Global warming and people going green Essay

The natural environment is the home of all living and non living organisms. Natural resources are available to human beings without clear cut boundaries in the natural air, water and climate. Natural environment has a source of energy, radiation and electric charge and all these are not as an influence of human activity but by the existing nature of our planet. It is the vast creation that makes man enjoy and take pleasure and therefore needs to engage in preserving and enhancing the natural environment. Great challenges have faced our natural and original environment and consequently destruction, pollution, and loss of life has been seen to occur through the influence of human activity. Pollution in the air, water, and in the environment in general has been evident through the combustion of fuels and other non recyclable material. Water, land and air have not been conserved and this poses a great danger on the existing ecosystem. Man’s interferance has threatened the existence of species and has led to some of them being endangered or extinct. This is a direct impact that shows that man has had disrespect of biodiversity and ecosystems in which human beings and other living organisms depend on. Human’s activities have been linked to be an environments big challenge. The release of carbon dioxide from green houses has been on focus as this is a human and natural environments interaction with gases has caused climate change. These strong concerns are associated to greenhouse gases that cause climate change. Global warming has been associated to the rise in the temperature on the earth’s air and oceans. Large heat capacity on oceans have caused the sea level to rise and cause extreme weather changes. As a result of such environmental concerns various governments have signed the Kyoto protocol so that they can plan on reducing green house emission. http://www. globalissues. org/EnvIssues/GlobalWarming. asp It is important at this juncture for man to understand that he has a direct influence to the changes that occur on the earth surface and should take caution about them. Climate may change but not exclusively by atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide from green houses. The attribution of global warming can be linked to the industrial era where man has been vigorous in their activity and have had no knowledge on the impact they have to the natural environment. The absorption of atmospheric gases contributes to warming the lower atmosphere and surface of the planet. During the absorption and emission process of infrared radiation warming occurs. (Weart 2003). Water vapour, carbon dioxide gas, methane and ozone are the major green house gases responsible for the warming effects. This is attributed by increased human activity in the industrial revolution such as agriculture, green houses, motor industries among others, deforestation. One among the greatest human activities that have markedly increased gas emission is the burning of fossils. Use of fossil fuel is hence seen to be contributing factor with such fossil fuel reserves increasing their emissions through the increased and extensive use of coal and tar sands. Evaporated water forms gas in to the atmosphere and as a result more water evaporates and hence there is more effect than due to carbon emissions alone. From the clouds, emitted infrared radiation exerts a warming effect and when they reflect sunlight they emit infrared radiations that have a cooling effect. (Weart 2003). Temperatures were relatively stable before 1850 but gradual increase in sea temperature than on land is a natural phenomenon. Land has an effective heat capacity as compared to the oceans which loose heat more readily. Forest clearing and Asian rice irrigation are human influences that William Ruddiman argued that global climate was influenced by these activities. http://www. skepticism. net/global_warming Global warming results to global retreat and sea level rise. The increase in global temperatures can lead also to arctic shrinkage and marked pattern changes in the rainfall. As a result flood or draughts are a common effect of the global warming. These are extreme weather events. Death of animals and vastly the destruction is very enormous. Floods and drought seasons cause low agricultural yield as survival of plants is so compromised and the life of animals is at stake with increase in diseases. With such calamities, adverse health effects, displacement and extreme economic losses destabilize the normal life of the people on planet earth. http://www. skepticism. net/global_warming Human activity have great repercussions on their life with the possible reduction of ozone layer and occurrence of hurricanes and other oceanic interferences that make favourable, the spread of malaria and dengue fever. With political and social debates going on, poor regions such as Africa risk the effects of global warming. The developed world and especially the western part have accepted the idea that human influence is the major influence to climate change. Various nations now weigh the benefit that would result when industrial emissions are limited against the cost they would incur when they adopt new changes. For the sake of regaining back the natural environment, alternative energy sources should be embraced and given chance for observation. Vigorous campaigns that teach on the effect of global activities and emphasize on adaption of stricter measures that would reduce gas emission should receive support worldwide. India and china have a lot of carbon dioxide emissions and the U. S. as well. However, worthwhile ideas and dedications have been recorded in the U. S which is willing to bear the cost and reduce its carbon emission. http://www. globalissues. org/EnvIssues/GlobalWarming. asp Many changes are bound to be realised with the daily effects related to global warming. There is so much uncertainty about other warming signs that may be associated to human activity and resulting to temperature increase. Vector borne diseases are bound to increase due to the migration of the insects from the north regions and especially due to the effect of the warmth increase. As it was recorded in 2004 and 2005, disastrous hurricanes were attributed to the warmer waters on the ocean and no one can anticipate if they will frequent or be stronger as they hit the regions. (Leroux 2005) As a result of global warming serious draughts will have people suffer and especially Africa and in Europe. In general, the effects of global warming can drain the economy at a country as they try to rebuild damaged infrastructure, cure diseases and try to manage such environmental conflicts. Though global warming has been attributed to other activities that do not relate to man, the major intervention by man would be to deal with those that are in their control. Solar variations, volcanic eruptions, orbital forcing, glacier retreats and disease vectors may be associated be causative agents to increased temperature. But a critical look at it lives the question, Should man be ignorant of his activities on the earth? http://www. canadafreepress. com/2007/global-warming020507. html Man should be at the fore front, looking for solutions rather than justifying their non- contribution to the global warming. Small and large scale preventive measures can be put in place to help prevent further harm and create a better place for our children to live in. Without green house emissions temperature would be bearable and more hospitable. Use of fossil fuels used to run cars, heat homes and businesses should be under check so that co2 concentration is reduced. In this breath, use of gas, petrol and diesel as used in petroleum products should be reduced. In the same way that man has been able to affect the planet, they should be able to effect change through change of practise. They should make use of fuel-efficient cars, reduce travel errands, and use alternative means of transport like walking or simply working from the house. At home, one should aim at using energy saving appliances and lighting materials. A great deal of deforestation, industrial activities, mining and agricultural increase has led to gas emission. As a strategy, trees should be planted and deforestation stopped. Deciduous trees should be planted as they contribute to removing 50 pounds of carbon from the air annually. Industrialization should be minimized and compost pits made for waste disposal such as leaves. Ignorance about global warming should be a forgone phenomenon and man should wake up to the call of rebuilding the already damaged environment. Air, water systems and the environment have degraded and the issue at hand is to progress and reverse the erosion that has already taken place. It is of paramount concern, that man should not take chances to involve themselves in activities that compromise the global call to preventing global warming. The risks involved in global warming are far stretching and the effects can be felt for a lifetime. As per the United Nations millennium development goals, solving the environmental problem will be regarded as eradicating poverty. Mankind should aim to reduce fossil fuel imports and preserve the ecosystem through increased awareness campaigns that address the climate change issue. Citizens and companies should embrace anti pollution and global warming prevention measures. (Pringle 2001) Policies at local and national level should be put in operation so that individual activities are governed and implemented at state level. Why would man not be willing to make a better place for him and generations to come? The major step to understand that preventing carbon emission is one of the cheapest interventions that man can use to stop the menace. Invention in new technology of cars and major power plants should have a second thought on the implication it has the future. All in all man should through habitual practice, save energy and have another alternative to use of fossil fuels. In 1990 to 19995, El Nino was a pressure release that was linked to global warming. Heavy rains pounded and several thousand displaced by floods. Death of human and of livestock marked the season. Beside such weather events hurricanes have claimed life, caused destruction and economic loss. http://www. globalissues. org/EnvIssues/GlobalWarming. asp Why would man be willing to risk more? It is the duty of all man to carry aggressive campaigns and appreciate the fact that they caused it to happen and they can make it change for better. With dedication and motivation, such catastrophes can be long forgotten as they work on towards one goal of preventing global warming and restoring the degraded environment. Its effects are disastrous but our control is the way forward. Works Cited Ball T. Global Warming, humans, Carbon Dioxide. The Cold, Hard Facts. Retrieved from; http://www. canadafreepress. com/2007/global-warming020507. htm on Friday, April 11, 2008

Harry Potter & the Commodity Fetishism

Amalia Rodrigues Film Survey Prompt 1 Harry Potter & the Commodity Fetishism There are few things in this world that manage to seep into every crevice our lives as humans; the air we breathe, the people we interact with, and in our contemporary culture, the buying and selling of commodities. The masses have adopted a â€Å"give the people what they want† attitude that results in the commodification of everything thinkable. â€Å"Even as a negation of that social purposiveness which is spreading through the market, [art’s] freedom remains essentially bound up with the premise of a commodity economy† (Adorno & Horkheimer 1238).There may have been a time when art was an escape from the domination of commerce, when people created things motivated by passion and emotion rather than by the prospect of dollar signs; no longer does that time exist. In film, the studio system has become a monopoly, and the structure of films, a formula. Though some would argue that there are a myriad of genres that give variety to the industry, Adorno and Horkheimer would counter that a menu is still not a choice, and that the monopolization of the film industry takes away from a world of choices and freedoms.The industry has morphed into a total administration of art, undoubtedly integrating our pleasure in the theater with the machinery of global media firms. A textbook example is the franchise of the Harry Potter films, which more than most any series of films, proliferates the sins of hyper commercialism. A commodity is defined as something that has use value, or utility, by satisfying a particular need or desire, created to be exchanged for a profit.It must have some sort of utility, or it will not be desired by a prospective buyer. â€Å"So far as it is a value in use, there is nothing mysterious about it, whether we consider it from the point of view that by its properties it is capable of satisfying human wants, or from the point that those properties are t he product of human labor† (Marx 1). This could be virtually anything, being that everything today has a price put on it by society. We are constructed through our relationship with and use of commodities in our everyday lives.As a people, we have become obsessed with the commodities we surround ourselves with, constructing our identities through the material goods that inhabit us. Commodity fetishism replaces relationships between people with relationships between humans and objects. The eruption of the Harry Potter phenomenon occurred in the late nineties and has only flourished since. The author of the series, J. K. Rowling, created a world that nobody had seen before, a world of magic. This world, along with the lovable characters involved, are what our society seamlessly bought into.The masses fell in love with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, leaving them vulnerable to the impending commercial goods that the media conglomerates would soon overwhelmingly develop. And, no doubt, the Potter-inspired merchandise began to flow like lava as the movies were produced one by one, each one more successful than the next. Mindlessly, readers and viewers were sucked in by the new world of witchcraft and wizardry that leaves ceaseless possibilities for immense revenue. To quote Adorno and Horkheimer, â€Å"The culture perpetually cheats its consumers of what it perpetually promises.The promissory note which, with its plots and staging, it draws on pleasure is endlessly prolonged; the promise, which is actually all the spectacle consists of, is illusory: all it actually confirms is that the real point will never be reached, that the diner must be satisfied with the menu† (Adorno & Horkheimer 1230). When adopting the premise of Harry Potter from words in a book to the big motion-picture screen, the film makers undoubtedly had dollar signs flashing in their pupils.Such a fantastically huge foundation was built and the only direction to move was up. Before Harry cou ld say â€Å"abracadabra† (or something to that effect) stores began to overflow with anything and everything with the name â€Å"Harry Potter† plastered on the side. Hats, mugs, T-shirts, video games, costumes, the signature round glasses, not one item from the series has gone unnoticed by the conglomerates who are so devoted to squeezing every ounce of profit out of poor Harry’s wand.Even the earwax jellybeans that Dumbledore so foolishly consumes out of his bag of â€Å"Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans† are readily available at your local superstore. There is simply no escaping the pure immensity that is the Potter revolution. Children are hosting Harry Potter themed birthday parties, adults are tattooing the dark mark on their bodies, college students are starting quidditch teams and tournaments, and families are taking road trips to the newly developed â€Å"Harry Potter World† in Universal Studios.This latest installment of the Harry P otter craze allows fans to live in the world they see on screen, drink butter beer, and purchase wands from Olivander’s; all of this for the low, low price of a hefty wad of cash straight into the pockets of the already multi-billion dollar industry. And yet, somehow our society does not mind being conned into purchasing such unnecessary yet desirable items, directly depicting the idea of commodity fetishism. Massive consumerism based on obsessions drawn from movies and franchises such as Harry Potter happen day to day, year to year, generation to generation.It has become so naturalized in our society to buy into our every impulse of consumer products that we cannot help but be blinded by our desires for such vain items. In a way, we, as consumers, are being exploited similarly to the way that house elves like Dobby are exploited in the Harry Potter series. We are born into our exploitation, and in some ways seem to enjoy it, as the elves seem to enjoy their dirty work. As a population, we can only hope to be as lucky as Dobby, to find a sock in an old diary, and be set free from manipulation.

Bcom275 Legalization of Marijuana

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) marijuana may help decrease nausea, stimulate appetite, and decrease pain (2006). Alternately, the American Medical Association (AMA) does not support smoked marijuana as medicine (1995-2013). With such conflicting opinions around this highly controversial drug, there are many questions to be answered in order to decide the steps the federal government can/should be made for a final resolution. Argument For Nearly one in ten Americans used marijuana in 2010; however, our nation spends over seven billion per year to enforce the illegalization of this natural substance. A recent poll taken in 2011 shows marijuana has increasingly become the preferred drug for Americans. Overall, 6. 9 percent, or 17. million, of the United States population used marijuana in 2010 according to the survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (Increase Use of Marijuana, 2011, para. 2). Dr. Jeffrey Miron, an economics professor at Harvard University, completed a study which determined the approximate cost of enforcing the illegalization of marijuana. The report estimates legalizing marijuana would save, â€Å"$7. 7 billion per year in government expenditure on enforce ment of prohibition. $5. 3 billion of this savings would accrue to state and local governments, while $2. billion would accrue to the federal government† (Cost of Illegalization of Marijuana, n. d. ). The United States has been engaged in a losing battle against marijuana since the implementation of the Uniform Narcotic Act in the 1930’s (Bonnie Whitbread, n. d). We are not only wasting $7. 7 billion per year, but losing potential revenue. Americans could stand to profit a substantial amount of income if marijuana were to be legalized and regulated by the Department of Agriculture. â€Å"Revenue from taxation of marijuana sales would range from $2. billion per year if marijuana were taxed like ordinary consumer goods to $6. 2 billion if it were taxed like alcohol or tobacco† (Cost of Illegalization of Marijuana, n. d. ). Marijuana is not addictive and has a stark contrast of addictive properties when pitted against the addictive characteristics of legalized toba cco and alcohol. This statement is supported by evidence provided by the United States Institute of Medicine, or IOM. The IOM states â€Å"fewer than one in 10 marijuana smokers become regular users of the drug, and most voluntary cease their use after 34 years of age. By comparison, 15 percent of alcohol consumers and 32 percent of tobacco smokers exhibit symptoms of drug dependence† (Supporting evidence, n. d. , para. 2). The IOM also observed cannabis withdrawal symptoms are rare and do not require substitution medicine to stop usage. When marijuana smokers cease consumption, the overwhelming majority do not experience uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms demanding re-initiating use of marijuana according to the IOM. President Richard Nixon commissioned the National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse in 1972. The primary objective the commission was to expose dangers of drug use and provide a detailed report on marijuana. Nixon’s commission issued a report titled, â€Å"Marijuana: A Signal of Misunderstanding,† which reviewed existing marijuana studies and determined marijuana does not cause physical addiction (National Commission on Marijuana, 1974). Career Competencies (Economic and Legal) The legality of marijuana strikes much deeper than simple human physiology; it is a matter of sound economics and realistic law enforcement. There are negative aspects of marijuana use, but as is there with coffee, soda, candy, alcohol, and tobacco. Americans need to revaluate old rhetoric where marijuana was deemed evil and a gateway drug. The only reason marijuana could be considered a gateway drug is because often time’s consumers are exposed to shady drug dealers on a substance deemed as illegal. If Americans opened their eyes and minds to see how much money and effort is wasted to fight a losing battle become aware of how much could be profited from the legalization of marijuana the decision is straightforward; marijuana should be legalized. Argument Against Contrary to popular belief, marijuana is addictive, and can lead to other health problems such as; lung cancer, low sexual drive (libido), and of utmost importance is to address the concern of marijuana as a â€Å"gateway† drug. Addiction has been redefined and continually evolving for decades. Whether a given substance is defined as â€Å"addictive† in a given society or culture, has to do largely with social custom and political convenience. Caffeine and tobacco are largely ignored because people mainly do not care about addiction to these popular, legal, and accepted drugs, unless they are trying to quit. According to the American Psychological Association, APA, addiction â€Å"is a condition in which the body must have a drug to avoid physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms† (2013). Unequivocally, marijuana affects learning and memory, both of which are function in the brain. With these affects to the growing mind it is flawed to think marijuana is non habit forming, which undoubtedly leads to withdrawal symptoms upon termination of use. Marijuana is sex-inhibiting. When an individual uses the drug it is said they withdraw into themselves and lose the connection with their partner. Research into this phenomenon dates back to the 1970’s in which one report showed it reduces testosterone enough to impair the libido in many women and in some men. According to this research, some of the responses included: â€Å"My boyfriend and I have smoked (fairly heavily) for the past year and I would say that it 100% has a terrible effect on our sex life. It’s been a huge libido killer for our relationship†; â€Å"As I’ve continued to use marijuana (been almost five years smoking now) it’s inhibited sex for me more and more† (Castleman, 2012). Furthermore, there is scientific evidence to support that long-term marijuana smoking alters the reproductive system. The gateway theory postulates the use of less harmful drugs (such as marijuana) may lead to future risk of using more dangerous hard drugs. To test this theory a group of researchers in Sweden administered rats the equivalent of the THC (the chemical found in marijuana delivering the â€Å"high†) in one joint to lab rats. After this administration of THC the rats were allowed access to heroin by pressing a lever. According to this study, the rats who were administered the THC took larger doses of heroin than the rats who did not receive the THC injection (Ellgren, 2007). Upon inspection of the rat’s brain, it was discovered the brain cells associated with positive emotions were altered by the THC dosage, thus lending the need for higher drive for more heroin than those without the THC. Ethical Issues More research is needed in order to legislate the use of marijuana. Contemporary medicine and pharmacology are based upon the application of scientific principles and extensive clinical research to determine the safety and efficacy of a drug. Marinol, a synthetic version of the naturally occurring component of marijuana, is a well accepted, well researched, and more effective treatment than marijuana (Kraus, 2007). This approved drug, like marijuana, helps alleviate chronic pain, reduces chemotherapy-related nausea, and with HIV/AIDS treatment it helps with symptoms known as â€Å"wasting syndrome†. Many proponents of legalizing marijuana for these specific illnesses have not looked into marinol as a safe alternative. As a matter of fact the only difference between marinol and marijuana is that marinol does not stimulate the â€Å"high† associated with marijuana. Career Competencies (Psychology) Psychologists from all over the United States attest to the negative effects of cannabis. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) a cannabis user can develop; cannabis intoxication- development of maladaptive behavior that developed shortly after or during cannabis use; cannabis intoxication delirium- a disturbance of consciousness with reduced ability to focus, sustain, or shift attention; cannabis-induced psychotic disorder, with delusions- prominent hallucinations or delusions in excess of those usually associated with the intoxication; and cannabis-induced anxiety disorder- prominent anxiety, panic attacks, or obsessions or compulsions that causes significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning American Psychiatric Association, (2000). The DSM has other classifications for cannabis use; however the mental disturbances highlighted promote the more severe effects of continued marijuana use. Conclusion Marijuana has the reputation of being a gateway drug, although not every heroin addict started out smoking marijuana. Marijuana is prohibited and it puts individuals in circumstances where they are exposed to harder drugs, therefore if the FDA had regulations on marijuana, those individuals would never have to be exposed to those situations. In regards to the effects of marijuana, like a low sex drive, just like every medication whether it is over the counter or prescribed, there will be side effects which will affect everyone differently. Marijuana has the ability to alleviate aliments such as nausea, and other types of pain. Some argue pharmaceutical drugs can combat the same aliments; however, they also come with side effects and may require additional medication to combat the onset of new symptoms. Taxation of marijuana alone would help the economy. The fact the U. S. is wasting 7. 7 billion dollars enforcing the prohibition of the substance is persuasive enough in its self, as well as the potential revenue brought in by taxing the substance like tobacco or alcohol. Keeping marijuana illegal is only keeping drug dealers in business. While law enforcement continues to chase these petty drug dealers it is costing our taxpayers millions of dollars to put and keep drug dealers behind bars. The legalizing of marijuana would benefit the economy greatly, therefor marijuana should be legalized. The use of Marijuana and Cultural difference between Japan and The United States The history of Cannabis in the country of Japan can be traced back to 300 – 500 BC. Cannabis was a widely used plant for the majority of Japanese culture and daily lives. Cannabis fibers were used to not only create baskets and fishing tools, but were also used in creating divine clothing for the Emperor’s. Burning of cannabis was also used for old traditions, for example rooms of worship were purified by burning cannabis leave by the entrance. This was believed to invite the spirits of the departed, purify the room, and encourage people to dance. Japan’s cultivation of Cannabis came to a halt at the end of World War II when allied forces occupied and began to help rebuild Japan. It was America General Douglas MacArthur and his colleagues who re-wrote the Japanese constitution in 1948 and mirrored many of the United States laws. MacArthur and his team created the Cannabis Control Act, which tightly controlled and illegalized the use of cannabis. Due to the extreme cultivating of cannabis and its widely uses in daily lives, Western companies found a market with providing synthetic products to replace cannabis. Today, cannabis is a drug guarded and considered taboo among the Japanese culture. The use and history of cannabis is all but forgotten within today’s Japanese society, and when it is discovered people have, or are using it recreationally, they are shunned and casted as â€Å"stone-cold drug addicts† (Uno, 2011). Many Japanese people consider marijuana and other ‘hard drugs’ to be the exact same and believe all drugs have the same effect. This ideal thinking of marijuana has lead Japan to be one of the strictest laws and punishments compared to other developed countries. In 1993 a Disc Jockey from New York, Christopher Lavinger, was arrested and was sentenced to 16 months in prison and 35 days in solitary confinement after Japanese police found 1. 5 grams of marijuana, 3. 5 grams of cocaine, and some LSD (Hays, 2009). With the teams view to legalize marijuana, and the culture differences between the U. S. nd Japan, the first step to move towards a ‘Pro-Marijuana’ Japanese country would be to educate the people on the benefits cannabis can provide. As described above, the financial profit gained would be tremendous and can go back to the people in various ways. The people would also need education on their history of using cannabis within their ancient traditions and target many high-profile figures to support the use of marijuana. Because of the strict laws and taboo views Japan has of cannabis, it would be a hard road, but the understanding and education used properly, Japan could create legislation that would override, or amend their constitution and current laws banning its use. References American Medical Association (AMA). (1995-2013). Retrieved from http://www. ama-assn. rg/ American Psychiatric Association, (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorder (4th ed. ). American Psychological Association (APA). (2013). Retrieved from http://www. apa. org/topics/addiction/index. aspx Argument: Marijuana is not addictive. (n. d. ). Retrieved March 24, 2013, from http://dbp. idebate. org/en /index. php/Argument:_Marijuana_is_not_addictive Bonnie, R. , Whitbread, C. (n. d). The Forbidden Fruit and the Tree of Knowledge: An Inquiry into the Legal History of Historian of American Marijuana Prohibition. Schaffer Library of Drug Policy. Retrieved from http://www. druglibrary. org/schaffer/Library/studies/vlr/vlr3. htm Castleman, Michael. Marijuana’s Effects on Sex Vary with Individuals. † Marijuana. Ed. Noah Berlatsky. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from â€Å"Marijuana and Sex: Surprising Results of This Blogger’s Informal Survey. † Psychology Today (1 May 2011). Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 8 Mar. 2013. Ellgren, Maria. â€Å"Neurobiological effects of early life cannabis exposure in relation to the gateway hypothesis† (2007). Retrieved from http://publications. ki. se/xmlui/handle/10616/38245? locale-attribute=en Food and Drug Administration (FDA). (2006). Retrieved from http://www. fda. gov/NewsEvents /Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/2006/ucm108643. htm Hays, J. (2009). Marijuana, Legal Highs and Illegal drugs in Japan. Retrieved from http://factsanddetails. com/japan. php? itemid=664 Kraus, Mark L. â€Å"Legalizing Medical Marijuana Is Not a Good Idea. † Medical Marijuana. Ed. Noel Merino. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2011. Current Controversies. Rpt. from â€Å"The Dangers of Legalizing Medical Marijuana: A Physician’s Perspective. † 2007. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 22 Mar. 2013. Marijuana use rising in U. S. , national survey shows. (2011). Retrieved March 24, 2013, from http://www. reuters. com/article/2011/09/08/usa-drugs-idUSN1E7870N520110908 Olson, D. (1998). Hempen cultrue in Japan. Retrieved from http://www. cannabisculture. om/articles/101. html/ Stirring the Pot: Could Legalizing Marijuana Save the Economy?. (2013). Retrieved from http://www. forbes. com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2012/04/20/stirring-the-pot-could-legalizing-marijuana-save-the-economy/ The first report of the National Commission on marihuana (1972 ): signal of misunderstanding or exercise in ambiguity. (1974). Retrieved from http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pmc/articles/PMC1749335/ The White House President Barak Obama. (2013). Retrieved from http://m. whitehouse. gov/ondcp/marijuana Uno, M. (2011). WEED CRISIS: Enter Japan’s Void. Retrieved from http://www. thestarklife. com/2011/06/17/weed-in-japan/ Bcom275 Legalization of Marijuana According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) marijuana may help decrease nausea, stimulate appetite, and decrease pain (2006). Alternately, the American Medical Association (AMA) does not support smoked marijuana as medicine (1995-2013). With such conflicting opinions around this highly controversial drug, there are many questions to be answered in order to decide the steps the federal government can/should be made for a final resolution. Argument For Nearly one in ten Americans used marijuana in 2010; however, our nation spends over seven billion per year to enforce the illegalization of this natural substance. A recent poll taken in 2011 shows marijuana has increasingly become the preferred drug for Americans. Overall, 6. 9 percent, or 17. million, of the United States population used marijuana in 2010 according to the survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (Increase Use of Marijuana, 2011, para. 2). Dr. Jeffrey Miron, an economics professor at Harvard University, completed a study which determined the approximate cost of enforcing the illegalization of marijuana. The report estimates legalizing marijuana would save, â€Å"$7. 7 billion per year in government expenditure on enforce ment of prohibition. $5. 3 billion of this savings would accrue to state and local governments, while $2. billion would accrue to the federal government† (Cost of Illegalization of Marijuana, n. d. ). The United States has been engaged in a losing battle against marijuana since the implementation of the Uniform Narcotic Act in the 1930’s (Bonnie Whitbread, n. d). We are not only wasting $7. 7 billion per year, but losing potential revenue. Americans could stand to profit a substantial amount of income if marijuana were to be legalized and regulated by the Department of Agriculture. â€Å"Revenue from taxation of marijuana sales would range from $2. billion per year if marijuana were taxed like ordinary consumer goods to $6. 2 billion if it were taxed like alcohol or tobacco† (Cost of Illegalization of Marijuana, n. d. ). Marijuana is not addictive and has a stark contrast of addictive properties when pitted against the addictive characteristics of legalized toba cco and alcohol. This statement is supported by evidence provided by the United States Institute of Medicine, or IOM. The IOM states â€Å"fewer than one in 10 marijuana smokers become regular users of the drug, and most voluntary cease their use after 34 years of age. By comparison, 15 percent of alcohol consumers and 32 percent of tobacco smokers exhibit symptoms of drug dependence† (Supporting evidence, n. d. , para. 2). The IOM also observed cannabis withdrawal symptoms are rare and do not require substitution medicine to stop usage. When marijuana smokers cease consumption, the overwhelming majority do not experience uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms demanding re-initiating use of marijuana according to the IOM. President Richard Nixon commissioned the National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse in 1972. The primary objective the commission was to expose dangers of drug use and provide a detailed report on marijuana. Nixon’s commission issued a report titled, â€Å"Marijuana: A Signal of Misunderstanding,† which reviewed existing marijuana studies and determined marijuana does not cause physical addiction (National Commission on Marijuana, 1974). Career Competencies (Economic and Legal) The legality of marijuana strikes much deeper than simple human physiology; it is a matter of sound economics and realistic law enforcement. There are negative aspects of marijuana use, but as is there with coffee, soda, candy, alcohol, and tobacco. Americans need to revaluate old rhetoric where marijuana was deemed evil and a gateway drug. The only reason marijuana could be considered a gateway drug is because often time’s consumers are exposed to shady drug dealers on a substance deemed as illegal. If Americans opened their eyes and minds to see how much money and effort is wasted to fight a losing battle become aware of how much could be profited from the legalization of marijuana the decision is straightforward; marijuana should be legalized. Argument Against Contrary to popular belief, marijuana is addictive, and can lead to other health problems such as; lung cancer, low sexual drive (libido), and of utmost importance is to address the concern of marijuana as a â€Å"gateway† drug. Addiction has been redefined and continually evolving for decades. Whether a given substance is defined as â€Å"addictive† in a given society or culture, has to do largely with social custom and political convenience. Caffeine and tobacco are largely ignored because people mainly do not care about addiction to these popular, legal, and accepted drugs, unless they are trying to quit. According to the American Psychological Association, APA, addiction â€Å"is a condition in which the body must have a drug to avoid physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms† (2013). Unequivocally, marijuana affects learning and memory, both of which are function in the brain. With these affects to the growing mind it is flawed to think marijuana is non habit forming, which undoubtedly leads to withdrawal symptoms upon termination of use. Marijuana is sex-inhibiting. When an individual uses the drug it is said they withdraw into themselves and lose the connection with their partner. Research into this phenomenon dates back to the 1970’s in which one report showed it reduces testosterone enough to impair the libido in many women and in some men. According to this research, some of the responses included: â€Å"My boyfriend and I have smoked (fairly heavily) for the past year and I would say that it 100% has a terrible effect on our sex life. It’s been a huge libido killer for our relationship†; â€Å"As I’ve continued to use marijuana (been almost five years smoking now) it’s inhibited sex for me more and more† (Castleman, 2012). Furthermore, there is scientific evidence to support that long-term marijuana smoking alters the reproductive system. The gateway theory postulates the use of less harmful drugs (such as marijuana) may lead to future risk of using more dangerous hard drugs. To test this theory a group of researchers in Sweden administered rats the equivalent of the THC (the chemical found in marijuana delivering the â€Å"high†) in one joint to lab rats. After this administration of THC the rats were allowed access to heroin by pressing a lever. According to this study, the rats who were administered the THC took larger doses of heroin than the rats who did not receive the THC injection (Ellgren, 2007). Upon inspection of the rat’s brain, it was discovered the brain cells associated with positive emotions were altered by the THC dosage, thus lending the need for higher drive for more heroin than those without the THC. Ethical Issues More research is needed in order to legislate the use of marijuana. Contemporary medicine and pharmacology are based upon the application of scientific principles and extensive clinical research to determine the safety and efficacy of a drug. Marinol, a synthetic version of the naturally occurring component of marijuana, is a well accepted, well researched, and more effective treatment than marijuana (Kraus, 2007). This approved drug, like marijuana, helps alleviate chronic pain, reduces chemotherapy-related nausea, and with HIV/AIDS treatment it helps with symptoms known as â€Å"wasting syndrome†. Many proponents of legalizing marijuana for these specific illnesses have not looked into marinol as a safe alternative. As a matter of fact the only difference between marinol and marijuana is that marinol does not stimulate the â€Å"high† associated with marijuana. Career Competencies (Psychology) Psychologists from all over the United States attest to the negative effects of cannabis. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) a cannabis user can develop; cannabis intoxication- development of maladaptive behavior that developed shortly after or during cannabis use; cannabis intoxication delirium- a disturbance of consciousness with reduced ability to focus, sustain, or shift attention; cannabis-induced psychotic disorder, with delusions- prominent hallucinations or delusions in excess of those usually associated with the intoxication; and cannabis-induced anxiety disorder- prominent anxiety, panic attacks, or obsessions or compulsions that causes significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning American Psychiatric Association, (2000). The DSM has other classifications for cannabis use; however the mental disturbances highlighted promote the more severe effects of continued marijuana use. Conclusion Marijuana has the reputation of being a gateway drug, although not every heroin addict started out smoking marijuana. Marijuana is prohibited and it puts individuals in circumstances where they are exposed to harder drugs, therefore if the FDA had regulations on marijuana, those individuals would never have to be exposed to those situations. In regards to the effects of marijuana, like a low sex drive, just like every medication whether it is over the counter or prescribed, there will be side effects which will affect everyone differently. Marijuana has the ability to alleviate aliments such as nausea, and other types of pain. Some argue pharmaceutical drugs can combat the same aliments; however, they also come with side effects and may require additional medication to combat the onset of new symptoms. Taxation of marijuana alone would help the economy. The fact the U. S. is wasting 7. 7 billion dollars enforcing the prohibition of the substance is persuasive enough in its self, as well as the potential revenue brought in by taxing the substance like tobacco or alcohol. Keeping marijuana illegal is only keeping drug dealers in business. While law enforcement continues to chase these petty drug dealers it is costing our taxpayers millions of dollars to put and keep drug dealers behind bars. The legalizing of marijuana would benefit the economy greatly, therefor marijuana should be legalized. The use of Marijuana and Cultural difference between Japan and The United States The history of Cannabis in the country of Japan can be traced back to 300 – 500 BC. Cannabis was a widely used plant for the majority of Japanese culture and daily lives. Cannabis fibers were used to not only create baskets and fishing tools, but were also used in creating divine clothing for the Emperor’s. Burning of cannabis was also used for old traditions, for example rooms of worship were purified by burning cannabis leave by the entrance. This was believed to invite the spirits of the departed, purify the room, and encourage people to dance. Japan’s cultivation of Cannabis came to a halt at the end of World War II when allied forces occupied and began to help rebuild Japan. It was America General Douglas MacArthur and his colleagues who re-wrote the Japanese constitution in 1948 and mirrored many of the United States laws. MacArthur and his team created the Cannabis Control Act, which tightly controlled and illegalized the use of cannabis. Due to the extreme cultivating of cannabis and its widely uses in daily lives, Western companies found a market with providing synthetic products to replace cannabis. Today, cannabis is a drug guarded and considered taboo among the Japanese culture. The use and history of cannabis is all but forgotten within today’s Japanese society, and when it is discovered people have, or are using it recreationally, they are shunned and casted as â€Å"stone-cold drug addicts† (Uno, 2011). Many Japanese people consider marijuana and other ‘hard drugs’ to be the exact same and believe all drugs have the same effect. This ideal thinking of marijuana has lead Japan to be one of the strictest laws and punishments compared to other developed countries. In 1993 a Disc Jockey from New York, Christopher Lavinger, was arrested and was sentenced to 16 months in prison and 35 days in solitary confinement after Japanese police found 1. 5 grams of marijuana, 3. 5 grams of cocaine, and some LSD (Hays, 2009). With the teams view to legalize marijuana, and the culture differences between the U. S. nd Japan, the first step to move towards a ‘Pro-Marijuana’ Japanese country would be to educate the people on the benefits cannabis can provide. As described above, the financial profit gained would be tremendous and can go back to the people in various ways. The people would also need education on their history of using cannabis within their ancient traditions and target many high-profile figures to support the use of marijuana. Because of the strict laws and taboo views Japan has of cannabis, it would be a hard road, but the understanding and education used properly, Japan could create legislation that would override, or amend their constitution and current laws banning its use. References American Medical Association (AMA). (1995-2013). Retrieved from http://www. ama-assn. rg/ American Psychiatric Association, (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorder (4th ed. ). American Psychological Association (APA). (2013). Retrieved from http://www. apa. org/topics/addiction/index. aspx Argument: Marijuana is not addictive. (n. d. ). Retrieved March 24, 2013, from http://dbp. idebate. org/en /index. php/Argument:_Marijuana_is_not_addictive Bonnie, R. , Whitbread, C. (n. d). The Forbidden Fruit and the Tree of Knowledge: An Inquiry into the Legal History of Historian of American Marijuana Prohibition. Schaffer Library of Drug Policy. Retrieved from http://www. druglibrary. org/schaffer/Library/studies/vlr/vlr3. htm Castleman, Michael. Marijuana’s Effects on Sex Vary with Individuals. † Marijuana. Ed. Noah Berlatsky. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from â€Å"Marijuana and Sex: Surprising Results of This Blogger’s Informal Survey. † Psychology Today (1 May 2011). Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 8 Mar. 2013. Ellgren, Maria. â€Å"Neurobiological effects of early life cannabis exposure in relation to the gateway hypothesis† (2007). Retrieved from http://publications. ki. se/xmlui/handle/10616/38245? locale-attribute=en Food and Drug Administration (FDA). (2006). Retrieved from http://www. fda. gov/NewsEvents /Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/2006/ucm108643. htm Hays, J. (2009). Marijuana, Legal Highs and Illegal drugs in Japan. Retrieved from http://factsanddetails. com/japan. php? itemid=664 Kraus, Mark L. â€Å"Legalizing Medical Marijuana Is Not a Good Idea. † Medical Marijuana. Ed. Noel Merino. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2011. Current Controversies. Rpt. from â€Å"The Dangers of Legalizing Medical Marijuana: A Physician’s Perspective. † 2007. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 22 Mar. 2013. Marijuana use rising in U. S. , national survey shows. (2011). Retrieved March 24, 2013, from http://www. reuters. com/article/2011/09/08/usa-drugs-idUSN1E7870N520110908 Olson, D. (1998). Hempen cultrue in Japan. Retrieved from http://www. cannabisculture. om/articles/101. html/ Stirring the Pot: Could Legalizing Marijuana Save the Economy?. (2013). Retrieved from http://www. forbes. com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2012/04/20/stirring-the-pot-could-legalizing-marijuana-save-the-economy/ The first report of the National Commission on marihuana (1972 ): signal of misunderstanding or exercise in ambiguity. (1974). Retrieved from http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pmc/articles/PMC1749335/ The White House President Barak Obama. (2013). Retrieved from http://m. whitehouse. gov/ondcp/marijuana Uno, M. (2011). WEED CRISIS: Enter Japan’s Void. Retrieved from http://www. thestarklife. com/2011/06/17/weed-in-japan/

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The Faster Flow of New Information in Order to Ensure Proper Learning - Essay Example Learning ought to be an active process whereby students come up with constructive ideas depending on their current or past events. Research proves that interactions and motivation influences construction. Teacher’s focus is to create a connection between facts and to ensure better understanding among learners. This approach gives learners the opportunity to analyze, predict and interpret information. It means that students are involved fully in finding solutions to the problem. Consequently, interactive learning proves effective in education. Information is easily absorbed by the memory for the purpose of filtration. The teacher wanted the information that he was passing to be store on the short-term memory by letting the learners draw the ball. Primarily, short term memory is where the controlling takes place in terms of rehearsal, coding, decision and retrieval strategies of the information. It allows learners to relate past events with the present; hence improves their abil ities to accommodate fresh ideas. Most importantly, the information is easily transferred to the long-time memory store for encoding and retrieval. Admittedly, the use of techniques that link short-term memory with long-term memory is effective in education (Cole, 2008). Learners are required to be able to use the approach of processing information. In addition, learners must be able to absorb and accommodate new facts. At first, when Lucy encountered the word platypus, she enquired from her father what it meant. Her father told her that platypus was an animal. By relating the word platypus to her prior knowledge of what animals are, she can then classify the information.

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Sinhala Text To Speech System Development | Research

Sinhala Text To Speech System Development | Research The system, which I am developing, called SINHALA TEXT TO SPEECH is a one kind of fully research project. This documentation briefly describes the functionality of my STTS and highlights the important and benefits of the project. So this system will allow user to enter sinhala texts and internally it will convert in to pronunciation form. Actually it will happen after user select the particular option (convert to voice) to convert it in to that pronunciation form. So totally this system is capable of accepting characters in sinhala language (sinhala fonts) and makes them in to sound waves, which can be captured by a technical object (speakers). User will able to select the voice type, which he/she like, it mean there are three option called child voice, female voice and adult (male) voice to select. By selecting that function user can hear the voice, which he/she like most. And the system will carry out several benefits to users, those who will use this system. The users who are not able to read sinhala, but those can understand verbally will encourage to use this system, because using this product they can overcome that problem very easily. If somebody needs documents with sinhala texts, then he or she can use this system to get that one. In today world there are no such systems for sinhala language like which I am going to develop. Table of Contents ABSTRACT 2 Table of Contents 3 SINHALA TEXT TO SPEECH 4 1.INTRODUCTION 4 2.AIM 5 3.STUDY PROBLEM 5 4.RELEVANCE OF THE PROJECT 5 5.LITERATURE REVIEW 6 6.SPECIFIC STUDY OBJECTIVES 7 7.PROPOSED APPROACH 8 7.1 User 8 7.2 Data 8 7.3 Input 8 7.4 Processes 9 7.5 Output 9 8.RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND TCHNOLOGIES 9 8.1 Database Technology 9 9.PROJECT PLAN 10 9.1 ARCHTECTURE 10 9.1.1 Design Architecture 10 9.1.2 Text process Architecture 11 9.1.3 Voice Tag Selection Process 12 9.1.4 Voice Control Process 13 10.REFERENCES 13 11.Bibliography 14 11.1 SPEECH ANALYSIS AND SYNTHESIS 14 11.2 SPEECH CODING 14 SINHALA TEXT TO SPEECH INTRODUCTION Sinhala Text To Speech is the system I am hoping to develop as my final research project. As a post graduate student I selected a research project that will convert the Sinhala input text into a verbal form. Actually, the term Text-To-speech (TTS) refers to the conversion of input text into a spoken utterance. The input is a Sinhala text, which may consist of a number of words, sentences, paragraphs, numbers and abbreviations. TTS engine should identify it without any ambiguity and generate the corresponding speech sound wave with acceptable quality. The output should be understandable for an average receiver without making much effort. This means that the output should be made as close as to the natural speech quality. Speech is produced when air is forced from the lungs through the vocal cords (glottis) and along the vocal tract. Speech is split into a rapidly varying excitation signal and a slowly varying filter. The envelope of the power spectra contains the vocal tract information. The verbal form of in input should be understandable for the receiver. This means that the output will be made as closer as the natural human voice. My system will carry out few main features. Some of them are, after entering the text user will capable of selecting one of voice qualities, means women voice, male voice and child voice. Also the user is capable of doing variation in speed of the voice. Actually, my project will carry out main few benefits to the users, those who intend to use this. Below I have mentioned the basic architecture of our project. Sinhala Voice Text in Sinhala And Voice and speed Selection Process Figure 1.1 AIM To develop a system, that can able to read text in sinhala format and covert it in to verbal (sinhala) form. And also, It will capable to change the sound waves, It mean user would able to select voice quality according to his/her opinion. There are might be three voice selections. These are kind of woman voice, kind of male voice and kind of kids voice. And user can change the speed of the voice. If somebody needs to hear low speed voices or high-speed voice, then he/she can change it according to their requirements. STUDY PROBLEM Actually before start this project I have accessed in to the Internet and collect more information regarding this particular field. First-of-all I have to provide a facility to enter sinhala font in to the computer. So, to overcome this matter I intend to use UNICODE. When we pronounce sinhala text, sometime we need use pronouncing voices of two texts. It means to create voice for some texts we need to combine another two text voices. So to have voices we should store voices to each and every text in the voice database. Then voices come from voice database according to the text which we entered. Actually after we entered text internally it (texts) get in to different groups. RELEVANCE OF THE PROJECT The thought of developing a Sinhala Text To Speech (STTS) engine have begun when I considering the opportunities available for Sinhala speaking users to grasp the benefit of Information and Computer Technology (ICT). In Sri Lanka more than 75% of population speaks in Sinhala, but its very rare to find Sinhala softwares or Sinhala materials regarding ICT in market. This is directly effect to development of ICT in Sri Lanka. In present few Sinhala text to speech softwares are available but those have problems such as quality of sound, font schemas, pronunciation etc. Because of these problems developers are afraid to use those STTS for their applications. My focus on developing an engine that can convert Sinhala words in digitized form to Sinhala pronunciation with error free manner. This engine will help to develop some applications. Some applications where STTS can be used Document reader. An already digitized document (i.e. e-mails, e-books, newspapers, etc.) or a conventional document by scanned and produced through an optical character recognizer (OCR). Aid to handicap person. The vision or voice impaired community can use the computers aided devices, directly to communicate with the world. The vision-impaired person can be informed by a STTS system. The voice-impaired person can communicate with others by providing a keypad and a STTS system. Talking books toys. Producing talking books toys will boost the toys market and education. Help assistant. Develop help assistant speaks in Sinhala like in MS Office help assistant. Automated News casting. The future of entirely new breed of television networks that have programs hosted by computer-generated characters is possible. Sinhala SMS reader. SMS consist of several abbreviations. If a system that read those messages it will help to receivers. Language education. A high quality TTS system incorporated with a computer-aided device can be used as a tool, in learning a new language. These tools can help the learner to improve very quickly since he/she has the access to the correct pronunciation whenever needed. Travelers guide. System that located inside the vehicle or mobile device that will give information current location other relevant information incorporated with GPRS. Alert systems. Systems that can be incorporated with a TTS system to attract the attention of the controlled elements since as humans are used to draw attention through voice. Specially, countries like Sri Lanaka, which is still struggling to harvest the ICT benefits, can use a Sinhala TTS engine as a solution to convey the information effectively. Users can get required information from there native language (i.e. by converting the text to native language text) would naturally move there thoughts to the achievable benefits and will be encouraged to use information technology much frequently. Therefore the development of a TTS engine for Sinhala will bring personal benefits (e.g. aid for handicapped, language learning) in a social perspective and definitely a financial benefit in economical terms (e.g. virtual television networks, toys manufacture) for the users. LITERATURE REVIEW Text to speech is very popular area in computer science field. There are several research held on this area. Most of research base on how to develop more natural speech for given text . There are freely available text to speech package available in the world. But most of software develops for most common language like English, Japanese, Chinese languages. Even some software companies distribute text to speech development tools for English language as well. Microsoft Speech SDK tool kit is one of the examples for freely distributed tool kit developed by Microsoft for English language. Nowadays, some universities and research labs doing their research project on Text to speech. Carnegie Mellon University held their research focus on text to speech (TTS). They provide Open Source Speech Software, Tool kits, related publication and important techniques to undergraduate student and software developer as well. TCTS Lab also doing their research on this area. They introduced simple, but general functional diagram of a TTS system [Ref. 2]. Image Credit: Thierry Dutoit. Figure5.1. A simple, but general functional diagram SPECIFIC STUDY OBJECTIVES Produce a verbal format for the input sinhala text. Input Sinhala text which may be a user input or a given text document will be transformed in to sound waves, which is then output is captured by speakers. So the disabled people will be one of the most beneficial stakeholders of Sinhala Text to Speech system. Also undergraduates and research people who need to use more references can send the text to my system, just listen and grab what they need. The output would be more like natural speech. The human voice is a complex acoustic signal, which is generated by an air stream expelled at either mouth, nose or both. Important characteristics of the speech sound are speed, silence, accentuation and the level of energy output. The tongue appropriately controls the air steam, lips with the help of other articulators in the vocal system. Many variations of the speech signal are caused by the persons vocal system, in order to convey the meaning and emotion to the receiver who then understand the message. Also includes many other characteristics, which are in receivers hearing system to identify what is being said. Identify an efficient way of translating sinhala text in to verbal form. By developing this system we would be able to identify and proposed a most suitable algorithm, which can be used to translate sinhala format to verbal form by a fast and efficient manner. Control the voice speed and types of the voice (e.g. man, women, child voice, etc.). Users would be capable of selecting the quality of the sound wave, which they want. Also they would be allowing to reset the speed of the output as they need. People, those would like to learn Sinhala as their second language to learn elocution properly by changing the speed (reducing and increasing). So this will improve the listening capabilities. Small kids can be encouraged to learn language by varying the speed and types. Propose ways for that can be extended the current system further more for future needs. This system only gives the basic functions. My system is feasible of enhancing further more in order to satisfy the changing requirements of the users. This can be embedded in to toys so can be used to improve children listening and elocution abilities. So those will Borden their speaking capacity. PROPOSED APPROACH Main function of my system is read sinhala digitized characters and speak out those words as closer sounds that human natural voice. 7.1 User My basic idea is to develop systems that cater all kinds of users. That mean who know the operate computer very well and also who is beginner to the computer field. Users only want to do insert text in sinhala. 7.2 Data In my database I am hoping to store voice tags, sinhala characters and pronunciation rules. And also I wish to introduce efficient algorithms for search relevant voice tags from the database. 7.3 Input Proposed system will get sinhala-digitized characters, voice selection as input. 7.4 Processes Get the sentence from the user and it will identified end of sentence by full-stop and it will separate two words by the space between two words. Those words will break down to smaller parts. Then after capture the relevant voice tags according to rules that I have given and merge those voice tags. Then after get voice selections that user given and process to give those sound effects. 7.5 Output Produce the related sinhala voices for text that is given by the user according to sinhala pronunciation rules as well as voice selection done by the user. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND TCHNOLOGIES 8.1 Database Technology Hope to use OO methodologies and Relational Database Management System (Microsoft ® SQL Serverà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ 2005) to develop centralized database on main server. A database management system, or DBMS, is software design to assist in maintaining and utilizing large collection of data [Ref. 3]. The SQL Server 2005 is design to work as a data storage engine for thousand of concurrent users who connect over a network, it is also capable of working as a stand-along database directly on the same computer as an application [Ref. 4]. DBMS provide some important functionality. Applications are independent from data representation, storage and location (data and location independence). DBMS is able to scan through million of record and retrieve efficiently (efficient data access). DBMS enforce integrity constrain and security permission on the data (data integrity and security). DBMS provide facilities to data and its efficient accessibility (data administration). DBMS schedule concur rent access to the data in such manner that user can think of the data as being accessed by one user at a time. Further, DBMS protects users from the effects on of system failures (concurrent access and crash recovery). There for hope to use Microsoft ® SQL Serverà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ 2005 to develop voice and text information database. PROJECT PLAN 9.1 ARCHTECTURE 9.1.1 Design Architecture Text in Sinhala Voice and speed selection Process Sinhala voice Figure 9.1.1 Speed selection Array of text (Sinhala) Process in detail Related Sinhala Voice Voice Database Process the Text Get the voice tags according to the Text and merge them Voice selection Voice controller Figure 9.1.2 Figure 9.29.1.2 Text process Architecture Detect full-stops, commas, brackets etc. Separate out numbers Get unique number to each letter and store it in an array Send the data in array to voice tag selection process Separate the text to sentences Group the text according to letters Sinhala Text Array of letter values Figure 9.1.3 This process gets a text as the input. It detect whether there are any full-stops, commas etc. to avoid confusions. If there any numbers in the text they are separate out and text is partition in to sentences. After that each letter in a sentence grouped, give a unique number store in an array. This array is send to the next process. 9.1.3 Voice Tag Selection Process Figure 9.1.4 Voice Database Get voice tags from voice Database Voice selection Array of letter values Merged Voice tag Merge voice tags to the order Send the merged voice tags to voice Control process Select the voice type This process gets the array, which gives from Text process and voice selection as inputs. By using these inputs this process gets voice tags for each letter and merge them. Merge voice tags send to the voice control process. 9.1.4 Voice Control Process Figure 9.1.5 Speed selection Sinhala Voice Store the voice text array Control the speed Voice speed Speak the voice array Merged Voice tag This process gets merge voice tags and voice speed selection as input. It organize the Merge voice tags according to speed selected. Then it will speak out speech each voice tag. REFERENCES [Ref. 1] Building Synthetic Voices, [Online] http://www.festvox.org/festvox/ [Ref. 2] An Introduction to Text-to-Speech Synthesis, [Online] http://tcts.fpms.ac.be/synthesis/introtts.html [Ref. 3] Raghu Ramakrishnan, Johannes Gehrke/Database Management System Third edition 2001/ McGraw-Hill [Ref. 4] SQL Server Books, [Online] 1988-2005 Microsoft Corporation. Photography: Then And Now Photography: Then And Now Why is the photographic image so powerful iconic, how do they produce connections of timelessness, and emotional context + what are the perspectives around image making in addition what is its relationship to painting? In its first decades of its existence photography was labeled as sun painting a term coined to be contemptuous, and one which epitomized the mechanical character to the painters artistic freedom. Therefore because of this, photography has become an ever-growing field of investigation and argument. Photography and its role in art and the everyday is something which I would like to open up in this discussion, I have looked at various writers to aid this discussion as well as a series of classic and contemporary photographers. This dissertation will inform and open up concepts around photography whilst putting it under a microscope and examining it with sensibility. Photography as a medium has become a phenomenal sensation of capturing a still image; it inspired historical as well as literary imaginations. Photography was the possible brainchild of modern science, or of modern invention explicated by science, it oscillates between the realms of science, poetry fiction or fantasy. The registration of the first daguerreotype signaled first and foremost a mystery it also permeated this idea of it being the aura of a cultural creation, and if not a legend, rather than that of a scientific discovery. This idea is particularly evident in an account provided by critic Jules Janin in LArtiste of 27 January 1839, which extolled the daguerreotype as a modern realization of the biblical Fiat Lux 1, and in particular marveled at its ability to record the most minute detail (down to the grains of sand) as well as, even more improbably, the shadow of a passing bird2. Speaking to the camera detaches the visible from the capacities of the eye and brings forth the virtuality of the visible, in a sense the camera can be seen as the third eye which extends ones vision. The procedure of photography is a materializing which makes something material from apparition and through photography things can be seen differently. The ability to photograph was seen as a strange phantasmagoria and a method of hyping up the real, it posited bewilderment at the magic of the daguerreotype, combined with the urge to make the idea of photography as generic as possible. Many photographers change how we look and perceive photographic images. Eugene Atget -a surrealist photographer- was one of the first to refuse to photograph the face and body, Atget removed people from his pictures and with them the last remainders of cult value in the medium. His photographs of Paris were like scenes of a crime, desolate scenes of everyday objects as ordinary experience were revealed as strange and quite unsettling. In this way photographs acquired the first traces of political significance that all was not as it seemed at first glance. Atgets photography replaced the aura of the early image with the emptiness of the city view. He asks But isnt every square inch of a city a crime scene?3. Hippolyte Bayards 12 minute exposure entitled Self Portrait as a Drowned Man (1840) 4, presents us with a fictional image which shows how a photograph can deceive us. At the time was considered quite racy and controversial, nudity was something which was private and highly discouraged, and especially not something to be photographed. It presented a dichotomy of what was and what was not allowed. Latin Phrase Fiat Lux, let there be light The phrase comes from the third verse of the Book of Genesis. Quotefrom book From Walter Benjaminpage Bayard, Hippolyte. Self Portrait as a Drowned Man.1840, France. Instant death is not accessible, so the alternative is to feign death and stimulate the artificial arrangement of it. This staged photo montage displays a conspicuous protest against the cruel injustice of life. Nowadays, every calamity with fatal outcome is photographed in its horrifying representation within the media. We find photographs of death intriguing and visit monuments which represent places where vast amounts of people have died. Why is this? The feeling of being exempt from calamity stimulates interest in looking at painful pictures like war photos etc, partly because one is here and not there.Photographs therefore subtract feelings from something we experience firsthand, but it is the closest we can get to this experience. To summarize, one is vulnerable to disturbed events in the form of photographic images in a way that one is not to the real thing. Pictures are things that have been marked with all the stigmata of personhood and animation: they exhibit both physical and virtual bodies; they speak to us, sometimes literally, sometimes figuratively. They present not just a surface but a face that faces the beholder as if pictures had feeling, will, conscious, agency and desire. 5. With a kind of social or physiological power of their own: a power to attract the beholder, arrest and enthrall, transfix or paralyze the beholder, turning him or her into an image for the gaze of the viewer, the medusa effect. U.S Civil War Photographer Matthew Brady used the power of photos to create social and political photo essays, often centered around injustice and suffering. His images raised public response and outcry which led to positive social changes, they had the ability to change the nations noble, romantic view of war, and although Brady was simply recording events, his picture essays were powerful enough to change public opinion. Photographs can be quite allegorical; they have natural instinct to produce potent emotional responses. In Roland Barthess Camera Lucida, 6. a major part of this book is dedicated to a narrative telling of his bereavement for his dead mother, and through looking at his collection of old family photographs he can find her again. This concept is something that leaks into a large extent of our private lives, as photographers the majority of us have in our archives, portraits of people who are no longer living some of whom may mean an enormous deal to us. We have all gone through this procedure of en masse as a culture following the death of public figures that have touched us: Marilyn Monroe, John F Kennedy, John Lennon to name a few. Correspondingly, we look for the diabolical streak in pictures of persons who turn out to be mass murderers: Myra Hindley, Ted Bundy Etc. Photographs make us, as a collective, understand and appreciate our emotional attachments to them. This hidden agenda is something Barthes tries to permeate in our minds. Barthes was overwhelmed with the connections he found between the images, and time and death are themes which very much personify his writing. The reality here is, as Barthes tries to evoke, that death is ultimately concrete and that the actuality of the photos is palpable. We find ourselves being struck with such emotional attachment when we look at old photos of loved ones in addition to being face-to-face with what time and the instant mean in an image. The Aura in these pictures may be related with time because when we observe them, we sometimes feel nostalgic. The revelation of this is to reflect back to the genesis of his ideas, that the genius of photography provides a spectrum for which the subject really was there; and that he would conclude that death indeed was the rational and logical implication of every picture. Poring over images of the dead Quote : Freedberg, D.( 1991)The Power of Images: Studies in the History and Theory of Response. University of Chicago Press, USA Camera Lucida : name of the apparatus, anterior to photographer, which permitted drawing an object through a prism. is an active part of grief, of mourning, of dealing with the actuality and immediacy of death. This ritual did not exist for anybody but the upper classes (obviously before photography was invented.) Photography marked the birth of the image and in1839 I believe would have been a milestone in the history of mourning rites and thanatology. Barthes looks carefully over these images with a keen hope of remembering. He seeks in sorrow and love for the loss of his mother in hopes of finding one picture which would represent his mothers spirit, he accounts the following when an old childhood photograph is found: My mother was five at the time (1898), her brother was seven. He was leaning against the bridge railingshe, shorter than he, was standing a little back, facing the camerashe was holding one finger in the other hand as children often do, in an awkward gesture. The brother and sister had posed, side by side, alone; under the palms of the Winter GardenI studied the little girl and at last rediscovered my mother. 7. What we can extrapolate from this examination of the Winter Garden photograph is that Barthes become comforted by its actuality, in the sense that the picture literally emanates his mother (although being a child Barthes never knew of.) He sees the photograph as a magic relic of his mother perpetuating love, there is an assertion of tenderness in the photo as she lends herself to the photographer and allows herself be photographed. He can then reassure himself of his mother and know that his heartfelt experience with her was real. Old photographs are ghostly semblances that materialize before our eyes and in our imaginations, this is certainly evident when Barthes sees this particular photograph; and through photographs we try to immortalize a significant moment in our lives. Photographs possess an extraordinary ability to touch us in ways that are supernaturally impossible. They retain a certain animation which cannot be possessed or captured in a painting or sculpture, they speak to us. Through speaking we understand and realize their true intentions and motivations, and this is what we learn from Barthes. The same ideas apply when we look at photographs of people who have committed crimes. A photograph is not just a picture of something or someone its what is attached to it that we hold that emotion. In the case of serial killer mug shots its the evil that you know behind that photograph or the sinister intention which reinforces the feelings of loathing, hatred and disgust Photographs are visual fossils, they make us think about and realize our own mortality and existence, and therefore have remained so timeless. Old photographs fill out our mental image of the past; the photos being taken now transform what is present into a mental image. The passing of time also adds to the aesthetic value of photographs. The Art of the portrait photographer may be to induce in his or her subjects a sense of presence and there-ness. Oddly photographs have the magical capabilities to move you back and forth through time, and because of this, the past always seems accessible except physically it isnt. The photograph becomes a kind of resurrection as it continues to live after the person is gone. It has the strange ability to evoke memories through imaginative recall and gives the texture and essence of things; it is not so much an instrument of memory as an invention of it or a replacement. August Sanders taxonomical portraits developed a philosophy that placed man within a cyclic model of society, by systematically photographing people from various classes, Sander hoped that by using light and photographing their facial features it would reveal and accentuate character, charisma, provenance or background. Quotation : Barthes, R. Camera Lucida. (1980:29-30). Walter Benjamin coined the optical unconscious as a realm of experience, as a similar way as psychoanalysis constituted as access to the psychic unconscious. It invests the photograph with intimacy as well as the capacity for illumination. It is another nature which speaks to the camera rather than to the eye.8. Photography is not only like its subject but homage to the subject; it is part of an extension of that subject. Photography has the power to capture a secret, and we have the power to see it. The viewer feels an irresistible urge to search such a picture for the tiny spark of contingency, of the Here and Now, with which reality has so to speak seared the subjectà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. 9. Benjamin refers to a photograph- a portrait- of the photographer Dauthendey and his wife who had later committed suicide. Looking at the photograph we search the picture for a kind of evidence in the past, of what was to transpire in the future. (Perhaps a sign written on her face, her posture, invi sible to her fiancà © who stands alongside her, but visible to us looking at the photograph many years later, and with the knowledge that she would, after bearing him six children, kill herself). What we can conclude here is that Benjamin then, grants the viewer (as well as the medium of photography) a kind of desire for omniscience. The photographic image calls for translation, and can show traces of the past and point at something that is absent. On the basis of a partial assimilation to the model of painting and through the wake of modernism, the advent of photography has slowly gained acceptance within museums and that of the art market and thus making it a recognizable and distinct art form. But why have they thus far remained a provocative and intriguing form of art? Paintings and sculptures are a matter of interpretation from the artist; whereas with photographs to a certain extent- are a reflection of the real. It cannot just be seen in many ways as an art form but as a way of seeing and thinking. Photography represents a precious asset; they provide us with an encounter we would not think was possible without, however our perception of images and photography have greatly changed since the very first photograph was made. In its relation to painting, a photograph is not only an image (as a painting is an image) it is a usurp reality and an interpretation of the real, it can be thought of as a trace which is directly sten ciled off the real like a footprint or death mask. It carries some of its simplest qualities to such perfection that it will become for even the majority of skillful painters a subject for observation and study. Its because of this perfection that the painter, therefore, will find this a quicker way to obtain collections of studies that he would only by much time, and trouble be able to collect no matter how talented the painter. Paintings, even ones which meet photographic standards of resemblance, are never more than the stating of interpretation. In Benjamin Walters Little History on Photography he makes a point that using photography killed painting10. There is a primitive notion which presumes that images possess the qualities of real things or that there is an inclination to attribute to real things the concept of original and copy, reality and image. There are many conspiracies surrounding the notion of what is real, as well as the criticism of reality as a faà §ade and the depleted sense of it. 8. Quotation: Gold,J.R. Film and Translation in the Writings of Walter Benjamin(2007: 602-622) 9. Quotation: Stamelman, R. Loss beyond telling: Representations of Death in Absence in Modern FrenchPoetry (1990:281) 10. Quotation: Walter, B. Little History of Photograph. (1931:PAGE UNKNOWN) In Sontags The Image World (On Photography) a lot of emphasis is made of the reproducibility of the image. Photography has become a mass art, a social rite, in which we document sequences of consumption. It can provide knowledge independent of experience and can capture, classify and store the Information in a way that provides possibilities for control not feasible under earlier forms of information storage. Feurbach observes that our era -prefers the image to the thing, the copy to the original the representation to the reality, appeared to the being 11. Photography does not simply reproduce the real; it recycles it- a key procedure of a modern society which consumes images. In the form of photographic images, things and events are put to new uses, and assigned new meanings. The camera offers the possibility of possessing complete record at all ages and through being photographed something becomes part of a system of classification and storage family albums, geology, medical training, police work etc. Photograph collections are used to make a substitute world. It can also been viewed as an instrument for depersonalizing our relation to the world. What Sonntag is trying to argue is that human beings have mistaken the copy for the thing itself and, as a result, have created a false division between the copy and the so called real. Sontag explains: Industrial societies turn their citizens into image-junkies it is the most irresistible form of mental pollution 12. Photographs are a form of acquisition; the possession of cherished people or things as a way of consuming events and a potent means of acquiring something as information, and more importantly gaining control over it. At one end of the spectrum photographs are objective data, at the other end they are items of psychological science fiction. Even the most banal photograph or document can mutate into an emblem of desire. Nowadays the lure of the image is starting to replace the real via advertisements, newspaper, TV, and digital. The situation is complicated by the fact that less than ever does the mere reflection of reality reveal anything but reality Bertold Brecht 13. Copying was seen as immoral, however Aristotles view of the imitative faculty is precisely what makes us human. There has been a lot of speculation surrounding the mechanical reproduction of the photograph. Walter Benjamin had a keen relation to nostalgia and a poetic understanding of the world. He explains in A Small History of Photography that the beginning of image-making was seen as a fog which would blind you, using this metaphor politically he is referring it to something which is perhaps dangerous- that art would become nothing more than ideas, signs, allusions or concepts. There was very much a storm of moral fear, it was seen as being blasphemous and opened up ideas about god. That perhaps the photograph or that being photo graphed would contain the soul- a fetish or magical object. In addition to this the reproductive factor of photography was seen as taking away the aura away from the real thing, ideas surrounding forgery, fakery, copying were highly frowned on. Reproducing images was seen as deracination of authenticity and dissolution of aura and historical depth, because of its special condition it can be exploited by capital for advertising purposes. To an ever increasing degree, the work which is reproduced becomes the reproduction of a work intended for reproducibility. Due to the reproducibility of images, this condition opens up theories of the politicizing of art and 11. Quotation: Feuerbach, K. (1843) The Essence of Christianity. Quoted By Sontag,S. (1979-PAGENA) 12. Quotation: Sontag, S.The image World: Traces of the Real (1977-NA) 13. Quotation: Brech, B. Quoted by Walter,B in Little History of Photography (1931-NA) Releases questions like how might the photographer go about dealing with a practice that is not completely reducible to propaganda and modern advertising? The mechanical nature of the reproducibility of art and photography has changed modes of perception in which we have reduced objects and made them manipulable, It is necessary to create something artificial than represent the real., The singular, the unique is divested of its uniqueness- by means of its reproduction. 14. Process reproduction can reveal those aspects of the original that are unattainable to the naked eye yet accessible to the lens- which is adjustable and chooses its angle at will. Through photographic reproduction and with the aid of certain processes (such as enlargement and slow motion) can capture images which may escape natural vision. Today in the wake of proliferation and digital media, photography is in a state of dispersion, hybrid forms of photographic imagery mixing analogue and digital technologies have become the norm. Where much of the images we see are heavily manipulated. There are many reasons why we are infatuated with photography; the flowering of photography allowed for it to be available to everybody, anything in the world is material for the camera, one finds that there is beauty or at least interest in everything seen with an acute eye. The picture is treated as an expression of the artists desire or as a mechanism for eliciting the desires of the beholder. People werent used to seeing their image, so the photograph provided a difference sense of how we look. It awakened people into a new world. Photographs contain powerful presences present in them it preserves the object which is reason why there are superstitions around throwing away photographs of loved ones, as well as the obsession to photograph and to be photographed. Referring back to Barthes, photograph presents to us a spectral, corporal presence in addition to providing a means of reanimating what is unavailable. It imprisons and captures reality; this is something Barthes tries to burn into our consciousness. One cant possess reality, one can possess (and be possessed by an image) with photographic images one cant possess the present but one can possess the past. They imply instant access to the real to possess the world in the form of images is, to re experience the unreality and remoteness of the real. Pictures communicate as signs and signals, it is clear they have a sort of power to effect human emotions and behavior. Nowadays, we cannot live without photographs they are anywhere and everywhere. The logic of consumption is akin to lust, and therefore it cannot be satisfied because the possibilities of photography are infinite. I believe photography and image-making will continue to inspire and technologies will continue to expand. Presently, we find photography used for narcissistic purposes like surveillance. In an industrial society the camera becomes a spectacle for the masses and as an object of surveillance for rulers. It remains to be a source of great iconography as it is an art for all, which posits photography as universally accessible, and an addition to culture rather than science. Photographs will always and continue to be powerful mechanisms to change things or set things in motion, and it will continue to stand the test of time and document the vestiges of human condition until the end of our existence. 14. Quotation: Walter, B. Little History of Photograph. (1931:PAGE UNKNOWN)