What was the role of the media in the 2012 presidential elections Essay

What was the role of the media in the 2012 presidential elections - Essay Example The BBC monitoring group of the presidential election in Russia outlined the profiles of successful presidential candidates in the 2012 election. This move was meant to inform the public about the persons they were likely to elect into office. Key details presented were the lives, previous services, and eligibility factors for the five successful presidential candidates. In so doing, an assessment or evaluation concept emerges, where the candidates’ merit to the public can be prepared. This press document denotes one of the primary functions of the media towards the society. The ultimate objective is to have the media evaluate the relative political welfare in Russia. Trends in global politics have become deeply rooted in democracy. This democracy has subsequently resulted in the proliferation of diplomacy among world states. For the Discovery World, diplomacy is a diverse and dynamic concept. What this means is that approaches to diplomacy differ from one country to another. What constitutes effective and efficient diplomacy in Russia does not necessary do in the United Kingdom. This document, therefore, highlights interstate diplomacy, politics, and media engagement differentials. The idea is to mobilize the public to be more vigilant as they undertake their constitutional right of participating in presidential elections. Political outcomes are often uncertain and subject to criticism from different players in the public domain. This press file highlights arguments for and against the outcome of the Russian election of the year 2012. For the media, the primary focus is directed towards what observers said. However, the situation is different to the voters. Voters had five candidates to choose their president from. Whether or not the observers’ remarks were true, the voters reserved the secretion to elect the preferred president. Over and above the mere reporting of what

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Essay Example for Free

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Essay Charles Darwin once said that, â€Å"A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.† In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Sir Gawain is an honest and chivalrous knight, as seen in his pentangle, â€Å"The fifth five I find the famous man practiced Were – Liberality and Lovingkindness leading the rest; Then his Continence and Courtesy, which were never corrupted; And Piety, the surpassing virtue† (Gawain, 651-654). Sir Gawain’s chivalrous character seems superficial and wasted to some individuals because it means he cannot live a fulfilled life. In the words of Darwin, this would mean that Sir Gawain does not understand what the value of life is. Certain green objects, such as the green girdle, the Green Knight’s accoutrement, and the Green Chapel, represent the quest of truth in Gawain’s character and the understanding of the value of life, which is the ability to learn from mistakes and continuously grow as life goes on. The story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight begins with a mythical creature, the Green Knight, interrupting a New Year’s feast in King Arthur’s court. We can see that this green knight is the symbol for corruption and dangerousness, in comparison to the symbolism of Arthur’s court, including Sir Gawain, being orderliness and safety. He is clothed in all green garments, â€Å"And garments of green girt the fellow about—A two-third length tunic, tight at the waist† (Gawain, 151-152). The green in his appearance is the symbol for evil because he becomes the adversary of Sir Gawain, the one who challenges Gawain’s morality. The Green Knight’s weapons are also decorated in green, â€Å"The head of that axe was an ell-rod long. Of green hammered gold and steel was the socket, And the blade was burnished bright, with a broad edge† (Gawain, 211-212). The abundance of the color of green is important because it represents Gawain’s instability and uncertainty. The Green Knight uses the weapons to take three blows at Sir Gawain, but Gawain flinches before he is able to strike him. The creature leaves a scar Gawain’s neck when they finally clash; the wound is symbolic for the deterioration of Gawain’s knighthood. Sir Gawain was a person full of virtue and believed in the goodness of the world, as the poet describes him as â€Å"like gold well refined, He was devoid of all villainy, every virtue displaying In the field† (Gawain 633-635). He is called up to fight this  Green Knight. Before he starts his quest to encounter the knight, he is welcomed as a guest at Lord Bertilak’s castle to stay and rest easily for a couple of days. As a knight of King Arthur’s court, the Lord expects Gawain to be courteous and do whatever action the Lady performs on Gawain to the Lord himself. While the Lord is out hunting deer, boars, and foxes in the forest, the Lady sneaks into Gawain’s bedroom, closes the door shut, and attempts to seduce him like how her husband is hunting the animals. Following the code of the knights, Gawain tries to politely push the Lady away by dancing around the conversation and letting her down easy as he says, â€Å"‘Indeed, dear lady, you did better,’ said the knight, And solemnly as your servant say you are my sovereign. May Christ requite it you: I have become your knight’† (Gawain, 1276-1278). The knightliness forbids Gawain from growing as a person because chivalry is all he follows. When the Lady doesn’t get what she wants, she decides to takes another approach and challenges Gawain’s knighthood with a gift of the green girdle that contains magical powers such as immortality. Gawain finally commits an error by taking this gift from the Lady; the green girdle gives a hint at Gawain’s instability and uncertainty to be an honest knight. He is supposed to do what the Lady does to him back to the Lord, which means that Gawain is expected to give this girdle back to the Lord. Instead, Gawain ends up not doing so and tries to avoid telling the Lord what happened while he was out hunting animals. By sinning, Gawain loses all his virtues as a knight and finally begins to learn the value of life. The other prominent green object in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is the green chapel, where Sir Gawain and the Green Knight were supposed to meet for battle. His guide warns Gawain that no one has successfully defeated the mythical creature before. This doesn’t change his decision to fight the green knight. When Gawain finally reaches the Green Chapel, it is described as chaotic just like when the Green Knight interrupts King Arthur’s court. The poet describes it by saying, â€Å"It had a hole in each end and on either side, And was overgrown by grass in great patches. All hollow it was within, only an old cavern† (Gawain, 2180-2184). It outlines the true messiness and disorderliness of the place in great detail. The poet also describes the chapel’s satanic characteristics when he says, â€Å"‘O God, is the Chapel Green This mound?’ said the noble knight. ‘At such might Satan be seen Saying matins at midnight’†Ã‚  (Gawain, 2187-2189). These corruptive characteristics of the Green Chapel foreshadow the outcome of the duel between Gawain and the Green Knight. When the two of them finally encounter each other at the Green Chapel, the Green Knight claims that Gawain isn’t acting like himself, â€Å"‘You’re not Gawain,’ said the gallant, ‘whose greatness is such That by hill or hollow no army ever frightened him; For now you flinch for fear before you feel harm† (Gawain, 2270-2272). With his unique weapons, the Green Knight strikes three blows at Gawain, but only one of them has any impact on him. This scar on his neck is an example of Memento Mori, a keepsake that helps Gawain remember his mortality and ability to commit human error. Sir Gawain learns the true value of life through a convoluted process. He is no longer the chivalrous knight that he originally was because he makes the mistake of not telling Lord Bertilak, who turns out to be the corrupted Green Knight in disguise, about the gift of the magical green girdle. The Lord eventually finds out because he is actually testing Gawain’s ability to be a true knight. As a consequence of his lie, Gawain ultimately loses his perfectness and virtues. In the denouement of the poem, Gawain continues to wear the green girdle in Arthur’s court also as a Memento Mori, as a reminder of his mistake of lying, which signifies that he is finally learning from it and progressing altogether as a person.

Improving Primary Education In Rural Areas Education Essay

Improving Primary Education In Rural Areas Education Essay There is no doubt that the need of improving the quality of primary schools particularly in rural areas is very urgent for government. One of the most promising solution is through utilization of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). In this paper we present our effort and work in improving the quality of primary school teachers and the students learning process so that improves the quality of primary education. This work is part of our research project undertaken in Keerom Regency, Papua Province that is funded by Directorate General for Highly Education Ministry of National Education. Keywords: rural digital learning, primary school, teachers quality, students learning process INTRODUCTION The problem of national education quality has gained much attention recently. A major weakness in rural primary schools is the lack of qualified teachers needed to deliver the lessons in a classroom, primarily in Math and Sciences. Field observations show that most primary school teachers have non-Math and Science background and they deliver these subjects in conventional ways. The result, students misunderstand many abstract concepts of Math and Sciences [1]. The need of improving the quality of education for primary schools is urgently required, particularly for those in rural areas. In our recent studies, one of the most effective approaches to address this issue is by utilizing Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). Studies in [5] reveal that ICT is a key weapon in the war against world proverty in number critial areas including education, healtcare, government, trade, and small business support. Further, Teresa states that ICT-based solutions that work in develop countries cannot simply be transplanted to developing country environments. The solutions must be based on an understanding of local needs and conditions. Through funding grant from Directorate General for Highly Education Ministry of National Education, ITB Research Center on Information and Communication Technology conducts a research program to improve the quality of primary school teachers and improve the students learning process so that improves the quality of primary education, particularly for those in rural areas in Indonesia. In this paper, we report our effort and work on progress in designing and implementing ICT-based environment and learning process for primary schools in Keerom-Papua. In the next section, we provide the overview of related work. In section 3, we describe our work on designing and implementing ICT-based environment and learning process for primary schools in Keerom-Papua. Section 4 presents the challenges of deploying a digital learning system in rural area. Section 5 describes the conclusion of the research. RELATED WORK Our prior work in Research Center on Information and Communication Technology Bandung Institute of Technology suggest that ICTs plays important role as an alternative for delivering learning programs in primary schools such as through virtual class application. We hope that these programs can address some issues in rural areas including the disparity of high quality teacher distribution and the existence of many hard-to-reach geographical locations. Recent studies reveal that the use of ICTs will offer some benefit in improving the quality of primary education. ICT can broaden information access needed by teachers and students as foundation for developing knowledge-based community of teachers and students, ICT can improve the efficiency of learning process as well as improve the teachers and students skills, and ICT can maintain continuing and long life learning. Further, the use of ICTs for improving the teacherss quality and learning process is summarized as follows [1]: ICT for Teachers: developing teacher community network, learning resource repositories, and teaching best practices repositories. ICT for Class: creating virtual class that will help teacher delivering the lesson. ICT for Laboratory: consisting of virtual laboratory and sctructured computer lab. ICT for Students: creating a condusive environtment for students self-learning. ICT for Community: allowing the learning process to be delivered and conducted from anywhere and anytime (e.g. particularly from homes). Both of concepts of ICT for Teachers and ICT for Class have been implemented in a pilot project that was funded by ITB research grant [1]. The project involves two primary schools in Subang (representing rural primary school whose teachers have little knowledge about using computer), two primary school in Bandung (representing urban school whose teachers are computer literate) and one primary school in Cianjur (representing a sub-urban school with modest knowledge of computer usage). Learn from our own experiences, we bring that model to be implemented in Keerom-Papua. IMPLEMENTATION In this paper, we present our work last year in designing and implementing ICT-based environment and learning process for primary schools in Keerom-Papua. Actually, the system deployment consists of two main activities: i) deployment of digital learning infrastructure that is connecting all PC-based terminals and network devices through TCP/IP protocols and ii) deployment of digital learning programs that is providing several ICT-based learning applications and processes such as web-based teachers collaboration (ICT for Teachers) and virtual classroom (ICT for Class). WiFi-based Infrastructure The pilot project in Keerom-Papua involves three primary schools, as participants are SD Inpres I Arso 2, SD Inpres Arso 6, and SD Inpres Arso 7 and one secondary school as center of the community is SMAN Arso. Kantor Dinas Keerom is prepared for the future deployment. Table 1 shows the GPS-based survey from some locations. Table 1. The GPS-based survey Location Latitude Longitude Altitude Kantor Dinas Keerom S 2.91 E 140.77 69,1 m SD Inpres 1 Arso 2 S 2.91 E 140.75 57.3 m SMAN 1 Keerom S 2.87 E 140.74 43.1 m SD Inpres Arso 6 S 2.83 E 140.74 44.1 m SD Inpres Arso 7 S 2.77 E 140.76 35.0 m The deployment of digital learning infrastructure in Keeom-Papua is based on WiFi technology using star network topology [6]. The topology is one of the most common computer network topologies that are choosen because of the ability to isolate individual nodes in the maintenance and troubleshooting process. In that network, SMAN Arso acts as core node that is connected to SD Inpres I Arso 2, SD Inpres Arso 6, and SD Inpres Arso 7 directly using WiFi link as shown in Fig. 1. Figure 1. The mapping of some locations that will be networked in Keerom-Papua [Y] Considering several benefits, SMAN 1 Arso is choosen as a core network (see Fig. 2). SMAN 1 Arso lies in the middle of three primary school offering simplicity to implement star network with the school as the center of the network. This school has Internet connection to Jardiknas network provided by Ministry of National Education that will also provide Internet access for the participants. This school also has a computer teacher that is potentially grabbed as technical support for the sustainability operation of the digital learning infrastructure. Figure 2. The WiFi-based digital learning network using star topology in Keerom-Papua [3] The infrastructure is consisting of PC-based terminals and some network devices. In SMAN 1 Arso, we locate some devices such as a PC-based router, a digital learning server, a wireless access point, an IP Phone, and outdoor WiFi devices. In each primary school, we locate a virtual class box, a notebook, a wireless access point, an IP Phone, and WiFi devices. All of these devices are used to provide some digital learning services including web-based teachers collaboration and virtual classroom. Digital Learning Program From the five approaches of improving the quality of primary education, we have been implementing ICT for Teachers and ICT for Class. We will ellaborate each of these scenarios in the following section. The concept of ICT for Teachers relates to the use of ICT for providing electronic services to teachers and experts. It requires an Internet-based networking of teachers and experts so that allowing them to interact witch each other, to share learning resources and also teaching best practices [1]. This concept is being implemented in a pilot project undertaken in Keerom-Papua involving three primary schools (SD Inpres I Arso 2, SD Inpres Arso 6, and SD Inpres Arso 7) and one secondary school (SMAN 1 Arso) [7]. The participating schools are provided with PC/Laptop and software application as well as access to the Internet. With this infrastructure, a set of learning program are setup for teachers from participating schools. Similar to our pilot project in Bandung-Subang-Cianjur [1], among of them are chatting session in a certain time where all participating teachers interact with each other online as well as online discussion forum among teachers and experts (see Fig. 3). Figure 3. The WiFi-based digital learning network using star topology in Keerom-Papua The ICT for Class is implemented by providing a virtual classroom services for supporting distance learning. The main idea is that ICT will be used to allow a teacher help teaching a class in different school without having to physically attend to that school, for example using a recorded multimedia (offline mode) or through multimedia streaming on the Internet (online mode) [1]. Fig. 4 shows the diagram of online virtual classroom scheme through WiFi-based network in Keerom-Papua. In the online mode that uses teleconference and IP telephony system, a more interactive session can be conducted between students and remote teacher. Figure 4. Diagram of online virtual classroom scheme in Keerom-Papua [3] CHALLENGES The scenario for implementing ICTs in rural primary schools is difficult. Study by Misuraka show that there are a number of technological and human barries that treaten the utilization of ICTs, primarily in rural areas [4]. Our prior study also reveals that there are number barriers in the deployment of digital learning system in Keerom-Papua including the limitation of electricity availability, the bottleneck of WiFi-based intranet in several network paths, inflexibility of digital learning applications, and the human barriers in system operation and maintenance. In the future, some research activities will be conducted to address those issues. To overcome the human barriers, a combination of structured training and training-by-doing also will be conducted. CONCLUSION We have described our experiences last year in utilizing ICTs for improving the quality of primary school teachers and the students learning process so that improves the quality of primary education. A case study is undertaken in Keerom Regency, Papua Province. Today, the implementation of digital learning program is still in progress, particularly the implementation of ICT for Teachers and ICT for Class. Although the result of this research has not been conclusive yet, we believe that our research will be promising to address some quality issues of primary education, particularly in rural areas. ACKNOWLEDGMENT This research is partially supported by Directorate General for Highly Education Ministry of National Education and is conducted at Research Center on Information and Communication Technology, Bandung Institute of Technology.

Mystical Motifs in Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway Essay -- Virginia Woolf Mrs.

Mystical Motifs in Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway The scholarship surrounding Woolf’s mysticism by and large focuses on a psychoanalytical approach. While this paper will somewhat attempt to move away from a psychoanalytical methodology, it is valuable to examine the existing scholarship and the departures from this approach. Within this theoretical structure, the critical discussion further breaks down into two separate, though not incompatible, groups: those who see Woolf’s use of mysticism as a feminist statement and those who see Woolf as a mystic. I contend that both perspectives are valid and are inherent in Woolf’s application of mystical motifs, particularly in Mrs. Dalloway. Val Gough in his article â€Å"With Some Irony in Her Interrogation: Woolf’s Ironic Mysticism† makes an argument for Woolf’s ironic use of mysticism in her works as a feminist statement. Through various syntactical subtleties, Gough points out areas in Woolf’s work where â€Å"the mystic quest for truth [is portrayed] in a subtly skeptical manner† (Gough 86). Gough extends her use of irony to examine how it serves â€Å"to de-naturalize the relationship between text and reader, to make it overtly complex and problematic† (88). He contends that irony, in operating between the reader and the text, serves to break down, to some extent, the â€Å"stability of the sign and of supposed ‘absolute’ truth† (88). Ultimately, he concludes that â€Å"Woolf’s ironic mysticism†¦necessarily involves a feminist challenging of rigid structures of phallic (and imperialist) power, thus making it a mysticism of subversive, politically critical, feminist irony† (89). Gough’s particular approach is interesting because it contends that an ironic mysticism is inherently politicized and specifica... ...ulie. â€Å"Varieties of Mystical Experience in the Writings of Virginia Woolf.† Twentieth Century Literature Vol 41 Iss 4 (1995): 328-349. Minow-Pinsky, Makiko. â€Å"‘How then does light return to the world after the eclipse of the sun? Miraculously, fraily†: A Psychoanalytic Interpretation of Woolf’s Mysticism.† Virginia Woolf and the Arts. Pace University Press: New York 1997. Moore, Madeline. The Short Season Between Two Silences: The Mystical and the Political in the Novels of Virginia Woolf. Allen & Unwin: Winchester, Mass 1984. Rachman, Shalom. â€Å"Clarissa’s Attic: Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway Reconsidered.† Twentieth Century Literature Vol 18 Issue 1 (1972): 3-18 Smith, Susan Bennett. â€Å"Reinventing Grief Work: Virginia Woolf’s Feminist Representations of Mourning in Mrs. Dalloway and To The Lighthouse.† Twentieth Century Literature Vol 41 Iss 4 (1995): 310-327

Character Evaluation

The film that I have chosen is Shrek. The character that I will be referencing to is going to be the character Shrek. On the low end of the extraversion scale, he fits perfectly well. He is more on the shy side and likes to be by himself for the most part. You can characterize his personality by his actions and responses being introverted. He is a person that is not too friendly with everyone. You can say that he is grumpy majority of the time. He is not a people-friendly person, only to the people that he becomes friends with as the movie progresses on. Another character in this movie is Donkey. The main discussion between the two of these characters is that Shrek will not allow people to get close to him and only continues to push people away. He â€Å"fails to pause following punishment, pushing ahead to the next trial before learning from his mistakes. † (Text book citation) When it comes to meeting new people, his initial greetings is very extroverted. On the neuroticism scale, Shrek scored very high on this scale. There are many sign that he exhibits on the high end of this scale, including nervousness, moodiness, and hostility. When he is faced with different challenges, he becomes very irritable and very angry. This indicates that he is inferior with his coping skills. When it comes to adapting to his social responses to make the right for the situation, he has difficulty doing this. This is typical of neuroticism. These actions are shown throughout the film on a repeated basis. Shrek scores very low on the openness to experience scale. The only that that concerns him is getting back to his old life in the swamp. This is an area that he is use to. His is not immediately affected by his well being is he does not exhibit curiosity in anything new. When he is faced with new situation or new people, his general demeanor is to quickly become aggravated or cranky with any of these situations. On the F scale he exhibits cynicism and destructiveness. His response pattern overall is very hostile. Even though it may seem that Shrek is not agreeable or conscientious on the surface, he is very conscientious towards other people. He is a person that believes in working hard and strives to persevere in his endeavors. On the other end of the scale, he exhibits erratic behavior and being much unorganized. On the agreeableness scale, he is the epitome of the ogre. His enjoyment comes from teasing others and he is antagonistic. He is a person that is belligerent and very crude. These come from his overall persona.

Free Essays on Chinese Car Market

Introduction The aim of this report is to evaluate the suitability of China as a new foreign market for BMW and it ¡Ã‚ ¦s product cars. The suitability of China as a new market for BMW will be assessed in the PESTEL analysis. The degree of competition that already exists in China for cars will be evaluated in the Porter ¡Ã‚ ¦s Five Forces Analysis. In the report the extent of FDI present in China and the suppliers of the FDI will also be assessed in order to properly evaluate the suitability of China as an opportunity for BMW as a new market for cars. In addition a SWOT analysis will also be provided. On the basis of these findings the methods of market entry will then be analysed in order to be able to recommend BMW a method of market entry for access to the Chinese car market. PESTEL Political China is a communist state that however lately has become more influenced by the capitalistic style of the west. Regarding the Chinese car market it has undergone major reorganisation at the central government level resulting in that the State Economy and Trade Commission have become responsible for the car industry ¡Ã‚ ¦s macro planning. This is believed to result in decentralisation of power to provincial governments and automotive industry departments. (www.austrade.gov.au) Since China joined the WTO in December 2001, the Chinese government has made several changes that have an effect on the Chinese car market. In order to obtain know-how and technology the government is making efforts to attract FDI and international trade. Due to WTO agreements China has agreed to remove local content requirements. In addition other requirements from the WTO to open up the market such as reducing tariffs, removing quotas and allowing foreign companies to distribute their products in China, is making the Chinese market a much more easily accessed market to foreign companies who wish to enter the Chinese market. According to apecsec.org the government... Free Essays on Chinese Car Market Free Essays on Chinese Car Market Introduction The aim of this report is to evaluate the suitability of China as a new foreign market for BMW and it ¡Ã‚ ¦s product cars. The suitability of China as a new market for BMW will be assessed in the PESTEL analysis. The degree of competition that already exists in China for cars will be evaluated in the Porter ¡Ã‚ ¦s Five Forces Analysis. In the report the extent of FDI present in China and the suppliers of the FDI will also be assessed in order to properly evaluate the suitability of China as an opportunity for BMW as a new market for cars. In addition a SWOT analysis will also be provided. On the basis of these findings the methods of market entry will then be analysed in order to be able to recommend BMW a method of market entry for access to the Chinese car market. PESTEL Political China is a communist state that however lately has become more influenced by the capitalistic style of the west. Regarding the Chinese car market it has undergone major reorganisation at the central government level resulting in that the State Economy and Trade Commission have become responsible for the car industry ¡Ã‚ ¦s macro planning. This is believed to result in decentralisation of power to provincial governments and automotive industry departments. (www.austrade.gov.au) Since China joined the WTO in December 2001, the Chinese government has made several changes that have an effect on the Chinese car market. In order to obtain know-how and technology the government is making efforts to attract FDI and international trade. Due to WTO agreements China has agreed to remove local content requirements. In addition other requirements from the WTO to open up the market such as reducing tariffs, removing quotas and allowing foreign companies to distribute their products in China, is making the Chinese market a much more easily accessed market to foreign companies who wish to enter the Chinese market. According to apecsec.org the government...