Advocacy letter about sexual orientation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Advocacy letter about sexual orientation - Essay Example Amongst this number included 17.5% of the students who were personal victims of the situation. We realize that part of what causes this problem is the fact that there is no adequate research or funding that can aid research on the sexual orientation area. There is, however, lots of talking and discussions about sexual orientation that goes on around the country. Though it might not be open to us to fully know the medical or scientific foundations that results to the sexual orientation of an individual, our system is already handling the discussion in such a way that its impact is quite vivid. Some of the students reactions I school can be seen as many of them do not feel safe due to their sexual orientation. This can be explained by the results of the survey on school safety that was carried out by an organization known as GLSEN in 2013. In this survey, it was proved that sexual orientation as a factor contributed to 55.5% of the LGBT students feeling unsafe at school. The same surve y found out that, 37.8% of the students were felt unsafe at school due to their gender expression. It is vividly clear that sexual orientation as an important concern to students is not being addressed in schools even as people continue to increase their awareness and education with regards to sex. This is a notion that needs to change. It is understood that until now, this issue has not been addressed satisfactorily. There have been many misunderstandings about the issue that has made the topic extremely sensitive. The major source of misunderstandings is the national religious variations we have in the country. Quoting from the U.S Constitution, we have two fundamental principles that apply to all the public schools. The first amendment is about the separating church and the state and protection of the freedom of speech. The fourteenth

Introduction to Radio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Introduction to Radio - Essay Example Robert McLeash also asserts that the British radio is riven roughly 50/50 between radio stations owned and run by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and radio stations owned by commercial groups through license given by Ofcom. On the other hand, there are over two hundred stations owned and operated by the community, however, they are also licensed by Ofcom. MacLeash 2007 (14) also asserts that radio stations are characterized in the manner in which they are financed, and not by what they do. For instance, public service radio stations such as BBC operate under the terms of a Royal Charter and are funded by TV license fees. This fee is payable by people in the United Kingdom who watches live programming of television. The license fee is topped up by grants and revenues. On the other hand, commercial radio stations broadcasting in the United Kingdom are funded by payments made for advertisements. They broadcast on AM or FM via DTV, online and DAB (McLeish 2005, pp.13). The mod e of funding influences what is aired on these radio stations. This is explicated in the pressure faced by BBC to educate, be impartial, inform, as well as entertain since they rely on license fees. The first week also enabled us to learn the basics that an individual should know before embarking on recording of for radio or interviews. This is attributed to the fact that some background sounds such as wind, music or people talking in close range to the recording device can bring problems during editing. This is because they are difficult to edit out. In order to prove this point, we visited various locations within the university to ascertain that different reverberations have different effects on recording (Fleming 2002, pp.67). For instance, we visited two indoor and two outdoor locations in order to come up with the best neutral location and the best location with a background noise for recording an interview for radio. WEEK 2 Vox pop, an abbreviation of the Latin words vox popu li meaning ‘voice of the people’ is an extremely important source of news. In this type of news coverage, special researchers and news reporters go out into the streets with the intentions of seeking public views and opinions on matters of current public concern. They do this by asking thoughtful questions in order to: test public opinions and reactions, influence decision makers, stimulate public debate, forecast results of certain events, and promote a radio, newspaper or television station, among others (Crisell 1994, pp. 57). Vox pops have been used in the radio industry from the 1930s. It is also reported that in the initial decades of the 20th century, vox pops acted as a medium for the community to express their views. This is attributed to the fact that radio played an integral role in the community since it created a way for community members to provide, as well as receive opinion. In class we learnt how to make vox pop recordings. For instance, we were taught that questions should be asked with the recorder on pause; and that only responses given by the respondents’ should be recorded (Crisell 1994, pp. 69). Additionally, the responses should be put together in separate bands so that during compilation, the best answers should be at the beginning and at the end. In the middle of the vox pop, the responses should contain a mix up of opinions varying between female and male voices. WEEK 3 During this week we learnt how to edit the vox pops that we had made in the

How are Night Vision Devices Beneficial to Society Research Paper

How are Night Vision Devices Beneficial to Society - Research Paper Example This essay stresses that one of the filed that has solely relied in these devices is the military. Military has benefited on this technology close to a century. This has enabled them to perform most of their vital operations in the darkness. This paper declares that before the development of this technology the military carried out their main operations during the day. This technology of night vision devices was markedly enhanced with the advent of World War II. At this period, both Germany and Britain developed a basic infrared sniper. However, few of these innovations were used during this reign. This is because this basic apparatus only assisted in offering a perimeter defense. Additionally, they were extremely heavy and required continuous replenishing of power. This reduced their effectiveness and worth during this period. However, these challenges experienced at this time helped in development of improved technological materials. This led to the development of an advanced night vision technology. Most of the military leaders saw the usefulness of such technology beyond just operating under the cover of darkness. This potential existed in the use of night vision goggles, helmets and weapons that was to help armies o perate effectively under the cover of darkness. This meant that there was to be an improvement that would ensure there was no need of IR searchlight. This would ensure that the enemy could not detect the position of the soldier. (Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate, n.d.). T

Claude Monet Water Lilies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Claude Monet Water Lilies - Essay Example I could feel my heart beat quicken as I inched forward in line for my ticket, anticipating what I would see, how it would affect me, and how I would be changed in some way, as we all are, by seeing to what heights the soul of man can rise. As I entered the building and was captured by the walls of glass, modern, clean white lines of the galleries, the large public works of art throughout the building, with works hung on staircase landings (of all places!) and from the ceilings, meant to show how accessible and functional the modern works could be. I was drawn into one exhibit, on the second floor, though, that featured an exhibition of the French impressionist artist Claude Monet, entitled â€Å"Monet’s Water Lilies.† I was drawn into a room where three 20-foot paintings, his masterpieces of his study of Water Lilies, were hung in harmonious and dramatic style. The works were placed next to and across from each other, with their gigantic canvases echoing what Monet saw over many days and months in his garden in Giverny. At first glance, the works were a muted collection of simplicity, but the more I studied the works, the more I was overwhelmed at their aspects of color, the juxtaposition of the works, and the overwhelming sense of permanence I felt when sitting among these works. I was drawn into their immense size, wealth of subtle colors and scale of proportions that reflected the various moods created by light, water, sky, and nature, as they all worked together to create a sense of serenity and eternal feeling. It slowed me down to a point to where I had to sit and observe, and allow myself to see the detail throughout each painting. The simplicity yet complexity of the works drew me to them and left a permanence in my mind’s eye. The fact that they were located in a room which seemed built especially for these large works, allowed them to be seen as a reflection of each other, in a way enhanced the experience for me. As I observed, I noticed more and more layers of paint on the works, which showed a tremendous amount of effort that went into the work. Done in impressionist pastels, with a study of a pond dotted with reflections of water lilies, poppies, sky, grasses, and trees, reminded me that the more we look at even the most simplistic things, the more complex they are. The simplicity is reminiscent of the style of Japanese art with a harmonious relationship between man and nature, with each complementing each other. In this case, there were no men or human structures in the paintings, as we were meant to be the human element of the works, and almost become part of the painting, as we are filled with a sense of serenity, color, nature, and calmness. The muted lighting, subtle colors, reflections of sky--and of ourselves- allows the viewer to become part of that Giverny landscape-- part of Monet’s eternal world. The pure simplicity of the works, but the hidden complexity of the brush strokes, depth and layer of colors, echoes the haiku of the Japanese poet, Matsuo Basho. As with Monet, his haiku are simple on the surface, but the artist draws the observer in with hidden complexities and depth of meaning and complexity of nature and human existence. As Monet uses the stroke of a brush to reveal his emotional depth and feeling, Bashu uses the written word to paint his canvas of emotion and searching of the human soul. Simplicity means complexity in both artists’

Entrepreneurship and Business Start-up Assignment

Entrepreneurship and Business Start-up - Assignment Example We listen to their needs and work with them to create and manage each event successfully. We help them achieve their personal, financial, professional, social, and artistic objectives. The people behind PEC are seasoned organisers and social network specialists who have a track record of successful event management experience dating back to several years. Our services include planning and executing for special events such as meetings, conferences, birthdays and special occasions, concerts, book launchings, exhibits, inaugurations, fund-raising, special dinners, victory parties, graduations, sports tournaments, and reunions. We want every event that we plan, organise and carry out to be successful, whether it is an intimate dinner for two or a conference for 100. We strategically established an upper limit to the number of participants to events we organise at this number for the first five years because of the unique financial model we employ of fixing the price we charge to competitive unit rates. We can increase these numbers much later. Regardless of the number of people at our events, we aim to take care of every detail for the event to provide the greatest pleasure and to make it a memorable experience. We offer a host of packages and services specifically tailored to the needs of each client and participant, and we are confident that this business venture will succeed and that our net income will increase according to our modest projections. 1.2 Mission Statement PRO-ACT Events Consultants (PEC) is a full service company that provides complete consulting services for any event, except weddings and anniversaries. Our consultants are experienced and dedicated professionals with many years of event planning experience. We are unique in that we give our clients our undivided attention and assure them that we are people they can trust. We listen to their needs and work with them to create the event of their dreams. We make everything possible. We have a professionally developed strategic plan that promises to make PEC one of the best places to work for in the world where everyone enjoys what one is doing, where the financial rewards are generous, and where everyday is a party! Our success is determined by the success of our

Satire in Shakespeare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Satire in Shakespeare - Essay Example The true satirist is conscious of the frailty of institutions of man's devising and attempts through laughter not so much to tear them down as to inspire a remodeling" (Thrall, et al 436). There are many examples of satire in literature and media today. In literature, William Shakespeare has maintained a special place in satirical prose. He has satirized almost every folly and superficiality that he came to know of through his observations and interactions with people, yet his plays contain so many other features, that one couldn't label Shakespeare as a satirist. "There is satire, as there is everything else, in Shakespeare. The pseudo-statesman is satirized in Polonius, the courtier in Osric. Both Touchstone and Feste have caustic tongues. Malvolio shows that Shakespeare had no more liking for the Puritans than his fellow-players. Yet for all this, and for all that might be added, it would be absurd to rank Shakespeare among the satirists; and the same is true of the dramatists in general. Except when they fall into feud with one another, or with some class peculiarly obnoxious to them, they rarely make satire the staple of their plays". (Walker 114) "As you like it" is one of Shakespeare best comedies with a very high satirical tone. This play exposes the absurdity of human world, far more than any of Shakespeare's plays. In fact, it was first of its kind where the entire play 's main purpose was to ridicule certain people and situations. Pastoral romance is the focal point of his satire. On 1st July 1599, the government passed an order to suppress satirical work. This led to flaring struggles between the authorities and writers. Shakespeare closely observed this contest and created a satirical comedy on its bases. However, the dismayed and chaotic social conditions of England provided the main inducement for satirical work. In "As you like it", Jacques is the main character that fulfills the duty of a satirist. He belongs to the group of people who are discontent about life in general and are very vocal about their discontentment and dissatisfaction with life. He finds all happy people as foolish and so he finds all people in Arden and their happy temperaments as ridiculous. It includes some very hilarious pieces of prose, which are basically attempts at satirizing romance of country folk. Some of them are scenes such as those of heroine being kidnapped by robbers and saved in a heroic way by the hero and his brother. Some central characters of satire are Orlando who is a perfect lover, Rosalind and Celina who are perfect friends and Adam who is a perfect loyalist of conservative ideas. (Campbell, 44) Shakespeare in his play has tried to mock the romantic dreams of love-stricken couples, which take refuge in the countryside. However, when they reach there, they find that it is not so. In fact, it is far from the image, the people of city have of country. This is what Rosalind and Orlando had on their mind when they ran away from the injustices and atrocities of city, which were keeping them apart. Much to their surprise, they found out that this Forest of Arden was a land of terror. It wasn't where people who could live peacefully with each other in lap of nature. The country presented its own set of problems and challenges, in some cases more challenging than the city. Some characters were pure mockery of country folk, such as Silvius, Phebe, William and Audrey who are far from picture perfect image of their kind. The foolish,

An Epic Evaluation of Apocalypse Now Essay Example for Free

An Epic Evaluation of Apocalypse Now Essay In 1979, Francis Ford Coppola unleashed a film that reshaped the view of the American Vietnam war. The film was heralded as an epic of modern film. However, is it truly an epic or is that term become a widely used word for great works of cinema? Does Apocalypse Now contain the epic criteria of religion, a journey, a vast setting, a sense of supernatural and other key factors? The journey in Apocalypse Now is Captain Benjamin Willard’s mission to assassinate Army Colonel Walter Kurtz. The former Green Beret has deserted his command and now leads a rogue army of commandos and Montagnard, the indigenous people of the central highlands of Vietnam(Human Rights Watch). This film is also a journey into the darkness of the human soul. As Willard travels up the river he spends most of his time reading the Army’s dossier on the rogue Kurtz who has been deemed insane after his use of â€Å"unsound methods. † Willard tries to understand the actions of Kurtz, and as the film progresses, Willard experiences more and more of the absurdities and immorality of war that lead him to understand the villainous Kurtz. His understanding comes with his own decent into near madness. After he senselessly kills a peasant woman on a sampan Willard states, â€Å"It was the way we had over here of living with ourselves. We’d cut them in half with a machine gun and give them a Band-Aid. It was a lie— and the more I saw of them the more I hated lies. † These words sound as though they were uttered by the insane Kurtz. The setting for Apocalypse Now is the fictional Nung River(Milks). Most of the film takes place on a Navy river patrol boat (PBR) with a four-man crew. The captain, Chief, a military man who follows protocol to a â€Å"T†and feels personally responsible for the fate of his crew. He blames Willard for the predicament that they find themselves in. Clean is a seventeen-year-old mechanic from the South Bronx. He is symbolic of the young men that fought in Vietnam that were ignorant to the ways of war and only waste time waiting to end their service careers. Chef, a saucier from New Orleans, who emphatically does not want to be in this strange land and Lance, a California surfer, make up the rest of the crew. Lance and Chef’s use of rugs and placement in the primitive jungle help them withdraw from the war around them as the film proceeds(Milks). This is symbolic of how many of the drafted youth felt in Vietnam. The film begins in the Greek tradition of en medias res. It opens with captain Willard in an alcohol induced depressive state in a hotel room in Saigon in 1968. He already completed one tour of duty in Vietnam only to return home and be miserable with the confines of civilization. He states, â€Å"I was discharged from the army four years ago. I went home, wasted some time, bought a Mustang Mach 1, drove it a week. Then I re-upped for another tour. No, everything I love is here. † He has been irrecoverably changed by the war. He feels that the jungle is the only place he belongs and he cannot wait to get back in action, â€Å"Every minute I stay in this room I get weaker. And every minute Charlie squats in the bush he gets stronger. † The film does not follow all the guidelines of an Epic in the Greek sense. In the beginning, Willard does not invoke the muses and the only religion is the Montagnards belief in Kurtz as a god. The film contains no epic lists and the film is not divided into twenty-four books. The only division in the film could be seen in the different episodes the crew faces traveling up river. The first is the rendevous with Lieutenant Colonel Kilgore, commander of the Air Ninth Calvary. Then, the tiger attack in the jungle, the U. S. supply depot complete with Playboy Playmates, the French rubber plantation, the small sampan, and the ancient temple where Kurtz resides. Each event adds to the mayhem of the journey and creates a darker mood for the film. The narrator and protagonist of the film is Captain Willard. However, he is not the epic hero because he does not meet the criteria. He is male, and he does have a task to complete, but that is about his only heroic characteristics. First, in terms of strength, he does not possess outstanding physical strength, nor is he mentally strong. As a character is quite passive, everything he does is influenced by someone, or something else. When he takes the mission he says, â€Å"What the hell else was I gonna do? † On the PBR, he withdraws himself from the actions of the crew, and spends most of his time studying the file on Kurtz, trying to get into the mind of his target. This only puts him in a more detached state. At Kurtz’s compound he is swayed by the teachings of Kurtz and makes the audience ponder if he will indeed carry out his mission, or join Kurtz’s group. Lance, as well as the last assassin sent to kill Kurtz, did just that. Willard confesses â€Å"It was the strangest thing — I don’t know that I can explain it. Two of my men dead and all I could think of was whether Kurtz was dead too. That’s all I wanted: to see Kurtz, to hear Kurtz. † Kurtz actually helps make that decision for him. Kurtz is weary of his life as a demigod and is expecting, and actually welcoming his death. You came up my river — in that small boat. So simple. I always thought the final justice would come from the sky, like we did. You are the final justice, aren’t you? † In one episode, on a sampan, a small fishing boat, Willard shows his true moral state. When Clean opens fire killing several civilians in a botched search of the boat, Chief decides to t ake the lone survivor, a peasant woman, to a military base for medical attention. Willard, thinking only of his mission, kills the woman so that she will not impede his journey to assassinate Kurtz. This event causes the rest of the crew to turn on him and cast a dark shadow over Willard. When Chef asks, â€Å"When you kill cong, don’t you feel something? † Willard responds, â€Å"Sure, recoil I feel the recoil of my rifle. † This statement alone solidifies the fact that Willard is not a fundamentally good soul. The supernatural is an important element in any Epic. In Apocalypse Now, the supernatural pertains more to a detachment from reality than to a ghost, miraculous events, or the common notion of the supernatural. In this sense, the film is rife with the supernatural. First Kilgore’s calvary, the surfing calvary charge into battle listening to the â€Å"Ride of the Valkyries. † Kilgore boasts, â€Å"We’ll come in low, out of the rising sun, and about a mile out, we’ll put on the music Yeah, I use Wagner – scares the hell out of the slopes! My boys love it! † The music and the surfing are completely out of place in the war-torn jungles of Vietnam. However, this is just the first stop on the tour of mass mayhem. Later in the film, the PBR comes across the remains of a rubber plantation. This is a plantation run by the de Marais family, a hold over from the French colonization of Indochina. In the middle of a war zone, a family is trying to hold onto a piece of property in a country in which they are not natives. Several of their family members have given their lives for that property and they believe they have just as much as a claim to it than anyone else. Even when a family member makes a symbolic gesture that makes a statement about America’s involvement in Vietnam and cracks an egg, which represents Indochina, lets the egg white run out and exclaims, â€Å"White goes, yellow stays! † The symbolism is poignantly blunt. It is surreal that they even attempt to keep their property. Also, they try to maintain their heritage in speaking French and having a tradition plantation life without interference from the outside world. The scene, including the burial of Clean is rife with symbolism and detachment from reality. The boat heads further up river and reaches an outpost where American forces are testing Einstein’s theory of insanity. Einstein once said, â€Å"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. †(Moncur) Each night the Viet Cong bomb a bridge and each day the G. I. s rebuild it. All of the soldiers at this base are either scared or confused, those that are not, are high on drugs. The colored flares and tracer rounds add to the effects of the psychedelic drugs and the whole theater of battle is in total chaos. Finally, Kurtz’s compound is the scene of total lack of reality. Rotting corpses hang from the tress, and heads litter the ancient temple. The scene is surreal. A burnt out photo journalist exclaims how great Kurtz is, seemingly oblivious to the mayhem around him. The man himself is a larger than life omnipotent character. He remains in the shadows for almost every scene and quotes poetry from T. S. Eliot. He is the all powerful in this land even though he is gone over the edge mentally, spiritually, and physically. He is supernatural. The film as a whole doesn’t fit the standards of an epic in the Greek tradition. However, it is an awesome tale of a man’s journey into the physical unknown of a strange land that forces him to search inside himself for some form of morality in the difficult circumstances of war. Willard is a stranger in a strange land, even to himself.