Herman Melville’s "Bartleby, the Scrivener" experience. Just as in Frost’s "Mending Wall," the speaker questions why his neighbor insists upon keeping the barrier between the two, asking, "Why do they [fences] make good neighbors?" so I, to this day, question why I was alienated as a child (line 30). In my first few years of grade school, I had lots of friends - it seemed as though everyone liked everyone else. As time progressed, however, students began to notice differences between themselves and others and act according to those often inaccurate perceptions. I remember being criticized for a variety of unsubstantiated reasons - whether it was for tucking my shirt in when it was popular to leave t-shirts untucked, for not having heard of the latest musical group, for doing my work diligently, or for getting a 100% on the test - the sarcastic and hurtful remarks did not sit well with me. Though it is clear they most likely made such co... ...at he simply "would prefer not to." Allowing myself to feel alienated by living in submission to my fears made my early days at school miserable. None the less, in the end, the situation turned out for the better. As my peers and I matured and I "proved myself" to them by making my voice heard in class discussions and other aspects of school outside of academics, and as I learned to expect more from others, the alienation slowly came nearly to a standstill. There will always be those who treat some people poorly. That’s their loss. Once one is able to acknowledge the fact that though unfriendly, ill-natured people do exist, not all humanity acts as such, his alienation can be overcome. Even Bartleby and Frost’s narrator could have overcome their alienation. All they had to do was put forth some effort to break down the barriers between themselves and their peers.

Branded by Alissa Quart

Alissa Quart’s novel should have had a warning label on the front stating, â€Å"Would you like to know what’s really going on around you or just keep living your life. † While reading this novel I felt like I was being led by Morpheus, showing me the world after ingesting the red pill. Quart explaining the different pressures that society forces on young teens was very eye opening. Quart sparked a lot of childhood memories when explaining brand identification and the pressures peers put on each other. One memory that really sticks out is walking through the mall with my mom and buying clothes for the start of seventh grade. I insisted on only going to Abercrombie and telling her that I wasn’t shopping at Old Navy or Gap any more. Looking back made me realize how silly I was, but I understand why I felt this way. Quart explains how marketers bombarde magazines, commercials, billboards, etc with their advertisements. Back in seventh grade, Abercrombie was cool. Everyone wanted to be one of those sexy models in their ads. Quart did make me feel a little brainwashed; I didn’t choose the clothes because I liked them but only because advertisements told me too. So much of our daily lives has media exposure that its hard not to look, especially at young ages when your open to almost anything. CINEMA OF THE IN-CROWD This chapter was one of my favorites because going to the movies is something I’ve always enjoyed. However, I’ve never thought about how they were affecting me afterwards and the product integration that was taking place. Honestly what Quart describes really works. When you watch a movie your not thinking, â€Å"Oh this must be an advertisement,† or â€Å"There just trying to get me to buy that. The products and the people using them are apart of the movie and its very hard to decipher all of this when all you wanted was to watch a story. It did make me a little disheartened that something I really enjoy is getting provoked by marketers but now I feel a lot more aware and will try to not let them get to me. FACTS She’s All That, Bring It On, Clueless, Legally Blonde,Varsity Blues and Mean Girls. Mean G irls came out after this book was written but it perfectly fits into the mold these movies have created and further shows the power this genre holds. What has made these movies so popular and why were they all a must see when they came out? First, each of these movies has a popular crowd and one of these popular people has a problem. This doesn’t sound like a plot that would grab a lot of attention, but that’s only because its not about the plot. These movies bring large crowds because it’s the people in it. With out Alicia Silverstone’s smile in Clueless or Reese Witherspoon’s long blonde hair the movies would have definitely been different. So I am convinced that the first thing you need to make a blockbuster movie is attractive people. Second you need them to wear revealing or designer clothes. This is showcased in Bring It On when basically all they wear throughout the movie is revealing cheering outfits and workout wear. The Third aspect is particularly showcased within these films because of The Breakfast Club and the infamous Ally Sheedy transformation at the end. This aspect is the makeover. I never caught on to this until reading this chapter. Each of these movies has the main character go through some sort of change and of course the change only makes them better looking and more popular. The third aspect isn’t new but the film always tries to mask it as something that you wouldn’t expect. I feel that this is done so people, especially young people, don’t catch on. VALUES These movies â€Å"also has the ring of a diary entry, of what life is really like when our parents or teachers leave the room† (Quart 78). This is the key element when trying to decipher what the value is amongst these movies. What is really going on here when you strip the stars of their makeup, clothes, and posh attitudes? Sadly, it’s popularity, only because these teens will do anything to be popular. This is what motivates them throughout the entire movie and in fact is what gets them into most of their trouble. Also popularity is the one thing that they will throw away everything for. â€Å"If your not popular, your nothing† is the message young teens are coming away with. These movies get away with a value like this because there is so much covering it up. Amongst the comedy, drama, and violence it’s hard to figure out what all of this is means. I don’t feel like popularity is a good value for a movie to have. Before reading this chapter I pictured these movies as great, some even as a must see. But now I’m disgusted and look at them as shallow. Popularity is meaningless; however if I was writing this paper in middle school or high school I wouldn’t be agreeing with myself. This leads me to the question, â€Å"Do you only see the stupidity of it all when it’s over? † Right now I would have to say yes, because when these movies came out I was at the age they were targeting and this is very silly to say but, I admired all of the main characters in these movies. I once thought Elle Woods in Legally Blonde was courageous, it made me want to be a lawyer. But now I realize that I only looked at her this way because she was popular and she needed to maintain her popularity by going to law school. PRINCIPLES These movies need to be applied to Kant’s categorial imperative. What these movies have are good looking people. However, because their attractive people don’t look at what they are doing as much as just looking at them. In turn because their hot they get away with a lot more. When you apply Kant’s philosophy it tares down these movies even more. This is because Kant states that its not whose doing it but what the action is in itself. So take away Alicia Silverstone, Reese Witherspoon, Lindsay Lohan, Kirsten Dunst, Rachael Leigh Cook, and James Van Der Beek. Now all you have are their actions trying to uphold their value. Since their value is popularity most of their actions are aimed towards how to become more popular. This is the most apparent in Mean Girls and the lead Lindsay Lohan. Taking Lindsay Lohan out of the picture and only reading the script it is very apparent that the main character Cady Heron is a liar. All of these lies are aimed towards trying to make herself more popular than Regina George. At the end Cady gets sort of a wake up call but everything still comes together for her. When this movie came out it was huge; it was all over TV, the internet, and in school. For this movie to have such a big opening I know it impacted alot of teenagers and I know it influenced them to do what ever it takes to be popular. Especially when there was a string of movies right before it that glorifies popularity its nearly impossible to tell teenagers that popularity doesn’t matter. These movies have created a society of young adults that only care what others think of them and completely twisting their feelings regarding themselves. If a student isn’t viewed as popular among their peers they are going to dislike their body, their clothes, or whatever it is that they feel is holding them back from being well liked. LOYALTIES Each main character has one main loyalty, this is themselves. All of them throughout the movie try to better themselves, sometimes through buying designer clothes, wearing makeup, or the extreme of going to law school. The conceited nature in all of these characters makes the viewers very aware that this is acceptable. None of these movies help others in a way that is selfless. Yes, Cher in Clueless tries to make over Ty, Brittany Murphy’s character, but Cher admits that its only for her own enjoyment, she even goes far enough to call Ty her project. The characters loyalties also extends to their brand names they use, but I feel that this loyalty is only to uphold their loyalty to themselves because the brand names make them cooler. I feel that these movies have been a catalyst for plastic surgery. When someone gets plastic surgery it is to better themselves. These movies showcase that it’s acceptable to do this through the characters actions. Most of the characters go to the mall to make themself feel better or they start putting on makeup so their peers like them more. The characters even backstab each other to make themself more popular. I feel that these story lines not only increase plastic surgery but also fights in school. I feel like students pay more attention to what each other are doing than the school work. Young minds are easily influenced and its especially hard to erase the well put together images that these movies create. Although teenagers wouldn’t openly admit that their using these characters as role models its hard to argue their not. Most teenagers actions are completely mimicking the main characters of these movies and honestly I feel like its not their fault, especially because I used to do the same thing. CINEMA OF THE IN-CROWD CONCLUSION Overall not every movie is like this but the handful that are do a lot more damage than the society realizes. Although, of course, if these movies were removed from theaters teenagers will always act sort of like this but I strongly feel that these movies don’t help the situation. These movies also glorify the actions that teenagers are supposed to be learning not to do. Since these movies are teaching kids to be popular no matter what and to only think of yourself I’m not surprised about the reports of what happens in todays middle and high schools. The bottom line is teenagers need to be educated on what is right and wrong. If they are aware that you should lways try to be themselves and to help others selflessly these movies messages won’t be brainwashing them as badly as they could. UNBRANDED/ DIY KIDS This section of the book was particularly interesting because I wasn’t aware of all of the ways kids are rebelling. I thought this section was a nice conclusion to the first half because it gave me hope that some students do think for themselves. It actually mad e me really proud that some had the courage to stand up to their own principles and faculties. I know that I wouldn’t have had the guts to do something like that, especially alone. I thought it was really cruel the way they were teased by their peers. When did conforming start to be cool? I also has no idea about students going to schools with no grading system. I think this is great and I really liked the quirky concepts that the home schooled students had. It was a very relieving section, the contrasts between the way the kids conform to other nonconformists could be it’s own book. FACTS â€Å"An estimated 850,000 American kids or 1. 7 percent of U. S. students from five to seventeen† (Quart 203) are home schooled. Or as John Holt calls it â€Å"unschooling. These unschooled kids are not a big part of the population and most of them never go to mainstream schools. I thought that the contrast between their outlook on schools and the Logo U chapter was very appealing. Both sides were extremes and I being in the middle realized how silly they both were being. I don’t think its healthy to be either of them. I think kids should be enrolled in school because they get interaction with other kids their own age. On the other side, when you are enrolled in a mainstream school the child needs to be aware of what’s going on around them and not get stressed out like the Logo U kids. I especially feel this way about unschoolers because I’ve met home schooled kids and their usually out there. You can easily tell that these unschoolers aren’t the normal. Now this isn’t bad now when their young but will an employer higher them. Since these unschoolers need to go out into the world eventually they will have to conform one way or another. Also, these days, you need a college degree so never going to college just because you’ve never gone to a regular school has it’s set backs when trying to find a career. Quart also explains the punk scene. I have never been into punk but I’ve always liked the way they rebelled. I think that doing your own thing. if thats how you feel, is very healthy and schools should be more accepting to this. Especially when this rebelliousness only lasts during the youth years. There’s no reason to stifle something like ripped jeans, flannel, and loud music; it doesn’t hurt anyone. VALUES The core value that both of these unschoolers and punk kids have is to be yourself. Which is the complete opposite of the blockbuster movie value, popularity. I have to give both the unschoolers and punks credit because in a world where mostly everyone wants to be Alicia Silverstone or Freddie Prince Jr. its takes a lot of courage to do your own thing. I feel that in alot of ways its easier to just conform and not go against the grain. Quart entitled this chapter â€Å"do it yourself kids† because thats what these two groups have in common. When everyone else goes off to school the unschoolers stay home and do it themselves. On the other hand the punks may go to school but they do their own look, their own music, their own lifestyle; which completely contradicts the mainstream preppy is cool mantra. In a lot of ways these kids are going to turn out as better adults. This is because they will be better parents. I feel strongly about this because my parents were punk like in a lot of ways when they were young. When they were teenagers in the 70’s it wasn’t called punk, it was hippie. Hippie and punk are basically the same thing except two different generations labeled it with different names. My parents were always telling me to be myself, and as a public school student I feel this took some pressure off of growing up. I knew that they would back me no matter what. Also, when it came time for college they told me straight out you don’t have to go if you don’t want to. This was completely contradicting what my friends parents were saying and it took a lot of anxiety off of my shoulders when acceptance letters came in. LOYALTIES The loyalty that each group has is to their own cliques that they have created. I think this because unschooled kids look at schooled kids as different and by them not wanting to be in a clique they have created their own. Through the home schooled kids i have known, they told me how they would meet other unschoolers and would create their own groups within that. So actually they are forming what they tried to avoid. Home schooled kids in some ways can have pompous attitudes, acting like their better because they don’t do what everyone else does. I’ve even met unschooled kids here, at MU. When I asked him what high school he went to he cockily stated â€Å"I didn’t go to high school, I didn’t have to. † It’s not fair to say that all home schooled kids are like this but its definitely out there. For the punk kids they have their own loyalty to each other. It was very apparent in my high school because they would always walk together in the hallways and smoke cigarettes in large groups on the curb. No one bothered them but they made it very obvious they were their own group and they all identified with each other. This is something Quart didn’t discuss. She made each group sound very independent but in fact they are dependent within each other. PRINCIPLES John Stuart Mill’s utility principle can better explain the do it yourself kids perception. The utility principle emphasizes the outcome. The outcome that both groups want is to not have a mainstream. Also stated in the utility principle is an act’s rightness and how this is determined by it’s contribution to a desirable end. I feel that both groups have a desirable end in mind. The punk kids, especially just want to do their own thing. Their basement concerts show this because they are just trying to have fun, theirs no marketing involved, no celebrities, just kids in a band. I have gone to a few local shows like this and its a completely different vibe than at a mainstream high profile band. The local shows shows the joy of music with out all of the fluff the mainstream music throws in. The outcome is more genuine than anything I’ve seen at Madison Square Garden. Unbranded showed me that it is possible to live within this society and not be lured into everything you see. These kids show how you can think for yourself and do what you want. All of my life I have been a basically mainstream person. However, this book as a whole as taught me to open my eyes and realize what’s going on around me. it truly is a lot more evading than I thought. At times while reading this book I felt like I was completely brainwashed. I think every parent should read this book so that their aware of what’s going on around their children. It’s a lot different then when my parents grew up and most of the time they don’t realize the impact of these changes. I feel that the most important lesson a parent can learn from this book is to be aware and don’t be afraid to talk about it. Communication is defiantly what kept me grounded in my household and I plan on sharing that with my children as well.

Cause of Spanish American War essays

Cause of Spanish American War essays The Spanish American War of 1898 was a turning point for United States foreign policy because it established us as a world power by becoming a Imperialistic nation. Although the United States had been debating about Imperialism for a period of time and had many rationales for it including Darwinism, Strategic reasons, and economical reasons, it kept an isolationism policy, except in trading and international affairs. We kept this policy until the mid 1890s when situations in Hawaii, Chile, Venezuela, and foremost Cuba sprung up. The Cuban Revolution, which eventually led to the Spanish American war, made us become a imperialistic nation and thus a world power. Long before the Cuban Revolution, intellectual leaders such as John Fisk took Social Darwinism and applied it to the United States. They believed the U.S. should compete with other nations for wealth and power in the world. They saw the territories, markets, and the raw materials Europe had gained by Imperialism, and concluded the U.S. had to do the same to prosper and develop as a nation. Using the beliefs of Darwinism we had a belief of Anglo-Saxon supremacy and it was out destiny to venture out into the world, which became to be known as our Manifest Destiny. To establish the Anglo-Saxon superiority we put on ourselves The white mans burden to establish our language, religion, politics, and customs in other countries. Other reasons for support of Imperialism included strategic reasons because we needed to protect ourselves from countries the could threaten our rule in the western Hemisphere. Alfred T. Mahan a Navy officer wrote a book called The Influence of Sea Power upo n History, to convince the nation to build up our navy. This was highly supported by the people because it gave protection of international trade and markets. If we expanded trade we would have larger markets and more jobs, and wouldnt have to worry about overproduc...