Saturday, May 23, 2020

Cultural Appropriation And Culture Appropriation - 1965 Words

Culture Appropriation ISU Rachael Pang Cultural Appropriation is not talked about enough and why it is an issue today. Pop culture is more popular and people are paying attention to the trends online of what certain people wear, what they put on their face, how they wear it. Some mistaken Culture Appropriation as Culture Appreciation but they are not aware to what they are doing wrong. Appropriation occurs when a style leads to racist generalizations or stereotypes where it is deemed as high-fashion, cool or funny when others make it their own style and imitating it. Many people need to learn what Culture Appropriation is and why they need to stop and ways of preventing it. The discussion about cultural†¦show more content†¦When you are taking their culture’s aspects and adding it into yours, you are discriminating their culture. An example in today’s news about culture appropriation is Kylie Jenner, famous teen on social media for sharing her life in pictures on Instagram and posting what every girl post, their outfit, what their makeup looked like and so forth. In the year 2015 and also today she has been accused for cultural appropriation. On Instagram she posted a picture of herself sporting cornrows in her hair without hesitation she posted the photo. Cornrows are a popular hairstyle; it’s a tradition African style of braided hair that is close to the scalp. Many who wear that hairstyle in the workforce gets fired or get told to not wear their hair like that because it’s not appropriate but it’s their culture but when a teen with a massive following wears it, it is instantly stylish, hip and cool. The negative consequences of cultural appropriation can be minimized by increased understanding of what those impacts are, ensuring the positive recognition of the appropriate cultur e, and not mocking the cultural identity of a people for a fashionable trend. Black culture has always been a controversial topic because black culture is supposed to be the epitome of â€Å"cool† â€Å"swag† and they do set popular trends and everyone does follow the current trend. Society cuts and commercializes pieces of Black culture for white consumption. If

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

Afghanistan Country Facts and History

Afghanistan has the misfortune of sitting in a strategic position at the crossroads of Central Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and the Middle East. Despite its mountainous terrain and fiercely independent inhabitants, the country has been invaded time after time throughout its history. Today, Afghanistan is once more embroiled in war, pitting NATO troops and the current government against the ousted Taliban and its allies. Afghanistan is a fascinating but violence-wracked country, where East meets West. Capital and Major Cities Capital:  Kabul, population 4.114 million (2019 estimate) Kandahar, population 491,500Herat, 436,300Mazar-e-Sharif, 375,000Kunduz, 304,600Jalalabad, 205,000 Afghanistan Government Afghanistan is an Islamic Republic, headed by the President. Afghan presidents may serve a maximum of two 5-year terms.  The current president is Ashraf Ghani (born 1949), who was elected in 2014.  Hamid Karzai (born 1957)  served two terms as president before him. The National Assembly is a bicameral legislature, with a 249-member House of the People (Wolesi Jirga), and a 102-member House of the Elders (Meshrano Jirga). The nine justices of the Supreme Court (Stera Mahkama) are appointed to terms of 10 years by the President. These appointments are subject to approval by the Wolesi Jirga. Afghanistan Population In 2018, the population of Afghanistan was estimated at 34,940,837 million. Afghanistan is home to a number of ethnic groups. Current statistics on ethnicity are not available. The constitution recognizes fourteen groups, Pashtun,  Tajik, Hazara, Uzbek, Baloch, Turkmen, Nuristani, Pamiri, Arab, Gujar, Brahui, Qizilbash, Aimaq, and Pasha. Life expectancy for both men and women within Afghanistan is 50.6 for males and 53.6 for females. The infant mortality rate is 108 per 1,000 live births, the worst in the world. It also has one of the highest maternal mortality rates. Official Languages Afghanistans official languages are Dari and Pashto, both of which are Indo-European languages in the Iranian sub-family. Written Dari and Pashto both use a modified Arabic script.Other Afghan languages include Hazaragi, Uzbek, and Turkmen. Dari is the Afghan dialect of the Persian language. It is quite similar to Iranian Dari, with slight differences in pronunciation and accent. The two are mutually intelligible. Dari is the lingua franca, and around 77% of Afghanis speak Dari as their first language. About 48% of the people of Afghanistan speak Pashto, the language of the Pashtun tribe. It is also spoken in the Pashtun areas of western Pakistan. Other spoken languages include Uzbek 11%, English 6%, Turkmen 3%, Urdu 3%, Pashayi 1%, Nuristani 1%, Arabic 1%, and Balochi 1%. Many people speak more than one language. Religion The overwhelming majority of Afghanistans people are Muslim, around 99.7%, with between 85–90% Sunni and 10–15% Shia. The final one percent includes about 20,000 Bahais, and 3,000–5,000 Christians. Only one Bukharan Jewish man, Zablon Simintov (born 1959), remains in the country as of 2019. All of the other members of the Jewish community left when Israel was created in 1948, or fled when the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979. Until the mid-1980s, Afghanistan also had a population of 30,000 to 150,000 Hindus and Sikhs. During the Taliban regime, the Hindu minority was forced to wear yellow badges when they went out in public, and Hindu women had to wear the Islamic-style hijab. Today, only a few Hindus remain. Geography Afghanistan is a land-locked country bordering on Iran to the west, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan to the north, a tiny border with China at the northeast, and Pakistan to the east and south. Its total area is 251,826 square miles (652,230 square kilometers. Most of Afghanistan is in the Hindu Kush Mountains, with some lower-lying desert areas. The highest point is Noshak, at 24,580 feet (7,492 meters). The lowest is the Amu Darya River Basin, at 846 ft (258 m). An arid and mountainous country, Afghanistan has little cropland; a scant 12 percent is arable, and only 0.2 percent is under permanent crop-cover, the rest in pasture. Climate The climate of Afghanistan is arid to semiarid with cold winters and hot summers and temperatures varying by altitude. Kabuls average January temperature is 0 degrees C (32 F), while noon temperatures in July often reach 38 Celsius (100 Fahrenheit). Jalalabad can hit 46 Celsius (115 Fahrenheit) in the summer. Most of the precipitation that falls in Afghanistan comes in the form of winter snow. The nation-wide annual average is only 10–12 inches (25–30 centimeters), but snow drifts in the mountain valleys can reach depths of over 6.5 ft (2 m). The desert experiences sandstorms carried on winds moving at up to 110 mph (177 kph). Economy Afghanistan is among the poorest countries on Earth. The per capita GDP is estimated in 2017 as $2,000 US, and about 54.5% of the population lives under the poverty line. The economy of Afghanistan receives large infusions of foreign aid, totaling billions of U.S. dollars annually. It has been undergoing a recovery, in part by the return of over five million expatriates and new construction projects. The countrys most valuable export is opium; eradication efforts have had mixed success. Other export goods include wheat, cotton, wool, handwoven rugs, and precious stones. Afghanistan imports much of its food and energy. Agriculture employs 80 percent of the labor force, industry, and services 10 percent each. The unemployment rate is 35 percent. The currency is the afghani. As of 2017, $1 US 7.87 afghani. History of Afghanistan Afghanistan was settled at least 50,000 years ago. Early cities such as Mundigak and Balkh sprang up around 5,000 years ago; they likely were affiliated with the Aryan culture of India. Around 700 BCE, the Median Empire expanded its rule to Afghanistan. The Medes were an Iranian people, rivals of the Persians. By 550 BCE, the Persians had displaced the Medians, establishing the Achaemenid Dynasty. Alexander the Great of Macedonia invaded Afghanistan in 328 BCE, founding a Hellenistic empire with its capital at Bactria (Balkh). The Greeks were displaced around 150 BCE. by the Kushans and later the Parthians, nomadic Iranians. The Parthians ruled until about 300 A.D. when the Sassanians took control. Most Afghans were Hindu, Buddhist or Zoroastrian at that time, but an Arab invasion in 642 CE introduced Islam. The Arabs defeated the Sassanians and ruled until 870, at which time they were driven out again by the Persians. In 1220, Mongol warriors under Genghis Khan conquered Afghanistan, and descendants of the Mongols would rule much of the region until 1747. In 1747, the Durrani Dynasty was founded by Ahmad Shah Durrani, an ethnic Pashtun. This marked the origin of modern Afghanistan. The nineteenth century witnessed increasing Russian and British competition for influence in Central Asia, in The Great Game. Britain fought two wars with the Afghans, in 1839–1842 and 1878–1880. The British were routed in the first Anglo-Afghan War but took control of Afghanistans foreign relations after the second. Afghanistan was neutral in World War I, but Crown Prince Habibullah was assassinated for purported pro-British ideas in 1919. Later that year, Afghanistan attacked India, prompting the British to relinquish control over Afghan foreign affairs. Habibullahs younger brother Amanullah reigned from 1919 until his abdication in 1929. His cousin, Nadir Khan, became king but lasted only four years before he was assassinated. Nadir Khans son, Mohammad Zahir Shah, then took the throne, ruling from 1933 to 1973. He was ousted in a coup by his cousin Sardar Daoud, who declared the country a republic. Daoud was ousted in turn in 1978 by the Soviet-backed PDPA, which instituted Marxist rule. The Soviets took advantage of the political instability to invade in 1979; they would remain for ten years. Warlords ruled from 1989 until the extremist Taliban took power in 1996. The Taliban regime was ousted by U.S.-led forces in 2001 for its support of Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda. A new Afghan government was formed, supported by the International Security Force of the United Nations Security Council. The new government continued to receive help from  US-led NATO troops to battle Taliban insurgencies and shadow governments. The US war in Afghanistan was officially ended December 28, 2014. The U.S. has approximately 14,000 troops in Afghanistan engaged in two missions: 1) a bilateral counter-terrorism mission in cooperation with Afghan forces; and 2) the NATO-led Resolute Support Mission, a non-combat mission providing training and support to the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces.   Presidential elections were held in the country in September 2019, but an outcome has yet to be determined. Sources Afghanistan. CIA - the World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency.Adili, Ali Yawar, and Thomas Ruttig. Afghanistan’s 2019 Election (7): Dithering over peace amid a lacklustre campaign. Afghanistan Analysts Network, Sept. 16, 2019.  Geographica World Atlas Encyclopedia. 1999. Random House Australia: Milsons Point, NSW Australia.Afghanistan: History, Geography, Government, Culture. Infoplease.com.US. Relations with Afghanistan. United States Department of State.

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Government Regulation on Media in America Free Essays

The government is the political direction and control exercised over the actions of the members, citizens, or inhabitants of communities, societies, and states. Media is the means of communication, such as radio, television, newspapers, magazines, and the internet which influence people broadly. The mainstream American media information presented to the public viewers is selected by the government. We will write a custom essay sample on Government Regulation on Media in America or any similar topic only for you Order Now Outside of government institutions, no other unit has more influence in determining policy decisions and elections more than the mass media. Although the framers of the Constitution could never have envisioned the increase of mass media that we enjoy today, they were very aware that the press would play a serious role in the growing democracy. It’s no coincidence that freedom of the press constitutes the First Amendment in the Bill of Rights. The media’s role in government goes back to the colonial era, when daily newspapers were the only source of political as well as other news for the colonists. The media has transformed intensively over the past 200 years. Most of the change has occurred since the mid-1990s, with the advent of the Internet and all-news cable television channels. As these and other communication technologies keep on evolving at the speed of light, the role of the media in government will also continue to modify. The Internet has become an immense factor in the media, primarily the major social networks, because it communicates frankly without the filter of editors, publishers, and corporate parents similar to Viacom, Disney, Time-Warner, and General Electric. In a democracy, the free flow of information, ideas, and opinions is vital. The media has three primary responsibilities: setting the agenda, investigating the institutions of government, and facilitating the exchange of ideas and opinions. Elected officials, nonelected government workers, and political candidates spend a considerable amount of time figuring out ways to shape media coverage. The following five techniques are most normally used. Staged events are the most common way to attract media coverage. In 1994, the House Republicans had a â€Å"signing ceremony† on the Capitol steps to launch their â€Å"Contract with America† campaign theme. The event received enormous press coverage. An off-the-record conversation is another technique. Politicians, bureaucrats, and candidates have off-the-record conversations with reporters when they want to propagate certain information, but don’t want that information associated with them. Reporters usually attribute off-the-record comments to anonymous or unnamed sources. Sound byte is where the most elected officials are skillful at giving â€Å"sound bites† (concise and colorful quotes) to reporters. Officials who consistently deliver the best sound bites usually receive the most coverage. New York senator Chuck Schumer is regarded as a terrific source of sound bites. From time to time government officials will float â€Å"trial balloons†, anonymous program or policy thoughts to the press in order to gauge the public’s feedback. Trial balloons allow officials to test ideas or potential appointments without taking responsibility for them. During the recent stem-cell research debate, the White House floated a trial balloon about keeping the controversial research on embryonic stem cells legal, but decided against it after the administration’s conservative base reacted negatively. Last, there is a technique called leaks. Almost every day in Washington, confidential information is passed from government officials to the media. Leakers do this for one of two reasons. First, to cast a negative light on their opponents and second to strengthen their point of view on a particular matter among their colleagues. Investigations in particular tend to be common with leaks. There were so many leaks during the Monica Lewinsky investigation that the leaks themselves became a separate legal inquiry. Although the Constitution promises freedom of the press, the government does regulate various media. Print media are for the most part unregulated, and newspapers and magazines can print almost anything as long as they don’t insult anyone. The Internet has also gone mostly unregulated; despite congressional efforts to restrict some controversial fulfillments. Broadcast media, however, are subject to the most government regulation. Radio and television broadcasters must attain a license from the government because according to American law, the public owns the airwaves. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issues these licenses and is in charge of managing the airwaves. The FCC also acts as a police agency of the airwaves, and it can fine broadcasters for violating public decency principles on the air. The FCC can even revoke a broadcaster’s license, keeping him off the air permanently. For example, he FCC has fined radio host Howard Stern plentiful times for his use of profanity. They also fined CBS greatly for Janet Jackson’s â€Å"wardrobe malfunction† during the halftime performance at the Super Bowl in 2004. The government is involved in media doctrines. The Federal Communications Commission has also established rules for broadcasts relating to political campaigns. The equal time rule, which states that broadcasters have to supply the same broadcast time to all candidates for a specific office. The right of rebuttal, which requires broadcasters to make available an opportunity for candidates to reply to criticisms made against them. A station cannot air an attack on a candidate and not succeed to give the objective of the attack a possibility to respond. The fairness doctrine, states that a broadcaster who airs a controversial program is required to provide time to air opposing views. The FCC has not obligated the fairness doctrine since 1985, and some claim that the FCC has taken a lax come up to enforcing the other regulations as well. The government has also regulated ownership of media outlets to make sure that no one broadcaster monopolizes the market. Since the 1980s the government has loosened limitations on media possession, and Congress accepted the Telecommunications Act in 1996 to permit companies to possess even more media outlets. Due to the loosening of tenure boundaries, more and more media outlets are declining under the power of a few colossal corporations, an inclination called media consolidation. The Hearst, Knight Ridder, and Gannett corporations own the majority of the nation’s newspapers, whereas Clear Channel Communications owns numerous radio stations. Huge companies also have the major networks and other television stations. The Walt Disney Corporation, for example, owns ABC and ESPN, along with the Disney Channel, and Viacom owns CBS and MTV. Meanwhile the Rupert Murdoch’s Media Corporation owns all of the Fox channels, several radio networks, satellite television providers, and newspapers in many countries. And Time-Warner owns dozens of magazines, counting Time, Life, and Sports Illustrated, as well as the CNN and Turner television networks. Critics challenge that media consolidation confines consumers’ choices because a small number of companies own all the media outlets. They fight that consolidation is not competitive and that corporate owners might control or influence news coverage. Some critics also lament the homogenization of American culture due to media consolidation. Because radio and television formats have turn out to be more and more uniform, people all through the country receive the same broadcasts. It is not clear if the FCC has the ability to regulate cable television. The FCC is entitled to regulate those who broadcast over the airwaves because the people own the airwaves. Cable television is not sent through the airwaves. Cables transmit the programs directly into people’s houses. Seemingly this means that cable television cannot be regulated, but some members of Congress have still required doing so. I have come to believe that media is important in the government because it’s the primary source of political information for most people, so it plays a big role in democracy. Also, I notice the way a point is transmitted affects how the message is received. Television, for example, is a visual medium, so viewers will surely be affected by images. Plus, media tends to provide more facts and details than television. The media has massive power within the American Government because just about all Americans get their news from the media instead of from other people or other sources. Media coverage shapes how Americans recognize the world and what they consider to be important. Voters and politicians comparable must pay attention to the media. In the American political system, the media perform a number of functions important to the self-governing process. The media reports the news, serves as a mediator between the government and the people, helps agree on which issues should be discussed, and keeps people energetically involved in society and politics. In the United States, the media plays a big role in socializing people to American society, culture, and politics. Much of what young people and immigrants learn about American culture and politics comes from magazines, radio shows, and television. Many people worry that juvenile people are exposed to too much violence and sex in the media, knowing the effect it will have on children’s views and development. The media also provides a public forum for debates between political leaders. During campaigns, opposing candidates often broadcast advertisements and debate with each other on television. Many voters learn a great deal about the candidates and the issues by watching these ads and debates. Even during years without elections, though, the news media allows elected official to explain their actions via news stories and interviews. In this way the government has the power to control people though its subliminal messages. It has the ability to brainwash or give an image of what may be wrong or right through its regulations. How to cite Government Regulation on Media in America, Papers

Saturday, May 2, 2020

Motivations and Benefits in the Workplace

Question: Discuss the motivations and benefits in the workplace. Answer: The objective of this essay is to discuss the drivers of motivation at workplace and the benefits of motivation for organization. In this era of globalization, organizations have expanded in different parts of the world. Today, organizations have realized that employees are their biggest assets. Today, organizations have realized that motivation level of employees is directly linked to productivity of employees. Therefore, focus of HR Managers and organizations is to focus on employee motivation. The main four ideas for this essay can be discussed as: Motivation is an intrinsic and internal thing for employees. In an organizational setting, different employees can have different motivational level. It is important for organizations to understand the motivation trigger for its employees. The motivation would help employees to work hard and it would help organization to reach its goals and objectives. Therefore motivation can directly benefit organizations and workplace. Employees can also self motivate them. The employees would want to self motivate them when they can see the rewards associated with their performance. It is important that organizations should focus to bridge the gap between employees expectations and management perception of employees expectations. It would also help to increase the motivation level of employees. Thesis Statement: To discuss the drivers of motivation at workplace and the benefits of motivation for organization. Misconception of Opposition Point: Many people would have misconception that organizations or managers cannot control the motivation level of employees, as motivation is purely internal and personal thing for employees. However, it has been proven that organizations can create the culture and establish the platform that can increase the motivation level of employees.