Substance Dualism Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Substance Dualism - Term Paper Example Such versions are comprised of substance dualism; psycho-physical parallelism; occasionalism; idealism; double-aspect theory; and epiphenomenalism. I wish to stress on the fact that such examinations will be done to further establish the arguments that will be set on the logicality of duality. Dualism, in its basic sense, emphasizes on the radical difference between mind and matter (Calef). In this reasoning, the mind is not the same as the brain or any other body part. Thus, there exist two independent substances in a person—one material (comprised mainly of bodily parts) and one non-material (human mind) (Philosophy of Mind). The term ‘substance’ is the most essential concept in this statement as it strongly posits the need to treat the mind as an independent object. Formally defined, a substance is a thing or an entity that does not depend on other thing or entity in order to exist (Lacewing). Moreover, a substance may or may not be composed of other substances, may or may not enter into relationships with other substances, but will always have specific attributes (Blutner). Through this definition, the ‘dualist perspective’ argues that there are two fundamentally different objects in a person—the mind and the body—and they do not necessarily need the presence of each one to exist. Thus, while the mind and the body may or may not be in a ‘relationship’ (as to be explored in greater detail in the second part of this paper), they will always possess specific attributes that will make them be as they are (Everitt). Because of this, the human body and the human mind can be discriminated according to attributes of spatial extension (for body) and of thought (for mind). Such attributes are further ‘specified’ by certain states or modes—modes of extension such as form, location texture and weight for the body, while modes of thought such as images, emotions, beliefs,

Write a critique of an article of your choice.(optional topic) Essay

Write a critique of an article of your choice.(optional topic) - Essay Example The article gives them the knowledge of a child’s character and how they may see what they read in the stories they choose. The professionals will be able to see how ideas that they have fit into social contexts of the people around them.(Bosmajian,2005,p103) Children’s literature is a field that assumptions will have to be made to understand what the child thinks about their collective and personal values and issues they have. The article is about ‘the implied reader’ and how what they read tells us each a different idea of what is read. It is all in how we look at what is around us and the choices we make and interpret to bring meaning. (Bosmajian, 2005, p. 103) In summary this article is about how children’s literature can be used by professionals to help children find out about themselves through what they read. The readers will learn what makes them learn what they see and use that learning as they grow. According to Freud, â€Å"he saw that this is a therapeutic release for the author and a critical relationship between child and play and poet and language.† (Bosmajian, 2005, p.104) Freud also thought that desires and what society wants is a conflict and that we must make substitutions and make displacements and still be able to take our ideas and make one image to tell about ourselves. Jung thought â€Å"it is a therapeutic process that begins with recognition of the loss of original wholeness due to self-inflation or alienation of the ego.† (Bosmajian, 2005, p. 105) It is about the connections that we make between what we read and see that we make our choices known. Horney, Abraham, Klein, Winnicott and Lacan believe in Ego Psychology and object relations themes. They believe that we all need to self actualize ourselves to improve our identities through language and what we read. Lacan also

The Importance Of Online Reviews

The Importance Of Online Reviews In the wake of digital age, the internet offers a relatively complete and comprehensive environment for people all over the world to communicate and share information. The form of film review is reforming as well. From traditional critics of experts to review of ordinary audience (Awad, Dellarocas Zhang, 2004), cyber world offers a newly effective channel for audience sharing their comments about movies; cinema industry also encounters more challenges on box office from consumers (Boatwright, Kamakura Basuroy, 2005). For film industry, online review of critical audiences plays an important role. On one hand, the good comments of a movie can attract more audiences in general. On the other hand, the good comments do not necessary mean high box revenue and vice verse. The impact of film review has been proved by previous study on motion pictures (Litman, 1983; Eliashberg, Shugan, 1997; Basuroy, Chatterjee, Ravid, 2003; Desai, Basuroy, 2005; Gemser Gerda, 2007). However, most study tends to research film review from traditional critic review of journals or other form of articles while less study approach to the impact of online review on box office success. Within this paper, I approach to explore the correlation between the online review of new social media and the box office success of different types of movie. Although there are previous researches about the influence of online review on box office, those researches tend to study the whole catalog of film. In differ from previous research, the target of this paper is to find out to what extent online review could influence box office success and whether the impacts of different types of movies are the same. According to Gino and Ferrian research (2006), new social media can reflect the successful of the movie to a great extent. Audiences preferences and tastes can and stimulate final box office as much as the most positive comments from newspaper. Comparing with traditional media, such as articles written by critics or reporters on influential newspaper and magazine, obviously new social media is more powerful and covers a lager scope of audiences. By offering the opportunity to share preferences among ordinary audience, online movie database has established (www.IMDb.com). In the next couple of years, IMDb has expanded fast and became the best known platform for sharing information of the movie. The famous TOP 250 Movies list represents the best movies around. By cooperating with major film company and convenient operating platform, it has been recognized by both experts and audiences. The online ranking order of movies in IMDb, as the most direct and transparent approach to reflect th e positive or negative review of movie, is decided by normal audience worldwide. Due to the reliability and authoritative data of IMDb, this paper focus on online ranking order of IMDb. By dividing the first 100 movies of TOP 250 Movies into different catalogs which are artistic film and commercial film, the paper tests the correlation between the box office and the four independent box office drivers that are production budget, awards obtained, MAPP rating and online ranking order. In order to explore the correlation, this paper uses two equations for multiple regression analysis to test the possible difference between artistic film and commercial film by running SPSS. Comparing the results of outputs, there is statistical significance of both kinds of film. However, for artistic film, online ranking order has relatively less impact on box office while the most important determinant is awards. Meanwhile, the result of commercial film shows the strongest correlation between online ranking order and box office success comparing with other determinants. Thus, I con clude that higher online ranking order indicates higher box office of commercial film. As for artistic film, how many awards it obtained is the most important reason for box office. To be admitted, there are some limitations of the paper due to the small sample size of the research. Literature review 2.1 Artistic film and commercial film Film industry as an important part of creative industry has created huge fortune in both material and psychological of human contemporary history. Although there are plenty of types of movie and different catalog involved, considering the high marketing participation, film industry classifies two catalogs which can generalize all are types of movie. The two catalogs are labeled as major and independent films (Zuckerman Kim, 2003), or art house and mainstream films (Gemser, Oostrum Leenders, 2007). The reason of the different names attributes to the slightly difference about definition and criteria. However, those differences reflect the degree of artistic and commercial of a film (Bagella Becchetti, 1999). Thus, artistic and commercial film can be summarized as the most applicable assortment for film industry. Within this paper, I apply the concept of artistic film and commercial film on my research target since it is a relatively comprehensive classification. According to the author of Cinema of Outsiders: The Rise of American Independent Film, who had interviewed dozens of independent director and film researcher, whether a film could be defined as artistic or commercial film can be judged from two aspects. One is based on the way indies1 are financed, the other focuses on their spirit or vision (Emanuel Levy, 1999). The former concept refers to marketing issues including distribution and budget. While the latter one tends to be a abstract definition which is the fresh perspective, innovative spirit and personal vision that are determining factors. Since the concept is too ambiguous, the distinction between artistic film and commercial sometimes to be blurred to a great extent. Even a number of insiders of film industry tend to ignore the difference between artistic film and commercial film. Joseph Burstyn, a film distributor offered his point of view about artistic film. He said, I hate the expression art filmà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ there are o nly two kinds, good films and bad films. Based on his opinion, there is no fixed meaning of art film. And obviously the concept of art film and commercial is flexible because of the increasing complexity of producing a film due to the financial issue of the film. Nevertheless, there still are certain standards for distinguishing artistic film and commercial film according to previous study. The factors might determine whether a film belongs to artistic film or commercial film refers to several more practical elements that contain production budget and advertizing effect (Geer, 1998), the participation of super stars and award-winning situation (Bagella Becchetti, 1999), the number of released screen (Reinstein Snyder, 2005), or the story line and the narrative structure of the movie (Bordwell Thompson, 2001). Those elements construct the standards of judging whether a movie is an artistic or a commercial one. And the two types of film construct the success of movie industry. Since there are different criteria of artistic film and commercial film, the box office success, the potential influence, and the reputation are distinct. Traditional concept about artistic film tends to be closed to the definition of independent movie which indicates independent production without any financial support of the eight major film company, MGM (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer), Paramount, 20th century Fox, Warner Brothers, RKO (Radio-Keith-Orpheum), Universal, United Artists, Columbia Pictures (Levy, 2001). However, throughout the development of the century, the eight companies have been through broken, emerged and rebuilt. The concept is not suitable anymore. In my research, I only focus on the distinction of box office success between the artistic film and commercial film by texting different determinants of box revenue. In order to research the correlation between online review and different types of film, which are artistic film and commercial, I consider three elements which ar e production budget, language (English/non-English) and the number of released screen as the criteria that can classify all the films preciously into artistic film and commercial film. Since I conduct quantitative research in this paper, the three factors could offer a clarity standard for classifying artistic film and commercial film. 2.2 The function of film review First of all, film as information good has an important characteristic, which is experience good. The feature of experience good is that consumers must experience it before they know what it is (Hal, 1998). This factor results in a permanent problem which is incomplete pre-purchase information. Thus, reviews of film help overcoming this problem to a great extent. By providing evaluations and comments to potential consumers are ubiquitous in digital age (Hal, 1998). Although it is still a limited access for consumers getting to know the product, reviews play a curial role in the whole film industry, especially before video image became popular. Due to the importance of review in film industry, there are plenty of studies and researches about the influence of film reviews. To be more specific, most researches discover the relationship between reviews and box office success. And the result proved to be positive in most cases (Wyatt, 1991). Nevertheless, there are a number of different study implies opposite result of the correlation between box office success and positive review. Negative or positive review does not indicate the significant relationship between box office success and the movie performance. For instance, Transformer as one of the best known profitable series of film history did not earn too much positive review from professional experts or public. However, the worldwide box office of Transformer reached 836,297,228 US dollars worldwide, four times more than production budget, according to official data collection of IMDb. Most study about how review impacts box office tends to have the similar conclusion that there is significant-but-weak association between judgments of reviewers and box office success (Holbrook, 2007). Based on previous research, there is a significantly positive correlation between the average of ratings in two critical guidebooks and distribution rentals (Prag Casavant, 1994). On the other hand, there are evidence indicating a negative relation between the earnings of selected films and their critical evaluation, which could be explained by the application of technical and analytical considerations and stringent artistic standards in critical evaluations, whereas audiences looked simply for enjoyable entertainment (Hirschman Pieros, 1985). To explain the different result, there is the assumption that ordinary consumers like more accessible, realistic forms of entertainment, while professional critics give higher ratings to more complex, abstract, and intellectually demanding artwork (Holbrook, 1999). Despite of previous research on correlation between box office success and review, the perspective of the research is prone to focus on favorability of journalistic reviews or judgments of film experts (Prag Casavant, 1994). There are relatively less researches concerning about publics review. Due to the popularity of internet, audiences are able to share their review and preference through the internet instantly. Holbrook concludes audiences opinion towards motion picture as popular appeal which contains online rating and review. The popularity of online review is the nature consequence of digital age. Neoclassic theory emphases the importance of demand induces. As for film industry, companies pay attention on the importance of marketing power even more than products themselves (Belaux Marteaux, 2007). Thus, there has been a growing increase in the emphasis of web-related promotion for nowadays film industry (Zufryden, 2000). Zufryden (2000) did the research on the development and empirical testing of a variable mathematical model approach for predicting a films box-office performance as a function of film website activity, as well as other relevant explanatory variables. The results of his study support the relative importance and statistical significance of website activity as a predictor of a new films box-office performance. In accordance with promotion of website, variables including screens, film grade, time from film release, production budget and seasonally were also found to be significant covariate s in the prediction of ticket sales during a films life cycle. Obviously, online review and ranking system account for an important part of variables that can influence box office success according to Zufrydens research. Moreover, Holbrook (1999) summarizes different types of film review according to multiple cultural markets of distinction (Hall, 1992): professional critics versus ordinary consumers, expert judgments versus popular appeal, extensive training versus naive appreciation, emphasis on aesthetics versus entertainment, genuine or pure versus commercial or commoditized art, highbrow versus lowbrow standards, elite versus mass tastes, legitimation versus market success, dominance via cultural capital versus economic capital, autonomous versus heteronomous principle, and restricted versus large-scale production. Own to those different concepts, film reviewers have their own opinions about certain film. The ordinary audience in question does not share in the relevant habits governing the dispositions that guide the professional critics standards of evaluation. Therefore, the different judgments from ordinary consumers are quite personal. However, the influence of those judgments can be differe d according to different tastes. Holbrook (1999) compared popular appeal representing ordinary consumers and expert judgment in order to analyze the most importance variable for box office success. The data Holbrook collected for conducting research focus on polls of film viewers. Since his paper has published in 1999, one year from the establishment of IMDB, the best popular internet movie database, which involves film grade and audiences review. Therefore, there is a gap of studying to what extent online review system can impact a films box office success. My research in this paper would try to fulfill this missing part. The development of IMDB The IMDB has become one of the most popular forums for on-line interaction. The popularity of a movie can be gauged by the number of votes. The establishing of IMDB can be trace back to the late 1980s and early 1990s. Col Needham, the founder of IMDB, created a database that sought to provide useful and up to date movie information online across as many platforms as possible (Dodds, 2006). Since the year of 1990, the technology of constructing web site has developed speedy. Col Needham as a big fan of movie believed that there should be a place in cyber world to offer a free land for sharing ordinary audiences comments2. Therefore, IMDB has been created and expanded quickly since then. Firstly, the IMBD includes new features such as votes awarded to individual films. Later in 1995, it was formally launched and the Amazon.com Company subsequently bought it in the 1998. The site has been further enhanced to allow for greater on-line interaction as well as additional features providing updates on movie releases and film gossip (Dodds, 2006). Till now, IMDB import Metacritic, a similar movie database but focus on judgment of professional movie review like authoritative movie magazines and journals. Although there is increasing number of competitive online movie database, IMDB is still the most reliable, recognizable, professional and comprehensive online movie community containing the largest users and offering the best platform for sharing information and interaction. The ranking system of IMDB represents audiences opinion. The famous Top 250 list indicates the best movie in the history throughout time, culture and races. And the option belongs to ordinary audience. The top 250 films are also based on a weighted rating formula referred to in actuarial science as a credibility formula (Norberg, 2007). In order to create a fair and reliable grading system, IMDB sets a formula to calculate the final result of the movie as the following equation: This formula is equivalent to a Bayesian posterior mean3. In this equation, represents weighted rating, which means final score of the movie. means rating, represents average for the movie as a number from 0 to 10 (mean). refers to number of votes for the movie, more votes represents more influence. indicates minimum votes required to be listed in the Top 250, the current entrance is 3000 votes. is the mean vote across the whole report (currently 6.9)4. Because of my research focus on box office success and online review while IMDB includes all the official data and information, I introduced the brief history of IMDB and rating equation in order to convince people the reliability of this database. Determinants of the successful box office success Investing film industry has been considered as higher risk business even more than stock. Pervious study indicates that only three to four out of ten movies could reach breaking even point, and about one out of ten becoming profitable at the box office success (Valenti, 2004). Although film producers make profit through various channels such as DVD sales and sound track CD or any other related business. Box office still accounts for the largest part of gross revenue for the film market. Furthermore, box office success has been related to the successful of the movie itself to a great extent. Talking about the standards of a good movie, there are diversity of criteria according to different scholar and the era they lived in. In the last century, three indicators of judging success of a movie which are the reviews of professional critics, the size of audience and industry recognition via awards (Hirschman Pieros, 1985). The relationship among the three indicators has certain order. Fir stly reviews of critics come out, followed by amount of audience and finally awards prove the success of the movie. Besides, the three indicators have inside impact on each other as well. As for the determinants of motion picture in the 21st century, there are a number of detailed factors from several disciplines have been used in the literature to understand and explain various aspects of motion picture success (Hennig-Thurau, Houston Walsh, 2007). In general, there are three groups of movie-success drivers have been recognized in this century. The three determinants are movie characteristics, post-filming marketing studio actions, and non-studio factors (Elberse Eliashberg, 2002; Hennig-Thurau, 2001). Movie characteristics refer to star power, director power, cultural familiarity, genre, and certification. However, the research of questioning whether star power related to a successful movie has been published (De Vany Walls, 1999). As for director power, so far there is no empi rical evidence about a successful movie on economy can be decided by director. The second determinant studio actions are the term including the production budget, marketing expenditures, timing, and the number of screens. Finally, non-studio factors contain reviews, awards, consumers perceived movie quality, and early box-office information. The Academy Awards tend to represent a compromise between art and commerce (Caves, 2000). Audiences review does ascend the movies opportunity on obtaining an award. In another word, audiences voice has equal importance as experts judgment. Sony picture indicates that the insiders of film industry believe that movie review is important for box office success (Terry, Butler Armond, 2005). Combining the indication of Sony, one of the largest film companies in the world, the output of commercial film tends to prove Sonys standpoint. Firstly, there is statistic significance according to the output. And R-square is 0.694 which indicates 69.4 percentages dependent variable, in this case, box office, can be explained by the four box office drivers. In another words, the four determinants are major drivers of box office for commercial film. Production budget still has less importance comparing with other independent variables. Meanwhile, awards have positive and strong impact on box office of commercial film as artistic film. However, table 6 shows that among the four elements, the strongest correlation exists between box office and online ranking order. For commercial film, online ranking is the strongest box office driver, f ar more than artistic film. Comparing the outputs of artistic film and commercial film, online ranking order has less influence on artistic film while the strongest determinants of commercial film. Meanwhile, the higher online ranking order do result in better box office success in both artistic film and commercial film. Especially, for commercial film, the recognition from audience attributes to box office to the largest extent. Although there are some distinguish cases, the tendency of impact of online ranking order is quite clear according to the research. Conclusion Summary Online ranking order as the direct and clarify symbol of online review provides important information for audience. This paper tests the correlation between online ranking order and box office success by comparing online ranking order with other determinants of box office. Throughout running multiple regression analysis in SPSS, the result indicates online ranking order has stronger impact on commercial film while less important for artistic film. However, high online ranking order contributes to higher box office in general for any kinds of movie. Limitations This paper only includes four major determinants of box office success. However, other determinants such as released screen, released date, star power and region are also contributing to the box office success. Due to the limited words and research time, there are more important indicators are excluded. Besides, the result could be less trusted and accurate because of relatively small sample size. Furthermore, due to the producing time of some movies are quite old, the lack of some data and currency rate might lead to different results slightly.

Linking Brain and Behavior: Reflections on Neurodegenerative Diseases and Fetal Neural Transplantat :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Linking Brain and Behavior: Reflections on Neurodegenerative Diseases and Fetal Neural Transplantation Neurodegenerative diseases are caused by malfunctions within the motor sector of the nervous system. These malfunctions, which are caused by the presence or absence of hormones, are a direct result of neural cell deterioration within the brain. Thus, biological problems of the brain, or rather predicaments arising between cellular connections within the brain, and the treatment of such conditions, illustrate how the brain organizes movement and behavior (11). The brain is the body's communication headquarters. It obtains a myriad of information from various parts of the sensory system and processes this information in an organized fashion. It then relays sensory input to different parts of the motor system. Such messages from the brain dictate specific muscular and behavioral patterns. Thus, this neural system is highly depended on a cause and effect system, where the slightest offset to the assembly-line fashion of cellular interaction results in major behavioral abnormalities(11). Moreover, there are two particular areas of the brain that are specifically related to motor malfunctions: the substania nigra and the striatum (the caudate nucleus and the putamen). The cells of the nigra synapse with cells of the striatum, which serves as the controller of motor functions such as walking, balance, and muscular movement. Information from the nigra cells passes through the synapses with the aid of a specific hormone, dopamine, which is a signi ficant chemical transmitter in the brain. Because the existence of dopamine is essential to the function of the substania nigra, it is also essential for the various muscular activities controlled by the striatum, such as walking, balance, etc (9). Neurodegenerative diseases, like Parkinson's Disease and Huntington's disease, thus, illustrate two very different behavioral patterns that are subsequently caused by two opposite and extreme biological abnormalities, where the nigra-striatum neural communication assemblage is hampered. Parkinson's disease (PD) results from a depletion in the amount of dopamine produced by the brain. At the onset of the disease, dopamine-secreting cells of the substania nigra, either because of genetic factors or environmental toxins, experience mass cell death. Thus, the nigra cells are unable to form synapses through which they secrete and relay dopamine to the striatum in a neural circuit within the basal ganglia (11). The striatum is also a coordination center for chemical messengers. When there is a decrease in dopamine levels, the striatum experiences a chemical imbalance (2). Linking Brain and Behavior: Reflections on Neurodegenerative Diseases and Fetal Neural Transplantat :: Biology Essays Research Papers Linking Brain and Behavior: Reflections on Neurodegenerative Diseases and Fetal Neural Transplantation Neurodegenerative diseases are caused by malfunctions within the motor sector of the nervous system. These malfunctions, which are caused by the presence or absence of hormones, are a direct result of neural cell deterioration within the brain. Thus, biological problems of the brain, or rather predicaments arising between cellular connections within the brain, and the treatment of such conditions, illustrate how the brain organizes movement and behavior (11). The brain is the body's communication headquarters. It obtains a myriad of information from various parts of the sensory system and processes this information in an organized fashion. It then relays sensory input to different parts of the motor system. Such messages from the brain dictate specific muscular and behavioral patterns. Thus, this neural system is highly depended on a cause and effect system, where the slightest offset to the assembly-line fashion of cellular interaction results in major behavioral abnormalities(11). Moreover, there are two particular areas of the brain that are specifically related to motor malfunctions: the substania nigra and the striatum (the caudate nucleus and the putamen). The cells of the nigra synapse with cells of the striatum, which serves as the controller of motor functions such as walking, balance, and muscular movement. Information from the nigra cells passes through the synapses with the aid of a specific hormone, dopamine, which is a signi ficant chemical transmitter in the brain. Because the existence of dopamine is essential to the function of the substania nigra, it is also essential for the various muscular activities controlled by the striatum, such as walking, balance, etc (9). Neurodegenerative diseases, like Parkinson's Disease and Huntington's disease, thus, illustrate two very different behavioral patterns that are subsequently caused by two opposite and extreme biological abnormalities, where the nigra-striatum neural communication assemblage is hampered. Parkinson's disease (PD) results from a depletion in the amount of dopamine produced by the brain. At the onset of the disease, dopamine-secreting cells of the substania nigra, either because of genetic factors or environmental toxins, experience mass cell death. Thus, the nigra cells are unable to form synapses through which they secrete and relay dopamine to the striatum in a neural circuit within the basal ganglia (11). The striatum is also a coordination center for chemical messengers. When there is a decrease in dopamine levels, the striatum experiences a chemical imbalance (2).

Mexican Drug Cartels Essay

Several drug cartels are involved, such as: Sinaloa Cartel, Gulf Cartel, Juarez Cartel, Knights Templar Cartel, Tijuana Cartel, La Familia Cartel (disbanded), Los Zetas, Beltran-Leyva Cartel (disbanded), Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Independent Cartel of Acapulco, La Barredora. You could see them all as the bad guys. On the other team are the Mexican forces, consisting of the Army, Navy, Air force, the Federal police and other Mexican forces What are the sources of the conflict? What is it about? The main source of the conflict is power. All of the cartels wanted more power and money and they started fighting each other because of this. Another major cause of the conflict are the drug trafficking routes used by different cartels, the cartels want more power over each other’s routes. Relationships between/among conflicting parties? They were once all together in one massive cartel. But because of the decision of the leader of the cartel the ‘mother-cartel’ split up in many smaller cartels (See Dimension #1). What is the history of the conflict? The birth of all Mexican drug cartels is traced to former Mexican Judicial Federal Police agent Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo (â€Å"The Godfather†), who founded the Guadalajara Cartel in 1980 and controlled all illegal drug trade in Mexico and the trafficking corridors across the Mexico-USA border throughout the 1980s. He started off by smuggling marijuana and opium into the U. S. A. , and was the first Mexican drug chief to link up with Colombia’s cocaine cartels in the 1980s. Through his connections, Felix Gallardo became the point man for the Medellin cartel, which was run by Pablo Escobar. This was easily accomplished because Felix Gallardo had already established an infrastructure that stood ready to serve the Colombia-based traffickers. There were no cartels at that time in Mexico. Felix Gallardo was the lord of Mexican drug smugglers. He oversaw all operations; there was just him, his cronies, and the politicians who sold him protection. [59] However, the Guadalajara Cartel suffered a major blow in 1985 when the group’s co-founder Rafael Caro Quintero was captured, and later convicted, for the murder of DEA agent Enrique Camarena. 60][61] Felix Gallardo afterwards kept a low profile and in 1987 he moved with his family to Guadalajara. According to Peter Dale Scott, the Guadalajara Cartel prospered largely because it enjoyed the protection of the Direccion Federal de Seguridad (DFS), under its chief Miguel Nazar Haro, a CIA asset. â€Å"The Godfather† then decided to divide up the trade he controlled as it would be more efficient and less likely to be brought down in one law enforcement swoop. 63] In a way, he was privatizing the Mexican drug business while sending it back underground, to be run by bosses who were less well known or not yet known by the DEA. Gallardo convened the nation’s top drug traffickers at a house in the resort of Acapulco where he designated the plazas or territories. The process: how do we choose to deal with the conflict? We do not personally deal with this conflict. However, the US army helps the Mexican government at some points, since most of the drugs comes in via Mexico.

Essay on Eiffel Tower Essay

In 1889, Paris hosted an Exposition Universelle to mark the 100-year anniversary of the French Revolution. More than 100 artists submitted competing plans for a monument to be built on the Champ-de-Mars, located in central Paris, and serve as the exposition’s entrance. The commission was granted to Eiffel et Compagnie. Eiffel, an architect and metal expert, receives full credit for the monument that bears his name but it was one of his employees—a structural engineer named Maurice Koechlin—who came up with the concept. Several years earlier, the pair had collaborated on the Statue of Liberty’s metal armature. Originally intended as a temporary exhibit, the Eiffel Tower was almost torn down in 1909. City officials opted to save it after recognizing its value as a radiotelegraph station. Several years later, during World War I, the Eiffel Tower intercepted enemy radio communications. It escaped destruction a second time during World War II. Over the years, the Eiffel Tower has been the site of numerous high-profile stunts, ceremonial events and even scientific experiments. The Eiffel Tower has also inspired more than 30 replicas and similar structures in various cities around the world. Now one of the most recognizable structures on the planet, the Eiffel Tower underwent a major renovation in 1986 and is repainted every seven years. It welcomes more visitors than any other paid monument in the world—an estimated 7 million people per year. Fulgence Bienvenà ¼e, an engineer at Ponts et Chaussà ©es, created the project, which was adopted by the Municipal Council on 9 July 1897. Work started on 4 October 1898. Line 1, which opened on 19 July 1900, connected the Porte de Maillot to the Porte de Vincennes and provided a service to the summer Olympic Games organised in the Bois de Vincennes. Parisians immediately loved this new means of transport. In 1901, Fulgence Bienvenà ¼e planned an additional network of lines which would not leave any point in Paris more than 500 metres from a metro station. Work quickly began on lines 2 and 3 and then 4 and 5, etc. The first six lines were opened to the public in 1910. Immediately prior to the First World War, the 91km-long network included 10 lines and carried 467 million travellers. The following decade saw the network continue to grow, in particular through the extension of the lines to the suburbs (lines 1, 12, 9, 11, etc.). During the Second World War, several lines were exten ded despite the shortage of electricity.

Material Culture - Artifacts and their Meaning(s)

Material Culture - Artifacts and their Meaning(s) Material culture is a term used in archaeology and other anthropology-related fields to refer to all the corporeal, tangible objects that are created, used, kept and left behind by past and present cultures. Material culture refers to objects that are used, lived in, displayed and experienced; and the terms includes all the things people make, including tools, pottery, houses, furniture, buttons, roads, even the cities themselves. An archaeologist thus can be defined as a person who studies the material culture of a past society: but theyre not the only ones who do that. Material Culture: Key Takeaways Material culture refers to the corporeal, tangible objects created, used, kept, and left behind by people.A term used by archaeologists and other anthropologists.One focus is the meaning of the objects: how we use them, how we treat them, what they say about us.Some objects reflect family history, status, gender, and/or ethnic identity.  People have been making and saving objects for 2.5 million years.  There is some evidence that our cousins the orangutans do the same.   Material Culture Studies Material culture studies, however, focus not just on the artifacts themselves, but rather the meaning of those objects to people. One of the features that characterize humans apart from other species is the extent to which we interact with objects, whether they are used or traded, whether they are curated or discarded. Objects in human life can become integrated into social relationships: for example, strong emotional attachments are found between people and material culture that is connected to ancestors. Grandmothers sideboard, a teapot handed down from family member to family member, a class ring from the 1920s, these are the things that turn up in the long-established television program Antiques Roadshow, often accompanied by family history and a vow to never let them be sold. Recalling the Past, Constructing an Identity Such objects transmit culture with them, creating and reinforcing cultural norms: this kind of object needs tending, this does not. Girl Scout badges, fraternity pins, even Fitbit watches are symbolic storage devices, symbols of social identity that may persist through multiple generations. In this manner, they can also be teaching tools: this is how we were in the past, this is how we need to behave in the present. Objects can also recall past events: antlers collected on a hunting trip, a necklace of beads obtained on holiday or at a fair, a picture book that reminds the owner of a trip, all of these objects contain a meaning to their owners, apart from and perhaps above their materiality. Gifts are set in patterned displays (comparable in some respects to shrines) in homes as markers of memory. Even if the objects themselves are considered ugly by their owners, theyre kept because they keep alive the memory of families and individuals that might otherwise be forgotten. Those objects leave traces, that have established narratives associated with them. Ancient Symbolism All of these ideas, all of these ways that humans interact with objects today have ancient roots. Weve been collecting and venerating objects since we started making tools 2.5 million years ago, and archaeologists and paleontologists are today agreed that the objects that were collected in the past contain intimate information about the cultures that collected them. Today, the debates center on how to access that information, and to what extent that is even possible. Interestingly, there is increasing evidence that material culture is a primate thing: tool use and collecting behavior have been identified in chimpanzee and orangutan groups. Changes in the Study of Material Culture The symbolic aspects of material culture have been studied by archaeologists since the late 1970s. Archaeologists have always identified cultural groups by the stuff they collected and used, such as house construction methods; pottery styles; bone, stone and metal tools; and recurring symbols painted on objects and sewn into textiles. But it wasnt until the late 1970s that archaeologists began to actively think about the human-cultural material relationship. They began to ask: does the simple description of material culture traits sufficiently define cultural groups, or should we leverage what we know and understand about the social relationships of artifacts to get to a better understanding of the ancient cultures? What kicked that off was a recognition that groups of people who share material culture may not ever have spoken the same language, or shared the same religious or secular customs, or interacted with one another in any other way other than to exchange material goods. Are collections of artifact traits just an archaeological construct with no reality? But the artifacts that make up material culture were meaningfully constituted and actively manipulated to attain certain ends, such as establishing status, contesting power, marking an ethnic identity, defining the individual self or demonstrating gender. Material culture both reflects society and is involved in its constitution and transformation. Creating, exchanging and consuming objects are necessary parts of displaying, negotiating and enhancing a particular public self. Objects can be seen as the blank slates upon which we project our needs, desires, ideas and values. As such, material culture contains a wealth of information about who we are, who we want to be. Sources Berger, Arthur Asa. Reading matter: Multidisciplinary perspectives on material culture. New York: Routledge, 2017.Coward, Fiona, and Clive Gamble. Big Brains, Small Worlds: Material Culture and the Evolution of the Mind. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences 363.1499 (2008): 1969-79. Print.Gonzlez-Ruibal, Alfredo, Almudena Hernando, and Gustavo Politis. Ontology of the Self and Material Culture: Arrow-Making among the Aw Hunter-Gatherers (Brazil). Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 30.1 (2011): 1-16. Print.Hodder, Ian. Symbols in Action: Ethnoarchaeological Studies of Material Culture. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1982. Print.Money, Annemarie. Material Culture and the Living Room: The Appropriation and Use of Goods in Everyday Life. Journal of Consumer Culture 7.3 (2007): 355-77. Print.OToole, Paddy, and Prisca Were. Observing Places: Using Space and Material Culture in Qualitative Research. Qualitative Research 8.5 (2008): 616 -34. Print. Tehrani, Jamshid J., and Felix Riede. Towards an Archaeology of Pedagogy: Learning, Teaching and the Generation of Material Culture Traditions. World Archaeology 40.3 (2008): 316-31. Print.van Schaik, Carel P., et al. Orangutan Cultures and the Evolution of Material Culture. Science 299.5603 (2003): 102-05. Print.

Tips For Fighting Addiction In College

Tips For Fighting Addiction In College Mental Health Issues: Addiction in the Campus Partying hard and abusing addictive substances often accompanies the life of a college student. A lot of students start to lead a more conscious way of life after some years of such lifestyle or after graduating from the university. Unfortunately, for some students, it becomes a huge burden that turns into addiction. Addiction is defined as repeated abuse of a certain substance, which is characterized by continuity and obtrusiveness. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism:Around 80% of students who study in the college drink alcohol Near 50% of those students are binge drinkers 1,825 students die from injuries related to alcohol Assaults, sexual abuses, and aggressive behavior more frequently come from those whos been drinking Around 25% of those who have developed a regular drinking habit have academic problemsWith alarming stats like these, it becomes evident that addiction is an important issue and needs an urgent solution. Symptoms Of Addiction Students who became dependent on alcohol and drugs usually have the following symptoms:Being paranoid, anxious, stressed, or fearful for no reason Getting into troubles, fights, and conflicts Having impaired coordination and bloodshot eyes Needing to use more and more alcohol or drugs to get the same effects Negative change in the grooming habits and physical appearanceIf you experience some of the symptoms listed above, you may be addicted. If you notice that you are using alcohol or drugs in order to numb your negative emotions, you should contact the health center on your campus and consult a qualified specialist. Addictions need to be taken very seriously. Recognizing The Signs Of Addiction It may be difficult to differentiate when ones use of alcohol has turned from occasional to habitual. Besides, those who cant admit that they have an addiction will use all possible arguments to ensure you that theyre totally in control of their alcohol consumption. To understand if your friend has developed the destructive addiction, ask yourself the following list of questions:Is your friend drinking in order to drown his sorrow or for recreational reasons? Has their drinking or drug use influenced their relationships in a negative way? Have drugs and alcohol become one of the central themes of your friends life? Are there negative changes in their personality connected with drugs and alcohol consumption? Have you noticed some strange, unpleasant smell from their clothing, body, or breath? Do they feel uncomfortable or anxious when they cant get access to drugs or alcohol? Have any of the blood relatives of your friends had alcohol addiction? Have they ever lost the memory of the previous evening?It often happens that addicts dont want to confess that they have an addiction; therefore it is very important to observe their behavior and notice the alarming symptoms. If they receive a proper treatment in the earlier stages, they have a good chance of getting their conscious life back. If you want to warn your friend about the problem he or she has with addiction, find the time when they are sober and tell them that you have noticed some worrying changes about their behavior. Dont be judgmental, let your friend understand that you are concerned about their health, and explain the reason behind your concerns. Offer your help in solving the issues of addiction you can consult an online resource or go to your student health center with your friend. Resources To Help Treat Addiction Consult these resources to find out more about addiction and get help:National Institute for Drug Abuse Narcotics Anonymous Alcoholics Anonymous National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration Your Student Health CenterAddiction can turn into a serious problem if its not treated timely and correctly. Please, be very attentive to the addictive substances that you are using and never turn their use from recreational to habitual. Better stop using alcohol or drugs to relax. Consider such relaxation techniques as meditation and yoga that have a much more constructive influence on your body and mind.

Dipole Moment Definition

Dipole Moment Definition A dipole moment is a measurement of the separation of two opposite electrical  charges. Dipole moments are a vector quantity. The magnitude is equal to the charge multiplied by the distance between the charges and the direction is from negative charge to positive charge: ÃŽ ¼ q  · r where ÃŽ ¼ is the dipole moment, q is the magnitude of the separated charge, and r is the distance between the charges. Dipole moments are measured in the SI units of coulomb ·meters (C m), but because the charges tend to be very small in magnitude, the historical unit for a dipole moment is the Debye. One Debye is approximately 3.33 x 10-30 C ·m. A typical dipole moment for a molecule is about 1 D. Significance of the Dipole Moment In chemistry, dipole moments are applied to the distribution of electrons between  two bonded atoms. The existence of a dipole moment is the difference between polar and nonpolar bonds. Molecules with a net dipole moment are polar molecules. If the net dipole moment is zero or very, very small, the bond and molecule are considered to be nonpolar. Atoms that have similar electronegativity values tend to form chemical bonds with a very small dipole moment. Example Dipole Moment Values The dipole moment is dependent on temperature, so tables that list the values should state the temperature. At 25 °C, the dipole moment of cyclohexane is 0. It is 1.5 for chloroform and 4.1 for dimethyl sulfoxide. Calculating the Dipole Moment of Water Using a water molecule (H2O), its possible to calculate the magnitude and direction of the dipole moment. By comparing the electronegativity values of hydrogen and oxygen, there is a difference of 1.2e for each hydrogen-oxygen chemical bond. Oxygen has a higher electronegativity than hydrogen, so it exerts a stronger attraction on the electrons shared by the atoms. Also, oxygen has two lone electron pairs. So, you know the dipole moment must point toward the oxygen atoms. The dipole moment is calculated by multiplying the distance between the hydrogen and oxygen atoms by the difference in their charge. Then, the angle between the atoms is used to find the net dipole moment. The angle formed by a water molecule is known to be 104.5 ° and the bond moment of the O-H bond is -1.5D. ÃŽ ¼ 2(1.5)cos(104.5 °/2) 1.84 D

Compare and contrast Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Compare and contrast - Essay Example Neal Caffrey is the star of the show who was a conman. He was a thief and forger for three years and knew all the tricks of the trade but then he got caught by the FBI. He was sentenced to four years in prison and his tenure was about to end in jail when he escaped the prison under maximum security and he found his girlfriend Kate. The agent who caught him was Peter Burke, caught him again and returned him to the prison. Caffrey actually tries to help Burke out this time; he is willing to give him evidence on another case but only if he meets with Caffrey in which he proposed that he would actually help Burke catch other criminals since he would know their tricks better and he would be released from prison on a work basis. Burke hesitates to accept this proposal however he ends up agreeing. This partnership starts the show with Caffrey promising to not escape his deal and help catch white collar criminals and they end up doing so successfully in many cases. ‘Suits’ is al so a US based television series that is now on its third season. It involves Mike Ross as its main character. Ross is a brilliant character who was aiming to be an attorney and this dream was crushed when he was expelled and had to drop out of college. He had a keen intelligence and a photographic memory and so even as a dropout he could help others; he did this by taking the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) for others. Therefore both Caffrey and Ross had an intelligent mind and a flair for doing the wrong thing and they need to make a living as well. Ross had to take care of his grandmother who he places in a nursing home and then he also agrees to transport marijuana for a friend of his; not just anyone but his best friend in the show who is Trevor. At the same time, Harvey Specter, who a top corporate lawyer in New York is promoted in a firm called Pearson Hardman law firm. He needs to take on an associate attorney and Ross accidentally sits for an interview for the post. This ho wever turns to be in his favor for two reasons. Firstly, the marijuana task turns out to be a sting operation designed to catch criminals. And secondly Specter is so impressed by Ross that he hires him despite knowledge of his dropping out. He likes him due to his wittiness, his knowledge and his desire. Only Specter’s attorney knows that Ross is a dropout but to the world, he has graduated from Harvard with a law degree. Both Ross and Caffrey are persuasive enough to be hired and convince men of great position and power to be on their side and keep their secret at the same time. However, at Specter’s firm, his partner and who is jealous of Specter isn’t convinced with Mike’s degree credentials and Ross faces not only those issues but the fact that his friend is a drug dealer and that keeps him linked to his past which was a failure. He is also confused about whom he loves by first dating his best friend’s ex-girlfriend and then a colleague Rachel Zane, and so his personality seems to be more complicated. And his complication catches up to him when his best friend returns and seeing that he is dating his ex-girlfriend, he tells on him regarding his credentials to his firm. He loses Jenny eventually as well due to his feelings for Rachel and things seem to be going berserk with him at work with accusations of also hiding evidence as well. His personal life seems to be displayed more than Caffreys’

Crime and persistence of drugs in American Society Essay

Crime and persistence of drugs in American Society - Essay Example Criminologists supporting the conflict tradition argue that the inevitable process of capitalism is the main cause of crime. That is to say, disputes emerge between those who embrace the society in a pluralistic view and those who do not. Pluralists believe that groups in the society exercise power with an objective of furthering their own influence and power within that society. These criminologists, or conservative conflict theorists, argue that difference in economic status, and culture or the struggle in ideology, morality, status, race, ethnicity, or religion are the sources of crime. These theorists believe that such groups that gain allegiance to the mainstream culture obtain control of the necessary resources that allow them to criminalize those conflicting individuals who do not observe the same cultural values and moral code. According to Siegel, therefore, crime has its root in the instrumental or symbolic conflicts that occur at different sites of a fragmented society. Cr itical theories concerning crime base their arguments on group difference on the larger social environment; some highlight class difference, others gender difference, and others societal difference. In this regard therefore, there are different critical arguments and theories on crime, but all focus on group difference in power. The theories include Marxist theory, institution anomie theory, and feminism theory. The capitalist class (those who have means of production like businesses and factories) advocate for laws that criminalize and prohibit low-class street crimes, but merely restrict or prohibit some harmful actions resulting from their factories and business. ... The theories include Marxist theory, institution anomie theory, and feminism theory. According to Marxist theory, the capitalist class (those who have means of production like businesses and factories) advocate for laws that criminalize and prohibit low-class street crimes, but merely restrict or prohibit some harmful actions resulting from their factories and business (Siegel 2011). These individuals use power to their advantage, and their main aim is to make profits. The theory on institutional anomie borrows from social learning and control theories to argue that the high rates of crime in the US result from the emphasis on the â€Å"American Dream†. People are encouraged to achieve success in monetary terms, but with no emphasis on the legitimate means of obtaining such success. Lastly, the feminist theories base its argument on crime because of gender difference in power. They try to explain why men engage in most forms of crime in comparison to women. Structural argument s on crime try to use a structural methodology in developing theoretical perspectives on delinquency and crime. Theorists supporting this approach focus on the study of social structures with emphasis of power relations between groups or individuals. The common approach in the study of these social structures is the concern of vertical, hierarchical relations among the members of the society (Siegel, 2011). The structural approach to criminology embraces the study of power relations as the centre of criminology research. In essence, the approach studies both power relations to criminal behavior and other people’s reactions to criminal behavior. The main theory in structural criminology arguments is the power-control theory. According to the

Business law and ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business law and ethics - Essay Example Within such a framework, it is the understanding of the law that these stakeholders may have a less biased and more realistic interpretation for the means whereby a given firm or business can seek to maximize their own profits. Comparatively, within the United States, the manager or management of the firm has a high degree of latitude with regards to the actions and decisions that he/she can take to protect against a potential hostile takeover of his/her firm. As a means of explaining these key differentials to a greater and more complete degree, the following analysis will attempt to compare and contrast the means whereby managers within the United Kingdom and the United States are constrained by the rule of law to exhibit only certain levels of behavior in the event of a potential hostile takeover of their firm or business entity. Within the US system, the managers of the respective firm are allowed and encouraged to actively engage with regards to seeking to delineate the key bene fits and drawbacks that a potential takeover may have upon the viability of the company. By comparison, UK law specifically refuses the right of the manager to engage in such decision making strategy; rather, it places the onus of such a choice squarely upon the shoulders of the shareholders. Yet, this should not be understood to mean that takeovers in the United States are somehow shareholder â€Å"unfriendly†. ... option allows for a manager to engage in an active defense of the company’s stock if a potential takeover is denoted by the acquisition of 10-15% of a company’s stock by a hostile firm/individual. By comparison, managers within the United Kingdom are not allowed to take any â€Å"frustrating action†. This is due to the fact that the United Kingdom delineates a much more powerful focus upon the needs and rights of the respective shareholders as opposed to the United States approach which places most of the power and decision making ability upon the manager. As such, any â€Å"poison pill† option is implicitly forbidden under UK law. In short, â€Å"frustrating options†, defined as a means by which a manager of a firm can seek to disrupt the rate and extent to which a potential takeover might take place. However, what should be understood is that the strict laws that govern the level to which a firm in the United Kingdom can respond to a takeover only apply once the potential takeover is the horizon. As such, it is well within the law for the firm or entity to seek to entrench itself in a rather unassailable position prior to any of this taking place; thereby making its position much stronger and less likely to result in a predatory takeover of any sort whatsoever. Q2) Although ethics is broadly understood, the fact of the matter is that there are five traditional approaches to this topic which must be engaged with and understood in order for the student or the analyst to approach the topic with a firm level of understanding. As such, the following brief analysis will discuss each of these five traditional theories of ethics and define why each of these is important to understand and appreciate from the business perspective. Due to the fact that different points of

Marketing research insurance program Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Marketing research insurance program - Essay Example The research aims at assessing the potential of proposed insurance program by garnering data from the target audience. The research approach and data collection methods would further highlight the research objective. Primary research method has been favored to achieve the objective of the research as it would offer current information and understanding. Research Approach The research is based on offering a new and innovative insurance program to elder people who find it difficult to manage their finances and time. As per the current Elder Shield plan, insured people would get $300 per month for a maximum period of 5 years and $400 for a maximum period of 6 years. The new insurance program would offer the same benefits along with wide arrays of physical and mental activities that would offer great results in the short as well as in the long run. Moreover, for each referral, there would be certain rewards and awards that would further motivate and influence people to insure their life and health along with spreading the message in a positive manner. There is no denying that elder people are more prone to injuries and health issues and thus this insurance plan would try to help them regain their health through physical and mental activities. This can also be considered as a noble cause by taking care of the elder people along with making their life exci ting and problem free. As per the statistics of the United States Department of Labor, around 20% of the retirement income is attributed to health expenses that can be considered as quite high (United States Department of Labor, 2011). Moreover, basic Elder Shield Plan offers $300 per month for a maximum period of five years that can be considered as good enough to meet health demands. This insurance plan would help in engaging retired people in physical activities like golf and Taichi along with few mental activities like chess and emotional intelligence games. This insurance plan would also help in saving more money as people who are healthy and fit tend to spend less on health problems. This statement can only be considered as a valid one once views and opinions of the respondents confirm it. However, there is no denying that garnering personal opinions and offering wide arrays of information to the respondents would help in achieving the research objectives in a desired manner. Research Design Research design plays an important role in achieving desired results pertaining to the research. Research designs are classified as explanatory, descriptive and casual with distinctive features. Explanatory design is useful in analysing secondary data as it determines the hypotheses that can be tested. Descriptive design is based on primary data collection methods favoring quantitative analysis. It also examines the association and relationship with wide arrays of variables. In this particular research paper, descriptive and explanatory designs have been preferred as explanatory design helped in examining the hypotheses through secondary data and information while descriptive design would help in understanding the utility of introducing new and innovative insurance plan for retired people. There is no denying that descriptive design is time consuming and often a cumbersome task but the validity and reliability of

District Budgetary Overview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

District Budgetary Overview - Essay Example The schools in the district would require prepare a budget for the period of July, 1 to June, 30 and submit the same for sanction of the governing body by July, 15. The three generally accepted accounting practices include the incremental budgeting, the zero based budgeting and the planning, programming, budgeting system. The incremental budgeting is done the district school where they adjust the budget of the previous year to that of the next year (Hosted, 2012). The zero based budgeting includes starting he budgeting at the beginning of the year. The planning, programming and the budgeting system includes the cost on a per pupil basis. Due to this accounting practice, the fluctuation of the budget is eliminated due to change of demographics. The superintendent and school board responsibilities for building a budget The responsibility of the superintendent and the school board is crucial for building the budget. The responsibilities range from forecasting the enrolment for the next year as compared to the current years, take feedbacks from the supporting staffs and confirm the final budget. The actual enrolment figures are tallied against the projected figures to produce an error free budget. The feedback from the operational staffs is taken to make necessary adjustment for meet the unplanned expenses. The final budget is prepared and presented to the school board for approval. The school board cross checks the evaluations and finally approves the budget for implementation. Key budget terminology The budget is a plan for the financial year in order to meet the expected expenses from the anticipated revenues. The key budget terminologies range from the accounting terminologies to financial terms and accountability of the governing body. Specific terminologies like revenues, expenses, accountability, cash flow, control, fiscal, forecast, supporting schedule are important. The budgetary revenues are the anticipated sources of income for the school and the budgeta ry expenses are the anticipated usage of funds of the school. The cash flow is budgeted and is based on the difference between the budgetary revenues and the budgetary expenses. The budgetary expenses are prepared for a fiscal of one year based on the forecast of the events anticipated in future. A supporting schedule of revenues and expenses are attached in the budget in order to indicate the time line of the cash flows. How the funds in the budget are balanced and coordinated The funds in the budget mainly comprise of government funds and fiduciary funds used for the development of the district schools and its operations. The government funds are allocated as per the specification of the government. The fiduciary funds are the funds available from sources other than the government. The funds are balanced and co-ordinate through budgetary control. The budgetary control is implemented with the help of periodic reports. The reports help to understand the gap between the actual expens es and the budgeted expenses. Thus monitoring and control of budgetary expenses help to balance and co-ordinate the funds (Warren,  Reeve and  Duchac, 2008). The budget monitoring and control is a significant aspect for controlling the expenses against the budgeted figures and provide the direction to achieve the target budgeted plan. The district's budget timeline The timeline for the budget the district is for a period of one fiscal year.

Living Peacefully in a World Free of Global Warming or Living with All Research Paper

Living Peacefully in a World Free of Global Warming or Living with All the Riches in a World Affected with Global Warming - Research Paper Example Contributing to the increasing levels of GHGs are various activities in which cars and power plants are recorded to be the main sources (Mohr, 2005). Indeed, human beings also have contributions to the levels of GHGs. In accordance to what is stated, developments in different countries lead to the heating up of the planet Earth. More and more buildings are set up and used as factories in order to gain wealth. Despite the campaigns that vehicles are emitting GHGs, people do not care. The present has been seen as the moment for development even though it is believed by some, as a destruction of the environment. Research Question: Which is better, living peacefully in a world free of global warming or living with all the riches in a world affected with global warming? Scope of Limitation: Findings of this research will be limited only to the responses of ten (10) environmental experts. Results from this study will only be based from their views and opinions. Significance of the Study: F indings shall educate individuals on the phenomenon of global warming. The conduct of this research will give indications on how individuals should protect their planet. Moreover, this investigation will also supplement the existing research in this field. Objectives of the Study: This research investigation aims to study how the global warming affects the entire world. Specifically, it also aims at knowing and identifying the effects of the said phenomenon through taking a special look on the life on earth as well as the atmosphere. Theoretical Framework: The theory of global warming will be the framework of this research. Global warming, as defined by James Hansen (2000), is mainly because of the occurrence of high levels of GHGs in the atmosphere in which is triggered by the activities of man. For Hansen (2000), the effect of these gases from burning of fossil fuel is climate change. Hypothesis: The increasing rate of greenhouse gases is threatening the life on earth, the negativ e effects being on the life of human beings and the atmosphere. II. Review of Related Literature Various views exist when people talk about global warming. Some are in agreement but some are opposing the other conceptualizations of the phenomenon of global warming. For Thakur (2009), emission of gases is just the contributor to the phenomenon but clearly not the origin. United Nations Environment Programme (2003) has acknowledged global warming is responsible for the climate changes. Some among the mentioned outcomes are more intense rain, severe flood and storms, more extreme heat waves, and the melting of glaciers. With the rapid changes, it is expected that all the fundamental Earth systems would also alter leading to the disturbance in all the aspects of environment. This disruption would then affect the lives of human beings because of the possible effect to food security. These changes, in effect, will inflict harm on human health. Eipsten (2000) added that with the rise of te mperature comes along the rise of many health diseases. This perspective fears the fact that it may not be possible for the human kind to have its next generation due to the effects it may cause the people. However, the contextualization of carbon causes global warming has been opposed. In Happer’s (2011) article, he claimed that the current warming that the planet currently

District Budgetary Overview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

District Budgetary Overview - Essay Example The schools in the district would require prepare a budget for the period of July, 1 to June, 30 and submit the same for sanction of the governing body by July, 15. The three generally accepted accounting practices include the incremental budgeting, the zero based budgeting and the planning, programming, budgeting system. The incremental budgeting is done the district school where they adjust the budget of the previous year to that of the next year (Hosted, 2012). The zero based budgeting includes starting he budgeting at the beginning of the year. The planning, programming and the budgeting system includes the cost on a per pupil basis. Due to this accounting practice, the fluctuation of the budget is eliminated due to change of demographics. The superintendent and school board responsibilities for building a budget The responsibility of the superintendent and the school board is crucial for building the budget. The responsibilities range from forecasting the enrolment for the next year as compared to the current years, take feedbacks from the supporting staffs and confirm the final budget. The actual enrolment figures are tallied against the projected figures to produce an error free budget. The feedback from the operational staffs is taken to make necessary adjustment for meet the unplanned expenses. The final budget is prepared and presented to the school board for approval. The school board cross checks the evaluations and finally approves the budget for implementation. Key budget terminology The budget is a plan for the financial year in order to meet the expected expenses from the anticipated revenues. The key budget terminologies range from the accounting terminologies to financial terms and accountability of the governing body. Specific terminologies like revenues, expenses, accountability, cash flow, control, fiscal, forecast, supporting schedule are important. The budgetary revenues are the anticipated sources of income for the school and the budgeta ry expenses are the anticipated usage of funds of the school. The cash flow is budgeted and is based on the difference between the budgetary revenues and the budgetary expenses. The budgetary expenses are prepared for a fiscal of one year based on the forecast of the events anticipated in future. A supporting schedule of revenues and expenses are attached in the budget in order to indicate the time line of the cash flows. How the funds in the budget are balanced and coordinated The funds in the budget mainly comprise of government funds and fiduciary funds used for the development of the district schools and its operations. The government funds are allocated as per the specification of the government. The fiduciary funds are the funds available from sources other than the government. The funds are balanced and co-ordinate through budgetary control. The budgetary control is implemented with the help of periodic reports. The reports help to understand the gap between the actual expens es and the budgeted expenses. Thus monitoring and control of budgetary expenses help to balance and co-ordinate the funds (Warren,  Reeve and  Duchac, 2008). The budget monitoring and control is a significant aspect for controlling the expenses against the budgeted figures and provide the direction to achieve the target budgeted plan. The district's budget timeline The timeline for the budget the district is for a period of one fiscal year.

Representations of Women in Early Irish and Welsh Literature Essay Example for Free

Representations of Women in Early Irish and Welsh Literature Essay Although there are parallels between Irish and Welsh sagas of elopement, the powerful self confident women depicted in these narratives do not represent the real women of Medieval Ireland and Wales. Proinsias Mac Cana has suggested that the dominant roles of Deirdre and Grainne in their respective tales (Longes mac nUislenn and Toruigheacht Dhiarmada agus Ghrainne) are ‘literary variations on the exemplar of the sovereignty goddess’ (Doan, 1985: 90). Bitel (1996: 2) asserts that Celticists have been seduced by these dominant female characters viewing them as representative of real women with considerable power over men, a depiction which if true should be reflected in the law tracts or ‘custom in action’(Stacey, 2002: 1107). This paper will argue that the ecclesiastical and legal tracts of both Ireland and Wales offer many images of women, judgements about women, and regulations for women. They do not however present the stereotypical medieval woman as the sovereignty goddess depicted in the secular sagas. Because women left no written records, we are dependent on male literature (probably all of the texts written in early Ireland and Wales) for a definition of woman and her cultural role. These male authors wrote of women in: ‘saint’s lives; poems; sagas and myths; gnomic texts; histories; chronicles; genealogies; folktales; theological tracts; and extensive ecclesiastical tracts; and secular laws’ (Bitel, 1996: 12). Although these texts offer insights on women they must be viewed through the hermeneutical lens of the socio-historical context of the era in which they were written. Early medieval Ireland was a patriarchal society and a woman’s role and identity was determined by patriarchal norms and conventions. The literati of this era did not define woman as an independent individual. Women existed only in relation to men and therefore their representation in literature was not entirely objective or according to Bitel consistent. Tensions exist between various texts. The portrayal of women as ‘capricious beasts’ (Bitel, 1995:137) presented in the eighth century wisdom text Tecosca Cormaic contrasts sharply with the recognition of a woman as home-maker and wife with limited recourse to the law depicted in Cain Lanamna or the law of couples (O Croinin, 1995: 127) . The majority of the extant Irish law books were composed between the seventh and ninth centuries. At this stage the Irish literati were members of the nobility educated in monastic communities. Many were monks but this elite group also included jurists, historians, poets and story tellers. Mc Cone has suggested that these learned elite produced literature for the monastery which was heavily influenced by Biblical texts (Bitel, 1996: 14). Donnchadh O Corrain, Liam Breatnach and Aidan Breen have argued that there exists a close connection between ecclesiastical law and Irish vernacular law (Stacey, 2002: 1108). Stacey asserts that although the legal sources from Wales (compiled in the twelfth and thirteen centuries) are later than the Irish sources there is also a significant link between ‘legal, poetic and ecclesiastical learning’ (2002: 1108). The Irish penitential books written between the sixth and the ninth centuries reveal conflict between the ideals of Christian leaders and the customs of early Irish communities. These penitentials were designed as moral guides for confessors in attributing penance in the rite of confession (Gula, 1989: 25). According to Bitel, Christian clergy were intent on transferring social control of sex from the kin group to the individual Christian (1987: 67). Fox concurs with Bitel, asserting that by liberating the individual from the bonds of clan and family, the church was attempting to reduce kinship to ‘its lowest common denominator [the nuclear family: the lowest kinship group that is compatible with reproduction] while appearing to support basic kinship values’ (1993: 109-110). The Clergy in promoting Christian morality for the individual attempted to reorganize Early Irish society. According to Bitel, the kin group were influential in controlling sexual activity. This was necessary to ensure the survival of the community as an interdependent group. Archaeological evidence suggests that houses consisted of one room. This allowed for little individual privacy and sex was a natural and visible part of family life. Illicit encounters had to take place outside of the home, and even then they were monitored by the community. Any kind of sexual relationship that had to be conducted in secrecy was considered dangerous. The survival and welfare of the clan depended on social stability and this principle determined the attitude of the pre-Christian Irish toward sexuality. Sex in itself however was not considered immoral. Celibacy was not portrayed as a virtue in the secular literature. Cu Chulainn’s sexual exploits are recorded in the sagas; however his casual encounters did not threaten the community (Bitel, 1987: 70-71). Bitel asserts that ‘the tension between individual desire and community need had always to be resolved in favour of the community’ (1987: 72), and herefore marriage was a contractual arrangement determined not by romance or love but by the necessity of producing children and the survival of the kin group. Woman’s reproductive capacities themselves are integrated into the economic life of the society. The image of woman depicted in Cain Lanamna is a woman whose social emotional and economic orientation is directed towards the family and home. Early Irish Law, commonly known as Brehon Law was a series of civil laws which governed every aspect of daily life including marriage and divorce. Marriage and divorce were interlinked by virtue of a contract agreed and a contract dissolved. Under the Brehon system, women were free to marry in one of nine ways, although the primary type of marriage, lanamnas comthinchuir was the most common. Both partners enter this marriage with equal financial resources. In the second type of marriage, lanamnas for ferthinchur, the woman contributes little or no financial assets to the marriage. In the third category, lanamnas for bantinchur, the woman contributes the greater share of the marriage assets. These three categories required formal pre-nuptial agreements. With the remaining six types of marital union (including cohabitation with a woman with family consent, voluntary eloping without family consent, voluntary abduction without family consent, illicit rendezvous, marriage by rape and marriage of two insane people) marriage entailed the assumption of financial responsibility for child rearing (O Croinin, 1995: 128). Corresponding to the wide variety of marriages recognized by law, there were many grounds for divorce. A woman might divorce a man who failed to satisfy her sexual needs because he was sterile, impotent, bisexual or homosexual. In this instance she was entitled to be paid her coibche in addition to a fine in compensation. A woman could divorce her husband on the grounds of indiscretion should he discuss intimate details of their marriage outside of the home. A woman could also divorce her husband should he abandon her either for the church or for a life on the road as he would no longer be in a position to maintain her. Physical abuse was also considered legitimate grounds for divorce. Even if the original blemish disappeared, a woman was entitled to the equivalent of her bride price as compensation. The laws are quite clear about the validity of female testimony in matters concerning consummation of marriage. This testimony is verified by a physical examination of the woman by female dignitaries. In a case where a woman refuses her husband his conjugal rights either because of a problem pregnancy or her menstrual cycle, the law regarded her objections as valid. A woman could also choose to divorce on grounds of infidelity although extra marital relations were recognized by law (O Croinin, 1995: 129). O Croinin suggests that in general terms many women were recognized by the law in ‘their capacity as wives and in their own right as individuals’ (1995: 133) Law texts are clear that a woman’s rights in divorce are specific to each type of marriage and related marriage contract. Lanamnas Comthinchuir was regarded as the most common type of marriage at this time. It was a dignified state for the wife, she was known as a be cuitchernsa, literally ‘a woman of joint dominion, a woman of equal lordship’ (O Croinin. 1995: 128). If this category of marriage ended in divorce, the woman received what she had initially contributed to the marriage in addition to a share of the profit accrued from the couple’s joint activities during the marriage period. O Croinin records that the division of property was in accordance with fixed proportions: ‘one third went to the partner who provided the land; one third to the partner who provided the stock; and one third to the partner who provided the labour’ (1995: 128). This last provision recognized the woman’s work in the home and on the farm. The second type of marriage lanamnas for ferthinchur represented a different kind of divorce settlement. Since the woman provided neither land nor stock, she was entitled to half of her own handiwork and one sixth of the dairy produce in store. If she had worked diligently on the farm and in the home she took one ninth of the corn and cured meat in store. She also received a sack of corn for a specified time. Divorce in the third category of marriage, lanamnas for bantinchur, ensured that the woman retained a life interest in the farm. She could not however transfer any rights to the estate to her children. She could however marry one of the heirs to the property and preserve her children’s right to inherit. Although the Irish lawyers appealed to Scripture, particularly to Leviticus to justify parallel cousin marriages, church law declared parallel cousin marriages incestuous (O Corrain, 1985). The Welsh tractate ‘the laws of women’ contains rules governing marriage and division of property in medieval Wales. There are four redactions of Welsh law manuscripts: the Cyfnerth and the Blegywryd redactions both derive from south Wales; Iorwerth is classed as a north Wales redaction; and finally the Latin manuscripts (there are similarities between the Latin laws and the Welsh redactions). Although the sources from Wales are dated to the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, women in the Welsh tractate like women in Cain Lanamna are portrayed as wives and home-makers (Roberts, 2008: 58-59). Stacey asserts that the most ‘striking’ passage of the ‘Laws of Women’ outlines the domestic and agricultural goods granted to each partner in cases where the marriage had lasted longer than seven years (2002: 1109). This passage is common to each of the Welsh redactions of the law books and can also be found in four of the five Latin compilations. The couple must divide their possessions equally, the pigs become the property of the man and the woman takes ownership of the sheep. If there are only sheep and goats, the sheep go to the man and the goats to the woman. The children are also divided between the couple ‘two parts go to the father, the eldest and the youngest, and the middle to the mother’ (Stacey, 2002: 1111). The division of household goods is itemised: all milk vessels, except for one pail and one dish becomes the property of the woman. The man is entitled to all of the drinking vessels and the riddle while the woman is entitled to the sieve. The man is entitled to the upper stone of the quern and the woman to the lower stone. The bed clothes which cover the couple becomes the property of the woman while the clothes which they lay on belong to the man. The man receives the cauldron and the blanket and the pillows from the bed together with the wood axe, coulter and all the sickles except for one which the woman obtains. The woman is granted the pan, the broad axe, the bill hook and all of the flax, linseed and wool. She also receives the plowshare. Any gold or silver is divided equally between the couple. The man is entitled to the corn above and below the ground, all of the hens and one cat. The remaining cats become the property of the woman. The woman receives the salted meat but if it is hung it becomes the property of the man. The woman is also granted as much flour as she can carry along with the cut meat and the partly used cheese. They each retain their own clothes except for their cloaks which must be divided equally. Any balls of wool in stock become the property of the sons (Stacey, 2002: 1111). Like Irish Marriage Law, the Welsh Laws of Women attempted to secure a measure of financial independence for each partner in the event of divorce . Unlike Irish marriage law however which divided property according to specific marriage contracts, some rovisions in the Welsh divorce law appear illogical. Jenkins suggests that the Welsh division of property on divorce, attempts to ensure that each partner has the necessary provisions to survive but he asserts that the division of the quern stones is ‘curious’ since they cannot be used independently (Stacey, 2002: 1111). Similarly the coulter is granted to the man while the plowshare is received by the woman. Since both blades would have been required for planting this division appears to make little logical or practical sense. Stacey also points out that the man receives all of the corn and hens but only one cat to protect them from vermin while the woman receives the remaining cats although she has no grain or hens to protect (Stacey, 2002: 1113-1116). Welsh divorce law does not seem to be based on the wealth brought to the marriage by each party or indeed on the status of the marriage. In Irish Law the apportionment of property is determined by both of these factors (Stacey, 2002: 1113). Stacey suggests that the division of property in a Welsh divorce is symbolic of the destructiveness of divorce and failed marriage. He asserts that this was a secular ‘homily’ on the improvident nature of divorce (2002: 1124). Although the marriage property is divided the woman ultimately is disadvantaged because under Welsh Law, she has no claim to land and must be satisfied with portable goods. Although women under Welsh law were afforded the opportunity to divorce their husbands due to his impotency, leprosy or bad breath (Roberts, 2008: 63), Nerys Patterson suggests that the woman was further disadvantaged in the wake of marital separation: female virginity was highly valued and her loss of virginity would affect her chances of remarriage (2002: 1121). These medieval divorce laws clearly situate the woman in the home, rearing children, cooking, spinning wool and working on the farm. It is tempting to view these laws as depictions of a progressive egalitarian society, however the political and social realities of a woman’s life suggest otherwise. A woman’s legal definition derived from that of her father, brother or her legal husband. A legal tract on honour price (dire) defined women’s legal and social position ‘her father had charge over her when she is a girl, her husband when she is a wife, her sons when she is a [widowed] woman with children . . the Church when she is a woman of the Church [i. e. , a nun]. She is not capable of sale or purchase or contract or transaction without the authorization of one of her superiors’ (Bitel, 1996: 8). According to Bitel, these legally and socially incapacitated women were the real Medbs of medieval Ireland. When measuring a woman’s status, the laws measured women against the legal norm of the free adult male and as such a woman’s worth remained only half that of her male guardians honour price. The Irish literati along with many medieval authors considered female bodies as ‘less valuable copies of mens’ (Bitel, 1996: 19). This principle is reflected in the only extant Irish medico-legal tracts namely Bretha Crolige and Bretha Dein Checht which accorded women less medical attention and food rations than men (Bitel, 1996: 21). Women therefore were considered physically and psychologically less than man, less than human (Bitel, 1996: 23). The ninth century Triads text, Trecheng Breth Fene unveiled some basic assumptions about the nature of woman. The Triads suggested that ‘the three drops of a wedded woman’ were drops of blood (a good wife was a virgin at marriage); sweat; and tears (a good wife should be willing to suffer hardship to support her husband and children). One of the three misfortunes of a man was proposing marriage to a bad woman. According to the Triads, women were their husband’s property and were akin to animals. ‘When a man loaned either a woman or a horse, he had to expect it to be used by the borrower’ (Bitel, 1996: 23). The wisdom text also suggested that ‘like a cow’s udder, women through her womb, was one of the three renovators of the world’ (Bitel, 1996: 24). Another wisdom text Tecosca Cormaic suggested that women ‘should be feared like beasts’ because they were ‘capricious beasts’ (Bitel, 1996: 24). A woman’s physical characteristics and fertility therefore were animal like and unreliable. The eighth or ninth-century wisdom text Senbriathra Fithail considered the characteristics of ‘a good wife’ (Bitel, 1996: 27). Advising his pupil Cormac mac Airt, Fithal (a druid) asserted that a good woman had ‘common sense, prudence, modesty, excellent Irish, delicacy, mildness, honesty, wisdom, purity and intelligence’ (Bitel, 1996: 28). All of these attributes according to Fithal were necessary for a woman to become a desirable wife. A bad wife on the other hand was characterised by ‘wretchedness, stinginess, vanity, talkativeness, laziness, indolence, noisiness, hatefulness avarice, visiting, thieving, keeping trysts, lustfulness, folly and treachery’ (Bitel, 1996: 28). Fithal asserted that it was possible to detect a woman’s character based on her physical appearance. He suggested that Cormac should avoid: ‘the fat short one’; ‘the slender short one with curling hair’; the fair tall one’; ‘the dark-limbed, unmanageable one’; ‘the dun coloured yellow one’; and ‘the slender prolific one who was lewd and jealous’ (Bitel, 1996: 28). Fithal determined that the worst wife was a be cairn or a whore. A successful marriage however could be assured by a union with the ‘tall, fair, very slender ones’ (Bitel, 1996: 28). Fithal admitted to Cormac however that the ideal woman may not exist and that most women had character flaws. The author of Tecosca Cormaic was adamant that all women were ‘chronically dissatisfied, bad tempered, untrustworthy, wanton, manipulative, ambitious, greedy, arrogant whiners’ (Bitel, 1996: 29). Bitel suggests that the real problem with women is that they were not men and the writers of the gnomic tracts could only define them by their many indefinable natures: they had similar physical bodies to men but were not men; they had reproductive characteristics and temperaments similar to animals but were not animals. The only certainty appeared to be was that women must be controlled and her inferior position in society maintained (Bitel, 1996: 30). The writers of ecclesiastical canons suggested that women could only be redeemed by denying their female characteristics and their female sexuality. Bitel argues that canonists established a ‘gender hierarchy’ (Bitel, 1996: 32). Unlike the typologies found in secular and wisdom texts, the cannon scribes attributed a moral value to virginity and abstinence. Nuns were accorded a high moral value as were ‘widows who took the veil’ (Bitel, 1996: 32). Thomas O’ Loughlin suggests that the Collectio canonum hibernesis, a systematic collection of law, codified certain patristic theories producing an understanding of marriage ‘as a state secondary to virginity’ (1997: 188). The canonists justify their position by quoting Jerome who asserts that ‘virginity follows the lamb wherever he goes’ (O’Loughlin, 1997: 192). Jerome expands on this theme suggesting that ‘earth is populated by marriage, so heaven is by virginity’ (O’Loughlin, 1997: 192). The underlying concept is clear, virginity is exemplified and sexuality creates problems. According to O’Loughlin this principle was the basis of ecclesiastical thinking on marriage throughout the middle ages and Jerome’s opinion that sexual activity was ‘inferior and earthy’ in comparison to virginity which was ‘noble and superior’ has been held responsible for the cult of virginity and celibacy in the Latin church (O’Loughlin, 1997: 193). Augustine also considered sexuality dangerous but (quoting Paul in 1 Corinthians 7) asserted that while celibacy was the desired state, ‘lawful marriage is to be preferred to burning with desire and fornication’ (O’Loughlin, 1997: 193). The dangers of sexuality therefore were to be contained within the institution of marriage. Although canonists admitted that clerics could fall to sexual temptation, the general consensus was that women as the weaker sex were more likely to succumb to sexual temptation.

Film Noir Elements In The Movie Memento Film Studies Essay

Film Noir Elements In The Movie Memento Film Studies Essay There is yet to be a definition to be created to accurately capture the genre of Noir in film. The concept was first coined by French film critics who noticed the trend of how dark, downbeat and black the looks and themes were of many American crime and detective films released in France to theatres following the war(Film Noir). The term noir is a French word which literally means black or dark. The connotation attached to the term later on came to be those films which depicted crime, strangeness, cruelty, brutality, violence and similar other attributes. The period for Noir films flourished in the 1940s up to the 1950s, which were aptly called the classic noir period in movies. Later on, from the 1960s up to the current times, other types of noir films were conceptualized like the neo-noir and the science fiction noir, all concepts of which were derived from or echoed the original classic noir genus. Memento is one movie which typifies the film noir genre in that it has numerous elements which categorically makes it as one. Primarily, the existence of a lonely, confused and troubled protagonist (Schoenherr) is there. Add to this the other elements like the black-and-white scenes, the struggle, the seemingly bleak situations, the crimes perpetrated, the underground investigations, the voice-overs of the lead character, evil, paranoia and deception among other things. An interesting feature of this film though is the story unfolding from its end going up to the supposed initial scenes which took place. It is not narrated exactly in a circular motion but rather they are presented in chunks of about 10 minutes each. Aside from this, there is the alternate presentation of the colored and black-and-white formats to add narration and further expound on the sequence of events. Film noir operates on specific social, cultural and historical contexts. In this particular film, the social context used is that of the protagonist becoming a different man after the rape and murder of his wife. Leonard or Lenny loses his memory after he shoots his wifes rapist and he is shoved and clubbed by the rapists companion. His head hits the bathroom mirror, and from then on, he becomes afflicted with Anterograde Amnesia or not being able to retain his short-term memory. Lennys memories before the accident are intact and his last memories are of his wife being murdered, hence, his ever- enduring quest to avenge her death. Most people now think of Lenny as a freak for not being able to remember thoughts, names, faces and events which are a regular part of the memory of normal people since he forgets his thoughts and the things he does after 15 minutes or so. However, Lenny struggles to keep his sanity by taking Polaroid pictures and immediately labeling them, writing down his ideas, and tattooing the more important thoughts on his body. Having no family to call his own, he lives in a motel room and is suspicious of everyone. His lifes direction is motivated by vengeance and a major part of the film is spent on this desire to kill. The cultural context of the film is the type of culture that was used in the movie. The setting is sometime during the 2000s in Nevada. It is not shown if the protagonist had a lot of friends before the incident which led to his condition, but it is presumed that it was probably a case of not wanting to be identified with someone with a stigma of mental illness. The only friend who was identified as someone who knew Lenny immediately after the accident was Teddy, who was the one who helped Lenny to find and kill the original murderer of his wife, and then again Jimmy G. who was also killed by Lenny. As such, it meant that the culture held a discriminating attitude towards this mental illness. Pertaining to historical context, the practice of tattooing as a body art was prevalent from the late 1990s up to the 2000s. This was a period when tattooing was no longer considered as objects of diversion done in prison cells but rather as an art form to express oneself. In the movie, the lead character made use of tattoos on his body to remind himself of essential facts/details which he always wanted to be reminded of. Although not used as an art form, the existence of tattoo parlors in the locality denoted an acceptance of the practice of self-expression, which worked quite well for Lenny. It was also a time when Polaroids were popularly used and Leonard fully exhausted the Polaroids capability to assist him in remembering people and places with his depressing mental condition. According to Filmsite.org, the primary moods of classic film noir were melancholy, alienation, bleakness, disillusionment, disenchantment, pessimism, ambiguity, moral corruption, evil, guilt, desperation and paranoia (Film Noir). These themes are evident in the seclusion, isolation and omnipresent monologues of the lead character who wanted to establish the links to find meaning in his life. A wide array of emotions ranging from suspicion, confusion, naivete, loneliness, alienation, hatred, and bewilderment among others were efficiently delivered by the lead actor to the viewers who empathized with him in his daily struggle to survive. Noir movies characteristically have a protagonist who is usually reclusive, generally disturbed and commonly pessimistic. The lead character in Memento is not the typical protagonist since he lives his life everyday like a clean new slate. Just like the first part of this movie where a Polaroid picture was being undeveloped, Lenny lived his life always careworn to find out what he had been doing and what he should be doing next. His ultimate aim was to find his wifes killer, a task which Teddy assists him with. Although he is somewhat of the withdrawn type, Lenny is still enthusiastic about life and is confident that his Polaroids, notes and tattoos are taking him somewhere. Different noir styles were also apparent throughout the film. One is that storylines were often elliptical, non-linear and twisting (Film Noir) which connotes the unique presentation customarily associated with noir. Regular films are often presented in a manner where the story unfolds conventionally from beginning to end. The story told backwards and in bits and pieces was a unique way of entrancing the audience into being an active participant in the life of Leonard, trying to come up with his/her own conclusions or links to previous scenes and events. Amnesia suffered by the protagonist was a common plot device (Film Noir) which was obviously the illness which the lead character was afflicted with. This sort of justified the way with which Lenny killed the possible murderers without remorse or guilt since his brain was devoid of any emotions relating to pity and mercy. Furthermore, it is said that the protagonists in film noir were normally driven by their past or by human weaknes s to repeat former mistakes(Film Noir) which is what happens to Lenny as the film unfolds. It is only later in the movie that it is revealed that Lenny had already killed his wifes murderer, and Teddy had even taken a Polaroid shot of him after the said killing. It was due to his mental condition that Lenny was not able to remember the incident which Teddy later used to his advantage in getting rid of Jimmy G. who was a drug dealer. The original story of Memento was an idea brought forward by the brother of the movies director, Jonathan Nolan in the late 1990s. The storyline was finished after several months and director Christopher Nolan came up with the idea that he wanted to tell the movie backwards, hence the screenplay was manipulated in a way where shot sequences were cut up into small bits. In between the colored takes were the non-colored shots to denote two timelines of what was the past and the present respectively. At some point towards the end of the movie, the black-and-white scene becomes colored specifically when Lenny takes the Polaroid picture of the dead Jimmy G, who was the second murder suspect endorsed by Teddy. This signified the beginning of a new chapter in the life of Leonard, and the true commencement of the story which somehow tragically ends with the death of its instigator, Teddy. The artistry presented in the film being of a different genre is as previously mentioned largely seen in the storys presentation to the viewer. The lead actor was also shown in black-and-white scenes and colored ones which showed contrasting characters one, the rugged, unshaven, unkempt, menacing and confused character who shoots the gun at Jimmy G. in black-and-white, and the other, the suit-clad formally dressed and more confident Lenny who drives a Jaguar in colored film. This implies that the main character had good and bad traits, although the bad traits were more emphasized but later exposed to be manipulations done by some of the other characters in the plot. One of these characters is Natalie who represents the femme fatale element in the movie, and who adds further intricacies to the plot and manipulates Lenny into a mental tug-of-war with Teddys statements. The cinematography of the film was excellent as emphasis was done where it was necessary, and accurate illumination was also appropriately achieved. Editing was also good especially in the cuts of the film that had to be fed in several lumps, and in two different formats of color and BW. Continuity in the film was smooth and flowed effortlessly. The film scoring was suitable and elicited empathy from the viewer in the scenes where dialogues were not really necessary. The closest thing to special effects in the film was the way that the first sequence was presented to the viewer where the Polaroid shot was being undeveloped instead of the other way around. It goes back up to the time Lenny shoots Teddy and the latter was screaming for his life. Acting in the film was superb. Guy Pearce as Leonard was able to deliver all the emotions expected from him and thus elicited the required compassion from the viewer. Teddy, Natalie, Sammy Jankins and all the other actors also did a good job in making the plot more focused on the plight of the main character, thereby allowing Lenny to stand out. The movie Memento has some allusions to significant theories and concepts. One of these is the concept of Cultural Materialism. The most active proponent of Cultural Materialism is Marvin Harris and the premise of this theory is that the social life of a human being is a direct response to problems arising from his earthly existence. Leonards actions can be rationalized as a practice of cultural materialism because he is merely responding to his problems instead of taking a proactive role in it. This is due in large part to his illness which he cannot control and which allows him to be manipulated by some shady characters in the film. Existentialism is another concept which is apparent in this movie. The plot evolves around the lead character, Leonard, who tries to find meaning in his existence as he grapples with his affliction rendering him confused and stressed at most times. He tries hard to think and look back but cannot, and this is what leads him to try to devise ways in which he could remember things, events, places and people who have somehow played an important role in his life, after the accident which claimed his short-term memory. Lastly, there is the hint of self-determination as seen in the main character as he tries his best to make decisions without the influence of others. Unfortunately, he was not aware of the subtle approach which was used by the movies disreputable characters who were always one step ahead of him in his plans. Still, it was revealed near the movies end that Lenny was also utilizing his selective memory to manipulate the situation in such a way as to be able to create and continually re-create his motives for vengeance. Since finding the possible suspects to his wifes murder was the only impetus which kept him alive, it was a need he had to satiate, and hence, an inspiration which kept him continually in pursuit of.