Trying Out Life Without A Television English Language Essay

Trying Out Life Without A Television English Language Essay The Adult Literacy Survey recently concluded that watching more than two hours of TV a day is harmful and holds children back. So what would happen if there were no televisions? No sport, no American Idol, no Days of Our Lives, no National Geographic, no BET, MTV or, (gulp) Spongebob? To find out, three of our reporters volunteered to turn the box off for a week. How did they cope, what did they do instead and did one of them really end up sewing a hem on a pair of trousers like one of the Ingalls girls on Little House on the Prairie? In our special feature, we also drop in on a family of two parents and six children who havent had a TV in the house for six months. The kids say its been torture but mom and dad say the children have come alive since its been gone. We also took to the streets to find out how much time islanders spend in front of the TV. Like most things, at the end of the day its a question of balance. Do you have it right? I was in denial about TV?habit By James Whittaker The hip hop group Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy once described television as the drug of the nation. But Id always considered myself as more of a casual user than an addict. Sure I was not immune to the hypnotic pull of the tube, but as far as I was concerned it was under control. Asked how much I watched a week, Id probably say five or six hours, if that. More, I suppose, if you count sports. Movies count too? Okay, maybe a few hours more. What about documentaries, surely thats just interactive learning? No? A couple more hours then. In the words of George W. Bush, I guess I mis-underestimated myself. When I actually added up the number of hours Id sat watching TV the previous week it was more than double what I thought it would be. I was well inside the two-hours-a-night category that the Bermuda Adult Literacy Survey classifies as the danger zone. A fair portion of that time was spent flicking between channels looking for something decent. Another chunk was spent criticizing the banality of what American mainstream channels consider comedy (somehow it never occurred to me to flick the off switch). And then the rest was spent on what I considered more worthy televisual pursuits like the English Premier League or David Attenboroughs Planet Earth. I still stand by the belief that television and literacy are not mutually exclusive. But when asked to recall a useful lesson Id learnt from TV, Dont mess with lions or sharks was about the best I could come up with. Worse still was the realization that a possibly vital part of my brains storage system would forever be assigned details about a nasty little growth hormone called Relacor which means unsightly belly fat is not my fault. The subliminal power of advertising had its hooks firmly in. Clearly, it was time for a change. The best way I found to curb the cravings during my week of abstinence was to stay out of the house. I went to a jazz concert on the Monday night, played in a squash tournament on two separate nights, went for the odd run and genuinely didnt miss television all that much. When I was home I had the benefit of a couple of good books and an online chess game to satisfy my entertainment demands. With no default selection, the question of what shall we do tonight? was always a challenge, but the answer was invariably more interesting than MTV. With the experiment over, I still watch my fair share of television. Id probably have to remove it from the house to avoid it completely. But Im at least a little more conscious not to watch, just because it is there. Maybe next time someone asks how much I watch Ill be able to say five or six hours a week and it might even be the truth. I hand-wrote a letter and did some sewing! By Sirkka Huish Think about all those important jobs you never get around to doing. Well, theres a way to get them crossed off the list and even enjoy the process give up TV for a week. Its a simple way to find more hours in the day, but you might find yourself doing some bizarre things. Typically, I get home from work and chill out in front of the box for a couple of hours. Now I faced going cold turkey for seven days 168 hours! All of a sudden I had to fill my time with more meaningful activities; I was forced to get the creative juices flowing. The key to getting through the week was staying busy and pretending I wasnt really missing Wife Swap, Survivor, Greys Anatomy and Ugly Betty or that I didnt mind being clueless about the latest American Idol audition or Oprah special. How did I spend my time? I read and went to the gym and spent a lot longer than normal slaving over a hot stove. A friend in the U.K. will get the surprise of her life when my hand-scribbled letter arrives on her doormat. I also came over all domesticated. Im proud to say my bathroom is now spotless and my fridge was given a good clean out. I even found time for a bit of sewing. Yes, I amazed even myself by sewing up the hem on a pair of trousers. To avoid temptation I also arranged a few nights out, but I was limited to where I could go. There was no way my boyfriend would give up TV even for a day, let alone a week, so I had to avoid his house. And almost every pub now has a widescreen TV looking back at you. Surprisingly, going without TV got easier as the week progressed. Im not a huge TV watcher anyway but I did miss my daily dose of news. I felt a bit lost without my window into the world. It brought home the fact that Im stuck on an island in the middle of the Atlantic. However, breaking free of the grip of TV wasnt a life-changing experience and I cant say I felt liberated. Neither did I find myself indulging in a healthy dose of outdoor activity. It was a valuable experience, though, as I was a lot more productive. I turned on life rather than the TV and stopped vegging-out in front of B-list celebrities, B-movies and bad plot lines. But I wont be throwing out the telly just yet. My TV isnt evil, it doesnt ruin my life, I just like it to have it around. Im not an addict. I would like to catch up with American Idol after missing two episodes, though The bliss of longer soaks in the tub By Don Burgess Giving up a week of TV left me hiding out in the bathtub and spending less time with my wife. It wasnt a good week to go on the no-TV diet. My house was full of people and we had relatives sleeping on the pullout sofa in the living room. We have an open plan house so the dining room and living room are connected. Also, my wife was sick for much of the week laid-up in bed with the TV on. And the weather was too bad for playing sports most days. I felt a little stranded. I would normally watch two to four hours of TV a day, but there are only five must-see programmes: Survivor, Battlestar Galactica, Bones, House and American Idol. And I did watch some TV couldnt help it. With the TV on in the bedroom and in the living room, there was no way not to see and hear programmes as I walked through, or interacted with people. But I didnt sit down to watch a programme. Instead, I spent more time in the bathtub. I could have stayed in the tub reading longer, but I after an hour, my skin had more wrinkles than a Shar Pei. I decided to set up a chair, with its back to the TV, and read a baseball magazine. I read a bad novel So how did I spend the rest of my time otherwise? I went to church, managed to get in a softball game, spent more time on the computer and read Stephen Kings Cell (very disappointing). We did play a few board games together like Vegas Showdown, San Juan and St. Petersburg, but those would have been a normal part of life anyway. Now that my week of abstinence is over, will I watch less TV? Probably not. As soon as the clock struck the witching hour, I had Comedy Central on. In the three days since going back to TV, Ive only watched six hours, which isnt that much considering it was a weekend. But of course, thats what any addict would say.

Evaluation of a Restaurant

I don’t go out for fine dining as often anymore but when I do, my expectations are well within reason of a diner. There are many factors in a restaurant that will determine whether I will be a returning patron. These factors can range from the cleanliness of its restrooms to the way the interior is decorated, but the sake of this essay, I will narrow down to the three most common-service, food and price. Service- Upon entering, I expect a host or hostess to acknowledge my presence and escort me to a table as soon as one is available. The waiter or waitress, who will be serving me, should have a good knowledge of what is on the menu for both food and wine. The server should also be quick to fill my glasses when empty. After my food has been served and a few bites into my dinner, I should be asked if it is to my approval. If not, inquire why and do something about it. My server should be proactive and attentive and instead of having to be flagged down for everything. Most of all, they should be pleasant and willing in making my experience an enjoyable one. After all, I’m not just paying for the food but paying for the service as well. Remember, TIPS is short for To Insure Prompt Service. Food- Since I will be paying for my food, I would expect it to be nothing less of delectable. Of course, presentation of the dish itself should be appetizing, but the taste is what I’m here for. If a medium-rare steak is what I order, then I want to see it seared on the outside and pinkish to slightly red towards the center thickness. Just as important, flavor should be as close to, if not exactly, as described in the menu and by the server. Vegetables, if done correctly, will add a perfect compliment. I’ve eaten at places where vegetables were so over cooked; I swear it came from a can. The point is if your food tastes like cafeteria food, complain. Let’s face it, if I’m going to fork out a â€Å"Ben Franklin† for this, it had better be worth that. Price-As the old saying â€Å"You get what you pay for† couldn’t be further from the truth. Even for something that you’ve consumed before you pay for it. But then again, the price that I’m willing to pay is for the entire experience; not just the worth of the ingredients in making my entree and for the service provided, but ultimately for my enjoyment of the meal. If I smile after each shovel of food into my mouth as opposed to a frown after each nibble, then it’s all worth it. This doesn’t necessarily mean I have to a pay and an arm and a leg for it either. I always say that when I leave a restaurant a little poorer in wealth but richer in culinary culture, then it’s worth a recommendation and better than that- a return visit. After all, regular customers and returning patrons are the ones who help keep their doors open. With all that being said, the establishment that I have been modeling the structure of this essay with, which exceeded all three of my criteria as well as others I didn’t mention is Forbes Mill Steakhouse in Los Gatos, California. Only twenty minutes from my house and is highly recommended to anyone be it local or visitors of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Discrimination And Prejudice

Prejudice is a term which is used in most of our daily conversations and means unconfirmed or untested formed belief, attitude, opinion or knowledge held about an entity or a group and it is taken as truth by the person or groups who holds such opinion, belief, attitude or knowledge, (Honey, 1999). A typical example is the belief of the western countries that Africans are primitive and nothing good comes from them. This statement qualifies as prejudice since no test has since been carried out to confirm this claim even though most western community widely accepts it.Another example to elaborate further prejudice is an opinion by Christian community that both Muslims and Hindus are sinners, not worthy of heavenly inheritance. The same is also the typical opinion held against Christians by adherents to other religious groups. This statement propagates prejudice since it is not true that following a different religious belief makes people bad. Final example in this category is the belie f by a group of people that Muslims are terrorists. Is it confirmed?Discrimination on the other hand is a term widely used to mean a process of according unequal treatment or chance to different individuals, group of people, objects or events based on the views held on them. In this case therefore, the factors about which positive view(s) is/are held have higher probability of being given favorable treatment as opposed to those factors about which negative attitudes are held. By the same token, to discriminate refers to an act of giving unequal treatment to an entity or group with presume similar characteristics, (Cochran, 1999).For instance, the belief that Africans are primitive may influence someone from western countries to prefer an American as his/her personal doctor over an African medical specialist. A faithful Christian is most is likely to appreciate neither Hindu nor Islamic faith and vise versa. Finally, most Muslims may not be given visa to most countries as other natio nals have access to this document with ease. It therefore follows that discrimination and prejudice are two interrelated words with prejudice possibly resulting to discrimination Discrimination and Prejudice Discrimination is easiest explained through prejudice. Prejudice is when a social subject holds a preconceived notion about another person or a group of people, without judging from experience. Discrimination is when a social subject acts upon such preconceived notions. A common mistake is the concept that both prejudice and discrimination are only negative, as in a derogative notion of someone (such as the treatment many minorities were subjected to), but, in truth, positive discrimination and prejudice are both possible, if there is a preconceived notion in favor of someone.Both of these notions are those of inequality, the difference between them being in thought as opposed to action of any kind. In fact, it's possible to be prejudiced and not discriminate, out of such things as fear or profit, and it is possible to discriminate for the same reasons and not be prejudiced. Though, most commonly, it is those who are biased who discriminate, and those who are-non biased give equal tr eatment to their peers from different groups.There are three types of discrimination, based mostly on the level of social deepness. There is personal discrimination, which consists of any personal attack on a minority member, from slurs to murder. This is any attack on the personal level, any interaction of particular human beings. An instance of such an attack would be calling a transgendered human spawn of Satan. There is legal discrimination, which is when a minority group is denied any kind of rights – public institutions, jobs, housing and anything social, basically.Any person who has ever been denied a job because â€Å"blacks do not work as well as whites do† (without looking at the prior credentials) knows what legal discrimination is like. And, finally, the most deeply entrenched in society is institutional discrimination. This is when there is a tradition of discrimination so deep that it is no longer viewed as discrimination, where a discriminatory idea is s o old and seemingly natural, that even members of the minority group themselves sometimes believe it.A great example is that â€Å"Romani are thieves†. Despite all cultural tradition, if this stereotype weren't upheld by society, building walls on their side of the Romani self-chose seclusion, their way of life might have changed over the centuries, like it did with many other peoples. There are four basic approaches to the matters of aging within society. The first is the functionalist approach, otherwise known as social disengagement theory.It looks upon the withdrawal of elders from society as natural, since they gradually lose social power, and thus remove themselves from social responsibilities as to make room for youth in functional aspects, while retaining the ability to engage in activities of their choosing, such as hobbies, should they so desire. However, the activity (or interactionist) theory disputes the functionalist approach, by claiming that the more active an elderly person remains, the better their quality of life. They may disengage from responsibilities, but remaining active is necessary for a full life even in this age.Research supports this, despite criticisms that this may set unrealistic goals for the elderly. Their capacity for activity does lessen, but activity remains a basic need for happiness, and needs to be fulfilled, even in this reduced amount. But if the elderly are happier if engaged in activities, why do they disengage? Conflict theory states that, since profit is the driving force behind society, there is much pressure on the elderly to leave their positions, so that younger, less expensive and more competent specialists may be hired, the elderly losing social value as time goes on.This seems more correct than the subculture approach, which states that the elderly, while disengaging with those younger, form subcultures among themselves to compensate. While subcultures may be formed, they are not the defining factor f or the disengagement, but rather, one of its consequences. And last, the exchange theory on aging combines all of these perspectives, by stating that the elderly remain active socially (and thus, happy) as long as their activity is beneficial to all involved.By â€Å"beneficial† they do not mean only economic benefits, but also the exchange of simple human feelings such as love, friendship and compassion, though some elderly people remain engaged economically (for instance, by renting rooms in their homes), and thus allow themselves the possibility of social interaction. This also includes the functionalist perspective, for it shows how rewards are given in return for past productivity. This is the most comprehensive approach.

The Problem Of Overcoming Failure - 1749 Words

SUMMARY: In this 21st Century, even though the Technology and specialization improved a lot but still there is many complex situations exists in any industries like Aviation, Building, Medical etc. The Solution to these problems are demanding and Technical. Before Years, We are in a condition of â€Å"What and how to find the problem†. They spent most of the years in finding the solutions to the problems. Now we are in position of â€Å"Know – How to solve the problem† due to the advances and individual expertise and Specialization. But still there persists an avoidable failure and un-intended mistakes happens which causes serious problems and consequences. The reason is evident: Volume and complexity of what we know exceeds our individual ability to deliver its benefits correctly safely and reliably. Knowledge has a power of both saving and burden if we are not correctly placed. We need a different strategy of overcoming failure. One that builds based on the experience and the knowledge which he has but somehow makes up for inadequacies. To overcome these, there is a strategy which is silly for the expertise who have an experience in the specialization for many years but it is critical if the simple things missed out causes huge problems. It’s a Checklist. In Simple Words, Checklist may be of any kind, medium or sheet which gives the instruction and idea of what to do in a sequential manner and make things to go in proper fashion without failures. Checklist can be simple and evenShow MoreRelatedThe Creation Of New Inventions974 Words   |  4 Pagespersona are perseverance, creativity, and the ability to problem solve. The existence of an invention becomes a reality as a result of the three qualities that are a part of their personality. 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