Create a piece of drama about homelessness to educate our audience

The first thing I did was research about homelessness at home. I found out from my homework: Why people become homeless, some of the reason I found out: Finding suitable housing and unemployment Relation breakdown 39% Heavy drinking 21% Losing job 18% Having no money to pay for housing 13% Around a quarter have mental health problems Around a half have drink problems. It was important to do this research because it helped give us more idea’s and know more about the issue of homelessness. This then helped us decide in our performance why we would become homeless. I found out all different reasons why people become homeless and we decided all of us would use one of those reasons. I also did a mind map in class for the possible idea’s why someone would become homeless and what we could use in our performance. Possible ideas The first thing we did was get into groups and did 3 still images based on homelessness to give us idea’s and to help us understand the types of things to include in our performance. The first still image was of 2 different women one with money and a family and another having an abusive husband. Our second was the women with the abusive husband getting beat up, which caused her to become homeless. Then the third one was the women on the street, homeless and the other women and her children seeing her helping her. In my group we discussed our ides and decided to develop them. We then used our mind map and research to help us get an idea. We all sat down and discussed our ideas. Some of our ideas were to become homeless because of domestic abuse, being evicted or being abandoned by parents. We did have some problems, we had a lot of people in our group so it was harder to work and focus. We overcome them by listening to each other. This also helped us improve our work by giving us more ideas to work with, .e.g. Dying because of being homeless, and being abused by father which we used. Also we could make our performance longer. What worked well in our performance was our still images at the start some of us have our hands over our face to show being afraid. We also used levels. Then we came out of our freeze frame and said what we were a victim of. We did this because it shows our audience that there is all kind of different reasons why people become homeless, and it’s not their fault. We also used vocal singing, Juliana and Hannah sang because of you which went well with the theme. The physical theatre we used worked well also when Sophie, Juliana and Callum repeated their movements (when the mother found out about the father abusing his daughter). It showed that the abuse is being repeated over and over again. Sophie also used mimetic gestures. Also when the father (callum) went to punch the mother (Juliana) he used slow motion which was effective because it would have caught the audience’s attention. It was good when we all repeated (after Juliana said â€Å"Don’t say a word†) â€Å"you heard her don’t say a word†. We repeated this 3 times because it was more effective than saying it once. Also I and 2 other’s in my group (Chloe and Nikky) spoke out of character to show how my character felt and it helped the audience understand the characters better about why they were homeless. We also did thought tracking. In our performance we also used a narrator this helped tell the story of what was going on. The narrator told the audience about the abuse that was happening to the child so the audience new exactly what was going on. Also our performance was non-naturalistic so it was different from everyone else’s and made it better. At the end of our performance we had statistics which really help inform the audience about homelessness. I think our performance would have been better if we added more scenes and made it longer. Also if we practiced a bit more so we don’t forget bit of our performance. We could have put a scene in to show how horrible and unpleasant it is to live on the streets. We could have added more drama skills. It would have been better if we included a video about homelessness in our performance. I think our performance did inform the audience because our performance showed that there are lots of reasons why people become homeless. It showed how you become homeless and it’s not the type of people you always think that become homeless. We also included statistics which informed the audience what type of people are homeless and what percent it is. We also informed the audience that’s its children and teenagers that can become homeless not just adults. Our target audience was 13-18 year olds, to raise awareness to children about the issue of homelessness. I think it did suit our target audience because our performance showed what types of people are homeless and why they become homeless. We also had a role-play in our performance about 3 teenagers living on the streets so it would be easier for the target audience to relate to them. Also they can understand what’s going on because there not too young. In my performance we showed them about being abused and not having anyone help you, so they understand that it’s not someone fault if they people homeless. In Abby Smith’s group I thought what work well was she used a narrator which really helped tell the story. Also what worked well was the choral speaking and slow motion they did. I think she could improve by focusing and practicing more also adding more drama skills and making her performance much longer.

Canadian Solar Essay

However, with the global economic downturn in the recent years as well as changes in the government incentives in certain countries, the company has been struggling to stay on top in this competitive market, and needs to keep a competitive advantage against companies such as Sharp and Kyocera. This is a big problem to the company since it threatens their strategy and might put them out of competition. Which brings us to the question: What should Canadian Solar do to best compete in the increasingly â€Å"global† photovoltaic industry? Analysis External Analysis General Environment Most of the general aspects influence the PV industry relies on government incentive programs. Programs for green energy such as the FIT program, has a positive effect on the industry since it guarantees rates on certain projects. Other government laws such as the placement of a cap can have a negative effect on the industry. Therefore, since income levels vary for every country, this will affect the usage of PV technology. Moreover, society has a desire to â€Å"go green† and they highly value PV technology, although the implementation of PV technology can cause society financial harm such as in Spain, where the unanticipated installations caused taxpayers $26. 4 billion. Threat of new Entrants Barriers to entry are considered low since the PV industry requires low capital and medium to low technological knowledge to make PV module. The low barriers to entry are also due to †¦

Environmental Pollution Scenario Review and Summary Research Paper

Environmental Pollution Scenario Review and Summary - Research Paper Example The paper "Environmental Pollution Scenario Review and Summary" analyzes environmental pollution scenario. There are seven measures we are to choose from as the budget allows to implement only 4 of them. Thus, when deciding which ones to choose, it is essential to use the method of elimination. In other words, it is important to define three measures, which are not very efficient and will not bring appreciable results. First of all, it is encouraging carpooling. This measure is not efficient in the modern world, as all the people have cars. In any case, they would prefer to use their own cars instead of waiting for a bus. People buy cars to make their way to work comfortable, because public transportation is not comfortable enough. This method could have been effective twenty years ago, but not now. Moreover, people want to be free and not to adjust to buses’ schedule. Buses will not be used by people, and the introduction of them will just add to the environmental pollution. The same can be stated about the encouraging of alternative transportation. People know pretty well that walking is useful for their health, but when they risk being late for work in the morning, they usually do not think about this usefulness. Several extra minutes spent drinking coffee in the morning are valuable for many people with an active way of life. They buy cars to have these extra minutes. Pollution control legislation for point sources also will not bring good results as people usually do not approve. of such laws and they do not work. The trouble is that such legislation demands much from the business owners and they prefer to actively reject such laws. The cruel laws of business make business owners think first of all about getting more income and reducing expenses, thus, there is very little chance that they would prefer to sacrifice their positions at the market in order to help save the environment. They prefer to consider such laws to be the measures taken to preve nt them from conducting successful activity. It is essential not to issue the laws, but to act. Four remaining items will really help reduce pollution, thus, the funds should be spent to implement them. The first important step is to establish green spaces or urban forestry. The development of the city demands building new houses and this usually requires eliminating some green spaces (Harding, 2006). However, if such a situation occurs, it is necessary to reimburse the losses by establishing new green spaces near the new building. The second essential step is to improve the roads as good roads help the cars make fewer emissions. This is one of the most expensive measures, but it is very essential to implement it. Promoting fuel-efficient cars is a very important measure that is taken in almost every developed country today. Such measure really can help save our environment and reduce pollution. Certainly, it demands much expense, but the game is worth the candle. Fuel-efficient car s should be manufactured and widely used by the people to save our environment, thus, it is essential to encourage people to use them. The last essential step is random emission testing, and it will serve to evaluate the changes the first three

The Three High Level Phases for Any Project Assignment

The Three High Level Phases for Any Project - Assignment Example Why are communication skills so important for a project manager to have? Communication skills are important for a project manager to have because the successful implementation of all phases of the project requires accurate dissemination of information which is dependent on the effective communication skills that the project manager possesses. Â  Is it just the project manager that needs to have good communication skills? Actually, all stakeholders whose roles and responsibilities are instrumental in all phases of the project should possess good communication skills. Who needs to be communicated to? The exchange of messages from one project member to the other needs to be communicated to; and therefore, the accuracy of information relayed and received should be ensured at all times within all phases of the project. Based on your team members introductions, who do you believe has the best communication skills in your team and why? So far, the team leader is usually the one who has the best communication skills in any particular team because as a leader, he or she is expected to relay crucial information, strategies, and messages.

Google vs. Yahoo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Google vs. Yahoo - Essay Example From this study it is clear that Microsoft and Yahoo like companies are currently struggling to compete effectively with Google. Only Facebook and Apple Inc are causing problems to Google at present. However, with the help of innovative business strategies and business alliances, Google is bouncing back strongly. For example, many of the smartphone manufactures such as Samsung and LG are using Google’s operating system. Moreover, the acquisition of Motorola by Google is a big threat to the smartphone manufacturers. Many people believe that Google will definitely enter into the smartphone manufacturing market in near future itself. Google Books is the online book store established by Google recently to challenge Amazon whereas Google plus is the social network established by Google to challenge Facebook.This paper highlights that Google is offering stiff challenges to all major IT companies whereas Yahoo is struggling to survive in the market. Organizational structure, culture, management styles, leadership and business philosophies of Google and Yahoo are entirely different. While Google’s business strategies are meeting big success, same thing cannot be said about Yahoo. This business report analyses the organizational structure, design, management and leadership styles in Google and Yahoo.  Unlike other companies, it is hard to explain Google’s organizational structure in few words. It is difficult to categorize Google’s organizational structure in functional or matrix organizational structures.  ... Microsoft and Yahoo like companies are currently struggling to compete effectively with Google. Only Facebook and Apple Inc are causing problems to Google at present. However, with the help of innovative business strategies and business alliances, Google is bouncing back strongly. For example, many of the smartphone manufactures such as Samsung and LG are using Google’s operating system. Moreover, the acquisition of Motorola by Google is a big threat to the smartphone manufacturers. Many people believe that Google will definitely enter into the smartphone manufacturing market in near future itself. Google Books is the online book store established by Google recently to challenge Amazon whereas Google plus is the social network established by Google to challenge Facebook. In short, Google is offering stiff challenges to all major IT companies whereas Yahoo is struggling to survive in the market. Organizational structure, culture, management styles, leadership and business philo sophies of Google and Yahoo are entirely different. While Google’s business strategies are meeting big success, same thing cannot be said about Yahoo. This business report analyses the organizational structure, design, management and leadership styles in Google and Yahoo. Organizational structure and design Google Unlike other companies, it is hard to explain Google’s organizational structure in few words. It is difficult to categorize Google’s organizational structure in functional or matrix organizational structures. Google’s organizational structure is made up of different shareholders. Even though Sergey Brin and Larry Page are the actual owners of this company, Larry Page seems to be

Mobile Computing and Social Networking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mobile Computing and Social Networking - Essay Example For the same reason, health industry has always been a hot spot for research and development thereby attracting lots of investment and renovation. Monitoring of Patient Vital Signs Technology has revolutionized the health care sector to such an extent that one’s blood pressure, blood sugar levels, oxygen levels or respiratory levels all can be measured using mobile technology. Thus the perils of a patient travelling to a doctor’s office for these physiological states to be tested, manual documentation of the readings by a nurse or a clinician and the occurrence of errors while recording the readings etc can be avoided. Above all the greatest advantage is saving the most valuable resource- time. A scenario resembling a science fiction movie where sensors implanted under ones skin detects ones blood sugar level and alerts the doctor is not very far if technological explosion happens at this pace. Today’s technology has made patient’s care very effective. Sma rt phones and broad band enabled devices has allowed patients to do their own monitoring of vital signs and body functions and upload them to their medical provider’s clinical servers. Videoconferencing with their doctor via phones is possible. Not only the patients but also the hospitals are benefitted by the technology. Devices like ECG machines, ventilators, oxygen sensors, blood pressure sensors are connected to the hospital server that records and transmits to the doctor or the nurse to ensure the best care possible. As Shahriyar, Bari, Kundu, Ahamed and Akbar (2010) point out, the use of bio sensor based mobile monitoring system collects data from the patients, mines the data, predicts the patient’s health status, and provides feed back through their mobile phones. So they can access their health information anywhere and anytime. This monitoring system is called Intelligent Mobile Health Monitoring System (pp. 5-6). Advantages As Smith (2011) points out, enhanced patient doctor interaction, accessibility of health care to geographically remote patient, greater exchange of information, increased accuracy of patient records, saving time with diagnosis and treatment of illness, freedom of patience from smoldering hospital rooms and cumbersome medical devices are some of the advantages of monitoring vital signs using mobile computing technology. Wireless networking enables the transmission of signals from the monitor of an ambulance to the emergency room so that the staff is alert to treat the patient as soon as they arrive. The use of mobile technology informs the doctor about the early symptoms of his patients before acute attacks occurs. This is a boon to patients who are reserved in nature as they can express their problems without face to face interaction with the doctor. Doctors also can provide more assistance regarding the treatment and medication which otherwise would have been shortened due to lack of time. Doctors are benefitted in a way that they can focus more on priority tasks. These technologies make the health care system personalized and thereby improve its quality. Disadvantages This technological advancement may not be always an easy task for not so technologically savvy people, especially the older generation. The chances of going offline can cause unprecedented delay in communication between the doctor and the patient. There is a high risk of patient

Human Nature in studies of philosophers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Human Nature in studies of philosophers - Essay Example This research aims to evaluate and present the issue of human nature using studies of different philosophers. Distinguished Chinese philosopher of ancient era Mencius (372-289 BCE) strongly believes in the innate goodness of human nature, which humans inherit from their ancestors. It is therefore he vehemently advocates in favor of following the life patterns of the ancestors in order to achieve perfection in their character and personality ultimately. Moreover, according to him, if humans are provided with adequate education and training, their qualities could further be polished and improved. However, Hsà ¼n Tzu (298-238 BCE) does not find righteousness in human nature. On the contrary, he is of t.he view that human nature is evil and can be improved through socialization. Another eminent philosopher of ancient times, named Kao Tzu (420-350 BCE), aptly acknowledged to be one of the most talented thinkers in the history of China, refutes both the above-mentioned doctrines, and decl ares human nature as clean slate, which studies and follows only what it observes being practiced by others in its social and natural environment. Thus, human nature is neither good nor bad altogether, according to Kao Tzu, and follows the same which is taught to it. Eminent 19th century German philosopher Georg Hegel (1770—1831) has also made a comparative analysis of the doctrines presented by Hsun Tzu and Mencius while elucidating the concepts of innate evil and innate goodness respectively. Somehow, Hegel seeks further wisdom in both these theses, where both these doctrines serve as thesis and antithesis to each other. Hegel declares goodness and evil as occasional in nature and scope due to the very reality that absolute righteousness or complete wrong-doings do not prevail in any part of the globe. In other words, no one can be stated as completely sublime and righteous or absolutely monstrous and obnoxious. For instance, a robber could be harmful and destructive for so ciety, though would be a kind and benevolent person in his domestic life, and may treat his children with great love and affection. Similarly, a pious person may commit genocide out of sheer feelings of revenge or abhorrence for his opponent or rival. Moreover, Otto von Bismarck (1815--1898) is regarded as a great German nationalist, though his name brings displeasure on the countenances of the French public at large. Since absolute goodness and evil do not exist in any part of the globe, declaring anyone as the representative of good or evil does not carry weight in the eyes of the philosophers, thinkers and intellectuals. Hegel alludes to the gallant deeds displayed by the soldiers while saving the boundaries of their country. (Austin, 624-25) Since they are also

James Fowlers Stages of Faith Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

James Fowlers Stages of Faith - Assignment Example It is also the product of a person’s interactions with other people, whether or not these people nurtured the person’s faith or not. Or, it can also be the result of various personal experiences which may or may not resonate with others but had a profound impact on how a person lives life every day. Thus, regardless of whether a person believes in a supreme being, many creators, or not acknowledging the importance of divine entities, faith is the driving force for people to commit and to move their ways through life’s hardships, trials, and times of happiness and joy (â€Å"Stages of Faith† 4). Fowler’s stages of faith are not a measurement of how good a person is in whatever religion or belief system one belongs to, and that it is only a measurement and approximation of one’s thought patterns with respect to a Higher Being, whether these are complex or simple for one’s age (Fowler and Dell 40). ... s similar to what others believe as well, which in turn makes them think that what they believe in is something common that everyone else thinks of as well (â€Å"Stages of Faith† 153). Also, it has been previously mentioned that many people become stable in this stage and grow quite comfortable with the ceremonial aspects of their religions, accepting everything without question and doubts. However, this is also a stage where the believers can also be harshly critical and judgmental of others whom they believe do not share the same ideas with them, and this can lead to negative reactions and feedback from these â€Å"other† people (152). This is typically due to the fact that people in this stage are not liable to think outside the box, and that doing so makes them feel unworthy and sinful due to questioning their religious leaders and in turn, makes them question God. Such ideas are exemplified in a case study of an acquaintance, and despite the age of late twenties s till seems to be in the synthetic-conventional stage of faith: Marlene (not her real name) has been an active member of the local Catholic Church for as long as she can remember. When she was younger, she attends church with her family every Sunday and every Feast Day, and was a member of the children’s choir who actively participates in each practice session. As she grew older, she also became involved in catechism sessions for younger children before receiving their first holy communion, and she also participates in Sunday schools whenever possible. This was her routine habit until she left to study college in another state. She had many friends and acquaintances in university, and they say that she was a hard-worker and a dedicated student, aside from being their go-to friend whenever they have

Human resource management case study Assignment

Human resource management case study - Assignment Example central government and pressure groups that exist around the area where the business organisation conducts its business operations usually prescribe and reinforce this second objective. According to Linstead (2009), in the pursuit of positively affecting the local community, business organisations in the 1960s nurtured the concept of corporate social responsibility. Kotler and Lee (2004) described corporate social responsibility as the efforts of a business organisation to improve the social, environmental welfare of the surrounding community through various initiatives that are not aimed at generating any income for the company. The corporate social responsibility initiatives may include instituting environmental conservation programs, and empowering the local community through provision of employment opportunities and/ or training. This present essay mainly seeks to analyse a case study entitled Rio Tinto Indigenous Employment Program, which is a corporate social responsibility program for the company that seeks to affect positively the local communities in Australia where the company operates in, through provision of employment opportunities and other benefits to the indigenous people. The essay will first commence with a brief preview of Rio Tinto and its indigenous employment program. Secondly, the essay will analyse the stakeholders involved in the case study and their role in the program. Thirdly, the essay will look into how addressing employment and educational opportunities and outcomes of the indigenous community impact on the company’s strategic objectives. Fourthly, the essay will explore how human resource functions contribute to the implementation of the indigenous employment program and the company’s overall success. Fifthly, the essay will explore the key human resource and other strategic challenges involved in the case. In reference to the Rio Tinto Indigenous Employment Program in Australia case study, it is noted that Rio Tinto is a

Dream Act and Illegal immigrant childrens citizenship Essay

Dream Act and Illegal immigrant childrens citizenship - Essay Example It is immigration reform bill that offers over 12 million illegal immigrants to become legalized U.S. citizen, in addition to heightened security on Mexico border, and introducing guest worker program to assist employers in working out low paying jobs. Despite the fact that, it is costly legislation, has direct negative impact on already worse employment market, challenge for balancing budget on not only state but also federal level, additional tax burden on Americans, work as invitation for future illegal immigrants, and threat to not only immigration law but to the rights of law abiding legalized U.S. citizens. It is immoral and unethical approach of illegal immigrant who seek U.S citizenship for themselves or their children born or grew up here, as its basic purpose was to protect slave children not illegal immigrant's children. The Dream Act President Obama with liberal Democratic Party leadership is determined to pass the Dream Act which will grant amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants (King, 2010).U.S. Senate blocked â€Å"the Dream Act† this December, the bill, if passed, would have allowed young children of illegal immigrants to attain a legalized citizenship of United States of America. These illegal immigrants came to America as children but their criminal record and other requirements are clear. Moreover, they have completed two years of military service or college education in America. The bill could not gather the support of required 60 senators to cross the filibuster which delayed it for one year with an uncertain future (Herszenhorn, 2010). Fundamental objections The implemented version of 14th Amendment’s interpretation encourages other nation’s citizens to enter United States jurisdiction and give birth. The legalized children access social services and support their parents to beco me legalized. Presence of legal immigrant as immediate relative shortens the otherwise lengthy process of immigration (Rau, 2010). Its results can be far-reaching as we can infer it from Pew Hispanic Centre’s study (qtd. in Rau,2010) which reports about 340,000 births to illegal immigrants in United States only in 2008.In most of the cases, parents were residing in America form one year or more. It is unethical rather criminal as Lillpop refers it, to use infants or â€Å"anchor babies† to avoid deportation or other punishment, such as, jailing. Moreover, it is immoral manipulation and use of not only newborns but U.S. constitution for illegal immigrants’ personal interest. It offers short cut to legalization and unjust for those who go through a longer process for attaining United States citizenship in a legal way. A common justification is the humanistic stance that wants to keep the families united. It is suspicious and needs reconsideration because illegal i mmigrant initially left their families in their homeland just to reside illegally on American land. Moreover, a criminal cannot be judged upon on the basis of whether he has a family or not. Illegal immigrants are not less of criminals because they invade another nation’s soil without their legal permission. Dream Act permits illegal immigrants to feed on law abiding taxpayers’ money for their law breaking act. Opponents attributed the Dream Act to be too broad in its interpretation and it would lead to give amnesty to illegal immigrants (Herszenhorn, 2010). Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama (qtd. in Herszenhorn, 2010) accuse Democrats of not only tolerating lawlessness but certain policies encourage it, he led the Dream Act’s opposition in Senate and highlighted the lack of efforts in improving the situation at borders to inhibit

The Glass Castle Essay Example for Free

The Glass Castle Essay The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls is an extremely shocking novel in that even it weren’t true the events in the story would still be shocking, but the fact that it is true makes it that much more disturbing. In the book Jeannette is on more than one occasion, a victim of sexual abuse. Although there is one event in particular that I found exceptionally troubling. And that is when Jeannette and her family are in their upper class house in Phoenix and innocently leave their doors and windows open. One night, random perverts sneak into their home and sexually assault the children. And it wouldn’t be so bad if Jeannette didn’t play it off as though it were nothing. She almost makes it seem like barely mentioning when she says that â€Å" I was awakened by someone running his hands over my private parts†(103). And the man who assaulted her had a book â€Å"with pictures of boys and girls wearing only underpants†(103). From the eyes of someone like I, who can make no connection with perverts other than the horrific news stories of rape and murder I occasionally hear about, this event is tremendously disturbing. When I read this part of the book I thought she was in mortal danger. I’ve never actually heard of someone sexually assaulting a child without it involving some sort of murder or kidnapping. It really goes to show she is familiar with perverts and wrongfully – or rightfully I’m not really sure – does not feel an extreme panic type of danger when dealing with pedophiles. This event teaches Jeannette what is really worth worrying about. After Rex and Jeannette go out she realizes this is like hunting Demon, â€Å" except the enemy was real and dangerous instead being the product of a kid’s overactive imagination. (103)† And it goes to show that a big reason why Jeannette is so mature and matures so quickly is due to the fact of her constant experience of traumatizing events and moments of extreme danger.

Content-Based Video Retrieval Method

Content-Based Video Retrieval Method An Approach for Analyzing keyframes based on Self Adaptive Threshold and Scene Descriptors Suruthi.K, Tamil Selvan.T, Velu.S, Maheswaran.R, Kumaresan.A Abstract In this paper, we propose a CBVR (content based video retrieval) method for retrieving a desired object from the abstract video dataset. Recording and storing enormous surveillance video in a dataset for retrieving the main contents of the video is one of the complicated task in terms of time and space. Even though, methods are available for retrieving the main content of a video based on ROI as well as threshold values for retrieving background information key frames, determining the threshold values manually is a complex scenario. So, we propose a method, where we use self-adaptive threshold for determining the background information along with the use of several descriptors to increase the efficiency of determining the contents of the key frames. We can also use CBVR to retrieve the information of a desired object from our abstract dataset. Keywords: Self adaptive threshold, Keyframes, Descriptors, CBVR Introduction The process of providing security plays a major role in all organizations these days. This security can be provided in many ways considering the criticality of the information being secured. Theses security methodologies include providing manual guards around the perimeter or providing electric fence around the infrastructure or any other available effective means of technology available. In spite of the availability of these methodologies, an effective and 247 security could be provided with the help of installation of cameras at the crucial areas of an organization which should be out of reach for the humans. The optimal number of cameras to be installed in an environment could be calculated with respect to [1]. Since these cameras are recording videos with a time scale of 24 hours, the recorded videos are to be stored and analyzed where storing these videos require an enormous database and analyzing these videos require humans to play through the entire video in order to analyze t he incidents occurred where the biggest de-merit is that we cannot skip the videos being played since we would miss the important actions when we skip.so, we are in need of a method for extracting the essential events been occurred from the prolonged surveillance videos and storing these events alone in a separate database which would minimize the memory space being utilized for data storage along with minimization of human work to look through the entire videos. We know that the first step in observing videos is to convert it into individual frames or images since the broadcasting of moving visual images form a video. This can be termed as image retrieval. Image retrieval is the process of retrieving images from an enormous database based on the metadata added to the image which could be said as the annotations. But this annotations have some demerits. Annotating images manual is a time consuming work to be done and if images are annotated ambiguously, the user would never get the required results no matter the number of times he search the image database. Several methods for automatic image annotations have been under research due to the advancement in the field of semantic web and social web applications. In spite of the advancements, there is an effective methodology termed CBIR (content based image retrieval), in which feature extraction is basis. These features represent text based features representing keywords as well as annotations whereas visual features correspond to color, texture and faces along with shapes [2]. Since, features plays a major role here, when user inputs an input image, the pixel value of these images are com pared with all the images prevailing in the database and the results given to the user would contain all the images containing a part of the queried image which is an effective way of avoiding annotations to avoid ambiguity. Since we are dealing with videos here, we need an advanced approach from CBIR. 2. Related Work: Speech recognition is an important conc 3. Fast Clustering Method Based on ROI Since users find easy to access online videos easily these days, we are in need of finding an effective way to store and maintain enormous amount of video files facilitating easy and quick access for multiple users. In order to support research in this area, Guang-Hua-Song et al have proposed the fast clustering based on the region of interest (ROI). The authors have employed the average histogram algorithm for the purpose of extracting key frames from each shot. A shot could be defined as the depiction of a particular scene or action. A single shot refers to the action covered by a camera between the start and stop of the recording time which would be normally in the same angle. The extracted key frames are used for the generation of edge maps which contribute the next step in the video abstraction scenario. Based on the above methodologies, the authors have determined the key points. Calculation of threshold values from the respective key frames would be the next step which is done for the purpose of expanding and identifying the area surrounding the key points [9]. The authors have proposed the observation of main content in each of the key frame based on the threshold values defined and the concept of key points. As the final step of their proposed method, they have utilized the ROIs of the key frames and have performed the fast clustering method on them. The different methodologies involve before implementing the fast clustering method along with the implementation of fast clustering methodology is explained in the following sections. A. Key frame Extraction The representation of video sequence would be in the form of a hierarchical structure considering the scene, shot and frame contributing different levels on the hierarchy [10]. Different researches on video sequences requires the researches to deal with the different levels of the video sequence hierarchy with respect to the information needed for their research. Shot is to be considered first for the purpose of key frame extraction. The shot level is chosen at the hierarch among the other available levels due to certain reasons. The sequence of video frames captured continuously by a camera contributed a shot which also would include the moving objects, panning and zooming in terms of the recording camera. We also have a greatest merit with the shot as the two adjacent shot does not have the same content which would obviously eliminate redundancy. The authors have employed the use of algorithm proposed in [11] for the purpose of extracting key frames. The key frame extraction proces s also involves the average histogram method. A shot S = { } of length n is assumed. The kth frame in the assumed shot is represented as . Considering to be the gray level histogram containing L bins could be generated from frame, whereas the calculation of the average histogram H is done based on the following formula: Where represents the value of the ith frame of frame k. After the extraction of key frame, ROIs are generated by adopting a series of key frame analysis this process is followed by saliency map generation and edge map generation. B. Edge Map Detection It is a general concept that we would focus on objects which has a whole shape in the video. So there would be edges within these components. We are in need of determining the key points which would be available inside the objects and so determining edges would make our tracking process easier. The authors have used the canny edge detection scenario with respect to [12]. This process is followed by the location of key points and generation of ROI. C. Fast Clustering In a video sequence, though each shot would be having a different content to portray, some of the shots may look similar to one another in camera angle or facial expression of the people involved or in any other means. Sometimes, a shot would ne manually segmented into many shots and used at different places in a video sequence. The approach of the authors is to make the video sequence compact and thus they have clustered the key frames in order to avoid the redundant frames. Normally, clustering before the entire process of extracting the key frames is done would be of no use since the new frames could not be taken into account. In order to overcome this traditional approach, the authors have used fast clustering in which clustering process starts once the key frame extraction and identifying ROI are done. Even though this approach was good enough to an extent, the authors have not used more effective descriptors to extract more features from the frames for better observation. In addition to this manually setting the threshold to obtain the background information would not be so effective. 4. Application of Self Adaptive Threshold and Descriptors Though the use of assigning the threshold manually works in a better way, setting the threshold manually is a difficult task. So we are in need of an alternate way for setting the threshold which is the adaptive threshold methodology. We propose the use of adaptive threshold in our video abstraction method for the purpose of gaining more knowledge about the objects in the background. In addition to this, we have also made use of several descriptors such as FCTH (Fuzzy Color and Texture Histogram) and SCD (Scalable Color Descriptor). A descriptor is generally used for extracting different kinds of features from an image based on the functionality of a descriptor. Features refers to the different kinds of information that could be extracted from an image which may refer to the color, intensity, pixels, etc. the functionality of FCTH and SCD are discussed as follows: A. FCTH In this type of descriptor, fuzzy is used for gathering information about colors which lie between the pure black and pure white. Here, fuzzy is made used of since the general concept of fuzzy is to deal with all possible scenarios (partial true / partial false ) which lies between the True (1) and False (0) values. B. SCD (Scalable Color Descriptor) SCD is used here for the purpose of extracting information about the colors which are scalable. This scalable colors represent colors which are extended to the nearby boundaries and would be available in a different form within that boundary. C. Algorithm: Distance Vector We are using Distance Vector algorithm in this video abstraction process for the purpose of observing the distance travelled by an object in two subsequent frames in order to determine the motion of the object in a more likely scenario which involves the following steps: Detecting and identifying the boundaries of the moving objects. Extracting ROI (region of interest) of the object within the frame. Searching for the same object in the next subsequent frame. Detecting boundaries and location of the object. Comparing the location of the object and finding its distance moved from the previous frame to the current frame. Repeating the above steps for all the video frames would enable us to find the moving object distance covered for each frame. Updating the distance vector matrix. The overall methodology of the proposed methodology is shown in Figure 1. Figure 1. Block Diagram of the Proposed Methodology This scenario is applied for minimizing the memory complexity in terms of storing and retrieving enormous 247 surveillance videos where recording and storing of the entire video would increase the demand of memory as well as looking through the entire video to verify a crime scene would be a more complex scenario. In order to overcome this complexity, our method extract the key frames from the entire video and store it in a desired database where only the distinct images would be available minimizing the work of the user to look through a full length video. In addition to that, saving images would have a memory demand much lesser than the demand of the videos. Since we are using descriptors, more detailed information could be extracted from the images. Self-adaptive threshold enables the user to get more details above the objects available in the background which is an added advantage of this methodology. Any sort of frame can be given as a query into the system and the user would ge t the relevant video containing the respective key frame. If the frame is not available in any of the dataset, user would be shown with an error prompt. This process is termed as CBVR. CBVR is similar to CBIR but differs in a way that user would be given a frame (image) as a result in case of CBIR whereas result would be the entire video in case of CBVR. But in both the cases, data is compared and retrieved based on the contents available in the frames. 5. Experimental results We have conducted our experiment with videos available in the MATLAB dataset. First step would be the extraction of key frames based on self-adaptive threshold value which is shown in Figure 2. Figure 2. Window for Key frame Extraction Key frames are extracted and stored in a destined folder as shown in the Figure 3.     Ã‚   Figure 3. Key frames Stored in the Destined Folder After the key frame extraction, the user can input a key frame of their choice and the contents of all the available videos in the dataset are compared and the respective video containing the requested key frame would be found based on CBVR and retrieved as shown in Figure 4a. The user can click on the play button available at the bottom right to play the entire video containing the requested key frame. If the requested frame is ot found, the user would be prompted with an error message as shown in Figure 4b. Figure 4a. Video is retrieved based on the queried key frame using CBVR Figure 4a. User id prompted with an error message since the requested frame is not found Our experiment have showed a compromising result with more than 80% accuracy. As explained above, this methodology can decrease the memory space demands and the time of the user to spend in looking through the entire videos. 6. Conclusion In this paper, we have proposed a methodology for video abstraction based on several descriptors and self-adaptive threshold. This methodology facilitates user to minimize the memory demands and time demands for looking through the videos. Our methodology also makes use of CBVR for retrieving a video based on the contents with respect to the user requested key frame. The only problem that our methodology faces is the time taken for comparison if the key frame to be searched is available in the final video available in the dataset. Our future work is to concentrate on limiting the time space for comparison in a large video dataset. References [1] Tatsuya Hirahara Figure Captions Fig.1.Optimal Position fo

Chemical Bonding Essay

Chemical Bonding Essay Anna Fyodorova All elements are made of atoms which combined with each other form new atoms. They come together in large or small numbers to form very similar or very different atoms and as a result of the combination it is known as a chemical bond. Atoms linked together by bonds have different properties to the original parent atoms. There are only about 100 chemically different types of atoms which make up millions of substances in the world by being combined together. The two main types of chemical bonds the ionic bond in compounds which occurs between a metal and a non-metal and the covalent bond occurring between the two atoms of non-metallic element or between different elements of two atoms. In ionic boding metal and non-metal atoms when combined together loose or gain electrons so they can have a complete outer shell. As an example if sodium which has an electron configuration 2, 8, 1 loses an electron it is left with stable structure neon which has electron configuration 2, 8. However sodium atom still has one more proton than electrons in the orbit around the nucleus. As a result of protons having positive charge the sodium atom has now become a positively charged sodium ion. The electronic structure of sodium ion is written as [2, 8]+. There are atoms that similarly gain electrons during reactions and they gain noble gas structure. For example, Chlorine has electronic structure of 2, 8 , 7. To have the stable electronic structure of argon it needs to gain a single electron becoming 2, 8, 8. Chlorine has now got more electrons than positively charged protons and is known as a chloride ion carrying a single negative charge. The electronic structure of chloride ion is w ritten as [2,8,8]. Ionic bonds are formed by atoms reacting together that need to gain and to loose electrons. For example, when sodium and chlorine react together they need to form stable ions which occur by sodium losing an electron and chlorine gaining one. Below is a lewis diagram that shows an example of ionic bonding by formation of sodium chloride (NaCl). (Brown, 2009) The oppositely charged ions are held together by the strong attraction forces that during ionic bonding form the positive and negative ions. As a result of these bonds between the charged particles a giant structure of ions is formed. To break all the bonds would take a lot of energy as the ions in the giant structure are being held together strongly; therefore the ionic compounds have a high boiling and melting points. Sodium chloride is a good example of an ionic substance. It is known as NaCl or common salt and by being a crystalline solid it has a high boiling point of 1413oC and melting point of 801oC. Below is a diagram of a sodium chloride giant ionic structure. Two non–metal atoms reacting together seek to gain and share electrons to achieve a structure of a noble gas and become stable. The atoms are held together by the electrostatic attraction of the pair of electrons concentrated in between the two nuclei. This is known as a covalent bond. A molecule is formed when atoms are being held together by the covalent bonds. Below is an example of a covalent bond of two hydrogen atoms. (Brown, 2009) Multiple bonds can be formed by atoms sharing more than one electron pair. Two electron pairs or total of four electrons form a double bond and three electron pairs or total of six electrons form a triple bond. An example of multiple bonds is Oxygen and Nitrogen as they both exist as diatomic molecules containing double bonds. Below is an example of single, double and triple bonds. (Brown, 2009) Covalent compounds at a room temperature can be found in a form of a solid, gas or water and in a solution generally do not conduct electricity. Two chlorine atoms form a non-polar covalent bond by being equally shared as the difference in electronegativity between them is zero. Covalent bonds that have unequal shared electrons between the atoms is a polar bond. Polar and nonpolar molecules have the attractive forces between them which determine the strength and properties of these bonds and are known as intermolecular forces. There are three types of intermolecular forces and they play an important role in changes of state in molecular compounds. In covalent bonds the strength of intermolecular forces depends on the size and shape of molecules, which will determine if the bond will have a higher, or lower boiling or melting points. (Goodman, 1960) Dispersion (also known as Van der Waals’) forces exist between all molecules polar or nonpolar and without these forces; nonpolar molecules cannot ever form a solid or a liquid. Molecules with more electrons will generate bigger oscillating and induced dipoles. These produce larger attractive forces between molecules. A dipole-dipole interaction is when a polar molecule will attract another polar molecular by the small ÃŽ ´+ and ÃŽ ´- charges. This gives a weak intermolecular force called a permanent-dipole interaction. Below is an example of intermolecular forces between Hydrogen and chlorine molecules. There is strong intermolecular attraction in hydrogen bonds between a polar hydrogen and one molecule and single pair of electrons on a highly electronegative atom of Fluorine, Oxygen and Nitrogen on a different molecule. (Mikeblaber.org, 2014) There are special properties of water arising from hydrogen bonding. Solid is less dense than liquid, therefore particles in solids are usually packed slightly closer together than in liquids. Relatively strong hydrogen bonds hold water molecules apart in an open lattice structure. Below is an example of an open hydrogen-bonded lattice of ice as ice is less dense than water. Hydrogen bonds have a high melting and boiling point, therefore there’s a relatively strong attraction of H-bonds and H2O. The H-bonds are extra forces, over and above dispersion forces. These extra forces result in higher melting and boiling points than would be expected from just dispersion. When the ice lattice breaks, hydrogen bonds are broken. (Gent and Richie, 2008). Bibliography Brown, C. (2009).Higher level Chemistry. Pearson. Chemwiki.ucdavis.edu, (2014).Introduction to Chemical Bonding Chemwiki. [online] Available at:http://chemwiki.ucdavis.edu/Physical_Chemistry/Quantum_Mechanics/09._The_Hydrogen_Atom/Atomic_Theory/Chemical_Compounds/Introduction_to_Chemical_Bonding[Accessed 6 Dec. 2014]. Docbrown.info, (2014).Introduction to CHEMICAL BONDING diagrams descriptions What is a chemical bond? Why do atoms bond together? gcse igcse A Level GCE AS A2 O Level chemistry revision notes. [online] Available at:http://www.docbrown.info/page04/4_72bond.htm[Accessed 6 Dec. 2014]. Gent, D. and Ritchie, R. (2008).OCR A2 chemistry. Oxford: Heinemann. GOODMAN, C. (1960). Ionic-Covalent Bonding in Crystals.Nature, 187(4737), pp.590-591. Herschbach, D. (2003). Cohesion: A Scientific History of Intermolecular Forces.Physics Today, 56(11), pp.68-68. Mikeblaber.org, (2014).Covalent Bonding. [online] Available at:http://www.mikeblaber.org/oldwine/chm1045/notes/Bonding/Covalent/Bond04.htm[Accessed 6 Dec. 2014]. Www2.hkedcity.net, (2014).Ionic Bond. [online] Available at:http://www2.hkedcity.net/sch_files/a/lsc/lsc-chem/public_html/nss/fundamental/bonding/Ionic/eg1a.htm[Accessed 6 Dec. 2014].

Career Summary Of A Dietician Essay -- essays research papers

RESEARCH & FACTS The career I researched was that of a dietician. Someone who wishes to become a dietician must first obtain a bachelor’s degree, which would be considered a minimal requirement. Most dieticians will tell you that it would be within the best interests of a student wishing to become a dietician to get a master’s degree. Dieticians must have a love for science (chemistry in particular) and algebra as these skills are practiced routinely in the profession. It would also be a good idea for someone wishing to become a dietician to take some kind of accounting or book-keeping class, as dieticians must work on and file multiple records for each of their patients.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To become a dietician you must be willing to research every day. New scientific breakthroughs are made on a regular basis that are constantly changing the shape of the practice. Dieticians must also be willing to regularly meet with patients and physicians to accurately determine if their current dietary plan is working or not and what steps they should take to reach their final goal. Hospital dieticians correspond with the kitchen staff to make sure healthy diets are supplied for each patient in the hospital, as well as on an individual level.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In a hospital environment there are typically a group of dieticians to handle all of the inpatient diets. These dieticians in turn answer to their department manager, who works under a chairman. In the dietary department there are also several filing and appointment clerks who help the dieticians to manage their work and keep them on track. These clerks are required because of the high-volume of work a hospital dietician is responsible for. Even though dieticians must regularly meet with patients and physicians, schedules for dieticians are very loose, and they can usually pick their own hours as long as they are at work for a certain amount of time each week.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dieticians are typically very friendly and social people. In the mornings, a dietary department will usually spend an hour or so casually talking about their current cases or new dietary breakthroughs. In these sessions, dieticians will discuss important new knowledge about their field and about their patients while they drink a cup of coffee.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dieticians will usually ge... ...of us want to help other people, and both of us are concerned with our own health and nutrition.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many positive reasons for me to become a dietician. As a dietician I would make a good amount of money, and could find work almost anywhere in the country. I would also be able to feed my love for science and researching skills. The only problem I could find with becoming a dietician is that I am a very mechanical person. This has been proven by the tests, but it is also backed by my own beliefs. Unfortunately, there is little hands-on physical work to be done by dietitians. Perhaps I could volunteer to rearrange the furniture once a week.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Educationally I am on the right path. In several weeks I will graduate high school with almost thirty college credit hours. I will need to take more chemistry, biology, and math classes. I plan on earning a masters degree in nutrition.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Overall, this is a very fitting choice for me. A dietitian has been something I have always wanted to become. After researching the job more and interviewing an actual dietitian, I have decided that it a sure bet for me. Career Summary Of A Dietician Essay -- essays research papers RESEARCH & FACTS The career I researched was that of a dietician. Someone who wishes to become a dietician must first obtain a bachelor’s degree, which would be considered a minimal requirement. Most dieticians will tell you that it would be within the best interests of a student wishing to become a dietician to get a master’s degree. Dieticians must have a love for science (chemistry in particular) and algebra as these skills are practiced routinely in the profession. It would also be a good idea for someone wishing to become a dietician to take some kind of accounting or book-keeping class, as dieticians must work on and file multiple records for each of their patients.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To become a dietician you must be willing to research every day. New scientific breakthroughs are made on a regular basis that are constantly changing the shape of the practice. Dieticians must also be willing to regularly meet with patients and physicians to accurately determine if their current dietary plan is working or not and what steps they should take to reach their final goal. Hospital dieticians correspond with the kitchen staff to make sure healthy diets are supplied for each patient in the hospital, as well as on an individual level.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In a hospital environment there are typically a group of dieticians to handle all of the inpatient diets. These dieticians in turn answer to their department manager, who works under a chairman. In the dietary department there are also several filing and appointment clerks who help the dieticians to manage their work and keep them on track. These clerks are required because of the high-volume of work a hospital dietician is responsible for. Even though dieticians must regularly meet with patients and physicians, schedules for dieticians are very loose, and they can usually pick their own hours as long as they are at work for a certain amount of time each week.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dieticians are typically very friendly and social people. In the mornings, a dietary department will usually spend an hour or so casually talking about their current cases or new dietary breakthroughs. In these sessions, dieticians will discuss important new knowledge about their field and about their patients while they drink a cup of coffee.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dieticians will usually ge... ...of us want to help other people, and both of us are concerned with our own health and nutrition.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many positive reasons for me to become a dietician. As a dietician I would make a good amount of money, and could find work almost anywhere in the country. I would also be able to feed my love for science and researching skills. The only problem I could find with becoming a dietician is that I am a very mechanical person. This has been proven by the tests, but it is also backed by my own beliefs. Unfortunately, there is little hands-on physical work to be done by dietitians. Perhaps I could volunteer to rearrange the furniture once a week.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Educationally I am on the right path. In several weeks I will graduate high school with almost thirty college credit hours. I will need to take more chemistry, biology, and math classes. I plan on earning a masters degree in nutrition.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Overall, this is a very fitting choice for me. A dietitian has been something I have always wanted to become. After researching the job more and interviewing an actual dietitian, I have decided that it a sure bet for me.

Religion :: essays research papers

In 1886 the Catholic bishops of the United States published a pastoral letter entitled Economic Justice for All. There were two main reasons for this letter: first of all they wanted to illustrate an understanding of the nature and reason for economic activity from the view of the Catholic and theological thought; furthermore they also wanted to evaluate the workings of the American economy, both from a national and international point of view. As the letter states, â€Å"Every perspective on economic life that is human, moral, and Christian must be shaped be three questions: What does the economy do for people? What does the economy do to people? And how do people participate in it?† This pastoral letter symbolizes the most aspiring effort of the Catholic bishops of the United States. The bishops also put forth another aspiring effort to make the ideas and insights of people throughout the United States a reality. Even though the bishops of the United States were trying their best to make this a lasting and historical document, it unfortunately found a way to generate considerable controversy. There were critics who said that the bishops were going into an economic battlefield where they have little experience. However, this is a chance for the American people to help out and give their support to not only the bishops but the poor people too. The bishops were hoping that the Economic Justice for All will eventually have an impact, both on the political perspective and also the economic realities of the United States citizens. The Catholics in the United States hope that the social justice will set the stage for reflection and action for the future. Because of the many Catholics here in the United States the dioceses started to put forth their efforts in doing what was needed to get this program on its feet. This is what started the beginning of a new awareness of the relationship between the struggle for economic justice and the mission of th e church. Even though there were many people working hard the question still remains: When hard times start to arise will the American people create the opportunity for the poor to find a job in this economic and socialistically dominated world. If indeed the American economy is willing to accept, the pastoral can provide a powerful building block of the policies and programs which are necessary to create a society that will be for the justice for all.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury :: Ray Bradburys Fahrenheit 451

Shortage of Books †I’ve always said poetry and tears, poetry and suicide and crying and awful feelings, poetry and sickness; all that mush!† exclaimed Mrs. Bowles to Montag in Ray Bradbury’s book Fahrenheit 451 (103). Mrs. Bowles thinks written words can make an individual really gloomy and disconsolate. Because the goal of this society is to always be satisfied, and to stay satisfied people watch TV, made up stories, which never makes them think or wonder, that is why Mrs. Bowles is convinced that poems are nasty. How does banning of books affect a whole community? Does the human civilization really differ without them? According to Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury assembles a civilization that is affected in three ways from having a lack of books: more brutality is among people, preternatural relationships cultivate, and intelligent capabilities decrease. First, cognitive ability degenerated because of the banning of books. Visiting Faber, he said to Montag â€Å"That was the year I came to class at the start of the new semester and found only one student to sign up for Drama from Aeschylus to O’Neill† (91). Faber told Montag a memory of how books were like a beautiful statue of ice, melting in the sun. He later realized that books had no meaning to people because people stopped thinking. If the lack of books has caused people to stop thinking, then people act on impulse, rather than taking the time to consider the effect of what they are doing. Therefore, the decrease of knowledge obviously caused ignorance which in turn leads to the unawareness of ones self being taken advantage of or enslaved. In greater meaning if an individual deprives a society of individual rights or slowly outlaws educational sources (such as books in this case) and do not let people make their own choices for themselves, then they begin to lose interest in things they enjoy and "fall into the crowd" becoming (though unaware) toys of the leaders of that society, who lead that crowd of people like a flock of lambs, and thus controlling everyone. In addition to unawareness, abnormal relationships develop in the society because without books one couple may struggle in communication. After Beatty’s visit Mildred concluded Montag’s question â€Å"My ‘family’ is people. They tell me things: I laugh, they laugh! And the colors!†(75). Mildred feels her family is just people as if she thought people were just objects roaming around the earth.

American Beauty Film Critique Essay

There are few films that achieve the high level of quality exhibited by that of the 1990 beautiful tragedy, American Beauty. The film is a true masterpiece in both content and how this content is delivered to the viewers. It excels at being an enlightening and relevant drama about American life, and never fails to keep the audience entertained by providing many instances of well-placed humor. Every scene is filmed including metaphoric elements that not only show great stylistic and aesthetics, but also create a mood and feeling for the theme of the movie. American Beauty, directed by Sam Mendes, is a film that is set in suburban America, in a normal neighbourhood, following the everyday life of the central protagonist, Lester Burnham, who is living the typical ‘American Dream’. He appears to have a great job, big house, loving wife and daughter and even a white picket fence. However, all is not as it seems as appearance can often be deceiving; if we just â€Å"look closer†, we as audience members soon see that he realises both his wife, over bearing and controlling Carolyn and jaded teenage daughter, Jane think that, in the words of Jane, he is â€Å"this gigantic loser† and they’re right. The character of Lester is initially portrayed as a depressed, sad and lonely forty-year-old man, deprived of freedom and struggling to find anything worth living for. However as the film progresses Lester’s persona as a character is dramatically developed with the introduction of an equally intriguing character, Angela Hayes. Everything changes for Lester the night he is forced by his wife to his daughters school to see her perform as a cheerleader. There on the floor, engrossed in a pompon routin, parading and dancing around the court, he sees his ‘angel’: Angela his daughter’s high-school classmate. Angela fulfills the stereotypical idea of what beauty physical beauty is. She is thin, blonde, big blue-eyed and immediately catches Lester’s attention; Angela is not Lester’s highway to bliss, but she is at least a catalyst for his freedom (Ebert, 1999). His thoughts, and the dissatisfaction they stimulate, blast him free from years of emotional torture and bring him right back to his youth. It is from this moment on that Lester transforms into a spontaneous hormone-driven teenage boy, who smokes marihuana, works out, and uits his job all in order to impress his Angel-a. American Beauty uses Angela as the image of Lester’s broader want; that being his underlying desire for freedom and evidentially beauty. However, she symbolizes the potential underlying superficiality of physical beauty that is slowly revealed towards the end of the film. The film portrays many of the hidden problems within the white picket fence American dream along with addressing the problems many Americans have with feeling free and accepting their own identity. The film shows the vastly different worlds that people can live in whilst still living on the same street, and the disorder and frenzy that lies veiled in a society that we all try to portray as being as perfect as possible. In doing so, American Beauty reveals that the only way to calm the chaos is to find beauty in everything. To â€Å"look closer† is a must for truly understanding and identifying with the continuous bombardment of symbolism that is constantly being illustrated in this film. American Beauty portrays such themes as the falseness in lust, power and appearance and that we need to remind our selves â€Å"†¦of all the beauty there is in the world†, as beauty is a matter of opinion. Beauty however, is the most significant and explored theme in American Beauty. Another prevailing theme is the notion of the characters journey and transformation throughout the film. Lester’s journey can almost be compared to one from childhood from adulthood, figuratively speaking as evidentially, he steps into a mature, paternal phase where he takes responsibility and finds meaning in life, as an adult. Many techniques were used to portray these themes and influence audiences opinions of characters and events, including film techniques of cinematography, soundtrack as well as such visual techniques of symbolism, colour and contrast and both aesthetic and stylistic elements. American Beauty is a complex film that relies so heavily on mis-en-scene and cinematography to portray its message. In particular this is showcased during one scene that truly puts the ‘American Beauty’ into perspective; the opening scene or as it is often referred to as, the â€Å"High Point Scene†. The film explores the concepts of what true beauty really is and as suggested in the title of the film, the American Dream and how far this ‘dream’ really goes and what it actually means; this is explored further from the films tagline â€Å"look closer†; to think about perceived desire and to analyze more what these wants are. Through the exploration of the opening scene and a study of how the cinematography, mise en scene and sound foreshadows plot points in the rest of the film, the underlying messages and symbolism will be uncovered. The movie opens with a grainy shot of Jane Burnham reclining on a bed, complaining about her father. The scene begins with what is referred to as a flash forward, in cinematic terms. The line â€Å"Someone really should just put him out of his misery† is a hint towards the mid life crisis that the father Lester is currently going through and the ways in which she is aware of the pain he is dealing with, not knowing what he truly wants. Through the mise en scene and cinematography displayed throughout the scene, the audience is enabled to receive a glimpse into the events that have just occurred. Through the use of a lesser quality picture, shaky footage and dimmed lighting the audience is able to identify with the fact that the imagery being presented has that of a ‘home movie’ feel. The utilization of ‘raw footage’ within this drama genre of film gives the audience a sense of reality towards the character, hence making the dialogue seem more legitimate and believable. The addition of a pause into the characters dialogue helps to support and express the sense of ‘reality’ further, as it is as if she is really thinking about what she is saying. The rather ambiguous approach to the delivering of the line â€Å"You want me to kill him for you? † helps to draw attention to Jane’s reaction as apposed to the interviewers own intensions. This poses both Jane Burnham, the daughter and the unidentified interviewer as suspects to her father’s upcoming murder. However the abstruse approach from the interviewer combined with the daughters reply is foreshadowing what is to come later in the film, as each character related to the father is set up to be the possible murderer of his death. By using the body language as a primary tool for communication, the reply of â€Å"Yeah, would you† to the previous statement, suggests that she is almost daring the interviewer to kill him. This is expressed through the dominant changing of levels when she sits up, almost creating a shift in power, and looks down and straight into the camera, but at the same time also insinuates some sarcasm on her part. The audience learns in the very first lines of the movie that Jane’s dad, Lester, is not the father that she wants. The opening credits roll, and the shot switches to an aerial view of a neighborhood. The exact location is not specified, and that is very intentional. It is important that this not be a critique of a specific area, but of American culture as a whole. The scene begins with an aerial shot of a suburb, with Lester Burnham introducing the audience to his life and informing them that â€Å"In less than a year, I’ll be dead,† and â€Å"in a way, I’m dead already. † This dialogue is heightened through the following shots of Lester lying alone on a bed in a very dull coloured room, thus signifying the meaninglessness life in which he is leading. The utilization of an aerial shot here creates the idea that the world is looking down on him. The dominant use of bright lighting also indicates that it is the morning, however through the use of shadowing casted over Lester, it expressed to the audience that he is still in ‘the dark’; he is yet to be enlightened. Visual techniques are a constant feature in American Beauty, including the use of colour, contrast and symbolism. The primary recurring prop that is introduced at the beginning of the film is a rose, in which the audience first sees in a close up before Lester’s wife Carolyn Burnham picks it up. The first shot of the rose seems out of place, beginning with the flower filling the frame and then moving down to focus on the thorns before Carolyn’s clippers cut it. The rose symbolizes the impotence of not only the love life between Lester and Carolyn but the idea of the American Dream. This shot not only draws attention to the rose as a recurring object in the film, but it also serves as a metaphor for the Burnhams: on the outside they appear perfect, like the flower, but underneath they are rotten and broken (represented by the thorns). In this shot the character of Carolyn is also introduced and is instantly perceived as a cold, workaholic who is obsessive about how they (the family) is presented. This portrayal is demonstrated through the line â€Å"See the way the handle on those pruning shears matches her gardening clogs? That’s not an accident†, thus showing the audience what level she will go to, to maintain order and control. What is also noticeable about this shot is the mise en scene, in particular the red roses, white picket fences and the blue painting on the house. These colours in specific represent the American flag and therefore the American dream. These objects are most perceived to be included within the American dream as well as stereotypical figure of Carolyn, the suburban housewife. This ideology however, creates contrast with the cinematography. Many scenes are metaphoric in how they are shot, and what is in the frame symbolizes a higher, deeper meaning. This is demonstrated when, Lester looking out the window of his house at his wife, and the blinds on the window represent jail cell bars. Even the blocks of text on his computer screen at work, (shown later in the film) represent jail cell bars. Lester is â€Å"in jail† because his life at this point is so empty and missing substance. This cinematography technique often used in film nior is utilized to convey the emotions of disassociation and distance which in this case, is the way in which Lester feels towards his wife; he is no longer associated with her. American Beauty† is more than a biting satire on suburban life. This somewhat contrived story is meant to be an allegory. Alan Ball’s richly textured screenplay, brilliantly executed stylistic and aesthetic elements such as cinematography, mise en scene and symbols are effectively demonstrated throughout this masterpiece of a film. Every single shot is so carefully taken and layered with such vast significance that it is a marvel to behold. â€Å"Look closer,† the film’s tag line tells us. Look closer at the beautiful things we yearn for and spend our life chasing. There isn’t a single example of a film done better. Not only is the content top-notch, but the technical aspects of the movie are excellent as well. American Beauty truly demonstrates the power of film.

The Ideal Family of the Future Essay

Probably everyone has their own idea of the ideal family and their views about the family in general. I’ll tell you what I think about it. In my opinion, the ideal family should begin with â€Å"laying the foundation† of their own relations, also with the confidence and understanding to each other. In any family should prevail friendly atmosphere, along with love and mutual respect for all its members. Ideal family it is when they always support you in every difficult moment and is no matter what. Ideal family it is when despite everything going on around, including of all the possible issues with all global and family problems, disorders, scandals and quarrels you continue to be one strong and solid family. As for the future, in my opinion, the ideal family of the future consists in informing all the values of a culture from nowadays of your heirloom in next generation. Now I am a part of such a great family. And I am very grateful to my parents for it. Also, I hope th at my â€Å"ideal family of the future† will correspond of my idea about ​​it, and I will try to do everything possible that all it happens.

Everest Simulation Summary

I volunteered to be an observer for the Everest Simulation, and I learned a lot by observing participants Interact with one another. As I walked around each group, I quickly realized that I wasn't going to learn as much about the simulation by observing each group; I had to focus on one team and observe their work. As a result, I watched one team and learned many Important management skills, such as leadership, planning and controlling, setting team and Individual goals, and communication.The students were placed into teams of flee members who had only known each there for approximately six weeks. In standard businesses, teams may know each other for months, years, or possibly decades. What made this simulation difficult is that students had five hours to collaborate, analyze their roles and responsibilities, and communicate while some businesses take months or years to get their teams in synch. I was beyond impressed with what I observed.Aside from learning the responsibilities and goals of the leader, photographer, environmentalist, marathoner, and physician, I learned more Important lessons that apply to all successful organizations. First of all, communication is key. If only one or two members speak up, groups assume everyone Is In agreement. Everybody must speak up; this means each member must have honest and direct conversations, ask questions, acknowledge errors, and offer ideas.Additionally, listening is just as important as communication skills. Next, because trust is the foundation to a successful company, and these groups did not have the time most successful companies have to build trust, I realized that trust can be created quickly by successfully doing the following things: staying true to your commitments; being ones; being authentic; being clear and concise when communicating (especially when you only have three hours to complete a project); crediting others; and of course, listening.There are other ways to build trust, but these were the comm on takeaways from observing the groups that were the most successful with the simulation. Developing and maintaining trust Is critical to successful businesses, and the team I focused on was successful because they had confidence In each member of the team. Even though each climber has to monitor his or her health, watch the weather, ND choose travel speed, they must avoid getting an illness such as frostbite, injuries, or an illness.Even though each member has individual goals, the team goals must be met to accumulate as many points as possible. The team I observed realized that each members' goals don't always coincide with the rest of the team. This can cause challenges, arguments, and eventually reduce the points they already earned. This taught me that one member's goals and being competitive Is not the way to have a successful team or create a final product. Another key characteristic I observed was that each member must share all Information.If a teammate kept Information to themselves, It hurt the team as a whole, which ties Into communication, climate of trust, and ultimately team effectiveness. Important task. Being that he or she could earn the most amount of points, the leader calmly listened to each members' ideas and reasoning before making a decision without criticizing, picking apart, or finding fault in one's idea. Instead, he or she listened to each member, made him or her feel like they were contributing to the group, and ultimately brought up the morale of the team.After listening to all ideas, she made the decision whether or not to move to the next camp. It was interesting for me to see that although the leader made the decision, the group felt pleased with the decision because they were all heard. Successful leaders have visions, missions, and goals, but most importantly, make the team feel like a legitimate team. There were other groups I observed that disagreed about many decisions, mainly because members were not being heard, and two or three people were making most of the decisions. It's important that all team members are heard.The simulation is a great experience for students and employees. There were at least ten lessons learned in Just three hours, and each student enjoyed the experience. It taught me that communication and diversity are integral to groups and the workforce. If everybody had the same opinion, we would not be challenged. Each member brought unique strengths, comments, questions, and concerns to the group, and most importantly, they communicated effectively. I must say, being that I am not a fan of cold weather, this was the best Mount Everest climb I have ever experienced.

A history of Latin America Essay

It was during the European colonial expansion that Brazil fell under Portugal as a colony. Colonization in Brazil spanned the period between 1500 to year 1815. Portugal was interested in Brazil for a number of reasons that included the hope of getting minerals, raw materials as well as slave trade and labor to among other interests. The colonization of Brazil had some effect on the native way of life, with most of these effects having had a lasting effect to date. It’s worth noting that from the history of Brazil, France also had an interest in Brazil but could not stand up to Portugal which had taken the control of this part of the world through the signing of a treaty. The Portugal king known as king Manuel 1 who was reigning then wanted the colony to be ruled under a system of 15 hereditary captaincies- a fit that failed to work due to large-scale failure. The system gave way to royal enterprise in 1549. The following essay describes the causes and the effects of the Portuguese colonialism in Brazil. Causes of colonialism There are a number of things that preceded the Portuguese entry into and colonization of Brazil. Following the signing of the treaty of Tordelsillas in the year 1494 that facilitated the division of the world between Spain and Portugal, all land falling to the east was taken up by Portugal while Spain took up the land on the western side. In the year 1500, a navigator, Captain Pedro Alvares Cabral in charge of a fleet of 13 ships trailing the route taken by Vasco da Gama to India, landed in Brazil. He possessed this land for king Manuel 1 as an overseas colonial land for Portugal. His possession of the land made it a colonial land for Portugal (Sweet 2007p233). The Portuguese expressed their interest in Brazil due to the presence of raw materials that proved to be valuable for Portugal. One of the raw materials that Portugal got from Brazil includes the Brazilwood tree from which dark wood and red dye could be extracted. The Brazilwood was readily available in the Brazilian rainforest where it grew naturally. The red dye was exported to Europe where it was useful in staining luxurious textile for trading. The dark wood was sought for commercial purposes as well- specifically for sale within the European markets. The Portugal colonial system was also interested in growing sugar cane from Brazil for use in making of wine and for exporting to Portugal. An interest in other agricultural products of the nature of cash crops also interested the Portugal royal government that was reigning under the king Manuel 1 to take up Brazil as a colony. The cash crops drawn from Brazil included cotton and tobacco. These two cash crops were exported to Europe for sale in the European market. Portugal was interested in Brazil due to the prospect of getting slaves for labor and trade. The plantations in Europe required free labor that slaves could provide. Portugal marked Brazil as a potential area where for getting slaves for their plantations in Europe or for trading them. Even though the Portugal authorities had managed to transact some of the slaves with a Brazilian origin, the coming of the Jesuits in Brazil greatly led to the fall of the trade since they were opposed to the trade. This forced the Portugal authorities to embark on importing slaves from West Africa. At the same time, labor was greatly needed in the sugar plantations in Brazil. The natives provided this labor in exchange of scissors, axes, mirrors and knives while some were captured and forced to provide the labor as slaves (Morris 2006p34). Another reason why Portuguese had an interest in Brazil was because they were hoping to get minerals that they could use for their industries in Portugal or sell them in the European market. Though initially no minerals were found, some deposits of gold and later diamonds were found in the 18th century in the interior of Brazil by the bandeirantes. The area where gold deposits were found is known as the Minas Gerais mines. Deposits of diamond were found in 1729 in a village known as the Tujico village- the present day Diamantina. The French had expressed an interest n the land of Brazil as it was attracted to the Brazilwood and the prospect of mining some minerals from the land. This forced Portuguese to take up the land for establishing colonial rule in it before the French powers could take it over. Even though Portuguese had already possessed the land of Brazil, the heavy presence of the French military along the cost of Brazil forced the Portuguese to set the colonial powers and use military power to evacuate the French from the Brazilian coast (Leftwich 1999p156). Effects of Portuguese colonialism in Brazil The presence of the Portuguese colonial power in Brazil affected a number of the native life of the people in Brazil. Colonialism led to the widespread and adoption of the catholic faith in worship. This was a result of the coming of the Jesuits, who were led by the first governor, Tome de Sousa. The Jesuits made a great representation of the religious enterprise, setting missions within Brazil and actively converting the natives into the catholic faith. Another consequence of the Portuguese colonial powers in Brazil is the death of a great number of people due to wars that pervaded the colony. The natives were opposed to the colonial powers and therefore staged resistances that led to the death of many natives. An example of the native revolts is the Guarani war of the year 1756 where the native were fighting the Portuguese authorities as a protest against slave trade. The native guaranis were assisted by the Jesuits who also opposed slave trade and labor (Chasteen 2001 p251). The colonial era in Brazil also played a great role in the proliferation of the people of the African origin in Brazil. Since Brazil drew a lot of slaves from the West African region to work within the plantations in Brazil, a very large number of Africans settled within the Brazilian land after the slave trade was abolished since they had no way of going back to Africa even when they were set free (Freyre 2008 p458). There was a proliferation of infectious diseases that were brought by the colonialist from Europe to Brazil. The natives had no natural immunity against these diseases and this led to the death of a great number of natives from these foreign diseases. The colonial powers also led to the embrace of the sugar cane growing in agricultural sector for export. Since sugar cane had such a high demand within the European market, the expansion of the sugar cane sector drew great profits. This sector however received a blow and fell once the Dutch and the French started cultivating and exporting sugarcane to the European market. Since Antilles- the area where Dutch and the French produced the sugar was much closer to Europe, the sugar prices fell drastically towards the end of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th century during which time the sugar industry on Brazil fell. The colonial powers within Brazil also led to the founding of the Rio de Janeiro city in the year 1565 by the governor general Estacio de Sa’. He established Rio de Janeiro as the capital of Brazil in the year 1763 from Salvador. At the same time, a number of changes took place with the cities in Brazil. The estados – states- in Brazil had been divided and separated so that they were headed by the city council prior to the year 1763. The city councils were composed of top figures within the Brazilian land including the merchants, land owners and business men. Since Brazil was to big to be administered by the royal government, there arose a need to divide this area into smaller estates. The states of Brasil, Maranhao, and Grao-para were unified into Brazilian viceroyalty in the year 1763 and Rio de Janeiro was set as the capital of these cities. This helped to destroy the divisions that were created in the early days of the colonial invasion (Freyre 2008 p457). There was the creation of a number of towns in south Brazil. Some of the towns created include Colonia de Sacramento, Alores islands, and Porto Alegre among other towns. As essay shows, there are a number of major changes that took place with the expansion of the Portuguese power in Brazil. The native Brazilians abandoned their cultural way of life and adopted the life that the Portuguese were living in terms of dress code, food eaten, and the religion adopted (Keller 2006p517). Conclusion Expansion of the European powers into the rest of the world during the colonial era led to major changes and experiences into the areas that these countries set their colonial power. In the case of Brazil, changes that took place were experienced over the whole range of the living including their social living, political life and religion among other areas. The effect of the colonial powers is still felt in Brazil to the present day. References Chasteen J (2001) Born in blood and fire: a concise history of Latin America, Norton p251 Freyre G (2008) The masters and the slaves (Casa-grande & senzala) Brazilian civilization, University of Texas p457, 458 Keller (2006) Colonization study, founding of new societies. Ginn & Company p517 Leftwich A (1999) Redefining politics; populace, property, and power, Taylor & Francis p156 Morris H (2006) History of Colonialism from the Earliest Times Present Day, University of Michigan p34 Sweet W (2007) A history of Latin America. The Abingdon Press p233

Annotated bibliography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 8

Annotated bibliography - Essay Example The data was collected from a group of four students in CHIP and five students from ILAC through written reflections by the students as well as team debriefing, which was then analyzed by the authors using content analysis method. Through this method, initial coding categories were identified, which were then used to generate the main categories of the study: cultural competency, clinical reasoning, and international leadership. The findings were consistent with the hypothesis. It was discovered that the cultural immersion in international settings has significant effect on the main categories of the study, as does the experiential learning done in such settings. This, the study points out, is also consistent with previous studies done on this topic. The article points out the positive effect international programs have in student learning. The study is well documented and researched and goes to prove its hypothesis quite well. The focus group, however, was too small, and limited to two international settings only. This article seeks to document the need for cultural diversity in medical school programs. It also strives to look into what steps are being taken by Canadian universities and educators to cope with the ever changing health needs of the community that is now more diverse due to ever increasing immigration. The study gathered data about cultural diversity education through the websites of 14 English Canadian undergraduate medical schools. The data was gathered through manual and keyword search from these websites. This data was analyzed and reviewed via a set of criteria. An inter-coder reliability technique was used to ensure reliability. A tool was also developed to classify the various approaches used to include matters relating to cultural diversity during undergraduate medical education so that it could be used for future

Using either Marxist or gender literary theory, write an Essay - 1

Using either Marxist or gender literary theory, write an interpretation of Hairstyles of the Damned - Essay Example This paper will assess how the Marxist theory can be applied to this theory and how it can be used to present the difficulties and events that happened with Brian; the main character. The story is a well written novel which talks about many aspects of Brian’s life. It shows the difficulties and tough decisions that Brian takes while growing up. He is an introspective boy who thinks a lot but isn’t able to express himself. The novel talks about his love, best friend, his history project, and all his other activities that have led him to face problems. The first part of the book greatly talks about the time when Brian enters the Catholic School and is surrounded by a number of people from different backgrounds. The major difference is that Brian is into metal while his best friend, who he also loves named Gretchen, is into punk (Meno 3). However throughout the book he is trying to make his identity and adjust in high school. In the first part of the book there are various characters introduced with their backgrounds and how Brian interacts with them. This can be interpreted with the relevance to Marxist’s theory as it describes the materialistic view of the societal development. He outlined that the societal relations are formed on the basis of materialism and economic activity in which every individual is involved (Meno 5). The first part of this novel reflects how Brian interacts with different children of different backgrounds but most of them belong to families where parents are divorced, on the verge of being divorced, or widowed. Even Brian’s parents are about to get divorced as many hints are given throughout the novel. Moreover, Brian belongs to a working class family because of which he has seen a lot of struggle and difficulties throughout his childhood. Hence, those problems greatly affect the way he interacts with his friends, his introspective nature, and his wrong decisions a s just a student of high school (McKendry 1). The

Analysis of the integrated marketing communications mix strategies of Essay

Analysis of the integrated marketing communications mix strategies of your chosen smartphone brand - Essay Example With the help of analysis it is noted that Apple Inc. delivered attractive and best quality product designed for a finest price. Integrated marketing communication (IMC) mix is a process, designed for managing the consumer relationships that drive product value. More exclusively, it is defined as cross functional practice for generating and nourishing beneficial relationship with the customers and stakeholders (Koekemoer, 2004). Now the environment of marketing communication is changing: mass markets have been fragmented, thereby, causing marketers to move from mass selling to segment marketing; and shifting from mass media towards focused media. Integrated marketing communication activities entail a forward flow of communications. Producers communicate to the wholesaler, the retailer, and the end consumer. Resellers correspond to customers. Backward communication flow also exists but is crucial to understand markets and customers (Anderson and Vincze, 2006). The main aim of this report is to analyse the integrated marketing communication mix strategies of Apple Inc. The main elements of communication procedure are the sender, encoding message, receiver, medium, decoding, and feedback. A clear understanding of all these elements helps to design an effective communication programs (Jacobson, 1999). Sender: Sender is a person who starts the communication process by thinking about the idea to have a conversation with the receiver. During the communication, the body language, vocabulary and the voice tone of the speaker influence how the receiver accepts the message (Jacobson, 1999). Encoding: It is an act of creating an idea reachable to the entire mass. Before the message or an idea could be conveyed to receiver or the people, the sender requires encoding the message in a suitable code (Cleary, 2004). Medium: Once the idea of sender are translated or encoded, they are conveyed in the structure of message. Messages could