Bob Roberts essays

Bob Roberts essays The movie Bob Roberts is a political satire based on one mans campaign for a seat in the Senate. A British documentary crew is on hand to film Roberts' campaign and captures the frightening possibilities of a steamrolling campaign and all it can experience along its trail to Washington. Of course Bob Roberts the character is about as real as an honest politician, however the film's fiction comes closer to fact than many of todays politicians would like us to believe. Writer-director Tim Robbins plays Bob Roberts in this thought-provoking dramatic and political satire about a 1990 Pennsylvania race for the U.S. Senate. At first, it's easy to laugh at Roberts' phony-baloney public facade as he strums pro-capitalist folk songs such as "I Want to Be Rich" and "This Land Was Made for Me." Later, though, the laughs fade as we get a glimpse behind Roberts' hospitable mask and witness a snake pit of guns-for-drugs trades, cash looted from failed savings-and-loan institutions and ex-CIA campaign managers. A documentary filmmaker is along for the ride and captures Roberts sound-bite campaign against liberal incumbent Senator Brickley Paiste (Gore Vidal.) The rest of the cast is sprinkled with such notable actors as James Spader, Helen Hunt, Susan Sarandon, Fred Ward and Peter Gallagher in cameo roles. Most of them play television news reporters that are as biased as Bob Roberts campaign is crooked. This is how the film allows the media to portray itself throughout. During the film the media is very biased towards both campaigns. One particular example of this is when Bob Roberts is about to go on the show Good Morning Philadelphia. Right before he goes on, the host of the show tells him that she does not support his views. This leads to the two of them having an exchange on the air about differing points of view. While this seems to be an uncomfortable moment for the candidate, it ...

Scare Quotes Should Be Scarce Quotes

Scare Quotes Should Be Scarce Quotes Scare Quotes Should Be Scarce Quotes Scare Quotes Should Be Scarce Quotes By Mark Nichol Many writers- professionals and creators of casual composition alike- employ a form of emphasis that is usually unnecessary and often clumsily intrusive. Scare quotes, pairs of quotation marks placed around a word or phrase for emphasis, are valid when writers frame wording they are using ironically or mockingly, when they wish to imply that the enclosed word or words are not valid, or to communicate that they are reporting but not endorsing a term or expression. In any case, by using scare quotes, writers are making a statement and therefore calling attention not only to the wording but also to themselves. However, the use of scare quotes to superfluously bracket slang or figurative language is a hallmark of amateurish prose, and anyone who wishes to be taken seriously as a writer should avoid this misuse of a tool that is best employed in appropriate circumstances and in moderation. Examples of extraneous scare quotes follow: The tech industry has a history of hiring so-called â€Å"booth babes† to attract passersby at big trade shows. So-called and scare quotes are redundant, so employ one form of emphasis or the other, but not both: â€Å"The tech industry has a history of hiring so-called booth babes to attract passersby at big trade shows† or â€Å"The tech industry has a history of hiring â€Å"booth babes† to attract passersby at big trade shows.† (Because many people consider the phrase â€Å"booth babes† demeaning, it is probably better to employ so-called, which exonerates the writer, who is merely reporting the term and attitudes behind it, not suggesting his or or her approval of the term.) A â€Å"shoot the messenger† environment is a toxic environment. Metaphorical phrases need no special emphasis (but the figurative wording, a phrasal adjective, requires connecting hyphens): â€Å"A shoot-the-messenger environment is a toxic environment.† There are things organizations can do in the meantime to â€Å"hit the ground running.† Again, phrases that refer to nonliteral actions (as here, where no impact, surface, or speedy perambulation actually occurs) require no quotation marks: â€Å"There are things organizations can do in the meantime to hit the ground running.† Online crime will continue to â€Å"follow the money† and attempt to disrupt legitimate payment processes or divert digital funds in order to take advantage of the next online crime wave. The figurative phrase â€Å"follow the money† is understood as such and need not enclosed in quotation marks for emphasis: â€Å"Online crime will continue to follow the money and attempt to disrupt legitimate payment processes or divert digital funds in order to take advantage of the next online crime wave.† Manufacturers that have so far taken a â€Å"wait and see† approach with big-sata analytics and similar digital innovations have the benefit of learning from the missteps of early adopters. â€Å"Wait and see† requires no special emphasis, though because it is a phrasal adjective modifying approach, it should be hyphenated: â€Å"Manufacturers that have so far taken a wait-and-see approach with big-data analytics and similar digital innovations have the benefit of learning from the missteps of early adopters.† In a rapidly changing environment, this behavior creates lethal â€Å"blind spots† in an organization. Readers understand that the reference to blind spots does not pertain literally to the sense of sight, so the phrase does not need to be emphasized to signal its figurative use: â€Å"In a rapidly changing environment, this behavior creates lethal blind spots in an organization.† This action was intended to purge â€Å"black money,† or illegal cash holdings, from its financial system. When a potentially unfamiliar term is introduced with a gloss (a brief parenthetical definition), as here, quotation marks should not frame the word or phrase: â€Å"This action was intended to purge black money, or illegal cash holdings, from its financial system.† The government action to remove these notes from circulation (known as â€Å"demonetarization†) voided most of the cash in circulation. Again, a term introduced with a definition requires no emphasis: â€Å"The government action to remove these notes from circulation (known as demonetarization) voided most of the cash in circulation.† The NASA mission’s lead scientist described the asteroid, known as â€Å"16 Psyche,† as the remnant of the core of a planet. Introduction of a proper name does not merit enclosure of the term in quotation marks: â€Å"The NASA mission’s lead scientist described the asteroid, known as 16 Psyche, as the remnant of the core of a planet.† Her new band, â€Å"Tempest,† has just released its debut album. Again, proper names have no need for framing quotation marks: â€Å"Her new band, Tempest, has just released its debut album.† A related, and also regrettable, use of scare quotes is frequently seen in advertisements and signs- when, for example, one sees â€Å"Sale† or the name of a product in quotation marks, as if to say, â€Å"This sale is not real† or â€Å"These ‘widgets’ are not actual widgets.†) So, how does one use scare quotes appropriately? Examples follow: â€Å"He ignores women he considers unattractive, and he talked to me, so I guess that means I’m ‘hot.’† â€Å"Evidently, in this upwardly mobile, uptight neighborhood, that is not ‘proper’ behavior.† â€Å"This strategy is reminiscent of the ‘pacification’ of a village achieved by bombing the hell out of it.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:What is the Difference Between "These" and "Those"?Comma Before ButWords Often Misspelled Because of Double Letters

Management Organisational Design and change Essay

Management Organisational Design and change - Essay Example A summary of the main points discussed will be given in the conclusion at the end of the paper. 1. Basically, strategic planning can be defined as the process of attempting to strike a balance between the organisation’s objectives and resources and its changing opportunities (Mintzberg, 2000). It tries to set the direction for the use of all resources and this direction will remain valid for a period of time. As such, analysing scenarios and using them as a strategic planning tool is beneficial for planners to rank them and attempt to identify commonness in possible futures and potential pathways. Thus, scenario review involves engaging in a systematic conjecture concerning potential futures and is mainly based on scanning the environment in which the organisation operates, interpreting signals and making predictions about what might happen next. This allows the organisation to be better positioned to formulate ideal strategies that can be implemented to meet the changing dema nds of the environment in which the organisation operates. It is important for the planners to rank these scenarios given that they often differ in their order of importance. Some scenarios would require immediate actions while others would require long term plans. It is also important for the planners to identify the commonness of these scenarios in possible futures and potential pathways so as to enable them to ensure that they do not waste resources on scenarios which would otherwise require the same strategy to be solved. The planners have to first identify the scenario then followed by choosing the appropriate pathway that can be taken to fulfil the strategy. Pertinent scenarios to the organisation are often given priority and it is the duty of the planner to anticipate the intended destination of the strategy to be implemented. 2. Strategic drift is a scenario that is witnessed when a strategy manager has failed to monitor and keep pace with its changing external environment. There are certain issues for managers when they prevent strategic drift and some of them involve the following: establishing the capacity of the organisation to make the strategy happen, availability of resources as well as fear for worsening the situation. The environment in which organisations operate is dynamic and at times, unprecedented scenarios which are unfavorable to the organisation may emerge the reason why managers ought to prevent such issues from happening (Kleynhans et al 2007). In most cases, the managers prevent strategic drift by weighing their capability of making the strategy happen. Indeed, there may be changes in the external environment and it is the role of the strategy managers to ensure that the organisation has the capability to meet these changes. In order to prevent strategic drift, the managers ought to deploy strategic decisions that will ensure that the organisation may remain viable in the face of changing environment so as to be able to be better po sitioned to keep pace with the changes. The availability of resources and time may be the other issues for the managers when preventing strategic drift. It is the duty of the manager to ensure that they channel adequate resources that enable them to monitor the environment to avoid

Economic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 5

Economic - Essay Example This has caused increase in demand for Iron-ore to carry out the firms production and produce the resulting output. Price is derived by the crossing of supply and demand. (Figure 3) The resultant market price is dependent upon both of these basic components of a market. A transaction of goods or services will occur when so ever buyers and sellers can agree on a certain price. When a transaction occurs, the agreed upon price is called the "market clearing price† or "equilibrium price". As the population of China has grown, the demand for minerals and metals has risen. This has pushed the price of iron ore (and complementary products) up and also spurred the development of iron, accelerating the quantity of iron supplied as well. We can see the demand increase in Figure 1 below, that represents an increase in the demand of iron-ore. In the figure, supply and demand have been short formed as S and D. Demand begins at D1 and is moves to D2 provided that supply remains the same. We see that the equilibrium price even increases from p1 to p2, and the quantity moves from q1 to q2. The figure clearly shows that increase in demand for iron ore would clearly cause an increase in price. As the quantity of iron ore increases so would the resultant price provided supply remains constant. In order to meet the increasing demand the quantity of iron ore production would even have to be increased. An increase in supply results about from a decrease in the marginal cost as like the marginal cost of production. As a result, an increased in production is represented by a line to the right on the supply and demand graph. The effects of an increase in production are illustrated in Figure 2. The supply line goes from S1 to S2 that represents a lesser marginal cost. Moreover in this case, the quantity also rises from q1 to q2 and price falls from p1to p2. As the demand of

Visual Literacy Essay Example for Free

Visual Literacy Essay Visual Literacy throughout the history of our world has been important; dating back to cave drawings and carvings, and developing all the way to automated street signs signaling vehicles when to slow, stop, or go. Visuals are a part of our daily lives today as much as they were at the beginning of man’s time-and other living beings’ time-and his, first ability to communicate, visually. Communication was not something that was first spoken or written, it was something shown or demonstrated; such as dance for instance, while someone else was viewing/watching, to portray a message or a feeling to that other person. Whether the Visual Literacy or communication is hand signals-similar to sign language, facial expressions-as simple as the way an individual winks at another individual today, a nod to another person, or something as complex as an artists’ message through a painting, sculpture, other, or not; Visual Literacy is and always will be the first mode of communication in the past, present, and future. Visual Literacy can be a considered a universal language because everybody, or most individuals understand pictures, drawings, artwork, or hand signals/sign language of today. â€Å"The only individuals who do not understand visuals are the blind community-however, this handicap is adapted by the body and other the other body senses become enhanced greatly† (B. Kennedy, 2010). Perhaps sign language varies throughout different regions of the world, but the basics will always be well-known, regardless. For example, pointing to oneself means me, no matter what country you are residing in. A simple sign such as this is a basic way to communicate, and is universal. If two individuals from different countries who did not understand each other were to sit down together and draw a picture of a house, hut, or dwelling of some sort; each individual would understand the drawing, or picture of a dwelling as a home. This is considered Visual Literacy, as well. These two individuals may not be speaking with their mouths, or sounds, but they are communicating with visuals. Brian Kennedy provides an excellent portrayal of what he believes Visual Literacy to be in today’s world. However, our text provides a wonderful explanation of Visual Literacy within the business world today as well, and between both of these resources is a wealth of information. Mr. Kennedy takes a very literal look at Visual Literacy- no pun intended. Kennedy believes that what we view each day through sight is a way that we can learn and communicate if we pay attention. Most of the time, however, we do not pay attention. In fact, he states, â€Å"everything we see is an image, but unless we connect cognition and memory, we do not remember what we see† (B.  Kennedy, 2010). We see hundreds of images everyday throughout our lives, but unless we have some connection to the image, we do not retain it. However, if we â€Å"slow-look, we can look, see, describe, analyze, and interpret or construct meaning† (B. Kennedy, 2010). As with this prior quote, Mr. Kennedy made many other interesting statements within his presentation. For instance, â€Å"we read non-text 60,000 times faster than written text,† and â€Å"90% of what we learn is taken in visually† (B. Kennedy, 2010). Regarding our text, and the definition provided regarding Visual Literacy compared to the video containing Brian Kennedy speaking about the subject, our text is more business oriented, or technically derived. The text this week seems to focus on the high-tech aspect of Visual Literacy. This includes television, billboards, computer images, etc. Also, there almost has to be a difference between the two definitions because one was presented visually, and the other was presented in a written format. Within the text, there are other terms for Visual Literacy, such as media literacy, for example. Also, within our text (W.Ryan, 2012), are two authors (Avgerinou and Ericson, 1997) featured who present this opinion of the definition of Visual Literacy along with 9 other definitions, but will not get into in this paper: â€Å"Visuals may be objects, events, actions, pictorial representations, nonverbal or digital symbols, written words, or numbers. They then argue that visual literacy refers to the use of visuals for communicating, thinking, learning, constructing meaning, creative expression, and aesthetic enjoyment. For example, supplementing a business meeting with visuals created in PowerPoint or Prezi communicate information in a manner alternative to the  spoken word, may engage visually literate audience members in critical thinking about the message, and help them learn more than they may have if they had only heard the message. When these media are used effectively and appropriately, they may stimulate creative thinking and generate affects or liking among audience members through the use of charts, graphs, audio, images, and video† (Avgerinou and Ericson, 1997). It seems that our text is much more technical as far as addressing the definition of Visual Literacy, than the video created by Brian Kennedy. Perhaps it seems that way because the definition that Brian Kennedy offers is visual, as well as audible, but it does seem that he offers a much easier explanation. Communication, through visuals such as photographs for example, have been a way of communicating across borders, oceans, and continents over the decades. One photograph that finds its way on a national magazine cover can convey much more than an entire book devoted to a certain topic. A wonderful example of this comes from our text this week, and that is The National Geographic cover of â€Å"Afghan Girl† that was the cover of the magazine when this girl featured was just 17. It touched many people, and many lives, enough for the photographer to search her out years later without even knowing her name. She was found, and reunited with the photographer, but how does a girl who did not want her picture taken to begin with, react to a huge worldwide reaction to her picture so many years ago, and now with so much attention? She never even knew, or saw her picture. That says quite a bit, as well, as far as Visual Literacy. Perhaps it does not reach as far as we think it does. Globally, perhaps we are not there yet, with our Visual Literacy-or, as easy of a definition, communicating visually. Perhaps we are still a bit Visually Illiterate when it comes to the way we want to portray others, our art, our people, or people from other countries. Also, we should be aware of the way that other countries present us visually. That is something that The United States has not really worried about too much, it seems. We find ourselves upon a pedestal at times and just burst in and start snapping pictures, or slapping paint, etc. The story regarding â€Å"The Afghan Girl† was a reminder of that. We, as a Great Big Beautiful, Wonderful, Intelligent Country believe that all of our media reaches every crevice in the entire world, yet it does not, by any means. We must be mindful of that, while still trying to see everything we are looking at†¦. References: Avgerinou, M. , Ericson, J. (1997). A Review of the Concept of Visual Literacy. British Journal of Educational Technology. Kennedy, B. (2010). Brian Kennedy’s TedTalk: Brian Kennedy: Visual Literacy and Why We Need It . Retrieved From: (http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=OefLEpds5Is). Ryan, W. (2012). Visual literacy: learning to see. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

The Importance of Ion Channels Essay -- Disease, Disorders

Oculocutaneous albinism is the lack of color in an individual skin hair and eyes. This is a condition that exists from birth. This a The Importance of Ion Channels: An Analysis of the Long QT Syndrome Inheritance method Long QT Syndrome (LQTS) is an uncommon congenital heart condition in which patients affected by this syndrome are at high risks for cardiac arrest and sudden cardiac death due to mutations in cardiac ion channels (Crotti et al., 2008). There are two particular variants to the Long QT Syndrome; one is called the Jervell and Lange-Nielsen Syndrome (J-LN), which is associated with deafness, and the other has been named the Romano-Ward Syndrome (R-W), in which there is no connection with deafness (Crotti et al., 2008). The Romano-Ward Syndrome is known to be the more common type of LQTS and is autosomal dominant (Russell et al., 1996), whereas the Jervell and Lange-Nielsen Syndrome is less common and is autosomal recessive (Crotti et al., 2008). Gene(s) responsible or implicated in the disorder The research community has divided the Long QT Syndrome by types, depending upon the different mutations in four of the cardiac ion- channel genes, KVLQT1, HERG, SCN5A, and KCNE1 (Zareba et al., 1998). Mutations within these voltage-gated ion channels ultimately disrupt the normal nerve impulses that take place within myocardial cells. Sodium and potassium channels play key roles during action potentials as it is through these channels that their respective ions are able to enter and leave the cell in order to generate electrical excitation or inhibition throughout. Such channels are composed of subunits of proteins, and damage within even one subunit can alter the overall function of the action potential, which will alte... ...ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007: 52. Priori, S., Napolitano, C., Schwartz, P., (1999). Low penetrance in the long-qt syndrome. Circulation 99, 529-533. Russell, M., Dick, M., Collins, F., Brody, L,. (1996). KVLQT1 mutations in three families with familial or sporadic long QT syndrome. Human Molecular Genetics 5, 1319-1324. Westenskow, P., Splawski, I., Timothy, K., Keating, M., Sanguinetti, M., (2004). Compound mutations: a common cause of severe long-QT syndrome. Circulation 109, 1834-1841. Zareba, W., Moss, A., Schwartz, P., Vincent, M., Robinson, J., Priori, S., Benhorin, J., Locati, E., Towbin, J., Keating, M., Lehmann, M., Hall, J., Andrews, M., Napolitano, C., Timothy, K., Zhang, L., Medina, A., MacCluer, J., (1998). Influence of the genotype on the clinical course of the long-QT syndrome. The New England Journal of Medicine 339, 960-965.

Physiological manipulation in novel Essay

Aldous Huxley is a visionary in every sense of the word, as he paints a vivid picture of the future that is second to none. His imagination is almost prophetic as he boldly presents his idea of futuristic society and the direction of mankind. Huxley’s imaginary society in the ‘Brave New World’ controls citizens through physiological manipulation during birth, psychological conditioning while growing up and a hallucinogenic drug called ‘Soma’ to provide instant gratification (Huxley 15). Although these techniques are said to eradicate class discrimination, religion and unhappiness, it paves the way for a lackluster, grey world deprived of any real life and creative ideas. Huxley’s visions of technology of the future such as genetic engineering, mind-altering drugs and bio-technological advances are quite startling. In spite of having classic science-fiction traits, there is a Shakespearean character as well as weak-minded and strong-spirited human characters in the book that one can relate to. The ‘Brave New World’ is a book with several subtle layers that is entertaining and enlightening at the same time. Although the subject matter of the book is quite dense, it is presented in satirical fashion. Huxley’s Ford analogy explains how technology is also an illusion to exercise control, which has been put in place to replace previous control mechanisms such as religion. Huxley’s political commentary describing an anti-utopian society controlled by a totalistic government is relevant, even in today’s context. Although the centralized world government’ claims technology to be advancing, it merely improves upon existing technologies and fails to make any new breakthroughs in science, thereby keeping people ignorant. The manipulative government also restricts reproduction and promotes polygamous physical relationship, thereby killing meaningful family values and moral gratification. One of the most intriguing issues raised by Huxley’s work is the true meaning of happiness. It makes one reexamine life and realize that happiness is not merely avoidance of pain, conforming to societal norms and amassing wealth. Huxley, through the depiction of the totalitarian government, tries to explain the evils of people losing power and one body exercising absolute control over the masses. Although the book is over seventy-five years old, it is still very relevant in our contemporary political scenario. Huxley’s work also seeks out to enlighten the world about the importance of individuality and freedom of thought. It ultimately makes a statement that blind conformity backed up by fear will only lead to complete surrender of the human mind and soul. On careful analysis, one would come to realize that the fictional society portrayed in Brave New World is not merely a work of Huxley’s fantasy, but actually an extrapolation of our degrading societal values such as greed, meaningless relationships and hyper- consumerism. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein tells us about the consequences of technology over-stepping the nature’s boundaries. It shares recurring themes with Brave New World such as scientists creating life by going against the laws of nature. In both the books, the characters try to use technology to better mankind, but eventually end up making things worse. Both the authors feel that unchecked growth of technology could lead to dire consequences. In the book ‘On the Genealogy of Morals`, Nietzsche reveals the moral crisis that industrialization had brought to the lives of people. Though he believes that human life would be better without religion, he feels human beings need a moral frame of reference to be disciplined. Nietzsche and Huxley share a common view on religion keeping down humans from realizing their true potential. Again, nihilism of established standards and belief systems to enhance human life are common in both the authors’ works. Fyodor Dostoevsky in ‘The Grand Inquisitor’ portrays the return of Jesus Christ and his arrest by the Spanish Inquisition. God is blamed for bestowing freedom upon human beings and thereby making them suffer (Dostoevsky 249). The Church starts to work with the devil to end human suffering, wherein only a few posses freedom while the rest live and die blissfully in ignorance. This theme in Dostoevsky’s parable parallels the Brave New World’s totalitarian government ruling over the ignorant people of the world who are free from pain. I believe our world is moving towards Huxley’s prediction of universal singularity. We are witnessing our freedoms being taken away right under noses by the government, under the pretense of security and progress. We are seeing the decline of families and a blind urge for physical gratification running rampant driven by mindless television entertainment. We are also observing alarmingly higher levels of consumption as well as production, while original thought is gradually deteriorating. Technology is growing exponentially and becoming more and more pervasive by the day. However, in spite of all this, people do not seem to be enjoying true ‘happiness’ and are turning towards anti-depressants to relieve stress, thereby reiterating Huxley’s vision again. Works Cited Page Dostoevsky, Fyodor. â€Å"The Grand Inquisitor†. The Brothers Karamazov. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2000. 246-264. Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. Harper & Row Publishers, 1969. Nietzsche, Friedrich. On the Genealogy of Morals. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. New York: Pocket Books, 2004.