Static Channel Versus Dynamic Channel Allocation Systems Computer Science Essay

Static Channel Versus Dynamic Channel Allocation Systems Computer Science Essay Abstract- Channel Allocation Schemes have always held a vital role in achieving better performance of wireless networks. This paper has studied the comparison between two of the most known techniques of channel allocation namely: Static Channel Allocation and Dynamic Channel Allocation. The comparison is made over two types of networks single radio network, in which each of wireless node is equipped with only one radio interface, and multi radio network, in which each of the node is equipped with at least two transceivers. This paper presents the detail survey of all the existing comparison made between these two schemes. Keywords- Channel Allocation Scheme, Dynamic Channel Allocation, Static Channel Allocation, Single radio network, Multi-radio network Introduction Growth in the customers of the wireless networks, let it be cellular systems or any other Wireless network, has amplified the need to have the networks which can have more capacity and accommodate more and more users. Enlargement of wireless market has made capacity of the wireless network a scarce resource. Methods to improve effective capacity utilization of the wireless network are under consideration and in [4], it is realized that these methods involve source coding schemes, power control, better modulation schemes, improved antennas. Other then these methods capacity of wireless system can be improved by installing more bas stations i.e increasing number of transmitting equipment or improving hardware equipment of current system. Using better channel allocation schemes is also one of the methods to improve capacity utilization of wireless network. The aim of this paper is to focus on channel allocation schemes. These channel allocation schemes are not much of importance in the wired networks because their topology is stable and they do not offer any mobility to the users/nodes. But in the wireless networks, channel allocation of key importance. The vital role of the wireless networks is that they offer mobility to users hence, the channel allocation algorithm has to assign channels to ports and portables so that best trade-off between the quality of service and system performance is maintained [3]. A given spectrum of frequency, can be divided into several independent sets, these independent sets are completely disjoint with each other. Hence even if they are used simultaneously, they will not interfere with each other. So splitting the frequency spectrum into independent channels and then using all the channels for communication simultaneously present improvement in the capacity utilization [6]. The channel allocation strategy is considered to be the core of mobile networks because it not only affects the quality and the availability of the channels to the user but changes the distribution of the traffic and hence, overall shapes the capacity of the network [3]. Two of the most common channel allocation schemes are considered in this paper namely, FCA- Fixed Channel Assignment or Fixed Channel Allocation and DCA- Dynamic Channel Allocation. Fixed Channel Allocation (FCA) Fixed Channel Allocation is also known as Static Channel Allocation. It is known as Fixed or Static because once the channel is allocated to a port or a user it does not change for the entire course of operation. It is used in all TDMA/FDMA digital cellular mobile networks [5] as number of frequency carriers in each cell stays fixed and does not depend on traffic load. It is a time insensitive solution, as with the passage of time allocation of the channels to nodes does not change. Although in real-time, traffic load in a cell varies, there are peak hours when the traffic load reaches to almost 100% and then there are quiet hours in a cell when traffic load is very low. This limitation dispirits the use of the FCA. But if a static condition is considered there is most likely a chance to get good performance with this channel allocation algorithm [3]. In a cellular system based on the FCA, channels are partitioned among the cells permanently so that if all the cells use all the channels assigned to them simultaneously, there will be no interference [1]. Figure cell pattern for Static Channel Allocation with N = 7 With more complex systems other channel strategies can achieve higher efficiency but they require processors with more memory. But it is an essential sacrifice to make as in [4] it is discussed that in each cell there are no static conditions, space traffic imbalance varies from 10% to 70%, and this imbalance in the traffic depends on the size of the cell or service area and type of the environment, whether its urban, suburban or rural area [4]. Dynamic Channel Allocation (DCA) In DCA, frequency channels are not fixed for any node or user. Depending upon knowledge of the environment, channels are assigned to the user. The distribution of the frequency carriers in a cell depends upon distribution of the users/nodes in the cell and also on offered traffic load. DCA is currently supported by the GSM [5]. In Dynamic Channel Allocation Scheme all the channels which are available for a system, are kept in a queue or a spool. These channels are allocated to any cell temporarily. The only constraint is to fulfil the distance criteria, so that interference can be minimized [2]. The existing schemes for the Dynamic Channel Allocation can be categorized into three main types: IA-DCA (Interference Adaptive Dynamic Channel Allocation), LA-DCA (Location Adaptive Dynamic Channel Allocation) and TA-DCA (Traffic Adaptive Dynamic Channel Allocation), these schemes are based on the type of network dynamics they consider while making decision [4]. All DCA schemes basically evaluate the cost of using each available channel and opts the channel which introduces lowest cost [2]. For most accurate and good decision for channel allocation, the algorithm should have accurate knowledge of the environment [3]. The main algorithms which are considered under the study of Dynamic Channel Allocation are: DCET, Bellcore and Segregation DCA [3]. In DCET and Bellcore DCA algorithms, the decision of channel allocation is based on only single measurement of channel dynamics, while in the Segregation DCA, a radio interface acquires the channel depending upon its learning through past experience of channel usage. With the past knowledge, channel which has highest probability of success is chosen for operation. Although this algorithm requires processors with memory yet as decision is more meaningful so its performance is better than the DCET and Bellcore DCA algorithms [3]. In figure 2, in [7] results of performance of different type of DCA schemes are compared. Figure Performance of Different DCA methods Section II of the paper compares both of the channel allocation schemes in a single radio network and Section III shares the comparison done of channel allocation schemes in multi-radio network. Section IV shares the identified regions in which future work can be done and Section V concludes the paper. Comparison of DCA and FCA in Single Radio Network A single radio network a network in which all of the nodes of the wireless network consist of maximum of one radio interface and this single radio interface is used for the communication purposes. In this section the comparison of the DCA and FCA in single radio network is presented. Figure Algorithms for Dynamic Channel Allocation In a given cell, if a node requests a call, it will be served only and only if the cell has an unused channel available, which fulfils the reuse criteria, otherwise the call will be blocked [1]. Such is the case with Static Channel Allocation Scheme. But this is not the case with the Dynamic Channel Allocation Schemes, as for each of the call that is to be served; channel is taken from the overall pool that holds all the channels available for wireless system. In any channel allocation strategy, main aim is to find the best possible way to reuse the channels to maximize the systems capacity, while keeping interference in the system at minimum and provide quality of service to the user [4]. From another view, for allocating channel, the objective is taken as to allocate the channel to a call so that number of blocked calls is minimized and the number of dropped calls is also minimized. In the end, the channel allocation scheme finds the best trade-off between these two objectives because generally priority is given to minimize the number of dropped calls, as having a call dropped is more undesirable then not having the call connected at all [1]. Both schemes for channel allocation FCA and DCA are compared under the assumption that the call arrival distribution is Poisson [5]. For the purpose of modelling in FCA it is considered that there are z numbers of channels per frequency carrier and y is the number of control channels. In a given cell i, let total number of frequency carrier be Ci and the total number of channels in the cell, which will be used to serve a call will be ci. The expression for ci is given as: (1) While this will not be the case for DCA, as frequency carriers are not permanently assigned to any of the cell. As the channel assignment depends on environment so, if we take n as the number of active calls in any cell, then frequency carriers allocated to that cell will be: (2) Total number of channels required, for any cell should be equal to the number of active calls and the control channels. But the number of frequency carriers which has z number of channels each should be either more or equal than actually required [5]. In equation (2), shows that value is always taken equal or greater than a [5]. For the first simulation, the arrival rate of the calls is set at the overload value; this means that the overload period is considered where the numbers of calls initiated per minute are more than the actual capacity of the system. The observation made over here is that, under heavy traffic load, efficiency of the network or the channel utilization and capacity of the network does not improve by using DCA instead of FCA. Although it was considered as the fact that DCA will always perform better than FCA. Figure Effect of the handover on FCA and DCA In figure 4, the phenomenon observed is known as phenomenon of low capacity island [5]. Under heavy load, no benefit is achieved by using DCA, as in such a scenario both of the schemes will be utilizing capacity to the full extent. Rather DCA may perform worse than FCA. The reason is that due to dynamic channel allocation, a cell may borrow some of the frequency channels form the neighbouring cells during the low traffic period and the neighbouring cell does not get the channel back. The cell which has obtained the channel is let us say known as the lucky cell, and the cell which donated the channel and in the end, was unable to get it back is known as unlucky cell [5]. Now during the high load traffic period, if lucky cell wants to handover the call to a neighbouring unlucky cell. But as the unlucky cell would already be out of available channels to be able to serve the call, call will be dropped. Hence under such a scenario the drop out probability of dynamic channel allocation sch eme would be higher than static channel allocation algorithm. Other simulation is to find out the effect of the arrival rate on call blocking probability. Arrival rate is the number of calls initiated per minute. Through simulation, it is concluded that DCA performed better if the traffic load is within the range 0.6 to 0.9 Erlang/BS/Channel. (figure 5) Figure Analysis of DCA and FCA, call blocking ratio with respect to the arrival rate of the calls During the next case it was considered that arrival rate is Poisson and the other parameters like handover rate and call holding time etc are evenly distributed all over the cell. From the figure 6 it is clear that as probability of call blocking increases with the increase in the arrival rate of calls. Which is fairly obvious, more are the number of the users which are to be served, there is more likely a chance that some of them may not be able to get a free channel. Figure Performance analysis of FCA and DCA, Arrival rate of calls with respect to the over all blocking probability Under such consideration as can be observed from the figure 6, DCA performs better than FCA, as in case of congestion in a cell, DCA can borrow channels from the neighbouring cells but in case of FCA, the scheme has no option but to reject the oncoming calls in case of congestion. Figure 7 shows the amount of traffic carried by FCA and DCA according to the traffic load. Figure comparison between FCA and DCA with respect to the carried traffic under the traffic load Figure 8 shows the performance of the channel allocation schemes when traffic imbalance is considered. It is observed that network capacity to carry data, in case of FCA, reduces significantly when data imbalance is considered. But in case of DCA, there is no significant degradation in networks capacity to carry the data. There is also significant increase in the number of calls blocked by FCA, because of the increase in the traffic imbalance. But as the carried capacity does not decrease much in case of the DCA, there is not much of the increment in number of the blocked calls. Figure FCA Vs. DCA, effect of the traffic imbalance on the both channel allocation techniques Comparison of DCA and FCA in Multi Radio Network A multi radio network is the type of the network where each node is equipped with at least two or more than two transceivers. Fixed Channel Allocation in Multi-radio network It is pointed out in [14], throughput and overall performance of wireless networks decreases with increased density of radios, but major reason for this problem is that these radios do not transmit the data simultaneously as the nodes are generally configured with single radios only and this factor basically limits the forwarding capacity of the network. In [15], the authors have emphasized that with the introduction of more than one NIC (Network interface cards) in wireless networks, performance of the system can be improved 6 to 7 times, instead of just doubling the performance. The same phenomenon has been confirmed in [16]. There has been much work done, in which the performance gain in wireless mesh networks with multiple interfaces is discussed as compared to single radio interface network. In [13], capacity gain between single radio, dual radio and multi-radio wireless mesh networks is compared and realistically the gain achieved by having multiple radio interfaces in the network has been discussed. Apart from that, in [17], authors have proposed that with implementation of multi-radio Diversity approximately 2.3 times performance gain is measured in the single radio network. Under the multi-radio scenario, one important factor is to consider proper channel assignment. Each of the radios should be tuned to a frequency through which the throughput of the whole network is maximized. The introduction of multiple radios is not without the trade off of increased complexity of channel assignment schemes and the traffic allocation methods [20] and apart from that, more work is done in this domain. In [10], [8], [19], the authors have proposed some approaches to get maximum possible throughput by different channel assignment algorithms. The concept of the Static Channel Allocation in this section is extended to Wireless Mesh Networks, as before the start of the operation in the wireless mesh networks the channels are properly allocated and then till the end of the operation, the channel assignment does not change. In this section, multi-radio wireless mesh network is considered and it is observed that how by having multiple radio interfaces the performance of the network improves. Figure Performance of the FCA algorithms with 3 channels Figure 9 shows the impact of the different algorithms for the channel allocation in the three channel scheme [8]. Figure performance of the FCA algorithms with 12 channels Figure 10 shows the impact of the different algorithms for the channel allocation in the twelve channel scheme [8]. Figure 11 shows that with different channel allocation algorithms, how the increment in number of interfaces per node impacts the performance of network. In all algorithms it is observed that with the increase in number of radio interfaces per node, throughput of wireless networks improves [9]. Figure FCA algorithm comparison with different number of radio interfaces per node Figure effect of increased number of interfaces per node on the over all normalized broadcast latency In figure 12, it is shown that with different channel allocation schemes for multi-interface wireless mesh network, normalized latency for broadcast decreases with the increase in number of radio interfaces per node [9]. In figure 13, it is simulated that with the increase in the number of interfaces per node, there is not an unlimited increment in capacity utilization. Multi radios are used so that in a network there could be as many concurrent transmissions as possible. But even this has a limit to it. In [10], it is shown that after achieving the maximum level of capacity utilization, even after by adding more number of radio interfaces in a network, no advantage is gained. Figure capacity degradation with increase in the number of radio interfaces per node Figure Effect of the number of channels and multiple radio interfaces on the throughput In figure 14, it is shown that as long as the number of the available channels in a cell; are more than the number of interfaces per node, with increase in number of radios per node, throughput of the network will increase [11]. Figure throughput increment of a network by increased number of the interfaces per node In figure 15, it is shown that under a proper channel assignment and routing method, with more number of interfaces per node, the throughput of the system improves considerably [12]. In [13], as shown in figure 16 and 17, performance of fixed channel allocation scheme is compared in detail with respect to single radio network and the multi-radio network. Figure overall network capacity increment with more number of radio interfaces present at each node In figure 16, it is proved that the capacity of the overall system improves with the usage of multiple radios per node. Figure capacity of each AP with multiple interfaces per node Comparison between single radio to the multiple radios In figure 17, per Access Point capacity is simulated to have comparison between multi-radio interface per node and single radio interface per node. Dynamic Channel Allocation in Multi-radio Network: There has been little work which proves the introduction of multiple interfaces while using the Dynamic Channel Allocation provides any performance up-gradation. Analytically it is assumed that, as the introduction of multi-interfaces in wireless mesh networks improves performance, similarly the performance of networks using Dynamic Channel Allocation can be improved by introducing more than one interface on a single node. Some of the analysed parameters, which show the relative improvement in performance, are listed below: Parameter I: Improvement in the throughput of the system: In a single radio cognitive network, as shown in figure 18, the node D has two data packets of equal size in its internal queue, one for node C and one for node. Nodes E and C are at the equal distance d from the node D but are tuned at different channels. In this particular case each packet will take time t to reach the destination. Even if we neglect the switching time, cognitive radio present at D will take to switch from one channel to the other channel, the time taken to completely transmit both of the packets will be t+t = 2t. Figure Single Radio Network Now even if the same network topology is considered but now consider that each of the nodes is equipped with two interfaces (figure 19). Node D will be able to transmit both of the packets simultaneously to node C and node E, considering that interface 1 is tuned to the channel on which communication with node E is possible and interface 2 is tuned to the frequency over which communication with node C is possible. In this case there will be no delay caused by the switching of the channel. Figure Multi-interface radio network Figure Effect of channel switching Conclusion: The transmission time is decreased with the factor of N, where N is the number of interface each of the node will have. Throughput is improved with the factor of N. Parameter II: Latency of the network will decrease: With the introduction of the multiple interfaces in the cognitive radio network, latency of the network will decrease. Figure Multi-hop Single interface Wireless Network Initially considering the multi-hop scenario, considering an intermediate node, it has to receive an incoming transmission on channel 1 and then it has to tune its radio to the channel 2 to be able transmit the received transmission to the destination node. Latency of such network will consist of: Transmitting time of packet over channel 1 from source node to intermediate node: t1 Transmitting time of packet over channel 2 from intermediate node to destination node: t2 Switching time required for the interface on intermediate node to switch from channel 1 to channel 2: t3 Hence the total latency of such a system will be: t1+ t2+ t3 Figure Multi-hop Multi interface Wireless Network Now comparing the previous scenario with the one in which each of the node is equipped with at least two interfaces. Now on the intermediate node interface 1 will be tuned to channel 1 and interface 2 will be tuned to channel 2. If there is an incoming transmission on channel 1 and it is to be transmitted to the channel 2, the total latency will be: Transmitting time of packet over channel 1 from source node to intermediate node: t1 Transmitting time of packet over channel 2 from intermediate node to destination node: t2 Hence the total latency of such a system will be: t1+ t2 The switching time will not be considered over here; hence comparatively the latency is decreased with the introduction of another interface on the cognitive radio node. Conclusion: The latency factor is dependent on switching time of the cognitive radio. This factor comes into effect with more dominance with increase in the number of hops in the multi-hop network. Latency can be greatly reduced with the introduction of multi interfaces on the cognitive radio network. Parameter III: Connectivity of the network will improve: The probability of isolation of any node in a network will be reduced with the introduction of the multi-interfaces in the cognitive radio network. Figure Single interface node with the available channels Considering the scenario, in figure 23, where a secondary network has four channels available for its utilization, now for a given condition, all radio interfaces are tuned to either one of the channel 1, 2 or 3. If a single interface chooses channel 4, it will be isolated from the rest of the network. Assuming that the probability of opting for such a channel is p then the overall probability of getting a node isolated from the rest of the network will be p. Figure Multi-Interface node with the available channels Now for multiple interfaces, a node will only be separated if both the interfaces of a single node choose channel 4. A node will be isolated if and only if: Interface 1 chooses channel 4 AND interface 2 chooses channel 4 P2 As according to the probability rules p Conclusion: The probability of isolating a node, is decreased with the factor of N [N is the number of radios] as compared to the probability of node isolation in case of single interface cognitive radio networks. Here mutual independence among the DCA algorithms running on both of the radio interfaces is considered, but this is not generally the case. The performance of a cognitive radio network is strictly dependent on the number of cognitive radios present in its vicinity [21]. Figure Improvement in throughput using multiple radios Figure Improvement in throughput of the network with multiple radio using different number of available channels Figure 25 and 26 shows the throughput improvement gained by the introduction of multiple radios as compared to a single radio and in both of the figures different number of available channels are considered [24]. Comparison: Up till so far, none of the research has been carried out to find out whether any advantage is gained by deploying Dynamic Channel Allocation scheme in the multi-radio wireless network domain as compared to the implementation of the Fixed Channel Assignment algorithm. Considering the study made regarding the performance improvement gained by fixed channel allocation scheme and dynamic channel allocation scheme in multi-radio wireless network, there could be several hypotheses made. The complexity of implementation of Dynamic Channel Allocation algorithm will be more than that of Fixed Channel Allocation algorithm. Although the same is true in case of single radio network, but in case of the Multi-radio network, the complexity increment will be more significant. The reason can be taken as if the spectrum view of a single interface of a node changes in multi-radio network, for the similar node the situation changes for the other interfaces as well [21]. The performance improvement obtained by implementation of the Dynamic Channel Allocation algorithm as compared to the Fixed Channel Allocation in the multi-radio will have similar effects as it has in the Single radio network. The same effect on the throughput of the system, data carrying capacity and the effect of the traffic load and traffic imbalance will be observed. Another important factor that can be predicted because of the observation made via simulation figures is as the performance of the wireless network depends upon the density of the nodes in a network. As compared to the Fixed Channel Allocation Scheme, Dynamic Channel Allocation Algorithms will be more sensitive to the density of the network [23]. There will be no matter of connectivity in case the Fixed Channel Assignment Scheme is deployed on the wireless network. As before the point of operation with FCA, it is made sure that all of the nodes are connected and none of the node is left isolated. With the Dynamic Channel Allocation there will still be a small probability that a node can get isolated from the rest of the network. In the Fixed Channel Allocation for the multi-radio wireless network the distribution of radio interfaces do not matter for the performance. But in case of the DCA, better performance can be improved if radio interface distribution on the nodes is not uniform. DCA will perform better if the first hop nodes have more number of radio interfaces than rest of the network nodes [22]. Future Work The points raised, during this study are just concluded through observation and analytically studying the response of the Fixed Channel Allocation Algorithm in the Multi-Radio network and Dynamic Channel Allocation Algorithm in Multi-Radio Network. These observations can be further improved by using proper simulating tools. Conclusion In the single radio wireless network, DCA exhibits better performance than FCA. The same behaviour is predicted for the multi-radio wireless network, but with the increased complexity. And much better performance can be achieved by taking care of the distribution of the radios in the network. Still it should be considered that there will not be infinite performance gain obtained by using multi-radio network and DCA. The limitation imposed is that number of channels available to a cell should always be greater than the number of interfaces per node has.

Islam in Bed with Europe in “My Son the Fanatic” Essay

My Son the Fanatic is a film that addresses the cultural conflict of both Islamic integration in into Europe and English culture, as well as the relationship that arises between a father and his Muslim son when the child grows up to become an Islamic fundamentalist. (Udayan Prasad, 1997, England; screenplay by Hanif Kureishi) A Pakistani cab driver in a Northern English town has an affair with a prostitute and chauffeurs her and her colleagues to make extra money. When his son becomes an Islamic fundamentalist and joins in an effort to clean up vice in the town, the family’s loyalties and beliefs are tested. This film completely tests the conflict that exists with Islam encountering the European world through migrations and cultural development. Kureishi reveals the core conflict of the reality of English sexual revolution of the 60’s encountering Islamic sexual regression of the present era. In the New York Time’s article â€Å"My Beautiful London†, author Rachel Donadio, notes, â€Å"One of the most revealing insights into Britain’s recent social history comes early in â€Å"My Son the Fanatic,† Hanif Kureishi’s tender and darkly prescient 1997 film. It’s morning in an unnamed city in northern England, and Parvez, a secular Pakistani immigrant taxi driver brilliantly portrayed by Om Puri, watches Farid, his increasingly devout college-age son, sell his electric guitar. † The essence of this cultural conflict between Islamic and Western English culture can be seen in both in how the filmmaker and the central character, the taxi driver Parvez and his son Farid, are raised. They are both brought up by mullahs and nuns alike which reveals the complex nature of multicultural issues a Muslim immigrant might encounter living in Europe. The potential for plot development is endless as the director notes â€Å"You can’t ask people to give up their religion; that would be absurd,† he wrote in The Guardian. But hard-line views might modify â€Å"as they come into contact with other ideas. † That was the essence of â€Å"effective multiculturalism†: not a superficial exchange of festivals and foods driven by liberal guilt, but something else entirely — an encounter with human desires in all their complexity. Higson poses the question in his article â€Å"The Limiting Imagination of National Cinema,† â€Å"When is a cinema ‘national’? , asks Susan Hayward (1993: 1). As if in answer, Crofts delineates several different types of ‘national’ cinema that have emerged in different historical circumstances (1993, 1998). They have performed quite distinct functions in relation to the state (Higson, p63). Hanif Kureishi’s work â€Å"My Son the Fanatic† fits this description exactly. The Film is historical and has an effect on multicultralism through its relevance and relation to England and the happenings of the ‘state. ’ In also being historical, â€Å"My son the Fanatic is also a product of National Cinema†, as â€Å"Proclamations of national cinema are thus in part one form of internal cultural colonialism: it is, of course, the function of institutions—and in this case national cinemas—to pull together diverse and contradictory discourses, to articulate a contradictory unity, to play a part in the hegemonic process of achieving consensus, and containing difference and contradiction Higson p. 139). Islamic law is formally composed of literal translations of Arab tribal customs and ancient Muslim traditions as well as the Koran, and quotes from the Islamic prophet Muhammad as well as his predecessors. â€Å"When you get down to it, there are two types of people in Kureishi’s work: those running toward sex and those running away from it (p. 6)† In the film Parvez’s son Farid notes that he is seeking â€Å"Belief, purity, belonging to the past,† and then he notes â€Å"I won’t bring up my children in this country. † This represents the classh between what is now his fundamentalist beliefs through devotion to Islam and the clash European cultures poses on those beliefs. Farid sees no way both ways of life can exist together. Likewise, Parvez represents the embodiment of a westernized Muslim, so much so that he can’t identitfy with son. In the film this conversation boils up into a conflict in which Parvez begins to beat his son repeatedly, until his son shouts to him â€Å"who’s the fanatic now? † A major motif of the film that Kureishi mentions in his interview, is the concept of old Sharia law and the ancient traditions of the past being re-imposed on a post-sexual revolution present. Kurishi points this intergenerational drama out as ironic when he says, It perplexed me that young people, brought up in secular Britain, would turn to a form of belief that denied them the pleasures of the society in which they lived,(Donp. 7 he goes on to pinpoint that exact issue that faces the relationship for shared for young people concerning Islam and western culture to date when he says, â€Å"the West, the Nietzschean project, has been to drive out religion and to produce a secular society in which men and women make their own values because morality is gone. Then suddenly radical religion returns from the Third World. How can you not laugh at that? How can you not find that a deep historical irony? † This irony Kureishi speaks of is the main theme of the film. In Richard Dyer’s essay The White Man’s Muscle, he talks about stereotypes that have been enforced connecting as far back as the Greek era, and that now dominate film and television basically promoting the superiority of white masculinity. Body hair is animalistic; hair ¬lessness connotes striving above nature. The climax of Gli amori di Ercole has Hercules fighting a giant ape, who has previously behaved in a King Kong-ish way towards Hercules’s beloved Dejanira, stroking her hair and when she screams making as if to rape her; close-ups contrast Hercules’s smooth, hairless muscles with the hairy limbs of this racist archetype. (Dyer) Here Dyer points out how the uppermost essence of masculinity is equated with shaven white muscle, through its very contrast to that of hair apes, who are historically associated with blackness. He acknowledges the racist aspects of this archetype, but also gives notice to the private boys’ club-like tradition that has formed from this prejudice. This mentality demonstrates the epitome of the world in which A state agency for assessing public religious schools had given a top rating to a Muslim school that was advocating a return to the Caliphate; the interior minister at the time, Jack Straw, came under fire for suggesting that it might be difficult for a community-relations functionary to meet with constituents who wear a full veil; an Indian woman living in England was lured back to India and murdered in an honor killing; the archbishop of Canterbury said he thought England might consider making some accommodation for Shariah, or Islamic law. What, I wondered, did Kureishi make of all this? (,p. 7) â€Å"There aren’t any answers to these questions,† he replied. â€Å"They’re just questions that everybody has to engage in and think about. What is it like to make a multicultural society? How far do you go in multiculturalism? Do you have parts of the country under Shariah law, for instance? What would that mean? How does that work? You have to take this stuff seriously. † (p. 7) In sum, â€Å"My Son the Fanatic† is potent with cultural complexity and relevance. The film speaks volumes about current issues facing the Western world today as well as those being posed by, and imposed upon the Middle East. One can’t see this film and overlook the tension brewing between the two cultures of the Muslim world and the Christian European environment in which it finds itself. The film does an excellent job of providing authentic interpretation for a conflict that is undyingly relevant and prevailingly influential in today’s socioeconomic and political climate. Work Cited Bordwell & Thompson â€Å"Film History† 2004 Donadio, Rachel â€Å"My Beautiful London† New York Times August 8, 2008 Dyer, Richard â€Å"The White Man’s Muscles† in White London Higson, & Fowler, Catherine. â€Å"The European Cinema Reader† London New York Ptacek, J. , & Dodge, K. Coping Strategies and Relationship Satisfaction in Couples. The Society for Personality and Social Psychology, 21(1), (1995). 76-84. Savran, David. (1998). â€Å"Taking It Like a Man: White Masculinity, Masochism, and Contemporary American Culture. † 380 pp.

Identity – I am an American, not an Asian-American

‘I am an American, not an Asian-American. My rejection of hyphenation has been called race treachery, but it is really a demand that America deliver the promises of its dream to all its citizens equally.' What is identity? Many of us would think that the answer to this question is simple but once placed on the stop and asked to answer it, the answer creates more of an issue than the question. Identity can be defined in many different ways and there is more than one identity. The most obvious of these is an individual identity, regarding one person and their ability to establish their identity and locate themselves. There are also social identities, and collective identities. Usually identity is to do with ideas that are derived from society and often requires some reflexivity as it is to do with being a social being part of a society. It is mostly acquired through social interaction and the meanings we decide of social positions and is often marked through symbols. Identity is all about similarities and differences. These help one identify their sense of self in relation to others who are similar or different. For example it can help identify distinctive characteristics that make one different from others, or identify a shared viewpoint or physical features that make one similar to others. Identity is about how we think about ourselves, other people around us and what we think others around us think of us, many people would imagine social life unimaginable without a social identity. Mukherjee grew up in a Hindu, Bengali-speaking and middle-class neighbourhood. The general belief in her birthplace was that ‘one's identity was fixed, derived from religion, caste, patrimony, and mother tongue.' One did not need to ‘discover' their identity because it was unchangeable and one hardly had an individual identity. As the society was one consisting of similar people, there was a sense of a shared and collective identity, even if not socially, at least within one's family it was shared. Her neighbourhood had influenced her identity greatly, especially when regarding social divisions. For example; gender. In the article, certain sentences make it clear that Mukherjee comes from a male-dominated society. ‘Men provided and women were provided for. My father was a patriarch and I a pliant daughter†¦I didn't expect myself to ever disobey or disappoint my father by setting my own goals and taking charge of my future.' It also seems that class played an important role in the social divisions of the collective identity where she lived. ‘Two commands my father had written out for me†¦marry the bridegroom he selected for me from our caste and class'. She also claims that intercaste, interlanguage and interethnic marriages were forbidden within their traditional culture. Even emigration was frowned upon in Bengali tradition as it was seen as a form of diluting true culture. It seems that a woman's identity was set by the identity (or status) of her father, or after marriage; her husband. Mukherjee also states ‘I was who I was because I was Dr. Sudhir Lal Mukherjee's daughter'. It should also be noted that Mukherjee chooses to use the word ‘was' rather than ‘am'. This suggests that she has in a way cut off ties with her previous identity. She now sees her main identity as being American. Once in America, Mukherjee regarded herself as an Indian foreign student who intended to return to India to live. Her short and impulsive marriage ceremony led her into a whole new world regarding identities and their importance. She felt cut off from the ways of her life in Bengal as she had done something she never would have ever dreamed of doing. She now felt as if she had conflicting loyalties between two extremely different cultures. In America, women have more rights and participate in society just as much as men. This was new to Mukherjee as she now struggled to find her true identity; something she had never really paid attention to before. There had been a recent uproar in America concerning things such as ‘who is an American?' and ‘what is American culture?'. These led to issues involving the scapegoating of immigrants which further pushed Mukherjee into adopting America as her new homeland and following American culture. However, Mukherjee done all with her own choice and therefore takes her citizenship very seriously. The United Nations adds new members almost every year, many ‘old nations' now find themselves challenged with ‘sub' – nationalisms. It looks more and more likely that there will be a creation of more nationalities and people may lose true sight of what their nation once was. Many people in one society do not know each other or even of one another's existence, yet there is a sense of a ‘community'. Anderson (1983) describes this situation as an ‘imagined community'. Members cannot know each other and despite inequality there is still an imagined meaningful friendship. One can, and does have more than one identity. Goffman (1971) talks about impression management and gives life the metaphor of a drama. Humans are seen as actors and play many different roles. He believes that they follow certain ‘scripts' which are relevant in some situations but not in others and interaction is seen as a performance to the audience. This is known as his ‘dramaturgical analogy'. William Shakespeare once famously wrote ‘ All the world is a stage, And all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and entrance; Each man in his time plays many parts'. This means that a concept, even if not widely agreed with, to do with Goffman's idea has been around for a long time. In the debate of culture and identity, the notion of agency is a central theme. Agency is about choice, the ability to exercise this choice in order to shape our own identities. Agency is highly related to reflexivity; a post modern idea. Reflexivity is to do with the capacity of humans to reflect upon themselves, their actions and others around them in order to change or improve themselves. Mukherjee was brought up in an environment where the notion of agency in regards to identity did not exist. Identity was fixed, and one could not change it. Therefore, when she adopted her new found culture in America, she automatically was using agency to choose and shape her own identity. Identity is ever-changing; it changes with time, place and an individual's perception of reality (Vithu Jeyaloganathan – Sri Lankan born Canadian, b. 1991). An Indian politician and founder of the Indian Constitution ( B.R.Ambedkar) once said that ‘Unlike a drop of water which loses its identity when it joins the ocean, man does not lose his being in the society in which he lives. Man's life is independent. He is born not for the development of society alone, but for the development of his self.' This may be representative of India's changing views on the topic of identity and more importantly, individual identity.

Case Study on the Computer Hack at Stellar University

My report will be discussing and analyzing the computer attack that happened at Stellar University (SU). In the first part, I will give a brief about that school and outline its servers. In the second part, I will discuss and analyze the issues that happened in IT department and finally I will add solutions, recommendation and end my report with conclusion and references. Stellar University (SU) is an urban university that offers amazing majors such as engineering, business, hypnotherapy and health. SU uses many tools such as Mainframe AS 400, Unix, and Linux etc. Also, it has networking infrastructure such as wireless and VPN (Virtual Private Network). The issue is that SU did not have a qualified staff in IT who could operate and run the system clearly. Moreover, they have low skills in training and low experience that prevented them of being IT professionals which made them walking with no direction. On the other hand, criterions of IT system were not clear due to the tight restriction and updating password policy. These reasons created a shortage in protecting IT system. The server was an IBM and the upgrade were made to that server in order to maximize space and memory. Additionally, the IBM server warranty has been expired and it did not get renewed. The school management at SU decided to relocate all servers to be at the computer center. The SU was on a budget which made SU laying off some staff and reducing preventive maintenance. Monday morning in February,Show MoreRelatedHp Transformation Leadership21564 Words   |  87 Pagesadvantage through the lapse of time, therefore leadership skills are the only sustainable competitive advantage firms can have. After a colleagues discussion, and a series research, we have decided that Hewlett Packard (HP) will be the subject of our case study for the Organizational Leadership course project. Reason being, the HP culture speaks, acts, and operates within their values, which will be further elaborated in their motto that is widely shared at HP, The HP Way. The core organizational values