Is acupuncture an effetive treatment for Insomnia Dissertation

Is acupuncture an effetive treatment for Insomnia - Dissertation Example The main objective of this research is to conduct a review of literature and assess whether acupuncture is an effective treatment for insomnia. Insomnia Defined Insomnia is the inability to fall asleep or to remain asleep for an adequate length of time, so that tiredness is virtually permanent (Oxford Concise Medical Dictionary 2007, p.370). According to the British United Provident Association (2011), primary and secondary insomnia are the two classifications of insomnia. Primary insomnia has no noticeable grounds while secondary insomnia is caused by an underlying problem, such as stressful events, psychiatric problems, medical conditions, drug and substance abuse, certain types of medication and psychological problems such as grief and depression. Moreover, the National Health Service (NHS) described insomnia as either short term insomnia which lasts for one to four weeks, and long-term (or persistent) insomnia, which persists for more than four weeks. According to the NHS (year), if a person has been diagnosed with short term insomnia, their GP will generally advise them on good sleep hygiene, and if the insomnia is affecting him/her during the day, then the GP may prescribe sleeping tablets. Moreover, if a person has been diagnosed with long term Insomnia, their GP will recommend the same as for short term Insomnia, along with cognitive and behavioural treatments (CBT). Additionally, if the patient is over 55 years old, the GP may consider prescribing Melatonin. Kaptchuk (2000, p. 191) describes insomnia in Chinese texts as â€Å"Yang unable to enter Yin†. This typically suggests that Blood or Yin or both are insufficient and not able to sustain the Spirit in the Heart. There is therefore a relative oversupply of the Yang, which is not in equilibrium and is unable to calm down in balance. An oversupply of the Yang or Fire in any other organ can also be a reason for insomnia. The persistent desire to sleep, or oversleeping, is often a sign of Deficie nt Yang, Deficient Qi, or Dampness. Under Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), when a person suffers from insomnia, one generally tends to find that the two organs that are most often out of balance are the Heart and the Liver. Each of these two organs houses a specific aspect of the spirit. The Heart houses the mind (Shen) and the Liver houses the ethereal soul (Hun). If these organs are out of balance, they will not be able to house the spirit properly, and the spirit will wander (Kaptchuk 2000). According to Maciocia (2005) sleep generally depends on the state of Blood and Yin, especially that of the Heart and Liver. During the night the Yin Qi predominates, and the mind and ethereal soul should be anchored in Heart Blood and Liver Blood. If the mind and/or ethereal soul are not anchored, a sleep disturbance is likely to occur. Research Aim The present paper aims to review pertinent literature to ascertain the effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of insomia among adults. Research Hypotheses Ho: Acupuncture is not an effective treatment for insomnia. Ha: Acupuncture is an effective treatment for insomnia. Method The current paper makes use of critical review of literature to determine the effectiveness of acupuncture as a treatment method for insomnia. This entailed the search of

Vygotsky Influenced By Marxism Sociology Essay

Vygotsky Influenced By Marxism Sociology Essay It is known and accepted in professional journals and works that Marxism influenced Vygotsky but why did this not show up in the earlier translations by Western psychologists? Marxism and Vygotsky L.S. Vygotsky was a witness of the Russian Revolution, which was the hot bed of Marxist theory and the forced development of a communist state (Elhammoumi, 2002). This was a period of tremendous stress and change for the Russian people, in which a significant ideological struggle took place (Elhammoumi, 2002). The basic premise to this struggle was between a focus on the private individual and a socially collective existence (Elhammoumi, 2002). At this level of philosophical transformation mixed with the great turmoil of the time, is the perfect environment for innovative scientist to produce new ideas (Elhammoumi, 2002). The same effect is what compelled Vygotskys ambition to be a part of what was called the new socialist experiment (Elhammoumi, 2002). Vygotsky could not have avoided the effect this philosophy had on his life and invariably, his methods based on this, we can deduce that the Russian Revolution is major evidence of the influence Marxism had his lifes work. Another Marxist influences which show in Vygotskys work are the following definitions, directly from Vygotsky work such as the term Adherence, which means the rejection of all non-materialist and non-Marxist theories (Elhammoumi, 2002). Other Marxist associations to Vygotskys work include his belief that society is not made up of the individual or groups of individuals but is the totality of their interrelationships as construed in the Marxist approach (Elhammoumi, 2002). Or the use of statements in his work such as counsciousness is shaped by social relations, which is also an important idea of Marx (Elhammoumi, 2002). Or Vygotskys work in which he advocates that change in human behavior has several elementary origins, such as, the destruction of capitalist forms of organization and production; the withering away of capitalist order and all forces which oppress manà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Elhammoumi, 2002). Or that Vygotsky believed that the destruction of capitalism would be instrumental i n freeing mankind from oppressive powers and allow man to liberate his growth (Elhammoumi, 2002). These ideas were commonly held by Marxist ideology and wrapped in Vygotskys historical-social theories (Elhammoumi, 2002). While researching journals for this paper, I came across an abundance of examples which clearly state that the Marxist influence is now widely accepted within the professional psychological arena. With these examples alone, we can easily agree that Vygotsky was not only influenced by Marx, but we could say that his works were integral in developing, at least, the basis of Marxist psychology (Roth, 2007). Why then, was this notion rejected and even suppressed by earlier Western psychologists until a few decades after World War II? The West and Vygotsky There has been much speculation in the psychological community in the past that Vygotsky was not a Marxist per se, regardless of his use of the doctrine in his work (Sheehy, 2004). This idea was due to Vygotskys work being shunned in the Soviet Union grounded by areas in which Vygotsky questioned and disagreed with Marx (Elhammoumi, 2002). This disagreement led some earlier Western psychologists to argue that Vygotsky rejected Marxism altogether, and was not involved in the development of Marxist psychology (Kosulin, 1986). Other Western psychologist had not only separated Vygotsky from Marxism but had included a rejection of what was termed as bourgeoisie humanism (Elhammoumi, 2002). Nonetheless, Marxist and Soviet psychologists knew that Vygotskys work was crucial in linking their proletariat brand of psychology with natural science in order to keep up with the developments being made in Germany and the United States (Sheehy, 2004). In order to solidify this link, Vygotsky would have to officially be a communist, which the Soviets implied (Sheehy, 2004). Accordingly, Vygotskys Marxist influence in many cases failed to be mentioned in earlier Western translations at all importantly, by overlooking the Marxist influence Vygotskys work is significantly weakended (Kosulin, 1986). The possibility of such suppression could lead to a crisis in the advancement in the entire study of psycholgogy (Kosulin, 1986). But, as will be explained later, Vygotsky link to the development of Soviet Psychology was questionable (Elhammoumi, 2002). We have established that the reasoning behind the suppression of Vygotskys Marxist influence, especially for the American psychologists, is the implication that Vygotsky work was directly involved in what eventually became the Soviet totalitarian government, which is now considered a false accusation (Roth, 2007). Do not forget that Vygotsky perviously shared restrictive ideas with Marxism but did not agree on all stances in regards to psychology (Elhammoumi, 2002). And today we understand that much of Vygotskys connection with Soviet Psychology comes from a Soviet Psychologist names Leontiev (Kosulin, 1986). Leontiev rose to prominence after a period in which Soviet officials had rejected Vygotsky due to his work influenced by the Gestalt psychology and the cross-cultural analysis of consciousness which was considered bourgeois and anti-communist (Kosulin, 1986). This prominence was gained by winning then prestigious Lenin Prize for scientific research, which gave Leontiev access to power within the Soviet governing body (Kosulin, 1986). This enabled him to reintroduce Vygotsky into the Soviet scientific world, an in order to avoid questions regarding Vygotskys original shunning, Leontiev named himself the interpreter of Vygotsky (Kosulin, 1986). Because of this, Vygotsky came to be known as a mere predecessor of Leontiev, which enabled Leontiev the freedom to correct the flaws in Vygotskys work thereby creating a solid link to the development of Soviet psychology (Kosulin, 1986). Evidence is now known that this link is a myth. Regardless, at the time, Western psychologists were rightful ly under the impression that Vygotsky and Soviet Psychology were inexplicably linked (Kosulin, 1986). This is, of course, the main reasoning behind creating sanitized translations of Vygotskys work suppressing the Marxist influence, not to mention more personal reasons like the lack of book sales (Elhammoumi, 2002). At the time, due to the Cold War, Western psychologist were uninterested in promoting anyone associated with communism, socialism, or Marxism (Kosulin, 1986). This went on until the late 1970s and early 1980s when Vygotskys involvement in Soviet science began to be questioned (Kosulin, 1986). MY VIEW I can see this point of view (was V a Marxist?), especially by Westerners, after Soviet Psychologists in later years, integrated Vygotsky into their philosophies which were heavily influenced by political doctrine and the Soviet state itself. In my view, it would be difficult to believe it did not, based on the fact he was alive and living in Russia during the Revolution how could anyone, especially an intellectual like Vygotsky, could not be influenced by the break-down of a political system which had been integral in the make-up of Russia for generations. Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934), But, I can see why some psychologist believe there was a connection between Vygotsky and the formulation of Marxist philosophy in the late 1920s, since Vygotsky did not die until 1934. The fundamentals of Marxist Instead of viewing these changes through the eyes of politics. Whether or not you agree or disagree or land somewhere in between in regards to Marxism it remains a ground-breaking shift in intellectualism. In order to see this from another view, Russian, in some cases, was still practicing feudalism which was the social and political structure of the Middle Ages! In the 19th century, as the West experienced a new age of industry and innovation. Although, in my view, true Marxism never came to be in its pure form, and instead, we witnessed the dilapidation and eventual fall of a distortion of this philosophy. I, personally, if these statements are accurate, do not want to see any philosophical or scientific works be deluded by political influences. I believe it is important to maintain historical accuracy, or we are no different than the oppressiveness of the former Soviet Union. What is meant by this, per the author, is that Society does not consist of individuals, but expresses the sum of interrelations, the relations within which these individuals stand and real intellectual wealth of the individual depends entirely on the wealth of his real connections This make sense. (Elhammoui, 2002) It is understood, in my view, that Westerners, Americans in particular, have a deep-seated distrust in anything related to communism based on the Cold War which is the case with Marxism. The main point Elhammoumi is trying to convey is that it is important to maintain Vogotskys Marxist influence in order to maintain a period of major intellectual creativity which occurred during and after the Russian Revolution (Elhammoumi, 2002). First of all, if Marxism was truly so impactful to vigotsky, then the omission of that would not be an accurate translation, which could have possibly left integral pieces out for Western psychologists while working to perfect the science as a whole (Kosulin, 1986). Example of myself or someone I know who experienced this (see directions) Conclusion Paragraph for entire paper SHOULD BE PART OF CONCLUSION Vygotsky, by using the framework of a post-revolutionary Soviet society, was determined to develop a new form of psychology (Elhammoumi, 2002). Just by what we have seen in the previous examples it becomes apparent that within Vygotskys theory, it seems as though he attempted to develop a type of theoretical psychology for Marxism (Elhammoumi, 2002). This brings us to the the issue of the West and Vygostky. TOPIC PAPER 1 7117 Due 3/5 @ Midnight submit to turnitin.com 24 hrs earlier 3 to 5 pages without cover and ref page. Each paper will contain a discussion of, or reflection upon, the topic presented in the course. MUST CITE AT LEAST 2 ADDITIONAL ARTICLES FROM PEER-REVIEWED JOURNALS not including those already utilized as part of the course materials. ABSTRACTS are not necessary. Each paper should contain: A summary of ONE major theory/concept (or portion of a theory/concept). At least one example from your own experience or someone you know that is relevant to or illustrates the topic/concept. Your persepective about (a critique of) the theory/concept. You must provide substantive arguments to justify your point of view.

Human Cloning Should Not be Permitted Essay -- Argumentative Persuasiv

     Ã‚   According to Richard Seed, "cloning is inevitable.   If I don't do it, someone else will.   There's no way you can stop science" (qtd. in Kadrey 2001). Depending on one's personal opinion about cloning, human cloning in particular, a quote such as that will most likely either anger a reader or excite them.   Human cloning is one of the hottest topics for debate in society today-the lines are very strictly drawn between those in favor of continuing cloning research and those who are staunchly opposed to it.   Meanwhile, despite public opinion, science trudges on behind closed doors working to clone the first human.  This paper will first provide a thorough, but brief, introduction into the topic of cloning itself, including its history and its mechanisms; then, through a series of carefully thought out points, it will illustrate why human cloning should not be allowed to continue at this point in time. Part A.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The "origins" of cloning are vague and variant from source to source.   It has been suggested that cloning began in 1952 when a team of geneticists removed a nucleus from an embryonic frog cell and placed it into an egg cell from which the nucleus had been removed.   To the amazement of the scientists, a frog was hatched from the egg cell with the embryonic nucleus.   The research was furthered in 1975 when embryologist John Gurdon of Britain attempted to do the same thing with an adult cell.   While his research was not fruitful, it started the ball rolling for later cloning attempts. Research with embryonic cells continued into the 1980s and led to the creation of cloned cows and sheep (Reilly 2000).   Finally, in 1997, scientists were able to take an older cell, that of an adult sheep, and successfully creat... ...."  Ã‚   CNN Online.  Ã‚   29 August 2000:   n. pag.  Ã‚   Online. http://www.cnn.com/2000/WORLD/europe/08/29/pope.cloning/index.html  Ã‚   12 April 2001. Reed, Susan.  Ã‚   "My Sister, My Clone."  Ã‚   Time Magazine.  Ã‚   19 February 2001:   51. Reilly, Philip R.  Ã‚   Abraham Lincoln's DNA and Other Adventures in Genetics.  Ã‚   Cold Spring Harbor, New York: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, 2000. Thomas, Cathy Booth.  Ã‚   "Copydog, Copycat."  Ã‚   Time Magazine.  Ã‚   19 February 2001:   57. "Vatican leads chorus objecting to human cloning."  Ã‚   CNN Online.  Ã‚   18 April 2000:   n. pag.  Ã‚   Online. http://www.cnn.com/2000/WORLD/europe/08/18/vatican.cloning/index.html  Ã‚  Ã‚   12 April 2001. Whitehouse, David, Ph.D.  Ã‚   "Cloning humans: Can it really be done?"  Ã‚   BBC News.  Ã‚   9 March 2001:   n. pag. Online.  Ã‚   http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1211000/1211136.stm  Ã‚   12 April 2001.

Cirque

Performers tend to have short racers: the attrition rate Is about 20 per cent a year, whether through Injury or simply deciding It is time to retire. How do you renew the talent pool? The solution. Thirty talent scouts are listed on the Cirque website, and many of them are specialists In specific skills, such as sling or gymnastics and acrobatics. Sources of recruits Include the Olympic Games, the Mongolia State Circus and world championship athletics competitions. Auditions, described by Cirque a â€Å"treasure hunting†, are demanding and can last up to two days.After Minimal screening, potential secrets must demonstrate not just technical proficiency but range. After a long audition, dancers must then show their acting, improvisation and singing skills. Once identified as â€Å"Cirque people†, performers' names are added to the Cirque database to await a suitable role. Then the hard work really starts: they are drilled in their new craft at â€Å"boot camps† fo r up to four months before their first performance. Nevertheless, the Cirque â€Å"immersion programmer† aims to bring out the best in an individual.Key to the transformation process are mentors – veterans who guide new artists and get to know them. Cirque describes itself as a â€Å"family†, a â€Å"band of brothers†. Reinvention is a constant theme. Having redefined the traditional â€Å"big top† circus in the 1 sass, Mr.. Illiberal © keeps audiences loyal and attracts new ones by always offering something different. In the 2006 show Love, Cirque du Sole performs to the music of The Battles. A collaboration between Cirque, producer George Martin – â€Å"the fifth Battle† – and his son Giles, Love is still running at The Mirage in Lass Vegas.A new production is nearly always under way. Each show looks for a new theme, so the repertoire ranges from aquatics (O) to The Battles (Love) to martial arts (KS). The lessons. Managers must plan ahead. Hence, scouts are always sourcing new recruits In order to fill anticipated skills gaps. New techniques are developed constantly. Revealingly, acrobat mentor And © Similar, whose innovations Include a new safety line for aerial acrobatics, is not called creative director but research and development specialist.The focus Is also on constantly devising new content In the form of new themes and concepts. For Instance, for K, Mr.. Albert © asked Robert Leafage, the playwright, director and actor, to craft a show around martial arts. The company develops new products (shows) all the time. Because a show takes so long to create – recruiting performers, devising music, costumes and Infrastructure – It looks ahead to develop tomorrows performers and staging today.Cirque By appending audience, Cirque must do two things: continue to come up with spectacular ideas; careers: the attrition rate is about 20 per cent a year, whether through injury or imply decid ing it is time to retire. How do you renew the talent pool? The specialists in specific skills, such as singing or gymnastics and acrobatics. Sources of recruits include the Olympic Games, the Mongolia State Circus and world hunting†, are demanding and can last up to two days. After initial screening, potential recruits must demonstrate not Just technical proficiency but range. After a long artists and get to know them.Cirque describes itself as a â€Å"family', a â€Å"band of circus in the asses, Mr.. Illiberal © keeps audiences loyal and attracts new ones by he repertoire ranges from aquatics (O) to The Battles (Love) to martial arts (K). The in order to fill anticipated skills gaps. New techniques are developed constantly. Revealingly, acrobat mentor And © Similar, whose innovations include a new safety development specialist. The focus is also on constantly devising new content in the form of new themes and concepts. For instance, for K, Mr.. Illiberal © asked Rob ert to create – recruiting performers, devising music, costumes and infrastructure – it

Goffman and Music Education Essay

For my career, I intend to teach music privately. I will own my own business in my home and teach students of all ages. As a part of my business I will serve students also in small group classes and other special events that I will design in my business. A ‘typical performance’ would include being in front of any students. For example, a student arrives for a lesson, and I am waiting for him/her. I greet him, and he comes in and begins to prepare his instrument and materials. I may glance over his materials, checking anything he was assigned to practice or work on in the previous week. I may also chat with him about how his week has been. Then, the lesson will proceed, and we will work on performing on his instrument. He will play and I will critique his performance and have him try things different ways until he improves. I may make use of metronomes, tuning devices, or my own demonstration to help him learn. At the end of the lesson, I will assign him new materials to work on or practice, and see him out the door. This performance related to Goffman’s idea of â€Å"rituals† that occur in the social situation. Regardless of my mood or desires, I will ask the student how he is doing and listen to his answers. The lesson will proceed in roughly the same fashion every week. The student will come to expect when I will interrupt his performance to give criticism, because he will come to know what I consider unacceptable. The lesson becomes a series of rituals that are performed week after week, lesson after lesson. The members of my team will consist of all of my students, as well as their parents, many of whom may sit in on lessons always or from time to time. I could not be a teacher if I did not have students, so they are a necessary part of my team. It is the direct interaction between myself and them that sets the â€Å"stage,† as Goffman puts it in his dramaturgical explanation of social behavior. The parents factor in because they change the dynamics of the lesson situation when they are present. In these cases, I may choose to address parents in addition to or instead of the students in certain situations, and I will certainly be aware of their presence as I am working with the student. With some of the younger students, or students who have problems behaving, the parents may play a strong role in the lesson situation, guiding the student’s behavior and attempting to keep him on task. Outside of the lesson situation, it is possible that my mentors could also be considered supporting players, as I may turn to them for help with difficult students or situations to solve, and they may lend me moral support in making decisions about teaching or lessons. All of the people who play into what happens in the lesson situation could be considered team members in some sense, even if they never meet one another. Discrepant roles are likely limited in this situation, since for the most part, there is no audience. However, the teacher himself (i. e. me) might be a discrepant role, since the teacher is leading everyone’s reactions and ideas, and guiding the â€Å"audience’s† perception of the situation. Parents may function in a discrepant role, and well, since as both observers and participants in the situation, they may guide how they want their children to react, and how I choose to react because of their presence. Beyond this, there are probably not other discrepant roles. Should I be teaching a larger group, one student could serve in a discrepant role by more actively participating in the class and showing the rest of the group how to behave and react to what is going on around them. The rest of the class could serve as an audience in that case, assuming that some of the members of the class were feeling rather passive. The communications that would go on in lesson situations could be in or out of character, depending on the student, whether or not the parent was present, and the mood itself. In a general lesson situation where the parent and child were both present and the child was fairly young (not yet a teenager), communication would generally be entirely in character. That is, the communication would be formal and appropriate for the student and parent. However, should the student leave the room and the parent remain, the communication may lapse into out of character situations, where the teacher and the parent are sharing information or commiserating as two adults. It is also possible that if the student is older, teenage or adult, that the communication may be out of character, because of the teacher being able to identify with this student better on a person-to-person level, and not finding the need to remain aloof and professionally distant. In these situations, the communication would move often between in and out of character as the teacher goes from having a general conversation with the student to actually providing instruction. The impression one makes is difficult to manage at times, but it is also important. As a teacher, I would like to be seen as a professional at all times, someone who does not let emotions or outside situations affect my work. I would also like to be seen as energetic, upbeat, and involved in the work I do. This relates to maintaining what Goffman calls the â€Å"front. † The behavior at the front is the professional impression one makes, while behavior at the â€Å"back† or â€Å"sides† is related off-stage behavior in actors. Since teaching is often related to being onstage, this is not a totally foreign concept. As a teacher, I must forget any concerns I have when I enter the room to teach a student. I must focus on them and their needs, and not anything else that is going on in my life, good or bad. This is not always possible, and when it is not, I must explain as briefly as possible, apologize, and continue to try to focus solely on the student. I must also smile and use happy tones of voice when I am speaking, even if I do not feel that way. One of the hardest things in teaching is remaining optimistic and positive even when students are struggling or, more likely, refusing to work. It is difficult for a teacher to see students come into a lesson every week with homework undone and no practicing having been completed. What can I teach a student who won’t work on skills at home? But in order to keep my impressions positive and my front appropriate, I must broach the subject of needing to practice more carefully, so as not to discourage the student or to allow them to see how unhappy I am with their lack of preparedness. Teachers are constantly striving for diplomacy in even the hardest situations. Goffman’s work allows me to look at my future career with a much different perspective. I consider that I am on stage and that I am an actor in a play I have created and entered into, but I do not control all the variables. I control myself, but I react to how my students choose to be. It is interesting to note the possibilities that arise in every situation when there are so many different things happening at once, as Goffman points out. However, it is good to think about and try to use in work situations.

Self-reflexive Essay Example

Self Self-reflexive Essay Self-reflexive Essay Essay Topic: Sunset Boulevard Self-reflexive is a term used for literary works such as poetries, novels and movies that are explicit in reflecting their own processes of artful composition.   These masterpieces are frequently found in modern works of fiction.   These fictions usually comment to their individual fictional status.   Poets, novelists, as well as movie makers use the metafiction or the metafilm technique in dealing with these kinds of fiction; wherein the film is symbol of the production of a movie.   Some parts of the film maybe a part of the writer’s or director’s experience; they may also add cameo appearances and shot the film to familiar Hollywood spots.   This self-reflexive can also be found in earlier movies such as Sunset Boulevard (1950), Singin in the Rain (1952), and The Player (1992). Sunset Boulevard, directed by Billy Wilder under Paramount Picture is about a less-fortunate screenwriter (William Holden as Joe Gillis) that became a kept man of an aged silent film star (Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond) and lured him to write the script of her comeback film â€Å"Salome†.   Self-reflexivity can be seen in several scenes of the movie. One with be in the first scene where a dead man is seen floating face down a swimming pool. As the story went along, it was explained that the man was no other than Gillis, killed by the brokenhearted Desmond. The ending showed the most apparent self-reflexivity when Desmond told the cameramen and Mr. DeMille that she is already prepared for her close up. These scenes showed the element of metafilm where the film shows that there is a film being done inside the film as shown by the cameras and reporters getting near Desmond. And since the film was mixed with the realities of film-making, other Hollywood legends and stars such as silent-screen director Erich von   Stroheim (playing as Max von Mayerling, the devoted butler of Norma), a famous Hollywood director Cecil B. DeMille (playing as himself while doing the Samson and Delilah film when Norma, Joe, and Max went to Paramount), and also the aging silent era stars Norma used to play cards with (Buster Keaton, Swedish-born Anna Q. Nilsson, and H. B. Warner playing as themselves).   They also used the Paramount Studio itself. The movie Sunset Boulevard became the root of all pictures with social context and with regards to the movies it is so far one of the best creation of Wilder.   It was the inspiration for Robert Altman in doing the film The Player in 1992 based on a novel of Michael Tolkin.   In this film, the scene that showed self-reflexivity was shown when Griffin Mill was being blackmailed by the scriptwriter whose script he rejected before. Also, the scene that shows quality scripts and films being rejected by major film studios because of commercial value also show self-reflexivity because it actually happens it reality. In fact, director Altman suffered such discrimination when he was still a beginner. Throughout the film, over 60 cameo appearances of some key Hollywood stars, producers, and directors (all were playing the role as themselves) can be seen.   And since the location of the film was in Hollywood, most of the encounters with cameos were just coincidences and they also improvi sed dialogues. The act of self-reflexivity is shown in the movie because the director’s life has been slightly seen in some parts of the movie. Also, the movie is about Hollywood and the director, being a part of show business in Hollywood, knows what it takes to be in Hollywood and have experienced several situations and struggles from his profession like what the characters from his movie have suffered. A play about a romantic pair, Don Lockwood and Lina Lamont, was made in 1927 by Gene Kelly. The story is about the problem regarding the love affair of Don Lockwood and Lina Lamont which was developed from their profession. Being a romantic love pair during their time, they have been so famous that their audience wouldn’t want the pair to be performing without the other.   Yet, struggles came.   Lina have encountered problems regarding her voice and during that time is when Don meets an aspirant actress in the name of Kathy Selden to whom he fall in love after quite some time.   With this, the pair has been found to be in the edge of breaking up which the audience would not want to happen.   In resolution to this problem, Cosmo Brown, Don’s best friend and company to his profession, decided that they should dub Lina’s voice using the voice of Kathy.   But the dubbing was revealed to the audience when Lina made a speech and delivered a song. The act of self-reflexivity by Gene Kelly is shown in the movie because he had also encountered the same situation from his chosen profession as a dancer and choreographer. Self-reflexivity was also shown in the premiere night scene where while Lina was singing, the curtain was raised up and the real singer was revealed to them. As for Altman, a choreographer, he has been able to make a big name to his time. During his time as a choreographer he met Betsy Blair, an aspiring dancer during that time, to whom he falls in love.   This is the same situation as it was shown to his movie were Don met Kathy and falls in love with the latter.   Also the same situation is when Gene doesn’t want to continue his career without the presence of her beloved Betsy.   This was shown in the movie when Cosmo decided to dub Lina’s voice with Kathy’s voice so that they could still work together but with the sacrifice that the audience will not give any interest to Kathy, rather the account is for to Lina. References: Sunset Boulevard; Billy Wilder; William Holden and Gloria Swanson; Paramount; 1950 The Player; Robert Altman; Tim Robbins; Fine Line Features; 1992 Singin’ in the rain; Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen; Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor, Debbie Reynolds, and Jean Hagen; MGM; 1952

Renting, buying, or stealing software

Renting, buying, or stealing software Abstract The software industry is one of the most lucrative business ventures that make enormous contributions to the global economy. The process of software development involves several steps. Currently, the industry is growing at a very high rate. However, software piracy, risks slowing down the growth unless preventive measures are taken to stop the vice.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Renting, buying, or stealing software specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It affects both users and developers. Renting is one of the future prospects of the industry because of its cost effectiveness and high reliability for use by small businesses. In addition, buying and stealing will also determine the future of the software industry. Other factors that affect the industry include hardware theft, which infringes on the privacy of individuals. The software industry has several opportunities for developers. Therefore, it has a brig ht and promising future. Introduction The software industry has grown tremendously over the past few years. Several corporate and individual developers have emerged, and changed the industry tremendously. People develop software for three main reasons. These include fulfillment of certain business needs, fulfillment of certain user preferences, as well as for personal use (Commander, 2005). The process of developing software involves aspects such as research, development, prototyping, and maintenance. Software theft is one of the challenges facing software developers. It involves copying and subsequent use of software despite existence of copyright protection measures (Buxmann et al, 2012). Software sale is a lucrative business that has a bright future. Users buy, rent, or steal software. Current and future status of software Currently, software development is a very lucrative venture. However, its future is under threat due to piracy. The software industry has become very competiti ve with the entry of both individual and corporate developers. Currently, many organizations are changing their businesses in order to embrace technology (Whiting, 2004). Technology plays a critical role in helping businesses improve efficiency, and reduce the cost of operation (Commander, 2005). The information technology industry is providing solutions to businesses and organizations by developing software that caters for their needs. For example, Oracle develops business solutions that help businesses improve excellence, reduce costs, and improve risk compliance. This has created high demand for software and stimulated high competition among software developers (Buxmann et al, 2012). The industry has many opportunities because of increasing demands among various users (Whiting, 2004). Therefore, it has a very bright future. It is possible to make money from the industry by developing software that fulfills the various individual and business needs. Afterwards, developers can eith er sell or let their creations to users. For example, Microsoft makes an annual income of about $54,270 million from sale of software licenses, technical support, and maintenance.Advertising Looking for report on it? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More There are several advantages of renting software especially for small businesses. It is cost effective compared to buying, and it eliminates the need for ins of countries with the high levels of piracy include Armenia (93%), Libya (88%), Yemen (89%), Ukraine (83%), Vietnam (85%), Pakistan (84%), Sri Lanka (90%), Zimbabwe (91%), Bangladesh (92%), and China (82%). Examples of countries with low levels include the United States (20%), Germany (27%), the United Kingdom (26%), and Japan (23%). Software theft is both illegal and unethical. Stealing software and hardware Stealing software refers to copying, illegal use, distribution, or sale of copyright protected software. Peopl e steal software because of poor copyright protection legislation, low income, and high software prices (Honick, 2005). Software theft affects both developers and users. Developers lose money and reputation. For example, in 2010, software vendors in Pakistan lost $ 217 million in revenues. On the other hand, users do not get access to technical support from developers. In addition, they do not get access to updates and may buy products with malware agents or viruses (Fitzgerald, 2012). Software theft is preventable by storing license agreements safely and refraining from accessing suspicious websites. Hardware theft involves stealing of computer devices or constituent parts (Honick, 2005). It exposes the privacy of owners because thieves can access private information stored in computers or external devices. Software theft can be prevented by using real time location systems (RTLS) to track the location of computers, as well as keeping computers in secure rooms and safes (Honick, 20 05).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Renting, buying, or stealing software specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Conclusion The software industry has experienced numerous changes in the last decade. Users have the choice of either buying or renting software. Currently, the industry has many opportunities and experiences high competition. It has a bright future. However, software theft threatens growth in the industry. Software theft involves reproduction, illegal use, distribution, or sale of copyright protected software. It is common in countries such as Pakistan, Zimbabwe, China, and Libya. The United States has the lowest cases of piracy. On the other hand, hardware theft involves stealing of computer devices or parts. It promotes violation of individual’s privacy because many people store personal information in their computers and associated devices. References Buxmann, P., Diefenbach, H., Hess, T. (2012). The Software Industry: Economic  Principles, Strategies, and Perspectives. New York: Springer. Commander, S. (2005). The Software Industry in Emerging Markets. New York: Edward Elgar Publishing. Fitzgerald, B. (2012). Software Piracy: Study Claims 57b Percent of the World Pirates  Software. Web. Honick, R. (2005). Software Piracy Exposed. New York: Syngress. Pavley, J. (2013). Renting, Buying, and Stealing: the Future of Software Applications. Web.Advertising Looking for report on it? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Whiting, R. (2004). Industry Leaders Look to Software’s Future. Web.