Hollywood’s Dilemma Essay Example for Free

Hollywood’s Dilemma Essay After two decades of labor peace, Hollywood is now facing a major dilemma as movie and television writers embark on an industrywide strike. The walkout brought the first widespread shutdown of the entertainment industry since the 1988 writers’ strike which lasted five months and cost the industry more than $500 million. The call for strike resulted after more than three months of contentious negotiations between the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers and the 12,000-member Writers Guild of America (WGA) whose contract expired last October 31. The dispute sparked after the writers demanded that they be given a bigger slice of DVD profits and revenue from the distribution of films and TV shows over the Internet. Producers however brushed off the writers requests, arguing that industry economics and still-shifting technology made accommodation impossible. The series of negotiations began as early as July with a demand by the producers that compensation for the new media be postponed until an industry group could study the matter. It also demanded that writers accept a radical restructuring of the residuals system, under which companies would make payments only after they had recouped the cost of movies and programs. Both demands were rejected by the writers. The producers then withdrew their demands but refused to grant the writers’ requests. Failures to come up with a compromise led to writers’ warning that would stage a strike if their demands would not be met. The writers’ guild drew up an aggressive set of strike rules that forbid members from working during the walkout. In response, producers published on their website a road map for writers who might want to invoke their rights under federal labor law to keep working during a strike. Other last-ditch talks occurred but these failed to avert the strike. The strike began after the failed negotiation talk on November 4. Writers in Los Angeles started picketing 14 studio locations in four-hour shifts from 9a. m. to 5p. m. On the other hand, 50 striking writers wore red strike T-shirts at Paramount Studio’s gate. In front of NBC studios at Rockefeller Center in New York, strikers used a giant rat to impersonate network executives and chanted, â€Å"No Contract, No Shows. † Unlike the 1988 writers’ strike which led to flourishing of reality television, cheaper production costs, and decent ratings for broadcast and cable networks, this year’s strike seems to result to more negative effects to the entertainment industry. The first casualties are the late-night talk shows which depend primarily on current events. Also expected to feel the strike’s impacts are the daytime television shows and soap operas which usually tape about a week in advance. Production of movies and primetime TV programs shall also be affected though the effects will not be immediate as most of the studios have stockpiled dozens of scripts which could last until early next year. The strike really has great implications not only in the entertainment industry but in the country’s economy as well. It affects not only the 200,000 workers in the movie and television industry but other industries as well. It also threatens to affect the economy of Southern California. The entertainment industry contributes an estimated $30 billion annually, or about seven percent to the economy of Los Angeles County. The local tourist economy shall likewise be affected as there is a tendency that tourists who observe that the entertainment industry is shut down will conclude that the economy is also weakening. In conclusion, the two parties must give way to each other’s demands and come into compromise for the sake of the industry itself and the national economy. After all, strikes or its any other forms are useless if none of the parties involved would find way to compromise. Works Cited Cieply, Michael. â€Å"Hollywood Producers Drop a Key Demand† The New York Times. October 17, 2007 â€Å"Hollywood Writers Strike† Ohio. com. November 5, 2007 http://www. ohio. com/news/break_news

Belle Boyd Newspaper Obituary :: American History Civil War

Yesterday, June 11, 1900, we lost Belle Boyd, one of the most heroic ladies of the Civil War. This famous Confederate spy has died after a cardiac arrest at age 56, while on tour in Kilbourne City, Wisconsin. She will be remembered as a great writer, actress, and spy who had courage in even the most trying times. Belle Boyd played the part of spy as if the war were a lighthearted game of cards. Born on May 4, 1843, she was raised just like any other southern lady. She was the daughter of a merchant and grew up in Martinsburg, West Virginia with her parents, Benjamin Reed Boyd and Mary Rebecca Glenn, three brothers, one sister, and grandmother. She went by the name Belle Boyd instead of her original name, Maria Isabella Boyd. Boyd attended Mount Washington Female College of Baltimore from age 12 to 16 after receiving a preliminary education. People knew her to be a fun-loving debutante. Her low voice was charming and her figure, flawless. Her irregular features rendered her either completely plain or extremely beautiful. The Civil War started when Boyd was 16, and she became a die-hard secessionist. She raised money for the South and organized parties to visit the troops until her career took a more active turn. Her spying profession began by chance when Boyd?s father and brothers were off to fight the war, leaving her with her mother, grandmother, baby brother, and sister. A band of drunken Union officers broke into her home, intent on raising the Federal flag over her house and one of the men insulted her mother. She drew a pistol and killed the man. Union officers were so charmed by her and felt such sympathy for her that they spared her from punishment. Though she was acquitted of the crime, officers still kept close watch over her. Clever Boyd took advantage of them and bewitched them into revealing military secrets. She then made her slave, Eliza Hopewell, carry the secret messages to confederate soldiers in a hollowed out watchcase. Her espionage career continued when in 1862, a Union troop gathered in her local hotel. Boyd hid upstairs, eavesdropping through a hole on the floorboards where clandestine Union information was revealed. Late that night, Belle rode out acting and bluffing her way past the Union sentries and conveyed this information to Col. Turner Ashby, who was scouting for the Confederates.

Classroom Assessment Essay

Introduction Assessment is the process of obtaining information about a student academic status in school. According to Gronlund and Waugh (2009), assessment is a continueous process, and an integral part of the classroom instruction process. â€Å"It helps in determining learning readiness, in monitoring and improving learning, and in grading or clarifying students achievement † (p. V). The purpose of assessment is to obtain information about a student academic status in order to make decisions on how to help students, teachers and school improve. Proper interpretation of the assessment result is key component in deciding the implication for both the student and teacher. Interpretation of the results For the purpose of this assignment, the assessment results are based on a formative reading assessment used to measure the extent to which students have mastered a specific learning outcome for vocabulary unit in a hypothetical remedial reading class of struggling readers. According to Gronlund & Waugh (2009), formative assessment is used to monitor student progress during instruction and is designed to measure mastery of the learning outcomes of a limited segment of instruction. The test is a criterion- referenced because Assessment Development and Use According to Gronlund and Waugh (2009), careful consideration must be given in planning and preparing the assessment. Specific questions concerning the goals of the curriculum, instructional objectives, learning outcomes, and procedures for the assessment were major focus in developing the assessment (Gronlund and Waugh, 2009). The institution provided guidelines of what the students should know and able to do. As a result, reviewing the specific instructional objective outcomes and constructing relevant test items were keys in developing the assessment. In constructing each test item, addition, focus was given to the selection type and matching items to specific learning outcomes. Gronlund and Waugh (2009) stated, â€Å" Use the item type that provide the most direct measures of student performance specified by the intended learning outcome† (p. 76) Assessment Interpretation and Grading Gronlund and Waugh (2009), described two types of assessment interpretations. Norm-referenced interpretation compares an individual performance with others. Criterion- referenced interpretation compares the individual with himself and tells what and how each individual performs without comparison to others (Gronlund and Waugh, 2009). The assessment is criterion-referenced, and is one of many assessments throughout the course. The result from the assessment will be used to indicate the extent of which each student master the specific knowledge and skill taught in the unit. Grades assigned to the students work will represent the extent to which the instructional objectives have been achieved (Gronlund and Waugh, 2009). Students will be assigned a letter grade (A, B, C, or D) according to their performance on the assessment. Gronlund and Waugh (2009) stated, â€Å"letter grades are typically assigned by comparing a student’s performance to a prespecified standard of performance† (p. 192). The results will not be used to compare student performance against others, but will aid in planning instruction for future lessons. I chose criterion-referenced assessment as a means of helping students achieve mastery of the instruction, and improve learning by determining what they know and what they don’t know. Grading Rubric References Angelo, T. A. , & Cross, K. P. (1993). Classroom assessment techniques: a handbook for college teachers (2nd ed. ). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Gronlund, N. E. , & Waugh, C. K. (2009). Assessment of student achievement (9th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

Fences Is A Play Written By August Wilson In 1983.The Play

Fences is a play written by August Wilson in 1983. The play investigates the evolving African- American experience and looks at race-relations, among many other themes. The main character of the play is Troy Maxson, a 52-year-old who struggled to satisfy his family need. Troy has had his dreams taken from him. He wanted more than anything to be a pro baseball player, but his career was stopped because of racial discrimination, which, lead to a misconception between Troy and his son. In this paper, I will focus on explaining the importance of Troy’s family in the play. Later on I will mention the impact of baseball in Troy’s life, and finally, I will explain the meaning of the symbolism of the tittle Fences. Throughout the play,†¦show more content†¦Not ‘cause I like you! Cause it’s my duty to take care of you† (Letzler, 2014). Troy relationship with Cory is degrading because he does not want his son to be like him. In fact, Cory is simi lar to Troy in a way that he wants to play Football just as his father once did. However, Troy does not allow him to follow his path, he does not want him to get hurt as he was when he was refused to play in the division league. This situation leads them to misunderstand each other and create a tension between the two. The play comes to a climax when tensions explode between Troy and Cory and the two go at each other with a baseball bat. Though Troy wins the fight, he loses his son forever. All the expectations he feels from others, especially his children, reminds Troy of his own father. His father was an emotionally distant man who Troy didn’t think cared for him. Troy action and intention was to protect his son, but instead, he ends up pushing his child away. Why would Troy prevent Cory to play Football in the first place? Well, the reason is that Troy was once a great baseball player, but his dream of playing in league division was taken away from him. To be clear, his race prevents him to get where he wanted to be; and now he believes that black athletes have no chance to succeed. He said to Coryâ€Å" the white man ain t gonna let you get nowhere with that football noway â€Å" (Letzler,2014). He warned his son of what would happen, trying hardly to protectShow MoreRelatedEssay on An Analysis for the Play Fences1293 Words   |  6 PagesFences - An Analysis James E. May Averett University History of the Theatre TH 220 / BBA 469 Ronal Stepney November 07, 2011 The story line seemed melodramatic throughout the play. The author (August Wilson) has laid the ground work of many themes throughout the play. The play deals with Race, Men and their masculinity, Morality, Dreams and hopes of everyone involved, Family, Duty, Betrayal and Dissatisfaction. 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To obtain permission(s) to use material from this work, please submit a written request to Pearson Education, Inc., Permissions Department, One Lake Street, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458. Many of the designations by manufacturers and seller to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designationsRead MoreProject Managment Case Studies214937 Words   |  860 Pagesretrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 750-4470, or on the Web at www.copyright.com. RequestsRead MoreHemp Cultivation in China42289 Words   |  170 Pagestheir copyright. The IHA reserves the right to reprint copyrighted articles or to supply them to third parties. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by a ny means without the prior written permission of the publisher, the International Hemp Association. The publisher is not responsible for statements and opinions expressed by the authors in this publication. Although all advertising material is expected to conform to the best ethical