Audience Expectations in Horror Movie Trailers Essay

How genre conventions are used to raise audience expectations in horror movie trailers. ‘The word genre means ‘type’ or ‘category’’ (Teach yourself film studies) it is really important as an audience member to recognise genres as then things become categorised and easier for them to understand which is more comforting. Sometimes however genres are crossed and categories are broken for example sometimes we have ‘action thrillers’ or ‘sci-fi horrors’ this is known as a hybrid genre. This often intrigues the audience and draws them to the film as it changes their outlook as they have no expectations for the film as they have never been exposed to this genre before. The horror genre was created to frighten/disturb an audience. Cherry (2009) reinforces this theory ‘The function of horror – to scare, shock, revolt or otherwise horrify the viewer’. These are the main conventions of a horror movie often portrayed using fast cuts, heart racing music, flashing images, unknown creatures and darkened places. ‘Horror is an ancient art form’ (www.horrorfilmhistory.com) which is still popular today because of the emotions it evokes, the audience feel comfortable with the horror genre as the generic conventions have not changed drastically over the years, the audience knows what to expect. The iconic symbols of horror such as haunted houses, unknown creatures, darkened places and flashing images are still used in all modern horror movies, although the genre evolves to fit around the era and to appeal to that audience. ‘Genres are not static, they evolve their common attributes change over time’ (Teach yourself film studies), this is because genres need to become more current for example what disturbed/terrified audiences 10 years ago may not effect audiences today. Today most audiences are terrified by the paranormal and ghostly experiences, the trailers for ‘Paranormal Activity’, ‘Insidious’ and ‘Don’t be Afraid of the Dark’ are all based around this theme but use different generic conventions to portray their theme. Paranormal Activity was released in 2007 and is an independent film costing only $11,000 to produce, the trailer proved uncomfortable to audiences as the generic conventions were broken. The trailer was not the usual blockbuster horror that audiences expect to see, it was shot in an average home with a home camera, the camera angles are shaky and unprofessional and the actors are unknown which gives the feel that these are real events. Also the trailer not only shows clips of the movie but the audience reaction to what they are witnessing. This keeps the audience interested in the genre as they are not used to seeing an audience reaction – they are intrigued as to why the audien ce are so frightened; therefore want to see the film. ‘We derive basic thrills from triggering the rush of adrenalin which fear brings’ (www.horrorfilmhistory.com). Paranormal Activity reinforces this theory as it became a huge hit world-wide although it was such a low budget independent film. Paranormal Activity focuses on a young couple moving into a new home which is supposed to be an exciting time and people can relate to this as everyone has moved house at some point, the fact that the film is based in a normal household immediately alarms the audience. The sounds used in the trailer for Paranormal Activity are very effective as you can hear lots of screaming and fear but it is not in the film its self, it’s the audience that we’re first shown this film. Insidious was released in 2010 and was created by the same director as Paranormal Activity (James Wan) this draws in an audience immediately as people who are familiar with the directors work are immediately drawn to the film. Like Paranormal Activity, Insidious is also an independent film however the budget for this film was a lot higher at $1,500,000. The look the production company gave to this film is also a lot more professional as there are no home cameras and shaky camera angles. However this film does still use unknown actors, since doing my research I have noticed that the majority of horror films use unknown actors to make their film feel more realistic. Insidious is also based around the paranormal theme which shows that audiences in this era are frightened by the paranormal ghostly experience this must be working as insidious took in a gross of ‘$53,991,137’ (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1591095/). Also Insidious uses children and a family in a ‘normal’ home this immediately effects the audience as they can relate it to their own lives. The horror genre has become more realistic like this as instead of using zombies, vampires and made up creatures the genre has become more based around real life and what could actually happen as it affects the audience in a more psychological way. Also using children in the trailer will immediately effect parents as they start to imagine what they would do if that was their child and how it would affect them which straight away frightens them and evokes unwanted emotions/thoughts ‘I can speak for all parents when I say the loss of a child has to be pretty much the worst thing that could ever happen to them’ (http://www.horror-movies.ca/horror_13935.html) I have also looked at the film trailer for â€Å"Don’t be Afraid of the Dark† which was released in 2011. This film is from a different director to Paranormal Activity and Insidious however it follows a similar plot and has the paranormal ghostly edge. The budget for this film was much higher than both Paranormal Activity and Insidious at $25,000,000 the trailer is very stereotypical and uses the typical conventions of a horror trailer as it consists of multiple flashing images, heart racing music, darkness and unknown creatures. The sound used in a trailer is very important as fast paced non-diegetic music is usually played throughout the trailer which subconsciously makes the audience feel on edge and worried, also the diegetic sounds used such as loud bangs, creaky floorboards and screams make the audience jump. Putting both of these non-diegetic and diegetic sounds together creates tension and an uncomfortable atmosphere. Don’t be Afraid of the Dark also uses a small child within the film; this is quite controversial and usually makes older members of the audience feel uncomfortable as they imagine it as their own child. Also using a small child shows an extreme amount of vulnerability as small children cannot fend for themselves and they are not as strong as an adult. ‘How does the speed of what we see compare to watching a clip from a film?’ (Teaching trailers) the speed of what we see in the trailer gives the audience a taste of what to expect in the film. The trailer starts of slowly to attract the audience’s attention and get them interested in what they are watching, then the speed builds up to alarm the audience and frighten them once this has happened the trailers slows back down to an average speed to give the audience time to react and think about what t hey just witnessed. When comparing the three trailers together they are all very similar as they are all based around a paranormal scenario and they all evoke the ‘scared/frightened’ emotion to an audience. Also two of the trailers use children which takes away the innocence of a stereotypical child and makes the audience feel uncomfortable as the ordinary has been changed. Paranormal activity breaks the boundaries of the horror genre the most by showing the audience reactions within the trailer as this had never been done before which attracted a wide audience and made a lot of money. It also got a lot more publicity and became an extremely famous well known film purely because it took the audiences expectation of a horror film and changed it. However Insidious and Don’t be Afraid of the Dark are very stereotypical horror films using obvious frightening objects in their trailers which have been used throughout the history of the horror genre. The set-up of these trailers is also very stereotypical and expected because of the fast paced heart racing sounds and the fast paced flashing images. I also think it is important that all of the actors in these films are unknown ‘why are we told who is starring in the film?’ (Teaching trailers) this is because well-known actors with a huge fan base attracts audiences to a film, however with the horror genre this does not work as audiences cannot get a realistic feel as they are familiar with the actor and their work. This is why I think all of the films work well as none of the actors are very well known. To conclude I think that genre is used in all of these trailers to raise the audience’s expectations but in very different experimental ways and this is successful, the ‘horror’ genre is visible throughout all of the trailers and they have all attracted a wide audience using some different experimental or stereotypical expected techniques. Bibliography Cherry, Brigid. (2009) Horror. Oxon: Routledge. Wilson, Karina. (2001-2011) Horror Film History. Available from: www.horrorfilmhistory.com (Accessed: 26th October 2011) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1591095/ (2011) (Accessed: 26th October 2011) http://www.horror-movies.ca/horror_13935.html (2011) (Accessed: 26th October 2011) Title: Teach yourself film studies Title: Teaching trailers

Office Automation and Group Collaboration Software Essay

Nowadays, in the modern business world, Office Automation Software include calendar and scheduling, call accounting and management, data entry, email management, fax management, and forms management softwares. On the other hand, Group Collaboration Software include group calendar, groupware solution, mailing list management, messaging solution, teleconferencing, video & web conferencing, and web discussion system software. However, the uses of aforementioned software in most of the offices vary with respect to the requirements and the environment of the business operation. Office Automation Software have become an essential part of any business organization. As a matter of fact, word processing programs like Microsoft Word have replaced typewriters and paper-based work is being performed in database programmes. For instance, Employees attendance records and periodical inventory & sales reports are useful operations which are being accomplished using automation software. On the other hand, group collaboration software adds value to business with respect of time management. This software allows business representatives to collaborate and get their colleagues’ views and ideas on different occasions. In this article, I will describe the uses of these software and analyze their advantages and disadvantages In my organization, there are 40 employees and all of them use Office Automation Software for the timely and accurate completion of their duties. In addition to that, most of the time we also use group collaboration software to solve a particular problem or we use it while analyzing sales, evaluating inventory, holding online meetings, etc. Video Conferencing Software Video conferencing system uses a room system in most of the offices. It allows its users to make a solicitation from the template that has already been created by someone. Consequently, it allows bidders to make or replace their bid in an electronic format, saves time, helps users who want to place or change their bid from their residence or offices, and saves money which might have been spent on traveling. A major disadvantage of this software is that in complex situations, while users bid on this platform, secret information may get leaked. Electronic Mail Electronic mail has replaced postage in every organization. Email software allows billions of users to communicate fastly and cheaply as compared to postage. In business offices, email has changed the whole phenomena of communication. Office colleagues can communicate directly both inside and outside the organization in a short period of time. Emails also allow a user to send or receive multiple documents with attachments of files or folders. On the other hand, you may lose data which is saved in your email account or your email account can be hacked by someone else resulting in an unauthorized use of your account and the leakage of your private business information. Furthermore, if you send some wrong information in your email, it cannot be taken back. Web Conferencing Software Web conferencing software enables multiple users to arrange an online meeting in order to solve particular problems or to discuss particular matters related to business operation. Web conferencing has completely changed the concept of meetings in the way that you can discuss many things online and solve your problems from anywhere. Consequently, it saves the time of business executives. The only disadvantage of web conferencing is that some problems cannot be solved on web conferencing since the physical presence of employees creates a different environment of mutual understanding and cooperation and gives a sense of closeness. Word Processing Software Nowadays, word processing software has become mandatory software for every organization. Before the invention of this software, the work associated with this nature was done by the typewriter and it was time-consuming. Following are the advantages and disadvantages of this software. (1) â€Å"It is easier to make changes to your document. You can move, change, delete, save, and format all your ideas in one handy file. (2) It frees you to express ideas more clearly and to let your thoughts flow because anything can be changed or deleted later. 3) It allows you to organize all your work or ideas together in a file. Instead of deleting paragraphs that do not seem to fit an assignment, you can move them to the end of the file where they can be used later or in another project. (4) It is easy to share and store word processing files electronically†. The only disadvantage associated with this software is that you may lose your data while working due to sudden electric power failure. (Advantages) Call Accounting and Management Software Since its invention, call accounting software has been adopted by approximately 90% of the established and non-established organizations because of its accuracy and cost effectiveness. A good call accounting software tracks and records various calls of clients and business partners, facilitates customer support management by saving all telephonic data, tracks call timing, and so on . Thus, by taking an analysis of its calls, an organization can easily know about its precious customers’ records and orders. This practice creates a good business environment across the organization. However, the only disadvantage of this software is, if the operator did not create a backup file and an error occurred in the software, data may be lost. Group Calendar Software Group calendar software allows you to organize your critical business events and meetings according to the departments, locations, projects, and time. Having group calendar software online, your employees and business partners can easily arrange a meeting by keeping in mind their work details and availability of time. Web based group calendars provide a cost effective solution without the anxieties and cost inherent with supporting complex in-house calendar system. There is no software to install no server to maintain ever plus group calendar tools are a perfect solution for rapidly expanding projects or distributed work forces†. (group calendar) Time and Attendance Software By using time and attendance software, we can easily save time of our payroll department employees. Time and attendance software automatically record and keep check-in and check-out timings of employees without delay. This software also makes it possible to calculate wages and salaries of workers and employees. Moreover, it provides complete details of attendance and check-in and check-out times to the payroll department that saves time. In addition to that, it is completely secure and can be accessed form different departments of an organization. However, occurrence of an error can create problems because this is the only place where employees’ records are kept. Conclusion Finally, computer software made it possible to run business operations more effectively and accurately. In today’s global world, computers have become a major part of every business organization because of their cost effectiveness and they also pave the way for every business organization to excel upon others by using them. Both Office Automation Software and Group Collaboration Software enhance the business activities and make it possible for the employees to save precious time and money of the organization. Some software like call recording software adds value to customer services and creates an excellent platform to keep records of their clients which increases organizational goodwill.

Advance Directives

These are health care decisions made by a person on what he/she would like to be done to in case he/ she becomes incompetent at some time in future.   Decision making on health care issues is not easy and people are advised to seek advice from so many medical professionals in order to make the right kind of decision.   It is not only a persons doctor who should give directions on what to do then conclusions made from there, more information can be obtained from other health care professionals to help the person make satisfactory decisions on what he/she wants (Monagle and Thomasma 2004: 141). Advanced directives are made when one is mentally competent and are made on different forms as will be discussed.   Different patients suffer different illnesses or diseases and there are various cases of emergency.   Most cases that do occur are those of cardiac problems, respiratory and life sustaining problems.    Advance directives indicate what a person would like to be done to in case he/she can no longer make his/her own decisions (Monagle and Thomasma 2004: 141). A person is also allowed to assign this decision making role to a physician he/she trusts and knows his/her health status, therefore can make appropriate decisions.   Advanced directives as have been indicated, apply in different sections of healthy care.   Different health care departments have to abide by the advanced directives of the patients.   Almost all health care departments receive these advanced directives on what a patient would like to be done to.   An example is the emergency department that deals with resuscitation of patients with heart problems, respiratory problems among others (Bledsoe et al, 2008: 156). The paramedics in this department in most cases do not have the time to read and analyse the advanced directives written by the patient and the advanced directive may not even be available at the time of emergency.   They are always fighting to save the life of the patient at the time of emergency as their protocols dictate, giving them a hard time in consideration to advance directives documentation as well as information retrieval about the advanced directives. They therefore have problems with the advance directive system and forms.   Some countries or hospitals have developed different forms of advanced directives that suit the emergency department as well as other medical departments (Bledsoe et al, 2008: 157).   This will be discussed later.   The different forms of legal advanced directives are not known to so many people and so they do not know which one to use when in need of an advanced directive. Every adult in a mentally competent state is allowed to make a decision and write an advance directive.   It does not mean that if one does not have an advance directive then the person will not be treated or offered health care services, this is an optional measure just meant to give people a decent death or health care service of choice.   It is not only the people with terminal cases that write advanced directives.   Normal people who feel that accidents can occur to them and may need specific medical treatment write advanced directives indicating what they want and what they do not want when such a situation occurs (Cotts 2006: 5). This may be a problem though since the person at the time of decision making, do not know how the accident will occur or how his life will be affected after the accident.   It is only after the accident that the real facts can be revealed to the person.   This always causes problems with the close relatives to the incapacitated person.   Most cases of advance directive are on those with terminal illnesses who know that their life will not be good after some period of time and therefore make decisions on their life when they are fully competent (Cotts 2006: 5). People always make decisions not to be put into any life sustaining machines, not to be resuscitated or allow themselves to be treated so that there lives can be sustained.   An advance directive is just a guideline to a doctor on what the patient wants to be done to in cases of incapability.   An example of an advance directive is the Do Not Resuscitate, which dictates that a doctor should not resuscitate a patient in case of heart failure, or respiratory problem that makes the person not able to breath (Atkinson 2006: 46). There are different types of advanced directives.   These are anatomical donation, a living will and a health care surrogate designation.   There is a different form in case of emergency medical care.   If someone does not want any resuscitation in case of respiratory or cardiac rest, then a form of advanced directive known as the DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) is used.   All these types have specific areas of use (Atkinson 2006: 46).

Leapolds Land Ethic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Leapolds Land Ethic - Essay Example Overview of Leopold’s land ethics Leopold states that it is imperative to incorporate human beings and non human factors of the ecosystem when developing ethical standards. As such, the collectivity of human and non human elements of the ecosystem is referred to as land. The ethics developed as a result of the human and non human collectivity within the ecosystem is referred to as land ethics. According to him, the principle of land ethics is aimed at preserving the beauty, stability and integrity of the biotic community and so anything, action or view that tends to counteract this opinion is considered to be wrong. In his view, the intention of land ethics is to increase the boundary of the community from one that incorporates only human beings to that which includes waters, animals, plants and soils. The land ethics shifts the Homo sapiens’ roles from being conquerors to being citizens of the land community. Respect for the land community is vital for sustainable and stable ecosystem. Leopold’s view of developing a balanced, stable and friendly environmental system to include all aspects of nature is supported by Baird Callicott, who expounds the land ethics by developing an environmental ethics that call for inclusion of other non human elements in the human legacy. Leopold’s ideas is well expounded in his deeds when he was employed to terminate bears, mountain lions and wolves in new Mexico(Leopold and Michael 42).The local ranger hated the predators because they used to attack their livestock, but Leopold views were different because he felt that they were part of nature and had a positive role in maintaining a balanced ecosystem. For instance, if all predators were terminated, their natural prey would increase exponentially resulting in extreme competition with rangers’ animals for vegetation, a fact that would be disastrous to both the ranchers and the balance of the ecosystem. Basing on Leopold’s land ethics, th ere is a close relationship between ecosystem balance and evolution, but human factors have brought detrimental impact on the relationship causing disastrous results to the course of nature (Leopold and Michael 72). The relationship between land ethics and evolution and how man has come to affect it Evolution is a gradual and natural change of biological population over a period of time. It occurs in natural settings and results in extinction of some species and development of other generations. Charles Darwin is a major proponent of evolution theory and his ideas have been instrumental in the formulation of land ethics. The relevant ideas in land ethics that were influenced by Darwinian’s natural selection principal hold that the survival and reproduction of animals is well achieved within cooperative group, no groups can remain integrated without necessary ethical standards and ethics are started within the family cooperation of species. Darwinian’s notion is reflect ed well in land theory which calls for cooperation between humans beings and non human factors of the ecosystem to ensure stability of biotic system and sustainable living conditions. For evolution to occur well, it must take a natural trend. However, if other factors distort the natural pathway, there is likely to be an unexpected

Discuss the reasons why activity-based costing may be preferred to Essay

Discuss the reasons why activity-based costing may be preferred to traditional absorption costing in the modern manufacturing environment - Essay Example This paper discusses the various reasons why most firms use activity-based costing methods over the tradition absorption method. There are mainly two costing methods used by companies in different manufacturing environment that include absorption and activity-based costing techniques (Needles, Powers and Crosson, 2011). The Modern Manufacturing Environment involves the use of modern technology in the manufacturing industry. The use of technology enables organisations to reduce the cost of labour and increase production rates. In addition, modern manufacturing environment entails production of large volumes of goods at a cost, which promotes the companys profitability. The primary characteristics of a modern manufacturing environment include the following. First, the manufacturing environment entails an intense competition internationally. Most of the firms that operate on modern manufacturing environment experience high levels of competition on an international platform. For example, companies operating in the automobile industry experience great competition internationally, which require them to reduce production cost in order to initiate cost, based competition strategies (Lembersky and Lembersky, 2005). Secondly, the modern manufacturing environment involves rapid innovation in production. Production innovation is essential in establishing cost effective production methods such as automation of the production line and use of digital systems to reduce the cost of power and labour (Frost, 2005). Thirdly, the environment involves the use of automated machinery, which minimises the cost of labour. Automation of the production line ensures that most of the operations of the company rely on technology, which reduces the cost of production (Lembersky and Lembersky, 2005). Finally, production in a modern manufacturing environment involves

Commentary on Accounting Ratios Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Commentary on Accounting Ratios - Research Paper Example This means newer businesses will generally have lower ROCE as compared to older businesses due to the depreciated amount of its assets. Additionally, the number of years that both Dairy Crest and its close competitor have been in business is unclear. The revenue of Dairy Crest is up by almost 20% in 2008, resulting in Operating Profit Margin of 6%. This result is on par with its competitor. However, the improvement may have been attributed by the twofold increase in Dairy Crest's other income, of which the breakdown has not been disclosed. Given the equal result, it can be said that the competitor may be new in the market since its ROCE is way lower than that of Dairy Crest. In fact, the company's Gross Margin Profit is down from 4.6% in 2007 to only 3.9% in 2008, whereas its competitor's is 25.7%. Looking at Dairy Crest's consolidated income statement, its operating cost is up by almost 21% while its revenue increased only by about 20%. Also, there may be some differences in the pricing strategy adopted by the two companies, which explains the big gap in the margin. The company's Asset Turnover Ratio is slightly better at 1.8 times in 2008, while its competitor is at 1.9 times. The higher revenue in 2008 means Dairy Crest is utilising its assets more. Assuming its competitor is new in the business, this result shows Dairy Crest is not performing as well as its competitor. It appears that Dairy Crest has better control of its stocks with a drop in its Stock Turnover of 38.6 days in 2008 against 43.1 days in 2007. As food stocks are perishable items, it is advisable not to hold them for too long. Dairy Crest's move to bring its stock holding period down by 10% is wise. While its competitor holds stocks 46 days in 2008, it is unclear if this is due to uncertainty in suppliers, as the high levels seem unnecessary based on industry. The Current Ratio of Dairy Crest in 2008 is 1.4, an improvement from 1.0 in 2007. This shows the company's financial position is healthier. However, its competitor's Current Ratio of 0.8 in 2008 seems risky, as

Environmental Issues of Canada Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Environmental Issues of Canada - Essay Example Enveloped with a coastline of 202,080 kilometers, extensive wilderness areas, plentiful of minerals, energy, farmland, Canada is a trillion-dollar class affluent society (The World Factbook - Canada, 2009). The Canadian people take immense pride in their national heritage. The two common unifying Canadian values often reported are: multiculturalism and love of nature (Angus, 1997). David Suzuki observes that Canadian people value and take care of their country's natural wealth. In a major academic study at Simon Fraser University which used the data published by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), shows how Canadian Government is failing their own citizens. Writing about Canadian Government, Suzuki states; "we are not living up to our own expectations, let alone the international vision of our great country. Without a clear sustainability plan, and a monitoring system to mark our progress, we risk falling further behind (in preface to Simon Fraser University report, 2005)." The Simon Fraser University (SFU) report gave environmental performance rankings to OECD countries based on average rank on 29 environmental indicators. Canada stood at rank 28 out of 30, with USA and Belgium standing poorer than Canada (2005). It is interesting to note that Canada showed no improvement in rank relative to OECD countries between 1992 and 2002. The report also highlights that Canada's worst performance is on environmental indicators related to: volatile organic compound emissions, carbon monoxide emissions, and generation of nuclear waste. The SFU report also mentions Canada's ranking in environmental performance form other studies such as, the University of Victoria report, 28th rank of 29 in 2001; the Conference Board, 9th rank of 24 in 2004; the Yale Environmental Index, 69th rank of 146 in 2005. Of course the OECD report referenced in SFU study has some glaring methodical failings. For example: Canada ranked 27th in forestry based on its annual per capita harvest of trees, whereas Iceland, which has virtually no trees, ranked first. If the rankings had been based on harvest per hectare of forested area, Canada would have ranked 6th rather than 27th. In pesticide use, Canada ranked 22nd based on its annual per capita consumption, but on a per hectare basis Canada would have ranked fourth. The point of contention is that whilst indicators have a guidance value, in themselves, they may not paint the 'perfect truth value.' As a matter of fact, there are different versions of truth. As Boyd points out, the World Economic Forum's Environmental Sustainability Index, aimed at measuring the long term environmental prospects ranks Canada fourth out of 142 nations (2003). In other words, the versions of truth vary depending upon assumptions made and perspectives of survey. The Canadian Government and industry, for instance, have another story to tell. They claim that Canada has adequate policies and practices in place that has improved Canada's track record as the environment conscience keeper. In particular, recent surveys

Product Evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Product Evaluation - Essay Example good thing about this product is its added features and benefits such as affordability above all, while ensuring quality, availability of spare parts, customer support and more added values. Starting with affordability, other brands such as those from Apple Incorporated, Sony, Acer and others are becoming expensive because of the higher rating they obtained from customers and third parties. In general this is the bottom line of highly influential marketing activity, which is an integral part of creating significant needs for certain product or service offerings – the essence of advertising or promotion (Boone and Kurtz 482). Once these needs are created, it would now become easy to take control of the price on the part of the producers or manufacturers because of their higher or strong market power (Porter 4). This is evident in the case of Apple brands and others which substantially take hold at the top of the competition even though their prices are relatively higher. The case of Dell is different because it tries to create its market share by ensuring affordability while maintaining high value for customer support and availability of spare parts, which would result further to opportunity for long-term usage (Dell Official Site). All of these based on experience could be justifiable and are substantially met by Dell as it continues to cater price-conscious customers who also want to get something more at remarkably cheaper price. Dell is a good brand of choice among customers who are substantially looking forward to cheaper price but would also want to get something more. This is the area where Dell is making out the most of its market opportunity. It continuously seek to cater market segments where the basic criteria they considered is affordability at high level of functionality and including value-added features such as quality, availability of spare parts, and reliable customer support. In other words, Dell has what it takes to have something more

Languages and thoughts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Languages and thoughts - Essay Example To settle an inquisitive novice these terms can be described very plainly. Thought can simply be defined as a mental state of a person at any instant of time. Generally, what best describes languages is a combination of vocabulary and grammar (a set of rules that defines how language can be used properly and meaningfully). This combination does not include phrases and idioms. According to a web dictionary a language can be defined as, â€Å"Any means of conveying or communicating ideas; specifically, human speech; the expression of ideas by the voice; sounds, expressive of thought, articulated by the organs of the throat and mouth.† Hence the narration of thoughts with the help of a language should be â€Å"Speech†. The superficial correlation of language, thought and speech, as mentioned in the text above, lays the ground for a stream of philosophical questions. Like, is there any relationship of interdependency between language and speech? Does a speech always depict the respective thought process or do people use it to conceal their thoughts as well? How does the process of thinking take place in people’s mind and at what stage does it initiate? How does a child learn to make use of languages to narrate thoughts? What is ego-centric or internal thinking? What role do instincts play in an infant’s thought process and narration of thoughts? In order to pursue answers to the above questions the studies of renowned psychologists and philosophers are looked up. Among them Vygotsky’s study is of executive importance. Language is not dependent on anything else but itself. There are various theories to elaborate this. Russian psychologist Vygotsky in his book â€Å"Thought and Language†, emphasizes upon the social nature of a language stating that the environment surrounding a person essentially influences his thoughts. Young children are influenced greatly by their environment and by the input they get from the elders surro unding them. These influences lay the basic principles of thought and learning within children. Vygotsky emphasizes that the skills, values and knowledge imparted to children by their elders are done with the help of languages and social interactions. The words that come out of an elder’s mouth are objects and thoughts of a youngster. Since Vygotsky believes that languages and thoughts are interdependent internally the rational development of a child is dependent upon his language development. Interactions with the environment formulate and polish the inner speech of a child. The inner speech which is the core of all his personality’s thought stream. The development of a toddler can be a perfect example that depicts Vygotsky’s theory. Partial utterance of merely a single word means one whole sentence. The mere sounds of an infant’s goo gaa and pointing and different objects are his initial aptitudes towards expression of his thoughts. Just saying ‘d rink’ could mean that he wants to drink something or could even be saying what another person is drinking. The next step after utterance of a word from is mouth is that he looks at the expressions of the people surrounding him. Their reactions are registered into his stream of thoughts giving him the idea of the nature of his spoken word. He registers and learns when to say the specific word and when not to say it thus, the next time the child utters the very same word with influence of his past experience. At a later stage in the development of thought

Trying to "get tough" on gun crimes, especially through Essay

Trying to "get tough" on gun crimes, especially through mandatory prison sentences, will not reduce gun related crime - Essay Example In 2012 FBI statistics showed that a total of 8855 homicides were caused by firearms and from the total, 6371 were committed using handguns. On the contrary, 40% of the deaths were also attributed to gun related suicides. Last year, gun related violence accumulated to 16,829 (Webster and Jon 76). Usually the gun related violence is common in the poor-urban areas and is mostly linked with gang violence. Majority of the violence is frequently caused by the youths commonly attributed by the males. Several legislations have been instituted at the state, federal and the local level in an effort to prevent gun violence. Gun purchasing restrictions, law enforcement systems, prison sentencing, community-outreach and education programs are some of the many measures to prevent guns possession. Over the past decades the common prison sentencing has not yielded much in the prevention of gun related crimes. The crimes continue to happen even with frequent arrests of the criminals due to their easy acquisition of firearms. The main idea is to stop the gun possession at inception in order to prevent gun related crimes in the nation. Hence, among the strategies to be used will be the use of gun control mechanism to prevent crime (Webster and Jon 34). During the 19th century, firearms violence contributed a big part in the civil disorders for example the Haymarket riots. During this period, the gun related homicide rates in the cities were much lower than in the current times. Between the periods of 1980 and 1990, homicides caused by the use of handguns during this period increased significantly while the usage of other weapons declined proportionately. The firearms homicides were mostly associated with the unemployed male persons who had low incomes. The majority of the offenders include the youths and the African American US citizens where the deaths and injuries numbers tripled in the black

Oil Extraction Essay Example for Free

Oil Extraction Essay When extracting lipids or fats from foods, both the method as well as the solvents chosen to perform a complete, or close to complete extraction are important. If these two elements are not taken into consideration, the extraction may not be complete, or the extract may contain a large quantity of undesired impurities. The natural fats and oil are mixtures of glycerides of fatty acids. Fats and oils are naturally occurring organic compounds which belong to a large group of water insoluble substances called lipids. Lipids are relatively non-polar molecules, they can be pulled out of a sample using relatively non-polar solvents. With a non-polar solvent, only non-polar molecules in the sample dissolve while polar ones do not. A solution to the problem of extracting trapped lipids is to use an extraction procedure such as the soxhlet that will help break up the polar barriers and allow the solvent to reach the non-polar compounds and extract them. In this experiment, soxhlet extraction was used. Soxhlet extraction is an extraction method that uses chemical solvents. Oils from the algae are extracted through repeated washing, or percolation, with an organic solvent such as hexane or petroleum ether, under reflux in a special glassware. Copra, dried kernel of the coconut, was the sample used. Often though, the sample must be ground and prepared prior to the extraction procedure in order to break up the cell membranes and other structures that would make extraction difficult. In this experiment, petroleum ether was used as the solvent due to its low boiling point, relatively non-toxic nature (when compared to chloroform or methanol), and of course because it is quite non-polar. When talking about ether, two kinds can be used in lipid extraction: anhydrous diethyl ether CH3CH2OCH2CH3 and petroleum ether, which is a mixture of pentane (CH3CH2CH2CH2CH3) and hexane (CH3CH2CH2CH2CH2CH3). Petroleum ether is more non-polar, cheaper and less flammable than diethyl ether. Due to its greater non-polarity, petroleum ether will yield a more specific extract than diethyl ether because it will only extract the most polar molecules. However, as petroleum ether may not be able to break apart some of the more polar shells surrounding some lipids and give a near complete lipid extraction, diethyl ether is usually used despite its higher flammability and cost.

The hunting trip Essay Example for Free

The hunting trip Essay Finally, the time was here. It was fall break, and I had nothing to do but sit around and enjoy life. This area was covered with dirt, and no matter how hard I tried, I would get filthy. I couldnt wait to get home to take a nice shower. It was a nice place to sit around and clear my mind. In the middle of September, my mother and I would go to the store to buy tons of food for hunting trip. At last, after being at the store for hours, we would be on our way to meet my dad and my brothers. Hunting trip was the highlight of my year. For five years, we would go to the exact same campsite. At this campsite, the air was fresh, the sun was out, and all I could hear was the beautiful sound of the calm river flowing downstream. Our campsite was setup right next to the clear stream. My brothers and I would always throw rocks and sticks into the river. We loved to watch the huge fish jump far above the water, and dive back in head first. We never stayed in a tent because of all the moisture that the river would give off. In the mornings, when we did stay in the tent, my family and I would wake up feeling drenched with water. We had a new camper that was big enough to fit five people. The trailer was white with a stripe going down the side. It had a huge dining table that turned into a double bed. There was a bunk bed, which also has departments in for different storage. There was a hallway that leads to a king size bed where my parents slept. All of the sheets are dirty from all the dirt that was brought into the trailer. In the mornings, I could feel the moisture of the cold air from the inside of the camper. Every morning, my dad would wake up to go hunting. My nostrils would fill from the luscious smell of the brew from the freshly made coffee that my mom would make for my dad. He would always take my brothers hunting with him. Mom and I called them the three mighty hunters. At about 9:00 every morning, my mom and I would start to cook breakfast for the boys. My favorite breakfast to cook was egg casserole. We would get all of the ingredients together to start off our creation. We never knew what we would put in the dish; we would just start throwing different things in there. The smell of bacon sizzling on the frying pan would make my mouth water. Finally, after finishing the creation of food, we would put it into the oven to cook. While waiting for the boys to get back, I would get a horrifying feeling in my stomach. Did they get something? Did a bear find them? I was always so nervous. I would just sit in front of the campfire waiting impatiently for their return. The sun would gleam on my rosy cheeks as I sat there. Looking at all of the green around me would always bring a smile to my face. There were so many different types, I never had a favorite. I could hear the blissful birds chirping in the blue, clear sky. If I was lucky, the birds would be interrupted by the call of an elk shouting out to the cows. I loved that noise! Every time I heard it, I would go get my mom in the camper so she could hear the large animals call from nature. After hours of waiting for my brothers and my dad, they finally returned to camp. They were filthy with mud from the four-wheeler flicking it up onto their faces. They were usually wet from the moisture of the entire plantation that they would walk into. I could tell that they were tired because they were always out of breath. We would take our breakfast outside, and, as a family, we would sit around the campfire. The lawn chairs that we would sit on were so uncomfortable. They were starting to rip on the bottom. Every time that my dad would get back from a hunt, he would tell the whole hunt from start to finish. Every hunt consisted of, Jonathan needs to learn how to walk quietly. Learn to pick up your feet son. All those two would do was complain. Jonathan would reply, That was Jesse, not me. In the early afternoon, my dad would let me take the four-wheeler out for a spin. I would start up the engine, and hear the loud roar that the machine made. I shifted in high gear, and was on my way for an adventure. I would drive about 33 mph, just enough for the chilly wind to blow through my hair. Every so often, a bug would hit my face; I hated that feeling. It felt as if a tiny pebble whacked me on my cheek. As I drove, I couldnt believe the gorgeous forest scene that laid directly in front of me. As I looked in the trees, I could see horns from a buck, and his doe wondering around him. I knew that I had to get back because my dad needed to start his afternoon hunt. When I got back, my dad, surprisingly, asked me to come along instead of the boys. I was hesitant at first, but I knew that if I went, I could see a lot of different parts of nature. I put on a camouflage suit, and covered my face with dark paint. My stomach was tangled in knots. I was so excited to be a part of hunting. A lot of girls dont hunt, but I wanted to be one of the few that did. I wanted to learn all of the techniques of hunting from my dad. We started off toward the top of the mountain on the four wheeler. My dad said that there were big elk on the top. After a few miles, we got off the four wheeler, and started walking into the deep, dark forest. The sun was starting to set, and the breeze was getting more frigid. I had two long sleeve shirts on and a huge jacket to keep me warm. Fifteen minutes into the walk, I heard a loud bugle directly in front of us. It sounded as if a monster was growling. By the noise, I knew that this animal had to be huge. My dad called back with his cow call. It was a high pitch grunt. The elk instantly bugled back. My dad and I were both so nervous. As we looked harder and harder into the woods, we could barely see the animal. My dad took his binoculars from his backpack, and gave me them so I could see what he really looked like. His horns were the biggest things I have ever seen. They had a dark brown base, with off-white tips. His body was a tan color with dark brown around his neck. He would stick his horns by a tree, and start scratching at it as if he was trying to sharpen them. His eyes looked so clueless and clear. I think that he was hesitant because he was still thinking about the cow call. A few minutes later, the elk slowly walked back into the forest. My dad said that it was getting too dark to shoot anything, so we had to head back to campsite. When we got back, I couldnt wait to tell my mom what I had seen. I screamed and yelled in excitement. I kept stumbling over my words, trying to tell too many things at once. As soon as I started making more sense, my moms face looked flourished by all of the thrilling news. I still couldnt believe that I actually saw that magnificent animal. As the night went on, that one moment kept racing through my mind. That night, we cooked hotdogs on the end of a stick, and stuck them in the flaming fire. My face was burning from the scalding fire. It was pitch black outside, and I could hear the little crickets start to sing their pleasant tunes. While we were all eating a delicious dinner, my dad tried to scare us by telling a frightening story. It never worked for me! He would go off about big foot and how he was over twelve feet tall. My brothers were still pretty young, so look in their eyes looked like they were both terrified. During his story, I just looked around the campsite. I couldnt see anything but the bright, full moon beaming above us. The stars were cluttered in all different formations. It was exquisite! After spending about five days on a hunting trip, I knew why I loved it so much. Even though I would get filthy from all of the dirt, I still loved it. At this certain place, I could get away from everything that was bad in my life, or even take a break from the pressure of school and sports. Here, I could hang out with my family without thinking about cleaning the house to make my mom happy, or feeding the dogs so my dad didnt have to do it. At this specific location, my family and I forgot about the stress from work or school, and just had the best time of our lives. That is why this place was, and will always be, the most important to me.

From a social psychological point of view

From a social psychological point of view Group behaviour (how the individual affects a group and vice-versa) has been widely studied in social psychology but has been hard to theorise (Brown, 2007). Within social psychology there are many social psychological perspectives that have used different theoretical frameworks to study group behaviour. Although each perspective is in agreement that social categorisation (the way an individual and others are classified part of the same or different social groups) and social identity (the way that being part of a social group can give individuals a sense of self) are important in group membership (Phoenix, 2007), the way they are both treated in each perspective varies. This essay will show this by using the cognitive social perspective (namely the social identity theory-SIT) and the critical discursive perspective and explain their ontological assumptions and different approaches to social categorisation and social identity. This essay will argue that from a social psychological poi nt of view, group membership is not primarily a cognitive matter. It will also argue that social and individual sides of group membership should not be seen as dichotomies but as interactive, dynamic and influenced by power relations. The cognitive social approach has an ontological assumption that people are information processing individuals (Hollway, 2007) whose thought processes are shaped by and create the world that they live in (The Open University, DVD 1, 2007). There are many different traditions within this approach, although this essay will concentrate on the social identity tradition. The social identity tradition was designed to break away from previous cognitive miser traditions of the approach that assumed that the social was just something that affected the individual (Brown, 2007). Although it shared the same ontological assumption as the cognitive miser tradition and assumed that individuals had limited and fixed cognitive mechanisms (Dixon, 2007), it also differed from it because it saw individuals as socialised thinkers where group membership played a part in structuring the individuals thoughts (The Open University, DVD 1 2007). The social identity tradition led Tajfel and Turner (1979, cited in Brown, 2007) to develop the social identity theory (SIT). SIT attempted to use a combined social and cognitive approach to studying inter-group relations; it saw the social as more than just something that affects individuals. It attempted to find out how people identified with groups and how this affected their judgements (Brown, 2007). SIT explained how group membership and inter-group relations are based on self categorisation, social comparison and the construction of a shared self definition (Brown, 2007). SIT is currently one of the leading theories in group processes; although this has led to power relations where group identification is still seen as mostly a cognitive process. The focus on cognitive mechanisms also stresses that group processes are still seen as individualistic and so misses out a lot of the influence that society has on the individual or group. In contrast to SIT, the critical discursive perspective argues that discourse and social practices are what make up an individual and their social world; individuals are seen as socially constructed, continent and situated (The Open University, DVD 1, 2007). Unlike SIT that studies how cognitive mechanisms allow an individual to identify with a group; the critical discursive perspective looks at how groups and group identities are created by the individual through discourse and the different ways that these groups are dynamic, flexible and changeable. Categorisation is therefore seen as an active and out there rather than a process that is internal (Brown, 2007). Akin to the cognitive social perspective, there are different approaches in the critical discursive perspective, for example, some researchers accept the reality of given categories (Billig, 2002, cited in Brown, 2007) whilst others argue that categories are socially constructed (Potter and Reicher, 1987, cited in Phoenix, 2 007). Power relations also blight the critical discursive perspective as discourses can be interpreted differently and each discourse available within each culture is politically and ideologically constructed. But, the critical discursive perspective does go beyond the individual-society dualism to look at how the individual and social come together to construct groups. SIT and the critical discursive perspective see categorisation and group membership differently. SIT sees categorisation and group membership as distorted and individualistic. It was developed from Tajfels (1957, cited in Brown, 2007) early coin experiments which led him to conclude that by combining a continuous dimension of judgement (coin value) with a clear-cut category dimension (size difference) would resulted in a cognitive bias and therefore a faulty judgement within and between the categories. Tajfel (1959, cited in Brown, 2007) saw that this bias could be used to explain how individuals perceive others using cognitive variables, like intelligence, for the continuous dimension of judgement and social variables, like nationality, for the clear-cut category dimension. Like the coins, Tajfel (1959, cited in Brown, 2007) hypothesised that individuals would stereotype group members and exaggerate inter-group differences. Tajfel and Turner (1970, cited in Brown, 2007) undertook some minimal group experiments to test this hypothesis. These experiments were purely cognitive; there was no reason for the groups to dislike or be competitive towards each other and therefore this shows how the cognitive bias and distortion can occur. The groups were formed by dividing participants according to a random preference. Participants were asked to distribute money to one of two participants; they only knew of each others group membership. Like hypothesised, the participants tended to reward people who belong to the same group as themselves at the expense of those who belong to the rival group, even if this was at the expense of maximising their own groups profit. So, in SIT individuals categorise themselves and others into groups then identify with the groups that heighten their self esteem and then compare their group with other groups by contrasting the good things about their group to the bad things about the other groups (Brown, 2007). Tajfel and Turner (1969, cited in Brown, 2007) argued that if an individual identifies themselves as being part of a category and consider themselves as part of that category then they are part of that category. But, biases are inevitable in SIT because the categories an individual uses serve a purpose (to preserve self esteem). As the categories used in SIT are social, this means that where the individual lives can affect their categorisation mechanisms (Brown, 2007). For example, to heighten the individuals self esteem, the group the individual sees him/herself as having membership to have to select a relevant out-group to compare itself favourably with. The selection of this out-group depends on what is important to the society that the individual is living in at the time (Brown, 2007). Therefore group membership is created by categorisation, a cognitive mechanism, and the social merely interacts with this mechanism. So therefore SIT emphasises individual, internal processes of group membership and how group membership occurs is primarily a cognitive matter. The critical discursive perspective, however, sees categorisation and group membership as more as something individuals do through language in everyday interaction. This can be seen in the way that social categories are constructed in discourse, for example, Potter and Reicher (1987, cited in Phoenix, 2007) undertook discourse research using communities. They used the social categorisation theory as a basis for their research which argued that if an individual perceived themselves to be part of a group, they behaved as a stereotypical member of the group when with the group; their personality shifted from an individual emphasis to a social emphasis which would be reflected in their discourse. Potter and Reicher (1987, cited in Phoenix, 2007) analysed discourses of community that circulated after the St Pauls riot in Bristol in the 1980s and saw that and saw that many different discourses were given of the same event; they called these different versions community repertoires. In these different community repertoires they saw that the use of the term community and who was a member of this group was very fluid, inconsistent and flexible. The same account could construct the term community in different ways, for example, the police could be constructed as being part of the community (which makes the riot an intra-group conflict) or the police could be seen as outside of the community (which makes the riot an inter-group conflict). The community could also be seen as a reference to things like lifestyle or the local residents or even as another term for the black community (Potter and Reicher, 1987, cited in Phoenix, 2007). This approach sees groups in terms of individual and social relationships which move away from the individual-social dichotomies of the cognitive social approaches. Therefore group membership is created by discourse which is not a cognitive mechanism, so groups are constructed. So therefore the critical discursive perspective emphasises external, individual and societal processes of group membership and so how group membership occurs is not a cognitive matter. How SIT and the critical discursive perspective study prejudice can expand on how they each view group processes, how they see the individual and society and how they see power relations within group processes. SIT argues that categorisation encourages individuals to see the good in their in-group and compare it to the bad in the out-group which leads people to prejudiced thinking (Dixon, 2007). SIT recognises that there are social aspects of inter-group processes, like assimilation, but at the heart of SIT are the cognitive aspects of group processes (Tajfel and Turner, 1979). SIT suggests that individualistic cognitive mechanisms are the cause of prejudice and inter-group processes. Power relations also occur with SIT as its dominance may have affected how inter-group relations are viewed. The critical discursive perspective, however, argues that how individuals talk about groups and construct group identities is a better way to view the different ways that individuals categorise e ach day (Brown, 2007; DD307 Course Team, 2007). The critical discursive perspective takes into account how an individual uses discourses and how society is involved in inter-group processes (DD303 Course Team, 2007). The critical discursive perspective argues that how an individual makes sense of their reality is affected by their culturally available linguistic resources (Potter and Wetherell, 1987, cited in Dixon, 2007). In this approach, individuals can only categorise and form prejudice because their society shares a language which enables them to construct identities and social relations (Dixon, 2007). Power relations are created in this approach depending on the discourses used by individuals and groups to construct a reality that is of best interest to them (Cooper and Kaye, 2007). This approach does not believe that stereotypes are caused by cognitive mechanisms (Hamilton and Troiler. 1986, cited in Dixon, 2007) they believe that collective belief systems causes the conflicts seen between groups (Eidelson and Eidelson, 200 3, cited in Dixon, 2007). Billig (2002, cited in Brown, 2007) moved from SIT to the critical discursive perspective and began to find limitations within SIT. For example, he saw that SIT assumed that categories that individual used to self categorise were fixed, stable and universal, whereas he argued that the categories used in SIT for prejudice were culturally determined, active, flexible, dynamic and constructed through language so cannot be explained in terms of psychological processes. SIT also assumes that the way individuals identify with groups is to help their self esteem when Billig (2002, cited in Brown, 2007) argued that this could not provide an explanation of extreme hate or the motivation for violence, hate or bigotry. But there have also been criticisms with the critical discursive perspective approach to groups, for example, Dixon (2007) noted that it neglects emotion and cognition in favour of language details, this does not make sense to psychology which is about the mind. It would also be difficult to believe that strongly felt emotions are only social constructions through interaction with others via language. The critical social perspective also does not explain how new groups are formed, for example, Emos, nor can they explain social change. There must also be a cognitive process that produces discourse as that is where meaning comes from; it cannot only come from external discourse. SIT (representing cognitive social psychology) and critical discursive perspective have shown the extent to which group membership can be seen as primarily a cognitive matter from a social psychological point of view. SIT seems to rely on inner cognitive mechanisms for group membership whereas the critical discursive perspective seems to rely on outer constructions. As SIT suggests, the cognitive mechanisms of group membership seem to be important for understanding the world, although like the critical discursive perspective suggests, how categories are constructed using discourse processes are important for this understanding too. So therefore, from a social psychological point of view group membership is not primarily a cognitive matter, but instead group membership can be seen as both a combined cognitive and social matter. This essay has also shown that social and individual sides of group membership should not be seen as dichotomies but as dynamic, interactive and influenced by power relations. Word Count: 2157 (excluding title). Brown, S. D. (2007) Intergroup processes: Social Identity Theory in Langdridge, D. and Taylor, S. (2007) (eds) Critical readings in Social Psychology. Milton Keynes: The Open University Press. DD307 Course Team (2007) DD307 Project Booklet in Horton-Salway, M. (2007) (ed), Social Psychology: Critical Perspectives on Self and Others, Milton Keynes: The Open University Press. Dixon, J. (2007) Prejudice, conflict and conflict reduction in Hollway, W., Lucy, H. and Phoenix, A. (2007) (eds) Social Psychology Matters. Milton Keynes: The Open University Press. Hollway, W, (2007) Social psychology: past and present, in Hollway, W., Lucy, H. and Phoenix, A. (2007) (eds) Social Psychology Matters. Milton Keynes: The Open University Press. Phoenix, A. (2007) Intragroup processes: entitativity in Langfridge, D. and Taylor, S. (2007) eds Critical readings in Social Psychology. Milton Keynes: The Open University Press. The Open University (2007) in Social Psychology: Critical Perspectives on Self and Others, DVD 1, DD307 (2007), The Open University.

Essay --

In globalization, there are many certain forms of activism to tackle certain issues. Whether it’s using a form of activism to accomplish something as small as receiving someone’s stolen cell phone, protesting and standing up for African American freedom rights or taking down an authoritarian regime, it all takes some sort of activism to promote, establish, and accomplish change. Some forms of activism are far more affective than others. In terms of political and social change, strong-tied high-risk activism is far more affective than weak-tied social-media activism (Gladwell, 2010). To be effective in accomplishing political and social change, people need to have some sort of personal interconnectedness to a movement (Gladwell, 2010, p. 44). In the recitation reading of Gladwell’s story, personal connections and relations gave courage to four African American students to demand and raise awareness for freedom and equality rights and to start the Freedom Summer Sit-In movement with success (Gladwell, 2010, p. 45). To properly tackle political and social change, you also need some sort of organization and strong hierarchal power to stand behind your movement. A good example of this in Gladwells story is when he uses Al Qaeda as an example. According to Gladwell (2010), â€Å"Al Qaeda was most dangerous when it was a unified hierarchy. Now that it has dissipated into a network, it has proved far less effective† (p. 48). Having a hierarchal power behind your movement also puts a face on a movement and reminds you what you are standing up for. Social media activism lacks the basic components of what is needed to make real political and social movements such as individual’s not being directly involved or affected. â€Å"Social networks are effect... ... freedom and openness and inequalities compared globally to the rest of the world. They are now pushing for change, equality, freedom, and striving for the same privileges and rights that most successful developed and developing countries have already established. Some forms of activism are better than others at tackling certain issues. High-risk activism opposed to social-media activism, is far more effective and well suited in successfully accomplishing high-scale and high-risk global equality issues. Demanding race equality, taking down and building authoritarian regimes, demanding for constitutional revisions, and raising awareness have greater chances of success if approached in a high-risk activism approach. Social-media is more of an awareness approach, but once awareness is raised, then it takes a higher and riskier activism to see the whole thing through.

SLEEP APNEA Essay -- essays research papers

SLEEP APNEA What is Sleep Apnea? The Greek word "apnea" literally means "without breath." There are three types of sleep apnea: obstructive, central, and mixed; of the three, Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is the most common. Despite the difference in the root cause of each type, in all three, people with untreated sleep apnea stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep, sometimes hundreds of times during the night and often for a minute or longer. Obstructive sleep apnea is caused by a blockage of the airway, usually when the soft tissue in the rear of the throat collapses and closes during sleep. In central sleep apnea, the airway is not blocked but the brain fails to signal the muscles to breathe. Mixed sleep apnea is a combination of the two. With each apnea event, the brain briefly awakes sleep apnea victims from sleep in order for them to resume breathing, therefore sleep is extremely fragmented and of poor quality. Sleep apnea is very common and affects more than twelve million Americans. Risk factors include being male, overweight, and over the age of forty, but sleep apnea can strike anyone at any age, even children. Yet still because of the lack of awareness by the public and healthcare professionals, the vast majority remain undiagnosed and therefore untreated, despite the fact that this serious disorder can have significant consequences. Untreated, sleep apnea can cause high blood pressure and other cardiovascular diseases, memory problems, weight gain, impotency, and headaches. Moreover, untreated sleep apnea may be responsible for job impairment and motor vehicle crashes. Fortunately, sleep apnea can be diagnosed and treated. Several treatment options exist, and research into additional options continues. How is Sleep Apnea treated? There is currently no proven drug therapy for sleep apnea. However, there are 4 basic approaches to treatment, which are not mutually exclusive: 1. Modification of circumstances which may be causing sleep apnea or making it worse. This would include weight loss, avoidance of alcohol and sedative drugs, trying to sleep only on your side and stopping smoking. It would also help to improve nasal breathing if this problem exists; sometimes this can be done with some simple medication and occasionally it requires an operation. Finally it is important to avoid sleep deprivation. 2. Use Contin... ...y and which therapy in particular. The Evaluation Process An evaluation at the Sleep Disorders Center begins with an initial consultation with the director of the Center. In many instances, one visit is sufficient for a diagnosis to be made and a treatment plan formulated. For some patients, however, more extensive testing is required. If an all-night sleep study is required, it is performed at our laboratory in The Presbyterian Hospital /Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. The all-night sleep study is a safe and completely painless technique by which physiological functions in sleep are measured. Patients spend one or more nights in a private and comfortable laboratory during which a series of measurements are taken with sophisticated monitoring devices. Patients arrive at the laboratory in the evening and leave the following morning; it is usually not necessary to miss a day of work. In the course of your night at the sleep laboratory, over 1000 pages of data are collected, along with a complete video-tape record. This data is thoroughly reviewed by our expert staff and when necessary, by additional consultants. A detailed final report is usually ready within one week.

Some Cannot Forget :: essays research papers

The Vietnam War Purpose: To illustrate my view on the Vietnam War. Audience: Anyone with an interest in the Vietnam War. Some Can't Forget I awaken and bolt upright in bed, my heart racing and sweat beginning to bead on my forehead. My chest heaving with ragged breaths, I try to figure out what startled me out of sleep. Then I hear it: The terrified scream of my father piercing through the eerie silence. My heart skips a beat and I shuffle my feet under the covers, letting them fall off the bed and land on the carpet. I start to push myself up, but then hear my mom's voice slowly drift down the hall as she tries to awaken and comfort my father. "It's okay. You're home. You're okay. It's over." A sigh escapes my lips and I lay back in bed, pull the covers to my neck, and desperately hope to fall back asleep. Another nightmare of the Vietnam War. I could never in my wildest dreams even begin to imagine having to experience something with such controversy and horror. But my father was there and it is still with him today, almost thirty years later. As most people know, there was an extreme amount of debate over the Vietnam War. There were protesters in the streets and marching on the White House lawn, preaching about peace and civil rights. Young men were fleeing to Canada to escape the draft, while others freely volunteered to join the service. Even though the war was in Vietnam, the fighting spirit could be found all over in the cities of the United States. I understand the opposition to the war, because technically it wasn't even our fight. It was, after all, within the country of Vietnam. But the reason we intervened was because the South Vietnamese government asked us to fight the communism that was trying to take them over. While most people knew this, I don't think they fully understood it or even cared. All they knew was that people they loved were being sent off to a foreign country to die. One thing that I really don't understand is the way that the Vietnam veterans were treated after they returned home. These soldiers were fighting for our country, doing their duty to serve and protect. They were not the ones who started the war, so why should they be blamed for it?

My Best Friends

Leah YoungYoung 1 2/14/13 Essay#2 English 101 My Best Friends There’s really no great way to start my story other than with the truth. I was 31 and living in a tiny apartment in one of the worst neighborhoods in Louisville. I was on my second divorce and third abusive relationship. Between me making excuses for bruises and the women my then husband was seeing while I was working, life for me was a sad one. I woke up one morning and decided I had to leave. I packed all I could, filed an EPO and waited for him to be served. I then moved my family into my cousin’s house while still paying rent on my apartment.It took an entire month to go back to my apartment. I’ll never forget that feeling while walking back to my apartment for the first time. I felt the heat as if there was a knife at my back as I walked down that sidewalk, as if someone was staring me down. Every time I heard something that fear would set in, and believe me fear itself is a powerful thing. At thi s point I had no companionship and I knew I needed it. I had all I needed otherwise, I had my own place, my kids and had found Jesus. I wanted companionship, unconditional love but had no interest in dating being the market for a quality man was small.Besides I was nowhere close to being ready for a relationship, so I decided I would get a dog. I got online and posted to my friends if they knew anyone that had a small dog that needed a good home. An adoption agency was suggested so I started browsing. I applied for a few but they were already taken and Young 2 the only one that was available I didn’t think anyone would adopt. Another friend of mine gave me the number to a temporary rescue for dogs. I called them and she said there was a small dog that was going to be put down if no one adopted him, so I agreed to pick him up the next morning.I had no idea what he looked like, only that his name was Biscuit. The next day I went to the rescue and there he was the dog I said â⠂¬Å"no one would adopt†. Everyone wanted a full breed so they were adopted quickly leaving Biscuit, â€Å"The Ugly Duckling†. When I first saw him I chuckled seeing his funny build. He is one half Dachshund (wiener dog) and half Chihuahua, both breeds love to bark. He had his ears perked up looking like satellites, his eyes matched his coat, his legs are short and stocky, long body and his face is a cross of both breeds, he is called a Chiweenie.As I watched Biscuit playing with the other dogs, I just fell in love. After I played with him for 30 minutes, watched him drag toys out to share with his pals and the wagging of his tail when I first picked him up. It was then decided that he was a perfect fit for me being the oddball, so I brought him home and that night he jumped right in the bed and snuggled with me under the blankets. (Biscuit, age unknown 2012) Young 3 After a week with Biscuit I felt that unconditional love I’ve needed for years, filling that void in my life. I went and saved his precious life, and he made mine a happier one.His unconditional love makes my quality of life far better than what it was. I was now happy in my little apartment. This was the first time I was just me and had to learn who I was again. Having Biscuit in my life helped me in doing so. Taking him for walks gave me time to think about what I wanted to get out of life. I thought to myself, there has to be more than this. I want to have a nice home, go back to school and live a happy life alone or not. I didn’t need a companion, none other than my dog and my family. One cold day in January it was snowing and couldn’t be more than 15 degrees outside.Biscuit needed to go out, so I put our coats on and took him for a stroll. While walking him I heard a whimpering noise and started looking around. After about five minutes, I saw this little Chihuahua with ice on her ears and could see her ribs as she shivered in the freezing cold. I called for he r and she ran to me, so I put her little body inside my coat and took her home. I put out notice of dog found and decided if no one claimed her within a month, I would keep her. My daughter fell in love and named her Princess. Princess immediately took to our family as if she belonged.Within weeks, I had her back to health. She’s a short haired, light brown Chihuahua and by far the cutest thing I’d ever seen. Her temperament is so loveable and offers love to anyone whether they want it or not. She’ll wear clothes, play, does cute dances when I come home and on a funny note stuffed elephants are boyfriends to her. A month went by and no one claimed her. By this time, we had bonded and I had two dogs to cuddle up next to me. Needless to say I’ve spoiled them rotten. Princess became my second best friend. My little Chihuahua has made a huge impact Young 4 on our family.Her love is so genuine and comforting, there’s just nothing like it. I have fallen in love with her and treat her and Biscuit as if they are my kids. Both of them help comfort us when we have rough days. I believe in fate and don’t think it was by chance that these two dogs entered our lives. We all suffered some form of abuse. Biscuit came from a puppy mill being locked in a cage, Princess was left freezing and may have died had I not found her, and my kids and I suffered from abuse and broken homes. I believe we needed each other and it’s a match made in heaven. (Princess 2012, age unknown)Together these two dogs and my family have been through so much. They have bonded as well and do make life easier to deal with. When I’m sick and laying in bed they seem to know. They always greet me with wagging tails and a toy ready to play as I walk in the door. When I was faced with the possiblility that I may have to find my babies a new home, it broke my heart. I had to flee our apartment for safety reasons and save for a new place, I had no where to keep my dogs. My family stepped up and my cousin allowed Princess to stay with me at her house, while my brother allowed Biscuit to live with him.The bond I have with my dogs is different from one I have with a Young 5 human companion. My dogs don’t judge me, they love me no matter what and always are happy to see me. Leaving the apartment turned out to be a blessing. I had to save for several months and live in an apartment with a total of nine people. I took on different roles in the house to do my part. Going from my own three bedroom apartment to a twin size bed I shared with Princess on the floor and everything I own locked in a storage unit, was very hard. I had to be humble and prayed every night just to get me through.After I had saved enough money, I started searching for a new home. It took four long months to save enough money to move. I had been searching for a home that was big enough so that every child would have their own room, an office for me and a basement with a fenced back yard for the dogs that I could afford. If I hadn’t started looking when I did, I may never have fell in love with my third best friend, Will. He has been a friend of the family for many years, but I hadn’t gotten to know him well, I only heard so many good things about him. It was at the hospital when his neice Kendra was born when we first had met.I thought then he may have been interested just by the way he looked at me and the way I felt when he hugged me for the first time. It had been over a year and a half since I actually felt anything for anyone. It took a year of off and on meetings and it wasn’t until his neice’s first birthday that the connection was established. He kept making eye contact with me and conversation that kept me smiling from ear to ear. I got that warm feeling inside I had hoped to feel someday. At that point I let go and put him in God’s hands, I let God decide if it were meant to be.Two weeks had went past since the birthday party and just by chance or act of God we happened to run into each other at the store. We had a good conversation I Young 6 thought wouldn’t end, nor did I want it to. The way he looked at me with those eyes of kindness, want and the feeling of my heart thumping as every word left his mouth, it was then I knew my feelings were valid and it just may be meant to happen. I had mentioned that I would be moving in a few weeks and ask if maybe he could help since he had a truck, of course he agreed. I finally found my current house that fit all my needs and turned out to be in his neighborhood.I didn’t have Will’s phone number and needed help moving. The only way to get was to go to his house, I knew that’s what I had to do. I’ve never been so nervous in all my life as I pulled down his street and thought I was gonna to hurl walking up those steps to his door. As I knocked, my heart was in my throat. He answered the door and gre eted me with his smile I had missed and thought about for weeks. He gladly gave me his number and said to call when I was ready. I called him and we set a time for him to move my things. As he pulled in to pick me up, my heart was pounding and I had butterflies in my stomach.We had good conversation on the way to the storage and after all was done, he decided to take me on a tour of the neighborhood showing me all the ends and outs. I thought, well I won’t get lost when walking Biscuit and Princess. When he finally took me home, I was a little sad because I didn’t want the night to end. However, he did get to meet my dogs and their opinion mattered a great deal. They are loyal and have been here far before he exsisted to me and they liked him. Turns out he left his dolly there so I knew he had to come back to get it, and that he did.My heart fluttered as he got his things, that night I took a shot and ask if it would be okay if I called him. Later that night we talked for at least an hour, laughing and enjoying good conversation as I sat on my porch with my dogs cuddled beside me. The next night he came over to set up my washer and dryer. I ask if he wanted to Young 7 watch a movie and as we watched Daredevil, he leaned over and kissed me for the first time. It was the most amazing feeling I had ever felt. Right then I felt that he was the one I had been waiting for so long. He called the next afternoon and ask me out on our first real date. Our date was to little pizza place and I love pizza! The conversation and date went so well, we decided to make a weekend of it. We’ve seen each other almost everyday for the past year and a half since our first kiss. On November 23, 2012 he ask me to be his wife and I happily accepted his proposal. We’ve become best friends that love each other unconditional the way my dogs love me. No matter what it is, I know I can talk to him and not risk judgement. We have so many similar interest and have fun doing nothing at all. The future is untold as life brings about changes, but I believe I have found my best friends that I will love the rest of my life. Will and I at Van Halen concert, 2012) I’ve been down a long, broken road that lead me to some of the happiest times and saddest times in my life. For once, I now feel complete and found three best Young 8 friends that will give me a lifetime of memories. I know that through ups and downs they will be there for as long as God allows. I was once a broken woman struggling through illness, loss of loved ones, hopelessness and lived a sad, lonely life. Through prayer, patience, self disipline and a few best friends I’m now a happy woman that has gained a new family, a true love and best friends I’ll love forever.

Financial analysis report

Letter of internal control from external auditors 5. Minutes of board meetings 3. Energy sector analysis Energy is considered to be the lifeline of economic development. For a developing economy with a high population growth rate, it is important to keep a balance between energy supply and emerging needs. If corrective measures are not effectively anticipated significant constraints start emerging for development activities. The rise in global energy demand has raised questions regarding energy security and increased the focus on diversification, generation and efficient allocation.The answer lies in the attainment of optimal energy mix through fuel substitution by promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy and interregional co-operation. However, oil and natural gas will continue to be the world's top two energy sources through 2040. Pakistanis economy has been growing at an average growth rate of almost 3 percent for the last four years and demand of energy both at production and consumer end is increasing rapidly. Pakistanis total energy consumption stood at 38. Million tones of oil equivalent in 2010-11. The relative importance of the various sources Of energy consumption of Liquid Petroleum Gas (LAP), electricity and coal has been broadly similar since 2005-06. The share of gas consumption stood at the highest equal to 43. Percent of the total energy mix of the country, followed by oil (29. 0 percent). 3. 1 crude Oil The total supply of crude oil for the fiscal year 2010-11 was 75. 3 million barrels. The 68. 1 percent was imported and 31. 9 percent was locally extracted. 3. Natural Gas The consumption of increasing natural gas is rapidly. As on December 31st 201 1, the balance recoverable natural gas reserves have been estimated at 24. 001 Trillion Cubic Feet. The average production of natural gas during July- March 2011-12 was 4236. 06 million cubic feet per day (Emcee) as against 4050. 64 (Emcee) during the corresponding period of last year, showin g an increase Of 4. 57 percent. Natural gas is used in general industry to prepare consumer items, to produce cement and to generate electricity.In the form of CNN, it is used in transport sector and most importantly to manufacture fertilizer to boost the agricultural sector. Currently 27 private and public sector companies are engaged in oil and gas exploration & production activities. 3. 3 Liquefied Petroleum Gas-LAP LAP currently contributes only 0. 5 percent to the total primary energy supply in the country. However, 87 percent of its demand is met through local production. The rest is imported. This lower share is mainly due to local apply constraints and the higher price of LAP in relation to competing fuels like fuel wood, dung etc.Currently, in Pakistan, out of 27 million households, approximately 6 million are connected to the natural gas network while the rest are relying on LAP and conventional fuels such as coal, firewood, kerosene, biomass etc. LAP has thus become a pop ular domestic fuel for those who live in areas where the natural gas infrastructure does not exist. The annual total supply of LAP remained 467,476 tones; 1 , 281 tones were produced daily during 201 2, out of this 46 percent is produced in the private sector while 54 percent is produced in the public sector. Financial analysis report Letter of internal control from external auditors 5. Minutes of board meetings 3. Energy sector analysis Energy is considered to be the lifeline of economic development. For a developing economy with a high population growth rate, it is important to keep a balance between energy supply and emerging needs. If corrective measures are not effectively anticipated significant constraints start emerging for development activities. The rise in global energy demand has raised questions regarding energy security and increased the focus on diversification, generation and efficient allocation.The answer lies in the attainment of optimal energy mix through fuel substitution by promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy and interregional co-operation. However, oil and natural gas will continue to be the world's top two energy sources through 2040. Pakistanis economy has been growing at an average growth rate of almost 3 percent for the last four years and demand of energy both at production and consumer end is increasing rapidly. Pakistanis total energy consumption stood at 38. Million tones of oil equivalent in 2010-11. The relative importance of the various sources Of energy consumption of Liquid Petroleum Gas (LAP), electricity and coal has been broadly similar since 2005-06. The share of gas consumption stood at the highest equal to 43. Percent of the total energy mix of the country, followed by oil (29. 0 percent). 3. 1 crude Oil The total supply of crude oil for the fiscal year 2010-11 was 75. 3 million barrels. The 68. 1 percent was imported and 31. 9 percent was locally extracted. 3. Natural Gas The consumption of increasing natural gas is rapidly. As on December 31st 201 1, the balance recoverable natural gas reserves have been estimated at 24. 001 Trillion Cubic Feet. The average production of natural gas during July- March 2011-12 was 4236. 06 million cubic feet per day (Emcee) as against 4050. 64 (Emcee) during the corresponding period of last year, showin g an increase Of 4. 57 percent. Natural gas is used in general industry to prepare consumer items, to produce cement and to generate electricity.In the form of CNN, it is used in transport sector and most importantly to manufacture fertilizer to boost the agricultural sector. Currently 27 private and public sector companies are engaged in oil and gas exploration & production activities. 3. 3 Liquefied Petroleum Gas-LAP LAP currently contributes only 0. 5 percent to the total primary energy supply in the country. However, 87 percent of its demand is met through local production. The rest is imported. This lower share is mainly due to local apply constraints and the higher price of LAP in relation to competing fuels like fuel wood, dung etc.Currently, in Pakistan, out of 27 million households, approximately 6 million are connected to the natural gas network while the rest are relying on LAP and conventional fuels such as coal, firewood, kerosene, biomass etc. LAP has thus become a pop ular domestic fuel for those who live in areas where the natural gas infrastructure does not exist. The annual total supply of LAP remained 467,476 tones; 1 , 281 tones were produced daily during 201 2, out of this 46 percent is produced in the private sector while 54 percent is produced in the public sector.

Dominican and Italian

Jonathan D. Iulo October 27, 2010 Topic: Comparison Essays My Italian and Dominican families English 105 I come from two different backgrounds which are very similar but different. I chose to write my comparison essay about the Dominican culture which comes from my mother’s side and the Italian culture which is my father’s. Comparing and showing the similarities of both cultures is very interesting since I grew up with both in the house. Both cultures try to keep most of their homeland tradition here in the United States.These include religion, morals and values, customs, language, music, and food. The Italians and the Dominicans are family oriented. The male role such as the father is being the care taker financially and plays an important role in decision making in the house. The men in both cultures are the protectors. Many men in both cultures are said to be jealous, which probably comes from being over protective. They tend to be overprotective of their wifeâ€℠¢s and their daughters. The men is perceived to be the† Macho† in the family and the women are more of a â€Å"delicate† symbol.In both cultures, it is more acceptable for a man to have more than one girlfriend than for a woman. The female role such as the mother is the care giver, the one that soothes you when you are in need and the one that cooks. Women are the ones that hold the family together specially the mother and grandmother. Everyone comes to them for guidance. Women are supposed to preserve themselves for one man, although that is changing. The family always gets together on weekends and holidays. The family is very important and both love to eat.Even though Italians love pasta and Dominicans love their rice and beans; they have the coffee in common. They can drink coffee at breakfast, lunch, and dinner and it’s usually espresso. Both cultures also enjoy bread. They eat bread with coffee, chocolate milk, and food in general. Italians and Dominic ans love gardening. Italians like to produce their own fresh vegetables like zucchini, eggplants, and tomatoes. Dominicans like to plant flowers of many kinds, as well as peppers and cilantro, like my mom.There is a great respect for the mother and the elders. The mothers are the ones that mainly guide you spiritually and you need their approval when it comes to relationships. They both want their children to have an Italian or a Dominican as a future wife or husband. The elders are the keepers of history memories and are the root of the family. The grandparents are usually the ones teaching you the native language, in this case Spanish and Italian. Most Italians and Dominicans are catholic and religion plays an important part in their lives.The special religious events, seasons, and the church in the community are part of the cultural traditions. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter traditions are very special events to both Dominicans and Italians. During these religious holidays t he immediate and extended families get together for church and home festivities. The families enjoy the prayers, food, and music together. Both cultures are very similar and I believe this is one of the reasons my parents and the family get along well and I enjoy being part of both worlds.

Recount Mother’s Day

Yesterday was indeed a very busy and special day for our family. It has been a family tradition to celebrate Mother’s day with the entire family and with each one of us excitedly prepared with a gift and a letter for our Mum. Dad led the different activities lined up for the day. Everyone actively participated and contributed, which made the celebration truly meaningful and memorable. We made sure we have shown our love, appreciation and gratefulness to the one woman who painstakingly brought us in this world and nurtured us with unconditional love, guidance, and undying support. Mum was still asleep when we scattered our gifts and letters cut out in different colours, shapes, and sizes by her bedside early in the morning. We then prepared breakfast consisted of steamed rice, fried eggs and sauteed tuna and bread. We squeezed fresh oranges to give her the freshest and healthiest breakfast just the way she does every day for all of us. We capped her breakfast delight with beautifully assembled fresh strawberry with classic yoghurt, her favourite dessert. When Mum woke up, she was greeted with a kiss from Dad and a happy mother’s day hug. Mom read the letters and opened the presents. There was a big grin on her face when she opened my little brother’s gifts which are chocolate balls from the baptism party we went the night before. Same with my little sister who gifted Mum with the baby in a cradle also from the baptism party but both gifts were artistically wrapped in their personally cut out big hearts giving it their personal touch. My sister and I bought Mum a heart pendant. Dad treated Mum to a lunch at the Adelaide Casino after watching Pacquiao and Mosley fight there, while we children stayed at Urbanest, a cool students’ accommodation place across Adelaide Casino and baked macaroons there. We had early dinner with my Dad’s fellow Filipino scholars. After having dinner, we then went to church and headed home after. Mum thanked us with kisses for the wonderful break from her daily routine of unselfishly attending to all our needs first over hers. I reflected on the day’s event and truly believed it was proper to pay tribute to all the mothers around the world for everything that we are, it was especially so because of our Mums.

Website Redesign Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Website Redesign - Assignment Example From this study it is clear that as a professional Information Communication Technologist, the reporter would like to inform you that he needs to redesign the website’s ‘About Us’ and ‘Salon Team’ sections. As part of his responsibility, the reporter would like to urge your office to consider my suggestion to redesign the website so as to make it more appealing to the visitors.This paper discusses that in the author's opinion, might be disastrous for the company. Therefore, he kindly requests you to allow him to redesign these sections by using appropriate and large fonts and spacing, change the coloring and use more clear and conspicuous photos. He also suggests that these sections should be changed because they have a lot of grammar mistakes that if left as they are, can damage the reputation of the company. Therefore, he suggests that all the grammar mistakes should be corrected. Moreover, the sections are so wordy.meg a lot of unnecessary words we re used when it was being designed. For this reason, the reporter proposes that the wording structure need to be corrected. Any unnecessary words should be removed so as to make the website precise, readable, attractive and comprehendible. This, in the reporter's opinion, is the only way through which the website would be eye-catching and appealing to the target audience who is known for loving attractive things.  Ã‚