Autobiography of a Coin

I was born in mines. My body is made of various metals. Thus I have no fixed race. I am a hybrid. I remember the day when I was put into a furnace. The whole of my body was burning red hot. Finally, I remember vaguely to have melted. I was put into mcould and given a new shape. When I regained consciousness, I found that I had completely changed. My body was shining brightly. When I had put on my new shape, beautiful designs were put upon both sides of me. I began to smile with joy. After the pains of fires, I had become a personage with some status. I remained at the mint for a few days with a number of brothers and sisters.We were lending a happy life full of golden dreams about our future lives and careers. It was a red letter day in the history of my life, when I was put into a huge bag along with all my brothers and sisters and placed in a bus. We knew we would see the light of the day. Our grand careers were going to commence. We were on the threshold on a new life. Of course, for some time it was suffocating. But we did not mind. We knew our troubles were short lived and would come to an end very soon. We therefore suffered patiently ‘the mild yoke of God’. We were taken down at a majestic building.My friends told me we had reached ‘The State Bank’. I heaved a sigh of relief but my troubles were yet not over. I was closed in a safe. It was rigorous imprisonment. It was rumored that armed constabulary guarded the doors of our prison. We were sad at heart. We had run from frying pan to the fire. All our hopes were on the point of being shuttered. We prayed to god and one day he did listen to our prayers. A gentleman came to my rescue. He took me and some of my brother home and put me in a chest. The next day he gave me to his child, who was very pleased to see my glittering appearance.I was also glad to have obtained this young friend. I had thought that I shall get an oopportunity of enjoying the company of my friend for a long t ime. But alas! He went straight to a sweet-seller and threw me at his shop. The sweet-seller knocked my head against the ground. I had learnt the lesson that life is not a bed of roses. It is really full of dangers, difficulties and disappointments. To cut a long story short, I have been leading a free, vagrant life. I have been with old and young, rich and poor, men, women and children. I have been with doctors and cobblers, cycle-merchants and lawyers, sstudents and company managers.It is impossible to recount all the adventures. I have had all the ups and downs. Now I am old and weak. Time was, when I was young, fresh, energetic and fiery. Now I am mere ashes. I am worn-out and weather-beaten and my heart is as grey as my head. I only console myself with the thought that I have always received love and affection in my life. Everybody has taken great care of me and kept me as best he could. For this all generosity, I thank everybody with all my heart. I have no ambition. I am only waiting for the day, when I shall go back into the lap of my creator (the in charge of mint).

Evaluating alternative sources of energy of the US

Evaluating alternative sources of energy of the US The energy situation of the United States is currently worse, an unimaginable situation for the country. This is because of the increasingly large demand for these resources in the daily lives of Americans. As the country reaches its peaks in development and technology, it is suffering from a deficit in the energy division, wherein the demands for it are not met, and the supply isn’t enough. The demand for resources like oil has stably increased in the past years, and the country depends much on imported oil so that they could reach the increasing demand.This also increases the price of these resources. According to Kouchi, â€Å"Since 2003, the unregulated price of natural gas has been very high and volatile – sometimes doubling in a matter of months (Kouchi). † With the continuously increasing needs of the people, even the importation of these resources will not be able to provide for the demands. Our needs con tinuously increase but the supply doesn’t. Even though we turn towards exporting these important energy resources, the costs greatly hurt the pockets of the people. According to Walker, â€Å"Residential energy use in the United States will increase 25 percent by the year 2025, according to U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) forecasts (Walker). † Because of energy source problem we are experiencing, we are turning towards various alternative sources of energy. Our natural source is slowly getting depleted so we must find another source of the energy we need so much in life. These alternative sources of energy would provide us of the power we need to run business, fuel our transportation, and cook our meals, everything that are essential for us to live. The environment is abundant of these possible resources; it just depends on the people on how we would be able to put it into more useful forms.These alternative resources include renewable and nonrenewable resources. The r enewable resources are wood/biomass, hydropower, solar power, wind energy, wave energy, tidal power and fusion, while the nonrenewable includes oil sands, coal, shale oil, gas hydrates, nuclear fission and geothermal energy. These resources all have the potential to provide us of our needs but there are limitations for every one of them and that they pose underlying effects when they are used, so proper evaluation should be done in order to do so. The most feasible of these resources would be the solar power and that of nuclear energy.Since sunlight is a free source for the people, and for a certain time of the day it is available, we will all be experiencing abundance in its supply here on earth. It will depend on how the person would convert the raw solar energy to become a useful form of energy. The other one would be the Nuclear energy, wherein it could really provide a lot of energy but the drawbacks are very dangerous, thus adopting this technique would really mean taking a lo t of risk for the consumer. Nuclear energy is proven to generate a lot of energy for the country but risks are still there in doing so.It has been tried and tested, and we have even paid the price of failure, and it was really big. A closer look on solar power Solar energy is derived from the light of the Sun and has already been proven useful in energy forms in a lot of traditional technologies and techniques. It has seen widespread use especially in the places which doesn’t have any means of energy available, since sunlight is readily available, even in remote places. It is also a big energy source in the outer space, wherein the sun gives off its rawest form of solar energy, wherein it gives off high intensity power that you need to process it to make it usable.The solar energy that reaches us here on earth has undergone various activities as it passes through the atmosphere. It actually starts as a very powerful solar radiation upon entering the Earth’s atmosphere, wherein it boasts more than a thousand watts per square meter of pure energy, solar power at its rawest form. As the solar radiation enters the atmosphere, some of it gets reflected backwards and only a portion proceeds and gets absorbed by the Earth. The atmosphere acts as a buffer and a barrier, filtering energy until what gets left is the usable energy for the people.Clouds, dusts particles, and certain pollutants contribute to the rate of reflection and absorption of the atmosphere, thus regulating the amount of solar energy that reaches the surface of the Earth. Considering the rate of conversion of this energy, the photovoltaic panels, the ones used to capture and convert useful solar energy, could distinctively convert and transform some 15% of the incoming sunlight to electricity, wherein the average delivery of a solar panel in the United States would turn out to be around 19 to 56 watts per square meter or about 0. 45 to 1.35 kilowatt-hour per square meter on each day. So lar energy could provide sufficient energy for the United States, but the turnout would still depend on the local conditions of a potential specific site, that is why it is hard to speak in a generalized manner. It is dependent on the areas where you would want to setup a solar power collection plant. Setting up a solar energy collection and conversion plant would be possible in some strategic areas. This includes most of the United States dry lands, the desert areas where there is the abundance of sunlight and has a predictable weather.These are mostly effective in states which have enough sunlight all throughout the year. However, it is difficult to acquire solar energy on some parts of the year, especially during winter, where there is scarcely any appearance of the sun. You could not depend on the solar energy as a source all throughout the year. You would need to have another alternate source, especially when it comes to the wet seasons where there is no sufficient supply of su nlight to fuel our needs. Practical uses and applications of Solar Energy There are a lot of possible uses and applications of solar energy.It depends on the nature of the demand for energy, since solar energy can be stored in solar cells. It could be modified to suit the situation. The main uses of solar energy would include heating, electricity generation, and desalination of seawater. The different applications include solar heating systems, solar cooking, solar lighting and photovoltaics. A solar heating system uses solar energy to heat various materials. There are some solar heating systems for heating water, wherein solar heaters may heat domestic water, or for heating swimming pools.This is essential for people living in the United States because they are used to warm baths during the cold season. It would be the main function of solar thermal collectors, to make sure that there is warm water in case it is really needed. Solar cooking could also be done with the use of a sola r box cooker, but it is not necessary and practical in the United States. Another important concept is solar lighting or daylighting, wherein it utilizes the natural light in order to illuminate a certain area or place. It literally saves natural light so that you could save on minimal usage of electric lighting systems.Photovoltaics uses photovoltaic or solar cells in order to generate electrical currents directly from sunlight, and the generated electricity will be stored in power cells for future usage. Photovoltaic cells are also the ones that power those solar powered calculators with LCD’s, because it only uses low power. In its early years of introduction, the cost of manufacturing was high, so there were fewer experiments that explores its possible uses. But when the cost of production lessened, it became more cost-effective to the users, thus making it a practical tool for the power savers. Pros and Cons of Solar energy Pros.According to Youngquist, â€Å"This is a favorite source of future energy for many people, comforted by the thought that it is unlimited (Youngquist). † Classifying solar power, it is a renewable source, meaning we will not seize to enjoying its benefits as long as the sun continues to shine and reaches Earth. It doesn’t emit any kind of pollution, like air or water pollutants, because there is no combustion that is happening, so there are no by products that causes pollution. It provides electricity to far flung places, which are too far to be reached by cables and lines from a certain power plant or generator. Cons.It is not stable and predictable because it requires or depends on a certain amount of sunlight that needs to reach Earth. The amounts vary at certain lengths of the day, and at some instances, when the weather is cloudy or rainy, sunlight may be too weak to provide solar energy. Also, photovoltaic power stations are very cost-ineffective, wherein it is only about 10% efficient, not really practic al to establish one in order to provide energy for a certain area. Nuclear energy as an alternative source Nuclear energy is created or is the energy which is emitted from atomic nucleus, wherein it requires various processes in order to do so.There are various processes involved in order to release nuclear energy from atomic nucleus. This includes radioactive decay, endothermic nuclear reactions, fusion or the combining of two atomic nuclei, and fission, or separating of the nucleus into two separate, equal parts. The United States are open into using and adopting Nuclear means in order to provide energy sources, especially when there is a great need arising from American states. Because of that increasing necessity, the natural resources could not provide all the energy requirements of the people.Since nuclear energy is an almost limitless resource, it is a good candidate as an alternative source of energy. Nuclear power in its most useful form, really promises a lot as a source o f energy. The process of attaining and extracting the energy itself does not produce any carbon dioxide, which we know that if there is excess of it, will be harmful to the environment. The nuclear power that the US is using today comes from the fission or splitting of the nucleus of uranium, plutonium or thorium, or the fusion of hydrogen into helium, wherein these processes emit a certain amount of energy.The most common means of acquiring nuclear power is through the fission of uranium. The ratio of the energy outputs of nuclear fission of uranium is great, wherein the fission process of its atom produces roughly about ten million times the energy output of combusting the atom of carbon from coal. Talking about the duration of a nuclear power plant, the present Uranium-235 reactors are projected to last for more than a hundred years time, providing enough energy for the needs of the world.These power plants generates roughly more or less than one million kilowatts of electricity, far greater than that of other power generating plants. But the underlying issue would be about the nuclear waste that these power plants produce. Surely, it is unavoidable not to have any waste byproducts produced. The fuel rods which is the core of these power plants, when already became spent, poses a great environmental risk, a problem being addressed by many, yet still has no concrete solution. These fuel rods are highly radioactive and dealing with this is very costly.Fuel rods lasts about two years, until when enough of the Uranium-235 has been changed into fission products, and when these builds up, the fuel rods should already be replaced. The problem would then be about properly disposing these nuclear wastes. When the fuel rods are used to produce heat to which raises or creates steam to generate or produce electricity, it also produces the unnecessary wastes from spent fuel items. They maybe reused for a number of times, but eventually, they would be useless and the nee d to dispose it will arise.If they don’t dispose it, it will decay in the environment, and since it is radioactive, it is highly hazardous to the health of living organisms. Possible solution. According to Fleming, â€Å"Various ideas about how to deal with them finally are current, but there is no standard, routinely-implemented practice. One option is to pack them, using remotely-controlled robots, into very secure containers lined with lead, steel and pure electrolytic copper, in which they must lie buried for millions of years in secure geological depositaries (Fleming).† A solution to this problem would be sealing these radioactive materials in a container with various elements that serves as its linings, like lead, steel and electrolytic copper. After that it would be buried in geologically secure places around the world so that it will not be disturbed while it undergoes the decaying process. But doing so is very impractical, especially now that we lack resource s for energy. It is not practical because the energy costs of making the containers made up of various metals is very great, wherein the energy usage will be equal to the same amount of energy required to build the nuclear reactor itself.For America, it is very impractical, and the problem would be where to burry those potentially dangerous containers, wherein most places in the country are inhabited by people, and they would surely disagree with the idea of doing so. The people would fear for their health the most. Pros and Cons Pros. Nuclear fission promises tremendous energy outputs, producing large amounts of energy with only a small amount of fuel. Comparing coal and uranium, it is said that one kilogram of uranium would be equal to that of about 3. 5 million kilograms of coal; the discrepancy between the two is very big.In terms of the cost in creating energy, nuclear power is as cheap as using and making coal power. Also, air pollution is not produced during the production, l ikewise with carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere, thus contributing to the worsening case of global pollution. According to McCarthy, â€Å"A major advantage of nuclear energy (and also of solar energy) is that it doesn't put carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere (McCarthy). † So we could clearly say that they’re not responsible for global warming or acid rain. Cons.Along with the usefulness of nuclear energy, underlying disastrous effects would come about. Nuclear fission of Uranium would create a lot of toxic substance that are very risky for living things. It creates poisonous wastes which are highly radioactive. Disposing of these wastes would require efficient planning and monitoring, and a hefty amount of budget. The Chernobyl accident, wherein a nuclear reactor have reached melt down was just a picture of the devastating effects of establishing nuclear reactors, especially those who are uncontained, near human settlements and establishments. It is a safety hazard for the people living near it. Establishing a nuclear reactor or power plant would require a lot of budget, even though it promises of cheaper energy, the costs of maintaining it and taking care of it until it is useless is very big. This is also prone to exploitation from those who seek power, since nuclear power is really scary and equally devastating, it could be an easy target for wrong doers and terrorists (Fleming). Summary and Integration The United States is undeniably running out of energy resources.We are being forced to import fuel for our machineries and technologies, which is why venturing on other possible sources of energy could be a move that could turn around the tables. Both Solar and Nuclear power promises and abundance of energies acquired from various means. But we shouldn’t take each other separately, since we could use both of them hand and hand. Having a lot of sources of energy could mean stability for the coming years. Applying both solar and nuclear power to the country could mean diversification in the use of resources, thus help in preserving our natural resources.We people are the ones who will benefit everything that these resources offer, provided that we use them properly. References: â€Å"Energy Situation†. 1996. March 12 2007. . â€Å"Solar Not Nuclear†. 2004. March 12 2007. . â€Å"The U. S. Press: Top Ten Nuclear Lies â€Å". 2004. March 12 2007. . Fleming, David. â€Å"Why Nuclear Power Cannot Be a Major Energy Source†. 2006. March 12 2007. . Kouchi, Roger.â€Å"Fact Sheet on Energy Situation†. 2006. March 12 2007. . McCarthy, John. â€Å"Frequently Asked Questions About Nuclear Energy†. 1995. March 12 2007. . Walker, Cameron. â€Å"The Future of Alternative Energy†. 2004. March 12 2007. . Youngquist, Walter. â€Å"Alternative Energy Sources – Myths and Realities†. 1998. March 12 2007. .

Ford to Cut New-Car Greenhouse Emissions 30% by 2020 Research Paper

Ford to Cut New-Car Greenhouse Emissions 30% by 2020 - Research Paper Example The company has failed to meet its goals that were to improve the mileage on sport-utility vehicles by the year 2005 to 25%. According to the views of Susan Cischke, although the company has failed to meet its commitments, its SUV (Sports-Utility Vehicle) mileage goals has been a blueprint demonstrating where the company wants to go and thus stated that she is confident that this time the company will be able to achieve the goal. However, Alan Mulley (Chief Executive Officer) stated that the company will try to focus upon the environmental friendly issues. According to Friends of the Earth, which is an environmental group stated that the announcements that has been made by the Ford Motors has been quite unimpressive since the stated targets of 30% reduction meets the regulatory requirements (Koenig, â€Å"Ford to Cut New-Car Greenhouse Emissions 30% by 2020 (Update4)†).   The most important point in the article that has been agreed with is the Vice President’s stateme nt that stated, the difficulties Ford Motors might face while implementing the policies of greenhouse gas emissions, however, it is not impossible task at all. The statement makes it evident that the company seems to perceive the social responsibility as an opportunity to serve the society and other participants rather than a damage control initiative. If the leader is of such views then the company as a whole can be prepared to work with the similar enthusiasm and mindset as that of the Vice  President, Susan Chischke.  

Impact of Affordable Healthcare Act on North Carolina's Uninsured Essay

Impact of Affordable Healthcare Act on North Carolina's Uninsured population - Essay Example However, the Affordable Care Act has given two percent of North Carolina’s uninsured adult parents the eligibility for Medicaid (Ronai, 2011). It has been noted that there are some North Carolinians who are eligible for coverage under Medicaid but have not enrolled partly because of historic enrolment barriers and partly because they are not aware of their eligibility. It is projected that the coverage expansion of the Affordable Care Act will reach out to more of the individuals who are eligible for cover but are still uninsured as it streamlines North Carolina’s enrolment processes thus increasing the enrolment of eligible persons for Medicaid. Uninsured North Carolinians who earn above the limit of premium tax subsidies will not be covered under the Affordable Care Act. The Affordable Care Act does not cover uninsured undocumented North Carolinian immigrants (Milstead, 2013). According to the Affordable Care Organization (ACO) concept enacted in 2010 by congress, healthcare organization can be looked at in two dimensions, the ACO and individual healthcare institutions that can constitute an ACO. One of impacts of the economics of providing care to patients from an ACO’s point of view is the demand for caution in navigating the complex formula for reimbursing its member hospitals and physicians. The complexity of this formula draws from the combination of fee-for-services under Medicare and shared-savings for hospital and physician ACO participants. ACO has an added duty of upholding accountability for the quality and cost of patient care including the overall care of its fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries. ACOs have to design legal framework that would allow for the reception and distribution of payments for shared savings to its participant physicians and hospitals. ACOs have to meet the patient-centeredness criteria provided by the Secretary including patient and caregiver assessments and provision of

Human resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Human resource Management - Essay Example In 2007 the Air Force changed its evaluation process to make it more user friendly and to achieve a system with value added characteristics. The OPR new design allows the evaluator more flexibility and the ability to provide greater feedback concerning deficiency in performance areas. It is more flexibility because it reduced the time it complete the evaluation by eliminating unnecessary narratives in the report. I like the new system because the new evaluation process provides consistency. The elimination of biased opinions makes this tool fairer for everyone so it can be utilized for promotion purposes. In the past the Air Force wasted a lot of important resources in this process, which could have been used for more useful initiatives such as employee development and training programs. There some things I do not like about the evaluation process. First of the Air Force does not provide the employees the opportunity to express their opinion about their yearly performance. Doing so would allow a more honest process in which the employee can point out the things he/she needs to improve. Such a process would allow the Air Force to better serve the long term professional needs of the employees. Johnson & Johnson is a consumer products company that specializes in healthcare products which is one of the largest global firms with over 230 operating unit locations. The firm has wealth of diverse human resources that provide a competitive advantage to Johnson & Johnson. This company follows a credo which is foundation of values and corporate culture. In 2002 the company started a new project called e-university. The e-university was created to interconnect the different operation units in order to create a centralized training and development platform. The e-university serves three main objectives: it increases learning rate, improve use of

Film Analysis of final sequence in Se7en Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Film Analysis of final sequence in Se7en - Essay Example While Mills is controlling Doe at gunpoint, Doe talks about how much he admires Mills, but does not explain why. Somerset opens the box and shrinks back in horror at the scene of the contents in the box. He runs back to advise Mills not to pay attention to Doe, but the murderer discloses that the box has Mills wife’s head. Informing that he had bought information about Mills by pretending as a tabloid reporter, Doe declares that he symbolize the sin of "Envy" as he was envious of Mills ordinary life, and murdered Tracy after unable to "play husband" with her. He then torments the distressed Mills with the information that Tracy was expecting. Somerset is powerless to control Mills as he empties his gun into Doe, becoming the incarnation of "Wrath". After a  highly shaken and dazed Mills is taken away, Somerset is asked where he will be to which he answers, "around". The most significant scene in the clip is when Doe is inciting Mills and at the same time Somerset is trying t o reason with Mills. The two distinct but overlapping voices are playing in the background and finally Mills shoots Doe. Narrative Function - The last scene brings out the remaining two sin and two bodies as told by Doe to the police. The last scene connects the dot or clues which were spread over the entire movie. Doe craves for a normal life yet feels he has to do his duty of punishing the sinners. He sees that Mills is short tempered. Doe feels he himself is a sinner as he is envious of Mills’ life. The last scene shows three people behaving completely different from one another. The sequence makes it clear to the audience why Doe turned himself in. The sequence brings out very clearly the three different personalities. Here it is seen that Mills is an emotional person while Somerset is more stable and logical. Even in dire and extreme situations Somerset chooses to think and act. Doe on the other hand is clearly shown as the patient person, who

'Sound business models are a necessary component in a healthy visual Essay

'Sound business models are a necessary component in a healthy visual arts ecology and essential for most publicly funded organ - Essay Example The focus would be on what can be changed as well as the aspects that have so far worked well in the same (Beder, 2006). In general perspectives, most of the business models that are being used in sector of visual arts are perceived as generally weak, and mostly subject to vulnerability conditions that have since hindered or even reduced to a great proportion the funding to the sector. This is a belief that is widely supported by research by various scholars who have once studied the same. For instance, most organizations in the visual arts sector are considered to have been under-capitalized, with their reserves being barely minimal to even support growth ideas and projects in the organizations. The effect of this is that the organizations can barely protect themselves from financial crisis moments in which case even the necessary reforms in the sector are thwarted. However, in real sense, such organizations if they can exploit their potentials have the capabilities to increase thei r activities hence, be able to convert some of the losses they have incurred into additional income. In this paper, I will seek to present the arguments that are against and those that are for the use of sound business models in visual arts ecology as a healthy component. The achievement of this will be made possible through the analysis of some of the obstacles that have hindered organizations from achieving their targets in ensuring that they have sound business models. The sector of visual arts is very lucrative and entails a lot of creativity hence, the need for firms that seek to invest into it to have updated and modern, sound business models that can enhance substantial growth in the same. However, like any other sector in the economic structure of a country, it is faced with challenges that have threatened to derail projects and stall development of business models intended for its use (Milne, Tregidga & Walton, 2009). Contemporary visual art world and arguments In the moder n world of visual arts, there exists a strong flavor of individualism in which the economic values for the development of such business models are enhanced. When this is considered from the perspective of a business growth concept, several problems may arise leading to its dispute. One such issue may be that by business being a collective issues, at times it may be extremely difficult for the organization to attain anything good if it does not consider or understand the value of the same. For a start, this has been the main argument against the establishment of sound business models by organizations (Ewing, 2010). The second argument against this development of business models is that while the business field warrants free entry and exit of firms and ideas, and as such just presents more challenges to businesses than solutions. For instance, it is viewed that such a free entry does not imply that the increased customer base will lead to translated high revenues by the firm (Bundy, 2 002, p.45). Consequently, even the overheads of the business and the surpluses may not necessarily imply that there will be increased business activities hence, high revenues. The opposite is always true with

Discuss how Queer Theory has challenged the theory and politics of Essay

Discuss how Queer Theory has challenged the theory and politics of feminism and lesbian and gay studies - Essay Example It has acted as the key driver of reforms and development that is female-oriented. The interests of feminism are not limited to social aspects. It cuts across social, cultural, economic aspects. Its main is to achieve equity between men and women, leading to the realization of opportunities that distributed equally between genders. Sexual identities have also taken the same direction as that taken by feminism. Although the advocacy in this case may be different, the crucial aspect to account of is sexual rights. Lesbian and gay studies have been conducted over the years. As this is done, there are emerging and changing trends in sexual identities in both and women (Green, 2007, p.26-45). Lesbians and gays have in the contemporary world become outspoken, demanding rights of recognition and identification. While some nations have embraced their demands, others have remained adamant on the illegality of the two. However, the fact that lesbians and gays are part and parcel of many societ ies in the world cannot be refuted. Queer theory is the central focus in the analysis of feminism and sexual identities, especially when it comes to lesbians and gays. Numerous studies have argued in favour or against queer theory, but it is evident that its influence in these dealings in inevitable, given the current position of feminism, lesbian and gay scenarios in the world. Queer theory traces its emergence in the 1990s, based on women studies. This theory evaluates feminism and identifies the underlying challenges in feminism. However, it not fixed to feminism theories, as it expounds its boundaries beyond the natural or unnatural. It therefore identifies that sexual identities are constructed socially through the gender aspect of the society. Studies outside the queer the theory suggest that gay and lesbian studies stems from the natural and/or unnatural aspect of a society. Queer theory on the other hand makes an extensive focus into sexual activities and identities, introdu cing normative and deviant acts or activities that are sexually based. The position held by queer theory in feminism, lesbian and gay studies is subject to challenge these studies now and in future. Challenges to these studies emanate from the continuous critique and contribution of queer theory. Studies are basically built on theories and arguments of other scholars. In order to effectively draw relevant inferences to studies, and further come up with a study that can be adopted as a reliable reference, it is important to account for the claims presented by other scholars in and outside that field. Social identities and structures are held as the primary functionality mechanisms of feminism. Queer theory is opposed to this argument, thereby holding radical change as a limited in that agenda. As a result, studies that come in that line are divided, some argument for and others against. Striking a balance to derive an optimal argument is therefore a challenge. This is because all the se arguments are backed up by relevant evidence that is drawn from real social life and sexual identities of different groups in the society. Queer theory argues that sexuality is more fluid than it is already expressed by feminism, lesbian and gay studies. It holds that sexuality is not a constrained binary of heterosexual or homosexual acts and identities (Turner, 2000, p.106-107). Theory and politics of feminism, lesbian and gay studies is consistently being forced to encompass aspects that did not factor in in its interests before.

Gays Adopting Children Essay Example for Free

Gays Adopting Children Essay Society is a flexible structure. Only this way it can serve the best way for its members. Democratic process is aimed to increase the rights of its citizens. Nowadays the theme of sexuality becomes an important social issue. Recognition of rights of homosexuals is an important process, which signifies that a lot of people are ready to express freely their sexual preferences and are ready to fight for their rights. Legalization of homosexual marriages and the right of such couples to adopt children is an important and controversial issue of our time. â€Å"Researchers estimate that the total number of children nationwide living with at least one gay parent ranges from six to 14 million† (Gottman, 105). At the present moment many countries legalized the right of lesbian and gay couples to adapt children. Such countries as Andorra, Belgium, Guam, Iceland, the Netherlands, Sweden, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom. It is also legal in some separate parts of the Australia, Canada and the United States. In the United States of America 22 states allow lesbian and gay couples to adopt children. The issue is so burning because for homosexual parents adopting becomes the only way to have a child. Even the artificial insemination can not be applied in all cases. First of all this method can be used only for lesbian couples. In addition another spouse form the couple has to adopt a child in order to become his legal parent. For gay couples this method can not be applied. In addition, adopting is a right of each person. That is the reason the question is more important than just an opportunity for homosexual couples to have children. In April 2001 Holland enlarged the definition of marriage and enabled the people of the same sex to get married. Same did Belgium in 2003. The next was Canada. Same sex couples can get married in San Francisco since February 12 of the 2004, because of an action by their mayor. The question of the legislation of homosexual marriages becomes more and more burning and needs a deep survey. There are a lot of reasons against same sex marriages. One of the reasons is that homosexual marriages contradict the tradition. The idea of homosexual marriages threats the very idea of the sanctity of the marriage. The term marriage should refer to a loving relationship between man and woman. The institution of marriage considers the union of two adults of different sex living together. For centuries the marriage was considered just between the people of the opposite sex and by now the marriage of the people of the same sex can be wrong on an evolutionary scale (Coolidge, 1997). People don’t have much faith in the marriage institutions now and the legislation of the heterosexual marriages can weaken this faith. In addition, if the homosexual marriages are legalized to protect the freedom of human why there should be other restrictions for the marriages such as marring the relative or the age of getting married? So called domino effect can cause the demand to cancel all kinds of restrictions on the marriages. If the marriages between the people of the same sex can be accepted like a demonstration of the free will of the individuals, why can’t be accepted the marriage between the brother and the sister or other close relatives? In the case of legalization of homosexual marriages we speak only about the rights of homosexual people. The issue becomes much more complicated when it comes to adopting children. In this case the rights of both, homosexual parents and the rights of adopted children should be considered. Since children are not able to express their own will during the process of adoption, the society must make an important choice deciding on the rights of children. From the other hand it is necessary to mind the right of homosexual couples, who also have their rights and desires. There are many arguments pro and contra adopting children by homosexual couples. Those who stand for giving homosexual couples this right state that all people must have rights to adopt children. If both parents are able to give their child all normal conditions for living, there is no reason to ban homosexual parents to adopt children. Those, who are against this right, state that homosexual couple will not be able to provide normal life conditions for children. In this case the question about â€Å"normality† arises. Social norms are expanded with each year. Homosexual relations, which were considered sinful and even criminal several centuries ago, become a social norm nowadays. This means that the meaning of â€Å"normal† family structure and â€Å"normal† life conditions can also be transformed with the flow of time. Those, who support an idea to give the right of adopting to homosexual couples state that many children wait for adoption and giving this right to homosexual couple would help to improve the situation. In addition specialists, who stand for the legalization of the right of homosexual couples to adopt children state that only small number of children from heterosexual families have normal life conditions. â€Å"Most children in the United States do not live with two married parents. In fact, according to the 2000 census, only 24% homes were composed of a married mother and father with children living at home. † (Green,1978, p. 19) In the case with homosexual family the children will have two parents, even if they are of the same sex. In â€Å"normal† families children often have only one parent. The proponents of legalization of adoption give data, which proves that children, grown up in one-parent and homosexual families, have same level of emotional and social adaptation as children from heterosexual families. This means that homosexuality of parents has little effect on the development of a child. As state specialists, children are more influenced by their relations with their parents and social surrounding than by the sexual orientation of their parents. Even the American Association of Paediatrics agreed with this opinion and supported the legalization of adoption. In addition, if we turn to legal issues, there is no official reasons to ban homosexual couples to adapt children. There is no special amendment in the Constitution, which would deny gay and lesbian couples their rights to adopt children. Most courts, which should make a decision concerning adopting, are be driven by the interests of a child. It is evident that for children having non-traditional family with loving parents is much better than not have any. If sexual orientation of parents has little impact on the living conditions of their children, homosexuality of parents should not be an obstacle for adopting of a child. There are no serious objections, which would prove that gay and lesbian couples will make bad parents. â€Å"Home environments with lesbian and gay parents are as likely to successfully support a childs development as those with heterosexual parents† (Schelberg, Mitnick 2006) Specialists state that here is not connection between sexual orientation and parenting skills. This means that homosexual people can be perfect parents, same as heterosexual people can be bad ones. In addition there is a legal controversy, concerning the right to adoption. Legally, even single parents have right to adopt children. Here arises a kind of controversy since one person can adopt a child but he or she can not do the same thing if he has a spouse of the same sex. Those, who stand against the legalization of homosexual’s right to adopt a child give their arguments in order to support their position. They state that homosexual environment can have an extremely negative effect on child’s development. Some researches (Golombok, Tasker) state that children, raised by homosexual parents, are more likely to adopt same patterns of sexual behaviour. In other words children, raised in homosexual families have more chances to become homosexuals as well. As Golombok and Tasker state: â€Å"by creating a climate of acceptance or rejection of homosexuality within the family, parents may have some impact on their children’s sexual experimentation as heterosexual, lesbian or gay† (Golombok, Tasker, 1993, p. 124). According to their opinion homosexual couples should not be giving a right to adoption. Sexuality is not only personal affair. It’s also social phenomenon society has to deal with. Woodhorse talks about the fortification of gender roles and restrictions to this roles brought to the social culture by transvestites. He believes that cross-dressing and transvestites make a potential danger for the society as it can lead to the displacement of gender categories and gender roles. On a social and cultural level the two groups (male and female) are equally restricted. (Woodhouse,1996, p. 117). The marriage is an institution aiming to create a family first of all and the family presumes giving birth to children. Homosexual marriage create no opportunities for natural reproduction. Modern science gave people opportunities to have children even in the same sex marriage but a number of problems appear. It’s commonly known that men and women are equal creatures and have same rights and obligations but they are not identical and usually presume different models of behavior, models of reactions and thinking. A lot of research made by scientists proves that the child needs both – a mother and a father to become a full personality (Donovan, 2001). There are some things during the upbringing which can be taken only from women’s or only from men’s behavior patters. The children raised in the homosexual families will not have the opportunity to see both –female and male behavioral patters, which can cause serious problems for their future life. In addition the children raised in a homosexual surrounding are more probably to pick up same lifestyle in the future and to copy the model of homosexual relationship. Another problem the children from the homosexual families can and most probably will come across is an attitude of the surrounding. The children can meet a social hostility from the very beginning of their social interaction due to their family background which can make more difficult the social adaptation in the future (Stone 2006). A lot of homosexual couples meet social and religious disapproval but they have chosen their type of behavior themselves and must be responsible for their decisions. The children raised in the homosexual families do not have this choice. Negative attitude of the church to same sex marriages can create additional problems for children. Another problem appears with the children, adopted by gay couples. The patters of family behavior, which are presented in homosexual families, are very different from patterns, peculiar to heterosexual families. This issue is very important since children most probably will adapt the type of relations they see in their family. Homosexual relations usually are thought to be not traditional ones and talking about sexuality in this type of relations is difficult due to the multiple variations of these relations. There are a lot of distinctions between homosexual and heterosexual relationships. Complementary nature of the most heterosexual relations is not so evident in homosexual ones. In most of the homosexual relations there is a division, which is expressed more directly in heterosexual relations. In homosexual relations two people take different roles. Usually, in both, female and male homosexual relationship there are active and passive partners. The roles may change but usually the division to active and passive partner is saved and this relation is usually transmitted to other spheres of life of the couple. Passive partner usually takes female roles in sex and everyday behaviour. An active partner plays the role of the man accordingly. There are derivations in the models of homosexual relations. Tapinc (1992) distinguishes four additional models of homosexual relations. In the first model both males are homosexual. This is one of traditional homosexual models. â€Å"The homosexual mail pair consists of the erastes and the eromenos, ‘lover’ and ‘beloved’; we can infer an active/passive division, but strictly speaking these are not examples of inserter/receptor terminology. (Norton, p. 2002 5) Homosexual male relations are rarely monogamous. Journal of Sex Research made a study of the sexual profiles of 2,583 older homosexuals. â€Å"Research found that only 2. 7 percent claimed to have had sex with one partner only. Research elsewhere indicated that only a few homosexual relationships last longer than two years, with many men reporting hundreds of lifetime partners† (Bozett 1993, p. 112). This way if homosexual parents get an opportunity to adopt children, this most probably will result in the transformation of the role and functions of family. Children, grown up in such untraditional families with untraditional family values, will use this model in their future families. This may result in the increase of the families with untraditional family values. Possible consequences of this phenomenon are very hard to predict. To sum up, there are many reasons for and against adopting children by gay and lesbian couples, There is no one definite opinion concerning this issue. The debates concerning this subject are hold in several spheres, such as religions, social and political ones. A lot of important factors should be considered in order to take a right decision concerning this issue. Adopting concerns the rights of both – children and homosexual couples and decision should the best way serve to the interests of both sides. References 1. Atlanta Journal-Constitution, (2002, Oct 4). NA. Retrieved February 19, 2008, from Database. Gale Power Search. 2 . Bailey, J. M. , Bobrow, D. , Wolfe, M. Mikach, S. (1995), Sexual orientation of adult sons of gay fathers, Developmental Psychology, 31, 124-129; 3. Bozett, F. W. (1987). Children of gay fathers, F. W. Bozett (Ed. ), Gay and Lesbian Parents (pp. 39-57), New York: Praeger; 4. Coolidge, David Orgon, (March 1997). Same-Sex Marriage? Baehr v. Miike and the Meaning of Marriage, South Texas Law Review, 38:1-119 5. Davidson, Arnold (1987) ‘Sex and the emergence of sexuality’, Critical Inquiry, 14 (Autumn), 16-48, reprinted in 6. Stein, Edward (ed. ), Forms of desire (1992, 1990), 89-132. 7. Donovan, (2001,Sept 14). Judge upholds Florida ban on gay adoption. National Catholic Reporter, p. 37, 39. 8. Gay rights. The Advocate, (2002, April 30). p. 18(1). 9. Gottman, J. S. (1991), Children of gay and lesbian parents, F. W. Bozett M. B. Sussman, (Eds. ), Homosexuality and Family Relations (pp. 177-196), New York: Harrington Park Press; 10. Golombok, S. , Spencer, A. , Rutter, M. (1983), Children in lesbian and single-parent households: psychosexual and psychiatric appraisal, Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 24, 551-572; 11. Green, R. (1978), Sexual identity of 37 children raised by homosexual or transsexual parents, American Journal of Psychiatry, 135, 692-697; Huggins, S. L. 12. Lewin, Tamar (2001, August 31). Court backs Florida ban on adoption by gays. The New York Times, p. A14 13. Stone, Andrea (2006, Feb 21). Drives to ban gay adoption heat up. USA Today, p. 01A. 14. Schelberg, Neal S. and Carrie L. Mitnick, (2004). Same-Sex Marriage: the Evolving Landscape for Employee Benefits,

Types Of Films And Films Narrative Essay Example for Free

Types Of Films And Films Narrative Essay Fiction something that does not exist in real life; Contrasted with Documentary films, Fiction does not purport to deal with factual information. However, there are also Documentary-Fiction combinations like in the JFK film. In JFK, the filmmaker incorporated found footage to give it a semblance of reality.   Ask your classmates for a show of hands, who has watched JFK? Documentary Please refer to the table above for the distinctions. Ask your classmates for documentaries that they have watched and point out the devices employed by these documentaries they volunteered.   Briefly discuss how The Blair Witch Project is of the subgenre, mockumentary, to supplement the discussion in the Film Art book. Ask questions about the accuracy and reliability of documentaries. Discuss the impact of Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth as a popularized documentary for the purpose of environmental advocacy. Ask your classmates if they find documentaries convincing or just bordering on propaganda? Why is Michael Moore a controversial figure? Animation Please refer to the table above for the distinctions. Ask your classmates for animated films that they have watched and point out the devices employed by these animated they volunteered.   To supplement the book discussion, mention the other concepts and subgenres under animation such as: rotoscoping technique (like in Richard Linklater’s films, Waking Life and A Scanner Darkly), Japanese anime films (Voltes V, Daimos, Princess Mononoke), Computer Graphics Interface (CGI like Finding Nemo, Happy Feet, iMAX 3D animated features) in contrast to old celluloid techniques (manually drawing and painting on celluloid sheets that are overlapped and shot frame by frame). See more: how to start a narrative essay Experimental and Avant-Garde Please refer to the table above for the distinctions. Ask your classmates for experimental films that they have watched and point out the devices employed by these experimental films they volunteered. Discuss the Japanese-American film, Eiga Zuke, or Pickled Film, through the technique employed by the filmmaker. Here, the abstract splotches were created by soaking the negative in â€Å"pickling agents† before processing it into film stock. Experimental films generally have no rules, emphasizing self-expression and exploratory techniques. Ask your classmates what kind of experimentation they would eventually like to try in their own films in the future? Defining Genres: (Mental Note: Picture S-T-E-M, Subject, Theme, Emotional Effect, Manner of Presentation) Subject: Give an example of a film with a specific subject, like a biography, the subject is the life of the protagonist.   Theme: Give an example, like a Western, where the theme is resolving conflict between law and order forces, versus outlaws, bandits or Indian communities. Distinct Emotional Effect like in Horror movies and thrillers, these are calculated to make the audience feel horrified. These films challenge the sensibilities of what the audience perceives as normal. Manner of presentation: Give an example of a film, like a Musical, where the characters clearly engage in singing and dancing to communicate aspects of the plot Always remember that Genre Mixing is common and that there are certain innovations in film that challenge the preconceived notions established in that genre. This is a reflection of the social process that includes a transforming social milieu. For example, the film Aliens, portrays Ripley as a strong feminist character who is also a caring mother. Chapter 4: NARRATIVE AS A FORMAL SYSTEM STATE: The Story-Plot distinction suggests that you want to give someone a synopsis of a narrative film, you can proceed in 2 ways: 1. Summarize the story, starting from the earliest incident which the plot cues you, then infer straight through to the end.2. Tell the plot, starting with the first incident you encountered in watching the film 3 Aspects of Narrative: (Mental Note: Picture Ca-T-S , Causality, Time, Space) Narration: the Flow of Story Information Openings, Closings and Patterns of Development Refer to the table to discuss the distinctions and cite examples from the book. In the classical Hollywood narrative, the chain of actions that result from predominantly psychological causes tends to motivate most or all other narrative events. if the characters did not desire something to be different from the way it is at the beginning of the narrative, change would not occur. Discuss a short excerpt from the Citizen Kane film and analyzes the aspects by showing them the plot segmentation in the book. Integrate all the concepts discussed so far in the Citizen Kane class discussion. Don’t forget to thank your audience after your presentation. Works Cited Bordwell, D. and Kristin Thompson. â€Å"Types of Films.† Film Art: An Introduction. Location: Publisher, Year. 42-61 Bordwell, D. and Kristin Thompson. â€Å"Narrative as a Formal System.† Film Art: An Introduction. Location: Publisher, Year. 89-113