Thursday, October 31, 2019

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) Research Paper

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) - Research Paper Example Genetic engineering allows individual to identify genes that are weak and defective. This presents a source of an opportunity for them to be replaced by healthy ones. Such genes are normally resistant to diseases, bad weather conditions and enhance production of cells. Domestic Plants and animals which have undergone genetic engineering always have got greater productivity as compared to the indigenous ones. Different techniques can be used to create Genetically Modified Organisms depending on the level of technology applied. In order for one to make a GMO, he/she needs to have the gene you want to transfer, the recipient organism and a vector to carry the gene to the recipient of the transferred gene. The gene that is to be transported is first cut out and separated from its original organism. Different genes may be taken from different organisms depending on the types of traits that are needed. These cut genes are then dipped into a vector that can get into the cells of the recipient organism. This is because genes of an organism will always reject any foreign material and therefore in order to make it get used to a new environment and for the recipient to accept it; a vector is used. The genes can be sliced together depending on the requirement and the traits needed. After this, these genes are then inserted into the recipient organism/gene. Once in the recipients’ cell, the g ene will insert into the recipient’s genome. As a result, during any time of replication or gene transformation when new cells are made, the transferred gene will also be present in the DNA of each newly made cell. Whether in open air markets or supermarkets, GMO products are nowadays found everywhere. Though one cannot automatically know whether a product is a GMO or not, as there is no legal requirement to label GMO products, as a result, GMO find their way into the local markets and supermarkets. Some

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Women’s Movement 1848-1970’s Essay Example for Free

Women’s Movement 1848-1970’s Essay Women have been â€Å"pushing† for equal rights, for a countless amount of time. Even before the United States â€Å"broke-free† of Great Britain, women have been trying to â€Å"gain† the equivalent rights granted to men. This essay focuses upon the women’s advancement for equal rights in the United States starting from the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention, thru the 1970s.The Seneca Falls Convention (July 19-20, 1848) is known as the first Women’s Rights Convention to have ever taken place. This convention was organized by Women’s Rights Activists (as well as Antislavery activists) Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Lucretia Mott. According to Stanton, the ultimate goal of this convention was to discuss the social, civil, and religious condition and right[s] of woman. Neither Mott nor Stanton expected the ‘rally’ to have many visitors, however they were completely wrong. Their convention surprisingly had over 300 supporters. This proved that it was a highly valued topic amongst women in the United States. The Seneca Falls Convention marked the beginning of women organizing to ‘fight’ for their own rights / personal liberty. Two (2) years after the convention in 1850 the second women’s movement convention was held in Salem, Ohio, and 1850 was also the year for the first national women’s right convention which was held in Worcester, Massachusetts. Similar conventions regarding the women’s movement were held annually up to the Civil War Era. During the Civil War, many women’s rights conventions and activists put aside their movement to assist in the war effort. Many women took over the male’s role in society, while they were off fighting in the Civil War. After the war, while the United States was undergoing a period of reformation, Women begin to start organizing conventions, as they did before the war, and in 1867, Susan B. Anthony formed the Equal Rights Association, which worked for universal suffrage. This marks the time period when women began to push for women’s suffrage-the right to vote. Shortly after the establishment of the Equal Rights Association, the fourteenth amendment was ratified, and the fifteenth amendment passed Congress, giving the right to vote to black men. Women petitioned to be included but are ultimately turned down. The New England Woman Suffrage Association was formed (1868). In 1869, Women’s Rights activist Elizabeth Cady Stanton forms, and leads the National Woman Suffrage Association. Women finally begin to succeed with their suffrage movement when Wyoming Territory grants women’s suffrage, and allows women to hold elected positions. As time continued, it became increasingly harder for women to voice their concerns, mainly because males began to fight back. An example of this is the National Anti-Suffrage Association formed in 1871, or the multiple arrests, and imprisonment of women’s rights activists. Despite these hard times, women began to gradually move forward with their protests. Several laws and governmental programs assisted the women’s movement, and many controversial federal policies were either ratified, or became a decision on a local scale. The major component women’s movement, the suffrage movement came to an end August 18, 1920 with the passage of the 19th amendment which granted suffrage to women. Women strongly pushed for more equivalent rights, until the 1970s when legally declared equal, when all the U.S. amendments were finally to apply to all citizens, which included women. In conclusion, the woman’s movement was a slow and painful, but greatly appreciated movement which clearly showed off what freedom allows us to do. Gradually through time, as outlined in this essay, women were able to freely organize, gather, and protest / push for their voices to be heard. In doing so, Activists such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Susan B. Anthony fixed some major flaws with the ‘law of the land’, and because of them, the praise ‘All men and women are created equal’, has moved from being fiction, to becoming and remaining fact.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Representations of media in film

Representations of media in film Question 2: Compare and Contrast the Approaches to the Representations of the two different Media in Almost Famous (2000) and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004). Word count: 2305 Almost Famous is a 1998 American film directed by Cameron Crowe, it tells the story of the 1970s American hard rock band Stillwater struggling in the harsh face of stardom from the perspective of a Rolling Stone Magazine journalist William Miller (Patrick Fugit). Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy is a 2004 American parody film directed by Adam McKay, it tells the story of how Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell), a famous television news anchor in San Diego, descends from fame and later comeback. I choose these two films as both protagonists William Miller and Ron Burgundy are from San Diego and these two different stories happened in the same period of time – mid 1970s. They both portray the media effects on audiences and their reaction to these audiences. In Almost Famous, audiences are portrayed as active to the music industry and have a good knowledge of the entertainment business. In contrast, audiences in Anchorman are presumed as passive receivers of TV news information rig ht at the beginning. It lacks serious critics of events. Females are presented considerably in both films as important but a menace to the male characters. Almost Famous treats women less seriously but females are free to do what they like. On the contrary, female characters in Anchorman are constantly under male power and cannot do what they want but they are treated more justly as a practitioner within the industry. Both films shed light upon the gender inequality in a serious tone. I am going to use theories of ‘reflexivity’ to examine how audiences are portrayed respectively in two different types of media. I will also use the theories of ‘self-reflexivity’ to compare the difference between two industries in terms of the production and competition. I will use ‘intertextuality’ to discuss the genres of two films. Reflexivity, argued by Rosenberg (1990. p3), refers to the process of an entity acting back upon itself. Almost Famous and Anchorman both reflected the media effects on audiences. Almost Famous started its story in the house of the Millers. The first actual audience mentioned in the film is William Miller’s sister Anita Miller (Zooey Deschanel) who is a real fan of rock n’ roll music. She is an inner-directed person and regards rock n’ roll music as an integral part of her life and her future. Elaine Miller (Frances McDormand), mother of William and Anita, is a traditional-minded woman who teaches in a local college. Her ideas would not allow Anita to get involved with the low culture she deemed. Anita angrily leaves her home at the age of 18 and starts her career as an air stewardess. At the very beginning of the film, the notion of ‘audience’ is seriously examined. The first audience of music is portrayed as brave and, most-importantly, fully awar e of their own behaviours and wants. Before Anita leaves home, she holds her brother William and tells him ‘Look under your bed’. Judging from those worn surfaces of records and the notes she made on each one of them, we can speculate here Anita has been a very loyal fan and has spent much time, energy and money on the medium she consumes. William is clearly influenced by her sister as he later grows up to be an even more loyal fan to rock music. It would be hard to imagine that in such a strict household, an obedient young child like William Miller will grow up to be a journalist on rock n’ roll which is against his mother’s will. He often writes for Creem magazine and knows every song from his lyrics. The devotion wins the chance for him to make friends with musicians as he uses the word ‘incendiary’ to describe the ‘Fever Dog’ song of Stillwater right in front of its members. His passion in pursuing his career as a journalist e ven makes him give up the chance of attending his graduation ceremony. Another important character inside the film is Penny Lane (Kate Hudson), the founder of Band Aid. She gathers friends to support bands they love instead of just passively listening to their songs without thinking. Penny and William sometime challenge the thoughts of their idols and will give them some constructive ideas. The sad thing is that they have never been regarded seriously until the very end of the film. Anchorman also examines the media effect on audiences but in a less serious tone. From the beginning, a non-diegetic voice narrates the traits of television audiences in the 1970s – ‘There was a time, a time before cable, when the local anchorman reigned supreme, when people believed everything they heard on TV’. This statement at the very beginning positions TV audiences as passive receivers of information. The first time when Ron Burgundy starts broadcasting, an old rocker-like man yells in a bar ‘hey everybody, shut the hell up, Ron Burgundy is on’. The following scene is a toddler saying her first words ‘Ron Burgundy’. It is a clearly a computer generated scene. However, it is a metaphor of the overwhelming power of television in 1970s. ‘Stay classy San Diego’ is what Ron Burgundy says every time at the end of his broadcasting. Then we see people from different places (home, bar, work place), young or old, white or black , repeat after Ron. This scene fortifies the idea of Television’s manipulation over audiences. In a general case in film, males are often portrayed as heroes who struggle and females are put to a less important position (Mortimer, 1997). In both films, females play a great part of the plot but inevitably become portrayed as sex objects. In Almost Famous, Penny Lane and her band aid claim to be supporters of band only, however, ironically, they failed to escape the fate as groupies. Penny Lane is in a very subtle but intimate relationship with Stillwater’s guitarist Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup). In many occasions Penny is braless and wears a very thin top or blouse. When the band Stillwater travels to Cleveland, Penny Lane and Russell Hammond are flirting with each other and Penny only wears her panties. There is even short scene showing her breasts and her full naked back. Other girls, for example, Polexia (Anna Paquin) is one hundred percent a groupie who tried every time to make out with rock stars and even travels all the way from America to Europe to be with Deep Purple. When William Miller is writing his ideas for Rolling Stone magazine in a bathtub, Penny comes straight in to pee just in front of him. Later William is dragged out by three other young women into bedroom. They claim to ‘deflower Opie’ and ‘Opie should die’. Later we see the pace of imaged has been slowed down, the vibe on the screen becomes highly erotic when they start to undress William and themselves. In Anchorman there is only one woman who has been seriously portrayed – Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate). When she enters the Channel 4 News station for the first day, members from Channel 4 News Team try to seduce her and refuse to take her seriously as a journalist or a colleague. Veronica became the object of their sexual imagination when they talk about her good body inside the office. Later Ron tries to date her and succeeds at that night and has sex with her. When Ron talks about her life with Veronica in the future with his teammates, Veronica is only wearing a cook apron. The conversation is highly erotic too and Veronica in his imagination is a full-time housewife without any careerism. The image of women is degraded and the relationship between male and female protagonists becomes obvious. Women are portrayed as men’s most important and shiny ‘accessories’, however, to a certain extent, they are a threat to the career of the male prota gonists. The flight scene in Almost Famous exposes the promiscuous relationships between band members which cause a huge brawl between them. In Anchorman, Veronica, with her talent and hard work, makes Ron out of job and takes over as the Channel 4 New anchor. In both films, ‘women function as erotic objects both for the characters within the story and for the spectator, who identifies with the main male protagonist and derives a sense of omnipotence from this identification’ (Mulvey, 1975. p14). Talking about gender inequality, it is a different landscape between these two films. Women in the music industry are more likely to be themselves. They choose their favourite music, the bands they watch, the food they eat, the place they are and the life they want. Being a journalist in the Television industry, Veronica is not lucky enough to be like them and choose the things she likes to do. As she mentions ‘it is the same everywhere that men make jokes of women. To be the best journalist is the way to get respect’. The good thing is that Veronica achieved success and became the first female anchor in America. And later the configuration of having two anchors, one male and one female, report news is nowadays a fixed form. Females inside television industry are treated more seriously as ‘women’ in contrast to ‘sex objects’ in music industry. ‘Self-reflexivity is used to describe films or texts which self-consciously acknowledge or reflect upon their own status as fictional artefacts or the processes involved in their creation’ (Krenn, 2007. p36). Almost Famous exposes some of the ugliest facts about the rock music industry. Hypocrisy is the most severe problem within the industry and inside people. The first time William meets Jeff Bebe (Jason Lee), Jeff tries to glorify himself by stating ‘rock n’ roll is a way of thinking, a life style. Fame and money are not important but the chicks are great’. He sounds like a rascal who is desperately for staying the spotlight, a hobo who is desperately to be cool. When he says all these things, we can see that Russell is looking at him contemptuously which shows that he knows Jeff is pretending to be someone he is not. Russell, compared to Jeff, has a more honest attitude on music. He tells William what makes a song is actually those tiny mistakes. You need only one in the song, and it is what makes fans remember it. The production process in Anchorman seems not very professional. The film constantly shows the mistakes inside Channel 4 News Studio such as the mistakes on the teleprompter and Ron Burgundy’s grumpy character and his low IQ (e.g. He reads out anything he sees). The sense of responsibility is different in two films. Stillwater gives up a show half way and leaves the venue straight away. In television news industry however, when some emergencies happened, there is always a back-up plan to keep thing going. Mead (1934) and Cooley (1902) showed clearly that ‘reflexivity among human beings is rooted in the social process, particularly the process of taking the role of the other and of seeing the self from the others perspective’ (Rosenburg, M. 1990, p3). The Rolling Stone magazine which trashed Eric Clapton’s ‘Layla’ also ended the career of Stillwater. They hasted too much to be famous but lost themselves. William’s article wakes them up but it is already too late to re-establish a good public image. Ron Burgundy learnt from his failure and realised the hard work of Veronica, he finally got to know who he should be and together they made a huge progress for television news industry. The most hilarious sequence in Anchorman is the fight between five news teams. They fight each other near a factory which make people think of the typical gang fight scenes in other films. The fight is fierce and the casualties are heavy. The siren of the police ends this chaos. This is a satire of the vicious and sometimes illegal competitions for higher ratings inside the television news industry. ‘Intertextuality strongly linked with postmodernism, designates, in its narrow sense, the ways in which a film either explicitly or implicitly refers to others films (e.g. through allusion, imitation, parody or pastiche), or in its broader sense, the various relationships on (film) text may have with other texts’ (Nelmes, 2012. p191). Both films are based on historical events, so they are themselves inherently examples of ‘intertextuality’. Almost Famous is a drama in terms of genre. It vividly retells the stories of a band which failed to become a hit. It tells us a story about chasing dreams and making mistakes. Those pieces of fine music are an intertext of nostalgia for old good times. Anchorman is a parody and this decides it will not analyse events in a more serious fashion, but it shows a historic event of women being recognised in the television broadcasting industry. It is these use of techniques of intertextuality that add power of credibility to the films. Compare and contrast the representation of media in these two films, the media’s effect over audiences has been examined in both films. Almost Famous tends to analyse the audience’s reaction to media effect from the perspective of individuals. Most notably, it uses three characters, William, Anita and Penny, to show audiences’ active reaction to the medium they love and live on. Anchorman tends to present television news audiences as a passive whole group. The individual characteristics are diminished. Both films recognise the importance of females inside the society. Females in Almost Famous have more freedom to do what they like but failed to be taken seriously as ‘women’ by the society. In Anchorman, the gender inequality is a more prominent problem but females are justly treated as ‘women’ with dignity and characteristics. They both used ‘intertextuality’ to create the sense of reality, but one with a more serious tone as a drama and the other less critical as a parody. Bibliography: Cooley, C. H. (1902) Human Nature and Social Order. Charles Scribner’s Sons. Krenn, S. (2007) Oriental and Postmodern Elements in Moulin Rouge!. Università ¤t Stuttgart Deutschland Mead, G. H. (1934) Mind, Self and Society: From the Standpoint of s Social Behaviourist. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. Mulvey L. (1975). Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema. In: L. Braudy and Marshall Cohen (eds), Film Theory and Criticism: Introductory Readings. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999, pp.6-18. Nelmes, J. (2012). Introduction to Film Studies. 5th Edition. London: Routledge. Rosenberg, M. (1990) ‘Reflexivity and Emotions’ in Social Quarterly, Vol. 53, No. 1. (Mar, 1990), pp 3-12. Fimography: Almost Famous (2000). [Film] Directed by Cameron CROWE. USA: Dreamworks. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004). [Film] Directed by Andy MCKAY. USA: Dreamworks. 1

Friday, October 25, 2019

Process Essay - How to Get a Girl :: Process Essays

Every man’s dream is to have the perfect companion. However, in order to have one, you must first be able to get one. Most believe such a task can be extremely difficult, yet if done properly, it can be accomplished swiftly and efficiently. In fact, there are only a few basic procedures to getting a girl. The first step of this process is rather quite simple; get her attention. Initiating conversation is half the battle. As well, it is very effective to make frequent eye contact. Let her catch you staring once in a while and smile at every chance you get. Your goal is to be fairly subtle, while still making it obvious that you want her. Once you have succeeded in being noticed, you are ready for the next step. Be funny, be confident, but be yourself. The absolute worse thing you can do when trying to get a girl is to change your personality. Self-assurance is indispensable and by altering your character, you are telling her that you lack confidence. Having a sense of humor is also very important. It is absolutely crucial to make her smile, even if it occasionally requires making a fool of yourself. If you can’t make her laugh, you don’t stand a chance. Now that she’s interested, entice her by making her feel special. Without being too overwhelming, attempt to spend as much time as possible with her. Devote yourself to making her feel different than the rest by going out of your way to please her. Little things count most. For example, cancel a pre-planned weekend with the boys and take her out for dinner and a movie instead. Randomly buy her flowers and she will melt. Let her hear things she wants to hear. Compliment her hair or her outfit, but don’t go overboard. Too much of a good thing gets taken for granted. It’s also essential that you be interested, or pretend to be interested, in things she likes. If she plays sports watch her game, even in the pouring rain. Once she feels a little closer to you, it’s time for the final step. Probably the most difficult yet most important step to getting a girl is to keep her guessing. Although it sounds foolish, you must back off, tremendously. Play games with her head. Make her jealous by flirting with other girls, especially with her friends.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Business: Organise and report data Essay

Knowledge and Understanding Describe different ways of organising data that has been researchedData is a group of information that is used for lots of different purposes. Data reporting is when data is extracted form of source or many sources and then converted into a certain format which then can be used for a certain purpose. There are lots of different ways to organise data such as tables, charts, graphs, statistics or spread sheets. This data can be used to come to lots of conclusions and make important decisions in the business. So because the data is so important it must be produced in a clear way that meets the objectives and targets of the organisation. Describe different ways of reporting dataThere are lots of different ways of reporting data. Good examples of it being shown is in spread sheets, bar charts etc. When delivering data to other members of staff it can be done verbally or via emails or sit with them face to face and have a one to one meeting. In my work place I only work in the office with one other person (Tracy) so we talk all day and I update her on all my emails etc. Describe the purpose of presenting data to the agreed format and within the agreed timescaleWhen presenting data, it must be presented in a agreed format and must be also within the agreed timescale, this is so then the person that is waiting on it gets it the way that they would like it. For example they might need it in a spread sheet as they might not be able to see any other document. I do a e-shot list of all customers emails and I put them into a spread sheet format on Microsoft excel. I put all the names and emails of customers in a list and once I have completed this I check it over and send it via email over to our marketing manager Stewart. Who then will email all our customers our latest offers and deals.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Gwen Harwood Essay

Gwen Harwood’s poetry is very powerful for its ability to question the social conventions of its time, positioning the reader to see things in new ways. During the 1960’s, a wave of feminism swept across Australian society, challenging the dominant patriarchal ideologies of the time. Gwen Harwood’s poems ‘Burning Sappho’ and ‘Suburban Sonnet’ are two texts that challenge the dominant image of the happy, gentle, but ultimately subservient housewife.Instead, ‘Burning Sappho’ is powerful in constructing the mother as violent to reject the restraints placed on her by society, whilst Suburban Sonnet addresses the mental impact of the female gender’s confinement to the maternal and domestic sphere. Harwood employs a range of language and structural devices in order to criticise the stereotypical repressed roles of the female gender. Thus Harwood encourages the modern reader to perceive Australian social structures different ly and hence reject the inequitable role of women in modern society.Structure is used in many of Harwood’s poems to challenge the dominant perception of the happy, caring mother. In ‘Suburban sonnet,’ the structure is (obviously) the sonnet, two four line stanzas followed by a six-line stanza. This choice is deliberate as the traditional romanticised love poem jars against the reality presented in the poem. Similarly, ‘Burning Sappho’ challenges the dominant stereotypes of the time however, rather than a sonnet, the poem’s structure is also relevant to the poem’s criticisms, thus revealing a duality in the mother’s actions and inner thoughts.Throughout the day, the mother is constantly interrupted by her supposed ‘duties’ and ‘roles. ’ â€Å"Scandals and Pregnancies† mediates that the women (a kind friend) talk, however the subject of the conversation presents a typecast of stereotypical gossip, t herefore positioning the reader to perceive their conversation as lacking substance. In contrast to this stereotype however, the persona’s thoughts are deeply personal and challenging to the reader. Vivid imagery of a â€Å"monster grin(ning) and stick(ing) her child with pins conflicts with the stereotype of the loving mother.Instead, the alliteration of â€Å"pours prussic acid† presents sharp diction to emphasise the concept of violence in regards to the mother. As a result, the reader is positioned to reassess the image of the caring, gentle mother, instead seeing the resulting emotionally repressed women as a direct reaction to the constraints placed on her gender. Language and imagery plays a dramatic role in portraying relationships and feelings/thoughts of the persona.Whilst in ‘Burning Sappho,’ the mother’s attitude towards tasks is portrayed as emotionless (â€Å"the child is fed, the dishes are washed, the clothes are ironed and aired,à ¢â‚¬ ), language is utilised within ‘Suburban Sonnet’ to construct the mother’s mental state and situation as dire. â€Å"Zest and Love drain out with soapy water. † The use of two personal, passionate adjectives and the depiction of them being physically overcome by soapy water directly link the mother’s loss of feelings and fiery emotion to the household chores and duties.For example, she â€Å"scours crusted milk,† as a part of her role as mother and housewife as the reader is positioned to reject this requirement as a result of the huge impact to her quality of life (â€Å"Veins ache†). The literal image of a dead mouse symbolises the mother’s situation as the ‘soft corpse’ directly represents the mother, that is, emotionally dead as a result of the entrapment by society.The reader is positioned to fully sympathise with the mother in her repressed position and thus question the stereotypical contented mother fi gure that is compartmentalised to the domestic sphere of Patriarchal society. Both poems suggest that their forced social roles of women as mothers and housewives come at the cost of career opportunities and personal aspirations. Music and writing, in particular, are significant, as Harwood believed they played an integral part in emotions and peace of the mind. She practices a fugue though it can matter to no one not whether she plays well or not. † The fugue in musical terms is a piece of repetitive writing that is utilised by Harwood to suggest a form of monotony and recurrence. As well as this, the negative alliteration of the words, â€Å"No, not and now† can be linked to the repression of the mother’s ability to play the piano. The persona is depicted as a good pianist within the poem, reflecting Harwood’s own skills on the instrument.However, due to her femininity, the persona is unable to pursue her career. Similarly, in â€Å"Burning Sappho,† the repetition of the persona writing (â€Å"I pick up my pen and start to write†) across the four stanzas emphasises the mother’s need for creative and emotional release. The construction of the children in both poems is also instrumental in representing the social expectation of the home mother, rather than worker. In â€Å"Suburban Sonnet,† imagery collusive with the children such as â€Å"Chattering and then screaming† is very stressful and negative.In contrast, the diction and language in â€Å"Burning Sappho† is shocking to the reader as the poem not only depicts a very difficult child in contrast to the stereotypical innocent construction, but the mother’s relationship with her is fragmented – â€Å"Something like hatred forks between my child and me. † Clear negative diction is used to challenge these stereotypes of the mother/child relationship, therefore challenging the views of society, which dictate that women mu st look after their children rather than pursue a career.Through the use of poetic structure and language in â€Å"Burning Sappho† and â€Å"Suburban Sonnet,† Gwen Harwood challenges established patriarchal ideas in regards to the domestic sphere of women as housewives and mothers. Her powerful voice and rhetoric is key to her argument and consequently I am positioned to readdress my perception of these particular groups in society, sympathising with the restriction of gender roles and therefore challenging the further implementation of them on Australian Society.