The Blair Witch Project Essay Example

The Blair Witch Project Essay , The Blair Witch Project can be said to be a landmark in the history of the horror film. It introduced a new kind of horror, as it gave us the story of real people in real situation filming real events. This had not been done before, and it scared people in a completely different way than previous horror films. It brought back the audience screams that came about during screenings of Alfred Hitchcocks Psycho (1960.) It is said that people watching The Blair Witch Project were vomiting and passing out during the screening. For the first time in a horror film, the entire film was filmed on hand held camera. This added extraordinary realism to the film as there was no script, only scene direction. Even more strangely, the actors in the film did all the filming themselves, which was totally unheard of until this film was released. Again, this can be seen as disturbing for the viewer as the aspect of realism is even more evident. We will write a custom essay sample on The Blair Witch Project specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Blair Witch Project specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Blair Witch Project specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The Blair Witch Project was an independent film produced by Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Myrick. The story revolves around three film students filming a documentary on the myth of The Blair Witch. Subsequently, they disapeer whilst filming the documentary, and the footage they filmed was found a year later in a duffel bag also containing empty film cans, and personal items. This footage is what is shown in the film. The Blair Witch Project was created extremely well as Sanchez and Myrick only had a budget of $25,000 and eight days to film, using low cost 16mm black and white film. On the closing day of the film at cinemas across the globe, the film had taken an estimated $140,000,000. Making it the most successful film of its kind. Sanchez and Myrick chose not to use a script, but to intentionally scare their actors, and film what reactions they received. It is said that on one night of filming, when the actors were asleep in their tent, Sanchez and Myrick went up to the tent and played a recording of children screaming and crying and banged the sides ofd the tent in. the reaction of the actors is great. They get out of the tent and run off into the woods screaming and shouting. This is just one example of how Sanchez and Myrick developed a new kind of filming. Even more cleverly, a website was set up in 1998, www.blairwitch.com which included TV reports of three missing film students in the woods near to Burketsville, interviews with the family of the students, aswell as with members of the search party sent out to look for them. Scientific analysts were also interviewed. They gave their views on what was found in the duffel bag. Photographs of the students and places they visited can also be seen on the website. Even posters were put up around the USA informing people of the students disappearance . Although the town of Burketsville is fictional, the town that was used for filming has received thousands of visitors thanks to the success of The Blair Witch Project .All of the above made people believe that the film was true and that three students had actually gone missing. This website received over 50,000,000 hits even before the film had been released. As, you can expect, with all the hype surrounding the film, a large amount of money was taken on the films opening weekend. $1,500,000 to be exact. The actors used in the film used their real names to add realism to the story. If they had been given false names then the USA might not have believed the story to be true. According to the website www.aintitcoolnews.com The Blair Witch Project is the scariest film ever produced. They claim that because the film plays with your mind, you are more likely to be effected by it rather than if it was a film with lots of blood and gore content. They also go on to say that because many boy scouts and families go camping in the woods, it has an unbelievable effect on the USA. As, the film is filmed in a real environment, such boy scouts and families have visited such places and this helps the reality of the film to hit home hard. The Blair Witch Project can be said to have re-invented the horror genre as it can be held responsible for the rise in audience figures for horror films post Blair Witch Project. E.g. Freddy Vs Jason has just been knocked of the top of the box office chart after a month at the top. So, who knows what the future holds for horror? I anticipate that more experimental films will be produced following the success of The Blair Witch Project, helping to keep the genre alive and as strong as ever.

Practice Speaking French Every Day

Practice Speaking French Every Day Daily French practice is a must since its only by practicing and using your French that youll be able to develop fluency, which occurs slowly over time. Aside from talking in French class and reading French books, there are a number of other ways you can incorporate French into your daily life. The basic premise is to use French whenever and wherever you can. Some of these ideas might sound silly, but the point is to demonstrate how you can easily introduce French into everyday situations. Thinking about French every day will help you learn how to think in French, which is a key element of fluency. You want your brain to go straight from seeing something to a French image, instead of going from object to English thought to French thought. Your brain will eventually process French faster, which facilitates fluency.   Fill your home and office with French Things Surround yourself with French things.  Make French labels for your furniture, appliances, and walls; buy or create French posters, and use a French calendar. French first Make French the first thing you see when you connect to the Internet. Set a high-quality French entity, such as  easy French news on Radio France Internationale, as your browsers default  homepage. Practice Your French If you know other people who speak French, practice with them whenever you can. Dont let speaking anxiety hold you back. For example, you and your roommate can declare Mondays and Fridays French day and communicate only in French all day. When you go out to a restaurant with your spouse, pretend youre in Paris and speak French to each other.   French Lists Need to make a shopping list or a to-do list? Do them in French. If the other people you live with speak French, write notes to them in French. Shopping in French When you go shopping, practice French with yourself.  For instance, count out your apples or your cans of tuna fish in French, look at prices and imagine how to say them in French. Routine French Think in French while performing routine actions. When walking to the refrigerator, think Jai soif or Quest-ce que je vais manger  ? Consider the conjugations of se brosser while brushing your teeth and hair. State the French name of each item of clothing as you put it on or take it off. Vocabulary Building Keep a notebook handy so that you can write down new words and keep track of ones you need to look up. This can also be part of a French journal or language scrapbook. French Internet If you use Windows, you can set your computer to display menus and dialogs in French. Mots flchs (Crosswords) Print out free mots flà ©chà ©s  and see how well you do. How Students Themselves Practice Speaking French Lets look at some of the great ideas students themselves have  for practicing spoken French. The following comments were taken from a French learning forum:   I challenge myself by picking a few objects around me and playing I spy with myself or others around me who also speak French. For example, I see an umbrella. Using circumlocution, I describe the item without using any of the words, such as pluie (rain), to give it away.  Because Im so self-conscious about speaking French, I find myself speaking it to my mother, who speaks no French. A live person allows me to put myself out there and I can practice my pronunciation without feeling so uncomfortable. Speaking to someone live forces me to form the word order in my mind along with the pronunciation. Ill say it out loud in her presence, then switch over to English so that she can understand me.I make sure to find things in French that really interest me so that it doesnt feel like school. The Internet is a great source because there are so many avenues to explore. I read reviews of things Im interested in, like books and movies. I go to French language message boards that deal with sub jects Im interested in. Ive also started a journal which is slow going but fun because I get to write about whatever Im interested in. I have books on tape in French and I listen to them while driving. I also have a teddy bear that a French friend gave me. When you press his jaws, paws or stomach he says things like Je mendors...Bonne nuit, or Aà ¯e  ! Ça fait mal; his left paw says Bonjour. Every morning, I touch his paw, he says Bonjour and I proceed to tell him, in French, my plans for the day. It gets me in the mood for French for the remainder of the day.  I try to skim the French newspaper Le Monde on the Web several times a week. If I have time, Ill read one of the articles out loud, which is difficult because the stories are written in fairly sophisticated written French, not in the style of a newscast. Occasionally, I play their aural stories. And I get daily and weekly horoscopes in French from Yahoo. They usually have a lot current French expressions in them.I listen to a series of Hachette pronunciation tapes, Phonà ©tique, in the background. I try to do the exercises, but they sometimes are ve ry difficult even when I can give them my full attention, and its easy to get frustrated. If the International Film Channel or the Sundance Channel is showing a movie Ive already seen, Ill try to keep that on in the background to see if I can pick up the French.  I often try to think of the French equivalent of something and articulate it, but Im often worried about speaking in phony French and  making mistakes, which would be easy to do since I havent studied French in quite some time. Were these ideas promising? If any seemed useful, try them yourself. The more you practice, the more youll train your brain to think in French. And over time, that leads to fluency.  Bonne chance.

Coral Reef Bleaching Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Coral Reef Bleaching - Term Paper Example Why/how Coral bleaching occurs Coral bleaching occurs because of the disintegration between corals and their symbionts or endosymbiosis (Symbiodinium spp) (Ainsworth et al., 2008). Most of the bleaching on corals occurs during the warm season. Established scientific evidence indicates that environmental stressors that include the increase of heat in sea surface temperatures tend to be the main cause of coral bleaching (Bourne et al., 2008). Moreover, high solar radiation tends to be a significant cause of large-scale bleaching (Bourne et al., 2008). Moreover, research indicates that seasonal bleaching also tends to occur because of an infection by the bacterium Vibrio shiloi (Bourne et al., 2008). Another established cause of coral bleaching is sea pollution that mostly occurs because of various human activities. For example, sunscreens that tend to promote viral infections play a significant role in causing coral bleaching especially in areas where there are high levels of human act ivities (Danovaro et al., 2008). Santavy eta al (2011) also indicates that various multiple chronic stressors play a significant role in the occurrence of bleaching. Ecological Impacts of Coral Bleaching Various impacts in the environment tend to emerge after coral bleaching events. One of these impacts includes massive threat to tropical coral-ecosystems (Anthony et al., 2009). Occurrence of bleaching results to lethal or sub-lethal stress on the reefs (Anthony et al., 2009). Moreover, coral bleaching results to loss of endosymbiotic algae or its associated pigment from the coral reefs (Ainsworth, et al., 2008). Bleaching also tends to cause changes in microbial communities. Bleaching also results to the reduction of coral reefs. This is because most of the reefs fail to cope with the harsh conditions and disease occurrences that emerge because of bleaching (Brandt & McManus, 2009). Another established significant impact of bleaching is that it reduces skeletal growth in corals (Ca rilli et al., 2009). Moreover, it is also necessary to consider that coral reefs provide the livelihood of most people within the tropics (Maynard et al., 2008). For example, some types of the corals are used for building purpose (Seneca et al., 2010). Corals also tend to be significant tourism attraction features hence increasing economic value within the tropics. Therefore, occurrences of bleaching are a major blow to various activities enacted by people within tropic areas. McWilliams et al., (2005) indicates that bleaching poses as one of the major threats of coral reefs because they end-up dying. Vivekanandan et al., (2009) indicates that corals tend to be the most diverse marine habitat and therefore bleaching affects the directly affects the living conditions of the estimated 0.5 million species that rely on the reefs. Possible solutions/treatments of coral bleaching There are minimal established ways in which treatment of coral bleaching can be performed. However, possible s olutions include laboratory studies that would assist determining the role of coral-associated communities and how they react during stressful environment conditions (Ainsworth et al., 2008). This may assist in coming-up with a reliable solution on how to minimize large population of corals being affected during warm sea seasons. Moreover, prevention of thermal stress in the future may contribute in prevention of

Managing Communications Knowledge and Information Assignment

Managing Communications Knowledge and Information - Assignment Example For better understanding and incorporation of decisions within the business, an organisation named Coral-Electronics has been established. For building a successful retail business, many things are needed to be analysed with the aim of having a better understanding about market conditions as well as making effective decisions. In this competitive business world, market condition is changing in a continuous manner and accordingly, a change in market condition will have a huge difference for the business to operate. Therefore, it can be ascertained that as an electronic retail organisation, the company has to incorporate and regularly update its information and knowledge for serial improvement in decision strategy of the business. On the other hand, Coral-Electronics is needed to have an understanding about its market competitors and market conditions (Stucki, 2009). In this respect, market information is crucial for the company, as it has to competing with other existing companies in the field of electronic market. Consequently, Coral-Electronics is needed to obtain adequate information and knowledge about its competitors and market trends, Coral-Electronics would able to ensure effective decisions for the development as well as growth of the company. In addition, Coral-Electronics always needed to have effective information about the customers and market trends. The company with the assistance these information and knowledge will be facilitated with the opportunity of performing operations in a profitable manner.

HR and Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

HR and Leadership - Essay Example The paper tells that leadership can be defined as the way process is influenced by an organization by leaders who have visions and is determined to achieve the organizations set objectives at any cost. Management makes the programmed decision affecting organization day to day activities and is concerned with administrative duties rather than decision making. For HR to be leading the department should employ effective strategy and solution to resourcing and ensuring there are talent planning and development, service delivery is at its best with well-coordinated systems of communication which involves employee engagement and relations. Thus leading HR should be determined in performance and must reward employees for good work done. Above all the human resource management should be of credible personality, driven to deliver, decisive thinkers, role model and should have the courage to challenge actions in the organization. An organization is important to ensure delivery of services and attainment of objectives if structural changes are effectively managed. The organizational structure of any firms matters a lot as if it’s well organized it will be easy to effect changes because of the values, believes and attitudes set by an organization so there is well spelled out a procedure on how everything is coordinated in the organization including, communication systems and responds to the environment. Strategic human resource management relies mostly on the resource-based view of the firm which suggests human resource practices leads to high performance and sustained in the competitive environment. Top management should ensure high technology is employed in firms to enable HR practices to build up mentoring, give incentives to performing workers and also enable performance appraisal which encourages the development of working relationship.

Starch Hydrolysis by Amylase | Experiment

Starch Hydrolysis by Amylase | Experiment Polysaccharides are polymers of carbohydrates. They are made up from monosaccharides which are linked together by glycosidic bonds. Polysaccharides are divided into two main groups: structural polysaccharides and polysaccharides which are used as energy sources. Cellulose and chitin are classified as structural polysaccharides. Cellulose is major component of plant cell walls. It yields glucose when completely hydrolyzed. On the other hand Glycogen and starch are the polysaccharides which used as energy source; glycogen is found in animal cells and starch is found in plant cells. Plants use starch to use it to store glucose units for energy. It consists of two types of molecules: the linear and helical amylose and the branched amylopectin. Starch generally contains 20 to 25% amylose and 75 to 80% amylopectin. Amylose forms a colloidal dispersion in hot water whereas amylopectin is completely insoluble. 2.2) Hydrolysis of starch/amylase enzyme: Proteins which catalyze the chemical reactions are called enzymes. Biological catalyzes, enzymes, need specific conditions to be active since they are working in the cells. Temperature must be between 37 and 40 and ph must be neutral. An important metabolic enzyme is amylase that its function is to catalyze the hydrolysis of starch into glucose. Alpha-amylases are found in plants and in animals. Human saliva is rich in amylase, and the pancreas also secretes the enzyme. SUBSTRATE  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ENZYME  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   PRODUCTS starch  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Amylase   ->  Ã‚   maltose + maltose + maltose starchs presence can be identified by using the iodine test. Starch and iodine gives blu-black color together and that helps to identify the presence of starch or iodine. The iodine molecule slips inside of the amylose coil. Iodine is not very soluble in water so the iodine reagent is made by dissolving iodine in water in the presence of potassium iodide. This makes a linear triiodide ion complex and this linear complex can easily slip into the coil of the starch. This forms the color. [3] starch + I2 à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   blue-black color 2.3) Spectrophotometry: A spectrophotometer is used to find the amount of radiant energy absorbed or transmitted by molecules in a solution as a function of wavelength. The wavelength which a certain molecule can absorb energy is different and therefore it can be used to determine the concentration of a specific type of solution. By comparing the amount of light that is absorbed by the sample with known concentration a calibration curve can be plotted and by using it concentration of the unknown sample can be determined. [5] 3) EQUIPMENT AND CHEMICALS 3.1) equipments: Beaker Laboratory scale Weighing dish Spatulas Tubes Tube rack Heater Water bath Plastic cuvettes Pipettes Dropper pH meter 3.2) chemicals: Distilled Water HCl NaCl KH2PO4 Na2HPO4 Starch solution Human salivary Iodine reagent 4) PROCEDURE 4.1) preparation of starch solution and enzyme solution: 20 g of potato starch was mixed with approximately 50 ml cold water. This mixture was then added to 900 ml of boiling water. Mixture was mixed well and it was cooled to room temperature and the total volume was raised to 1 ml by adding sufficient amount of water. Presence of the starch in the solution was tested by putting one drop from the mixture to glass plate and adding one drop of iodine reagent to it. Blue color means starch is present. Saliva sample was taken into tube and diluted with 9 ml water then, 60 ml of 0.5% NaCl was added. 4.2) Effect of the pH: 0.1 M KH2PO4 with pH 5, 6, 7 and Na2HPO4 with pH 8, 9 solutions were prepared as buffers, each buffer was prepared 20 ml only the buffer with 7 pH was prepared 100 ml. 5 test tubes were labeled and to each of them 5ml of the starch solution was put and to each test tube solution with different pH was added. 1 ml of the salivary enzyme solution was added to the tubes and it was mixed by shaking. it was waited for 10 minutes so that the hydrolysis reaction can proceed. 5 ml of HCl solution was added to 5 different tubes and from each of the previous tubes with the starch solution 0.5 ml was taken and added to tubes with HCl. 5 tubes were prepared again for 5 ml of iodine solution this time. From the tubes with HCl 0.5 ml was taken and added to the tubes with iodine. Absorbance values were measured by using spectrophotometer. 4.3) Effect of temperature: Water baths with 30  °C, 50  °C, 70  °C and 90  °C were prepared in beakers. Buffer solution with pH 7 was added to 5 tubes and 5 ml of starch solution was added to these tubes. All of these tubes were put in different water bath with different temperatures and they were waited in the bath until the temperatures reached the equilibrium. 1 ml of salivary enzyme was added to each tube. After 10 minutes the steps 4-7 in the effect of pH procedure were repeated. 5) DISCUSSION In this experiment our purpose was to hydrolyze starch with amylase enzyme and observe the effect of pH and temperature on this reaction. Before observing the pH and temperature effect first we prepared the solutions that we were going to use in the experiment. First we prepared the starch solution by mixing it first with cold water and then adding it into boiling water. We aimed to get the starch suspension form immediately and without any lumps by this procedure. In the first part of the experiment we observed the pH effect. To do that first we needed to prepare the buffer solutions with different ph values ranging between 5 and 9. We used two different solutions because of the buffering capacity of these two solutions. We made the arrangement of the pH by using HCl and NaOH. To decrease the pH we added HCl and to increase we added NaOH, we detected the pH by using pH meter. Each buffer with different pH values were mixed with starch solution and then salivary solution was added. W hich is the amylase enzyme and since its from the saliva it hydrolyzes amylose. After waiting for 10 minutes to reaction proceed we needed to stop the reaction, we did it by adding HCl. Then we added iodine solution to detect whether reaction took place or not since if enzyme functions starch in the solution will be hydrolyzed and this will lead to have light color of the solution; absorbance will be low. Since our body is in neutral pH we expect to have light colored solution at pH 7 and dark color at pH 5, 8 and 9. The same logic is valid for the temperature effect. The enzyme wont work in higher temperature values that can denature it like 90, 70 and maybe 50. Proteins absorbance values are expected to increase as the protein denaturizes. This can be explained by the surface of reflection of the light is increased. Denaturized form of protein has higher possibility to be interacted with the light from the spectrophotometer and thus absorbance will increase. Theoretically we would expect to have both absorbance vs. pH and absorbance vs. temperature graphs to have a min. point where we can say that is the point absorbance is in the min. point at that pH or temperature thus enzyme functions best at that point. In our graphs from the experiment we can observe these min values at approximately expected values. When we look at the temperature graph we see that absorbance is min at around 50 C. normally we would expect that proteins denaturize at that temperature, since human body is 37 °C min absorbance at 40 °C would be the correct result. This error might be because of that we didnt measured our test tubes temperatures after we put them in water bath, So maybe what we refer to as 50 °C in the data table is actually less than that value.

New Computer Build :: essays research papers

New Gaming and Over Clocking Computer Build Building a new computer can be quite complicated and time consuming. You should take just as much care in researching each component as you would installing them into your system. It is crucial that the component fit your purpose, provide stability, and work well with the other components you select. For my system, I have chosen components that have been thoroughly tested and approved by respected people in the technology field.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The centerpiece of this system is of course the motherboard. I wanted something that was cutting edge but also stable. Ease of use is important, as well as compatibility. I plan to do some over-clocking so this feature was also of great importance to me. After sifting through many reviews I rested on the ASUS P5AD2 Premium, because of its immense offerings and satisfactory reviews. This board supports all of the latest features including SATA, PCI-Express, DDR2, and it accepts the new socket 775 Pentium 4. These features will allow me to use the fastest hardware made for consumers today and hopefully allow this computer to play the latest games for years to come. The board also comes with an impressive list of onboard features. It incorporates 8 channel onboard sound which will suit my needs and save me the expense of buying a separate sound card. It also has two onboard gigabit Ethernet ports and, onboard wireless G with an external antenna which should more than handle anyone’s networking needs. This motherboard has the most advanced feature set I could find available. ASUS has also made great advancements in over clocking with this board. All you need is the most recent bios and you can now unlock the clock multiplier on the Prescott Pentium 4. Until now this was only achievable through the use of an AMD processor but now offers this option with the newest Pentium family. Because heat has been a problem with the Prescott processors ASUS has also introduced â€Å"Stack Cool† this is simply placing another PCB on the underside of the board to dissipate heat. This helps improve stability and increase the life of components.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For the processor I have chosen the Intel LGA775 Pentium 4 550. This 3.4 GHz, 800MHz front side bus processor is a very good choice for over-clocking and even at stock speeds it screams. Although the Prescott processors don’t score much higher than the Northwood processors in benchmarking at stock speeds, the over-clocking factor really comes into play here.

memory is a constructive and active process Essay

Memory is a subject that has been of much interest to psychologists for many years and various research has been carried out in aid of trying to understand how memory works. It can be understood that memory is compromised of three processes and three key subsystems which enable it to work and perform efficiently on a daily basis. The encoding process is where information is retrieved via what is known as sensory memory which is encoded either visually or semantically by attaching a meaning to a word. In terms of storage of memory, the information in the sensory memory is either held in short term memory where it can be recalled for a few minutes or long term memory where it can be recalled for several decades. However a topic of much debate is whether memory is a constructive or passive process. Memory as an active process can be explained as the concept of memories being altered, distorted or even constructed from external sources whereas passive memory is where information is recal led exactly as it is encoded. A claim has been made that memory is active and constructive therefore in order to evaluate this claim it is important to consider the relevant studies carried out in this area of cognitive psychology. (Brace and Roth, 2007) When looking at the processes involved in memory, it is clear that the circumstances play an important role in whether retrieval becomes an active or passive process. When information is unfamiliar or leading questions are asked about memories, this can affect our recall and the memories can become distorted which implies a constructive aspect when recalling information. A number of studies examining specific circumstances and their effects on memory support this concept. Encoding follows a similar principle, where depending on the circumstances the information is either encoded passively or constructed with a mix of new information and information stored in long term memory in order to attach meaning to the information. Storage on the other hand is primarily passive as the information is recorded  automatically. It is also important to take into account that there is not just one type of memory but that it can be split into two different categories, short term memory and long term memory.(Brace and Roth, 2007) When looking at short term memory specifically, it becomes clear that there is a conscious and active aspect to the process therefore supporting the claim at least partially that memory is constructive. This is demonstrated in Baddley and Hitch’s model of short term memory (as cited in Brace and Roth 2007) they claim that the short term memory is comparable to a â€Å"workbench† concept where new information is mixed with old memories and stored information in order to carry out a variety of processes depending on the specific circumstances. The main weakness with this theory or concept is the inability to visually see what is occuring in the brain. Although we can look at PET scans and see relative differences in the posterior Hippocampus when investigating the active part of memory as can be seen in Maguier et al’s study (as cited in Brace and Roth 2007) of taxi drivers where that specific section of the brain was enlarged. We are still unable to see the actual information being encoded or stored however the speculation and theories put forward support the concept of some aspects of short term memory being constructive. Moving onto the main memory processes, Bartletts â€Å"The war of the ghosts† study (as cited in Brace and Roth 2007) is particularly relevant when evaluating the claim of memory being an entirely constructive and active process. He chose a story specifically aimed to contain unfamiliar concepts to the participants. This allowed him to examine the effects of social and personal experiences on memory and recall. This study supports the concept of memory being constructive and dynamic because the evidence shows that instead of the story being encoded and stored in a manner that allowed the participants to recall it accurately and undistorted, the participants used previous experiences and concepts that made sense to them in order to encode and retrieve the information. This distortion or transformation of the facts directly points to memory being active as during the processing of the story, it is likely that elaborative rehearsal played a part in the method of encoding and storage as the participants were linking information to  existing knowledge in order to make sense of the story. However it is important to consider there was no control over any of the variables in the study therefore the findings from the experiment would be difficult to measure in terms of accuracy and reliability in relation to the claim proposed. Further support for the claim comes from a study carried out by Loftus and Palmer (1974, as cited in Brace and Roth 2007) which was designed to look at the effect of leading questions and the influence of linguistics on our memory of events. This study further supports the concept of memory being constructive as the information is being distorted through the participants own experiences, this shows that the memories are not being recalled accurately but are being recalled in a manner that the participant is merging past experiences and knowledge along with the study material. This combined with the suggestive nature of the verbs used could also affect the retrieval of memories by misattributing the source resulting in the participants believing something that may not be entirely accurate, in this case the speed of the cars and presence of glass in the video. Although when interpreting the findings, it is important to consider the confounding variable of individual differences I.e personal perception of speed which could effect the validity and generalisability of the data. The study also lacks ecological validity as witnessing the car crash via a media source would not evoke the same emotional response as a witnessing it first hand, which could effect the quality and detail of the information stored. In contrast, certain aspects of memory imply a passive aspect of memory as some types of memories are accurately stored and recalled with little or no distortion and rarely forgotten. In the Bahrick et al (1975, as cited in Brace and Roth 2007) study which looked at the recollection of faces and names of people from their graduating classes it was found that even after 35 years there was almost no forgetting and accurate recall of names and faces. This Study supports the aspect of memory being a passive process as the information encoded is being recalled accurately and over a long period of time. These types of memories are classed as enduring memories and little or no loss or distortion occurs until very old age where other factors could  be responsible. However a weakness of the study was that it only tested names and faces which is a small representation of the types of knowledge stored in long term memory so would be difficult to apply the findings to all aspects of long term memory. Brown and Kulik (1977, as cited in Brace and Roth 2007) created the term ‘flashbulb memories’ in relation to autobiographical memories and carried out an experiment to demonstrate this theory. This experiment focused on events that are surprising and provoke strong emotional responses. This study further supports the notion of memory being passive as long as certain conditions are met. In this particular case the event has to be important to the individual and has to evoke a strong emotional response. As long as these conditions are met an individual is able to store and recall their memories of the event very accurately or at least the reception of the event i.e. who they were with and when they first found out etc. The emotional aspect of the event and the importance to the individual means the information can be recalled exactly as it was encoded with little or no distortion. However, it is important to consider that the rehearsal effect may play an important part in the storage of the memories due to the emotional nature of the event it is possible that these memories are replayed or rehearsed more often than other memories. After evaluating the evidence in relation to the claim that memory is constructive and active, taking into account both the results and the inherent problems with the studies methodology the conclusion has to be drawn that whilst some aspects of memory are indeed constructive there are also passive elements in all three processes of memory. The studies carried out on the retrieval process of memory certainly show strong indication of memory being constructive and show that memories can be altered or distorted by a variety of factors meaning the information retrieved is subject to change. However looking at both the encoding and storage processes these have been shown to have both passive and constructive elements depending on the circumstances such as emotional responses and personal relevance. Therefore looking at memory as a single entity, it has to be seen as an amalgamation of both constructive and passive elements. (Brace and Roth,  2007) References : Brace, N and Roth, I (2007) ‘Memory : structures, processes and skills’ in D. Miell, A.Phoenix, & K.Thomas(Eds.) Mapping psychology, Milton Keynes, The Open University.

Moral and ethical issues associated with recombinant technology Essay Example

Moral and ethical issues associated with recombinant technology Essay Example Moral and ethical issues associated with recombinant technology Essay Moral and ethical issues associated with recombinant technology Essay The ideal life for all human beings, where they could live without diseases, with plenty of food, comfortable enviroment and without any struggle for the facilities of life, may be called heaven, the concept of which is provided by all religions of the world. The present enviroment of human beings has been tremendously improved than the earlier civilizations due to a lot of scientific advancement and progress for human comforts. But the diseases and illnesses are still making life problematic for the human race. Russo and cove (ref no 3) stated that there are more than 2000 different genetic diseases causing the sufferings of humans. Some of these genetically inherited disease commonly observed are downs syndrome, cancer, schizophrenia and colour-blindness. The science of genetic engineering may perform wonderful miracles to overcome these diseases in the humans and will cause the revolution in maintaining the health, according to the concept of heaven. This idea provides the moral obligations and ethical concepts for the promotion of genetic engineering researches. The genetical engineering can be a source to produce genetically modified animals to obtain better quality of meat and milk, and genetically modified plants to obtain better agricultural products. The branch of genetically engineering known as plant biotechnology can be useful in plants breeders to improve the crops yield, to provide resistance against diseases, resistance to unfavourable conditions like draught and frost, to enable plants to produce oil substitution for the fossil fuels to reduce the amount of chemicals used by farmers to grow the crops and improve the quality of food by increasing nutritional values and protecting animals and humans from the diseases.(ref no 2) The plants tissue culture is the cultivation of plant tissues on specially formulated nutrients enriched media. They can grow at room temperature in very small places. The genetic engineering is useful to produce vegetables such as tomatoes, potatoes etc which can retain their quality and taste for a longer period of time. (ref no 6) The mapping of chromosomes would be a great achievement for identifying the precise location of every gene and will develop new gene therapy treatments (ref no 2) and most likely the hospitals will not need so many medicines used today. The genetic engineering may produce several enzymes prepared in the human body and may be useful for use in the deficiency of these enzyme needed by the human body such as insulin very use full for the human body. (ref no 5) The main disadvantages of the gene technology may be the mutation of transgressive bacteria or the viruses escaping from the genetically modified crops, such as weeds etc. The setting up of evolutionary process of the transgressive organisms that could harm the enviroment population of transgenic organisms could upset the balance of nature, objections to specific transgressive organisms by religious groups and the gene screening could lead to the discrimination against individuals.(ref no 2) The moral and ethical issues of recombinant technology worry a lot about tampering with genes. We have the power to create the new life forms with genetic engineering but we dont know what the hidden costs of interfering with evolution might be, so far no harm seems to have come from releasing genetically manipulated organisms (gmos) into the enviroment. These have been mainly microbes designed to protect plants from diseases and forests from damage. Gmos have marker gene engineered in their genome so their spread can easily be tackled. This idea was given by aldridge. (ref no 1) But however safe Gmos turn out to be there are still difficult ethical problems to be faced. The product of genetic engineering is new life forms but no one is really sure that they can or should be patented. The first patented life form was the oncomouse produced at Harvard University. Patenting the Harvard mouse has caused the storm of controversy and confusion in Europe, which is causing investors to hold back from biotechnology. The attempt by some USA scientists to patent human genes the result of their work on human genomes has led to similar difficulties Many people say that the whole issue of patenting gives the genetic engineering a poor public image and undermines human dignity.(ref no 1) There is also an issue of gene plunder to be considered. Once the genes of useful plants are taken from the developing countries these could be cloned in the cells and products made in western countries. This could damage the income from the cash crops such as coffee in the countries where these plants were originated. (ref no 1) Now a days the pigs heart are transplanted into humans that can cause different genetic diseases in humans from the pigs and could have very dangerous effects on the human society. (ref no 7) It is interesting to discuss the ethics of reproductive human cloning. The first cloned child would be human experiment. They would be biological experiments with grave risks of physical and mental genetic deformity. They would be experiments on human identity, they would be experiments in genetic programming and design, and they would be experiments in family and social life confusing the relationships with in the family and between the generations. A cloned child will be at risk of psychic and social harm. He may suffer confusion of social identity in society and may become dangerous for the human society. (ref no 3) The history of eugenics is interesting as this movement began in late 1800 s the eugenic movement can be revived due to genetic inventions and can be very dangerous to the nation so called inferior genes and may cause a disaster for the future of human civilisation. (ref no 4) The progress in the science of genetic technology can be used for better living of human beings against most of the diseases and may be called a blessing for humans. on the other hand gene technology can also be used as a powerful weapon to eradicate less powerful ethnic groups in several ways therefore it is very important that all the universities and colleges and educational institutes of the world must especially teach moral and ethical values to the scientists to use genetic technology as a blessing rather than disguise.

The Awakening and Madame Bovary essays

The Awakening and Madame Bovary essays Gustave Flaubets novel, Madame Bovary, is very similar to Kate Chopins novel, The Awakening. Both books are about compelling heroines and their lives as unhappy married women that revolts against the monotony of their lives and society. The books flow on a certain cycle that mirrors each other through affairs, and society conflicts. And yet, even though Emma and Edna live in different worlds, they still take their lives because of a final awakening. The deaths are still very much like their life style, each like a back-up plan if their illusions didnt work out. The deaths of these two women were both very intriguing. Emma has emotionally left Charles all together by the end of the book. Her mood switches constantly from despising him to showing some regret for what she has done. Edna also has given up on her husband Leonce. She has gone against his will, morals, and ethics. By the end of the novels there is nothing left for them. Leon going to Paris has left Emma and there isnt anything she can do about that. Robert has returned from Mexico to New Orleans, and tells Edna that things cant be, the affair is going to have to end. Emma comes to her senses and sees that Rudolph doesnt care about her, he was just using her. Yet in the same sense Emma was using him too, she needed to get back money that she had carelessly spent, and to parade her life like she is high society. She knows that he never loved her. Upon the return of Robert, Edna finds the truth in what all men want in her society, and just like her husband, he wants a life of marriage and peace with her looking after the house, servants, and children while attending his needs. Both women know it will never get better, that the cycle will always go on. She had said over and over to herself: Today it is Arobin tomorrow it will be someone else. It makes no difference to me; it doesnt matter about Leon...

English Grade 12 - Death of a Salesman essay assignment

English Grade 12 - Death of a Salesman assignment - Essay Example He puts no stock in the moral values of honesty and hard work and thus lays the groundwork for his own failure. The major causes of Willy’s death were his own illusions, wrong values and the shattering of his false dreams. Willy is at the bottom of the social ladder in a capitalistic world. although he loves physical work like gardening and building things he refuses to become a carpenter believing that such work is lowly and being a salesman is better paying and more praiseworthy. When Biff suggests that the Lomans should be â€Å"mixing cement on some open plain, or ... be a carpenter,† Willy replies that, â€Å"your grandfather was better than a carpenter.† This clearly shows that Willys illusion of greatness got in the way of his happiness. He is unhappy because the work he enjoys doing is beneath him and he is no good at the work he does (sales). To cover his false ideals Willy develops the belief that if a person is popular and attractive, then all doors will automatically be opened for him. When he was young, he had met Dave Singleman a salesman who according to Willy was highly successful. Singleman was so popular that he was able to make a living merely by staying in his hotel room and calling buyers. When Singleman died, buyers and salesmen from all over the country came to his funeral. Willy has made Singleman his ideal and wishes to become as popular and successful as him. He creates an illusion of success for himself and these illusions replace reality in Willys mind. He tells lies about how well liked he is in all of his towns, and how vital he is to New England. In one of his flashbacks he tells his sons â€Å"You take me, for instance. I never have to wait in line to see a buyer. â€Å"Willy Loman is here!† That’s all they have to know, and I go right trough.† This is a clear indication of Willy’s belief in his own lies, and his inability to

Bernard Arnault's Leadership Style Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Bernard Arnault's Leadership Style - Case Study Example Louis Vuitton was a family run business in those days and in mid Eighties and he had to fight a bitter battle to gain control of this company. His appreciators say that he has inborn vision of clever marketing, creative designs and knows how to keep a tight control over his empire without a single slackening moment. He knows how to conduct global business with an uncanny ability and stopped further acquisitions when time was unfavourable. His leadership style is highly appreciated in the Corporate world. Entry into luxury marketing needs powerful backing and he received it from the French government which was looking for someone to take over the textile empire. It is said that the sale of his Mediterranean home made him exclaim that "When something has to be done, do it! In France we are full of good ideas, but we rarely put them into practice" (Forbes, June 2, 19971). His powerful friend Antoine Bernheim, MD of investment firm Lazard Freres arranged finance and family arranged $15 million of their own money and the total was used to buy Dior, which he said was the potential cornerstone of 'luxury-goods supermarket'. Also it is believed to be a brutal rise to power with opportunistic leadership strategies in which Henry Racamier, the former chairman of LVMH's Louis Vuitton was eliminated along with all top executives. His dicision making is ruthless, almost vicious and full of calculated risk taking. He knew how to balance commerce and artistry by involving both sound management practices with creativity. He was careful to be choosy when it came to picking his managers. "He believed that to raise creative energy, a company must have managers with a certain love for and understanding of artists" and he hired John Galliano, who could create unusually melodramatic unconventional designs" http://www.answers.com/topic/bernard-arnault The old business house changed its profile overnight to display the most brilliant artistry. A trained pianist, Arnault always maintained a creative eye and created a name for himself as the most unique CEO of the world. He insisted on financial discipline without curbing artistic innovation because he thought creativity counterbalances the commerce. He could be an autocrat and showed it when he terminated services of Dior perfumes heads to replace them with new US executives who became unpopular while company financially gained and this move resulted in some of the timeless most enduring 'star brands' which he explained: "Our strategy is to have some stars-and there are not many stars in the luxury business. What is a star It's a name that is the very best. It's a name that is very profitable. But the number of true stars is less than I can count on both of my hands" (New York Times, March 25, 2001). He went on a bourgeoisie shopping spree and indulged himself while amassing a business empire par excellence which spread all over the western world. He was advised against too large an expansion, but he believed in himself and came out a winner. He referred to the competitors in one of his interviews: "They saw it was working. And then they said, 'Okay, now we are going to do the same thing.' I think, really, they underestimate the difficulty. They underestimate