Sunday, October 13, 2019
Nostradamus and Leonardo Da Vinci :: essays research papers
Nostradamus and Leonardo Da Vinci à à à à à Nostradamus and Leonardo Da Vinci are two of the worldââ¬â¢s most intelligent, amazing, highly achieved men that have been followed and questioned throughout history. They have changed time and left many people wondering what was true or false throughout their work and lives that existed hundreds of years ago. Although they lived in different countries and different times, they are both very similar through their work, genius ness, and minds. à à à à à Both men were born in Europe in the fourteen and fifteen hundreds and studied with their grandfathers. Nostradamus was born in 1503 in France and was born Jewish but forced to Catholicism due to a religious reform. ââ¬Å"Growing up he spent much of his time learning several languages, math, astronomy, and astrology from his grandfather, Jeanâ⬠(Keyes). He had then gone to school for liberal arts and medicine and had even treated many victims of a plague. à à à à à Leonardo was born in 1452 in Anchiono, Italy where he lived with his father and stepmother. He later moved to Vinci to stay with his grandfather and then traveled to Florence to have a greater education. ââ¬Å"There he learned to write, to read and to calculate. Also he was taught in geometry and Latinâ⬠(Kausal). à à à à à Although they used their studies in different ways, they had studied many of the same topics. Nostradamus had written in French, Italian, Greek and Latin in his many quatrains, as Leonardo spoke and wrote in French, Italian and Latin in his many journals. On the scientific subject, Nostradamus had his own practice in medicine and treated plagues, and Leonardo had held his own autopsies and studied the human body through medicine practice, drawings, and intense detail of the human form. Nostradamus had become a prophet through religion, astrology, and astronomy predicting the future while writing a series of quatrains. Many people relate his writings to events that have happened in this day in age, while most of it does scarcely match his predictions. His work is questionable because it can relate to much of what has happened with the world long after his death. Many wonder how he could predict things and mention certain words and names that were never even heard of until hundreds of years after him. Leonardo studied astronomy and astrology for knowledge of space and time for his inventions that we now have in the twentieth century. Leonardo is believed to have predicted the future through his many designs of guns, war tanks, bombs, planes, helicopters and much more.
Friday, October 11, 2019
film and animation graphics :: essays research papers fc
INTRODUCTION Ã Ã Ã Ã Ã Hollywood has gone digital, and the old ways of doing things are dying. Animation and special effects created with computers have been embraced by television networks, advertisers, and movie studios alike. Film editors, who for decades worked trying to make scenes look real are now sitting in front of computers screens. They edit entire features while adding sound that is not only stored digitally, but that is also created and manipulated with computers. Viewers are witnessing the results of all this in the form of stories and experiences that they never dreamed of before. Perhaps the most surprising aspect of all this, however, is that the entire digital effects and animation industry is still growing pretty strong and, the future looks bright. In the beginning, computer graphics were really hard to manipulate but with time the software companies started to improve their programs, adding more tools and key features, which helped the way computers generated pictures, simulating real world scenes. 1 Creating computer graphics is essentially about three things: Modeling, Animation, and Rendering. Modeling is the process by which 3- dimensional objects are built inside the computer; animation is about making those objects come to life with movement, and rendering is about giving them their ultimate appearance and looks. Hardware is the brains and brawn of computer graphics, but it is powerless without the right software. It is the software that allows the modeler to build a computer graphic object that helps the animator bring this object to life, and that, in the end, gives the image its final look. Sophisticated computer graphics software for commercial studios is either purchased for $30,000 to $50,000, or developed in-house by computer programmers. Most studios use a combination of both, developing new software to meet new project needs. MODELING Ã Ã Ã Ã Ã Modeling is the first step in creating any 3D computer graphics. Modeling in computer graphics is a little like sculpting, a little like building models with wood, plastic and glue, and a lot like CAD. Its flexibility and potential are unmatched in any other art form. With computer graphics it is possible 2 to build entire worlds and entire realities. Each can have its own laws, its own looks, and its own scale of time and space. Access to these 3- dimensional computer realities is almost always through the 2-dimensional window of a computer monitor. This can lead to the misunderstanding that 3-D modeling is merely the production perspective drawings.
So Much to Tell You – John Marsden
So Much to Tell You by John Marsden, explores the struggle that the protagonist, Marina, endures along her journey to mental wholeness. Marinaââ¬â¢s soul has been shattered due to a traumatic event, and being witness to a large amount of violence and hatred in her family. So Much To Tell You is rich in techniques that are used effectively to convey the idea of Marinaââ¬â¢s struggle, and journey towards mental wholeness. Marinaââ¬â¢s difficulty in achieving psychological completion is shown through the major technique, structural contrast.We follow Marinaââ¬â¢s personal journey and her healing throughout the novel, and we watch as she develops from an introverted, mistrustful person into someone who is able to appropriately communicate with other individuals. Marina uses a tone of self-loathing to show us that she views herself as a ââ¬Å"nutcaseâ⬠, psychoâ⬠and ââ¬Å"the freak of Warringtonâ⬠who suffers from ââ¬Å"anorexia of speechâ⬠. Marina is se nt to Warrington Boarding School ââ¬Å"to learn to speak again, because [her] mother canââ¬â¢t stand [her] silent presence at homeâ⬠.At first Marina is isolated and detached from the rest of the school, shown through the retreat imagery of Marina as she ââ¬Å"slinks along the walls and corridorsâ⬠. As the novel progresses, Marinaââ¬â¢s entries suggest that she is becoming more in touch with her peers, and ââ¬Å"moving round the school more confidentlyâ⬠. Her visit to Mr Lindells house over the weekend is a very significant event in Marinaââ¬â¢s transformation. Throughout the weekend she becomes more expressive, expressed through her tone of excitement in the phrase ââ¬Å"it was good!And theyââ¬â¢re so nice! Nice, nice, niceâ⬠! Here, the use of exclamation and the repetition of the word, ââ¬Ëniceââ¬â¢ emphasise Marinaââ¬â¢s positive involvement in life. This is contrasted with Marina being a passive spectator during school tennis, and life in general. Towards the end of the novel Marina chooses on her own accord to return to Warrington, and reaches out to Mr Lindell to help her, a drastic change from the beginning of the novel where she didnââ¬â¢t interact with anyone at all.In the early stages of the novel, the struggle and difficulty of repairing Marinaââ¬â¢s psyche due to damage and conflict within her family, and Marinaââ¬â¢s journey towards mental health, is conveyed through the composerââ¬â¢s effective manipulation of fragmentation imagery. Perhaps the most prominent examples of fragmentation imagery would be Ann Maltinââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"spangled star doona coverâ⬠. Ann tells Marina the ââ¬Å"the stars do fit together, but it took [her] years to figure it outâ⬠. This is a metaphor for Marinaââ¬â¢s damaged psyche, and it foreshadows her psychological wholeness.Her psyche will fit together again; she just has to give it time to heal. Marina also explains the she likes ââ¬Ëthe word â⬠Å"coalesceâ⬠, though when [she] looks at it for a long time it seems strange and uglyâ⬠. This is how Marina views herself, a jumble of ââ¬Å"strange and uglyâ⬠fragments that need to ââ¬Å"coalesceâ⬠in order to become one healed psyche. She also writes about the way the pool is when there is nobody there ââ¬Å"then the first girl jumps or dives in ââ¬â and it all cracksâ⬠. This demonstrates how fragile Marinaââ¬â¢s psyche is; it could shatter at any time. Ann Maltin also ââ¬Å"had a ceramic pieceâ⬠¦ on the cupboard beside her bed.It was a big bird, an eagleâ⬠. Whilst ââ¬Å"vacuuming the dormâ⬠Marina accidentally knocks the bird of its stand, and it promptly shatters on the floor. Even after Ann has glued it back together, she ââ¬Å"can still see the cracks. [She] will always see them. This indicates that Marina will heal, but she will never be exactly the same person as she was before the incident, and she will always be scarred from the traumatic event. John Marsden has greatly emphasised the importance of Marina repairing her damaged psyche through the use of metaphors, foreshadowing, and fragmentation imagery.Symbolism and figurative devices are also used effectively by John Marsden to evoke the idea of Marinaââ¬â¢s need for retreat or refuge from the difficulties of reality, prior to her significant journey to wholeness. For Marina, the chapel at her school symbolises a sanctuary. ââ¬Å"Churches [are] safe places, where you [can] hideâ⬠, Marina sits by herself in her dark corner and writes in her journal, it is where she can think about her life, and her father. She feels protected in the chapel, and in the school generally too.This is shown through the use of similes in the phrase ââ¬Å"in the hospital [she] felt exposed under the white light, here [she] feels like a black snailâ⬠. This contrasts between the white exposure of the hospital, and the black refuge of the school. Similes, ret reat imagery, and symbolisation are used dextrously throughout So Much To Tell You to demonstrate Marinaââ¬â¢s difficult journey to wholeness. John Marsden dextrously uses effective techniques throughout So Much To Tell You to explore the concept of struggle and wholeness, demonstrated by the protagonist, Marina.We learn about Marinaââ¬â¢s personal struggle to become whole again after the tragic events that have occurred prior to the beginning of the novel. We see this through the contrast of Marinaââ¬â¢s character between the beginning of the novel and the end of the novel, the extensive use of fragmentation imagery, and the retreat imagery, that is used to convey Marinaââ¬â¢s struggle. We trace her traumatic personal journey, difficulties and mental healing throughout the novel, on an emotional rollercoaster that is Marinaââ¬â¢s life.
Thursday, October 10, 2019
The Simpsons Are Sociologically Savvy: a Postmodernist Perspective
The Simpsons are Sociologically Savvy: a Postmodernist Perspective Using The Simpsons, a long-running American animated continuing series, as a case study I will analyse the links between audiences, production and text in the creation of meaning. Using a triangulated approach of close textual reading, and theoretical models of post-modernism and queer theory to question the role of agenda setting in contemporary society, I will identify particular mechanisms of agenda setting within this example. The Simpsons, described by Paul Cantor (1999) is a ââ¬Å"postmodern re-creation of the first generation family sit-comâ⬠(p738) which can be used effectively to illustrate innovative and radical themes and encourages critical thinking. David Arnold (2001) describes The Simpsons as ââ¬Å"an irresponsible text, one rich in associations and connotations [â⬠¦] a self-parodic, self-referential pastiche of previous textsâ⬠(p264). I will endeavour to show that despite the fact that The Simpsons is associated with cartoons, which in their very nature are assumed to be childish and frivolous, it is because of all of the above associations that the postmodern Simpsons are useful as a pedagogical tool (Hobbs, 1998) and can be used to teach adults and children various sociological issues including sexual identities and hegemony. The Simpsons lends itself to be a vehicle of a ââ¬Ëmedia-virusââ¬â¢ which according to Douglas Rushkoff (1994) can carry [the] ââ¬Å"revolutionary message conveyed in an apparently innocent, neutral packageâ⬠(cited in Irwin et Al 2001 p254). Such programmes appear to have proven to be the most acceptable and accessible spaces to show such subjects as gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (glbt) identities because of their separation from reality. Arnold (2001) claims that the ridiculousness of the funny yellow looking characters who pop up on your television and look almost human, but with crazy storylines and unbelievable un-human like behaviours ââ¬Å"increase their ability to function as satiric signifiersâ⬠(p262). Itââ¬â¢s because of their unfeasibility, their ââ¬Å"lack of seriousnessâ⬠that Diane Raymond (2003 cited in Dines & Humez) maintains allows programmes like The Simpsons to ââ¬Å"â⬠¦play with themes under cover of humour where those themes might be too volatile or even too didactic for another sort of audienceâ⬠(p101). The Simpsons creators and writers rely on the history of other shows and they take from them all the best titbits rewarding their viewers according to Rushkoff (2004) with ââ¬Å"a-ha momentsâ⬠or ââ¬Å"pattern recognitionâ⬠(p296). Whether it is Maggie in ââ¬ËA Streetcar Named Margeââ¬â¢ (1992, 9F18) attempting to rescue her dummy-tit at Springfieldââ¬â¢s day-care centre to the theme tune of The Great Escape by Elmer Bernstein. Or when Homer arrives to pick her up some of the babies are precariously perched and watch on, which to the media literate is an obvious spoof of The Birds a classic Hitchcock movie from 1963. The wedding scene from The Graduate is spoofed in ââ¬ËOne fish, two fish, blowfishââ¬â¢ (1991, 7F11) where Homer bangs on the living room window and shouts ââ¬Å"Margeâ⬠at the top of his voice. ââ¬ËLisaââ¬â¢s Substituteââ¬â¢ (1991, SF19), is where we see yet another classic scene from the The Graduate, where the substitute teacher is seen at the front of the class through Mrs Krabappelââ¬â¢s leg which is hitched up on the desk and Bartââ¬â¢s teacher says those famous words ââ¬Å"Mrs. Krabappel, you're trying to seduce me. Some of the audience, children moreover adults may see the ridiculousness of the scenes as ââ¬Ëfunnyââ¬â¢ but may not see the more hidden intertextual message due to their time spent viewing media texts. However David Buckingham (2001) claims that children are more active, and sophisticated users [â⬠¦] that they see much more television and are able to detect and decipher the ââ¬Å"formal codes and conventions about genre and narrative, and about the production processâ⬠(cited in Barker and Petely 2001). These pieces of intertextual fragmented texts have different connotations to different ââ¬Ëreadersââ¬â¢. For example in The Graduate the storyline, for the chief protagonist, was about the coming of age and losing his virginity and the power it gave him, this ââ¬Ërevolutionary messageââ¬â¢ would not be available in prime-time viewing unless such a vehicle as The Simpsons made it accessible through its animation. Ironically The Simpsons was created to be a ââ¬Ëbridging deviceââ¬â¢ for The Tracy Ullman Show to cross from the main parts of the show into adverts (Rushkoff 2004 p295). The Simpsons became more popular than the host show and Matt Groening the showââ¬â¢s creator was offered $10m and a 13 episode series at FOX Television (Ibid p295). According to Allen Larson (2004) technological advances, the availability of cable, federal deregulation and corporate consolidation were already in place from the 1980s and 90s but the media conglomerates further assisted the development of corporations like FOX Television which refined prime time sit-coms and the commodification of the audience, they ââ¬Å"re-imagined, and re-exploited profit maximisationâ⬠(cited in Stabile & Harrison 2004 p56). At the onset of the 90s production costs for a show like The Simpsons would have cost around $600,000 (Mallory 1996, Karlin 1993b cited in Stabile & Harrison p56) and so attention to attracting the widest demographic was crucial. Merchandising to children was the future as the cable-age children had already become consumers and so the conglomerates ââ¬Å"turned the full force of their attention towards maximising the potential revenue streams provided by childrenâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ (Ibid pp57-59). USA Today reported in 2009 that in the previous year ââ¬Å"Consumers worldwide spent more than $750 million on Simpsons-related licensed merchandise [â⬠¦]â⬠(Lieberman, 2009). Television programming is not only programming the viewerââ¬â¢s sets but the viewers themselves in order to sell them a product (Rushkoff 2004, p293) [â⬠¦] which would prove why ââ¬Å"advertisers spent $314. 8 million [in 2008] on the prime-time show on Fox and reruns that local stations airâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ (Lieberman, 2009). Postmodernism points toward the fact that we no longer create anything other than the texts made up from the materials which already existed and we patch them together to make fun of that which is present and now. Furthermore there is a notion of ââ¬Ëit doesnââ¬â¢t get any better than thisââ¬â¢ The Simpsons uses all the good bits from the past to fill the present, history is no longer being made it could be perceived. Arnold claims that The Simpsons ââ¬Å"â⬠¦lampoon and amplifies that cultureââ¬â¢s foibles up to and beyond the point of absurdityâ⬠(2004 p264). Jameson is in agreement (1984 and 1991) he insists that postmodernism has a ââ¬Å"new depthlessnessâ⬠and that globalised late capitalism does not allow for the text to be critically analysed but commodified and consumed. Jameson states that ââ¬Å"they no longer simply ââ¬Ëquote,' as a Joyce or a Mahler might have done, but incorporate into their very substanceâ⬠(1991 p3). Intertextual referencing is key to how The Simpsons works as a postmodern text, although legible to the avid reader of texts, a certain amount of media literacy is required which has taken many decades to achieve, leaving the adult to appreciate the intertextuality of high culture embedded in the ââ¬Ëfunny animationââ¬â¢. The timing with which The Simpsons emerged into mainstream television has proven to be crucial- The Simpsons could not have thrived on prime-time network television unless it was embraced by an audience so advanced in ââ¬Å"TV literacyâ⬠that they are able to recognize and relish the signs and symbols from TV culture which the show continuously throws at them (Bj? rnsson 2006). In various episodes The Simpsons have portrayed many sociological concepts, for example; Aging and health in ââ¬ËStark Raving Dadââ¬â¢ (1991, 7F24); Class and socioeconomic status in ââ¬ËBurnsââ¬â¢ Heirââ¬â¢ (1994, 1F16); Crime law and criminal justice in ââ¬ËHomer the Vigilanteââ¬â¢ (1F09). Homer has dealt with the urge to cheat on his wife Marge ââ¬ËThe Last Temptation of Homerââ¬â¢ and ââ¬ËLife on The Fast Laneââ¬â¢ (1993, IF07 & 1990, 7G11). The horror of war was tackled in ââ¬ËThe Principal and the Pauperââ¬â¢ (1997, 4F23) and homosexuality in ââ¬ËHomerââ¬â¢s Phobiaââ¬â¢ (1997, 4F11) (The Simpsons Archive, 2010). It is this last issue of other sexual identities in The Simpsons which I will be analysing using queer theory as an analytical framework. ââ¬Å"Queer is a category in fluxâ⬠according to Raymond (2003, cited in Dines & Humez p98). Historically the term was used in a negative or derogatory manner, although most recently the term is used to identify marginalised identities such as gay, lesbian bisexual and transgender (glbt). Queer theory identifies ââ¬Å"a body of knowledge connected to but not identical with lesbian/gay studiesâ⬠(Ibid p98). According to Raymond (2003) queer theory emerged in the 1960s and 1970s and ââ¬Å"unlike their earlier theoretical forebears like Marxism and feminism â⬠¦ [do not demand] exclusive theoretical allegiance or hegemony (Ibid p99). Instead it asks; what is the point in asking why someone is gay? Or what is the function the question of causation serves in the culture and in ideology? â⬠Queer theorists look less at the nature/nurture argument of Charles Darwin and in addition ask that we see the term as ââ¬Ëfluidââ¬â¢ and not ââ¬Ëfixedââ¬â¢. ââ¬ËHomerââ¬â¢s Phobiaââ¬â¢ (1997, 4F11) looks at Homer and his homophobic behaviour when he meets and befriends a gay man John who is voiced by writer and director John Waters of the critically acclaimed and very camp film ââ¬ËHairsprayââ¬â¢. John sells kitsch collectibles in a shopping mall and enjoys chatting to his customers. John tries to explain to Homer what ââ¬Ëcampââ¬â¢ means when he is showing him around the shop which Homer doesnââ¬â¢t understand. To explain John says that camp is ââ¬Å"The tragically ludicrous? The ludicrously tragic? â⬠When Homer still doesnââ¬â¢t get it, he adds ââ¬Å"â⬠¦more like inflatable furniture or Last Supper TV traysâ⬠The penny finally drops as Homer has made a connection, albeit a financial one, and replies ââ¬Å"and that kinda stuff is worth money? â⬠¦Man you should come over to our place â⬠¦Ã¢â¬Å"It's full of valuable worthless crapâ⬠. Johnââ¬â¢s views ââ¬Å"echoes cultural critic Andrew Rossââ¬â¢ argument that camp is primarily concerned with reconstituting historyââ¬â¢s trash as reasureâ⬠(Cunningham 2003). Ross (1989) writes ââ¬Å"The knowledge about history is the precise moment when camp takes over, because camp involves a rediscovery of historyââ¬â¢s wasteâ⬠(p151, cited in Cunningham 2003). This piece also serves to confirm Medhurstââ¬â¢s claim that camp ââ¬Å"is now absolutely everywhereâ⬠(1997 p289 cited in Sullivan, p194) and so Homer has become completely blind to it. Homer has not realised John is gay even though there have been quite a few stereotypical ââ¬Ëa-ha momentsââ¬â¢ (Rushkoff, p296) or ââ¬Ëknowing nodsââ¬â¢ to his sexual identity. John has knowledge of female Hollywood actresses and gossip, an appreciation of Margeââ¬â¢s hair John even answers in a ââ¬Ëcampââ¬â¢ manner with ââ¬Å"my heart is palpitating, hoo hooâ⬠. Marge conversely has determined Johnââ¬â¢s sexual identity and later, at home, informs Homer of it (much to his disgust). This may signal that the producers are aware of how different people have different ââ¬Ëcultural capitalââ¬â¢ (Bourdieu, 1977) or that Marge and women for that matter are more adept at reading the signals in media-represented images of sexual identities and can see the signifiers due to the time spent watching television. It may also signify the ways in which gay men have been ââ¬Ëreducedââ¬â¢ to the status of women i. e. engaging in tittle-tattle and pointing out good hair-dos. According to Gross (1995) misinformation and gay stereotyping in the media is due to ââ¬Å"lack of first-hand knowledge of gays and lesbiansâ⬠(cited in Raymond 2003). Media texts are ââ¬Ëpolysemicââ¬â¢, meaning they have many meanings to many people, although Stuart Hall (1980) states the texts do not have an infinite number of interpretations as they ââ¬Å"remain structured in dominanceâ⬠. Nicholas Abercrombie (1996) claims that ââ¬Å"audiences are not blank pieces of paperâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ (p140 cited in Hanes 2000). Reception Studies agree that the meaning is not inherent within the text itself and that the audience create the meanings using their own cultural capital. Morleyââ¬â¢s reception study ââ¬ËNationwideââ¬â¢ in 1980 will attest to this fact. In 1992 Morley revisited his ââ¬ËNationwideââ¬â¢ study and found that there were ââ¬Å"totally contradictory readings of the same programme item [â⬠¦]â⬠. There are many criticisms of reception theories, Morley himself states that ââ¬Å"it shows an understanding of the micro-process of consumptionâ⬠¦and without reference to the broader cultural questionâ⬠¦ [which is then] of only limited valueâ⬠(1992, p272). Signs of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (glbt) identities are clearly shown in The Simpsons; in ââ¬ËHomerââ¬â¢s Phobiaââ¬â¢ (1997, 4F11) Roscoe and his fellow workers at the ââ¬ËSpringfield Steel Millââ¬â¢ are openly gay and host ââ¬Ëgay discosââ¬â¢ after working hours. The scene in the mill looks like a ââ¬Ëguerrilla attackââ¬â¢ where hundreds of gay men have descended on the unsuspecting Simpsons to make them feel like the minority in the ââ¬Ëqueered spaceââ¬â¢. ââ¬ËGuerrilla tacticsââ¬â¢ like ââ¬Ëqueeringââ¬â¢ are seen in America where glbt people gather in an unsuspecting venue. The venue would commonly be frequented by mainly heterosexuals, the dominant sexual identity. With a flood of glbt patrons the glbt have changed their position to a dominant one within that space. This encourages the audience to see what it must feel like to be in the minority, but also highlights that there are other sexual identities, that heterosexuality is not superior and that gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender people live in your street, work in your factories, they have worthwhile jobs contributing to society just like heterosexual people. Queeringââ¬â¢ extends to texts too as shown above and also in ââ¬ËThree Gays of the Condoââ¬â¢ (2003, EABF12) where Homer shared a room with Grady and Julio who were both openly gay. Glbt identities are also hidden, for example Judge Constance Harm is transgender in ââ¬ËThe Parent Rapââ¬â¢ (2001, CABF22) the judge refers to ââ¬Ëonce being a manââ¬â¢. There are also the characters such as Waylon Smithers and Dewey Largo who are still in the closet and all of these stories offer viewers a little ââ¬Ëqueer pleasureââ¬â¢. In ââ¬ËMy Fair Laddyââ¬â¢ Brunella Pommelhorst the gym teacher at Bartââ¬â¢s school tells her students she will return in the next semester as Mr Pommelhorst the new shop teacher (2006, HABF05). Margeââ¬â¢s sister Patty who ââ¬Ëcomes outââ¬â¢ to her in when Springfield became a same-sex-marriage tolerant town to bring in much needed revenue (after Bart brings it into disrepute). Agenda setting in the media is made accessible in The Simpsons and can be seen especially in ââ¬ËThereââ¬â¢s Something about Marryingââ¬â¢ (2005, 16E10). Mayor Quimby in a speech says he is ââ¬Å"happy to legalise gay moneyâ⬠¦ I mean ah gay marriageâ⬠. This may be in response to an article reported by Catherine Donaldson-Evans (2004) written for FOXNEWS. com that states ââ¬Å"Recognizing same-sex couples and families as an emerging market, large corporations have begun targeting the demographic in their adsâ⬠[â⬠¦] [the ads are] focused on the micro-lifestyles of the consumers, and same-sex families are a micro-lifestyle. â⬠This clearly shows the emergent culture of commodification of sexual identity. ââ¬ËThereââ¬â¢s Something About Marryingââ¬â¢ (2005 16E10) which is a clear intertextual reference to the film Thereââ¬â¢s something about Mary which itself may also be pointing out through the use of intertextuality the name given to Gay men i. e. ââ¬ËMarysââ¬â¢ or ââ¬Ëlittle-Marysââ¬â¢) was it seems written in response to the controversy in America over gay marriages which was ââ¬Å"a particularly hot topic in the US [at the moment] during election campaigningâ⬠(BBC 2004). In February 2004 ââ¬Å"President Bush announced his support for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, saying he wants to stop activist judges from changing the definition of the ââ¬Å"most enduring human institutionâ⬠(Huus, 2004). This makes for a difficult position to be in as a queer viewer. Jacqueline Rose (1986) has noted, ââ¬Å"The relationship between viewer and scene is always one of fracture, partial identification, pleasure and distrustâ⬠(p227 cited in Raymond, 2003, p100). The Simpsons are not subversive or anti-family, in fact they are probably quite conservative Homer attempts to vote for Democrat Barack Obama in ââ¬ËTreehouse of Horror XIXââ¬â¢ (S20E04, 2008) however the machine would not allow him and instead registered his vote for John McCain a Republican ââ¬Å"in a humorous take on the allegations of voter fraud that [had] occurred in prior electionsâ⬠(Stelter, 2008).
Wednesday, October 9, 2019
JetBlue - Case Study Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words
JetBlue - Case Study - Coursework Example To analyze the strength and stability of the sales revenue earned by the company over the years, ratio analysis will be useful. Thus in this case study ratio analysis is applied for evaluating the increase in net revenue in relation to increased operating expenses. ââ¬Å"Profitability reflects the final result of business operations.â⬠(Chandra, 77). In order to identify the profitability of a company, gross profit ratio analysis and net profit ratio analysis have to be undertaken. The trend in the gross profit ratio of the company over the years shows that there is an increase in its gross profit. From a loss of about $21188000 in the starting year of 2000, JetBlue earned a gross profit rate of 8.366 % in the next year itself. This shows that the company has a high potential to overcome its financial challenges. In the year 2002, the gross profit ratio had increased to 16.528%. The half year performance of JetBlue shows a gross profit ratio of 18.07%. But after that in the next half year there occurred a slight decline in gross profit ratio can be seen. It is 17.32 %. The gross profit rate graph of the company shows signs of significant increase. Net profit ratio analysis of JetBlue further shows that the operating performance is considerably improving. In the initial year, the company has incurred operating loss of $ 21330000. In the next year, company earned net profit of $ 38537000. The net profit ratio in the year2001 is 12.027%. In 2002, it decreased to 8.64%. During the first half of 2003, it again increased to 9.76 % and in the next half year it further increased to 11.977%. Thus, the net profit ratio of JetBlue is not found to be stable in nature. The ratio analysis on sales revenue shows that there is fluctuation in the net profit of the company over the past three years. This is due to higher operating costs resulting from increased interest expenses and increased taxation charges. ââ¬Å"Financial risk can be measured from operating
Tuesday, October 8, 2019
Hollywood Cinema Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words
Hollywood Cinema - Essay Example cal implication of women getting more and more involved with cinema during the classical period of Hollywood, it is important to have a brief and a close grasp at the classical period of Hollywood cinema. In the film history, classical period refers strictly to a style of cinema that involved a particular visual and audio mode in production of cinema during the period between 1927 and 1963 in the American film industry. A very unique and identifiable style evolved in the cinema during this period and that style actually came to be known as classical Hollywood style. Developed on the principle of continuity editing which is also known as ââ¬Å"invisible styleâ⬠, the American cinema started gaining more popular grounds amid the masses. In a modernist or postmodernist works, visual arts did witness the call of attention between the camera and the sound recording. In the classical periods, these two main facets of the cinema making were placed completely at peace with each other ma king the presentation smoother and eloquent. It would be very unjustified action, if the cinemas produced during the classical period of Hollywood are judged under the light of feminist film theories. The movement of feminism in the cultural arena of America gained its strong grounds during 70s and the transition of silent cinema into a complete audio-visual mode was over by 60s itself. Yet, to trace the importance of women to cinema going during the classical period of Hollywood cinema, a thorough study of feminist interpretation of the cinema would definitely guide to the platform upon which the social importance of women to cinema going could be traced naturally. Theoretical film criticism developed on the matrix of feminist politics and feminist theory and an approach to cinema analysis of... As discussed in the introductory part of the essay, to comprehend the thesis pertaining to the sociological implication of women getting more and more involved with cinema during the classical period of Hollywood, it is important to have a brief and a close grasp at the classical period of Hollywood cinema. In the film history, classical period refers strictly to a style of cinema that involved a particular visual and audio mode in production of cinema during the period between 1927 and 1963 in the American film industry. A very unique and identifiable style evolved in the cinema during this period and that style actually came to be known as classical Hollywood style. Developed on the principle of continuity editing which is also known as ââ¬Å"invisible styleâ⬠, the American cinema started gaining more popular grounds amid the masses. In a modernist or postmodernist works, visual arts did witness the call of attention between the camera and the sound recording. In the classica l periods, these two main facets of the cinema making were placed completely at peace with each other making the presentation smoother and eloquent. This report makes a conclusion that cinema over the years have faced transition but irrespective of any gender, class or age Hollywood cinema have been able to enchant and engross millions of spectator across the globe. It is evident that the role of cinema into the life of women is far reaching. Once, who were captivated inside the four walls of their household, got their foremost chance of tasting liberty of thought process and a scope to gaze out to the world beyond the four walls of their house and watch the world with a new vision and perspective.
Monday, October 7, 2019
Brief introductory description of physiology of the central nervous Essay
Brief introductory description of physiology of the central nervous system related to Parkinson's disease - Essay Example This is a degenerative disease of the central nervous system that ultimately targets the dopamine generating cells situated in the substantia nigra a region in the midbrain. Once the dopamine generating cells have been destroyed, the synchronization of movement by both the brain and the spinal cord is affected. (Weiner, Shulman, & Lang, 2013 pg.21). A precise study and diagnosis of the disease is characterized by the buildup of a protein called alpha-synuclein in the neurons specifically in the inclusions of the neurons called the Lewy bodies. Since this directly affects the neurons, the formation and activity of dopamine, which is formed by certain neurons in the some sections of the midbrain are also disrupted. The accumulation of this protein cause a massive death of dopamine producing neurons, and the inevitable outcome is the Parkinsonââ¬â¢s disease. The seriousness of the disease will depend on the distribution of the Lewy bodies within the neurons, and the more the distribution, the higher the rate of manifestation of Parkinsonââ¬â¢s disease. (Tseng, 2009 pg93). It has been determined that the Parkinsonââ¬â¢s disease is rampant in old age than it is in younger people, it rarely affect young individuals unless some heredity factors come into play. Exposure to some pesticides increases the risk of Parkinsonââ¬â¢s disease and ironically there is a reduced risk in tobacco smokers. Any disease must be detected in its early stages and treatment done instantly so as to avoid severe cases of the disease. Parkinsonââ¬â¢s disease has a number of very clear symptoms that are easily recognizable so that treatment can start early. The disease has a deceptive beginning which progresses slowly. The symptoms can be differentiated in motor and non-motor symptoms. The common early motor signs of the disease are tremors and awkward movements. This
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