Abstract
This paper examines how there has been a large impact of the television series "The X-Files" on audiences understanding of postmodern texts in their society today. It looks at how "The X-Files" along with more recent shows such as "Lost", help understanding how such texts can be read as symptomatic postmodern texts, with lingering and contrasting elements of modernism attached. Furthermore they also allow audiences to witness the transformations which have occurred to contemporary media systems and practices by the impacts they have had off camera. The paper also looks at how such shows also reveal much about the relationship between popular culture, conspiracy theories and "official truths , and postmodern knowledge and how they also can be seen to be effective in terms of being platforms for social and political critique.

From the Paper
"To understand how shows such as The X-Files can be read as symptomatic postmodern texts with lingering and contrasting elements of modernism, it must first be understand what is meant by these terms and the effects they have had on the media. Modernism was a movement of increased beliefs in the powers of science and technology, as well as a rejection of religion for a new emphasis on searching for the truth; postmodernism was a reaction against this. Where modernism was optimistic about technology, postmodernism was sceptical about its benefits and what it would lead to. Society became typified by "the rise of new information technologies, the globalisation of financial market, the growth of the service and the white collar worker and the decline of heavy industry." (Creeber 2009: 15). In terms of media, postmodernism began to see a more image saturated society, with media image expanding due to the stronger consumer culture. There were further developments as mass audiences became fragmented into communities of shared tastes, and image saturation led to reality and truth being questioned. Unlike modernism, postmodernism saw truth and reality as being harder to distinguish from each other in society, and that both were subject to individual interpretation. "

Tags:Mulder, Sculley, Lost

Abstract
This paper first addresses the purpose of Al Ries and Jack Trout's book, "Marketing Warfare" and then examines the marketing strategies discussed in the book. A detailed summary of the book is provided that includes the four marketing fighting techniques described by the authors. The strengths and weaknesses of the book are also critiqued.

From the Paper
"Ries and Trout view the marketing war as having four fighting techniques. One of these techniques is known as the Defensive Warfare. This strategy is intended to maintain a marketer's market share, profitability, sales revenue and other objectives. The writers saw three basic principles under this warfare strategy. The first of this principle explains that only the market leader should consider playing defense. According to Ries and Trout customer are the ones who create leaders and not the companies, therefore it is not practicable to apply the defense marketing strategy if you are not the leader."

Tags:marketing strategies, battleground fighting competition, domestic market, international market

Abstract
The paper discusses Daniel Pink's book, "A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future" that takes the hypothesis that the current methods of thinking are outmoded and are better suited towards a business environment that will not exist. This paper summarizes the book and provides a brief response to Pink's hypothesis, suggesting that his ideas are not sustainable.

From the Paper
"Pink suggests that there are number of processes that need to be explored in respect to outdated thinking, and he suggests that offshoring production labor to Asia has permanently altered the needs of Western nations. Through offshoring, America and other Western countries have redefined their priorities and allowed other countries to pick up the factory and industry needs of its citizens. This means that there are no longer priorities towards traditional business models. Moreover, this suggests that the needs of the community members in West have to change in order to take advantage of the changed business environment."

Tags:pink, mind, right

Abstract
The writer states that there have been many books written about America's role in the Vietnam War, however, most of these books have a general focus on the war from either a political or military perspective. In contrast, "Backfire" examines the visceral dimensions of the war. The writer explains that Baritz relentlessly pursues the truth, no matter how painful or disturbing it may be. The writer shows how Baritz divides the book into three parts, somewhat like the acts of a theatrical production. In conclusion, the paper states that "Backfire" challenges readers with soul-searching issues and lessons to ponder with regard to the war and its aftermath.

From the Paper
"Baritz cleverly divides this book into three parts, not unlike the parts of a theatrical production. In doing so, perhaps Baritz is attempting to portray the war as a "stage" of sorts on which several "acts" are presented as integral pieces of a whole, to help readers to understand the complex tapestry that was intricately woven into the fabric of the Vietnam War.
"In Part I, Tinder, he takes readers on a surreal exploration of the deepest depths of Americana and tells us in no uncertain terms, that we never understood the Vietnamese - and why we never understood them, and how this was one of the essential elements of the war that ultimately contributed to fatal miscalculations and misconceptions that profoundly affected the Americans and the Vietnamese. (Backfire, p. 3)"

Tags:tinder, vietcong, communism

Abstract
The paper focuses on the examples of Mike, Darlene and Crystal all who have been in and out of treatment without success. The paper discusses the need for psychotherapy and drug treatment and the need for a mandatory 2 year aftercare program. The paper agrees with Shavelson that treatment is lacking--humiliating someone already humiliated is not productive and that follow up is essential to the addicts success.

From the Paper
"How many people do you know that shoot up while driving their car, not many I bet. Well, this scenario is how Lonny Shavelson opens his book "Hooked: Five Addicts Challenge Our Misguided Drug Rehab System". Shavelson feels that too many rehabs release or kick out addicts for relapsing and that drug rehab programs focus on stopping the addict rather than fixing why the person became an addict. He is also a critic of humiliation as a tool for treatment. Shavelson doesn't believe in kicking the addict while they are at rock bottom. He makes a comparison between the amounts of federal money spent on drug rehabilitation vs. the Drug War. Shavelson's book is a..."

Tags:addiction, treatment, industry

Abstract
This paper summarizes "Night" by Elie Wiesel and explains how the book is about Wiesel's gradual loss of faith as a result of his experiences in the camps.

From the Paper
"Night by Elie Wiesel was first published in English in 1960 and gave the most chilling and most faithful account of his experiences during the Holocaust. We have heard a lot about concentration camps and how Jews were made to suffer simply because of their religion, however this book gives us something deeper to think about. The book studies the Holocaust experience in the light of Jewish beliefs and the author narrates the gradual loss of his faith in God. The novel begins with a normal description of life in Elie Wiesel's house. This is done to show how devout a Jew he was and how firmly he believed in God before all was taken away by the Holocaust. "I believe profoundly. During the day I studied the Talmud, and at night I run to the synagogue to weep over the destruction of the Temple." (p.13) He was a strong believer in the powers of God and saw Him as an absolutely fair and just Creator. The book opens in the year 1943 when Elie's family and others in his Hungarian town of Sighet had not yet heard of concentration camps or Nazi atrocities. A pious Jew man who had been imparting religious knowledge to Elie tells everyone of his experience during a brief journey when all his fellow Jews were brutally killed by Nazi forces. It is not easy for the villagers to trust his stories but eventually Nazi forces enter their village too and this is when the real journey of faith or should we say, loss of faith begins."

Tags:starvation, disease, furnaces, prayers, cold, starvation, pipel, oberkapo, adversity, tragedy

Abstract
This paper discusses the book 'Futebol: The Brazilian Way of Life' by Alex Bellos. According to the paper, this book examines the influence that the game of soccer has had on the life and culture of Brazilians.

From the Paper
"Soccer is arguably the most popular sport in the world, certainly so within the Western world. In Brazil, specifically, the popularity and cult devotion to the sport surge to levels unseen in much of the rest of the world. Alex Bellos charts this popularity and the ways in which soccer infuses Brazilian culture with its essence in the book Futebol: The Brazilian Way of Life. In this text, which synthesizes information from a variety of sources, Bellos examines the influence of soccer in Brazil from personal, psychological, sociological, anthropological, and historical perspectives. The result is a surprisingly readable book that treats soccer in Brazil with the same kind of awe and respect that the Brazilians themselves have for the influence of the sport in their daily lives. Bellos begins this study by first making the point that for the whole of the nation of Brazil, soccer is considered to be an art form (1)."

Tags:soccer, brazil, review

Abstract
The paper relates that Tom Kelley is the general manager of IDEO, a consultancy that helps companies design new products. The paper discusses how in 2001, he wrote a book entitled "The Art of Innovation" that discusses lessons learned from his two decades in the design business. This paper reviews Kelley's book, paying special attention to his discussion of creative problem-solving.

From the Paper
"Tom Kelley is the general manager of IDEO, a consultancy that helps companies design new products. In 2001, he wrote a book entitled "The Art of Innovation" that discusses lessons learned from his two decades in the design business. This essay will review Kelley's book, paying special attention to his discussion of creative problem-solving. Innovation is the central concept in Kelley's book, but he doesn't define it as anything more than the art of creating a "breakthrough product" (28). One problem with this definition is that it doesn't contribute to our understanding of why a product succeeds. For example, Kelley gives the..."

Tags:marketing, innovation, kelley

Abstract
This paper discusses Plato's beliefs concerning the world and the way in which mankind should inhabit it, as illustrated in his "Republic", specifically in books VII and X. He does this in both passages through dialogue between the philosopher Socrates and his companion Glaucon. The paper holds that their conversation's central purpose is the manner in which mankind is to achieve "Goodness" through the acquisition of knowledge, experience, and the eventual reaching of the "Intelligible Realm." The paper maintains that these passages demonstrate Plato's affection towards philosophy-based education and his opposition to poetry-based education, in other words, to anything false, representational, or in any means deceitful. The paper concludes that, here, Plato expresses a clear belief that ignorance and lack of knowledge contribute to an empty state of the soul, whereas rational thinking and intelligence fill the soul with nourishment and provide the best overall state of well-being.

From the Paper
"Plato asks us next to imagine that the prisoner is dragged up the rough, steep slope of the cave tunnel and into the world above. As the prisoner arrives at the surface he is blinded by the light and must endure great pain. "At first, it would be [the shadows] he could most easily make out, then he'd move on to the reflections of people and so on in the water, and later he'd be able to see the actual things themselves (Plato 65)." It is the prisoner's acknowledgment that these things or "Forms" are the most real of things, and that those things in the cave are merely copies, that brings him to the third and cognitive stage of thought. Next, the prisoner would "feast his eyes on the heavenly bodies and the heavens themselves--he'd be able to discern and feast his eyes on the sun--not the displaced image of the sun in water or elsewhere, but the sun on its own, in its proper place (Plato 65)." Finally, the prisoner realizes the sun to be the source of truth, or the Form of the Good; he has reached the final stage of understanding, and he can now begin to understand all other forms in reality."

Tags:goodness, truth, knowledge, experience, ignorance, soul

Abstract
The paper explores Headrick's argument, his key ideas, the sources he uses to substantiate his claims, any insight that Headrick offers for imperial purposes of the age, and whether or not his argument is actually convincing. In the end, the paper shows how Headrick's argument is convincing because of the vast array of sources he consults and because he carefully explicates how technology made conquest too easy an opportunity to pass up.

From the Paper
"The following paper is a brief book review of Daniel R. Headrick's, "The Tools of Empire: Technology and European Imperialism in the Nineteenth Century". This paper explores Headrick's argument, his key ideas, the sources he uses to substantiate his claims, any insight that Headrick offers for imperial purposes of the age, and whether or not his argument is actually convincing. In the end, Headrick's argument is convincing because of the vast array of sources he consults and because he carefully explicates how technology made conquest too easy an opportunity to pass up."

Tags:book, report, empire