LEGAL ASPECTS OF INTL BUSINESS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

LEGAL ASPECTS OF INTL BUSINESS - Essay Example Malaysia Airlines flies from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing twice daily without stops. Passengers arrive at least two hours in advance. On March 7, a group of 34 Chinese artists’ relatives, organizers businesspersons and families traveling with infants board the plane. An Information technology student in Lumpur and migrants being smuggled into Europe also board the plane. The plane is a Boeing 777, one of the world’s most popular passenger jets enabled with electronic controls and a computer to keep the plane steady(Philip, para. 11). Malaysia Airlines is an international company therefore; its operations are in accordance to international laws in the form of treaties conventions regulating its mother county’s relationship with other counties such as China. International law also provides litigation in cases of such breach of contracts by parties dealing internationally. International law also provides guidelines that facilitate transfer of risk from one party to another dealing internationally. Negligence by a party that has led to losses on the other party can be a basis for suing for damages. China has not held back in halting the pace of the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. It has deployed 21 satellites and a flotilla of naval ships. China has also dispatched investigators to Malaysia, run background checks on Chinese passengers and scourer radar images. Working with Malaysian government in searching for the plane and investigating the happenings has revealed limits of China’s power, influence, technological and military might in the region, despite the rapid rise as a rival to the United States and American strategic dominance of the western pacific. Malaysia has been keeping other nations, including China at a distance, taking a leading role in solving the problem. Malaysia has the right to take control in the search operation. However, China as nation of

Successor in family Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 9250 words

Successor in family - Article Example This could be answered using an empirical research designed to involve business owner-managers and successors from some Chinese family businesses. These respondents could then be asked to help return usable questionnaires. The perceived success of the succession process is measured by two underlying dimensions: The empirical results will indicate whether the successor-related factors that influence satisfaction with the process are, on the one hand, the willingness of the successor to take over, and the relationship between the owner-manager and successor, on the other hand. The study should also be able to elucidate whether the continued profitability of the business is influenced by the willingness of the successor to take over the business, the preparation level of the successor, and the relationship between the successor and owner-manager. The relationship between the owner-manager and successor is influenced by the extent to which interpersonal relationships in the family can be described as harmonious. Based on these findings recommendations for successful succession are offered. When man began to venture into trade and commerce, little did it strike him that business was a means of being together and a factor that contributed to happiness and growth. Gradually members of a family would get together and share responsibilities to ease the workload on a single person. The most influential person of the family would normally be the business head. Family businesses are among the most important contributors to wealth and employment in virtually every country in the world, and this was no exception with the Chinese (IFERA, 2003; Sharma, 1997; Tan & Fock, 2001; Ward, 2004). So influential is family business, that many countries now have more and more family businesses contributing to the national economy through tax payments. What does one mean by the term family business' Following Chua, Sharma, and Chrisman (1996), family business is the business governed and/or managed on a sustainable, and potentially cross-generational, basis that shapes and perhaps pursues the formal or implicit vision of the business held by members of the same family or a small number of

Causes of PSE and DFD Meats and Treatments

Causes of PSE and DFD Meats and Treatments What is PSE DFD meat? The terms pale, soft and exudative PSE and dark, firm and dry DFD describe two undesired quality characteristics that can be exhibited in the meat from most species of meat producing animals. However the PSE condition is predominantly found in pigs whilst the DFD condition occurs across all species. Within this essay the incidence rates of both PSE /DFD, the causative factors, consequences and commercial factors as well as prevention shall be considered. Pictures of the two conditions can be seen in fig 1. These undesirable conditions are very important when considering both functional and specified meat quality. They are significant factors that contribute to the economic, social and environmental wellbeing of the entire sector and encompass wide ranging issues affecting meat production, profits, yields, animal welfare considerations, processing, customer perception, consumption, food safety, spoilage, waste and levels of carbon dioxide production. Both conditions affect the colour of meat, as it can be considered abnormally pale or dark relative to what is considered normal. Colour is one of the major discriminatory factors in a buyers selection, excessively pale or dark meat is unlikely to be purchased. The texture of the meat with PSE and DFD is also affected detrimentally leading to unacceptable levels of softness or firmness. Undesired changes in water holding capacity of the meat occur, leading to problems in processing and the commercial yields of products, as well as detrimental effects on the sensory attributes of meat such as juiciness or succulence. There is thought to be a link between DFD and a lack of flavour in a cooked product. The development of both PSE and DFD meat can be associated with earlier development of rigormortis  [1]  . Products may subjectively exhibit one or more of the descriptive characteristics e.g. too pale or too dark, too soft or too firm, too exudative or too dry relative to the characteristics of normal meat. Normal acidification of muscles after an animal is slaughtered occurs through glycolysis. Glycogen and creatine phosphate are depleted. Glycogen conversion to lactic acid is described here. C6H10O5 +H2Oà ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚  2C3H6O3 There is no oxygen for aerobic metabolic processes to occur. The circulatory system can no longer remove lactic acid and it accumulates within the muscle. The abnormal conditions of PSE and DFD are linked to abnormally high or low acidity, thus the pH value of the meat can be used to more objectively describe the conditions at different times after slaughter (table 1). However these values can be different in different muscles within a carcass and different packaging methods may affect pH values. Accurate pH recordings are also particularly difficult with various methods having various problems such as lack of homogeneity of sample, fat smearing, dilution of sample etc. Using objective indices of PSE and DFD tends to produce higher estimates of the prevalence of the conditions in a population than using subjective assessment.  [2]  Subjective methods of gauging DFD / PSE using people may be less sensitive. People may only be able to judge the extremes of the conditions. There appears to be an increase in the levels of incidence of PSE and DFD. Within the United Kingdom one quarter of pigs may show evidence of PSE and one tenth DFD. The cost of PSE to the American pork industry was estimated at 30 million dollars in 1992, that of DFD pork 0.2 million dollars  [3]  estimated at 16% and 10% of total United States production respectively. This gives an indication of the economic significance of the problems. The levels of glycogen available in the muscle prior to slaughter will determine the ultimate pH. These levels can be changed through stress, theses stresses prior to slaughter are the main factors involved in causing the PSE and DFD conditions. Although there are genetic, muscle composition and processing factors that can be instrumental, these shall be discussed later and these ultimately link to abnormalities in post mortem acidification of the muscles anyway, the effects of long term and short term stress shall be considered now. It is well known that the handling of meat animals prior to slaughter is not only important from a welfare point of view but also affects the quality of the resulting meat  [4]  . It has also been known for many years that hunted animals keep less well than those kept in relative calm conditions. With PSE the cause appears to be acute (or short term) stress to the animal prior to slaughter. This acute stress leads to rapid acidification as glycogen breaks down quickly after slaughter to give lactic acid, resulting in a low ultimate pH. If carcass temperatures are high e.g. within deep muscle regions of the carcass, or rates of cooling are not rapid enough, conditions can develop that allow denaturing of the proteins within these muscles. The muscles are characterised by having lower water holding capacity due to the myofibrillar components of the muscles shrinking. This expels fluids into the space between the muscle fibres. When cut the meat will exude or lose this fluid, this is called drip. Excessive drip represents a loss in total yield but is also unsightly in shelf ready packaging and less likely to be purchased by a potential consumer. The paler appearance of PSE meat is likely due to the different refractive index of the myofibrils and the sarcoplasm. The reduction in the size of the myofilament lattice increases the light reflected from the meat, less light is absorbed by the meat, more is reflected and crucially blood pigments like myoglobin absorb less green light making the meat look more yellow as opposed to red. Also the low ultimate pH promotes oxidation of myoglobin and oxyglobin to metmyoglobin which makes the meat appear browner rather than red or purple. Again this discoloration makes the product less likely to be purchased at point of sale DFD is caused by chronic (or long term) stress to the animal. Glycogen levels are depleted prior to death, meaning that less glycogen is converted to lactic acid after slaughter and the ultimate pH of the meat remains high. Being closer to pH neutral there are significant issues with potential spoilage organisms and food borne pathogens as well as the quality issues discussed here. With a high ultimate pH there is less denaturing of the proteins leading to increased binding of the fluids and less exudates or drip giving a firm dry appearance. The lattice of myofilaments which shrank in the case of PSE does not in the case of DFD. This means that the affects of the refractive index differences of the myofibrils and sarcoplasm are reduced. More light is absorbed with less reflected leading to a darker colour. The tightly packed structure with less extracellular space between the fibres means that less oxidation of the myoglobin can occur, surface oxidation only may occur as oxygen cannot permeate the structure, this leads to a thin translucent / red outside layer with the reduced purple myoglobin pigment predominantly showing through from underneath this thin layer. The stress factors to consider are many fold but are worth at this stage categorising as acute and chronic in terms fear, pain and physical stress and their potential affect on the PSE DFD conditions. These might include noise, temperature variations, fasting or starvation, overcrowding or being put with animals of different social groups. Practical causes of short term stress might include reaction to goading, striking, restraining systems or conveyors, long term stressors associated with DFD might include long transport journeys and being exposed to other social groups of animals for periods of time. Young Bulls and veal calves have been linked to higher incident rates of DFD perhaps due to storage conditions and their fractious nature when exposed to other social groups, respectively. Different species are known to show different sensitivities to different stress factors, for example sheep are known to be less sensitive to noise than pigs. With pigs in particular there appears to be a genetic link to them being susceptible to stress, this is sometimes known as porcine stress syndrome. It exists as a double recessive gene that when apparent as an abnormal homozygote can be exposed and witnessed as a reaction to Halothane. Typically pigs with this double recessive gene react by becoming rigid and tense as opposed to the usual symptoms of anaesthesia through halothane In pigs with this mutation, Ca2+ is released from the sarcoplasmic reticulum at a rate that is equivalent to twice that of normal  [5]  Glycogen conversion to lactic acid happens much more readily and there are higher incidence of PSE amongst this genetic grouping. Measures to breed this characteristic out of pigs have been tried, it is thought that selective breeding for confirmation and fat level may have brought about this genetic mutation. The Halothane test does not work on the heterozygote parent and DNA tests are required to identify parents with the mutation to try and breed this sensitivity out. Another gene has been identified in certain strains of the Hampshire breed of pigs, known as the RN- gene. It is thought that this mutation increases the glycogen content of the white muscles that contain a higher number of glycolytic fibres, again resulting in post mortem rapid acidification leading to a lower pHu upon death leading to the PSE condition. There are other breed effects which can be demonstrated by a comparative study undertaken (Table 2) where traditional breeds were compared against modern commercially important breeds and an extreme of muscularity, this also seems to demonstrate a correlation between lighter more exudative muscles in those bred for confirmation or muscularity. In the search for modern breeds of the desired confirmation, stress susceptibility may have also been bred in. Even within the defined subjective and objective norms there are variations of colour, texture, pH and water holding capacity within different muscles of the carcasses of all species. The muscles affected by a particular stressor may be specific to a region of the anatomy rather than throughout the entire carcass. A particularly undesirable effect can be seen in the two tone appearance of meat, where the PSE, DFD and normal conditions can be exhibited in the extreme within a single carcass. An animal that is susceptible to PSE may exhibit DFD characteristics in those muscles that have been subject to long term stressors and thus have glycogen depletion prior to death. However some of the other muscles e.g. m. longissimus dorsi, within the same pig that are less likely to have glycogen depletion may exhibit the PSE condition. Processing methods can also have an effect, carcass cooling regimes that dont achieve deep muscle temperatures that are cold enough or at the wrong cooling rates can contribute to the conditions required to denature the proteins and exhibit the PSE condition. Howard and Lawrie (1956) found that the rate of pH fall post mortem was inversely proportional to the tenderness of the meat on subsequent cooking  [6]  Animal handling systems, shearing washing, crushing etc will have a direct effect on the levels of glycogen within the muscle systems and so ultimately the levels of PSE DFD occurring. Being able to measure stress indicators and indices of PSE DFD is critical if there is to be an understanding of the prevention of stress and therefore a reduction in the incidence of PSE and DFD in meat. Measurements of the level blood lactic acid, levels of creatine kinase and the electrical characteristics of pork through electrical impedance can give good objective indicators. Levels of cortisol, creatine kinase, pH and colour characteristics measured through online light reflectance spectrophotometrey can give objective PSE DFD measurements. Signs of stress in the animals can give ante mortem indications. These might be obvious in the case of fallen or injured stock but may also include levels of vocalisation, mounting, biting etc as less obvious indicators. Identifying an reducing these conditions is the key in improving functional and specified meat quality, most of the work undertaken to reduce the levels of PSE and DFD is involved in improving welfare conditions of animals in the short and longer term leading up to slaughter. It is a difficult process to reduce stressors, even with very careful handling the animals are subject to a degree of stress. Keeping handling to a minimum is the ideal situation, carefully controlling transport, design of transport to prevent loading and unloading stress, training and certification schemes to improve the skills and knowledge of animal handlers. With pigs it would be better to avoid breeding the susceptible genotypes although as seen there appears to be a direct correlation between improved confirmation and musculature and the stress susceptibility mutation. Keeping animals, especially young bulls in their own social groups would seem to be a logical preventative measure but can be very difficul t to achieve. Physical measures like cooling pigs with water sprays and covering the pens of young bulls may help stop such stress behaviour as fighting and mounting, adding supplements to feed and watering systems prior to slaughter in order to try and replenish glycogen levels may be one way in order to reduce the number of incidence of PSE , DFD as may using tranquilisers and muscle relaxants, however there are issues of potential residues in meat as well as negatively effecting the quality expectations of the consumer by treating an animal in this way. In conclusion to reduce the levels of PSE DFD in meat of all species a combined approach of improving welfare conditions, reducing fear, physical stress and pain, training and education staff, as well as online monitoring and feedback to key stakeholders is required. Carcass cooling rates should be closely controlled. There is a need to develop new methods of objective measurement, both as soon as possible after slaughter and at point of sale, emerging technologies such as near infra red spectrophotometrey, nuclear magnetic resonance, developments in immunoassay techniques and genetic markers may help us identify and prevent the causes of PSE and DFD. Linking the relationship of animal welfare and profit is very important, Traditionally it has been thought that increasing welfare means increasing costs, for example in stocking densities of transport. In seeing that increasing welfare conditions could actually be a profitable activity, aiding reduced quality complaints, increased yiel ds, better sales and less waste there is an opportunity to have large positive impact on the well being of the whole meat sector. there are few, if any, figures comparing the overall economics of these alternatives. However it seems the net effect of greater care could often be greater profitability  [7]  .

To Save or Not To Save - That Is the Question Essay -- Animal Research

When you look at a bald eagle, you see how powerful and majestic this bird is, which is how many people feel about the United States; that’s why the bald eagle is our national emblem on our Great Seal. It would be a dishonor to our Nation to have such a worldwide-recognized symbol of The United States extinct, but in fact that’s exactly what almost happened. To help the bald eagle regain it’s numbers, on December 28, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon signed The Endangered Species Act. â€Å"The law established procedures for conserving plants and animals in danger of extinction and those that are threatened, or likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future (Cooper, â€Å"Endangered Species Act† 855). Since its establishment, the Endangered Species Act has been a topic of debate on whether the way the act is set up now has been worth the securing of land, including land that is privately owned, the time to research and the money that has been spen t. Once species are listed as either threatened or endangered of becoming extinct the first move is to figure out what can be done to help them. What kind of habitat does it need to thrive? Is it isolated to only a few regions of the country or widely located? Could it be introduced into new regions, whether rural or urban, and still have a chance of survival? The lands that are being protected range from mountains to national parks to any neighborhood across the country, so that the smallest plant to the largest wild animal has an environment where they can continue to thrive. Some species have been reintroduced and their populations have recovered enough to bring them out of the endangered status and off of the Endangered Species Act listing. Wolfs and grizzly bears are two out of the... ...have their valid points. The two sides need to work together discuss which animals are vital to the balance of the eco-system and which plants could help create medicine that fight illnesses like cancer. The laws also need to reflect not only the time and money involved in saving the world’s species of plants and animals but also protecting the livelihood of the populations of people who are involved in such areas. The balance between the two is possible as long as both sides work with each other not against each other. Works Cited Arrandale, Tom. "Disappearing Species." CQ Researcher 17.42 (2007): 985-1008. CQ Researcher. Web. 24 Mar. 2012. Cooper, Mary H. "Endangered Species Act." CQ Researcher 9.37 (1999): 849-64. CQ Researcher. Web. 24 Mar. 2012. ---. "Endangered Species Act." CQ Researcher 15.21 (2005): 493-516. CQ Researcher. Web. 24 Mar. 2012.

The marshall islands

The Marshall Islands are located in the Pacific Ocean, merely North of the equator. They help organize an country referred to as Micronesia. The Marshalls are composed of twenty- nine atolls and five islands ( Niedenthal, 2008 ) . The two chief atolls are Bikini and Enewetak. The most historical atoll is Bikini. The Marshalls were foremost discovered by the Spanish in the 1600 ‘s and subsequently by the Germans. The islands were chiefly used for bring forthing copra oil from coconuts. In the early 1900 ‘s the Nipponese administered to the islands ; this later became a military station in expectancy for WWII. The Japanese set up central offices on the Kwajalein atoll. In February 1944, the U.S. captured Kwajalein atoll and ended the Nipponese clasp on the Marshall Islands. Merely five Nipponese work forces remained on Bikini, and they committed self-destruction to avoid being captured. In December 1945, President Truman issued a directing to prove atomic bombs. Bikini atoll was chosen due to its distant location from regular air and sea paths ( Niedenthal, 2008 ) . In February 1946, Commodore Ben H. Wyatt went to Bikini to inquire the Bikinians if they would be willing to relocate temporarily. Commodore Wyatt explained that the testing would be done, â€Å" for the good of all world and to stop all universe wars. † ( Niedenthal, 2008 ) King Juda spoke for the Bikinians stating, â€Å" We will travel believing that everything is in the custodies of God. † ( Niedenthal, 2008 ) . As the 167 Bikinians prepared to relocate ; every bit many as 42,000 U.S. military and civilian forces moved in. The bequest of Bikini began in March of 1946 ; this is when they were foremost removed from the island in readying for Operation Crossroads. In this readying the Bikinians were moved 125 stat mis eastward to Rongerik atoll. Rongerik was uninhabited due to the belief that evil liquors dwelled at that place. The U.S. left the Bikinians with merely several hebdomads worth of nutrient, and after two months they were enduring from famishment. In July King Juda traveled back to Bikini with a U.S. authorities delegate. At this point, the 2nd atomic bomb, codification name Baker, had been detonated and Bikini looked the same. The first bomb was called Able. Both bombs were approximately the size of the bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan. The nutrient deficit on Rongerik worsened from December 1946 through January 1947. Then in May 1947, the Binikians saw more desolation. A immense fire damaged a big bulk of the coconut trees. In July a U.S. medical officer visited the island, and by autumn the U.S. research workers decided to travel the Bikinians. This clip the Bikinians would be moved to Ujelang atoll. Before the move to Ujelang, the Bikinians began constructing places and communities. Then by the terminal of 1947 the U.S. selected Enewetak atoll as a 2nd trial site. The people on Enewaetak were moved to Ujelang, and began populating in the places and communities that the Bikinians had built for themselves. In March 1948, the Bikinians were moved to Kwajalein atoll. However, they did non remain on Kwajalein long ; by November 1948 the Bikinians were traveling to Kili Islands. Once once more, their nutrient supply became short and people faced famishment ( Niedenthal, 2008 ) . In January 1954, the U.S. military went to Rongerik to put up a conditions station to supervise conditions in readying for Operation Castle. The conditions conditions were monitored multiple times a twenty-four hours as the trial day of the month for the Bravo shooting got closer. The midnight briefing indicated that the air currents were headed for Rongelap and to the E of at that place. It was recognized that both Bikini and Eneman islands would likely be contaminated ( Niedenthal, 2008 ) . March 1, 1954, Bravo was detonated off the northwesterly corner of Bikini. The work forces on U.S. military ships stationed 40 stat mis south and east of Bikini were ordered to travel below deck and seal all Windowss and doors due to the degrees of radiation. Bravo was a 1000 times more powerful than Fat Man and Little Boy used on Japan. The white ash, autumn out, fell every bit far as 125 stat mis to the E of Bikini atoll, which is Rongelap Atoll. The â€Å" success † of the blast was far greater than expected. Many people had been exposed to this big sum of radiation, and none of them had received any account from the U.S. authorities. In late March the off- bound zones were expanded to include Rongeik, Utirik, Ujelang, and Likiep. No 1 had been evacuated from these islands prior to the blast. In the spring of 1954, Bikar, Ailinginae, Rongelap, and Rogerik were all contaminated by the Yankee and Union bombs ( Niedenthal, 2008 ) . In January 1955, on the island of Kili, it was going more and more hard to acquire the nutrient to the Bikinians. The U.S. so gave the Bikinians a orbiter community on Jaluit Atoll. During this clip the Bikinians signed over full usage rights to Bikini Atoll. In late 1957 Typhoon Lola hit Kili, droping the Bikinians supply ship. Then in 1958, Typhoon Ophelia hit Jaluit. The Bikinians were forced to travel back to Kili, and conflict unequal nutrient supply throughout 1960 ( Niedenthal, 2008 ) . The followers is a list of important day of the months and events for the Marshall Islanders:June 1968: President Lyndon B. Johnson promised the 540 Bikinians they could return to Bikini.August 1969: An eight twelvemonth program was prepared for relocation of Bikini Atoll.Late 1969: The first clean up stage was complete1971: The relocation program came to a arrest.1972: Coconut trees were planted and people moved back to Bikini.June 1975: Bikini is said to be hotter and excessively contaminated .May 1977: Degree of radioactive Sr 90 exceeded U.S. upper limit allowed bounds. The Bikinians were limited to eating one coconut a twenty-four hours ; due to a buildup of caesium from eating multiple coconuts ( Kristof, 1997 ) .September 1978: Bikini Atoll is evacuated once more.1980- 1987: The Bikinians filed a case, the case was dismissed, and eventually the Bikinians received two trust financess for compensation.1990 ‘s: Bikini starts a touristry plan ( Niedenthal, 2008 ) .1996: Bikini was able to supply a dive plan. Bikini got a new power works and a fresh H2O production unit.2001: Bikini took over direction of the dive plan.2003-2004: All honkytonk installations on Bikini were upgraded.2007: Ascents across the atoll continue.The people of Bikini still remain scattered waiting for the clean up to get down once more. It has non begun once more due to the deficiency of support by the U.S. ( Resettlement Program to Date ) . The dirt on Bikini Atoll is contaminated and there have been several proposals for how to clean the dirt. One suggested method is to evacuate the island and take the dirt to a deepness of 15 inches ; which would more than probably leave the island like a barren of sand. A 2nd suggested method is to non evacuate but to grate the dirt in a hodgepodge manner one country at a clip. A 3rd method is to besides grate the dirt but to travel the contaminated dirt to the Bravo crater. A 4th method is to distribute K fertiliser on the dirt. The braid will prefer the K over the caesium ( The Radiological Cleanup and Future Plans for Bikini Atoll ) . It is unsure if the people of Bikini Atoll will of all time be able to populate at that place once more. If they had the proper support, they would be able to properly clean the dirt and finally travel back to Bikini Atoll. Bikini Atoll is presently unfastened to tourers. The atoll ‘s H2O is clean and unfastened to frogmans. While plunging, tourers can see a assortment of ships, the universe ‘s lone aircraft bearer, and pigboats ( Bikini radiological ) . Hopefully sometime in the new hereafter the Bikinians will have the support they need in order to complete the relocation of Bikini Atoll ; and will be able to travel back to their island and restart their diet of coconuts!Plants CitedKristof, N. D. ( 1997, March 5 ) . An Atomic Age Eden ( but Do n't Eat the Coconuts ) . Retrieved March 3, 2010, from The New York Times: www.nytimes.com/1997/03/05/world/an-atomic-age-eden-but-don-t-eat-the-coconutsNiedenthal, J. ( 2008, March ) . Short History of the People of Bikini Atoll . Retrieved March 3, 2010, from Bikini Atoll: www.bikiniatoll.com/history.htmlResettlement Program to Date. ( n.d. ) . Retrieved March 3, 2010, from Bikini Atoll: www.bikiniatoll.com/resettle.htmlThe Radiological Cleanup and Future Plans for Bikini Atoll. ( n.d. ) . Retrieved March 3, 2010, from Bikini Atoll: www.bikiniatoll.com/radclean.html

Changes- Tupac Shakur Influences on Society Essay

â€Å"We talk a lot about Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. , but it’s time to be like them, as strong as them. They were mortal men like us and every one of us can be like them. I don’t want to be a role model. I just want to be someone who says, this is who I am, this is what I do. I say what’s on my mind. † –Tupac Amaru Shakur (T. I. P). This quote was spoken by one of hip-hop’s most legendary idols, Tupac Shakur. Tupac has become an integral icon of the hip-hop culture and will live on eternally through his dynamic lyrics and poems. Most of Tupac’s raps concerned growing up around violence and hardships in ghettos, and racial inequality in the United States. He experienced many of these factors growing up, especially race related issues. For instance, on October 1991, Tupac was stopped by two officers for allegedly jaywalking. When he responded with a profanity, he was choked and beaten severely (All eyez on me). Tupac’s lyrics always went deep into the meaning of many political and social subjects including violence, and that is what sparked the initial response of his song, â€Å"Changes†. The purpose of this song was to state how everyone knows that racial violence and issues on the streets would never change. It shows how people have to succumb to the fact that there will always be poverty, racism, police brutality and violence in the world. This is reiterated by the lyric, â€Å"Some things will never change†. This song went straight to number one on the charts in many countries in Europe and around the world. This resulted in Tupac gaining a broader and more receptive audience to his controversial lyrics. So imagine if Tupac had used a different method to get his message across, for example, just writing the lyrics without music or creating a photo collage. Not only would the audience change but the message would also be effected by the difference in mediums. Transmediation refers to the process of â€Å"responding to cultural texts in a range of sign systems—art, movement, sculpture, dance, music, multimedia communication, and so on (Reading Online). Leonard Schlain highlights the importance of engaging in transmediation when writing: â€Å"Digital information comes in multiple forms, and students must learn to tell stories not just with words and numbers but also through images, graphics, color, sound, music, and dance. There is a grammar and literacy to each of these forms of communication. Bombarded with a wide variety of images regularly, students need sharp visual-interpretation skills to interact with the media analytically. Each form of communication has its own rules and grammar and should be taught in ways that lead students to be more specific and concise in communicating† (Edutopia). So remediating a text through a different tool ultimately will change the way it is communicated to its audience. For example, imagine the oratory medium that Tupac used to convey his hit song, â€Å"Changes† was instead only a written form of the lyrics. This traditional technology would not only affect the message behind the song but the audience’s acceptance of it. The second way I have communicated this song is visually. I have constructed a collage of what I thought the song was trying to convey. This leaves area for the original message to be interpreted differently among each individual and losing sight of the originality of it. Although these mediums are proper for some texts, I think that Tupac choose the correct form, auditory to communicate his message. I began my remediation process by handwriting the first verse of the song, â€Å"Changes†. By doing this, the audience must then adapt to the new medium. Reading the lyrics of the song instead of hearing it changes the way that it is received. More people are likely to not be introduced to the writing simply because it has been transferred from auditory to written. As a song it has exposure to the wide, variety of people that enjoy listening to music. Written on a piece of paper would affect who has access to read it causing the audience to shift from music lovers to people that just so happen to come in to contact with the text. Since it was originally presented as a song, reading the piece of work takes away the strength of the song, which is portrayed through the powerful voice of Tupac Shakur. When he raps this song, it demands the listener’s attention because of the controversial lines and the way that it is spoken. Most rappers choose to rap about their money and cars while, Tupac used his words to try and make a difference. He bought much needed attention to important issues, such as racism. On the other hand, there is one key benefit to the transmediation of this song. If it originally were only meant to be read, people would be able to focus more on the underlying theme of the song. The audience would not be blurred by the music in the background and could listen to its true meaning. When people think of music, they often associate entertainment with it, causing the artist’s lyrics to be downplayed. Presenting the song so that it is only read can ensure that the reader is affected by the lyrics. Having the lyrics distributed on paper will also help it reach a variety of people. People that may not enjoy listening to rap music, would have the opportunity to judge the lyrics by its context not its genre. Although, remediating the song and presenting the lyrics of it changes the audience, I believe it aids in expressing its meaning. My experience of transforming the song into a collage was harder than I expected. I chose an overall background that pictured Tupac Shakur surrounded by newspaper clippings with headlines such as, â€Å"When Guns Replace Words†. I chose to incorporate this picture because it depicts the gun violence described in the song. Also shown is a picture of police officers fighting off a crowd. This shows their brutality towards the people. Another picture I put into the collage was of people protesting for change. They want to be heard and they demand change. Their way of achieving this is by protesting while Tupac’s way is through this song. While I looked for pictures that matched the song, I also tried to ensure that they expressed the deeper meaning that Tupac was trying to get across. I did not just want to select a picture simply because the word was used in the song. I saw this as a problem because if â€Å"Changes† was an image that is exactly what would happen to the song. People would view the collage differently and the meaning would change. Tupacs’s originality would be gone and the effectiveness of the song would deplete. Of course, the main factors expressed in the song would be understood but the underlying issues discussed may be overlooked. I do believe that there is a risk for leaving a piece open for the public to discuss versus having someone directly state it. Although having the song presented as a collage gives the audience an unlimited amount of ways to interpret it, this is also one of its beneficial factors. When people are able to give their own opinions and thoughts about something, they are able to open their minds to new ideas and theories. Expressed as a collage, the audience is able to give feedback and think about a subject more in depth. A picture is worth a thousand words and therefore, more problems explained in the song are more likely to be unmasked because of an image. While experimenting with these two remediations, I learned some very important things; the way something is communicated changes its audience and affects the overall message. The medium someone chooses to get a message across is a key factor when developing that message. Like I have previously discussed, each medium produces its own strengths and weaknesses. I believe that Tupac Shakur chose the best method to communicate with his audience.

Patrick Dwyer Essays

Patrick Dwyer Essays Patrick Dwyer Essay Patrick Dwyer Essay Where The Wild Things Are As humans we instinctively feel the need and desire to belong. When we truly belong to something we achieve a sense of acceptance, love and togetherness. ‘Where The Wild Things Are’ by Maurice Sendak is a children’s book that explores the concepts of belonging and in contrast, not belonging. It is a very simple story accompanied by large, rich pictures. The text and pictures complement each other, each enriching the sense of alienation for the responder. Max is a mischievous young boy who displays aspects of childhood irritation and loneliness. He lives in a world with limited freedom as he is a child. It becomes clear to the responder through the positioning of the character on the page, the vector of the boy’s angry gaze as well as the neutral, bland colours used that Max feels like he doesn’t belong in the world he calls home. The pictures at the beginning of the story are quite unengaging compared to the bright, richly textured pages that follow. This sense of not belonging leads to Max fantasising and creating a whole new world within his imagination. In this world Max is king, there is no one to tell him what to do and how he must act. In this place Max is completely accepted and the most important part of the wild things world. Max wears a wolf suit during the story, it shows the responder that Max is disguising who he really is and that the suit enables him to escape from reality. Whilst Max is wearing this suit he becomes a wild thing and he thinks that his behaviour is acceptable. Max is pushing his family away, but he is also wishing to obtain a sense of belonging, love and acceptance. He finds this sense of belonging with his new wild friends. Throughout the text, the composer portrays a range of emotions felt by Max. He finally gets what he wants, a place of unlimited freedom and acceptance, but still is not happy. He needs to be â€Å"where someone loves him best of all†. So he returns to the comfort and familiarity of his bedroom, where his mum had left his supper, still warm. Framing is an important visual element of ‘Where The Wild Things Are’ as Max’s imagination grows, the illustrations get larger until they fill the whole page. Early in the book, before Max’s imagination takes him to the land of the wild things, we see a hand drawn picture of a wild thing hanging on his wall. He has thought about the wild things before and has been forming a plan in his mind. Max has often felt like he doesn’t belong and has imagined belonging somewhere else, in an imaginary world where he makes all the rules and is king. The text regularly refers to Max as ‘king’, but he doesn’t appear to be enjoying his job much. He looks sad, bored and lonely and begins to long for his home, which is a place where he does belong. ‘Where The Wild Things Are’ links quite closely to the set text ‘Romulus, My Father’. Both texts contain an informative tone and both contain the central theme of belonging. Both texts use imagery to represent the sense of not belonging, which then leads to belonging. In ‘Where The Wild Things Are’ the lack of belonging is shown through Max’s escape from reality, but then the sense of belonging is shown through Max’s desire to return home, to which he realises is where he belongs. This links to the set text ‘Romulus, My Father’ where the lack of belonging is shown through Romulus’s inability to reduce the cultural barrier between him and the rest of the community, but then the sense of belonging is shown when the community look at how hard Romulus works and therefore appreciate him, in which he belongs. By Pat Dwyer