Communications and Media

Since the dawn of human civilization, man has walked the planet in search of ways and means of improving life. A great deal of history stands testimony to this notion, and there is magnanimous amount of evidence available that speaks volumes of the human effort to build a better world.

However, somewhere along the line of efforts made for ameliorating life, the idea of competition crept in while there is no harm in competing, it is the manner in which competition exists that matters. Indeed, ideas like sabotage happen to be almost as old as the history of the effort to build a better world. Today, this concept is no different, as there are separatist groups, clandestine agencies, secret armies, and conspiracy believers that form a major part of sabotage efforts against the human race. Perhaps, one would be more aware of sabotage and secret warfare when it is targeted at nation states as opposed to the human race. This is because of what the global media reports. However, the fact remains that all the terrorist plots or secret wars do nothing but put one nation against another, and little by little tear down apart the human race. Major print media, electronic and alternative media provide one with a variety of viewpoints. It is interesting to note the different shades and slants that different media take (LaMay, 2007, 36-75). However, regardless of the slant or bias, the human race is faced with a very real threat, terrorism. One issue that can be viewed across all media outlets include the story of the Al Qaeda when it first became known and was synonymous with Osama Bin Laden

International Terrorism and Al Qaeda
One of the most frightening aspects of terrorism is its ability to transform the human race. Indeed, terrorism has been carried out by a minority of people who claim to be in the right. Actually, most media outlets have a consensus on the fact that terrorists are a handful of powerful, disgruntled people with a common goal. One particular group that is called the Al Qaeda, and according to American CNN Cable News Network, it is believed to comprise individuals from all over the world, who have an Islamist ideology. In the wake of the 911 terrorist attacks, Al Qaeda surged to infamy. The world condemned the Al Qaeda, and they still do.

One news channels such as CNN is believed to give unbiased coverage of the Al Qaeda. It is believed to be one of the accepted channels that people all over the world look towards for reliable information. In the east, there is the Arab TV channel, Al Jazeera, which is sometimes referred to as the CNN of the East. It has also been accepted as an authentic news channel on the same issue International terrorismAl Qaeda911. This news channel also reinforced the existence of an AL Qaeda involved in terrorist attacks. Other channels also followed these two. Whether they were sure of the existence of an Al Qaeda did not matter at this point. The news story was so large that they could not be left behind. When they all jumped on the band wagon of these media reports, the issue was reinforced, and before long the world was convinced of an international terror network that could strike at will.

The Alternative Media Reports on Terrorism
Both, CNN and Al Jazeera reported the framework of Al Qaeda, and from to time, revealed their sketchy modus operandi. While these two channels, for a considerable time, promoted this issue, other media groups had differing views. In particular, the alternative media, mainly youtube.com presented a variety of views. Amid ones that seemed to be in sync with those on CNN and AL Jazeera, there were video clips and presentations uploaded that presented an opposing angle.

Controversial Reports and Inconsistencies with mainstream Electronic media Reports
While there was also much said about the existence of Al Qaeda and them being responsible for the 911 terrorist attacks in New York, there were many views available. Some disputed the claim, and were not willing to accept this story that everyone had believed so quickly without reviewing the facts of the event (Artz  Kamalipour, 2007, 7-28).

Amid views that Al Qaeda was a fabrication, there were several others that hinted that Osama Bin Laden was killed as far back as 2002 one in particular, which was revealed in a BBC interview in November 2007, suggested that Osama Bin Laden was dead. This was a clip from a BBC interview in which Ex-Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto said that Osama Bin Laden was dead, and that Wanted Man, Omar Saeed Sheikh was responsible for this. She further added that the same man wanted to kill her. Very little has been said about this interview. However, this segment of the interview was not aired on BBC. Whatever truth lies behind this is still unknown. In contrast to such clips and presentations on youtube, Al Jazeera and CNN still promote the propaganda videos of Osama Bin Laden, touting them as authentic. Although, there has been some skepticism regarding the authenticity of these videos, in terms of Osamas changing outlook, etc., the impact of Al Qaeda is still fresh in the minds of the international community.

Print Media in Pakistan
Local print media, such as Dawn News, in Pakistan report the existence and action of Al Qaeda the spat of terrorist attacks that took place in the last 2 and half years is believed to be credible evidence of this. Thousands of Pakistani citizens have lost their lives, and the controversial leadership confirms that Al Qaeda is responsible.

While Al Qaeda is reported as an international terrorist network, it is believed to operate via particular organizations. This terrorist network has been believed to have attacked targets in Europe, East Asia and the US, but it is thought that their focus is largely on the Pakistan and Afghanistan border. The Afghan Taliban is believed to be a central part of this group. However, alternative media channels in Pakistan have opposing views. Channels such as  HYPERLINK httpwww.markthetruth.com www.markthetruth.com assert that there is no connection between the Afghan Taliban and Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan TTP. The latter is believed to be a CIA- FBI-RAW funded and facilitated organization, which aims at destabilizing Pakistan (Raja, 2010).

Indian Print Media
While the alternative media and a minority of electronic media channels in Pakistan assert this claim, news outlets in India deny such allegations. Print media, such as the Hindu and the Indian Times repeatedly deny the involvement of its intelligence agency RAW in any activity on Pakistani or Afghan soil. This is despite pictorial evidence captured during the Pakistani military operation in its tribal belt, where they photographed slain Indian agents as well as Indian and US produced artillery.

Regardless, to-date, the consensus is that the terrorist attacks in Pakistan are thanks to the Afghan Taliban that is believed to be part of Al Qaeda. This is particularly because of the terrorist attacks India has faced. While there has been a great deal of targets carried out by separatist groups in eastern India, such as those carried out by the Maoists, there have also been those that have been carried out by Kashmiri based groups that want independence from India occupation. India on its part believes that Pakistan is at the center of these attacks, and often blames it for every development there. While the 2911 attacks of 2008 has alleged connections with a group on Pakistani soil, the investigations remain inconclusive with only one captured terrorist who changes his statements. While India often blames the Pakistani state for the attacks it faces, the fact remains that terrorism is a regional threat as well as an international one. Citizens of every country are victims, and this is the reason why security is on very high alert constantly.

The New Media
The electronic, print and alternative media serve as a brilliant tool for reporting and analysis. The landscape for reporting has been transformed significantly in the last few years. Indeed, the past 50 years has seen tremendous changes, and people today are far more informed than they ever used to be. Previously, people relied a great deal on radio broadcasts, and still do. However, the network of news coverage has widened, and many more people today come under the umbrella of news coverage. Even people in the remotest parts of the globe now are informed about major stories. However, a major concern with the new media is that authenticity is an issue. With the network of news coverage flung far and wide, it must be said that there is a feeling of reinforcement of news people are automatically more convinced of a single news story when they hear it from a variety of media outlets (McMillin, 2007, 8-13). However, this is in itself can be a problem. This is because if there is a fallacy in any news story, the impact can be horrendous. A small example of this can be reports of the London Stock Exchange crash. This report caused chaos and confusion, and while some people profited from it and seized control, others went into massive losses.

The Alternative Media
While most media outlets would want to have more control over authenticity of reports, such a task can be difficult. This is because of the global media outlets rely on the Reuters and the Associated Press, as it may not be feasible for newer or smaller news outlets to have correspondents or branches in every location of the world. The fact is that the global media, while in the hands of a handful of controlling organizations, largely comprises smaller and dependent organizations. These are compelled to rely on what is available with major organizations. While this is largely true for the TV, Radio and official newspapers, the same cannot be applied to the alternative media entirely (Artz  Kamalipour, 2007, 7-28). This is because the alternative media does not completely rely on larger organizations, and this explains why one will come across a variety of issues that are not in the mainstream media. An example of this is the Youtube clip pf Benazir Bhuttos discarded interview. In addition to this, there are several websites and social media networks that propagate alternative theories and news stories that one will probably never see in the mainstream media like CNN or Al Jazeera.

The Norms are Being Transformed
Indeed, the norms of the Associated Press and Reuters having major control over news reporting seem to be changing considerably. Although the transformation is snail paced, and the mainstream media apparently holds far more sway, the alternative media seems to getting its foot in the door (LaMay, 2007, 36-75). While the western and eastern mainstream media outlets may have consensus or conflict regarding certain reported issues like the War on terror now being fought in Pakistans tribal belt, the alternative media is playing a significant part. The latter might also be polarized in their viewpoints, but there are many others who get to have their say. It is these intermediary viewpoints that are considered to be handy in piecing together a larger picture of what the reality of a situation might be (McMillin, 2007, 8-13).

The Globalized World and the International Media
While there exist a variety of media outlets for people to follow today, people are still hooked onto their television news channels and the radio too. This is because in most urban areas, though there are Internet facilities, people will still have cable TV. If they dont have cable TV, they will rely on the Internet to view their favorite news channels that can be streamed to them. This is how the mainstream news media has maintained its hold on its viewer ship (McMillin, 2007, 8-13).
. In contrast to this, in rural or far flung areas, the mainstream media does not have much of a struggle maintaining its control. People in these areas normally rely on the radio of the mainstream print media to receive their news and updates. Therefore, in this context, it can be argued that the alternative media has indeed a long way to go if it has to have the same impact that the mainstream media has.

Conclusion
The world that people live in today is not as safe as it was many years ago. The shape of warfare has changed drastically. While some experts define war in terms of First, Second, Third and Fourth Generation Warfare, it must be said that terrorism must exist according to similar definitions. This can be said because there are intelligence agencies involved in terrorist warfare tactics today too. This view is one that is largely in sync with conspiracy theory available in the alternative media, largely. However, the official story that is believed is held by the mainstream media, which includes the television news channels electronic and the official news papers print. Largely, there is consensus on the issue of terrorism, Al Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden, etc. As most people believe this terrorist organization is intact though limited to the tribal belt in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The consensus remains to date with a sprinkle of skepticism that keeps the issue afloat.

It can be asserted that there is much work to be done in terms of the alternative media getting a greater say in the international news. While social networking is forming a significant part of this sphere, there is still a great deal that has to be done. This is in particular consideration of the hold that the mainstream media has indeed, major news channels have intruded the Internet sphere to make their presence felt. Other social networking tools that mainstream channels are also using at the moment include Twitter, Facebook, etc. Therefore, it can be added that while the sources of information in the alternative media present differing views to the mainstream media, major news channels have infiltrated their space, and are battling on their soil. How much ground each media outlet takes is left to be seen in time to come. People want as many views as possible, and they want the truth. This is what matters at the end of the day, and the alternative space like the Internet presents a terrific ground for a variety of views on severe issues.

Students are caught in a dilemma that involves completing their school assignments on time. They must set aside time to use a computer to finish their assignments, write cover letters for jobs andor for other activities. However, finding a computer at the student center is futile because of (a) long lines, (b) so little time allotted to use them and (c) the short time frame the center is open. The school is required to improve the quality of our education so we can achieve our goals.

Purchasing laptop computers would be one option. Having students use them for up to two hours a day might help alleviate student frustration with unavailable computers. They could not be taken out of the student center and anyone using them would have to sign out for them and be held accountable for any damages caused while in their possession. The administration would have to pay for these computers, but that would be an investment for students.

Obtaining computers could be done by a local business (like Staples) who agrees to either donate or sell computers at a discounted price. It would pose a win-win situation for all parties. The students would have access to computers, a local company helps out the community and the administration save money in the process (by not raising tuition the following year)

Students are frustrated because they have term papers, exams and other materials that must be finished. Not everyone has access to their own laptop or to the school computers. Classmates may not be able to afford a personal computer. The computer rooms are closed when class is not in session. Using those could help the growing problem of too many students needing too few computers. That is why this plan makes sense to students.

Another idea being discussed is expanding the computer lab hours. They are open for business for just a few hours per day (3 p.m. to 6 p.m.) when most people are already in class. Opening the labs until 9 p.m. would give more students a chance to sue the facility and get their work done. Keeping it open later would be great as well given how students have other commitments during the day.

Staff would be either a computer professor who could donate his time or a teaching assistant who could sue the credits. The latter might be a better given the student to student interaction that could occur. Students may feel more comfortable talking with one of their peers as opposed to a professor.

Having a teaching assistant present can offer other benefits. One does not have to pay for their time. The school could consider other options such as course credit, discounts on merchandise at the school store or at local establishments. Having volunteers supervise the computer labs would save money for the school and have people available on-site to answer their computer-related questions.

A final plan would be to use some of the space proposed for a parking lot for additional classrooms. Being able to purchase more computers (again, using the local businesses for donations would be key in this case) gives students a chance to do their work without worrying about if they can even get to a computer.

This idea could get dicey since the administration would have to consider this in their budget meetings and during their Board of Directors meetings. It would cost thousands of dollars and there is no guarantee that the renovations will be completed in time for current students to use them. This could be a long, protracted issue that might not come to a positive conclusion for the students.

Students want to have access to computers so they can complete tasks and become more responsible for their work. Getting computers to the students would serve as a positive step toward accomplishing this. The current situation is not working and will only get worse once the mid-term exams and term papers start getting assigned. Having computers available to more students can only be a good thing. Students would be willing to work with the volunteer staff to make this work.

This problem of not having enough computers to fulfill the growing and dire needs of the student body will not go away. The school must consider doing something to stop this issue of not having enough computers to go around. An institution of higher learning should not be cutting corners to save money for its stockholders. They should be developing quality resources to help their students achieve to their greatest potential.

Intercultural Communication is of much importance in todays globalize and fact-paced world. Companies which are successful in liking themselves to the whole world and integrating their ideas move ahead while others are left behind.  It is the time when one has to be diversified in skills and cater to all not just to a particular group.  Businesses have to make sure that they blend in with all the cultures around the world.  Displeasing and offending any culture can lead to severe consequences for the company.  It is the satisfaction of all the customers which makes a business powerful.

This is a case study of Pepsi the soft drink.  Pepsi was invented by pharmacist Caleb Bradham Began in 1898.  He started it as a unique mixture of kola nuts, vanilla and rare oils. Initially it was known as Brads drink but Caleb renamed it as Pepsi-Cola.  In 1902 he launched the Pepsi-Cola company.  An official patent was awarded to the company on June 16, 1903.  He advertised Pepsi-Cola in a very interesting manner.  Soon he gained brand loyalty.  In 1910, Pepsi-Cola franchises opened in 24 states and the country sold more than 100,000 gallons of syrup per year.  After huge development, Pepsi-Cola got bankrupt suddenly when World War I occurred. Caleb then sold the Pepsi-Cola trademark to Craven Holdings Corporation.  From there on, Pepsi-Cola saw many new owners with time (Pepsi, 2010).  After the Great Depression, Pepsi-Cola started using the low-price strategy and soon it became everyones favorite drink again.  As times changed, Pepsi-Cola shifted its strategy once again and moved to a more sophisticated and admired outlook.  Pepsi started targeting its market by innovations in its advertising. It made sure it focused the young, the old, the adventuress, the quite ones and people from every race and culture.  It started campaigning and gaining more and more customers from all around the world.  Pepsi introduced Diet Pepsi for the calorie conscious people and distribution also started in cans. As Pepsi became highly popular, Pepsi-Cola became a total beverage company. Today Pepsi-Colas products include water, juices, tea, coffee drinks, juice drinks and soft drinks.

Pepsi made sure that its communication was intercultural.  In 1998, Pepsi sported a whole new look called Globe.  This logo united people from all around the world.  To make connection possible with the whole world, Pepsi digitalized itself.  It partnered with Apple Computer, Inc.  Pepsi ensured that customers could access it and its features from any place in the world.  Today Pepsi is a 29 billion company and the worlds fourth-largest food and Beverage Company, employing more than 150,000 people speaking more than 40 languages.  This shows how dynamic Pepsi has become.  Apart from this the company has gained confidence of the citizens as it is doing philanthropic efforts and is reputed for its diversified programs ( HYPERLINK httpwww.amazon.comBob-StoddardeB000APFR4Yrefsr_ntt_srch_lnk_5_encodingUTF8qid1269878691sr1-5 Stoddard, 1999).

Currently Pepsi is doing its Pepsi Refresh Project. Pepsi is donating millions of dollars to fund ideas that can help to make the world a better place.  The ideas like Support food banks and sustainability, School garden in Kirkland, WA need votes and Pepsi has taken the initiative to fund these ideas ( HYPERLINK httpwww.amazon.comBob-StoddardeB000APFR4Yrefsr_ntt_srch_lnk_5_encodingUTF8qid1269878691sr1-5 Stoddard, 1999).

Besides this Pepsi also has its blog by the name Refresh Blog where stories of people doing good work are covered and published by Pepsi Ambassadors. So Pepsi is continuously trying to make a difference by doing things which can change the world. The ideas need a hearing, the talent needs to be unleashed and Pepsi is providing the world with a platform where people can come and contribute in the form of thoughts.  Pepsi is taking care of all the finances needed to achieve the goals.  The ideas being proposed will help the needy in the world by providing them with food, shelter, clothing, education and sanitation, health care and various other necessities of life. It is also changing the thinking pattern of people as the question which Pepsi has asked is What do you care about  It aims to make people become more sensitive to what is going on around them.

Blogcatalog is a famous blogging house where the topic Coca Cola versus Pepsi was being discussed in 2008.   The competition observed is almost equal as there as many supporters for Pepsi as there were for coke.  A person said Coca-Cola. Has that bite and burn on the back of the throat that the sweeter Pepsi just doesnt have... but when going diet - prefer the Diet Pepsi - Diet Coke is really, really, really bad. Though many people have come to love it for some strange reason.  Coke Zero is getting better but not sure if they have that everywhere.(Blogcatalog,2010).

Pepsis one product known as Pepsi Blue started in 2002 but was banned in 2004 by many countries.  Now it is hardly available in any country.  The major reason for discontinuing it was that it contained an ingredient to give it the blue color which was very controversial.
     
To avoid such failures and bad publicity, Pepsi should research properly about the quality of the product before launching it.  This would avoid creating a negative image of Pepsi (Thaindian News, 2009).

Pepsi is enlarging its product range due to the enormous competition it faces from Coca Cola.  The thing that Pepsi needs to do is to focus on quality rather than quantity.  Positive intercultural communication outcomes can result for Pepsi if it focuses on products which can be legalized in all countries not just a few.

Apart from this, Pepsi can cater to different regions according to their culture. It can research about various cultures and add up a little regional flavor in their products to gain the trust of their customers.  It can also help to develop taste in people as they would be able to explore varieties of the same product and they would learn about different cultures (Thaindian News, 2009).

In an article written by Asher Meir in The Jerusalem Post, it is mentioned that Pepsi has said it would not supply Pepsi-Cola in vending machines in schools where students are less than 18 years of age.  This is a good decision as the heavily sugared drinks are unhealthy and they can lead to many diseases.  Pepsi has taken this step correctly and it should be imposed as has been said (Meir, 2010).

Pepsi is a company which has great intercultural communication significance due to the above mentioned points.  Its products are consumed all around the world and the whole globe gets affected by the choices it makes.  Pepsi is a giant firm, contributing a lot to the entire world.  Either in sports or in any funfair, its Pepsi which has the power to make intercultural communication possible.

INTRODUCTION
Internet is the most powerful tool in todays world as it can be used to solve a lot of problems that the developing countries are facing. In order to cope up with the global advancements these countries need to address a lot of issues that are being faced by them in everyday walks of life. Therefore it is of utmost importance that internet should be made available worldwide and for that a lot of efforts are required. It is necessary to address the issues that the internet is facing these days so that developing countries can address their own problems.

A lot of technological tools are facing the major problem of global inequality. Usually these tools are available in the developed countries but some developing countries do not get to benefit from them due to a lot of problems such as lack of resources.  This same problem is being faced by internet as well therefore it is important to make this tool available globally so that more and more countries can benefit from its use (Slater  Kwami).

In the very initial stage of internet adoption the main problem that countries faced were the problem of infrastructure that can support the internet.  Getting the telephone lines became an issue for the developing countries as without telephone internet connections were impossible to set up. Once this challenge was met by these countries, then came the challenge of distribution of internet connection and accessing it (Mansell).

As the usage of internet grows more system becomes more complex because it gets difficult to manage such a vast architecture. There are a number f protocols required to support internet services and these protocols need to be consistent enough to meet the future challenges of the internet.
Another problem of internet is regarding security issues. Internet is being used for many insecure means which includes sensitive transactions like personal data and also some destructive purposes. This is causing huge risks from the criminals as cyber crimes continue to increase at a very growing scale. There is a daily battle being faced by the individual users and network administrators to ensure the purity of internet usage (Slater  Kwami).

In order to deal with these problems such efforts are required which can help us achieve such architecture that is more flexible, sustainable and manageable. To achieve all these attributes have become a major challenge for all of us because we are still unsure that whether we will be able to make the future internet secure or not. The issue of viruses and spam still remains unsolved and no one is yet sure that whether we will be able to deal with this issue and make internet more reliable yet providing more services and functionalities. There are a number of socio economic challenges that can occur for the future internet, some of them are discussed below

The Internet Ecosystem
This is a very important issue to be addressed because the internet ecosystem practiced today is not a very healthy one. The pricing scheme does not match well with the economics due to which there is much inefficiency in the system. There are fewer incentives for expansions and the revenue system is also not favorable as it is benefitting only to some stake holders in the value chain. This enables the network operators to get involved in the user applications without their permissions (Horst and Miller).
   
It is also observed that dedicated connections are lying idle most of the time and the shared links become efficient therefore it is very important to have rules and regulations being set up for sharing so that healthy internet ecosystem can be set up. This is a very big challenge which can be addressed by merging the computer science with economics and identifying the key problems associated with the internet sharing technologies. Some of these key issues include that whether TCP is focusing on the economic perspectives or whether the sharing applications are an efficient combination of technology and pricing scheme. In order to build an appropriate mechanism a well defined incentive program needs to be set up which would allow the networks some incentives to provide the information and also to the users that would choose the mechanism that would enable their decisions on this information. This would help to achieve the right pricing structure for interconnection as well as application traffic (Mansell).

The Challenge of  a trustworthy internet
 Apart from the economic challenges, there are also social challenges associated with the use of internet. The use of internet is on the rise speedily. It has reached 20 worldwide and 30 penetration is expected till 2015 and 50 till 2020. Telecommunication systems have access to broadband and this is across the world exploiting the internet as the communities are greatly relying upon it.  The IP address space is depleting rapidly in fact it has been exhausted completely now.  This is a very major issue that needs to be taken in hand soon or else this can be an end to not only the E2E model but the internet itself too. Moreover as the internet is getting more widespread, the issue of trust is becoming a major dispute as well. As the use of mobile infrastructures become larger, the internet service providers would increase and more companies would offer their products online and the concept of business networking will also grow to a greater extent. In such a scenario trust will be the major issue. To overcome this we can take advantage of technologies which can help us by providing information regarding reliability of a service (Mansell).

Content Production and The System Customization
Contents are gaining a lot of importance for future internet. There are technologies coming up for contents exploitation and transmission and these technologies are gaining a lot of importance in todays world.
   
Customized systems are the foremost requirements of the consumers and it also provides an opportunity to come up with greater innovation and choices for the consumers, which helps in creating new business models and increase the revenue streams. This also causes threats and risks for the existing business models and these risks and threats cannot be ignored. The customized systems are on one hand bringing up more innovative ideas but on the other hand are breaking the existing business models. Today customization is still limited and the business models are not offering complete flexibility and yet they are causing serious threats to some industries. But it is expected that in near future the customized systems would increase rapidly therefore such systems and services are needed which can provide sustainability to the future internet (Larson 47).

Need for the internet Governance
The need for internet governance will become an important requirement for the future internet because the governance will be able to resolve issues like privacy, security, Intellectual property rights and data protection.

The User behavior
Characteristics of the end users behavior are important to guarantee the success of future internet. The users expectations need to be analyzed in order to modify the current internet design.  If we see the usage of internet in todays world then we can find out that there are multiple ways in which internet is being used which may include social networks, gaming, video conferencing etc and the devices that being used for internet may also take multiple forms. Today the main concern of the users is the reliability of the connectivity but this may change in the future. The future generation would be more concerned with the continuous adaptation of changes and advancements. They would want highly developed network services which can be compatible with the advanced applications requirements (Larson 26).

Many Separate Internets
Another major problem for future internet would be that many individual efforts would result in many different initiatives of separate internets. This would bring up more innovative ideas but will also cause a threat of incompatible internets. These separate internets can also cause market fragmentation  .To avoid this there is a need to design global future internet because the separate internets would lead to confusion among the consumers that which internet they should be using and thus will raise value of some and decrease the value of some internets. Even the Network operators will have to gamble on the choice of their internet. Researchers will have to choose the areas where they can publish their work and thus reaching out to the critical mass will become difficult. All this would raise the competition among the separate internets and thus the costs will be increased. There will be many conflicts among the various internets and the features and compatibility offered by each would be different hence this would shake the trust of the users and there will be more confusions as to which internet they should be using (Gralla 86).

Major Security issues
It is a known fact that nowadays the security of internet is at a stake. A lot of such programs are developed that harm the computer systems in which they are installed. Data security is another main issue. It has become very difficult to maintain the confidentiality of personal data.  On one hand internet is the most powerful tool for connecting people and resources but on the other hand the integrity of the resources is hard to maintain. There are so many information available by various companies organizations and other sources but much of this information must be considered as garbage yet there is a lot of valuable information available. The problem that an individual faces is that which of the information can be trusted as the reliable source.  Companies and organizations are spending a lot of money to secure their information and data yet they are finding it difficult to secure it (Horst and Miller).

Other social problems
The security mechanisms that are being introduced require certain prices from the users which make the usage more complicated for the consumers. It is usually not very affordable solutions which any consumer can benefit from therefore they end up inventing certain tricks which can be harmful for them. Apart from this people also get frustrated by memorizing various passwords and PIN codes as it gets very difficult to remember too many of them. Inspite of using the internet for many years, people still do not consider it as a reliable source. This is the reason why people hesitate before providing their credit card details on internet but pay with the same card in the shops of foreign countries (Sandusky).

The Human Resource
Inspite of the availability of internet and other resources, the major issue that the developing countries are facing is the skills and knowledge required for the proper use of internet. Knowledge about network administration is also required. Specialized knowledge in all these areas are usually missing or is in short supply in the developing countries. Therefore causing limited human resource with which they can best use the internet service (Gralla 34).

The Use of Mobile Phones for Internet Purposes
To make the future of internet more consistent and secure, there is a need of making strict rules and regulations for the internet. Currently there are no set rules for the internet and as opposed to internet, telecommunication sector is governed by strict regulations therefore in  future the internet and telecommunications can merge together to form the networks of the future (Sadowsky).
 
All the problems associated with the use of internet can not be solved by the mobile phones yet there are many issues that can be addressed by the use of internet on mobile phones. One of the major problems faced by developing countries is the required infrastructure for the internet usage. There are many internal and external factors that need to be considered while building up this infrastructure. Internal problems may include the availability of equipments and reliability of electrical power and availability of computers and related peripherals required for networking.  All these internal issues can be resolved with the use of mobile phones

Saving energy is also one of the major challenges faced by the developing countries and with the growing use of computer this challenge cannot be met by these countries. However, if mobile phones are used, much of the energy can be saved because using internet on desktop requires much more energy as compared to the mobile phones. Communication becomes quicker through mobile phones because it is easily accessible and convenient to use, as compared to desktop therefore internet on mobile phones can be more preferable. Users can also use it anywhere and anytime they want, even while travelling, without any hassles (Slater  Kwami).
   
It is a general practice in the developing countries that they use mobile phones and internet for very divergent purposes. Although both the mediums are used to stay connected with the world yet the purpose of connection is diverse. Mobile phones are used to stay connected with family and known friends whereas they use the internet to make new friends from the foreign countries who are completely strangers for them. This new relation with the foreign friends remain formal for them as they just stay connected with them through the internet and do not shift them to their mobile phone contact list. While talking to them on the internet they are not able to gain complete trust in this new relation as there is still ambiguity left. If these people start interconnecting mobile phones and internet usage then they will be able to build a more trustworthy and fruitful relation with the foreign countries and can make their personal and business relations more successful and in this way benefit with the outside world to a greater extend (Sadowsky).
   
People in the developing world are usually using the mobile phones and internet, merely to stay connected with the world and ignores the informative side of the two mediums. Individuals in these countries have a practice of using these mediums for emails, chat and phone conversation rather then as a medium to enhance their knowledge about the outside world. They are hardly aware of the importance of search engines for getting information for them. They are hardly aware of the useful web links and do not keep it a practice of visiting different websites to gain knowledge but they simply use it as a medium of communication. There is great a need to educate these people about the diverse use of these mediums so that they can better use the two for availing the best out of it. Mobile phones can be a very useful tool in the education process as SMS is the basic feature which every individual is aware of and is very effective sources of making people implement changes and advancements. SMS is a very direct point of connect for these people and they are so much inspired by this medium that whatever information provided through it would be quickly adopted by these people. Therefore the major challenge of internet usage which is the lack of skills of internet use in the people of developing countries can be overcome by mobile phones.

CONCLUSION
It is quite clear now that mobile phones and internet are two separate mediums of communication and information but their usage should always be interconnected so that complete benefits can be achieved from these powerful tools and in order to do so we need to find ways to overcome the challenges of the internet to make the future internet more secure, available and useful for the world. Most of these challenges can be met by mobile phones as explained above, therefore it is very important to educate people in developing countries about the proper use of internet so that they do not just use it for communication purposes but also use the internet to gain more fruitful results out of it.

AN INTRODUCTION TO SITCOM
The situational comedy, or what is popularly known as the sitcom, has been the most enduring genre in primetime television since watching TV became a staple household activity in the 1950s. It has entranced people from all over the world, from different social backgrounds, ages and genders with its classic plotlines and side-aching comedy. But in the over fifty years that sitcoms have made the world cry tears of laughter, there has been minimal changes in the format and content of the genre. When we compare and contrast sitcoms of past to the ones airing today we can visibly see the similarities, not just in the manner of which it was delivered but in the ideological bearings of the shows. As Jonathan Bignell reiterates Robin Nelson certain sitcoms have such a hold over the popular imagination that they can still gather audiences in the millions.

Sitcoms found their humble beginnings as radio shows in the mid 1920s. What sets it apart from other comedies is the use of a more episodic plot in place of a linear narrative. There is a set of principal characters that get involved in different comedic situations on a weekly basis. Critics call this circularity and it is also one of the primary reasons to the timelessness of the genre. This circular storytelling, though, relies heavily on the existence of a status quo that is continuously attacked throughout the series. These status quos usually revolve around a domestic or domesticated setting and involve a family or a family of substitutes such as the workplace network, and in recent years, the friendly circle. This is just one of the reasons behind the immense popularity of sitcoms by showcasing familiar characters and plots, people find in the show a connection that easily draws them in. But what hooks audiences completely is the dramatization of the everyday events and conditions. Sitcoms are also supposed to suggest an attitude towards things and towards ourselves. Sitcoms provide us with a point of view that we may or may not agree with.

It is this exact quality of the genre that is being criticised by educators and viewers alike. There are even some who contest calling the sitcom a genre, saying that it doesnt push an aggressive plot and that is not radical and groundbreaking. Ideologically, sitcoms are very conservative, focusing on everyday dealings and stereotypes than pushing social principles. Some even call it a world of its own, stating that traditional sitcoms are impervious to the social change that affects its people. Because it follows a status quo, at times the view of its characters and issues are outmoded. For example, in an episode of I Love Lucy in the fifties, we see Lucy Ricardo being spanked by her husband Ricky Carmichael for causing trouble, a sight that contradicts the bubbling feminist ideals that are very popular during that time.

But, Barry Langford argues, sitcoms circularity betrays its inherent conservatism its narrative energies are directed towards containing transgression and reasserting norms. Such is the case with the American black sitcom The Cosby Show. Unlike other sitcoms of its time where wise-beyond-their-years kids lecture their un-hip parents on correct child-raising, The Cosby Show re-establishes the typical parent-child dynamics and upholds it, veering away from the television trends that show otherwise. The show deems to assure not just Black-American families but American families in general that their traditional parenting is still appropriate. But it is a good show precisely because it doesnt conform to a new age ideal that, in retrospect, is unhealthy.

Over the course of time, sitcoms have been subdivided into different categories as defined the kind of comedy it showcases. There is domestic comedy wherein the emphasis is put not on the situation but on the characters and the setting (home). There are also physical comedy, like I Love Lucy, and verbal comedy, as emphasized by Our Miss Brooks.

FROM HANCOCKS HALF HOUR TO 22-MINUTES OF FRIENDS
One of the pioneers of sitcom started as a half-hour radio program in the early 1950s and broke conventions when it appropriated the new genre called situation comedy. It was originally intended to follow the mechanics of a variety show, filled with sketches, guest stars and musical interludes, but instead showcased single situations that derived humour from the comedic reactions of the characters involved. Finally, in 1956 it launched in television, at the same time its radio show continued broadcast. Hancocks Half Hour featured the antics of two reluctant friends as they go through life in London. It featured comedian Tony Hancock, as an exaggerated and much poorer version of himself, and Sid James, Hancocks criminally inclined sidekick and confidante.

British comedy of the 1950s, as viewed by Bignell, adheres to a completely different plotline than its American counterpart. He says that British comedy focuses on social entrapment and frustration while American comedies focus on the power of love, friendship and familial solidarity. Such is the description of Hancocks Half Hour. In the show we see how Hancock and James manage to go through a life of poverty amidst a changing environment. In one particular episode called The Babysitter, which we shall be concentrating on in this paper, Hancock and James moonlight as babysitters to supplement their income. They arrive at a wealthy, modern home and are completely enthralled by its amenities. Unfortunately, they do not do their job well and end up sleeping while the house is being robbed. By the end of the show, Hancock and James surrender their own meagre furniture to the owners of the house they were supposed to take care of as a plea bargain. Lying in the middle of their barren room, they realize that in their attempt to get themselves out of their financial rut, they became completely mystified by visions of affluence and ended up poorer than ever. We see precisely the frustration that came from the need to progress in an environment that was progressing faster.

On the other hand, American comedys essential virtue is still being explored in todays sitcoms. Perhaps the most popular and enduring American sitcom of all time, Friends echoes the ideals of love and friendship in the midst of modern-day dysfunctions. Their plotlines usually centre on ones quest for love in a city that prohibits it and finding family among ones friends.

When looking at these two sitcoms, despite being representative of different times, cultures and ideologies, we can gather that there has been but few changes in the way sitcoms are being made. Usually these changes, brought about by technology and different techniques, are on the surface level and involve just the format of the show. But in terms of the purpose of the content, there is not much difference.

One of the few minor changes made on the sitcom format is the shortening of show time. As the title Hancocks Half Hour implies, sitcoms during the fifties were usually thirty minutes long, a quality picked up from sitcoms origins in radio. In fact shows like Hancocks Half Hour didnt even have any commercial breaks that would make the show longer. Today, sitcoms usually last from 22 to 25 minutes, a quality that makes these shows nowadays faster paced.  

With this in mind, we can deduce that past sitcoms followed a slower pace. In the episode The Babysitter in Hancocks Half Hour, we see the two protagonists sitting or standing casually and simply arguing. Camera angles tend to be stiller and, if need be, simply zooms in on the characters to break the monotony. Sitcoms right now are faster paced and, with the onset of technology and better quality cameras, experiment more in terms of cinematography and lighting. In Friends, we see a lot of physicality in the action. Actors tend to move around their sets and interact more with each other Monica punches Ross, Rachel runs along the sidewalk of New York City, Joey runs after his goose.
Aside from this, the sitcom has retained much of its original form. We have previously mentioned that the sitcom relies on the establishment of social norms or status quos for the circularity to be delivered. Such is the case with the The Babysitter. Hancock and James enter the scene as poor, underemployed men seeking to find ways, whatever they may be, to get out of their current situation. Hancock and James are stereotypes of the 1950s working class, who in the midst of rising fortunes have to cope in the fast paced world. Their characters reached out to the many that watched them and suffered the same implications of the current social and economic atmosphere.

At the same time, the characters in Friends also relate to the majority of their audiences young, professional twenty-somethings who live apart from their families in a city that can get very lonely. Rachel, Ross and the rest of the cast of Friends show the hardships that these individuals have to go through in order to attain a certain kind of happiness in their lives.  The show clearly follows the circularity format since these characters are largely based on stereotypes Rachel is the rich, spoiled girl Phoebe is the kooky artist Monica and Ross are the neurotic siblings Chandler is the funny guy and Joey is the moron. At the heart of every episode we see them struggle against their typecast in order to prove that they are more than what they seem to be. They try to fight the status quo but eventually they are reverted back to it.

This is where we find another difference between past and present sitcoms. In todays sitcoms, there is an effort to create a more stable linear narrative. Each episode is geared towards a larger goal in the plotline, a tipping point that will define what will happen to these characters. Early sitcoms, though they are focused on only one or two characters, can still be deemed as lengthened sketches, leaning more on the situation rather than on the story arc. In Friends, one of the larger story arc involves the love that occurs between Rachel and Ross and how they deal with it amidst many negative circumstances. Their story motivates the movement of, not just an episode or a season, but of the entire show.

The rise of the many sub-categories of the sitcom is also evidence of this difference. The plotlines of the new generation of sitcoms are now more diverse and aggressive. Back in the day, All in the Family was cancelled because it tackled issues such as racism, gender and environment, issues that raise too much eyebrows. Now, because of our more liberal views, sitcoms have also become arenas for the discussion of current issues. Such is the case with Cheers and the new comedy show The Sarah Silverman Program. The sitcoms breadth has widened and its scope more impressive.

CONCLUSION
In the many years that it has evolved, the heart of the sitcom remains true to what it originally envisages the sitcom absolutely depends on making comedy out of the collision between social change and tradition. Though many critics of have denounced the comedy of the sitcom as shallow or conservative, we can still see that its essence comes from analyzing social norms and making a show the platform for debate. Its entertainment that shakes our social consciousness in the most benign way possible. And this is where its effectiveness lies, that until today, more than fifty years after, in a world where trends come and go fast, it remains one the most popular genres in television.

Radio Maria is a catholic founded station. Its mission includes Liturgy, Catechesis, and Spirituality, Spiritual assistance with everyday issues, Information, Music, and Culture.

Purpose and Objectives of the Study
This paper looks at the positive and the negative influence of radio Maria in Tanzania. Radio Maria is a Catholic Church Radio in the sense that their programmes are restricted within praying the rosary, Christian songs and other matters pertaining to their faith. The Catholic Radio Maria started its transmissions on April 26th 1996 and is mainly focusing on religious programmes. The station is operated by six volunteers who acquired their skills in short courses at RTD or Radio Tumaini (letter from Camilus

Nikata, September 29th 1996). At present, Radio Maria coverage includes the Catholic Dioceses of Songea, Mbinga, Njombe, Iringa, Mbeya, Mwanza, Geita, Arusha, Moshi, Mbulu, Same and Zanzibar (Pemba). Watu wa Tanzania (people of Tanzania) issues that they raise through this station have to be in a Christian manner. This paper will also examine other radio stations within the region of Africa. In order to fully analysis this station we will also look at the various cultural and religious changes in Tanzania. Radio Maria has been able to go online which means that people across the regions have great access to the programmes of this Radio stations. Most of its programmes are in Kiswahili as we will see later which means that for most of its online listeners have to know this language. Kiswahili is the official language of Tanzania with many schools and colleges teaching in Swahili. This language is also used across the East African Community.

McLuhan wished that media themselves, not the content they carry, ought to be the focus of study  popularly quoted as the medium is the message. McLuhans insight was that a means affects the society in which it plays a role not by the content delivered over the medium, but by the kind of the medium itself. McLuhan pointed to the light bulb as a clear expression of this concept. A light bulb does not have content in the way that a newspaper has articles or a television has programs, yet it is a medium that has a social effect that is, a light bulb enables people to create spaces during night time that would otherwise be enveloped by darkness. He describes the light bulb as a medium devoid of any content. McLuhan states that a light bulb creates a setting by its mere presence. (McGraw 1964)

Summary
Its first broadcast facility was originally parish operated, but was later re-formed as a separate entity outside its home parish as an association of lay people and priests in 1987 as Radio Maria Italia. In less than five years, it grew into a national Catholic radio network throughout Italy. Though not directly connected with the  HYPERLINK httpen.wikipedia.orgwikiRoman_Catholic_Church o Roman Catholic Church Roman Catholic Church, it was founded as an instrument of the Church, and as a tool for  HYPERLINK httpen.wikipedia.orgwikiEvangelism o Evangelism evangelization, implementing and adhering to the teachings of the Church. It was inspired by the Marian apparitions at  HYPERLINK httpen.wikipedia.orgwikiFatima,_Portugal o Fatima, Portugal Fatima, Portugal (and in more recent years in  HYPERLINK httpen.wikipedia.orgwikiMedjugorje o Medjugorje Medjugorje), pleading for worldwide conversion. As such, Radio Maria is not subsidized or funded by the Roman Catholic Church instead it is underwritten by listener contributions.

The World Family of Radio Maria was formed in 1998 out of its subsequent international growth in the 1990s, and following the 1987 speech by  HYPERLINK httpen.wikipedia.orgwikiPope_John_Paul_II o Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II in St Peters Square addressing the need for a new evangelization. Emanuele Ferrario (inspired by the Popes words to form that new evangelization) is the founder and president of Radio Maria Inc., which has since grown into an association of 40 multilingual broadcast operations in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas. Overall, Radio Maria operates approximately 1,500 terrestrial radio transmitters worldwide.

Its mission includes  HYPERLINK httpen.wikipedia.orgwikiLiturgy o Liturgy Liturgy,  HYPERLINK httpen.wikipedia.orgwikiCatechism o Catechism Catechesis,  HYPERLINK httpen.wikipedia.orgwikiSpirituality o Spirituality Spirituality, Spiritual assistance with everyday issues, Information, Music, and Culture.

The World Family of Radio Maria is not to be confused with The  HYPERLINK httpen.wikipedia.orgwikiRadio_Maryja_Family o Radio Maryja Family Radio Maryja Family a controversial religious movement in Poland.

Introduction
Pursuant to the Tanzania Communications Act 1993, The Broadcasting Services
Act 1993 and the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority Act, 2003. The
Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority on 28.06.2006 issued licences to
Content Service Providers according to the Converged Licensing Framework as Radio Maria Catholic Archdiocese  Songea 100

Understanding media history in any society is - in itself - understanding a societys political, economic and social history. It is due to this fact then, that we in Tanzania - particularly in the media industry - find it plausible to have such a work at this material time. This publication will be very helpful especially to students of journalism, media organs, university scholars, various researchers and even the general public. Although various studies had been carried out by Tanzanian scholars about media history, they were not as vast in scope, rich in content and analytic in nature as this one. It is therefore a mirror in which the media industry will see itself to determine how - too old or - old enough it has turned out to be. It is through this publication that Tanzanians will be able to judge - objectively - why the media in the country today behave the way is does. Through this publication, scholars will be able to analyze the relationship between politics and media. Above all, through this publication you will know your own history.

I recommend that the publication should be used as a reference text by journalism students in Tanzania. Ayub Rioba Tanzania School of Journalism (TSJ
Radio Maria, an international Catholic broadcasting service, is spreading Christian prayer, faith formation and human values throughout the globe. Father Francisco Palacios, editorial head of the World Family of Radio Maria, spoke with ZENIT in Rome. The directors were gathered close to the Eternal City this week for an international meeting on the theme Servants of the Church with Mary at the Shrine of Collevalenza. The priest explained that the network challenges the prevailing models of communication, because in an ever more secularized world estranged from God, Radio Maria practices and takes prayer everywhere. The service is currently present in five continents, with 58 radio stations in some 50 countries. It has an average of 30 million listeners daily, and it continually spreading to new areas.Father Palacios affirmed that the radio services work is not a unilateral action we pray and invite our listeners to pray and meditate with us.

Some 200 of the organizations leaders from around the globe gathered Wednesday in St. Peters Square, where Benedict XVI greeted them at the end of the general audience. The Pope encouraged them to continue their important work at the service of the spread of the Gospel.Father Palacios noted that each national association within the family has a priest as the editorial director and a layperson as the president. In this way, the priest guarantees that the programs follow the Churchs Magisterium, and the president organizes, promotes and manages the community that maintains the radio stations activities. He explained that the 24-hour daily broadcast is roughly divided into seven hours of prayer -- including the Mass, Eucharistic adoration and the rosary -- seven hours of Christian formation, seven hours of human formation and three hours of information and music.Global outreach in this way, the priest said, each station is an expression of an ever larger group of persons, united fraternally in an endeavor to improve the life of each one. Thanks to the power of prayer that has driven the global expansion, Father Livio Fanzaga, a presenter of Radio Maria Italy, explained that the program with the greatest audience is the celebration of Mass.Father Fanzaga said that in this meeting, he was very moved to see the growth in maturity and faith of the directors of Radio Maria worldwide, and stressed that the force and charism of this work is totally in Mary. He affirmed, The more we follow the Virgin, the more we will spread the Christian message in the world. Founded in Italy in 1983, the broadcast hit the United States in 2000, beginning in Louisiana. From there it has been spreading its multilingual stations throughout various states. The English broadcast is also present in Canada and the Philippines.The programs can be listened to through the internet by accessing the organizations Web page.

A look at Tanzania
Population39,384,223 note estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2007 est.) Age structure0-14 years 43.9 (male 8,666,227female 8,624,387) 15-64 years 53.3 (male 10,330,727female 10,649,507) 65 years and over 2.8 (male 491,252female 622,123) (2007 est.) Median agetotal 17.7 years male 17.4 years female 17.9 years (2007 est.) Population growth rate2.091 (2007 est.) Birth rate35.95 births1,000 population (2007 est.) Death rate13.36 deaths1,000 population (2007 est.) Infant mortality ratetotal 71.69 deaths1,000 live births male 78.84 deaths1,000 live births female 64.33 deaths1,000 live births (2007 est.) Life expectancy at birthtotal population 50.71 years male 49.41 years female 52.04 years (2007 est.) Total fertility rate4.77 children bornwoman (2007 est.) HIVAIDS - adult prevalence rate8.8 (2003 est.) HIVAIDS - people living with HIVAIDS1.6 million (2003 est.) HIVAIDS - deaths160,000 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseasesdegree of risk very high food or waterborne diseases bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases malaria, Rift Valley fever and plague are high risks in some locations water contact disease schistosomiasis (2007)

Disputes - internationalTanzania still hosts more than a half-million refugees, more than any other African country, mainly from Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, despite the international communitys efforts at repatriation disputes with Malawi over the boundary in Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) and the meandering Songwe River remain dormant Refugees and internally displaced personsrefugees (country of origin) 393,611 (Burundi), 150,112 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (2006) Illicit drugsgrowing role in transshipment of Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin and South American cocaine destined for South African, European, and US markets and of South Asian methaqualone bound for southern Africa money laundering remains a problem

Looking at these statistics, Tanzania is affected by HIVAIDS, refugee issues and many more problems. The Catholic Church Tanzania advocates for no use of birth control methods to it young followers. This is affecting the sexually active youth who due to shyness will offer not to use this method. Radio Maria which has its basis in the catholic beliefs offers little solutions to these problems.

Looking at this programming, it is clear that this stations preliminary focus personal salvation.
Problems in Tanzania and what Radio Maria offers as solutions

HIV AIDS
The church holds a belief that youth should practice abstinence as a means of sex control. Many of the youths are finding this not possible. Radio Maria offers the same measure of weight as the church does. As a matter of facts the programming of their 24 hour channel has very little to do with the youth issues. One of their most popular programme HYPERLINK httpradiotime.comProgramDetails.aspxProgramId147149StationId6424Maombi kwa Wote (prayer for all) is a session of prayers for the listeners for various problems that they are encountering. They pray for amani (peace) in the family, upendo (love), utukufu wa mungu (glory of God) and many other issues. Note there is very little matter of youths being dealt with here. As a result the HIV prevalence rate continues to grow. They seem to do very little on the matter of social activities. Different studies also describe them as socially marginalised youth who are at a double high risk of contracting HIVAIDS as they succumb to drug addiction.

Already Tanzania is among countries which have large numbers of HIVAIDS infected people across many groups in the population.

The countrys policymakers now seem to agree that whatever can be done to mitigate the impact of the AIDS epidemic on people and society should also take the drugs crisis on board.

Letting both AIDS and the drugs take their toll of the young population may lead to gravely disastrous consequences to the economy and the nations future in general.

On the other hand, this station teaches good discipline to the married person which is a good measure of mitigation of HIVAIDS. Its organized vipindi (programmes) have a great gain of measure in terms of respect to the people of Tanzania.

Crime and the media
Society beliefs about crime may be created by the media - newspapers, radio, television and advertising  which in turn reflect trends in society beliefs. It is impossible to say which influences the other most, but it is certain that if the information the media uses is wrong, or is misinterpreted, then this can lead to misconceptions about crime and justice issues. This is why it is so important to know where the information used in the media comes from and what it means. Society and media attitudes to crime and justice play a part in shaping the laws which define criminal activities. One example of this is the change in attitudes to homosexuality. Christian radio stations believe in total obedience towards their maker (Mungu) God as a way of following. It is the media that mostly brings out the issue that pertains to crime. Post election violence in Kenya for example was a major issue. Radio stations in Kenya majority of who were not Christian based were on the front line to bring up issues. Radio stations in the Christian foundations offered prayers, and the message of peace. Well, it is very good to talk about peace but if there is war then it may seem also appropriate to state the matters at length. It seems that many Christian based radio stations are out to advocate for oneness, family strength, peace, healing, shying away from daily struggles of people in Africa. Africa suffers from war which in turn creates instability in families as well as hatred in some areas. Majority of people are therefore looking for peace, encouragement as well as a stand in life.

Illicit drugs
Tanzania people especially the youth are affected by drugs. There is increasing public concern in Tanzania for young people who live in situations characterized by violence and distrust but are often reluctant to reunite with their families.

They spend most of their time on streets, now and then grouping at the so-called jobless corners, popularly known as kijiweni to compare notes about idle pleasures, smoke marijuana and fix deals for different narcotic drugs. Marijuana is the cheapest drug on the market. One roll costs about 1,000 Tanzania shillings (1 US dollar  800 shillings).

Kapuya describes them as youths who find themselves in a vacuum because the education they got at primary, secondary and even tertiary level has not prepared them for creative self-employment. Labour, youth development and sports minister Juma Kapuya said the rising wave of illicit drugs trade and consumption puts 33 percent of Tanzanias population at risk.

The countrys population is currently put at over 31 million with most of the people socially maturing without being economically independent. Times are changing for the young in ways that affect their lives both positively and negatively. The resulting confusion leads many of them to find peace of mind in drugs.

Our youthful population, aged between 15 and 35 years, accounts for 68 percent of the national workforce, but the swelling illicit drugs trafficking and consumption may be their death knell, Kapuya told participants at a workshop on drug law enforcement for policymakers. There is increasing public concern in Tanzania for young people who live in situations characterized by violence and distrust but are often reluctant to reunite with their families.

Experts at Muhimbili National Hospital in Dar es Salaam report of rising cases referred to the hospital from different regional hospitals for specialised treatment related to drug abuse. They include brain damage, heart problems and damage to lungs, liver cirrhosis, psychosis, impotence and weight loss.

Radio maria does advocate to the youth visit the church where they will find help and be in the right company. They have a time where prayers are offered to the youth through the parents. This sometimes does not encourage talk between the parent and child.

On politics
Embattled Radio Icengelo Station manager Fr Frank Bwalya has been fired from the Catholic-owned community radio station. And Fr Bwalya has accused Government of master minding his removal from the radio station where he had been serving as Station manager in the last eight years.

Fr Bwalya alleged that the MMD approached and requested Bishop Oregan to silence him, but said he was glad that the Church had fired him for telling the truth and speaking for the poor and under privileged in society.Meanwhile, Fr Bwalya accused Bishop Oregan of heeding to political calls and complaints from the ruling party to fire him from the station over anti-Government remarks he has been making on a bemba Radio Programme called Uleta Pabwingi Tonaula.

The Priest who started his address on air with the Zambia National Anthem, refused to give his full message on radio, saying he would only disclose the contents of his information to his followers and the Zambian people in the manner he wanted to and not dictated by the Police.

He added that while the MMD was celebrating his removal from Icengelo, he would stay quietfor three days after which he would rise and fight all the injustices and evils in society.

Radio Maria and communication
FRI is a Canadian-based, not-for-profit organization working with about 300 radio broadcasters in 39 African countries to fight poverty and food insecurity. FRI has partnered with Freedom Fone to engage our software in the support of small scale farmers in Tanzania. FRI have established 5 listening communities attached to 5 community radio stations in varied locations in Tanzania. These community radio stations broadcast programmes that assist farmers in achieving better yields as well as helping answer questions related to the various agricultural challenges they might be experiencing. FRI is currently exploring the  HYPERLINK httpictupdate.cta.intenFeature-ArticlesTalking-back-to-radio o ICTs t _blank use of information communication technologies to complement and extend the usefulness of radio broadcast programmes.

They selected  HYPERLINK httpradiotime.comstations_6424Radio_Maria_Tanzania_891.aspx t _blank Radio Maria, a Christian radio station based in Dar es Salaam, to deploy Freedom Fone. Three main reasons influenced their decision to do this
- Radio Maria is a well-resourced radio station both in terms of human resources with high technical skills and experience, and equipmentinfrastructure. - Radio Maria broadcasts some of FRIs agricultural programmes. - Radio Maria has very wide coverage in Tanzania.

FRIs listening groups with Radio Maria have expressed a particular desire for information about raising chickens. Local chickens are an excellent income source for small-scale farmers, as they have low input costs and high demand and a ready market. However, many farmers experience high chicken loss due to poor management not keeping the chickens safely, feeding them properly or looking after their hygiene sufficiently. Better information helps farmers lose fewer chickens, and thus make more money out of them. FRIs Freedom Fone deployment will draw on this desire for more information about chicken management, and their broadcast programme called, Heka Heka Vijijini (Busy Busy in the Village), will be adapted into short segment audio programmes using Freedom Fone software.

The Committee consists of 12 individuals, half of them from the countries within which AFRRI is being implemented. Members include
The Bill  Melinda Gates Foundation
International development research organizations  IDRC, North South Institute
Canadian International Development Agency
The Farm Radio International Board of Directors (up to two members)
Chairs of the National Advisory Committees for participating AFRRI countries

The farmers shared their problems with a local radio station, Radio Maria. This radio station is working with Farm Radio International on the African Farm Radio Research Initiative, or AFRRI. Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, AFRRI aims to discover the most effective ways of using radio to improve food security. As part of the initiative, Radio Maria asked the farmers of Kitete village about the challenges they face. The farmers confront many issues concerning the production and marketing of crops and livestock, but Radio Maria decided to first address the problem of chicken loss.

Lilian Manyuka has volunteered with Radio Maria for more than five years. She now hosts a weekly program called Busy Village. Kitetes farmers say they always find time to listen to her show on Saturday morning. It has taught them some of the details of building chicken coops, such as what dimensions a coop should be, and how many chickens can be kept in a coop.

Mr. Msham was one of the first in Kitete to construct a chicken coop, at the cost of 50,000 Tanzania shillings (about 38 American dollars or 28 Euros). Other farmers are now building coops to protect their chickens.

Havintishi Salumu started raising livestock last year when she purchased one chicken. She now keeps about 12. It used to be difficult for Ms. Salumu to obtain meat, but now her family eats eggs twice a week and chicken twice a month. The chickens are an important source of protein for her family. Still, she is frustrated with having chickens stolen and baby chicks killed by birds.

Ms. Salumu built the framework of a chicken coop with sticks her oldest son gathered in the forest. She planned to complete the coop within two months. Her hope was that, with fewer chickens lost, she would earn enough money to send her oldest son back to school.

This story demonstrates the power of radio to support farmers in their efforts to maintain household food security.

Communication and church
Communication is a rare and precious resource in a land where phones lines dont exist and no one delivers letters.

Such lands exist in many parts of rural Africa. These are lands in which United Methodist bishops try to communicate with their district superintendents and pastors, and pastors with their members, but messages often dont get through. These are lands in which health information is hard to distribute, but misinformation travels easily in daily conversation.Effective forms of communication are powerful tools. They create a new reality in which coordination is possible, information provided, invitations offered and warnings delivered.

There are places in Africa where community radio has done all these things where radio reaches the ears of those who live in urban shantytown huts, and those who lie at night below grass roofs on vast, dry plains. There are places where the needs of poor people are heard and addressed by those who care where the community seeks answers and speaks them to itself through community radio.

In June, I traveled to several African countries to visit some of these radio stations. The trip was initiated by the Rev. Larry Hollon, the top staff executive of United Methodist Communications. Larry sees African United Methodist annual conferences yearning for better communication systems for evangelization, for education and for coordination. He sees that HIVAIDS is a major cause of death in Africa, and that malaria kills even more. He sees radio as one of the technological pieces that can address some of these needs.

South Africa
In Cape Town, South Africa, we encountered stunning contrasts seldom seen in other parts of the world. The beauty of the Cape Town peninsula is unsurpassed, with gorgeous mountains and tremendous views as the sun sets into the Atlantic over Robbens Island, where Nelson Mandela was jailed off the coast of the city for 18 years.

Not far from the beaches are the colored neighborhoods of small homes placed side-by-side. Also about the city are the black shantytowns of corrugated steel one and two-room houses tightly packed into fields between the main roadways. The people of these neighborhoods and townships listen to Bush Radio, a station of the people, created by the undisputed father of community radio in Africa, Zane Ibrahim.

From Ibrahim we learned a key concept Community radio is 90-percent community and 10-percent radio. Bush Radio remains an ongoing community event. Every Saturday, the Childrens Radio Education Workshop takes to the air. Children and teenagers from the community prepare programming and broadcast from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Bush Radio personnel appear in the townships and neighborhoods regularly, bringing a meal and listening to the people. From the people come the issues and the programs that go on air.

When we were there, we traveled with Zane to the township of Khayelitsha, the third largest township in South Africa after Soweto and Sharpeville. On this Bush Radio workday, interns from the University of Southern California scampered across several rooftops in the township, fastening plastic tarps over the corrugated steel roofs, covering seams and holes to keep out the rain.

Uganda
Traveling in Kampala, the capital city of Uganda, we found MAMA FM behind high walls on a residential hillside. This station was created in the late 1990s by the Uganda Media Womens Association. It was the first station in Africa to be initiated and created by women. Calling itself The Voice to Listen To, MAMA FM focuses on the needs of women and the poor, and addresses issues such as health care, legal concerns, land, economic empowerment, education, human rights, good governance, leadership, religion, agriculture, peace building, environment and politics. The women journalists bring in experts to speak about these issues. The station also holds public forums.

Also in Kampala, Radio Maria Uganda operates on a different model as a part of a project founded by the Roman Catholic Church in 1983. Radio Maria worldwide operates in more than 30 nations. Radio Maria Uganda also has the technical resources of the larger church available to it, and it extends itself to two repeater stations and two other studios in the country by a satellite link. Broadcasting from a total of five locations allows much better coverage across the country of Uganda. This station also focuses on the issues that face the communities.

The Seventh-Day Adventist Church runs Prime Radio high atop a Kampala hill. This station is funded largely by a successful communication school it operates in one section of its building. The remainder of the building houses the radio station and has space allotted for a future television station. Like the other stations visited, Prime Radio depends on volunteer assistance, but also employs 34 people, far more than other stations we visited.

Kenya
After arriving in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, another flight took us to Kisumu, a small city in Western Kenya on the shore of Lake Victoria. In a small house, with a yard populated by dogs and chickens, is RECA Radio. This station is an outgrowth of Relief  Environmental Care Africa, a nongovernmental organization based in Kenya that promotes environmental protection, sustainable development, literacy and health care.

This station is due to go on air this fall. Most of its programming will be locally produced, with a small percentage delivered by satellite from a health-focused agency in the United States.

As in several other locations, programming needs will be defined with input from the womens groups in the surrounding villages. Those groups are already involved in RECA projects for microfinance, agriculture, water and sanitation. The radio station is an outgrowth of the existing health and welfare programs and will be a way to extend the reach of these programs.

EcoNews Africa is a nonprofit organization headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, but with radio stations also in Tanzania and Uganda. Ugandas station went on the air in 2000, Tanzania in 2002 and Kenya in 2004.

The programming of each station is determined with the support and direction of womens groups in the villages of the listening areas. These stations also focus on social issues and health, with an emphasis on the needs and resources of women.

Despite the significant use of volunteers, each station still costs the parent organization about 150,000 each year.

Looking ahead
Visiting community radio stations in Africa and the people who operate them yielded a number of common factors and truths. Among them are these
Radio reaches people wherever they live, in both urban shantytowns and in rural villages.
Radio communicates with everyone, even those who cannot read.
Radio needs to communicate in many languages, including the local colonial language (English, French, and Portuguese), Kiswahili and local languages.
Community radio needs to empower and use the collective power of womens groups in the region.
Radio is an excellent way to deliver accurate information on health care, and it helps to counter much of the misinformation commonly distributed in conversation.

Community radio in Africa needs money to maintain equipment and facilities, pay a few staff members, and purchase fuel to operate studios and transmitters when the power system fails.

United Methodist Communications is finding new ways to partner with other organizations to better bring health information to Africa. This trip was a significant step in learning how our annual conferences in Africa will be able to broadcast not only to spread the Gospel, but also to coordinate the work of the annual conference, serve the needs of the community, and improve quality of life in both city and countryside.

Community radio is just one possible component of the communication solution, and issues of staffing, financial support and sustainability must be addressed. Cell phones, ham radio, business radio, and the Internet may also be necessary pieces of the answer.

Other examples of Community Radio stations looking at Radio Mazabuka FM Zambia
Although there is no clear definition as to what constitutes a community radio station, there are more than ten radio stations that have been branded under community radio, namely Radio Icengelo of Kitwe town on The Copperbelt province of Zambia, Radio Maria In Tanzania, Radio Chikuni in Monze, Southern Province, Radio Mazabuka in Mazabuka, Southern Province and Mosi-o-Tunya radio in Livingstone, The tourist town of Zambia in the South. Others are Radio Lundazi in Lundazi, Eastern Province, Yatsani Radio in Lusaka, the capital city of Zambia, Petauke Explores and Pasme in Petauke, Southern Province, Mpangwe, and Radio Mukushi in Mukushi, central province and Radio Mano in Kasama Northern Province.

All these radio stations broadcast within the range of 50 to 150 Kilometers and evidently cover all the corners of the country which consists of a total population of about 11 million inhabitants However, some people have their own definitions of Community radio stations and have identified common grounds that they think make up a community radio station.

To me a community radio is one that broadcasts to suit the needs of a particular community with the aim of fostering development through its programming. Ownership does not necessarily have to be by the community as long as the community has access to that media and issues are really taken from their needs says Maumbi Mwendalubi, operations manager at Mosi-o-Tunya Radio Station, a community radio station based in Livingstone about 500 kilometers South of Zambias capital city Lusaka. According to Mwendalubi, a community radio should also be affordable and diverse in that its got to cater across all age groups, cultural and religious differences.

Kelvin Chibomba is Station Manager at Radio Mazabuka FM another community radio station based in Southern province. To me a community radio station first and foremost is demanded, set up and funded by the community says Chibomba. According to Chibomba, It is the community which initiates the idea and they own it by funding it through community contribution. It must be non-profit whose interest is only to serve the community and addressing the concerns they are facing. It must be community driven, Accessible, Accountable, Affordable, Available and Acceptable. If a radio station has these features, then you can safely say it is a community radio station he says.

The impact of Community Radio Stations on communities
There is no doubt that since their introduction, community radio stations have played a vital role in the development of our country through their programmes. In Tanzania for example, the community radio station has introduced a number of programmes that are already having an impact on the lives of the people. One such programme is the one called community focus groups. Through this programme, farmers and other interest groups are asked to identify key issues, which are later aired on radio. Government officials are also invited to respond to some concerns raised by the various community radio focus groups. With support from the donor community, the station has distributed small radio sets to about 40 villages and people are able to listen to government officials responding to concerns raised.

Another practical example is the setting up of literacy classes for women who were unable to read and write. The women complained through the radio that they were unable to read and write and wanted government to help them by opening literacy classes. Government through the district administration responded by setting up literacy classes for women in Ndeka Township in Mazabuka. There are now 32 women attending literacy classes in the area.

A similar project is currently being undertaken by PANOS Southern Africa called Development Through Radio (DTR). The aim of this project is to promote the use of radio as a vehicle for increasing womens access to relevant information, encouraging debate, and thereby strengthening democratic and development processes. The project also aims at providing a network for the exchange of information, expertise and resources between women in Zambia and to break down the sense of isolation felt by many marginalized communities and in particular rural women. The project was established in 1998 and there are currently 13 listening groups divided into three groups each of them with a radio cassette recorder. They meet at a local venue on a weekly basis to listening to their programmes at 1330 hours and later record a programme.

Each week, listening groups of a particular community gather to listen to a programme based on issues that are relevant to them. Topics include the lack of clean and safe drinking water in villages and income-generating projects for women. The project coordinator then collects the recorded tapes on a weekly basis. The project producer from the national broadcaster, Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) then arranges to record responses from relevant actors to the problems and issues of interest expressed by the clubs. Outside actors include government officials, health professionals, business executives, and local NGOs or international organizations. For example, an issue about safe and clean water would require someone from the Ministry of Energy and Water Development to respond.

Talking about the advantages of Radio Listening Clubs, Simon Mwila from ZNBC, who was also instrumental in establishing the project says, Radio as a communication medium offers greater outreach than any medium. Mwila feels that the high cost of radio sets makes listening clubs a cost effective way of gaining radio access. Its good because it involves people listening in groups, interacting, discussing and debating on everyday issues seen from their unique perspective, says Mwila. According to Mwila, Radio Listening Clubs empower people by creating awareness of how to exercise ones rights at the same time, breaking the sense of isolation often felt by rural people in many countries.

Another successful story of how community radio stations are helping the community is the one where farmers in Mazabuka are now able to receive their farming input on time because they are always in touch with government officials through the radio. Before the station was set up, farmers had little or no information about the availability of farming in-puts and were forced to travel to Lusaka to buy inputs. With the coming of foot and mouth disease in the area, through the radio, farmers are advised on how to look after their animals well.

Mazabuka being a transit point for those travelling either to Lusaka or Livingstone has attracted a lot of commercial sex workers and at one time, was leading with the highest levels of HIV infections in the country. As a way of contributing to the fight against AIDS, Radio Mazabuka has launch a lifestyle programme targeted at both youths and married couples. Mercy Kaboyi 25 of Spills Compound, who has benefited from the programme, testifies to how her marriage was saved from the deadly HIVAIDS. I had a problem with my husband. He used to sleep around with women, so I decided to write to the radio station, there is a lifestyle programme where they respond to peoples problems. The programme was aired and my husband listened to it. He has since changed his behaviour, and no longer comes home late. I was prompted to report because I was scared he might infect me with the HIV virus if I left the problem like that, she said. Kaboyi further adds that, The other programme I like listening to is on orphans, vulnerable children and widows. Before we had this radio station, we had a lot of property grabbing taking place. The Tonga culture is such that when a man dies, the family would come to take his properties. Through this programme, people have been educated to respect widows and where there is a will, to honour it.

Nasutu Nawa is a regular listener to Mosi-o-tunya Radio and admits that the community radio station is playing a big role in sensitizing people about the dangers of HIV and AIDS in Livingstone. Radio Mosi-o-tunya is trying, they have introduced a programme called the Quest, they play music and later a competition about HIV and AIDS messages, she says. According to Nawa, she has seen change among youths with regards to their behaviour although she cannot entirely attribute that to the radio station. There is change in the way people behave now, maybe it is because of the same programme because it is famous especially with the kind of music that they play, she says.

Challenges facing Community Radio Stations
Like any project, community radio stations have their own challenges that make it difficult for them to operate effectively. We would like to reach the entire Livingstone, but the biggest challenge we have is transport. Currently we only have one vehicle, which is not even in good working condition. Often time, we depend on companies to provide transport, although ethically that is not good, but we have no choice. The other problem is that we lack things like tape recorders, Internet and many other tools that would make our work much easier, says Mwendalubi of Mosi-o-tunya. The problems at Mosi-o-tunya radio are almost the same problem with other community radio stations. Our team cannot reach all the areas due to lack of transport. We only have one vehicle, which has to be used by the people in accounts, marketing and the newsroom. Our appeal to donors is that if they can help us acquire another vehicle, says Chibomba of Mazabuka Community Radio.

Since most of the problems that community radio stations face are similar, it is important that a common solution is found that would address some of the challenges. One such solution is Micro-link being spearheaded by Radio Yatsani. Micro-link is the networking of selected radio stations through the Internet. Through this project, 19 local radio stations will be linked together and be able to access programmes from another station. Although most of them are Catholic stations, a few commercial stations like QFM, Breeze FM, Mazabuka radio, Liyambayi and Radio Phoenix will be connected. The Catholic stations include, Icengelo, Chikuni, Mosi-o-Tunya and Radio Maria. According to Sister Celine, all participating stations will receive a computer each that will be used to monitor other stations.

Just like the Internet, radio stations will be able to monitor programmes being transmitted or aired by another radio station that is connected to the network. If interested in any of the programmes, any of the stations connected could either record the programme or transmit it live as being transmitted. The advantage is that there will be sharing of information on key issues such as HIVAIDS and many other issues. If there is any big news here in Lusaka that affects the whole nation and a community radio station in the rural area comes across that information, they can transmit it there and then. she said.

Sustainability
Setting up a radio station is one thing, sustaining it is yet another thing. Unlike commercial radio stations that depend on commercial adverts, community radio stations depends entirely on community contribution. But how is this issue being address by some of the community radio stations To start with, this building was constructed by the community. They have continued to help us a lot. We are also trying to raise a bit from advertising, but that is not enough, says Mwendalubi. The community is the backbone of this radio station, there is no question about that. Without them, we are nothing, adds Chibomba of Mazabuka. In the case of radio Mazabuka, management has targeted commercial farmers for sponsorship of community programmes. This is proving successful, as the station is now able to raise enough to sustain the operations of the station. Some NGOs are also coming forward to sponsor programmes on HIV and AIDS, Human Rights and other issues. he says.

Advantages of Community Radio
Although community radio is relatively a new idea in most African countries, its advantages surpass that of commercial and national broadcasters. This is because community radio is low cost, easy to operate, reaches all members of the community in their own languages and, as a local, grass-root media, it maximizes the potential for development to be drawn from sharing information, knowledge and skills within the community.

Legal Framework
Although there has been a number of a radio stations set up in the country, the lack of a clear policy on community radio stations and ICT has been identified as a major obstacle. For example, the ICT policy has been in draft form for a long time now, and yet this is the document that is supposed to act as a guide to all those involved in the use and provision of ICT services.

As observed by Chibomba of Mazabuka Radio, the lack of a clear definition about what constitutes a community radio station can be traced to governments failure to come up with a policy on community radio stations. Though there are guidelines on how to apply for a radio station, they do not make any attempt to distinguish among community, commercial and public broadcasting. Some might point to the 1996 Information and Media Policy paper issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services. While it does mention community radio, it does so in a brief manner, without any analysis of the context within which it can be carried on. No specific criteria are set, no definitions, no matter how problematic, are proffered and certainly no attempt is made to treat the community media sector as an evolving discipline finding its place side by side with other more entrenched forms of mass communication.

The Future of Community Radio
It is apparent that the impact and future of broadcasting in Africa and Zambia in particular lies in community radio stations. The country will continue to witness more stations representing interest groups in society and so benefit from experiences of such radio stations.

Conclusion
It can therefore be said that community radio, if well utilized to empower communities, can be a good tool to stimulate development in our country. For a long time now, radio has exclusively been in the hands of media professionals, who usually dont seem to understand the problems that the communities face.

The sector has great potential to grow but it is bedeviled by a lot of problems. They range from policy ambivalence to financial incapacity. In some cases the involvement of the community is not clear but could be attributed to the newness of the concept. The earlier the policy both on ICTs and community radio station is put in place the better because they will also address issues such as definitions and acceptable quotas of local content in any community radio station and many other issues that surround ICTs. It would not be far fetched to suggest that a deeper, more inclusive process of consultation is undertaken in order for the policy framework to be comprehensive.

CONCLUSION
Radio Maria in Tanzania offers a wide range of services from HIV awareness, government policies teachings, collecting and giving out most important information to the public. To me this radio station is a community radio. It continues to enjoy a wide covering as well as listeners in Tanzania.  It has worked with bill gates foundation on teaching farmers on projects in agriculture. This radio is good for the services it provides to its people in Tanzania.