Society Archives - Page 4 of 5

Introducing Vlogging and Content Samurai

Last updated on March 20th, 2019 at 09:27 am

For many years, the internet has been expanding partly due to the millions of blogs appearing across the world. It seemed at some point that nearly everybody who could use a computer was writing a blog and sharing their experiences on life, the universe and what they had for lunch. Although blogs are still very popular, the medium seems be undergoing a change, no longer is a page of text and a few photo’s enough – now it’s all about video.

The change has been partly fueled by the way we use the internet now, social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube aren’t really designed for long pages of text. They are all much more aligned to other formats like audio and video, so much so that Vlogging or video blogging was born. Now everywhere you look instead of text there’s a video explaining, cajoling or selling.

For the individual and their diary type blog moving to a video format has been quite straightforward. Unfortunately for some small businesses and online entrepreneurs it’s quite difficult especially when they don’t have the skills and equipment to produce high quality videos. Although the computer software companies have started to produce useful tools and resources which can assist in the production of these videos.

One of the most innovative products released in recent months is that of this product known as Content Samurai which provides an interface to help companies produce videos online quickly and simply.

You can see that the software doesn’t actually need to be installed as it’s run from the cloud. This means that all you need to access it is a web browser from which you can control the options. The idea is to supply the program with the written text which is then formatted into a slideshow style presentation. This presentation can then be modified by using some preset styles, text can be changed and images and videos inserted into the slides.

After this stage is completed, then you are prompted to deal with the audio by either recording the script that has been produced or simply selecting appropriate background music from the list. When this stage is completed, the video is produced and stored in your account in an MP4 format. This can be downloaded onto your computer and then distributed to whatever site you require – perhaps YouTube, posted on Facebook or Twitter or perhaps just uploaded onto your own site.

This is not a complicated video editing software, it’s a sales video creator which is designed to be a simple and quick as possible. The goal is to produce professional, high quality videos without any specialist knowledge – you can see an example file being produced online here in this video. This has lots of advantages but the greatest is speed, allowing a business without access to specialised resources the ability to produce large volumes of quality videos very quickly.

Education and the Velvet Revolution

Last updated on September 2nd, 2024 at 03:18 pm

The Velvet Revolution and Education

Peace education stands as one of the most undervalued and underfunded points of our educational system that is world-wide. If we look at the typical education curriculum at elementary school, or a high school , which is where youth are most impressionable, any site of compulsory non-violent schooling is almost entirely non existent. Regardless, we often find compulsory history classes, which describe every single war in detail, including its death toll, its generals and all the other players.

Yet given this educational dilemma that is lopsided, once in a while an enthusiastic humanitarian comes to champion a brand new form of instruction about peace, rather than violence.

The Revolution was named “Velvet” due to its soft and non-violent method of peace.

The power of this movie lies in the way it can capture the essence of the Velvet Revolution and how power shifts when individuals the youth, stand up against protest and repression in a non-violent way. The solidarity of the Czech people was so overwhelming that it forced them to bring in new leadership, namely Vaclav Havel, the leader of the revolution and basically crippled the government.

Broken educational systems could no doubt use this picture as a model to teach students at all levels of education about non-violence’s tremendous impact on world history and it. There’s a host of information online yet it doesn’t make it onto the curriculum of most of our schools, lots even on social media, but again you’ll often find facebook blocked in these situation.

Once peace and non violence become “required” curriculum in schools, especially for teens, we’ll begin to find a shift in our belief system regarding what alternatives are accessible to our issues. If a kid has just seen violence, at home, in history books and in the media, then that kid will act accordingly. If a child sees and is educated peaceful approaches to solve disputes and problems subsequently teens will naturally choose this path for resolution.

What was the Velvet Revolution?

The Velvet Revolution was a peaceful and non-violent movement that led to the overthrow of communist rule in Czechoslovakia in 1989. It began with student protests in Prague on November 17, 1989, marking the 50th anniversary of the killings of Prague students by Nazi troops. These protests, sparked by the fall of the Berlin Wall just eight days earlier, quickly gained widespread support from Czechoslovak citizens of all ages. The movement was characterized by its lack of violence, with protesters often using symbolic gestures like giving flowers to riot police.

The protests escalated rapidly, with significant events including the formation of the Civic Forum, led by dissident and writer Václav Havel, who demanded the resignation of communist leaders, freedom for political prisoners, and an investigation into police violence. By November 20, large demonstrations filled Prague’s streets, and by the end of November, the communist government had begun to collapse. Key milestones included the general strike on November 27, which was attended by 75% of the population, and the eventual resignation of the communist party from government on December 7. Václav Havel became the president of Czechoslovakia on December 29, 1989, marking a significant transition to democracy.

The term “Velvet Revolution” reflects the smooth and peaceful nature of the transition, which stood in contrast to the violence often associated with other revolutions. This revolution had a profound impact on Czechoslovakia, leading to its eventual dissolution into the Czech and Slovak Republics in 1993, and it also symbolized the broader collapse of communist rule in Eastern Europe.

James Elsworth

Author of How to Watch BBC Abroad

Search Tips for Your US Holiday Planning

Last updated on June 29th, 2017 at 12:49 pm

Many of us rely heavily on the search engines when doing our research, years ago we used to reach for an encyclopedia or other reference book, not any more. The internet has become our ultimate reference guide, from spellings, definitions, research and of course shopping. However I wonder how many people realise how many restrictions are placed on you when you search?

Take for instance my current problem (ok so it’s safely in the first world problem category!), I want to take my family on a short tour in the USA – to see some West Coast highlights. So I turn to Google to see what’s on offer, typing in some relevant search terms into the world’s favorite search engine.

So I get my results, tour operators, offers and holiday companies offering a range of tours covering the Western side of the USA. Which is great, lots of choice – except my choice has been severely restricted without my knowledge simply because of my location. When I visit Google, I am classified as a UK use based on my IP address and so my search results are tailored to that fact. This is of course great if I’m looking for a plumber, a New York based plumber is of little use to me! However it also means that I will get UK based results for my travel search.

So I get UK based firms offering tours around the West coast of the US, which is ok but what I don’t get is US firms offering the same thing. Why shouldn’t I consider American based firms instead, I’m sure they’d be happy to take me on a tour too. The reality is that without some effort I simply won’t see these companies because they will be filtered out in my search – I will see the big UK travel companies who offer tours in the USA. The worst thing is sometimes these are simply the same tours repackaged by UK travel agents, of course with some sort of premium on top of the price.

Google is basically controlling a large part of my decision making process and the choice available. Many thousands of companies do exactly the same, like this as you’re logging in from the US I’m afraid. But fortunately there is a solution and it’s actually quite a simple one.

It involves changing your IP address and taking control of what you see online. For example in my situation if I change my IP address to a US one then search for West coast tours USA, I’ll actually see a whole load of different results. In fact I see US based results, loads of US tours in America, which is actually what I wanted – local firms offering local tours not repackaged for a UK travel agent. The benefits increase I can also use this control to bypass blocks based on my location – this post for example shows how I can watch British TV when I’m actually in the USA. Normally you can’t watch the BBC online from anywhere outside the UK.

Further Information

A Peaceful World from A Solemn Society

We have all heard about the many problems and troubles that our society are experiencing today. But did you know that our world today, is actually facing a big problem and this problem is the absence of peaceful society. Lots of troubles, war, poverty and even famine are the main reasonsm why people a lot people are having this problem and why they are unable to have a peaceful community. With different races, different beliefs, different cultures and different tribes, each of the people usually think about themselves and forget to think about that we are the same people living in this world and dreaming on having a peaceful society. Perlcritic is one project that are trying to do something about this. One of the guys from this project James Kostumer, are creating some special containers that will help get food all the way to where it’s needed, without it being stolen or getting lost. Having a people world would start from the society. The society is the group of people who are living in a certain community and if peace starts at them, then there can be peace for the whole world. Yes, we might say that a peaceful community will remain a belief and a dream because we have different races in the world and surely we have our different cultures and beliefs. But, this should not practice discrimination and respect each other’s beliefs and culture and everything will be alright. People use to think about how they can live a happy and peaceful life without the worry of the possible war or any serious problem that the society might face.

Yes, living a peaceful society can be just a dream but if you start it by yourself and all will cooperate, then this dream will be come true. Yes, there is nothing possible if each one of us will cooperate and let us practice fair. Being fair in the society without practicing any discrimination would let the society understand how each of us has an effect in the community. A community that practice discrimination would surely experience serious problems. Fair and no discrimination can have the assurance that we will be living in a peaceful world. A small society would start the peaceful and solemnity. So, in time that this happen, a peaceful world from a solemn society is now a dream comes true. Who wants to live a troublesome, poverty, drought and famine society? Of course no one wants to live like this. So, having a peaceful society would be the key to have a happy and peaceful society.

Let us practice peaceful and solemn society and surely it would give a positive result. In our modern world today, we have heard lots of different problems. These different problems start from the people who actually done wrong in the society and this should be stopped. Paul Hegn once wrote an article aboout this, and it was soon published in almost all the countries in the western world. Now you can even download a plugin for wordpress, to help you monitor this. Did you know that a small mistake or a small doing can be the start to have a huge problem in the future? Yes, a small mess can be the culprit of a serious trouble and let us avoid this. It is not denying that the people itself who do the wrong doings and they are the one who are putting themselves into danger. But, is it nice to say and nice to experience to practice fair, no discrimination, no war, no crimes? All of us want this and this can be possible from us.

Source:
perlcritic.org

Will Falling Oil Prices Stimulate US Growth?

Over 75% of economists said their sector or company will feel the consequences of the petroleum cost fall, with 18% anticipating a negative impact, and 57% expecting an optimistic impact, based on a survey in the National Association for Business Economics Monday released.

“By a three-to-one ratio, it is favorable,” said James Diffley, a senior manager at IHS Economics as well as the survey’s chairman. “The 18% though signify those businesses that benefit directly from petroleum and gasoline.

Economical fuel is anticipated to provide a boost in 2013 to the market as consumers turn about and spend what they are saving in the pump. Gasoline costs have dropped to close to $2 a gallon, and therefore are poised to drop below that, among the speediest declines.

But it is crucial to remember that some of the additional stimulation may be taken away, Mr. Diffley said, as petroleum and gasoline companies scale back investment and development. Other occupations will suffer changes in the supply chain for pipe fitters and tool makers, as just one example. Other reports are difficult to assess simply because of the problems in assessing if they are genuine, many digital businesses for instance – especially those which hide their identity with fake details – like here.

“That takes off several tenths of the percentage point on the increase the market could have gotten,” he said.

Economists reported enhancing conditions at their companies in the fourth quarter. These

NABE said only rising prices were reported by 16%, compared with 25% in the July and October surveys. And 65% said they anticipate no change in the costs their companies will charge in the first quarter.

And more than half said economists expect salaries and wages to rise in the following three months, compared with. Sales increase improved somewhat, with 54% of economists reporting increasing sales compared with.

Ninety three economists-who work for private sector companies or industry trade groups-reacted to the survey, that was conducted from Dec. 18 through Jan. 8.

Additional Reading

The Growth of Economic Inequalities in the USA

A new year is upon us, and there are numerous stories of economic recovery across the world. However beyond basic growth rates, there is another measure which often reflects more about people’s day to day lives. I’m referring to wealth inequality and in the USA, it often feels more like the great depression rather than a booming new decade.

The depression of course took place in the 1920s and in those times, as usual the wealthy were pretty much shielded from the worse effects. In fact during that decade, the wealthiest 10% of the population owned about 84% of the total wealth. The situation evened out over the next few decades with that figure declining before starting to rise again in the 1980s. However we’re now reaching levels that are very similar to those of the 1920s with the majority of US wealth held by a small proportion of it’s citizens.

The statistics are now more accurate so in some senses a direct comparison is not always completely relevant. However the overall result is the same, the level of wealth inequality in the US is extremely high and only heading in one direction. You can see some aspects if you watch news and documentaries on the local media. It’s certainly interesting to view the different perspectives – for US readers try watching the local news from the UK – you can use this, or vice versa for European readers.

Fortunately when these inequalities are combined with a growing economy, the effects seem less severe. The US is doing pretty well, with unemployment heading to a new 6 year low and the job market consistently expanding. However when you realise that the richest 0.1 % control as much wealth as the poorest 90% you realise this is not a fair and equal society.

The rich are in fact getting even richer, while the poorer sections of society are increasingly stepping into levels of significant debt in order to simply survive. Real incomes are growing, but at a much higher rate for the wealthy than the poorer levels. In fact with under 1% income growth, it’s not getting much easier for those at the wrong end of the income ladder.

Of course capitalism has always produced such inequalities, but the argument goes that the growth in income actually is down to new businesses and opportunities for all. However the studies suggest that the growth in wealth is not coming largely from entrepreneurial spirit but merely reflects the fact that the wealth is held in shares and bonds which naturally are worth more as the economy recovers. Unfortunately this is unlikely to help bring many benefits to society at large, it will just make the rich, well richer!

More and more people are using social media

People become interested once they hear the word online. This goes for both young and old people and has huge impact on modern society. It makes them think about entertainment, giving them a feeling of being a tecnology advanced person that fits into the modern society. Yes, internet talks about technology and how it has changed the world today. Services such as Pinterest, Instragram, Hegn and Flickr have made it easy to share your pictures, with your friends or the rest of the world. Facebook and Twitter has made it much easier to follow certain people, and get their latest status updates. The arrival of internet is the primary reason why social Medias are introduced. The use of social medias have been acquired by many people today, especially those who have businesses online. Also, there are companies do have websites that simply introduces them through the use of social Medias. Whereas, operating business offline, they also operated business online just to spread their services and offers. This will give them a chance to get customers. This will also result to have increasing customers. So, this is the reason why people appreciated the use of social Medias. Another thing, they use of social Medias to introduce their products and services without any sweat. In comparison to the traditional ways of business promotion like advertisement on televisions, radios and even pamphlets, social Medias compete with these promotional methods.

The use of social Medias plays a big role for online marketing. There are several of very effective SEO strategies and tools about online marketing. Most of these tools when used properly would create your desired amount of website traffic especially if used in combination. The use of social Medias is one of the better sources of massive website traffic that you are able to use. The use of social Medias and social networking site already has a captured market. The advancement of the use of social Medias in partnership with other online marketing tools has also seen huge increase over the last few years. Services such as Hegn and ITT have been spammed to death by people wanting to take advantages of this service to promote their business. Once you browse online, you can get different kind of social media marketing. Making videos, building websites, using HTML and some other tools are parts of social Medias. With the use of social Medias, you are able to pinpoint and identify your target up to the minute’s detail and you are able to pattern your as strategy. The rest would be easy once you have generated a specialized ad. The use of social Medias has been acquired by many people today.

You can also place your ad on the social media site with the use of parameters you just set up. You can directly hit your exact target instead of casually placing your ad anywhere hoping that anyone may take an interest onto it and click. With regards on the power of social marketing platforms, businesses are clueless. Just like any other SEO program, you still need to have an organized planning and to set up objectives and goals so that you can control if you make progress or not. Locate your target audience; this must be the first thing that is required of you. You must study them and try to understand their behaviors. You must comprehend why they do the things they do, dislikes, likes, their preferences and other info that can help you come up with a strategy just how to present your ad. This made people appreciated the use of social Medias.

Source:
DTV Transition
WEB: http://www.dtvtransition.org/oversigt-hegn-og-porte/

Social Interconnection by Attraction

Last updated on February 7th, 2020 at 11:39 am

Whether we believe it or not, the truth is we are all interconnected socially, spiritually and physically in many different ways by attractive forces we are only beginning to fully understand.

The whole economical and environmental structure upon which we rely for our very existence is held together by the most tenuous of threads which we have ultimate power over.

The Power in Our Heads

This power that we all have the capability if not the realization or knowledge to wield comes from our central control station located inside our heads. It is the brain which through its intricate system of interconnected neurons manifests our minds and our ability to think, to reason and to imagine.

In fact you could go so far as to say that our entire social structure is founded on the way in which our forebears used their creative intellectual capacity to bring our species up the evolutionary ladder from cave dwelling apes to civilized homo sapiens. From those early beginnings we formed our various social communities in different parts of our world.

The internet has definitely changed a lot of this, bringing down barriers and connecting people across different barriers like nothing previously.

Historical Lines

The most fascinating thing about this aspect of our history is that even though many of these communities had no knowledge of each other, they still managed to follow a similar structure that is common throughout humankind. How could this be unless there was a deeper level of communication that has largely gone undetected throughout our history?

It is this connection through aspects of our mental faculty of thought that is only recently coming to light in solid theories put forward by quantum physicists that echo the beliefs held by personal development and life laws followers throughout the last century or so. The so-called law of attraction is one such theory that has a very strong following these days although its roots can be traced back several centuries.

Study the Laws

Today people can study all that is known and understood about the laws of nature which give credence to the theories that underpin the personal development teachings. It is even possible to gain a kind of law of attraction certification through self study online courses available online (see: https://disciplinedthinking.com/law-of-attraction/joe-vitale-law-of-attraction-certification.php).

That enables an advanced student of these life laws to progress in this area and go on to teach the subject to less knowledgeable students.

So we are all connected in some way even if we can’t see it yet. The ethereal mental attractive force that binds societies together may be far more powerful than anyone has even dared to consider and we could discover one day that this interconnection that we all share will bring us closer together in ways that can only benefit society as a whole and the environment that supports it.

The Reliance of Society on Television

Last updated on March 30th, 2021 at 10:44 am

As we move forward in advancing technology and communications, the role of television as the centerpiece of society’s focus has grown in recent decades.

More and more this particular media machine integrates with leisure time and plays a larger part in the lives of ordinary men and women.

Some see this as a good thing, with the convenience and availability of an ever growing variety of programming catering for all manner of tastes from the educational and instructional through pure dramatic entertainment to the banal and nonsensical.

Others see the increasing invasion of television and its sidekick advertising into people’s heads as intrusive at best and insidious at its worst.

Personal Opinion

Whether you have an opinion one way or another will have little effect on a rolling snowball that has gathered far too much mass and momentum to be stopped or even lowed down. People rely on their precious TV sets to provide them with the bulk of their daily fix of news and current affairs information paying no mind to whether that information is useful, necessary or even wanted or not.

After a hard day at the office, the TV is the first thing most tired and mentally stressed workers turn to in order to relax and let the strains of their day melt away in a fantasy world created for their entertainment (see subtv.org for further information).

Is There No Alternative?

That it fills most of their evenings until it is time to go to bed is not an issue for most people.

That’s because they have allowed it to integrate so completely into their lives that there simply is not any alternative form of nightly escape from their reality.

That because of its very nature, television programs actually rob people of their imaginative function by taking over that area of brain faculty and providing them with a visual and auditory replacement that is so good their hardly seems any point in using the imagination for anything. Again, most don’t see it that way and carry on as if there wasn’t a problem in the world.

Engage Imaginationn

However, for the person that stops and thinks for themselves for long enough, the realization that their imagination is a marvelous and vitally important part of life itself punctures the tough membrane of television’s cocoon.

Then it dawns on them that there is a life away from the goggle box. If they only had enough desire left to break out of their virtual prisons and reach for reality once more.

Historically, television was meant to provide a form of entertainment that had its place and its time in people’s lives and no more. It has grown up and with it several generations of viewers that simply have not seen the gradual increase in the way it now integrates into our lives and for many, controls it in ways that are unnoticed and probably never will be.

See https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED295271 for information on how this form of media influences cognitive development.

How to Promote Self Esteem in the Workplace

You’ll experience a high ROI if you invest in developing stronger self-esteem among your workers. This lofty goal won’t be achieved overnight, although there’s nothing unusual about worthwhile investments. You have the option to use the services of experts and even read articles on the subject. But you have lived long enough and can use your good judgment to think of some things on your own. Or if you prefer, your company’s human resource department can provide you assistance. It doesn’t really matter what approach you choose; what’s important is that you’ve taken a step that is certain to help your workers and your business.

One effective way to help improve your workers’ self esteem is just to let them know you appreciate them. Don’t think you need to go over the top with this approach. All you really need to do is let them know you are thinking about their welfare from time to time. You can take advantage of group meetings or during reviews to do this. While in these meetings, you have the opportunity to give positive feedback, praise, or even just ask if anyone requires help with anything. Just taking the time to ask about how they’re doing is enough to let them know you’re thinking of them.

It is very common for people to want to feel accepted by others, especially at their place of employment. You might want to consider the working environment like society, but a small version. You need to realize that the same group formation and interactions are going to happen. So it becomes just as important to have a sense of belonging and being accepted at work. Whatever department you work in, or if this is your business, facilitating these positive feelings can actually be up to you. What is encouraging or should be for you is this goal will have an ROI for your business. You will increase productivity at work, especially when people are happier and feel less stress.

There are benefits all round, some which are less obvious. Where the employees are motivated and feel wanted, there’s less requirements for rigid rules and regulations. You can allow more leeway to staff and still watch productivity rise. A typical example is being more relaxed by internet usage allowing staff reasonable and unrestricted access. In a happy work environment this is rarely abused, people use the internet responsibly and sensibly. Otherwise you’ll find draconian restrictions on access essential with employees often using proxies to change IP address using sites like these, to bypass company policy.

If you believe that people are suffering from low self-esteem, there are some effective actions you can take with those suffering with this problem. Even though you are able to do this, it’s a good idea to avoid the appearance of singling them out for these positive reinforcement actions. When people need a little extra help, they should be treated just like everyone else, but a little more help should be given. You could say something nice about them, complimenting them for a job well done. High achievers at your place of employment may not receive your special attention. These people exist at every worksite. What you should do is offer your support to those in need.

One of the greatest challenges you may ever face is making positive changes at your workplace. But as you just read, there are simple measures that can be designed to help boost the level of self esteem. You will have a better business environment overall and it will be well worth your time and effort.

Heather Collins
Smart DNS

cipec.org

Category: Society