Freedom vs. Predestination Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Freedom vs. Predestination - Essay Example In this context, the supernatural being has unlimited power and knowledge to control all of the human actions. On the other hand, freedom of human actions amounts to their free will that is the ability of an individual to act at his discretion exclusive of the constraints of fate (Thiroux & Krasemann, 2011). The above analysis clearly indicates the incompatibility of the human free will with the idea of an all-knowing supernatural being. Our inborn talent is an excellent example of predestination. The talents and gifts that we have are all the doing of a spiritual or cosmic force that is beyond us. However, we have control over the process of discovering and nurturing those talents. The choice of our backgrounds and families are issues that are beyond our control too. A poor background is the result of predestination but getting ourselves out of the poverty is a conscious decision (Thiroux & Krasemann, 2011). The current capitalist nature of our society increases our individual responsibility to both the state and our fellow human beings. The theory of free will is more applicable in today’s society rather than predestination. State laws, legislations and policies govern our actions and as such we may only exercise our free will to a limited level. Our conscience comes into greater play by constantly reminding us of what is good and what is evil (Thiroux & Krasemann,

Is social media really serving the purpose of making people more Essay - 1

Is social media really serving the purpose of making people more sociable or is it creating an introverted generation - Essay Example Despite these benefits of social networking, it has also resulted in undesirable effects such as widespread feeling of loneliness, loss of identity, and social alienation from the society. Thus, it is increasingly creating reserved individuals who are so much inclined to their thoughts and feelings with minimal societal interactions. The anonymity and lack of face-to-face interaction associated with most social sites such as Facebook and Twitter provide an opportunity for dissimulation of feelings and personal traits during communication. People feel freer to express their thoughts, which are not sincere on many occasions, on social media than in real life situations because nobody sees them. This kind of anonymity is a crucial factor that triggers human feeling of freedom from social responsibility, which often leads to negative consequences (Zimbardo 255). Furthermore, social media allows people to create false personalities and identify themselves with individuals different from who they are. As a result, they start detaching themselves from the rest of the community and later, this may cause certain communicational disability, social anxiety, and even asceticism (Zimbardo 225). There is a likelihood that exposure of these individuals who have masked their personalities through social media communication woul d be a social catastrophe. For example, the case of Facebook privacy breaches that has become a nightmare for its users. In addition, the fear of losing social media privacy has led to the appearance of cyberbullying, which is a huge problem nowadays. Social media bullies play on people’s dependency on social media images, so they often manipulate people by creating breaches in their social networking profiles’ security. It is also imperative to note that the cyberbullying contributes to the development of introspective tendencies of modern social media generation. Researchers in this area revealed that cyberbullying

Web Catalog Revenue Models Media Essay

Web Catalog Revenue Models Media Essay The web catalog revenue model is essentially an electronic version of the traditional catalog-based retail revenue model. This traditional model has been in existence for over one hundred years when catalogs of goods for sale were mailed to prospective buyers. Creating familiarity with a name or branding the goods has been an important factor in establishing reputation and creating strength in the name to attract potential customers. The web catalog model was formed through the evolution of the information era. With the advent of the internet and its increased availability, printed catalogs have been either completely replaced or supplemented by a digital online catalog reaching a wider audience in a shorter space of time. Just as the traditional catalog-based model, also known as the mail order or catalog model, allows buyers to order via mail or telephone, the web catalog model allows buyers to place their orders through online forms on the website or by telephone. Computers, electronics and household appliances capture a large part of online sales through web catalogs. There are many businesses that operate solely on the internet which use the web catalog model. Amazon.com is one such business that started off as an online book retailer but has since expanded into other markets such as music, clothing, toys, tools and much more. The web catalog model meets its challenges with customers who are not willing to send their personal information across the internet. Many internet users are fearful of their information, particularly credit card information, ending up in the wrong hands. How safe is their information in the hands of an online business? Although this fear has decreased considerably in the past ten years, this will always be a concern because as security improves, so does fraud and hacking. Digital Content Revenue Models Online businesses that use the digital content model either own or have the rights to this digital content, whether it is words, numbers, pictures or videos. Generally they offer some sort of subscription that allows a customer to access the content along with additional services such as full-text searching of various types of information. Digital copies of published newspapers, journals and magazines are sold or subscribed to and are sent to customers in various ways. The daily newspaper may be sent directly to a subscribers email address. An additional service may be applied where only topics that the subscriber is interested in are received. Legal, financial, corporate or government information may be periodically downloaded or mailed on a compact disc to subscribing businesses that need to update their records for their own reference and research. This revenue model allows companies to save time and money because digital information does not need to be printed or delivered. Advertising-Supported Revenue Models This revenue model generally offers free information or entertainment along with advertising messages which has been most apparent in television, radio and newspapers. Through the generation of revenue from advertising, such organizations are able to continue their existence. Advertising on the internet has its ups and downs and confidence in this model has not been very high in recent years. There was a lapse in this market between 2000 and 2002 and companies are only now beginning to show a increased interest in advertising online. One major problem with advertising on the internet is the fact that there are no specific measurements for charging for the service. How would a company know if they are charging too much or too little to run an advertisement on their website? Another problem is that not many websites have a wide enough viewer base that would encourage advertisers to place advertisements. How would an advertiser know that their message is reaching their target market? The website would have to collect demographic information from visitors in order to prove this. Visitors of websites are not always willing to provide such information due to concerns about their privacy. Web portals, Web directories and search engines make use of this model by taking advantage of the information they receive from visitors. Because visitors use these types of sites as a means of accessing other resources on the internet, information on what they are interested in is captured and advertisements of a similar nature can be displayed alongside the resources they are accessing. Newspapers have expanded into an online existence where they either offer all of their printed content on their website or just parts of it. There are concerns that the online version may reduce sales of the printed newspaper but the fact is, the advertising reaches a larger audience and there is greater exposure of the newspapers name. Advertising-Subscription Mixed Revenue Models Magazines publishers have been making the most use of this revenue model for many years now. They generate revenue through a paid subscription service that periodically delivers magazines to viewers and through some advertising. This model uses a lot less advertising than the advertising-supported revenue model. With the concerns of the online newspapers reducing the sales of printed newspapers, some newspaper publishers have found that adopting this model on their websites can help in making more use of their online resources, earning more revenue. They would generally offer some parts of the newspaper for free while other parts and features are only available to subscribed customers. For example, a non-paying viewer may be able to read todays news but cannot access articles prior to today. A subscriber can make use of all the content and may be able to use a search feature that would allow them to find archived articles of interest. It is common for magazines and newspapers to use different revenue models for their websites and their printed content. This helps maximise the generation of revenue for these companies. Fee-for-Transaction Revenue Models Businesses that use this revenue model offer services which they charge for based on the size of the transaction. This model has shown much success on the internet through travel agents, vehicle sales, ticket sales, financial services and others. By providing these services online, companies are able to remove the human agent as the intermediary (known as deintermediation) and introduce a website as the new intermediary (known as reintermediation). Fee-for-transaction revenue models generally generate revenue through the earning of commissions. The larger the transactions, the more they earn. Using this model on the internet offers some flexibility that businesses can take advantage of such as lower overhead costs and the ability to earn some extra revenue through some level of advertising. Fee-for-Service Revenue Model This revenue model is also service-based but instead of charging based on the size of a transaction, companies charge based on the value of the service. Some examples that make use of this model are professional services such as accounting and legal consultancy, streaming video services and online gaming. All of these examples charge a fee based on the service that the customer accesses. Recommendation for Cricket E-Zine The most suitable revenue model for the Cricket E-Zine would be the advertising-subscription mixed revenue models. By utilizing the flexibility of this model, the E-Zine can generate its main income through subscriptions without having to rely on financial support through heavy advertising. It is more desirable to have a magazine that offers more useful content with less advertising. A virtual community, or online community, is quite simply a method of meeting and interacting with people through the internet. The internet facilitates communication among its users where they talk about topics that interest them where they may share and receive information. By communicating and building acquaintances, interests are maintained and as users keep this alive an online community is established. There are several forms of virtual communities. Chat rooms, email lists, social networking, forums and blogging are some of the more popular forms. In defining the different forms of communities, we can identify possible options for use with the E-Zine and select a suitable combination that would add value, promote and attract subscribers. A chat room is a website that allows people to send and receive messages in text in real-time. Usually a chat room is based around a particular topic that multiple people can participate in. Plain text chat rooms now incorporate voice and video that help enhance the experience. Getting people from different parts of the world to meet online and collaborate at the same time can be a major problem because of the different time zones. Email lists overcome this problem since it allows a person to receive and respond to a message at a time convenient to them. Although emails can go back and forth within minutes, this method of communication is probably not best for a conversation. Emails are suitable for getting large amounts of text, files and other information to lists of people. A social networking site allows members to create a profile that shares information about themselves. Each member can connect with their friends, family and acquaintances and keep them in a friend list. Connected members can then see each others profile. As members reconnect with past friends and family, their social network becomes larger as they bring together contacts from the past and present while connecting with new people. Social networking sites are useful for word-of-mouth promotion. Businesses use this type of networking because the connections between members are so intertwined that information reaches a large audience without great effort. An online forum is a site where people discuss topics of interest through consecutive text-based messages that are posted by forum members for forum members. These messages can stay posted for many years as the site owner sees fit. Forums are widely used for receiving feedback, solutions and opinions from users who have experience, skills or knowledge on the relevant topic. They are usually monitored by forum administrators who keep messages from going off topic by either removing irrelevant messages or offering guidance to forum members. Forums are a great way of creating a large archive of information from people all over the world. Because of their longevity they become an excellent source for primary research. A blog, like a diary, is a journal of events, experiences or opinions except it is written online for others to read. Businesses may use a blog to keep their customers informed on what they have been up to, current activities and what they can look forward to. Although blogging is one way communication, there is usually an area for readers to make their comments. These comments are essentially a forum for discussing the particular blog. A blog must be properly maintained because once it is read, interest starts to diminish. Effective blogging is a great way to spark interest in new readers and attract a sort of fan-base, which is a good marketing technique. All of these virtual communities can be useful in different ways to add value to the E-Zine but the effects versus the efforts are variable. Conversations that can develop in a chat room may not be relevant to cricket or the E-Zine and could become useless to the magazine. One way a chat room could be used in this application is to provide assistance to subscribers or to encourage a potential subscriber to take the final step in signing up. The chat should generally be lead by staff of the E-Zine to ensure the chat rooms are made useful and not abused. Email lists are an excellent way of reaching out to people who have an interest in cricket. Recipients of these emails have signed themselves up to receive cricket information. This offers a direct tap into a group of people who are definitely interested in the sport. Certain types of information and promotions can then be sent with confidence knowing that people would be more receptive to the messages. Social networking sites are useful for boosting online presence and getting traffic to flow to the E-Zine website. It is easier to direct traffic than to create traffic. Because social networking sites are generally high traffic sites and information flows far and wide, it is easy to tap into this network and spread messages that bring attention to the E-Zine. It is positive promotion that has no geographical boundaries. Including a forum within the E-Zine website helps create its own online community The E-Zine Community. Subscribers and forum members can communicate with each other about the sport and similar topics while forum administrators maintain the relevance of comments. A forum is an excellent place to gather informal feedback that would help the E-Zine improve its operations and create special offers that would attract subscribers. Blogging may be most useful to the E-Zine during important times within the cricket world. For example, having a blog during the Cricket World Cup would spark interest for site visitors who come across these posts that may lead to an interest in the E-Zine. The best combination of communities that should be used for the E-Zine is the email lists, social networking sites and a forum. The chat room and the blogs could be used as secondary options but they would not play a major role in the promotion of the E-Zine.

Flight 93 :: essays papers

Flight 93 Flight 93, the flight that crashed near some fields in the outskirts of Pennsylvania. But what was it doing there? What caused the plane to miss its target and crash? These answers may soon be revealed when detectives can finally examine the planes black box, found just recently. Many answers however can be found through other pieces of info that have come up along the way during the investigations. For instance, the multiple calls made to family members as well as 911 from the frantic passengers. Mark Bingham for instance called 911, as well as his mom telling her he loved her and that the plane was being hijacked. Another man called 911 screaming that they were being hijacked and that he heard some sort of explosion and saw white smoke coming from the plane. Then there was Tom Burnett, who called his wife saying the hijackers had already stabbed to death one passenger and that he intended to do something about it. A Jeremy Glick called his relatives saying the same, that he and some other passengers were intending to fight the hijackers. These calls brought up the thought that perhaps some passengers on board had fought the hijackers, keeping them from controlling the plane, and sending it crashing to the ground. Another theory is that the pilot, Jason Dahl might have purposefully crashed the plane to prevent the hijackers from taking it over. Or perhaps that Dahl had cut off the planes fuel with out the hijackers being aware. It was said that the plane looked like it went straight down; and that the plane had almost completely disintegrated on impact leaving a hole several feet deep. Another theory was that perhaps the U.S. Military had shot down flight 93 as to prevent it from taking aim at another important government building. But these claims have been sharply denied by Pentagon officials. The FBI says to the question if it has been ruled out or not that it is â€Å"kind of a loaded question.

Art is long, life is short Essay

For centuries people have felt enormous need to leave their trace in the world’s history. Some of them followed the line of least resistance – destruction, on the contrary of those who created things, art. I would like to tackle the problem of art and human life. To start with I feel like giving the definition to the notion â€Å"art†. I think it is quite true that art is the way of self-expression, the external manifestation of an internal state. It’s very hard for me to tell when the art starts, whether at the moment the idea appears, or at the time of the first physical effort to do it. What you need is to feel it. Furthermore, art never stops its existence. Tajmahal, works of Leonardo and Bach are going on living and influencing their creators’ descendants. Why does it happen? From my point of view, feelings which are born under ‘pressure’ of pieces of art are important in developing the system of world outlook and values. This is why art may be called eternal. Human lives, on the contrary, are too short comparing to the works of art. Moreover, one life is definitely not enough to cognize philosophy of life and art in all it manifestations. The only chance for human beings not to sink in the depths of history is to become a creator, creator of art, so that to live in his own works. For example, contemporary society knows little about Homer, his way of life; however, his immortal â€Å"Odyssey† is still lauding to the skies its author, making him alive after death. Thinking over the above mentioned I may conclude that art is a reflection of inner world and special unique vision of outside world, which is going on living even after its author’s death.

King Oedipus Essay

* In one of the early Greek tragedies written by Sophocles in 470 BC, ‘Oedipus the King’ demonstrates the arrogance portrayed by human nature which he therefore turns away the obvious truth. This early Greek Myth shows the way in which Oedipus, the King of Thebes, is so arrogant in wanting the truth in regards to the mishaps that shroud his land and so persistent that he is ultimately leading himself into his own demise. * Oedipus’ arrogance is demonstrated very early on in the play, when his uncle ‘unknown at this time’, Creon, returns with news from the Gods. On his arrival at the palace of Thebes, Oedipus demands the news. Creon is reluctant though as he brings only bad news, â€Å"If you want my report in the presence of these people†¦I’m ready now or we might go inside†. Oedipus in reply say’s, â€Å"Speak out, speak to us all. I grieve for these my people, far more than I fear for my own life†. This ignorance to accept advice from Creon, led the problem to become public to the people of Thebes, which later results in Oedipus’ own demise as he had the potential to deal with it privately. * When Oedipus calls upon the Oracle Tiresias to prove this theory of banishing the murderer of Laius from his land, he is confident in himself that he can discover and devastate the curse which clenches his city state in its grasp. He is however mistaken in his views as when he calls upon the oracle, a new truth is revealed. The refusal of the oracle to relay the truthful message of the god’s to Oedipus infuriates him. â€Å"I will never reveal my dreadful secrets†, from the Oracle’s refusal comes Oedipus’ bewilderment as to the refusal of his command. â€Å"You’re bent on betraying us, destroying Thebes?† Due to Oedipus’ constant taunts towards the Oracle, the truth is finally revealed and shock and bewilderment fill him up and untold stories and cobwebs within Oedipus’ life are revealed, much to his shock and disbelief. * As Oedipus rose to the thrown through his bravest of actions his demise was the result of his only weak links, his arrogance and self confidence. As the truth unfolds in regards to the murder of King Laius, so does the unfolding of the hidden secrets in Oedipus’ life creating shock and horror among his nation’s people as to the darker side of their hero. He is so determined to provide his people with another act of heroism that he is blinded to the obvious truth that he could of learned through himself when hearing the words of the Oracle, telling him to drop the matter. It is through his own thoughtless actions that undermine the power in which King Oedipus once held firmly in his grasp, confirming his own responsibility in his destiny.

Explain What Qualities You Think a Best Friend Should Have and Explain Giving Examples Why You Think This Essay Example

Explain What Qualities You Think a Best Friend Should Have and Explain Giving Examples Why You Think This Essay Example Explain What Qualities You Think a Best Friend Should Have and Explain Giving Examples Why You Think This Essay Explain What Qualities You Think a Best Friend Should Have and Explain Giving Examples Why You Think This Essay Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart. ? Anon I think this is a very good definition of a best friend, But the quality makes a true friend. Best friends don’t have to be best in study or work, but he or she have to be best in their morality or in another word quality. First of all I think the honest of a friend is the most important quality a best friend should have, if a friend will lie to you, there will be no trust between you and her, and we all know the friendship is base on trust and true. Just imagine if your best friend is not honest, so she always tell you the things is not true, for example in a business she knows this plan will make you fail and loss a lot of money, but she still tell you this is a perfect plan and you listen to her, it will not only hurt yourself but also hurt a lot of people who is helping you, it might break the trust of you company. And because of this failure your future is possibly going to change, and your confidents will decrese . Secondly I think a friend have to be good at listen to your voice but not only talk and care about herself in another word selfish. Think if there is a friend you just care about herself you help her a lot but she don’t know to do anything for you or even think I should listen to her opinion or problems, how terrible is that. My teacher told me listen is the best beauty in the world, so if your friend knows this best beauty she must be one of the best of your best friend. Fr. Jerome Cummings said Friend is one who knows us, but loves us anyway. So a friend need to be generous to you this not means she will always give you gift or gives you benefit all the time but it means she will pardon you when you make mistake and help you to correct your mistake, taking you out from the bad situation. Never tease you and laughing at you. This is what I think a best friend should have.