Saturday, February 29, 2020

American Television In The 1950s And 1960s

American Television In The 1950s And 1960s The televisual representation of black people had been a highly contested phenomenon since the television broadcast of ‘Amos ‘n’ Andy’ in June 1951. It is believed that ‘Amos ‘n’ Andy’ defined for the first time the side that television was to take in the postwar to represent Black people in America. In Amos ‘n’ Andy, Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll created and fixed an image of blackness, black people believed, which made racist Americans fight against them more and more. The program lasted just two years and was cancelled in the midst of growing protest by the black community in 1953. Because ‘The Jeffersons ‘ not only was the first TV programs which featured African-Americans in leading roles since the cancellation of the infamous ‘Amos ‘n’ Andy’ show in 1953, but also the first television program to feature black couples. Because it was the first time television showed a ric h, successful African American family, many people believed that the appearance of ‘The Jeffersons ‘was the first positive image of a new role model of Black African American families on television. However, John D.H.   [ 1 ]   pointed out that this television show may have been just ‘a typical of American television fare’ because ‘media image of American of African descent have ranged from the blatantly to the latently racist’. ‘Father knows best’ was, the first white family television sitcom and popular around 1950s-1960s. Therefore, I would like to use both ‘The Jefferson’ and ‘father knows best’ as examples to examine how ‘race’ was constructed by American televisual representation. Just a few years after the Second World War, how to attain and live the American dream became one of the most prominent themes of the 1950s .Therefore, for helping Americans rebuild their dream, television p rogram in 1950s was made as a creation of American dream rather than a reflection of society.   [ 2 ]   The television producers believed when people conformed to the ideal of beneficial families bring those family audiences stand up to the same level and made people more enjoy the sitcom and their life.   [ 3 ]   According to Census, in 1950, â€Å"families with both the head and his wife present,† were apparently the norm, accounting for 87.1%. A non-couple household was counted for 3.6%. The figure of independent female household just was 9.3%. it mean, during that period, most Americans demanded to see a family television shows which ‘defined a household in patriarchal and nuclear terms, with the centre assumed to be a male breadwinner heading a household of his dependent wife and children’. Therefore by adopting that idea, in ‘Father knows best’s world Andersons family has an upper-class, white-collar fathers, a stay-at-home wives, and t wo or three children whom lived in suburban. The television show offered viewers a comforting unified vision of the American family. In most episodes of ‘Father knows best’ the stories were all about how the father helped the family find out one or two beneficial social formations from their everyday life. Moreover, by showing a special episode ‘the importance of a strong American democracy’ in ‘school, churched, civic organization ‘, United State Treasury Department promoted U.S. Saving Bones. Given the sitcom show title â€Å"father who knows best,† the television producers hoped that the way of lived in â€Å"father who knows best† would made the majority of Americans understood what real meaning of â€Å"beneficial family† was.

Thursday, February 13, 2020

Business Ethic and Corporate Social Responsibility Essay

Business Ethic and Corporate Social Responsibility - Essay Example Oil is a major contributor to greenhouse gases which results in climate change. The company is on a drive to become more socially responsible by not only reducing its carbon footprints but by improving the safety of its work environment and is employees. In so doing it seeks to reduce the number of accidents and fatalities as well as the number of oil spills, blowouts and flarings at its operations globally. Shell has faced a lot of criticisms from the communities in which it operates and non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) that are concerned about the companies safety practices, the environment and human rights. The company is currently working with communities, its partners and NGO’s in order to deal with potential impacts and also to share the benefits that derive from operations and projects. Shell’s Display of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) According to the company’s CEO Vosser (2010, qtd. in Shell 2010), strong principles as well as the development of trust are fundamental to shells approach and the respect for human rights is deeply entrenched in the company’s General Business Principles which it proudly boasts as having being developed since 1976. Vosser (2010, qtd in Shell 2010) also reveals that the company has adopted transparency as a way of dealing with some of its problems at its operations in Nigeria which has been plagued by operational spills, spills arising from sabotage and spills arising from the theft of fuel. This allows it to keep track of spills in order to determine the main cause. With respect to safety, the company has signed up with the UN Global Compact LEAD which seeks to reinforce commitment by businesses to the principles of Global Compact. Shell has been a member of this group since 2000. The company’s safety measures has been heightened as a result of the BP Deepwater Ho rizon incident in the Gulf of Mexico which dominated the news all over the world in 2010 and the oil spill that resulted. Shell believes that it has the necessary skills and technical expertise to avert such a situation in its operations based on its stringent operating standards which it applies globally. This is a demonstration of its ability to operate in a socially responsible manner despite the diversity of challenges the company faces. Shell’s goal is zero fatality and zero accidents (Shell 2010). In terms of safety in its deepwater operations the company ensures that the persons employed in this area of its operations are properly trained and are competent to handle the requirements of the job. Shell’s focus on the environment lies in some key areas, including CO2, flaring, spills, and the company’s use of water. The company has invested in technology that will lead to more energy efficient refineries and chemical plants. To this end the company has devel oped carbon capture and storage technology to effectively reduce carbon emissions. The company is working assiduously to reduce gas flarings in Nigeria; one of its locations in which it seeks to tackle environmental problems head on. In order to assist in the improvement of standards and practices that may lead to environmental sustainability the company is working with some leading environmental organisations in the quest to adhere to proper environmental management of the energy sector. In addition to providing jobs and training for its employees, Shell also shares the benefits of its operations with the communities in which it operates by providing contracts for goods and services and by

Saturday, February 1, 2020

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult - Essay Example When Anna files a lawsuit to take full control of her body, she is self-centered because her decision is mainly to put her self-interest above her sister’s life. Kate is destined to die without Anna’s kidney. This paper seeks to explore Anna Fitzgerald as the protagonist in the book My Sister’s Keeper. Anna Fitzgerald, a thirteen-year-old sister and daughter is characterized to be subtly assertive. This is evident when she obtains a court order to be in full control of her body. She displays a character that is funny and thoughtful, as she is the only member of the family who seems to bring color and life to her family that has been immensely devastated by Kate’s illness. Anna is inquisitive. Unlike most children, she asks the reason for her existence beyond the surface-level inquisition. She goes ahead to claim that if outside creatures, such as an alien, see children in this world, they might assume that these children were born out of a drinking spree or a mishap in the use of artificial birth control (Picoult 7). This lamentation is a no-nonsense gibberish for Anna because all her life, her existence was literally purposeful. Her character is always inquisitive by asking, proving, and confirming the nature of her existence. With those questions, she was also able to formulate her own sensible answers. Furthermore, her inquisitive nature was also displayed many times in the book, particularly when she sought the help of Campbell Alexander, the lawyer she wished to defend her in court. She was initially declined, but her inquisitive nature made their conversation going and eventually earned the approval of Alexander to present her. Anna Fitzgerald also emerges intelligent. This observation is evident when she effortlessly elaborated the cases that she thought would be related to her possible case. More importantly, her intelligence was seen in the entire book as she manages to bring to the