Effect of the Internet on Global Cultures

Effect of the Internet on Global Cultures How has the spread of communications technology affected cultures around the world? Assess the extent to which the internet is a medium for western culture alone. Communications technology includes all electronic systems, such as telephones, telex, fax, radio, television, video, the internet and email that individuals and groups use to communicate with each other (BNET Business Directory, 2010). Culture involves a set of shared values, attitudes and beliefs. Cultures vary widely throughout the world, not just between countries but also within countries. Additionally, each broad culture contains ‘sub-cultures and these can include different religions or racial groups, as well as groups of people who simply share the same values, attitudes and beliefs such as in ‘youth sub culture. There is no doubt that modern-day, communications technology, and the consequent globalisation of the mass media, is helping to break down traditional cultural boundaries and creating what is commonly referred to as a ‘global culture. A global culture involves the spread of popular cultural icons, which often dilute or ride roughshod over local cultures threatening the vast cultural diversity in the world. A positive consequence of the inexorable advance of communications technology is that people around the world can become aware of, and share in, each others culture thus encouraging diversity and discouraging intolerance. Indeed, Nobel laureate Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio believes that if the communications technology in place today had existed at the time of Hitlers rise to power then his criminal plot may have been buried under the weight of worldwide, public ridicule and intolerance (Cooper A, 2009). A negative consequence of ‘globalisation is that Western, and predominantly American, culture has gradually imposed itself around the world, usually to the detriment of long-established, indigenous cultures. Jan Aart Scholte (2002), of Centre for the Study of Globalisation and Regionalisation at the University of Warwick goes further by suggesting that creeping globalisation is creating a consumer-centred, single world culture that is focussed on all things American and the English language. Also, for those analysts who are opposed to globalisation, this type of global culture is accused of slowly killing diversity and tolerance as well as eradicating traditional ways of life. The internet is now in the forefront of this worldwide infiltration of culture by communications technology with nearly 7 billion people, 26% of the worlds population, having access to this medium (internetworldstats.com, 2010). The use of personal computers is a phenomenon that has its roots in Western culture with its inherent concepts of democracy and the freedom of communication between individuals although it has often appeared that communications technology has been largely responsible for the destruction of cultural values of all kinds, and not just those in the West (Barton D.T. et al, 2009). The internet, and in particular Social Networking Sites (SNS), are becoming increasingly popular. The Facebook SNS, for example, has over 350 million members worldwide (Facebook, 2009) and the market research company, Nielsen Online, reported in March 2009 that the Twitter social networking site had increased its membership by an astonishing 1,689% from February 2008 to February 2009 (Whitworth, D. 2009). However, despite growth in Asia, the usage of such sites still remains largely in the Western world and predominantly in America (techcrunchies.com, 2009). Also, although penetration of the internet generally is far greater in Western cultures than elsewhere, the actual number of internet users is higher, at 51% of all users worldwide, in non Western cultures. Indeed, the highest per centage of users, 42.6% (738.2 million individuals), is concentrated in Asia (internetworldstats.com, 2010). In conclusion, it can be seen that the spread of communications technology has affected cultures around the world with particular concerns over the proliferation of western style culture at the expense of other ways of life. However, not all of the cultural outcomes have been negative as evidenced by the positive impact of communications technology on cultural diversity and tolerance. Also, the perception that the internet is a medium for Western culture is true in terms of penetration but not in terms of the numbers of actual users. In addition, the misconception that the global dissemination of information can be controlled, and thereby the impact of communications technology on cultures could, if desired, be mitigated is a mistaken one in the view of globalisation gurus David Held and Andrew McGrew: ‘Many national controls over information have become ineffective. People everywhere are exposed to the values of other cultures as never before (Held and McGrew, 2003. Page 17). Reference List Barton D.T., Pope, J.W., and Stratton, J., 2009. ‘Computers, Telecommunications and Western Culture. . Accessed 13.02.10. BNET Business Directory, 2010. ‘Definition for: Communication Technology. . Accessed 13.02.10 Cooper A, 2009. ‘The Role of Technology in Promoting Tolerance. . Accessed 13.02.10 Facebook, 2009. . Accessed 13.02.10 Held, D. and McGrew, A., 2003. ‘The global transformations reader: an introduction to the globalization debate. Polity Press, Cambridge, Page 17. internetworldstats.com, 2010. ‘World Internet Users and Population Stats. . Accessed 13.02.10 Scholte, J. A., 2002. ‘Globalization – A Critical Introduction, Macmillan Press Limited, London. Page 23. techcrunchies.com, 2009. ‘Reach of Social Networks among Internet Users in Asia Pacific. . Accessed 13.02.10 Whitworth, D. 2009. BBC Newsbeat website. ‘Twitter growth explodes in a year. . Accessed 13.02.10

Microbiology Lab Report

Page I – Cover sheet In the middle f the page give name and number of your microorganism In the right lower corner provide – your name – Lab section number (Biol 108-005) – Date submitted ( 4/18/2013) – the unknown tube # is 5 Page II table of result – This page will have your table of results include the following information – Name of the test – Medium used – Indicator used – your results Part III – All the test done As many pages as needed to do a complete job. n this section you are describing in detail all the tests that was done( all of the chemistry and biochemical reactions) – color change that indicates negative results with explanation which means the substrate, enzyme, products, media, indicator and negative and positive result – the enzyme that are needed for the reaction to take place – indicate what role of medium in the reaction is -what reagent is needed to identify the f inal product Part IV – discussion of Results -as many pages as needed to do a complete job this is the most important part of the report. Read com/chapter-8-microbial-genetics/">Chapter 8 Microbial Genetics Discuss in a logical and step by step how you concluded that you had a certain microorganism. If you had gram negative organism you need to explain which organisms were part of the study and how you eliminated three of them. – To convince your reader you need phrases like; – This negative result† suggested † that my organism is Proteus Vulgaris – this negative result â€Å"confirmed or Reaffirmed† that the organism is Proteus Vulgaris Part V (one page) significance of your particular organism: – Pathogenic, resident flora, or opportunist organism – Disease caused -Symptoms – Treatment – Other related information NOTE: Science writing is brief, concise and down to the point. Avoid long introductions and sentences this paper is due on the 18th which mean tomorrow at 7 am Thank you Please remember to separate each part separately also she accepts this formula too like: tryptophase Tryptoph———— 212;———— Indole Enzyme

The Cause of Dystopia in Animal Farm

In George Orwell’s Animal Farm, the humanistic characteristics in the animals led them from forming a utopia, to a dystopia. In the beginning of the novel, Old Major leads the animals in the song Beasts of England, encouraging a rebellion against Mr. Jones. After the revolution, the animals began to work towards their utopia, but they began to turn into what they despised, and their utopia began to fall apart. This book shows how human corruption completely destroys a government that is set up to serve the people. Orwell achieves this by giving each of the characters a different human quality. In Animal Farm the pigs symbolize politicians and the upper class. They lie, cheat and steal from the animals that they are supposed to serve; and they make promises that they know they can never keep. Napoleon and Squealer are the two main pigs who take over after Snowball is chased off of the farm. Squealer would constantly justify the horrible actions of Napoleon as for the betterment of the animals. Once after Napoleon took all the apples and milk for the pigs, Squealer says: â€Å"Comrades! † he cried. â€Å"You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of selfishness and privilege? Many of us actually dislike milk and apples. I dislike them myself. Our sole object in taking these things is to preserve our health. Milk and apples (this has been proved by Science, comrades) contain substances absolutely necessary to the well-being of a pig. We pigs are brainworkers. The whole management and organization of this farm depend on us. Day and night we are watching over your welfare. It is for your sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples. † The selfishness and greed of the pigs not only makes them into what they hated the most, but it also caused to animals to lose their trust in them and to dislike them. Another group of animals in Animal Farm that show human qualities is Boxer and sheep. Boxer is a large and powerful horse to buys into animalism and works the hardest on the farm. He agreed with everything that Napoleon said, and his catchphrases were: â€Å"I will work harder† and â€Å"Napoleon is always right. † Boxer also saves the farm on multiple occasions, but in the end, Napoleon sold him to a glue factory to be killed. Boxer represents the working class, which is used by the government to its advantage, and then never cared for again. Boxer’s complete trust in the government led to his own misfortune. The sheep were totally gullible animals. The believed whatever they were told and repeated it. Boxer and the sheep represent individuals who whole-heartedly follow the government, no matter what. This quality leads to a dystopia because when the followed exactly what Napoleon described, they failed to realize that the government was no longer working for them as intended, but they for the government. Also in Animal Farm, Clover and Benjamin were two animals who were not as trusting of the government, but went along with it anyway. Clover also represents the working class, but she also had her own doubts about how Animalism was being run. Her deepest concerns are expressed after Napoleon’s executions: â€Å"As Clover looked down the hillside her eyes filled with tears. If she could have spoken her thoughts, it would have been to say that this was not what they had aimed at when they had set themselves years ago to work for the overthrow of the human race. These scenes of terror and slaughter were not what they had looked forward to on that night when old Major first stirred them to rebellion. Benjamin on the other hand, was entirely cynical of Animalism, because he knew that it would not work out. He was aware of the fact that life on the farm would go on just as it had, no matter who controlled the farm. These two animals represent two different ideas displayed by those who are under the jurisdiction of the government. Having two separate ideas can lead to dissention in the people, causing a dystopia. Finally in the end of the novel, it is seen that pigs taught themselves how to walk about on two feet, which is completely contradictory to their original ideology â€Å"Four legs good, two legs bad. In the last chapter of the book, it is said when the pigs had humans in the farmhouse for a meal, that â€Å"The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which. † The animals originally believed that it was the humans that caused them their dystopia, but in the end, it was the humanistic characters in the both the animals themselves and the humans as well that caused a dystopia.

World War I An Overview of 1915

With the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, large-scale fighting commenced between the Allies (Britain, France, and Russia) and the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire). In the west, Germany sought to utilize the Schlieffen Plan which called for a swift victory over France so that troops could then be shifted east to fight Russia. Sweeping through neutral Belgian, the Germans had initial success until being halted in September at the  First Battle of the Marne. Following the battle, Allied forces and the Germans attempted several flanking maneuvers until the front extended from the English Channel to the Swiss frontier. Unable to achieve a breakthrough, both sides began digging in and constructing elaborate systems of trenches.   To the east, Germany won a stunning victory over the Russians at Tannenberg in late August 1914, while the Serbs threw back an Austrian invasion of their country. Though beaten by the Germans, the Russians won a key victory over the Austrians as the Battle of Galicia a few weeks later. As 1915 began and both sides realized that the conflict would not be swift, the combatants moved to enlarge their forces and shift their economies to a war footing. German Outlook in 1915 With the beginning of trench warfare on the Western Front, both sides began assessing their options for bringing the war to a successful conclusion. Overseeing German operations, Chief of the General Staff Erich von Falkenhayn preferred to focus on winning the war on the Western Front as he believed that a separate peace could be obtained with Russia if they were allowed to exit the conflict with some pride. This approach clashed with Generals Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff who wished to deliver a decisive blow in the East. The heroes of Tannenberg, they were able to use their fame and political intrigue to influence the German leadership. As a result, the decision was made to focus on the Eastern Front in 1915. Allied Strategy In the Allied camp there was no such conflict. Both the British and French were eager to expel the Germans from the territory they had occupied in 1914. For the latter, it was both a matter of national pride and economic necessity as the occupied territory contained much of Frances industry and natural resources. Instead, the challenge faced by the Allies was the matter of where to attack. This choice was largely dictated by the terrain of the Western Front. In the south, the woods, rivers, and mountains precluded conducting a major offensive, while the sodden soil of coastal Flanders quickly turned into a quagmire during shelling. In the center, the highlands along the Aisne and Meuse Rivers too greatly favored the defender. As a result, the Allies focused their efforts on the chalklands along the Somme River in Artois and to the south in Champagne. These points were located on the edges of the deepest German penetration into France and successful attacks had the potential to cut off the enemy forces. In addition, breakthroughs at these points would sever German rail links east which would compel them to abandon their position in France (Map). Fighting Resumes While fighting had occurred through the winter, the British renewed the action in earnest on March 10, 1915, when they launched an offensive at Neuve Chapelle. Attacking in an effort to capture Aubers Ridge, British and Indian troops from Field Marshal Sir John Frenchs British Expeditionary Force (BEF) shattered the German lines and had some initial success. The advance soon broke down due to communication and supply issues and ridge was not taken. Subsequent German counterattacks contained the breakthrough and the battle ended on March 13. In the wake of the failure, French blamed the result on a lack of shells for his guns. This precipitated the Shell Crisis of 1915 which brought down Prime Minister H.H. Asquiths Liberal government and forced an overhaul of the munitions industry. Gas Over Ypres Though Germany had elected to follow an east-first approach, Falkenhayn began planning for an operation against Ypres to begin in April. Intended as a limited offensive, he sought to divert Allied attention from troop movements east, secure a more commanding position in Flanders, as well as to test a new weapon, poison gas. Though tear gas had been used against the Russians in January, the Second Battle of Ypres marked the debut of lethal chlorine gas. Around 5:00 PM on April 22, chlorine gas was released over a four-mile front. Striking a section line held by French territorial and colonial troops, it quickly killed around 6,000 men and forced the survivors to retreat. Advancing, the Germans made swift gains, but in the growing darkness they failed to exploit the breach. Forming a new defensive line, British and Canadian troops mounted a vigorous defensive over the next several days. While the Germans conducted additional gas attacks, Allied forces were able to implement improvised solutions to counter its effects. Fighting continued until May 25, but the Ypres salient held. Artois and Champagne Unlike the Germans, the Allies possessed no secret weapon when they began their next offensive in May. Striking at the German lines in Artois on May 9, the British sought to take Aubers Ridge. A few days later, the French entered the fray to the south in an effort to secure Vimy Ridge. Dubbed the Second Battle of Artois, the British were stopped dead, while the General Philippe Pà ©tains XXXIII Corps succeeded in reaching the crest of Vimy Ridge. Despite Pà ©tains success, the French lost the ridge to determined German counterattacks before their reserves could arrive. Marshal Joseph Joffre. Photograph Source: Public Domain Reorganizing during the summer as additional troops became available, the British soon took over the front as far south as the Somme. As troops were shifted, General Joseph Joffre, the overall French commander, sought to renew the offensive in Artois during the fall along with an assault in Champagne. Recognizing the obvious signs of impending attack, the Germans spent the summer strengthening their trench system, ultimately constructing a line of supporting fortifications three miles deep. Opening the Third Battle of Artois on September 25, British forces attacked at Loos while the French assaulted Souchez. In both cases, the attack was preceded by a gas attack with mixed results. While the British made initial gains, they were soon forced back as communication and supply problems emerged. A second attack the next day was bloodily repulsed. When the fighting subsided three weeks later, over 41,000 British troops had been killed or wounded for the gain of a narrow two-mile deep salient. To the south, the French Second and Fourth Army attacked along a twenty-mile front in Champagne on September 25. Meeting stiff resistance, Joffres men gallantly attacked for over a month. Ending in early November, the offensive at no point had gained more than two miles, but the French lost 143,567 killed and wounded. With 1915 coming to a close, the Allies had been bled badly and had showed that they had learned little about attacking trenches while the Germans had become masters at defending them. The War at Sea A contributing factor the pre-war tensions, the results of the naval race between Britain and Germany were now put to the test. Superior in numbers to the German High Seas Fleet, the Royal Navy opened the fighting with a raid on the German coast on August 28, 1914. The resulting Battle of Heligoland Bight was a British victory. While neither sides battleships were involved, the fight led Kaiser Wilhelm II to order the navy to hold itself back and avoid actions which can lead to greater losses. Off the west coast of South America, German fortunes were better as Admiral Graf Maximilian von Spees small German East Asiatic Squadron inflicted a severe defeat on a British force at the Battle of Coronel on November 1. Touching off a panic at the Admiralty, Coronel was the worst British defeat at sea in a century. Dispatching a powerful force south, the Royal Navy crushed Spee at the Battle of the Falklands a few weeks later. In January 1915, the British utilized radio intercepts to learn about an intended German raid on the fishing fleet at Dogger Bank. Sailing south, Vice Admiral David Beatty intended to cut off and destroy the Germans. Spotting the British on January 24, the Germans fled for home, but lost an armored cruiser in the process. Blockade and U-boats With the Grand Fleet based at Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands, the Royal Navy imposed a tight blockade on the North Sea to halt trade to Germany. Though of dubious legality, Britain mined large tracts of the North Sea and stopped neutral vessels. Unwilling to risk the High Seas Fleet in battle with the British, the Germans began a program of submarine warfare using U-boats. Having scored some early successes against obsolete British warships, the U-boats were turned against merchant shipping with the goal of starving Britain into submission. While early submarine attacks required the U-boat to surface and give warning before firing, the Kaiserliche Marine (German Navy) slowly moved to a shoot without warning policy. This was initially resisted by Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg who feared that it would antagonize neutrals such as the United States. In February 1915, Germany declared the waters around the British Isles to be a war zone and announced that any vessel in the area would be sunk without warning. German U-boats hunted throughout the spring until U-20 torpedoed the liner RMS Lusitania off the south coast of Ireland on May 7, 1915. Killing 1,198 people, including 128 Americans, the sinking ignited international outrage. Coupled with the sinking of RMS Arabic in August, the sinking of Lusitania led to intense pressure from the United States to discontinue what had become known as unrestricted submarine warfare. On August 28, Germany, unwilling to risk war with the United States, announced that passenger ships would no longer be attacked without warning. Death From Above While new tactics and approaches were being tested at sea, an entirely new military branch was coming into existence in the air. The advent of military aviation in the years prior to the war offered both sides the opportunity to conduct extensive aerial reconnaissance and mapping over the front. While the Allies initially dominated the skies, the German development of a working synchronization gear, which allowed a machine gun to safely fire through the arc of the propeller, quickly changed the equation. Synchronization gear-equipped Fokker E.Is appeared over the front in the summer of 1915. Sweeping aside Allied aircraft, they initiated the Fokker Scourge which gave the Germans command of the air on the Western Front. Flown by early aces such as Max Immelmann and Oswald Boelcke, the E.I dominated the skies into 1916. Quickly moving to catch up, the Allies introduced a new set of fighters, including the Nieuport 11 and Airco DH.2. These aircraft allowed them to regain air superiority prior to the great battles of 1916. For the remainder of the war, both sides continued to develop more advanced aircraft and famous aces, such as Manfred von Richthofen, The Red Baron, became pop icons. The War on the Eastern Front While the war in the West remained largely stalemated, the fighting in the East retained a degree of fluidity. Though Falkenhayn had advocated against it, Hindenburg and Ludendorff began planning an offensive against the Russian Tenth Army in the area of the Masurian Lakes. This attack would be supported by Austro-Hungarian offensives in the south with the goal of retaking Lemberg and relieving the besieged garrison at Przemysl. Relatively isolated in the eastern part of East Prussia, General Thadeus von Sievers Tenth Army had not be been reinforced and was forced to rely on General Pavel Plehves Twelfth Army, then forming to the south, for aid. Opening the Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes (Winter Battle in Masuria) on February 9, the Germans made quick gains against the Russians. Under heavy pressure, the Russians were soon threatened with encirclement. While most of the Tenth Army fell back, Lieutenant General Pavel Bulgakovs XX Corps was encircled in the Augustow Forest and forced to surrender on February 21. Though lost, XX Corps stand allowed the Russians to form a new defensive line further east. The next day, Plehves Twelfth Army counterattacked, halting the Germans and ending the battle (Map). In the south, the Austrian offensives proved largely ineffective and Przemysl surrendered on March 18. The Gorlice-Tarnow Offensive Having sustained heavy losses in 1914 and early 1915, the Austrian forces were increasingly supported and led by their German allies. On the other side, the Russians were suffering from severe shortages of rifles, shells, and other war materials as their industrial base slowly retooled for war. With the success in the north, Falkenhayn began planning for an offensive in Galicia. Spearheaded by General August von Mackensens Eleventh Army and the Austrian Fourth Army, the attack commenced on May 1 along a narrow front between Gorlice and Tarnow. Striking a weak point in the Russian lines, Mackensens troops shattered the enemy position and drove deep into their rear. By May 4, Mackensens troops had reached open country causing the entire Russian position in the center of the front to collapse (Map). As the Russians fell back, German and Austrian troops moved forward reaching Przemysl on May 13 and taking Warsaw on August 4. Though Ludendorff repeatedly requested permission to launch a pincer attack from the north, Falkenhayn refused as the advance continued. By early September, the Russian frontier fortresses at Kovno, Novogeorgievsk, Brest-Litovsk, and Grodno had fallen. Trading space for time, the Russian retreat ended in mid-September as the fall rains began and German supply lines became over-extended. Though a severe defeat, Gorlice-Tarnow greatly shortened the Russians front and their army remained a coherent fighting force. A New Partner Joins the Fray With the outbreak of the war in 1914, Italy elected to remain neutral despite being a signatory of the Triple Alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary. Though pressed by its allies, Italy argued that the alliance was defensive in nature and that since Austria-Hungary was the aggressor it did not apply. As a result, both sides actively began courting Italy. While Austria-Hungary offered French Tunisia if Italy remained neutral, the Allies indicated they would allow the Italians to take land in the Trentino and Dalmatia if they entered the war. Electing to take the latter offer, the Italians concluded the Treaty of London in April 1915, and declared war on Austria-Hungary the following month. They would declare war on Germany the following year. Italian Offensives Due to the alpine terrain along the frontier, Italy was limited to attacking Austria-Hungary through the mountain passes of the Trentino or through the Isonzo River valley in the east. In both cases, any advance would require moving over difficult terrain. As Italys army was poorly equipped and under-trained, either approach was problematic. Electing to open hostilities through the Isonzo, the unpopular Field Marshal Luigi Cadorna hoped to cut through the mountains to reach the Austrian heartland. Already fighting a two-front war against Russia and Serbia, the Austrians scraped together seven divisions to hold the frontier. Though outnumbered more than 2 to 1, they repelled Cadornas frontal attacks during the First Battle of the Isonzo from June 23 to July 7. Despite severe losses, Cadorna launched three more offensives during 1915, all of which failed. As the situation on the Russian front improved, the Austrians were able to reinforce the Isonzo front, effectively eliminating the Italian threat (Map).