Mitch Tooley

English Assessment Plaster cast and Fresh bait The stories I have chosen to talk about today are Plaster Cast by Archimede Fusillo, and Fresh Bait by Sherryl Clark. I have chosen to talk about these particular stories, because the ways in which they are similar captured my interest when reading them. Both stories feel as if they are written from end to beginning. They unfold slowly, keeping the reader in rapt suspense, on the edge of their chair, until the very end, when the story takes its last breath to reveal to the reader the horrible, unforeseen truth.The authors of these two stories employed many techniques to create works that are similar in some ways, dissimilar in others. It is these different techniques I will talk to you about today. One of the most important elements of a short story is characterization. In both stories, the author intertwines the concepts; confusion and suspicion to portray their individual protagonists, letting out small details to intrigue the reader a nd make them wonder about the characters. In plaster cast, Miranda (the main protagonist) is a new art student entering gruesome sculptures into her school art show. uote â€Å"They’re not fit for a school art show† pg49 Her character is slowly developed and revealed through these sculptures, that seem eerie and â€Å"too lifelike† for comfort. Similarly to Plaster Cast, the character traits of the main protagonist in Fresh Bait are revealed slowly. The unnamed character remains to the reader a mystery, as we are left to stumble slowly yet blindly after her on her strange journey. Similarly to Miranda, the anonymous hero in Fresh Bait seems somewhat strange to the people around her who cannot understand the peculiar things the does. uote â€Å"I walked back a few paces, bent down and noted his number plate. † Pg19 Structure Language Technique comparison The Technique in these stories is quite different. In fresh bait the language techniques mostly include adjectives, listing and a few similes and metaphors, quote â€Å"Called up the list in my head again. Blue Holden new. Sales Forty-Fifty. Finger. † Pg21. This quote is an example of listing. The language techniques in the plaster cast mostly include adjectives and repetition. Quote â€Å"They could be living things. Breathing, pulsating, living things. † Pg49

Opinions of Jane Goodall

The work of Jane Goodall has been recognized by many people around the world. Her contributions have been significant in our world today. Although most comments and opinions of her work have been positive, there are also people who oppose what she has done as well. She has studied chimpanzees and their behavior since she was of a young age, giving plenty of time for opinions to form regarding her as a person and her work as well. The positive opinions of Jane Goodall outweigh all the bad ones. Based upon interviews of my colleagues, the comments were all of the positive nature. They believe that Goodall has definitely made a difference in our world. She has helped us discover the theory of evolution and how this could actually be true. She also taught us where humans get some of their behavior based upon those of the chimpanzees. Moreover, people admire her determination and moral standards. She has founded the Jane Goodall Institute and devotes all of her time protecting the chimpanzees and their environment as well as supporting the research at Gombe. She is thought of as a role model because she is devoted to something that she does not have to do, she does her work because she cares and is determined to do what she loves. On the other hand, some primatologists have suggested flaws in Jane Goodall’s methodology which may call into question whether or not her observations are valid. Some say she did not use the right practices, for instance, naming the primates instead of numbering them, to eliminate the chance of having emotional attachment. Also, critics also say she did wrong by using feeding stations to attract the Gombe chimpanzees. It was suggested that the more aggression occurred because of artificial feeding, creating the â€Å"wars† that Goodall talked about. There were not many negative opinions of Goodall as a human being, she was just criticized of her work and the way she went about doing things. Like every person out there, there are people who approve or disapprove of someone and what they do. Jane Goodall made a difference in the way we think about evolution and our behavior. She helped us understand where we could have perhaps gotten some of our attributes and what affects our behavior. The chimpanzees were similar to humans, in the way that they behave and the way they go about in our daily lives. Jane Goodall has given everyone something to think about and continues to so, making amazing contributions even today.

Explain promotion and the promotional mix Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Explain promotion and the promotional mix - Essay Example The use of these of apps has boosted the use of location-based services in that users are experimenting the use of the new services more and more (The Economist, 2010). A company can provide its application which can be used by the user to locate the nearest branch of the company or the smart-phone user can get to know the different products offered by the company and the available offer. Many people are accessing social networks for instance Facebook and Twitter by making use of mobile apps. The use of smart-phones with these mobile apps has facilitated the growth of location-based services as people are now at ease sharing their information (The Economist, 2010). Many people are using Facebook to update on their location and also companies can use the social network to target individuals of a particular location. People are using Twitter to share information on the location which in turn can be used by companies to target consumers based on their location. The activity of offering targeted advertising basing on the location of the user should be primarily being an exercise to organizations to increase their slice and utilize the available local advertising market. Since the prime objective of location-based advertising is to make the brand to be more known to people, the activity should not be used for other unethical acts such as trying inflicting the privacy of users (Pelau & Zebreanu, 2010). Location-based advertising is a better method of wining consumers based on their location. But firms should put measures to safeguard the privacy of the users. Location-based advertising is facilitated by the rapid and increased use of mobile phones. The service is of great significance in that it facilitates consumers to interact more with their preferred brands. The advertisement targeting the user based on their location is intelligent, immediate, intimate and also innovative (Pelau & Zebreanu, 2010). These are the features which make

The Wannsee Conference Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Wannsee Conference - Essay Example According to the study the plan based on the deportation of Jewish population of both French North Africa and Europe to areas occupied by Germans in the Eastern Europe. The Jews fit for labor were to be used on road building projects, in the event of which they would perish in accordance with the Wannsee protocol. Those who would still be surviving would be annihilated after projects’ completion. As the Soviet and Allied forces pushed back the German lines, many of the German Jews who occupied Europe were taken to concentration or extermination camps, or were killed in cold blood. This paper highlights that Heydrich opened the meeting with a remark of the measure taken on the anti-Jewish in Germany from the time Nazi seized power in 1933. He uttered that 530,000 Austrian and German Jews had emigrated between 1933 and 1941. He got this information from a briefing paper that was prepared for him by Eichmann who had become an expert on practicalities of finding a solution of the â€Å"Jewish question†. He had gained his experience in the organization of forceful emigration of the Viennese Jews in the year 1938. Heydrich reported to the members in the meeting that there were about eleven million Jews in the entire Europe. He then retorted that out of this number half were in countries that were not under German rule. Evacuating the Jews to the east was his provisional solution to the problem as emigration of the authorities had prohibited the evacuation European Jews. Heydrich cleared on the ultimate fate intention for the evacuees. He said that under prope r guidelines, in the line of the final solution, the Jews were to be allocated labor appropriately in the east. Jews of able-bodies separated by sex were to be taken to heavy work columns in road construction sites. It was assured that in the event of the actions, a large number would be eliminated by natural factors.  

Causes of Homophobia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Causes of Homophobia - Essay Example I hope this research will provide insights with regard to the underlying causes of homophobia. Why some people fear homosexuality and others not? The answer might seem straightforward at first and it is easy to put blame on the stereotypical gender roles produced by what Judith Butler called hegemonic heterosexual matrix. However, it is important to understand homophobic psyche without any bias so that underlying roots of their fears could be revealed. I think it is essential to grasp their views in order to assuage their homophobic fears, if such thing is possible. Why homosexuality arouses such a strong response and hatred in some people? What are they truly afraid of? This annotated bibliography aims to explore the explanatory frameworks for homophobic people’s reactions. It is very difficult to understand why some people hate gays to the extent that they wish them dead or even attempt to kill them. I would like to dig the deeper causes of their homophobic fears. Furthermor e, I also hope to find out if there is a gender differentiation with regard to homophobia and whether males are more prone to homophobia than females, and whether lesbianism is more acceptable than its male counterpart. This research also aims to examine the possible links between homosexuality and sexuality of homophobic people. I would like to know if their fears are related with their own sexuality and if it is linked with their own oedipal struggles. Adams, Henry A., Lester W. Wright and Bethany A. Lohr. â€Å"Is Homophobia Associated With Homosexual Arousal?† Journal of Abnormal Psychology 105, No. 3 (1996): 440-445. Henry Adams and his colleagues conduct a survey with the participation of a group of homophobic men and a group of non-homophobic men in order to investigate the role of homosexual arousal in homophobic people. They find a positive correlation and reveal that the group of homophobic men shows increased penile erection to male homosexual tapes. Their finding is consistent with the psychoanalytical theories which conceptualize homophobia as latent homosexuality. The article is very useful in a sense that it shows what homophobes are truly afraid of: their own homosexual tendencies. However, the research does not answer why they fear their own sexuality. Nevertheless, it is also not clear that why homophobes represses their homosexual tendencies while homosexuals don’t, it might be related with the gender matrix theory or with their deeper differences vis-a-vis the oedipal struggles. Bleich, David. â€Å"Homophobia and Sexism as Popular Values†. Feminist Teacher 4, no 2/3 (1989): 21-28 In his article, David Bleach argues that sexism is the oldest form of social domination and tries to prove Lerner's claim about the primordiality of sexism. He conducts a survey with the participation of 115 first -year students at Indiana University and examines their essays on homosexuality. He notes that almost %20 of the students (both men and women) gave utterly homophobic responses, including a passive participation in a gay-bashing incident, and they expressed their homophobic feelings under the cover of Christianity. Bleich also quotes the essays of his students who compared homosexuality with the apocalypse and approved that gays should be stoned or killed, or they just â€Å"don’t deserve to live†. Bleich also notes that there was one man in the class who is courageous enough to confess that every heterosexual young men in the class including

The United Nations and international order Essay

The United Nations and international order - Essay Example From the research it can be comprehended that when the Great powers came together in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, the prevailing issues that obviated the need to form the United Nation were limited to those factors that characterized oppressive powers in Germany, Japan and Italy. Thus international order was perceived in an entirely different way than it is perceived today. Moreover, the founding fathers were embattled having just endured a major war and wanted to take advantage of the failures attributed to the League of Nations in that it had not been able to prevent a Second World War. The resolution was perceived as cooperation among the international community. However, the veto powers and the virtual autonomy of the five permanent members to the United Nation illustrate that the United Nation has been far from cooperative in coping with the prevention, management and cessation of breaches of the peace. Be that as it may, since the establishing of the United Nation the world has not suffered through a world war. It can therefore be argued that maintaining the world peace may not require international cooperation as called for by the United Nation. However, having regard to the proxy wars in the Middle East, the Gulf Wars and many other conflicts and humanitarian crimes, the effectiveness of the United Nation in maintaining international order, peace and security is seriously in doubt... Similarly, the UN decided on promoting peace and security via a framework that consisted of an â€Å"international organization† as opposed to the League of Nation’s framework of a global government.4 Thus the UN set out to consciously distance itself from the failed League of Nations. Setting the general tone of equality among the international community, Article 2(1) of the UN Charter 1945 specifically states that the UN was â€Å"based on sovereign equality of all of its Members†.5 The UK and the USSR were opposed to the UN becoming involved in anything outside of political and security issues. Even so, it was determined that the UN could not be effective without the authority to delve into the underlying root causes of armed conflict such as the economic, social and ideological factors the create tensions among and within states.6 In this regard, the UN’s mandate in maintaining international order would be somewhat expansive. It would not merely limit the scope of its authority to actual conflict, but would take on a much broader role in the international order. Early Challenges to the UN’s International Order Agenda The Allies of the Second World War were for all intents and purposes the founding fathers of the UN. Collectively, the Allies were the world’s Great Powers, having successfully defeated fascism and the Nazi powers. Thus the Great Powers assumed a pivotal role in the UN’s peacekeeping mandate that was designed to maintain and regulate international order. At the time, the main powers with the authority to negotiate peace and order were vested in the US and the USSR. The prevailing belief was that world peace and security was not possible unless the Great Powers cooperated and coordinated efforts to prevent and punish â€Å"aggression†. 7

Difference - A platform to better understand human beings today Research Paper

Difference - A platform to better understand human beings today - Research Paper Example Looking back at world history, the Holocaust was one of the worst disasters the world has ever seen; under the orders of Hitler, millions of Jews were killed for no reason at all1, only because he believed that the world would be a better place without Jews living in it. This was a very conservative opinion which led to hatred and contempt among people and for a long time, these emotions persisted among the people. Even today, it is hard for many people to accept each other belonging to different nations, religions and castes; however such segregation and discrimination is condemned today by international laws of human rights. The Holocaust was carried out in various stages; concentration camps were set up where Jews were thrown in and treated worse than anything else on the planet, however it must be noted that Hitler wanted to display his hatred towards other groups of people like homosexuals, disabled people, political and religious opponents, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Prisoners of War from the Soviet, Polish and Soviet civilians etc. People belonging to all these categories, excluding Jews, were made to suffer in the concentration camps at Auschwitz where they were used as slaves or menial labourers following which most of them died of diseases and starvation. Those that survived such laborious work were ultimately thrown into gas chambers were they were finally killed. Women and children were also made to suffer along with men in these camps and many a times were even used to conduct medical experiments on2. Doctors and psychologists that took up such work were extremely cruel and heartless and tested out life threatening experiments on these people, using them as mere guinea pigs. This entire episode was extremely traumatising and shocking for people all over the world that heard about the news; the mention of Hitler’s name would send a chill down people’s spines. It was further decided, with the Nuremberg Laws that there needed to be a ce rtain code of conduct for people to follow and that those who violated the rules of human rights would have to pay for the consequences. At that time, there were very few men brave enough to stand up against the Reichs and tell the Nazi soldiers regarding the injustice that they were practising because of the fear that had been put in their minds against Adolf Hitler. Thus, people faced a harsh challenge of not being able to survive with cultural differences and practice civic responsibility. The punishment today for treating another human being in a cruel manner is extremely harsh and even imminent death. With the help of this shocking incident during Hitler’s reign, people today are able to understand that it is alright to have different kinds of people living in the world alongside each other. It is quite a normal and natural phenomenon to live in a community filled with people belonging to different religions, races and gender orientations. As opposed to the past, today, people have become increasingly efficient and do understand where their responsibilities lie with respect to treating other people in their vicinity. It is important to understand the philosophy of being able to deal with a community of different people in a fair and transparent manner. Governments all over the world

Voting, Campaigns, and Elections Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Voting, Campaigns, and Elections - Research Paper Example However, it is crucial for both the candidates and the government that the public steps out to cast their vote because the candidates realize the importance of each vote that is cast in their favor. The government, similarly, in a democratic set-up looks to establish a government that is the masses choice. Thus, Voter turnout is an essential aspect in determining the people who should come into power. Apart from these, it instills the sense of contribution in the people’s minds and they feel virtuous, bring down the level of societal imbalance in terms of corruption, crime etc. Before and after all major elections, voter turnouts are measured. This is to ascertain expected votes that can be cast, and the actual votes cast on Election Day. The differential is researched extensively to determine the reasons for less than 100% turnout. Total eligible voters who have registered themselves, form the voters’ pool and turnout is calculated by surveying them and conducting rese arches. These can be done by calling the prospective voters up to ask of their participation in the elections can be expected. Other ways include mailing pre-stamped survey cards and holding internet polls. However, the accuracy of such mediums is not certain due to the study that many people are not truthful about not voting to give a favorable picture to themselves (Holbrook and Krosnick 328). According to a research by internationalcomparision.org, in the region of Australia and Germany the voter turnaround during the period of 2013 was 92% and 71.55%, in Canda it was 61.41% during 2011, in France it was 80.35% in case of parliamentary elections and in United States it was 68% in presidential elections during 2012 and in United Kingdom it was 66% in parliamentary elections during 2010 and In United States it was 38% (internationalcomparison.org 1). This shows that as compared to other countries of the developed world, the turnout statistics for the United States is fairly low, ev en though the Americans are said to be more politically active and aware as compared to other countries. According to a study conducted by Bingham Powell, this low turnout can be attributed to 5% political attitudes, 14% to the rigid restriction laws and 13% to the institutional factors and party manifestos (Powell Jr 17). However, there is no proof that this study is prevalent in this age as well. As far as Texas- as one of the lowest turnout regions in the United States- is concerned, an election study conducted by the George Mason University on 2010 elections showed that the total turnout in the US was 41% and Texas turnout amounted to 32% (Mcdonald 1). A number of times mayors have been selected upon a turnout of less than 10% of the total potential voters in Texas. The common reasons identified for this lapse are lack of proper information, ignorance and fear. Frequent elections-Primary, general, and special elections- and lack of belief in the legitimacy of the candidates are also attributed to this behavior. Historically, the state of Texas has had the most conspired voting schemes and regulations that were imposed and then reversed due to public pressures. Many instances of candidates using electoral donations for personal use has also lessened people urge to step out and practice their right. Since Texas is inhibited by minorities of all ethnicities

Global conflict Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Global conflict - Term Paper Example he focus of conflict in Indian society (as well as being a point of contention between India and Pakistan and the impetus point of separatist movements), but rather will look at recent events and conflicts in the area using these theoretical concepts to shed light on the nature of conflict resolution in this area. To negotiate a resolution to this conflict as a UN representative, I am planning to focus, using utilitarianism and moral naturalism, on the overweening issue of genocide prevention. Traditionally, the US and UN have been rather less involved than Britain in brokering a solution in this area, and the UN has mostly stated its position in terms of doling out praise and making assurances. I also feel that India and Pakistan can agree and come to terms that Kashmir is a sensitive issue. It appears that the Indian and Pakistani conflict over Kashmir, and Pakistan’s support of rebel fighters there, is at the very heart of the matter, rather than a factor to be sidelined as a non-issue in the peace-brokering process. One may feel as a UN representative that putting Kashmir up for discussion is asking too much; in any case, this assumption is not as clear as it could be. In terms of applying key concepts to this situation, one can see the Indian state as being the dominant group and the Kashmiri people as being the subordinate group. By suppression of separatist movements in the area, the Indian state is engaging in dominant acts of power designed to reinforce the status of the Kashmiri people as subordinate, and by fighting against this subordination. Many of the issues of minority-group consciousness and racism that can be associated with the situation are actually the result of not racism per se, but religious prejudice, since Kashmiri has such a dominant Muslim population. This causes problems in acculturation which can be seen from a perspective of moral naturalism, in that those that are perceived as the Kashmiri people do not want to assimilate

70's Television Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

70's Television - Essay Example This was a time when people were deeply involved with the Hippie movement, people wore bell bottom jeans and wore peace signs and the nation first heard the sounds of recording artists like David Bowie and The Beetles. (Mishkind). By this time the nation had also seen the assassination of Malcolm X, and had had all ready lost one of the most beloved presidents of all time to assassination, John F. Kennedy three years early. This was a time when people were protesting for their civil rights with Martin Luther King leading many marches in Selma Alabama and other southern states to bring equal rights to blacks in America. The Walk of Peace was created in New York City to protest the Vietnam War; it drew a small crowd of 10,000 people. These events shaped the culture of Baby Boomers as they donned their Hippie attire or corporate suits to show the world their individualism and to protest anything worth protesting at the time. Many young adults "tuned in and tuned out" with Timothy OLeary with the drug LSD that was becoming more popular than marijuana for some people. By 1967, television was seeing a variety of sitcoms and variety shows that attempted to entertain the American public. People were able to sit at home and watching fantasy shows like "Batman" and "Bewitched" and more. By 1967, "Batman" was the hottest television show with Burt Ward and Adam West heading the show with a host of criminals like "Catwoman," "The Joker, " and "The Riddler." It was silly, campy and funny with its weird camera angles and jocularity; and we cant forget "Rocky and Bullwinkle" (Ingram). Within all of this fun in September of 1967 audiences would be totally immersed in one of the most popular shows of all time: The Carol Burnett Show. Carol Burnett and her host of characters was joined by Harvey Korman, Lyle Waggoner, Tim Conway, and Vickie Lawrence with one single goal: to

Continuous devastation Essay Example for Free

Continuous devastation Essay The story of a jellyfish in Quinn’s book represents quite an original psycho-philosophical approach to the problem of evolution. The story is made up in a form of a dialogue. A person, telling a story argues, that man is a highpoint of evolution, and the opponent applies something like a doctrine of relativity, explaining, that the world has not always been made for man and it can be ascertained, that once the world will be made for someone else again. For the speaker, evolution has finished as man appeared, because there is no more way to evolve, thusly, he advocates a theory of extremity of evolution. And while man is a final product of evolution, he can be mentioned as ultimate and supreme creature and the whole world is made for him. To contest such a conclusion the opponent turns to a relativistic approach, trying to concretize the concerned time. A jellyfish serves as example of such relativity, because in case a researcher appeared on the shore of an ocean 500 million years ago, he would find nothing more perfect, than a jellyfish on earth. Therefore, a jellyfish could reasonably believe, that it is a supreme creature, because man was just to appear and has not yet become factual. The evolution ended with jellyfish and the world was made for jellyfish. For Quinn, the core difference between jellyfish and man in the matter of evolution is that a jellyfish does not tell stories, and a man does. Therefore, he invented a religious dogma to justify his superiority and to prove, that the evolution indeed ended with man. Nevertheless, religions remain human inventions and can serve as justification only for other humans. The conclusion is quite pessimistic for humanity: once there can appear a creature, which overpasses man just as we overpass a jellyfish. Question 2 It should first be pointed, that Ishmael sees agriculture as violation of natural laws. Humans do not listen to the voice of mother-nature which tells â€Å"take what you need and leave the rest†. In spite of doing so, man starts producing surpluses, taking more, than he needs. Production of surpluses leas to expansion of population in proportion to food supplies and is not limited by any cultural or technological barriers, finally resulting in environmental and natural phenomena, which limit population growth. Quinn compares such processes to a system of checks and balances. Women’s fertility in the regions with high surpluses production lessens year after year, until it falls below reproduction rate. Quinn suggests, that population still continues to grow globally, although population may fall locally, and this depends on the type of society. Industrial societies are much less reproductive, since people have less incentive for reproduction. Agrarian societies and their members need a lot of children, often just of economic reasons, because children are future working force. For Quinn there is one positive effect from present model of population growth. This is unsustainable pressure on nature and biosphere, leading to extension of about 200 species daily. The situation is especially dramatic in non-European countries, where industrialization, combined with traditionally high birth rates, would lead to catastrophic increase of pressure on nature. Question 3 The next link between food supplies and population growth, which is proposed by Quinn is embodied in term â€Å"food race†. He compares such a race with the arms race during the Cold war. For him, human population is determined by food supplies just as with any other animals. In case food supplies grow – population and civilization grow. Sometimes the inverse relationship is possible and food supplies grow as the population grows. Consequently, there are two variables: population and food supplies, which are mutually dependant. The primary difference with the Malthusian catastrophe concept is that fro Quinn, population can never exceed it’s food supplies. It will just not grow big enough to consume more food, than it produces. Quinn himself explained, that the problem of Malthus is that â€Å"How are we going to feed those people? †, and his problem is â€Å"How are we going to stop producing all those people? †. So, Quinn saw population growth as function of food supplies with direct correlation between them. Under his concept, a population merely can not overgrow it’s food supplies, because more people are going to produce more food. Nevertheless, it can be pointed, that Quinn does not consider secondary factors, for example, ability of the Planet itself to produce enough food. Quinn believes, that there can be two endings for food race – either abandonment, or catastrophe. It is therefore up to human discretion whether to sensually stop reproduction or face overpopulation and finally decline. Question 4 Quinn defined two major types of humans dependently on their attitude to nature – Takers and Peacekeepers. Takers are those, who are usually referred as civilized. Their culture came to the world with the beginning of agricultural revolution 10 000 years ago. Takers considered themselves the masters of nature, for whom the world has been created, and so man has a right to conquer the world. They think, that the world belongs to man. The reverse of their ideas is a belief, that there is something fundamentally wrong with people. Man does not know how to live properly because that knowledge is unobtainable and related to some divine revelation. Peacekeepers, named Leavers by Quinn represent a pretty different approach. They consider themselves just a part of Nature and try to limit their influence on it by taking nothing more than they need from their environment. They think, that a man belongs to world. Quinn uses an example of Cain and Abel. Cain symbolizes ancient tribes of farmers, who already acted as takers, and Abel presents prehistoric tribes of Semite herders. Undoubtedly, herders have much smaller influence on nature, since they do nothing to change it. Killing Able by Cain, therefore, is s Symbol of Taker’s victory over Leavers. Takers indeed easily overcome the Leavers in the process of evolution, because they enjoy much greater opportunities to increase their food supplies and consequently the population. However, in the remote prospective, their way leads to disaster due to overpressure on nature. The Leaver’s approach is more respective to nature and allows to retain it for longer time, so prospectively the Leaver’s idea seems to be preferential. Question 5 Quinn uses a figure of a pedaling airman and an aircraft as a civilization metaphor. He speaks, that humans in the last several thousands of years are Takers, â€Å"who are in the air, but not in the flight†. He compares a modern taking man to a person, who has brought some flying machine to a top of a cliff and attempts to fly. For some time he could really think, that he is able to fly, because his apparatus does not longer stand on the top of a cliff, and a man finds himself in the air. However, only a little time later a man discovers, that he flies down towards his death. Under Quinn, this happens, because man is not familiar with natural laws. He looks like an inventor, who attempts to fly without knowledge of laws of aerodynamics. Similarly, humanity, which is not aware of natural laws is likely to fall down. The basic mistake of a man is that he believes, that it is he, who pilots the aircraft, although it is piloted only by natural laws. Not having a sufficient instrument to make his machine fly, man looks like a pedaling pilot, who tries to move his plane by means of bicycle pedals. It is obvious, that pedals are not good enough to bring an aircraft into motion, so man falls down. Such fall is a direct result of Taker’ conviction, that the world is made for man. Many humans just ca not believe, that their effort to pilot such a strange aircraft would lead them only to death and annihilation. Question 6 The poster, which is observed by the character of a story puts forth one of the key questions of Quinn’s book. Gorilla here is likely to represent those other creations of nature, which share our planet with us, humans. It is impossible to say whether they should be reviewed separately from nature, Separation is human feature, and gorilla’s never tried to oppose natural processes. So, they can both be regarded as nature itself and as inhabitants of that nature. The first part of a slogan: â€Å"With Gorilla gone, will there be hope for man† is more or less clear. Quinn points, that continuous devastation of nature would lead to devastation of man, who can not survive without nature. The second part: â€Å"With man gone, will there be hope for Gorilla† is less obvious. It can seem, that in case humanity died out, natural balance would be restored. In other words, gorilla does not need man to survive. To answer the question we should consider, that finally a man is also a part of nature, same as gorilla is, so distinguishing of man would also violate natural balance. Therefore, destroying humanity to save nature appears to be an extreme, same as extreme of human’s supreme power over nature. So, humans need to find a third way – a way of clever cooperation with nature. They need to once again become part of the world and be in a way similar to gorillas.

Complete Home Automation Using Zigbee

Complete Home Automation Using Zigbee Chapter 1 Introduction to Home Automation HOME AUTOMATION What is automation? When you have automatic control on different things and functions at your home then we can say that you have home automation. This automation can be via aRemote or wired. simply things can be control according to your wish in history differentMethod and techniques are use to implement the home automation. Why people day by day are inclined towards home automation. there are lots of reason behindThis but the main reason is that you dont need to rebuild your home, you dont need to moveThe walls of home, it is easy to implement and without investing lot of money you can install itAt your home. a middle class person can afford the expense of home automation. ItsInstallation is very simple and easy. And a very y less time is required to automate the whole Home with different available products. Home automation gives a facility to user that he can control the things according to his wish inVery easier way. home automation may include different task like home security, a utomaticOn/off of lighting, control of sound system and etc. In a home automation a user can control the Things from any place in the home. Also sometime a user himself can implement home automation in his home via differentProducts those are easily available in the market. Plus points of home automation There is a reason that why till now most people keep on using home automation facility. theMain reason is that they got much convenience in using home automation. as in modern age aPerson want to do lot of work. also with the lavish style of life people are going to be lazy andThey want much convenience in work of their life. so to get convenience they need homeAutomation in their daily life. Let take an example of first home automation application. the first home automation exampleWas the TV remote control. before this application you have to face lot of difficulties like you?Have to sit near the television to change the channels and to control the volume. also you haveTo wake up at a particular time to turn on your TV set. Now with the help of a single remoteControl you can do all this task easily. how much convenience you can get with a single homeAutomation product. you can observe from the above example. Human desire never comes to an end. so the invention of single remote contr ol was not theUltimate goal. it was the initialization of home automation. different home automation taskWere keep on adding in home automation like heater, washing machine, control of lights, warm your mattress before you enter the room, and automation heating and cooling of yourWashroom water before the few minutes earlier of your wake up alarm. IS IT CONVENIENCE OR NEED? Convenience is not only the reason for home automation. there can be other reason for homeAutomation like NEED of using home automation. there can different need. one need may beThe security, it is also convenience but it fall under the category of need. before automation inHome security you have to use different security devices and guards but now with the help ofSimple and cheap home security you can provide home security. MISCILANEOUS BENEFITS Thieves and unknown persons can be monitored via motion sensor and you can get updateFrom the remote position that who is trying to enter to your home. also different door openingAnd locking systems are used at the particular door so that if some unauthorized person triesTo enter the home then a security alarm may be passed to the higher authorities. This alert mayBe send to you via email, mobile text message or a pre recorded call. Also when you come to your home late at night and you feel fear to enter in the dark home. butWith the help of home automation you can turn on your home lights when you are near to yourHome via a message or call. the pre assigned light will automatically turn on when you willEnter to your home and you will not feel any any more fear. Also this can be done that when youJust unlock the main door of your home then with this all the lights turn off automatically. itWorks like a mobile profile. At different occasion you switch on different mobile profiles. AsWhen you are in your meeting with boos then you just turn on your silent profile with a singleButton. all other related settings got automatically selected. In similar way with the help ofSingle button, message, email or a call you can get your desired lighting control. Automatic opening and closing of main door of home also fall under the category of need. ifYou dont have this facility then you have to hire a security guard for 24 hours at the door, whoWill open and close the door when your car will give horn. but with the help of simple ho meAutomation you can achieve this task. when your car comes in front of main gate, a cameraThere recognize that is this car is allowed to enter the home, if yes then the system there willAutomatically open the door and after you enter the home the door will be automatically close. Safety Safety is another point due to which people use home automation. for example if there is waterIn your home basement due to heavy rain at your home then with the help of homeAutomation you can receive an alert message for excess of water in the basement. Also if the temperature of any particular room or location of your home falls beyond theNormal limits then a high/low temperature alert activated. in case of fire and smoke at anyPlace at the home this home automation application may be very successful and heavy loss canBe avoided. Home automation charge cost but this cost looks no more that the benefits you got from theHome automation. for example you are sleeping and there is fire or high temperature in anyArea of your home then imagine that if you dont get the alert then what happen if youKeep on sleeping. might be possible that you yourself caught in the fire. a person can enjoy theHome safety at a very low cost. Home automation is little bit technical but it is not difficult to i mplement. when you haveDifferent home automated products then you need the methods to implement these products. There different method and techniques for implementation of home automation. one methodMay be superior than the other. there are different methods of home automation. and toMethod of implementation will guide you that how much cost you are required. by using efficientMethods you can save lot of money. before implementing home automation to your home, youMust analyze that which method can be suitable and efficient for you according to your needs, cost, choice and life style. In mostly home automation setup a remote is used. and this remote work only for the systemThat are installed at different home appliances. with the help of this single remote you haveComplete control on the automated applications at your home. with the help of this singleRemote control you can control the lighting system, cooling and heating system, safety system, security system, irrigation controlling and all other related home appliances. this remote canWork from any place in the home without any delay. within seconds you can implement youDesired task. In movies you observe the many home automated things that look different to implement inOur life. but as the technology is advance now so that automation can be applied at home withThe help of gadgets and new technology features of devices. IT IS A PART OF HOME ITEMS Peoples views about home automation are different. some say that it is wastage of money andThere is no need for it but some say that it is a part of your home items. they use to say that it isA part of home like other things in home, like other home appliances. so they dont think it 0asSeparate thing and consider it a need for a complete home. while other think that it is a luxuryAnd there is no much need for it,If you buy new and different things on regular basis then there would the best way that youShould buy or invest your money in different home automated things cause in homeAutomation newer and newer technologies are evolving day by day and there is no limit forHome automation. simply it depends on your pocket that how much you can invest. According to need and convenience of different people there are different levels for homeAutomation. but the basic and necessary home automation must include the following things, that can be different categories for home automation Security Security always remain a big issue in home automation. most of the work have been doneRegarding this. in old home automation system there were not include the security alarm. youHave to implement security separately. but now security alarm are the built in feature of theHome automation. old security alarms turn on when someone break the window glass or try toCross the wall or try to unlock the door. when security alarm turn on then the thief haveEnough time to escape. before you reach there the thief had run away. Now with the help of built in and automatic alarm you dont need to search for the thief in yourHome. you can just press the alert button if you feel any fear. then if there would be thief inPart of your home then the lights of that place will automatically turn on and if the thief wouldBe in the room or inside the home then the main door will automatically locked so that heCouldnt ran. according to police that a good lighting arrangement can help in protection ofHome from t hiefs. in your home where you want to turn on or off light automatically you justNeed to install a module there and your desired task can be easily achieved. Mostly people install home automation system for money safety and high alert alarms areInstalled near the money safe. but modern home automation system not only consider themoney safety but also the human safety. In fact the safety is much important than the moneyAnd your property. with the help of home automation you can insure the safety and security ofYou and your whole family. with the help of single button you can easily do this. CONVENIENCE As this is the age of technology. everyone is enjoying the benefits of modern technology. soWhy you will not want? By using the home automation you can enjoy the muchConvenience. Your complete home control is in a single remote control. and with this singleRemote you can control every automated thing at your home. you dont need to do much hardWork. in fact with the latest technology people are going to be lazy. and also you yourself wantTo be relaxing. You daily waste much or your time in on/off you home and street lights, waste time in checkingThe locks of all doors before you sleep. you have to be alerted regarding gas and electricHeater. You cant get the second chance for leakage of gas. in this entire how much you have to beAttentive and alert. a sharp memory and hard work is required for this. but with the help ofSingle remote you can save lot of mind work and avoid lot of hard work. if everything would beAutomated then just imagine how it would be relaxing and enjoying. And eve ryone likes to use that single remote. Also it looks very attractive and pleasant to have home automation at your home. every guestMay impress with the unique and advance features of home automation that you have installedAt your home. complete home is in your hand via a single remote control. you can do everyThing with the help of this remote like turn on/off light, your TV, sound system and safety andSecurity system. In previous home automation system compatibility was the major issue. but now a device isCompatible with lot of other devices. so you have great flexibility. Home automation can improve your life style and standard. after having the completeKnowledge through about home automation, you should buy the home automation devices soThat you could enjoy the automation according to your wish and desire. Now there are lot off companies in the market that provide home automation and home safety. you just needs to call the vendor and they will install the home automation at your home. firstlyYou have to analyze that where you need home automation at your home then install and thenCall for company. You are the best person who can think that where you need automation at your home. EXTRA COMFORT In this modern age people are adopting different technologies for relax and comfort. They useTo buy different products as they want to make their life simple and much easier. due to thisReason they are also inclined to install home automation system at their homes. It is the homeAutomation due to which they have complete control on every electronic device at their home. as there is many electronic devices at your home like air conditioner, heater, and cooler, microwave oven, sound system, etc. every one want to control all these electronics devicesWith as much easiness as he can. Home automation provides you the height of easiness and comfort. for example if you busy inWatching your TV program. let suppose that you are watching cricket match and you dont wantTo be disturbed and you forgot to switch off the other room lights. then with the help ofWireless home automation you can easily do this. now modern home automation system haveTouch screen instead of remote control. Also exciting feature of home automation is that now days you can do automation remotely. it is not necessary that you must be present at the home. if you are at your office and you wantTo turn on/off your home lights then you can do it with help of internet or simply with the helpOf your small touch phone. you just need to access the your home automation control consoleVia a website then you can do what you want to do. with this facility you can make setting ofEverything before you reach the home. for example you can play song of your own choice, make setting of light according to your wish and need, get your air conditioner on so that whenYou reach home; your room will automatically cool. In fact you are virtually present at your home. now you dont have to pay lot off for forgettingThings. and you can avoid lot of losses. You can watch and observe every person at your home with the help of cameras that are linkedWith internet. you just excess this facility by just surfing the website. with the help of thisFeature you can enjoy the completely safety from the outsiders and thief. Today the home automation system is very good, comfortable and reliable. these cant beEasily trapped by anyone. previously this was a main drawback of the home automationSystems EASY TO IMPLEMENT Home automation system is very easy and there is not difficulties in implementing this. it can be Implement with very less cost and no extra loss for its installation is required. SAVING OF ENERGY By using home automation you can save lot of energy. if you use automatic control of lights in Your home then you can easily turn off light in the morning via a simple remote control or simply You can configure that these lights should be turn on for a specific duration. and your home Automation system will automatically switch on or off the lights according to the given schedule. INFRARED TECHNOLOGY As it was discussed earlier that the TV remote was the first home automation application. andInfrared technology was used in it. so infrared technology put the basic for wireless homeAutomation. as this technology is very cheap so it can be easily used by the low budget personsIf there are advantages of using infrared then there are also disadvantages of infrared. one ofIts disadvantage is that it is a very short range and it always require a line of sight connectionFor working. you cant control any infrared application while sitting in the other room. Mostly remote control in the current age have this infrared technology. they are still haveImportance and commonly used in daily life. they are wide use in mobile, laptops and differentElectronics machines like automatic bar reader and different scanner at big departmentalStores. You can easily turn on/off a single light with infrared but what happen when you want to turnOn/off bulk of lights. do you need multiple infrared receivers fo r each light. as at the any holyOccasion or at marriage ceremony, you want to turn on all the light in the evening and want toTurn off all the light in the morning. how you can do this task with the help of infrared. in factInfrared can do this but this would be more costly. so you need to think advance and try toThink different way to implement task like the above task. so at that time there was a need ofNew technology. In door and out lighting is commonly controlled via remotely. some homeAutomation systems have thermostat facility that can easily achieve the automatic on and offLighting. in home automation system by pressing the single button multiple task can beAccomplished. X10 technology To improve the drawbacks of previous technologies the X10 technology came into the field. This is a very famous technology and their different products are available in the market. thisTechnology was mostly liked by the users. It was very popular technology at it age. let try toKnow what was this technology in actual. X10 is a communication technique that is used by the devices working on X10 technology. these devices implement the task given by the users. you can say that X10 is a language thatDifferent devices can understand. this act as a translator between the different devices thatDont know the same language for working. one feature of it is that it compatible with relatedDevices. to implement X10 you dont need to work hard and you dont need to break, cut andMove your home walls. X10 is just work with the electrical outlets and wiring that are alreadyInstalled at your home. you dont need to use hard wire for implementation of X10. so it is alsoCheap and affordable and can be eas ily implemented. you just need to buy the X10 elementsThat are easily available in the market. due to its simplicity and affordability it became veryPopular in the world. its communication tool installation is very simple. you just need to installIts transmitter into the outlet in the wall. and similarly you need to install a receiver at theOutlet in the wall. Both transmitter and receiver are connected with a device when aTransmitter sends any signal then the device receives the signal and tries to know that what isThis signal in actual. and then pass it to the receiver and the desired task is can be performedEasily. 256 different units can be operate with a simple X10 unit. so now you can easily turn on/off your light at wedding or holy gathering easily. a unique operation is performed with aSingle assigned address but a single address can be assigned to two different things so that aSame task can be implemented on the both things or devices. for example you want to turn offYour s treet lights then you can assign the same address to all the streets lights. one plus pointOf X10 is that its all products are compatible with each other there is no compatibility issue. CHAPTER 2:Related Work and Hardware Description 2. 1 Literature Review : We discussed some previous techniques used for home automation. There features and drawbacks. 2. 1. 2 Home Automation using Bluetooth: It is a chip technology enabling us to communicate with a lot of devices. It is a popular way of short range communication. By enhancing this technology we can use it to automate homes. It employs the 2. 4Ghz unlicensed band and has data rate up to 720Kbps. Its range is usually 10 meters but can be increased to 100 meter by using higher powered antenna. Its only draw back Is it short range. . RANGE :10m DATA RATE : 20 To 250 kbps DATA RATE : 720Kbps ENERGY : Multi-year battery life ENERGY : Multi-day battery life Table 1: zigbee and bluetooth comparison 2. 1. 3 Home Automation using GSM: GSM stands for Global system for mobile communication. As it works in cells there are different types of cells. and each cell cover different areas. cell radius depend on antenna gain, power, height. GSM has three types of services. * Tele Services:* Calls, short message service. tele-fax. * Bearer services* asynchronous and synchronous data* Supplementary services* call forwarding ,call barring* usually in home automation we send commands with mobile in form of SMS. The drawbacks of this techniques are service dependent, its possible that because of congestion On the network your might SMS delivered late. Or you get a delayed SMS from home mounted module about the current status of the different household equipment. 2. 2 DESIGN ARCHITECHTURE 2. 2. 1 Command Unit 2. 2. 2 Control Unit 2. 3 COMPONENT SELECTION 2. 3. 1 Zigbee Module (XBee Pro) We use XBee Pro as a transceiver module because it consumes very low power and has long range and nominal data rate. more information on this module is given in hard ware overview chapter. 2. 3. 2 Microcontroller (Atmega 16) We use ATMEGA16 because it is a low power and has greater SRAM and EEPROM memory And it can be easily interfaced with zigbee and other components. More information is available in Hardware review chapter. 2. 3. 3 MAX 232 It is used to convert a signal from TTL logic to RS232 level. It is used to communicate with computer. More detai is given in hardware review chapter. Summary Chapter 3: Hardware and Software Methodlogy 3. 1 Using Atmega Timers: 3. 1. 1Timers with LED The timer code enable the number of led after the time given by the user. In the timer code PORTB is set as an output. The timer counter control register(TCCR1B) is used to set the timerThe clock source with eight prescaler and the normal mode is used in the timer. Timer counter register (TCNT1) is used to initialize the timer. TIMSK is used to enable overflow interrupt and SREG enables the global interrupt. The similar task is also done without timer. 3. 1. 2 Timers with LEDs ,Push button and Buzzer Figure 3: Timers With Leds ,Push button ,Buzzer In this code we simply USE A push button to enable the timer and used a BUZZER. The buzzer will on with the led but buzzer will off after 500 ms and led remains on. 3. 2 LCD INTERFACING WITH ATMEGA 16: The PORTD and PORTB is set as a output. The comand_set function is used to give the necessary instruction to the LCD. The data_set function is used to send data to the LCD through PORTB. The display function is used to latch the data. 3. 3 KEYPAD INTERFACING WITH ATMEGA 16: A 4*4 keypad is interfaced with the microcontroller ATMEGA 16 to select the fixed load and variable load and to give the time after which the load has to on. The PORTA is used as you can see in the figure. 3. 4 Selection Of A Fixed Load We select a fixed load 2 from keypad. Figure : Selection Of A Fixed Load Load 2 is selected. Now it is on. The status of load 1 is on. The status of load 2 is off. 3. 4 Accessing EEPROM In EEPROM_WRITE function the EEPROM is being checked that, either it is being written previously or not. Then the address has passed to EEPROM and after this the data has passed to EEPROM. The EEMWE bit has set to logic one an after this the EEWE bit has set to logic one. [1] 3. 5 Using ADC In ADC analog voltage is converted into dc voltage with 10 bit resolution. In ADMUX register of ADC the voltage reference is set, The ADC left adjust result is set to logic zero and channel is selected. In ADCSRA the ADC enabled bit and ADC start conversion bit are set to logic one. When ADC conversion completes bit 4 is set. All the codes are given in the cd. [1] SUMMARY Chapter 4: SOFTWARE OVERVIEW The following software we use in our project* CodeVisionAVR C Compiler* AVR Studio 4 debugger * Proteus Version (6. 9) 4. 1 Code VisionAVR CodeVisionAVR is the c compiler that is used to program the ATMEL microcontrollers. It is very easy to use. You can develop applications for embedded systems by using it. 4. 1. 2 Features of CodeVisionAVR The CodeVisionAVR C Compiler has following features:* CodeVisionAVR is compatible with Atmel and AVR Studio Debugger * A new project is created by using it* Compilation of the C Code* Editing of the C Code* It runs on the operating system i. e. Windows,XP,7,VistaIt is the new microcontrollers with high memory. It is the only compiler through which we can programmed the ATMEL microcontrollers. 4. 1. 3 Creating a new file A new file can be created by clicking on the toolbar button. After this save the file. 4. 1. 4 Creating a new project Click on the toolbar button. Now click on the â€Å"No† button. Now save the project. 4. 1. 5 Configuring the project Select the atmega 16 and set it clock 4. 0MHz. Choose the application as a program type. Now add the file under the project name. 4. 2 AVR Studio 4 4. 2. 1 Features of AVR Studio 4 For proper controlling the Zigbee modules accurate codes and programming was needed. Wehave divided the our big task into smaller task. By doing so we easily wrote the code anddebugging was easy. â€Å"AVR Studio 4 is the integrated development Environment (IDE) for developing 8-bit AVR applications in windows 2000/XP?VISTA/7 environments†[2 ]The features that AVR Studio provides are supporting run control including source and instruction level stopping and memory,registers,breakpoints and watch variable and allow you to see what your code will do in reality with microcontroller. 4. 3 Proteus The Proteus software is used to design the PCB and to do a microprocessor simulations. Its latest version is compatible with windows XP,VISTA,7. 4. 3. 1 Features of Proteus * 3D Board Visualization* Professional PCB layout module* Basic simulation* 2D Drawing with symbol library SUMMARY CHAPTER5 HARDWARE OVERVIEW ATMEGA 16: Overview: â€Å"Atmega16 is low-power AVR enhanced RISC Architecturebased CMOS 8-bit microcontroller. By Executing instructions in a single clock cycle it achieves throughputs approaching 1 MIPS per MHz. † Features: The ATmega16 has16K bytes of In-System Programmable Flash Program memory which Consists of 512 bytes EEPROM, 1K byte SRAM. It has 32 general purpose I/O lines, 32 General purpose working registers. It has On-chip Debugging support and programming And has three Timer/Counters having Internal and External Interrupts. For serial commun-Ication it has programmable USART. For analog to digital conversion it has 8-channel, 10-bit ADC with optional differential input stage with programmable gain. It has a Wat-Chdog Timer having internal Oscillator and it can be programmed. [1]Pin configuration: Pin descriptions: port A We use Port A to serves as the analog inputs to the A/D Converter. It also serves as an 8-bit bi-Directional I/O port, if the A/D Converter is not used. Port pins can provide internal pull-up Resistors. When pins PA0 to PA7 are used as inputs and are externally pulled low, they will Source current if the internal pull-up resistors are activated. The Port A pins are tri-stated whena reset condition becomes active, even if the clock is not running. [1] Port B it is an 8-bit bi-directional I/O port with internal pull-up resistors. The Port B output buffers have symmetrical drive characteristics with both high sink and source capability. As inputs, Port B pins that are externally pulled low will source current if the pull-up resistors are activated. The Port B pins are tri-stated when a reset condition becomes active, even if the clock is not running. [1] Port C It is an 8-bit bi-directional I/O port with internal pull-up resistors. The Port C output buffers have symmetrical drive characteristics with both high sink and source capability. As inputs, Port C pins that are externally pulled low will source current if the pull-up resistors are activated. The Port C pins are tri-stated when a reset condition becomes active, even if the clock is not running. [1] Port D Port D is an 8-bit bi-directional I/O port with internal pull-up resistors. The Port D output buffers have symmetrical drive characteristics with both high sink and source capability. As I nputs, Port D pins that are externally pulled low will source current if the pull-up resistors are activated. The Port D pins are tri-stated when a reset condition becomes active, even if the clock is not running. [1] RESET PIN : It Reset the Input. A low level on this pin will generate a reset, even if the clock is not running. AVCC : It is the supply voltage pin for Port A and the A/D Converter. It should always be externally connected to VCC, even if the ADC is not used. It should be connected to VCC through a low-pass filter if the ADC is used. [1] AREF : AREF is the analog reference pin for the A/D Converter. VCC Digital supply voltage. (Input voltage) GND ground. 5. 2 XBEE PRO 5. 2. 1 Overview The XBee Pro module is designed to support low power,low cost wireless sensor networks. It requires minimal power and provide reliable communication between remote devices. 5. 2. 2 Features * Long Range: Indoor 100m and Outdoor 1500m. Transmit Power 100 mW(20 dBm)Receiver Sensitivity -100 dBm * Low Power: Tx Current 210 mA @ 3. 3VRx Current 80 mA @ 3. 3V* Advanced Networking Security Retries and Acknowledgement Self routingDirect Sequence Spread Spectrum * Easy to use No configuration required for out of box RF communicationAT and API command modes for configuring module parametersSmall form factorExtensive command set 5. 2. 3 Pin Description Some pins can be set as Analog Input, Digital Input, Digital Output, or Analog Output (PWM). The numbers of pins are up to seven channels of analog input, nine channels of digital I/O and two channels of PWM. Pin # Name Direction Description 1 VCC Power supply 2 DOUT Output UART Data Out 3 DIN / CONFIG Input UART Data In 4 DIO12 Either Digital I/O 12 5 RESET Input Module Reset (reset pulse must be at least 200 ns) 6 PWM0 / RSSI Output PWM Output 0 / RX Signal Strength Indicator 7 PWM1 Output PWM Output 1 8 [reserved] Do not connect 9 9 DTR / SLEEP_RQ / DI8 Either Pin Sleep Control Line or Digital I/O 8 10

Carbonated Beverages and Dental Caries

Carbonated Beverages and Dental Caries An assessment of association between carbonated drinks consumption and dental caries prevalence: A cross-sectional study Zainab A. Sukhera[1], Syeda Mehar Raza1, Neha Rana1 and Tehreem Zafar1. Dental caries may be defined as â€Å"a bacterial disease of the hard tissues of the teeth characterized by demineralization of the inorganic and destruction of the organic substance of tooth†.(1) It is the most prevalent oral disease worldwide.(2) It is a multi-factorial disease caused by the interaction of three principal factors; a susceptible host tissue, cariogenic micro flora and diet.(3, 4) Diet especially refined sugars, is an important etiological factor of dental caries. Both the frequency and the total amount of refined sugars consumed play a significant part in the etiology of caries. â€Å"The evidence establishing sugars as an etiological factor in dental caries is overwhelming†.(5) Sugars are mostly contained in manufactured food and beverages and form an essential component of human diet.(6) Most carbonated beverages contain up to 10 tea-spoons of sugar per 12 oz. as opposed to 1-2 tea-spoons in fruit juices.(4, 7) Despite the differences in carbohydrate content, both seem to have similar cariogenic potential.(8) In addition to the high amounts of sugar, carbonated beverages also contain phosphoric, citric and carbonic acids which show a deleterious effect on enamel.(9, 10) Caffeine, which makes up a considerable portion of carbonated beverages, is a mildly stimulant drug and it may contribute to the tendency for frequent consumption of such beverages. All the aforementioned factors are responsible towards the rapid initiation and progression of caries.(11) Diet drinks which use artificial sweeteners instead of refined sugars have been popularly used in order to reduce the caloric content. Although diet drinks are considered less cariogenic than regular beverages, their greater erosive ability and the use of artificial sweeteners do not make them a healthier alternative. (12) The Aim of this Cross-sectional study was to assess the association between prevalence of dental caries and carbonated drink consumption in a population of 12 to 19 years old children from Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted at the Islamic International Dental Hospital, Islamabad during the month of June. The study comprised a questionnaire survey followed by a visual oral examination. Sample: The participants comprised a convenience sample of 12-19 years old adolescents who were visiting the hospital at any time during 16th to 20th June. 1st year BDS students who fell in the above mentioned age bracket were also included in the sample. The participants were mostly residents of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Sample size was chosen to be 50. Verbal consent was obtained from each participant and his/her guardian beforehand. Questionnaire: A questionnaire was completed through a face-to-face interview with each participant which helped in achieving a 100% response rate. The Questionnaire consisted of three sections. Section A dealt with the oral hygiene habits and the beverage consumption habits of participants. In Question 1, the frequency of intake of different beverages was recorded by using a scale of 5 values; Never, Rarely, Once a week, 1 glass daily and 2 or more glasses daily. In the next set of questions, the participants were asked about (Q2) their preferred time of drink consumption (at mealtimes or between meals); (Q3) their preference of either regular or diet drinks and (Q4) the use of straw. Questions 5-7 assessed their oral hygiene knowledge. Section B dealt with the socio-demographic details and section C recorded the DMFT score of each participant. Clinical Examination: After the interview, each participant was orally examined by a 2nd year BDS student. The examination took place under a tube-light with the participant seated in a normal chair. No mouth mirror or CPI probe was used to assist in the diagnosis of caries. Only a tongue depressor was utilized by the examiner. The severity of caries was assessed via the DMFT index. A tooth was considered decayed (D) if a carious lesion was visibly appreciated; missing (M) if extracted due to caries and filled (F) if a restoration was seen. A restored tooth with recurrent decay was also counted as (D).(13) Data Analysis: Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 17.0 was used to enter, organize and analyze the data. The effect of different variables; frequency and time of consumption of drinks, demographic factors and oral hygiene habits on the DMFT scores of participants was analyzed by deriving frequencies, means and standard deviations. Results: Results were obtained for the sample of 50 participants by analyzing the data from their completed questionnaires and dental examinations. The sample included 19 males (38%) and 31 females (62%). Out of the total number of participants, 15 (30%) were from the age group of 12-14 years, 14 (28%) from the 15-17 years group and 21 (42%) from the 18-19 years age group. Table 1 displays the number and percentages of participants in relation to beverage consumption and their sociodemographic details. In terms of daily consumption, milk and juices were the most popular drinks (n=35, 70%), while carbonated drinks were consumed by only 17 (34%) participants on a daily basis. In the younger age group of 12-14 years, 93% (n=14) preferred carbonated beverages whereas, coffee and juices were the main preferences of the other two groups (15-17 years, 18-19 years) being consumed by 100% (n=14) and 95% (n=20) of the participants respectively. Table 1: Frequency distribution of different types of drinks as per consumption frequency and sociodemographic factors. (n=number) Table 2 illustrates the prevalence and severity of dental caries in relation to different types of beverages consumed. Among the participants who consumed juices, 68% (n=32) had caries in contrast to the 62% (28) who consumed carbonated drinks. Caries severity for carbonated drinks was highest with almost 7% (n=3) participants having recorded DMFT of more than 4. Table 2: Prevalence and severity of dental caries in relation to consumption of different beverages. (n= total number of consumers of a particular drink. Percentage frequencies are given in brackets) Table 3 shows the effect of different variables on DMFT score including time of consumption of carbonated drinks, use of straw, drink type, oral hygiene habits and demographic details. Around 56% (n=28) of participants reported consuming carbonated drinks at mealtimes. However, their DMFT score was unexpectedly higher than those who consumed their carbonated drinks between meals (36%, n=18). Diet drinks were preferred by only 4% (n=2) of the participants and their caries experience was low as compared to those who consumed regular drinks (94%, n=47). According to the findings, 30% (n=15) of participants used a straw during consumption and had a much lower DMFT score of 1.07 ( ±1.22) in contrast to the 1.76 ( ±1.82) score for those who did not use a straw (n=34, 68%). Frequency of brushing showed a significant effect on the DMFT score by decreasing it with each increase in frequency. In terms of gender, mean DMFT score of females was higher (1.77 ±1.76) than that of males (1.31 ±1.60). Among the three age-groups, the 15-17 year age group showed a slightly higher caries experience than the other two groups. Table 3: Effect of carbonated drink related variables and demographic factors on mean DMFT score. Mean DMFT of the sample was 1.60  ± 1.702. Table 4 and Figure 1 illustrate the frequency percentage of each component of DMFT Index i.e. of Decayed (D), Missing (M) and Filled (F) in the study sample. Out of the total DMFT score of 80, ‘Decayed’ component had the highest frequency percentage (n=60, 75%), followed by ‘Filled’ (n=17, 21%) and ‘Missing’ (n=3, 4%) components, respectively. Table 4: Distribution frequencies of Decayed (D), Missing (M) and Filled (F) components in the whole sample as well as of the cumulative DMFT. Figure 1: Distribution of each component of DMFT in the sample. Figure 2 illustrates the relation of frequency of carbonated drink consumption with mean DMFT scores of participants. Participants who â€Å"Never† consumed carbonated drinks had a mean DMFT score of 2. Whereas, participants who consumed carbonated drinks â€Å"rarely†, â€Å"once a week† or â€Å"one glass daily† had mean DMFT of 1, 1.52 and 1.92 respectively. â€Å"1.60† was the recorded mean DMFT of those who consumed two or more glasses of carbonated drinks daily. Figure 2: Bar chart illustrating frequency of carbonated drink consumption per mean DMFT scores. Discussion: A strong association between carbonated beverages and dental caries has been indicated by many previous studies (11, 14-16) while a few indicate a much weaker association.(17, 18) We assessed this hypothesis by conducting a cross-sectional study in a sample of 50 participants from Islamabad and Rawalpindi. The results from our study found no association between carbonated drink consumption and dental caries experience. Those participants who had ‘Never’ consumed carbonated drinks showed the highest mean DMFT. Caries prevalence and caries severity in relation to carbonated drink consumption was high, and similar to that for juices indicating similar cariogenicity.(8, 19) Mean DMFT of those who consumed carbonated drinks ‘at mealtimes’ was surprisingly greater than of those who consumed ‘between meals’; a direct contrast with a previous study from Slater P. et al.(20) Results from the current study showed that the mean DMFT decreased with the use of a straw during consumption. This is in accordance with a study by Tahmassebi et al. which proved that if juices were consumed through a straw, there was a less pronounced pH drop in plaque.(21) Since carbonated beverages and juices possess similar cariogenic potential, the same situation might be true for carbonated beverages. Oral hygiene (frequency of tooth-brushing) had a strong effect on dental caries experience. DMFT was highest for those who did not brush daily and lowest for those who brushed thrice a day. This pattern is in congruity with the fact that despite the intake of sugary drinks, oral health is an important factor in the etiology of dental caries especially with the advent of fluoridated toothpastes.(22) Mean DMFT of females was found to be higher than that of males. This may be due to the uneven distribution of males (38%) and females (62%) in our study sample or it may also indicate that dental caries is statistically dependent on gender to some extent, as proven by earlier studies.(3) Relation of social status with beverage consumption patterns, oral hygiene, DMFT etc. could not be derived because of an error in the designed questionnaire. To check the social status of participants, we added the option of â€Å"Occupation† but neglected to specify whose occupation we were asking for i.e., of the guardian/parent or of the participant. This lead to a confusion on both the participants’ and the interviewers’ part resulting in incorrect information to be recorded on the forms. Mean DMFT of the sample was found to be slightly greater than that reported by WHO in 2003.(23) The ‘Decayed’ portion formed a major component of the overall DMFT score, followed by the ‘Filled’ and ‘Missing’ components, indicating that majority of the children do not undergo treatment due to various reasons e.g. high costs of treatment, negligence to oral heath etc. This trend was also observed in a cross-sectional study carried in Karachi.(24) Study Limitations: It is necessary here to discuss the limitations faced in our study. We employed a cross-sectional design in determining the beverage intake patterns and oral health conditions of the participants. However, use of cross-sectional data to establish cause (carbonated beverages)-and-effect (dental caries) relationship does not draw valid conclusions. Longitudinal study design should therefore, have been employed.(24, 25) Furthermore, the questionnaire that we used in our study did not provide detailed information regarding fluid intake patterns (e.g. of water).(15) Sample size and sampling technique used in our study was inadequate to cover the characteristics of the whole population of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.(26) Protocols for determining the carious lesions(27) were not strictly followed during the dental examinations. For example, a CPI probe and mouth mirror was not employed to assist in the diagnosis of caries. Radiographs were also not used during the examinations. The probability of surface stains being counted as carious lesions therefore, cannot be eliminated. Conclusion: No association was found between carbonated beverages consumption and dental caries through our findings. Dental caries was found to be associated with various other factors such as oral hygiene, methods and time of beverage consumption, gender, age, etc. Further research studies, particularly of longitudinal design, should be carried out are before any conclusive results can be derived. A more detailed dietary questionnaire should be employed to ascertain the complete dietary patterns of an individual throughout the day. Following guidelines should be followed while consuming carbonated or any other cariogenic beverages.(12) Drinks should ideally be consumed at meal times and via a straw to minimize direct contact with teeth. They should not be swirled or swished in the mouth. Tooth brushing immediately after consumption should be avoided. Neutralizing foods (milk, cheese and water) should be consumed immediately after beverage consumption. Abbreviations: DMFT = no. of Decayed, Missing and Filled Teeth; WHO = World Health Organization; CPI probe = Community Periodontal Index probe. References: 1.Soames JV, Southam JC. Oral pathology: Oxford University Press; 2005. 2.Poul Erik Petersen, Programme WOH. The World Oral Health Report 2003: continuous improvement of oral health in the 21st century the approach of the WHO Global Oral Health Programme. 3.ALI LEGHARI M, TANWIR F, ALI H. DENTAL CARIES PREVALENCE AND RISK FACTORS AMONG SCHOOL CHILDREN AGE 12-15 YEARS IN MALIR, KARACHI. Pakistan Oral Dental Journal. 2012;32(3). 4.Peter S. Essentials Of Preventive Community Dentistry: Arya (Medi) Publishing House; 2008. 5.Sheiham A. Dietary effects on dental diseases. Public health nutrition. 2001;4(2b):569-91. 6.Sayegh A, Dini E, Holt R, Bedi R. Food and drink consumption, sociodemographic factors and dental caries in 4–5-year-old children in Amman, Jordan. British dental journal. 2002;193(1):37-42. 7. : American Beverage Association; [cited 2014 10/9]; Available from: www.ameribev.org/minisites/products/. 8.Meadows-Oliver M, Ryan-Krause P. Powering up with sports and energy drinks. Journal of Pediatric Health Care. 2007;21(6):413-6. 9.Jarvinen V, Rytomaa I, Heinonen O. Risk factors in dental erosion. Journal of Dental Research. 1991;70(6):942-7. 10.Owens B, Kitchens M. The erosive potential of soft drinks on enamel surface substrate: an in vitro scanning electron microscopy investigation. The journal of contemporary dental practice. 2006;8(7):11-20. 11.Majewski RF. Dental caries in adolescents associated with caffeinated carbonated beverages. Pediatric Dentistry. 2001;23(3):198-203. 12.Tahmassebi J, Duggal M, Malik-Kotru G, Curzon M. Soft drinks and dental health: a review of the current literature. Journal of dentistry. 2006;34(1):2-11. 13.Cappelli DP, Mobley CC. Prevention in clinical oral health care: Elsevier Health Sciences; 2007. 14.Cheng R, Yang H, Shao M-y, Hu T, Zhou X-d. Dental erosion and severe tooth decay related to soft drinks: a case report and literature review. Journal of Zhejiang University science B. 2009;10(5):395-9. 15.Lim S, Sohn W, Burt B, Sandretto AM, Kolker JL, Marshall TA, et al. Cariogenicity of soft drinks, milk and fruit juice in low-income African-American children. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 2008;139(7):959-67. 16.Sohn W, Burt B, Sowers M. Carbonated soft drinks and dental caries in the primary dentition. Journal of dental research. 2006;85(3):262-6. 17.Marshall TA, Levy SM, Broffitt B, Warren JJ, Eichenberger-Gilmore JM, Burns TL, et al. Dental caries and beverage consumption in young children. Pediatrics. 2003;112(3):e184-e91. 18.Vartanian LR, Schwartz MB, Brownell KD. Effects of soft drink consumption on nutrition and health: a systematic review and meta-analysis. American journal of public health. 2007;97(4):667-75. 19.Birkhed D. Sugar content, acidity and effect on plaque pH of fruit juices, fruit drinks, carbonated beverages and sport drinks. Caries research. 1984;18(2):120-7. 20.Slater P, Gkolia P, Johnson H, Thomas A. Patterns of soft drink consumption and primary tooth extractions in Queensland children. Australian dental journal. 2010;55(4):430-5. 21.Tahmassebi J, Duggal M. The effect of different methods of drinking on the pH of dental plaque in vivo. International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry. 1997;7(4):249-54. 22.Burt BA, Pai S. Sugar consumption and caries risk: a systematic review. Journal of dental education. 2001;65(10):1017-23. 23.Caries for 12-Year-Olds by Country/Area [database on the Internet]. Available from: www.mah.se/CAPP/Country-Oral-Health-Profiles/According-to-Alphabetical/CountryArea-P/. 24.Dawani N, Nisar N, Khan N, Syed S, Tanweer N. Prevalence and factors related to dental caries among pre-school children of Saddar town, Karachi, Pakistan: a cross-sectional study. BMC Oral Health. 2012;12(1):59. 25.Moynihan P, Petersen PE. Diet, nutrition and the prevention of dental diseases. Public health nutrition. 2004;7(1a):201-26. 26.Convenience Sampling. Available from: https://explorable.com/convenience-sampling. 27.A Textbook of Public Health Dentistry: Jaypee Brothers, Medical Publishers; 2011.

Analyzing Moulin Rouge Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Moulin Rouge is celebrated for its art direction, music, and performances. One of its biggest endeavors is the set design. With a combination of real sets and computer generated images, Moulin Rouge manages to showcases a 19th century Paris, France as a world of moral decadence but undeniable beauty. The set design further pushes the message of France, at this time, being a place of plague, poverty and sin; but also a place of art, music and beauty.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the introduction of the film, we see an elaborate design of 19th century Paris, France. We have a detailed and inside look at Paris through the allies, cabaret bars, prostitutes, and up the rooftops to reveal a colorful and vibrant fantasy world. Just the opening sequence emphasizes how the people of France, through poverty and plague, live a life of love, art and music. So we have these two characteristics, these two sides of Paris that seem to juxtapose each other. We see this constantly through out the film; sin and beauty, love and poverty, etc.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After the view of the city, we then see an old broken down apartment where Christian, one of the central characters, live. The room is cluttered with broken bottles, clothes on the floor, old wooden floor, worn out walls, and the centerpiece of the room; a polished type writer on the table. This illustrates the idea that art and creativity rise above the poverty and sin of this world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the Main sets of the film are the rooftops of Paris. There we have another open view of the city at night and how it comes alive. This film is unique when it comes to set design because it uses the aid of computer generated images. So there are many instances where a character can travel through the city in an unrealistic manner. The train station, most of the city, and the Moulin Rouge are altered with computer generated images.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the most important aspects of the art design is how the film’s visual language and message is established through color. The Moulin Rouge, compared to the rest of the city, is colorful and alive. The rest of the city is painted with sepia and dark colors, while the Moulin Rouge is bright with many colors; mainly gold and red. And yet it’s supposed to be an underworld where love is for sale and s... ...orce art out of the people who suffer from these flaws and imperfections. It’s as if art cannot exist without these challenges that the people of that time met. This theme is one that applies to almost every film that talks about the struggle that artists go through.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A very common picture, almost a stereotype, is the writer with a broken heart, the penniless musician, and the artist who dies of hunger. There is something romantic about the tragedy that most talent has to go through. There are several beliefs that one is caused by the other. Some would say that art and talent is forged through the difficulties of life and that through art we are able to out live these threats.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The set design and art direction almost scream the idea of how all the bad things of the world are almost worth it because of the good that comes from them. The beauty of the torn down buildings, the dying walls, the old floors, the old bed spring mattresses, men in wife beaters and suspenders, women in shredded but colorful dresses all personify this idea that people suffer and die; but through that arises art, music, poetry, beauty, truth and love.

Governmental Purpose :: essays research papers

Webster’s dictionary defines government as authoritative direction or control. However, many believe there is a more philosophical approach to the purpose of government. Thomas Jefferson wrote that "The essential principles of our Government...form the bright constellation which has gone before us and guided our steps through an age of revolution and reformation.† In this he refers to the creation of our democratic nation as a guide through the perils of our past. Government is often thought of as simply the ruling of our nation, but it is much more than that. It has provided us with a nation proud of its commitment to justice and freedom. Although leaders may have the authority to impose penalty and law through their political power, in a democracy the people are allowed to be actively involved in the government. John Locke defined political power as â€Å"†¦a right of making laws, with penalties of death, and consequently all less penalties for the regulating and preserving of property, and of employing the force of the community in the execution of such laws, and in the defense of the commonwealth from foreign injury, and all this only for the public good.† Political power is most often only deemed to be in the interest of the citizens, such as in countries like China, where government officials claim to know what the people want; however, may not make decisions according to their will. The more preferable form of democracy is a representative one, in which the politicians compete for votes in organized elections. Yet, in any commonwealth the want is a central power that works for the people. When government is applied in a positive sense, justice is served and democracy is in its purest form. It is the goal of government to lead our country in a fashion that does not provide a monopoly of power or authority to any single group or individual. John Locke believed in â€Å"A state†¦of equality, wherein all the power and jurisdiction is reciprocal, no one having more than another.

Definition Essay - What is Wisdom? -- Expository Definition Essays

What is Wisdom? If one asks the majority of people what the word wisdom means, most will answer vaguely that it is the knowledge gained during a lifetime. However, wisdom is much more than just knowledge gained; it signifies the accumulation of knowledge, the application of learning, and the personification of God's will in the creation of the universe (according to the American Heritage Dictionary, 6th ed.). The abstract nature of the word wisdom allows for broad interpretation of its context. To limit the vagueness of the definition, many interpret wisdom as the accumulation of knowledge. In Greek mythology, the goddess Athena was known for her wisdom. Additionally, the personification of animals as possessing wisdom also heavily influenced Greek lore. Owls, for example, are synonymous with wisdom; likewise, foxes, with their cunning nature and ability to outsmart their prey, are considered insightful animals. Age plays a prominent part in the accumulation of learning. In many societies the elderly receive top status as preservers of both culture and knowled...

Advertising-Critical Appraisal Essay

Abstract: The paper traces the journey of television in India which started for promoting development and serving the cause of the poor and the underprivileged. While some efforts were made to fulfil these brave goals, television also earned the unholy reputation of being a vehicle for government propaganda. Doordarshan – the public service broadcaster was the only available terrestrial network till 1991 when transnational satellite television channels began to make forays into the country. Soon Indian players entered the television industry thereby leading to enormous expansion. Since then, the very nature of Indian broadcasting has changed. Television has transformed from a medium devoted to development communication and the cause of the marginalised, to a true middle-class medium. Contemporary Indian television is divorced from the realities of the ‘other half of India that lives in abject poverty and deprivation, thus presenting a distorted view of social reality. This paper seeks to examine these and other related issues, and make some suggestions for policy initiatives to put the development agenda back on television. See more: The Issues Concerning Identity Theft Essay Keywords: Indian television, Doordarshan, television and development communication, public service broadcasting, commercialisation of Indian television, broadcast regulation 1 Introduction Out of the different mass media such as newspapers, radio, television, internet among others, the one introduced in the country with the aim of promoting development was television. Television began in India in 1959 as an educational project supported by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and the Ford Foundation. Television was based on the model of a public broadcasting system prevalent in many countries of Europe. In independent India, the political leaders recognised the value of information and its use for accelerating the process of development. Thus was started a model of public broadcasting committed to inform, educate and entertain the people. The then Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru decided to have full government control over broadcasting for the time being. In retrospect, many observers feel that it was the hangover of the colonial legacy of controlling the media and fears about the power of the mass media to inflame social conflicts that prevented Indian policy makers from thinking creatively about radio and television in the country (Agrawal and Raghaviah, 2006; Jeffrey, 2006). In the decades since 1959, vast changes took place in the television landscape of India. In its early years, apart from being used as an educational tool, television was also misused as a mouthpiece for the central government and the party in power. Programming was primarily in Hindi and much of the news and current affairs focussed on Delhi – the seat of political power (Johnson, 2000; Singhal and Rogers, 2001). Thus, while television was entrusted with the brave goal of promoting national integration, the same medium was found to reinforce a sense of alienation in many parts of the country particularly in the north-eastern states (Joshi, 1985; Ninan, 1995; Page and Crawley, 2001). Despite being the world leader in experimenting with television and satellite technology, India failed to capitalise on the lessons learnt from early development communication projects such as the Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE) and the much acclaimed Kheda Communication Project (Singhal and Rogers, 2001). Contemporary Indian television is criticised by many for having shifted from its humanitarian goals and becoming a medium for the urban middle class. It is this class which owns and operate most of the television industry in India. It is the same class which is transmitting its own values, principles, and opinions to the rest of India (Johnson, 2000). Consequently, the cause of the poor, underprivileged people for whose development the medium was brought to the country has suffered a setback. Changes in the television system did not occur in India alone. There was a worldwide trend during the 1980s towards the commercialisation of television. Herman and Mc Chesney (2001) argue that during this decade the policies of deregulation and privatisation were applied to national broadcasting and telecommunication systems that were traditionally regulated and often publicly owned and operated. This had a detrimental impact on public service programs which were replaced with more and more entertainment programming. The subsequent sections in the paper examine the divergence between the rhetoric of television for development and actual practice. Some of the ground-breaking initiatives in development communication using television are also captured. Before that, it becomes essential to dwell on the concept of development communication and the role of media is social change. Role of Media in Development It is important at this point to clarify the meaning of „development communication‟ for the term has a wide variety of connotations. Development communication is more than agricultural extension or rural communication. It doesn‟t restrict itself merely to the development of rural areas, nor is it concerned with agricultural development alone. It is oriented towards development whether it be in rural or urban areas, or in areas such as agriculture, family planning, or nutrition (Gupta, 1995). Theory and research suggests that mass communication can act as a positive agent of social change for some people while impeding and obstructing change for others (Johnson, 2000). There are many who dispute the role played by the mass media in bringing about social change (Gupta, 1995; Rodrigues, 2010; Vilanilam, 2005). Gupta (1995) asserts that radio and television are the best sources for creating awareness and interest among the audience regarding a new message or idea â€Å"but when it comes to adoption of the idea, interpersonal sources such as extension agents, friends, neighbours, family members are the most effective† (Gupta, 1995, p.72). In the 1960s, communication scholars and media experts were quite sure that television and the other media of mass communication would help national development. The media were considered the prime motivators of development. Eminent communication scholars such as Daniel Lerner, Wilbur Schramm and Everett M. Rogers, who based their theories of development and media efficacy on the important work of Walter Rostow, namely, The Stages of Economic Growth, stressed that the economic and technological development achieved by the Western nations were the result of increased media use (Vilanilam, 2005). However, since the 1970s the dominant paradigms of development have been challenged by different disciplines (Gupta, 1995; Vilanilam, 2005). It has been realised that distribution of goods and services along with economic and political opportunities among the majority is a pre-requisite for development. An information revolution ushered into a largely private society without appropriate changes in the social structure will not benefit the large majority of the people (Vilanilam, 2005). Everett M. Rogers and many other theorists criticised the dominant paradigm of development (as cited in Rodrigues, 2010) and broadened its definition from one that centred on materialistic economic growth to other social values such as social advancement. The concept of development in the 1970s was expanded as a widely participatory process of social change in a society, intended to bring about both social and material advancement, including greater equality, freedom, and other valued qualities, for the majority of the people by giving them greater control over their environment. Similarly, the new concept of development communication that began to emerge dealt with the promotion of social change leading to improvement in people‟s quality of living, by encouraging better health, higher literacy and higher production of goods through more effective communication (Rodrigues, 2010). There was also a tendency in communication theory and practice to regard the television audience as passive beings moulded and manipulated by those who create the media messages (Johnson, 2000). Many development communication campaigns suffered on this count. However, it is increasingly being realised that for such messages to be effective, people must be involved at all stages – planning, production, and presentation. The need for localisation of development communication has been emphasised by many researchers and commentators (Joshi, 1985; Page and Crawley, 2001; Singhal and Rogers, 2001; Verghese, 1978). The Beginning of Television in India: In the name of Development When television was introduced in the country in 1959, it started as an experiment in social communication for which small teleclubs were organised in Delhi and provided with community television sets. Educational television began in 1961 to support middle and higher secondary school education. Its experiments in teaching of science, mathematics, and language proved successful and received appreciation from many UNESCO experts (Kumar, 2000). A few years later telecasts for farmers began in the form of Krishi Darshan. It was telecast on Wednesdays and Fridays for 20 minutes each day and served 80 villages (around Delhi) provided with community television sets. This pilot project was initiated by the Department of Atomic Energy in collaboration with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, All India Radio, the Indian Agricultural Research Institute and the Delhi Administration (Kumar, 2000). Vikram Sarabhai, the architect of India‟s satellite communication experiments, in 1969 presented a paper entitled â€Å"Television for Development† at the Society for International Development Conference in New Delhi. The idea that the backward countries can and should tap the most advanced communication technologies including television for leapfrogging into rapid economic growth and social transformation was first presented here (Joshi, 1985). Indian television in its infancy was managed by All India Radio. In 1976, television was separated from radio and given a new name – Doordarshan. This adjunct arrangement is seen by some commentators as an impediment to the natural development of television in its initial years (Page and Crawley, 2001). The public service broadcaster – Doordarshan has been used over the years to deliver a number of useful messages. These include messages on family planning, immunization, nutrition of the mother and the child, the need to stem bias against the girl child, among others. Experience suggests that some communication campaigns have worked better than others. A key reason for the failure of many development communication campaigns was the lack of co-ordination with field level agencies (Ninan, 1995; Singhal and Rogers, 2001). Ninan (1995) explains just why the family planning message, the mainstay of development communication messages on television, failed to work. She attributes the failure to the inability of state agencies to provide back-up facilities in rural areas that were required to make the campaign successful. On the other hand, certain messages conveyed through television have worked well. Notable in this category are the health, hygiene, sanitation, and oral rehydration messages which people have adopted to a large extent (Ninan, 1995). Educational Television is another area in which Doordarshan has made significant contribution. Ever since the inception of television in India in 1959, one major responsibility entrusted to it is to provide support for the education system in the country. School television (STV) was launched in October 1961 as an organised, systematic and sequential support to formal school instruction. Teachers appreciated STV as a tool for teaching and presentation of content (Kumar, 2000). The country-wide classroom initiative of the University Grants Commission dedicated to higher education started its telecast on Doordarshan in 1984 with one-hour educational programmes. Though the urban youth may not even be aware of such programmes, these were found to be very useful in the small towns and remote areas of the country where people had less access to other sources of information (Ninan, 1995). In order to boost educational telecasts, a satellite channel devoted exclusively to education Gyandarshan was launched in 2000 in collaboration with the Ministry of Human Resource Development and the Indira Gandhi National Open University. Gyandarshan offers interesting and informative programmes of relevance to special categories – pre-school kids, primary and secondary school children, college and university students, youth seeking career opportunities, housewives, adults, and many others. In addition to educational fare, programmes from abroad are also broadcast to offer viewers a window to the world (Agrawal and Raghaviah, 2006). For three decades ever since the inception of television, the dominant theme was communication for development so as to improve the quality of life for the vast rural majority. The logic was that in an underdeveloped, largely rural country; television could be used to convey messages on agricultural improvement, health care, and family planning to millions of people without depending on the extension infrastructure such a task would normally require. But the irony was that none of this was done imaginatively or consistently (Ninan, 1995). Commenting on the weaknesses of India‟s educational and instructional broadcasts, the Verghese Committee set up in 1977 to suggest an autonomous framework for broadcasting, noted that in the absence of co-ordination with concerned government departments and educational institutions; the health, farm and educational broadcasts have not been very effective. Another area where it felt the broadcast media was found inadequate was in promoting social justice and educating the underprivileged about their rights (Verghese, 1978). Despite some such shortcomings, Indian television also has to its credit significant initiatives of promoting social change in rural areas. Notable among them are SITE, the educational telecasts and the Kheda Communication Project. One of the most extensive educational and social research projects, perhaps the largest national television experiment in the world, has been SITE (Vilanilam, 2005). Some of these landmark initiatives are discussed in the next section. Landmark Initiatives in Development Communication using Television The journey of television in India took a new turn with the launch of the Satellite Instructional Television Experiment in 1975-76. It was a one year pilot-project using the National Aeronautics and Space Administration‟s ATS-6 satellite to broadcast educational messages through satellite to 2400 villages in the six states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Bihar, Orissa, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Its objectives were to improve rural primary education, provide teacher training, improve agriculture, health and hygiene, and nutritional practices and contribute to family planning and national integration (Singhal and Rogers, 2001). SITE was â€Å"an unqualified success in terms of hardware but the software wasn‟t specific enough to the area and audience in content or language, and therefore was not so useful and comprehensible† (Joshi, 1985, p.32). The important lesson learnt was that the software has to be area-specific, relevant to the needs and aspirations of the audience, and has to be in the local language (Page and Crawley, 2001; Singhal and Rogers, 2001). The Kheda Communication Project (KCP) launched in 1976 remains to-date the most innovative experiment in using television for empowerment and participatory rural development. Initially known as Pij TV, it used a one-kilowatt transmitter. The Pij transmitter could be received in a radius of about 30 km from Pij village (Agrawal and Raghaviah, 2006). It was India‟s first effort at decentralised community television broadcasting and received the prestigious UNESCO-IPDC prize for rural communication effectiveness. Some 650 community television sets were provided to 400 villages and installed in public places. One of the reasons for the success of the KCP was due to its ability to tap into the existing development infrastructure of Kheda district. It collaborated with extension agencies working in dairying, agriculture and health services, with local banks, cooperatives and employment exchanges (Singhal and Rogers, 2001). The accent was on participatory programme making, the themes were often local, dared to deal with controversial subjects such as caste discrimination, alcoholism etc., and for the first time systemic audience research was carried out (Thomas, 2010). Recognising it contribution, UNESCO noted, â€Å"Kheda was an exceptional example of the combining of modern technologies with a participatory approach to communication. The project employed traditional cultural expressions of a rural community in the creation of its audiovisual programmes, while using modern evaluation techniques for its programme planning. Overall, this project proved to be a good example of the applications of 9 communication for the promotion of human development, particularly of the rural poor, women and children† (UNESCO website, 2011, para. 14). Despite being such a success, the Kheda Project was carried out in splendid isolation from the mainstream and its lessons were not allowed to influence the development and programme trajectory adopted by Doordarshan (Thomas, 2010).