The Melting Pot By The American Dream Essay - 1660 Words

Since the great land of North America had been conquered by the British, it had been called as a big â€Å"melting pot† for many years. Wave after wave of immigrants with different ethnic backgrounds, birthplaces, cultures and heritages moved to this fresh, new land for an identical purpose ---- the divine â€Å"American Dream.† Generations of immigrants who have different faces and skin colors melted and reformed together in this homogenous broth. They cast of their unique cultural identities during the process of the assimilation. They became indistinguishable in the society when they surrendered their abilities of making diverse ethnical contributions to the country. Although the metaphor of â€Å"the Melting Pot† is still true in America today, the poisoned system is pushing the society to the edge of racial discrimination. Thus, it is time to put an end on it and reform a cultural mosaic in order to rescue the society from being too cultural homogenous. Alth ough the â€Å"Melting Pot† society gives everyone a strong sense of national identity to be a true American, it rationalizes racism and intolerance in the country. Minorities who are maladaptive to the culture have much greater risks of being racially discriminated against and unwelcomed by other majorities. In other words, all newcomers must adapt to the main American culture, regardless their different cultural backgrounds and skin colors. Otherwise they will find America is a difficult place to live. This invisible rule indulgesShow MoreRelatedNew York : A Cultural Melting Pot, And The American Dream2234 Words   |  9 PagesArthur Miller New York is a cultural melting pot, and the American Dream is intertwined with the identity of the city. Born on October 17,1915, Arthur Miller grew up in the vivacious immigrant neighborhoods of Harlem and Brooklyn (Rollyson and Sterling 1). Miller’s father withdrew from family life after his business failed in the Great Depression, and the image of a failed father figure scarred Miller’s psyche forever (Rosefeldt and Sherman 1). To Miller, the Great Depression was a watershed eventRead MoreAmeric The American Dream936 Words   |  4 Pagesto become an American. As well, the american dream brings many other people from other nations, however, religion isn’t similar, people had separate religions which may cause a dispute in the â€Å"Melting Pot Theory†. Furthermore, the American Dream has many different meanings for everyone, the concept of the American dream started out in the 1930’s and there was a book written about this concept. 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Immigrants are people who were born in different countries who migrate to Read MoreAnalysis Of The Godfather Part 2734 Words   |  3 Pagesby himself with no money and few personal items. He worked hard, in legal ways, to get himself off the ground. He then became a Don, and did some very illegal things to start a mafia and get rich. I find it interesting that he experienced the American Dream in two totally different ways. I agree and share some of his drive and passion to be successful and to achieve goals. I do not however think that the means he used were the smartest, but he ma de up for that by being extremely clever and avoidingRead MoreThe Effects Of Immigration On The United States887 Words   |  4 Pagesthe years, but it does not hide the fact that the American Dream still acts as a beacon to foreigners. People believe coming to America is the key to a better life. With the overflow of our new neighbors, we transform from a single society into a mixture of several cultures. Immigration is causing America to become a tossed salad society (a society in which ethnic and racial groups maintain separate identities, with no dominant culture) which Americans should acknowledge, because it is our own unyieldingRead MoreWhat Makes A Person American?1081 Words   |  5 Pagesand controversies. There is a word that we are familiar with: American Identity. What makes a person American? Michael Jay Friedman once wrote in his article, â€Å"Americans have defined themselves not by their racial, religious, and ethnic identity, but by their common values and belief in individual freedom (America in Context).† America is a multicultural land with different cultures all fused into a big melting pot. 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Leading the public to the point where they strive to prove their differences just to stand out and make a name. One demographic, African Americans, have been trying to reconnect to their native heritage after being stripped from their identity year s ago. From their traditions, how they

Blackpool the Las Vegas of Lancashire Free Essays

Blackpool is the original seaside destination and a model for other hotspots like Coney Island and Atlantic City (Jerde Partnership, 2003). Blackpool still remains the largest seaside resort in the UK but since the 1990s Blackpool has experienced a 30% drop in tourism (Jerde Partnership, 2003). Blackpool Borough Council commissioned EDAW together with experienced architects The Jerde Partnership to prepare a masterplan for central Blackpool. We will write a custom essay sample on Blackpool: the Las Vegas of Lancashire? or any similar topic only for you Order Now The need for the masterplan was clear, to transform the seaside resort from slow and steady decline to a future of achievable and sustained growth (EDAW, 2003). This report looks at where Blackpool has come from, where it is now and where it hopes to be. It will evaluate the effectiveness of Blackpool’s strategy, examining the expectations and demands of the stakeholders. If will also examine the support of the proposed actions plans by the stakeholders and the local community. History Blackpool takes its name from ‘le pull’, a stream which drains Marton Mere and Marton Moss into the sea. The stream runs through peat lands which discolour the water hence the name Black Poole (Blackpool Borough Council, 2003). In the late 1700s Blackpool was frequented by the landed gentry following a national craze for sea bathing and the drinking of seawater (Blackpool Borough Council, 2003). The building of the Preston and Wyre railway in 1840 provided cheap excursion trains to Blackpool from industrial Lancashire, making Blackpool a destination for thousands of visitors from Lancashire and Yorkshire. By the late 1800s Blackpool’s visitors were predominately the working classes from Lancashire and Yorkshire rather than the gentry. Blackpool was seen as ‘the Playground of the Industrial Revolution’: a town that grew rich on traditional Wakes Weeks (Blackpool Borough Council, 2003). The development of the resort’s entertainment attractions began in the 1890s to provide facilities for the 35,000 resident population together with approximately 250,000 annual visitors (Blackpool Borough Council, 2003). Illuminated trams were first seen in Blackpool in 1897 as part of the Jubilee celebrations but static illuminations did not appear until 1912 (Blackpool Borough Council, 2003). BASELINE DATA Blackpool has high levels of social and economic deprivation. Blackpool was ranked 32nd on the index of multiple deprivation out of 354 districts in England in 2000 (ODPM, 2003). Seven of Blackpool’s wards are in the 10% most deprived in England, this equates to 32% of Blackpool’s population (approximately 40,000 people). Tourism continues to be the major employer in the region, 88% of employment is in the service sector, linked to tourism and leisure. Blackpool has a lower gross domestic product (à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½7,383 per head) than Liverpool (à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½9,352 per head), which has European Objective 1 status. Blackpool’s small manufacturing sector, accounts for 10% of jobs, has suffered a decline in recent years. Local specialisms are in vehicles, food and drink and plastics, with nationally known firms including TVR Sports Cars, Horizon Biscuits and Glasdon UK Ltd. Blackpool is also an important administrative centre, accommodating large national and regional office headquarters such as the National Savings (‘Ernie’) and the Department of Social Security (Blackpool Borough Council, 2003). Despite this Blackpool has lacked major investment and is very run down with a large number of houses, hotels and guesthouses in multiple occupation (HMO), particularly for benefit claimants. It also has very poor sea water quality and polluted beaches. Blackpool’s population has risen from 473 in 1801 to 3,707 in 1861, by 1901 it had reached 47,348 and 101,553 by 1931. The population of Blackpool has now steadied at around 150,000. With a population of 4,366 per kmà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½, Blackpool is more densely populated than Liverpool or Manchester. Outside of London, only Portsmouth is more densely populated (Blackpool Challenge Partnership, 2002). Blackpool has a high proportion of economically inactive people with 27.8% of the population retired compared with 18.9% nationally and 5.3% unemployment compared to a UK average of 3.3% (Blackpool Borough Council, 2003). There are also between 2,000 and 3,000 homeless people in Blackpool (Blackpool Challenge Partnership, 2002). In 1989 a national survey found that 4,190,000 holidaymakers stayed in the resort and 12,590,000 people came on day or evening trips (Blackpool Borough Council, 2003). Over the years there has been a significant shift in holiday patterns with more people using self-catering accommodation and many more people visiting the resort for day or evening trips or short breaks (Blackpool Borough Council, 2003). The bulk of visitors come from social groups C D (manual skilled and non-skilled) with limited disposable income with the majority still coming from Lancashire, Yorkshire and Scotland. THE WAY FORWARD: BLACKPOOL’S OPTIONS * Do nothing (product continues to decline) * Upgrade existing facilities (prolong product life cycle but remain in same market area) * Radical change (move into new market area with new product) BLACKPOOL’S VISION AND MASTERPLAN Blackpool will be recognised as a vibrant, inclusive, healthy, safe and prosperous town where visitors and residents share the common goal of Blackpool being the number one visitor destination in the UK (BCP, 2003) ‘If Blackpool is to survive and prosper, it must find ways in which it can once again become internationally competitive as a destination resort.’ (Marc W. Etches, Managing Director, Leisure Parcs Ltd) Stakeholder Expectations. The key stakeholder groups for the renaissance of Blackpool are public bodies, private sector organisations and members of the public community groups. The following identifies some of the principal members of the stakeholder groups: Public Bodies * Blackpool Borough Council * The Blackpool Challenge Partnership (also the Borough L.S.P) * North-West Development Agency/Lancashire West Partnership * The European Union * The Government (SRB) and Government Office for the North-West * North-West Tourist Board English Tourism Council * Blackpool Fylde College * The Gaming Review Board * Lancashire Constabulary Private Sector * Banking industry * Blackpool Airport * Blackpool Chamber of Trade * Blackpool Pleasure Beach * Blackpool Seasonal Traders Association * Blackpool Town Centre Forum * Casino Resort Operators * Conference organisers * Construction companies * Consultants (to develop deliver proposals) * Entertainment industry * Holiday operators travel agents * ICT industry * Leisure Parcs (owners of Blackpool Tower, the Sea Life Centre, the Three Piers and the Wintergardens) * Local national press * Service industry (hotels, catering) * Transport industry Community Groups/Members Of The Public * Blackpool Coalition against Gaming Expansion * Blackpool Diocese * Existing visitors to Blackpool * Future new visitors to Blackpool * Population of Blackpool These groups will comprise mainly those with an interest in developing the new Blackpool ‘product’ (supply side) and those which will constitute the demand for the Blackpool product. However, market competitors will also be less direct stakeholders in Blackpool – these could include competitor resort casino operators (Las Vegas, Australia’s Gold Coast, Sun City) and other ‘mini-break’ destinations (Center Parcs, Euro Disney, Amsterdam, Dublin etc.) and UK weekend-break destinations (Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle, London etc.) Since achieving the new Blackpool product will require huge and comprehensive changes to the physical and economic make-up of the borough, the process will require both a clear vision and a robust business plan, supported by the many stakeholders. Moreover, it will require a credible leader with the necessary skills, experience drive and determination to realise the vision. There are likely to be significant obstacles to achieving the new Blackpool, therefore a strong leader will essential in order to retain the support and enthusiasm of all the projects varied stakeholders. In order to gain extensive stakeholder support for the new Blackpool, their (probably) disparate expectations must be recognised and subsequently acted upon. Once stakeholders have been identified, a process of consultation should take place to discover what they want Blackpool to be. This will inform the visioning exercise and if stakeholder views are acted on, assist in building consensus. With a large range of stakeholders, it would be appropriate to adopt a flexible and multi-faceted approach to consultation; different methods (exhibitions, ‘listening’ events, newspaper articles, focus groups, public meetings, questionnaires) would be geared to the natures of the various stakeholders. In reality, this is what Blackpool has done. The lead organisation for the project, The Blackpool Masterplan, is the Blackpool Challenge Partnership (since 2002 also the Local Strategic Partnership LSP for the Borough). The key funding for driving the Masterplan forward through development and on to delivery is à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½20,000,000 of SRB6, secured in late 2000 and à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½X million in EDZ money from the European Union, secured in 2001. As part of the bid process, the partnership undertook a significant amount of consultation via the Let’s Talk Campaign. This included: * A 2-page questionnaire prepared by the Blackpool Town Centre Forum and sent out to more than 500 shops, pubs, clubs, banks and building societies (results indicated that 91% of respondents supported the Masterplan); * Focus groups and telephone canvassing of a random sample of 600 local people, undertaken by a specialist market research consultancy; * Meetings with specific groups (e.g. churches, youth organisations). Since securing the SRB6 funding, a comprehensive package of projects are being developed and delivered to bring broad social and economic benefits to Blackpool, as well as the development of the Vision Masterplan. The Marketing Plan. (2 Vision Statements – which is confusing!) The Vision statement is that ‘Blackpool will be a Vibrant, Inclusive Healthy, Safe and Prosperous Town.’ As with many municipal vision statements, this in my opinion, is both vague and all encompassing and therefore not particularly useful (no measurable targets, so how do you know how to get there?). However, it gives a positive message which few stakeholders are likely to disagree with. The vision aims to provide a better quality of life for people in Blackpool by revitalising the tourism industry. The key strands for realising this vision are: * Building ‘state of the art’ conference facilities; * Radically improving the hotel offer (more quality 3 and 4 star hotels); * Revamping existing attractions and revitalising the entertainment offer; * Creating an internationally recognised centre for tourism and casino training; * Tackling crime, especially burglary and car crime; * Improving the health of people in Blackpool through a range of initiatives; * Improving education outcomes and community learning opportunities. Building on existing physical and social regeneration funded through SRB2, the new Blackpool would be achieved through a series of projects and thematic activities. However, at the centre of the regeneration programme is the aim to improve the quality of life for local people by increasing local economic growth through enhanced tourism activity. And the hub of this plan is the proposal to create a purpose built conference centre and resort casino in the centre of Blackpool. Marketing Objectives. The Masterplan sets out the marketing approach for Blackpool. Since this has been developed; through extensive consultation with stakeholders, it would seem fair to say it reflects the broad wishes of most stakeholders (even the Blackpool Diocese†¦). Obvious objectors would be the anti-gaming lobbyists. The Masterplan sets out how radical physical changes coupled with capital investment will transform the town, making it attractive to new market sectors (i.e. visitors who will spend more money. So although Blackpool has undergone notable economic regeneration and diversification during the past decade, by SRB2 funding, the economy is still largely dependent on tourism (Source?) . However, with the current tourism offer in decline, the Blackpool ‘product’ will need to undergo change in order to prosper(Source?) . Given that the town has so much existing experience and infrastructure based around tourism, the obvious theme for economic regeneration would be to deliver an improved tourism offer that meets current market demand, therefore bringing more money into the town. This is exactly what Blackpool is doing – instigating a comprehensive, economic regeneration programme, led by tourism. This is complemented by two further themes of physical improvements and to benefit the socially excluded sector of Blackpool’s population. The latter would be principally around housing, health, education, training and entry to employment. Set out in the Blackpool Masterplan, the hub of the vision for the new Blackpool product is the development of 3 (?) resort casino hotels with associated purpose built conference facilities as well as broad appeal leisure facilities. These would include shops, restaurants, cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s, bars, cinemas, theatres and a large leisure pool. Since poor weather is currently a visitor deterrent, these facilities would be covered to allow for all year round use. Moreover, covered links are proposed to key existing attractions, such as the Pleasure Beach funfair. Access issues have already been partially addressed. In 1995 the new Blackpool Airport terminal building was opened and passenger number increased from 50,000 in 2002 to a projected 250,000 in 2003. This increase is principally due to the introduction of daily Ryanair flights to London Stansted and Dublin. Part of the forward programme of improvements are safer car parks and a modernised tram system. Bit more on resort casinos†¦ Associated economic benefits in Blackpool†¦ Associated economic benefits to the region†¦ Critical analysis of the Blackpool Masterplan STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES * Blackpool product radically transformed * Broad stakeholder support * Builds on existing strengths * Comprehensive regeneration package(economic, physical and social elements) * The product would be first of its kind in UK * Proposals too radical? * Timescale issues * Funding issues * No casino operator secured * New gambling bill not enacted until 2006 at the earliest * Planning issues * Old Blackpool image might remain; will new market sectors want to come to Blackpool? What happens if the gaming laws don’t change? Blackpool Council leader Roy Fisher has stated that ‘ We believe the relaxation of the gaming laws will happen, which is why we’re trying to harness the positive potential of that development now. However, casinos are just one facet of the wide ranging draft masterplan that includes building a host of other new attractions and facilities. Rest assured, the council is absolutely committed to a major programme of regeneration for Blackpool. With or without casinos, we are determined that Blackpool will be transformed once again into a destination of truly national and international calibre.’ (Blackpool Today, 2003). In addition to this the Jerde Partnership (2003) acknowledge that the gaming reforms are an important ingredient in Blackpool’s strategy but they are not required for success COMPETITORS U.K. * Seaside resorts (e.g. Southport, Lytham, Brighton, Scarborough) * City-break destinations (e.g. Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, London) * Mini-break destinations (e.g. Centre Parcs) * Conference centres (e.g. Harrogate, Brighton, Bournemouth) * Theme Parks (e.g. Alton Towers, Lightwater Valley, Legoland, Chessington) * ‘Hen Stag’ destinations (e.g. Nottingham, Chester, York, Newcastle) Abroad. * Casino resorts (e.g. Las Vegas, Sun City, Gold Coast) * Theme Parks (Euro Disney, Disneyworld Orlando, Disneyland Los Angeles) * Package holiday destinations (e.g. Spain, Greece, Tenerife, Florida) * Conference destinations in other European cities * ‘Hen Stag’ destinations (e.g. Dublin, Amsterdam, Prague, Barcelona) CONCLUSIONS * Blackpool needs radical change since the present product , principally a tourism offer, is at the end of its lifecycle and in serious decline * New product / new market * Comprehensive marketing plan * Balance of realism and informed risk taking How to cite Blackpool: the Las Vegas of Lancashire?, Papers

The Body Shop International Inc. Essay Sample free essay sample

The organic structure shop international inc. is a big decorative industry with several subdivisions in over 50 states. The organic structure store is known for the production of vegetable based merchandises. it besides produces merchandises from bees wax. hence it’s non strictly a vege based company. The organic structure store uses the undermentioned selling techniques: This a major technique that the house uses in hiking its gross and selling subdivision particularly the recent production of the bee wax after shaving pick which has boosted the sale of several other merchandises. The house ensures that the merchandises met clients demands at all times. hence they tend to convey in merchandises that appear to be of involvement to the clients on any given season. The organisation aims at happening valuable resources to its merchandises in other words the chief end of the organic structure store selling section is to happen clients who will truly put in the company’s merchandises. We will write a custom essay sample on The Body Shop International Inc. Essay Sample or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The organic structure shop links with other smaller cosmetics stores so that they can provide them with merchandises at times in big measures. ( degree Celsius ) Separation from rivals There are several decorative stores in about all states. The Body store has structured techniques to portray its singularity from its rivals. The store besides has selling forces who do non avoid countries where there are several rivals alternatively they act separately in marketing their merchandises ; the ground behind this is the alone production and packaging of their merchandises. The organic structure store concentrates on quality and non merely on the low cost of production. It ensures that all its merchandises run into the set criterions of quality. Most of the shop’s merchandises are said to be of high quality in production and packaging. The directors guarantee the monetary value is non the chief determinate of their gross revenues but alternatively quality is the cardinal end. The organic structure store recognizes the alterations in engineering and client demands. Hence it ensures that merchandises are non stagnated. The selling section carries out research semi-annually to happen the alterations in consumer penchant which should be incorporated in the shop’s production. I would therefore feel save to do the undermentioned recommendations refering the Body store selling schemes: Though the organisation has several marketing techniques. it can better its gross revenues by bring forthing merchandises in broad assortments and in different costs. Equally much as the company concentrates on quality it should guarantee their goods see the broad differences in income and the different buying powers of the clients. Hence they should besides bring forth goods which have low monetary values. Mention:

What Is Eating Gilbert Grape Review (for a Special Ed Class) Essay Example

What Is Eating Gilbert Grape Review (for a Special Ed Class) Paper Summary Written by Peter Hedges, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape is the story of the Grape family, which consists of Gilbert, Amy, Arnie, Ellen, and Bonnie. The movie is narrated by Gilbert Grape. Arnie is one of the main characters in the movie. Arnie is a 17-year-old male who shows signs of having Mental Retardation and Autism. Throughout the majority of the movie, Arnie is looking forward to the birthday party his family is going to be throwing for him for his 18th birthday. The movie is based on how the members of the Grape family are affected by Arnie’s disabilities, and the daily struggles they go through while caring for a family member with disabilities. All of Arnie’s siblings help out, but Gilbert does the majority of the work when it comes to caring for Arnie. Gilbert takes Arnie to work with him at the local grocery store, gives him his bath on a daily basis, and is always looking after him. Although, sometimes, Gilbert does not watch his brother close enough and he usually ends up climbing the water tower in town or is getting into some other kind of trouble. We will write a custom essay sample on What Is Eating Gilbert Grape Review (for a Special Ed Class) specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on What Is Eating Gilbert Grape Review (for a Special Ed Class) specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on What Is Eating Gilbert Grape Review (for a Special Ed Class) specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Gilbert Grape was the one appointed to caring for Arnie since he is the only man left in the house since Mr. Grape committed suicide seven years ago. Mr. Grape’s death left their mother, Bonnie, severely depressed and morbidly obese. Bonnie has not left the house in seven years, and her weight has left her incapable of caring for Arnie for years. Although it is obvious that Bonnie does feel guilty about leaving the care of Arnie completely up to her children, it is at times apparent throughout the movie that Bonnie and the children make it sound like Arnie may be the cause behind the death of Mr. Grape and the reason for the depression and current condition of their mother. It is evident throughout the movie the stress the Grape family is under. They are always arguing, and all of their arguments seem to revolve around one thing; Arnie. Accuracies, Inaccuracies, Stereotypes In What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, there were many things about the movie that were very truthful. The performance of Arnie Grape, played by Leonardo DiCaprio was very believable and consistent throughout the entire film. His portrayal of an individual with disabilities was spot on and I believe that anyone familiar with working with individuals with disabilities similar to Arnie’s would be proud of DiCaprio’s performance in the movie. Also, the second accuracy within the film was the way that the family sometimes treated Arnie like he was a nuisance. At times, families with a child who has a disability feel as though their child is nothing but a large burden to their life. As sad as it may sound, it is the truth in most cases; and it was very true especially with the Grape family. It was obvious at times throughout the movie that Arnie did have a negative impact on the lives of the members of the Grape family and sometimes they just did not want to be bothered because it was just too much for them. I believe that that is accurate because anyone who cares for a family member with a disability needs a break sometimes, and without the occasional break or help from another family member, it can be very strenuous to one’s own health. One of the most ridiculous inaccuracies that were stated in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape happened within the first couple minutes of the movie when Gilbert, the narrator, says that the Doctor said that Arnie would not live past the age of 10, and that he could now go any day now. Having a disability is not a death sentence, and even though the movie was set back in the early 1990’s, I don’t think doctor’s views on developmental disabilities such as Arnie’s have changed much since that time. There are many things that can be done for an individual with developmental disabilities as long as they are taken care of properly. Another inaccuracy in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape is that several times throughout the movie, Arnie’s younger sister, Ellen calls Arnie crazy. Individuals with disabilities are not crazy. Sure, they may do things out of the ordinary, or do things that we as regular people may not find acceptable to do, but that does not make them crazy, it just makes them different from us. Everyone is different from each other in one way or another, but that definitely does not make them crazy. Although, Arnie does do things over and over again, such as climbing the water tower in town, and does not learn from being reprimanded, but that in the least does not make him crazy. Also, another inaccuracy I would like to point out from the movie is when his family member’s think and say that Arnie is totally helpless. Although, in some cases, this may be a true statement, in Arnie’s case, it is not true at all. He is able to do many things on his own. He is very capable of finding the water tower on his own, he is able to speak and express his wants and needs clearly, and he is also able to communicate clearly with others. There were quite a few stereotypes in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, and most of them were very common among people today. Like for example, when Arnie climbed the water tower and the police decided to arrest him, they thought that he should have known better. Although, he was told numerous times before not to climb the water tower, for an individual with a disability, it is not an easy concept to grasp, and individuals with developmental disabilities more often than not do not understand right from wrong. Also, when arresting Arnie, they do not take his disability into consideration whatsoever. They were very rough with him and very rude as well. Another stereotype that was cast upon Arnie in the movie was when Gilbert was with his friends as the restaurant and Arnie was playing the pinball machine. He was being very verbal while he was playing the game, and many of the other patrons eating in the restaurant were staring at him as though no one else would be excited if they won a game or upset that they lost. They sort of glance at him like he has some sort of horrible disease, but much to their dismay, he is just as normal as the common folk. Take-away Message In the movie there are quite a few negative scenarios that could leave many viewers who are unfamiliar with individuals with disabilities with a bad taste in their mouths. One of the take-away messages that one may get from What’s Eating Gilbert Grape is that it is acceptable to yell and reprimand an individual with disabilities in public. This could not be further from the truth. This could have been taken from the scene where Ellen is watching Arnie, and he is headed toward the water tower and in her attempts to stop him, she pulls him down to the ground by his shirt, and proceeds to yell and scream at him like he is an animal. She also hits and kicks him while he is lying on the ground. This is a very negative thing for anyone to witness and it could not be further from the truth. Another message that people could have taken-away from the movie is that many family members and caregivers for individuals and family members with disabilities will eventually leave the family due to frustrations, commit suicide, or hit their disabled child. This is a very untruthful statement as well. Even though Mr. Grape did commit suicide and in the movie, the children and Bonnie do casually mention that it is because of Arnie that Mr. Grape is dead, it is not said for sure. Many people choose to be caregivers for individuals with disabilities and do it for their entire lives. It takes a special person to take care of a person with disabilities, and it takes a lot of time and patience, and without that, you will most likely be an unsuccessful caregiver. There are certain characteristics that a caregiver for a person with a disability must hold, and if you lack any of those characteristics, you will most likely not be able to handle the stress of caring for a person or child who is disabled. In addition to the ones mentioned before, another common take away message is that all individuals with disabilities are â€Å"crazy†. This was covered in another part of my paper, but it applies here as well. When Ellen calls her brother â€Å"crazy† numerous times throughout the movie, it makes people who are not familiar with disabilities wonder â€Å"are people with disabilities really crazy? † and the answer is no, they are not. Although there are many different kinds of disabilities out there, the disabilities that Arnie has do not make him crazy. There is not any time during the movie where Arnie shows any signs of being â€Å"crazy†. He is just a typical teenage boy who needs a little more help than others at times. Last but not least, the last take away message from the movie is that all persons with disabilities constantly misbehave and need to be under constant 24 hour supervision. This is not true in any sense of the word. There any many independent individuals who have disabilities who have their own apartments, have jobs, pay their own bills, and do not need any help or supervision whatsoever. Just because Arnie needs to be watched closely so he does not get into trouble does not mean that every single individual with a disability needs to be supervised with a close eye at all times. Every person and every disability is unique, and every person deals with their disability in a unique way. Some individuals with disabilities are able to go out and live completely independent lives, where others may need to live with a parent, caregiver, or roommate forever. It just depends solely on the individual. Likes, Dislikes, Changes In What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, there were a lot of things that were definitely likable about the movie. For one, the reality of the family and community setting where the movie took place. Also, the acting of DiCaprio as Arnie who was a teenager with developmental disabilities was exceptionally realistic. In addition, the reactions that the people in the community had to Arnie and his sometimes impulsive and irrational behaviors were very similar to the reactions people would have to an individual with disabilities out in the community today. Another thing that was much desired about What’s Eating Gilbert Grape was the fact that it probably opened the eyes of many people who thought it was out of the ordinary for parents to keep their disabled child and care for them and not send them away and institutionalize them. I believe that it made many people realize that it is normal for families to keep and care for their child whether it has a disability or not. Lastly, the movie also sent out a very positive and important message to viewers that could make many people feel more comfortable with people who care for individuals with disabilities, individuals with disabilities themselves, and giving the people who care for such individuals more credit for the hard work that they do. Some of the dislikes in the movie What’s Eating Gilbert Grape were the way the family and the community sometimes treated Arnie. Even though, that is the way it actually is at times, it is still unnecessary to treat anyone, disabled or not, disrespectfully and rudely. Throughout the movie, there were several scenarios where Arnie was treated with much disrespect. Although, that is how many individuals who are like Arnie are treated in today’s society, it is not acceptable and very terrible. Another dislike of the movie was the part of the movie where Gilbert was so frustrated with everything in his life, and had all of his emotions built up and he took it all out on Arnie and he hit him. Although, everyone gets angry at times, it is never acceptable to hit someone else, especially someone like Arnie who is unable of properly defending themselves. It may have been a very honest and true situation to see a family member with a child or sibling with a disability struggle through; there are plenty of other ways that Gilbert could have effectively expressed his emotions without hitting Arnie. He was under a lot of stress from the rest of his family, but that was no reason for him to take it out on Arnie, when it was his mother and other siblings that were causing all of his built up frustration and anger. Lastly, a dislike was very disheartening was the fact that whenever they went somewhere with Arnie, the people in the community would point, stare, or ask â€Å"what is wrong with him? †. Although, most times in today’s society, children and even some adults will do the same things to individuals with disabilities; that is the most disrespectful thing you could ever do to a person. It is a giant reality and it happens very, very often, but it tops the list of my dislike list in the movie What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. Some of the changes that would have been ideal to the movie would to have been given the opportunity to see how Arnie performed and acted during school. It was very apparent how he acted outside of school and how he acted while around Gilbert and his other siblings, but it would have been interesting to see how he acted around his peers and other individuals who are like him. Also, another change that would be idealistic would be to have his other sister’s more involved in his care. Amy and Ellen were always too busy to care for Arnie, so all of the responsibility was always dumped completely onto Gilbert. It would have been nice to see how differently Arnie would have acted, and if he would have behaved any different if he were to be with Amy or Ellen more often than he was throughout the movie. At one point in the movie, Ellen was supposed to be watching Arnie and he ended up running towards the water tower and Ellen grabbed him and pulled him to the ground and was dragging him away from the water tower, while yelling at him and kicking him in public. Thankfully, Gilbert was there to intercede and stop Ellen from hurting Arnie anymore than she already had. It makes you wonder if Ellen showed more interest in Arnie if he would not have acted out while with her, and scenarios such as that would not have happened. Back in 1993, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape was a very controversial movie but portrayed a positive message to those families and individuals who did not understand disabilities and just how much work goes in to caring for individuals with disabilities. Many of those who did not understand before still may not completely understand and sadly, they may never. The movie does not do complete justice to all individuals with disabilities, because every individual and every disability is different and Arnie’s condition was a mild to moderate disability. From working with individuals with disabilities for the past eight years, every stereotype you can imagine was cast upon them, and many people do not take into consideration that they are people just like themselves and they have feelings too. Many people believe that individuals with disabilities do not hear or understand what is being said about them, but you would be surprised how smart some individuals with disabilities can be. It is sad that many individuals with disabilities are hardly ever recognized for their good attributes, it always seem to be the bad one’s that outshine and catch people’s attention.

Ellis Island essays

Ellis Island essays There is a small island on the New York Harbor that has witnessed over twelve million immigrants pass by its doors from 1892 to 1954; the golden portal is called Ellis Island. I went to see this museum on Wednesday, November 26, 2004 and I loved it. As soon as I walked in the Museum I felt as if I had walked into another time, the foyer is huge and I tried to imagine myself as an immigrant seeing all this for the first time and it was intimidating. People came from many lands; there were Bantu, Chinese, Germans, Irish, Italians, Jews, Mexicans, Palestinians, Poles, Russians, Vietnamese, etc. Countless of Americans are descendants from these waves of immigrants. On the main floor you also the see Baggage Room that was restored to resemble the baggage from the period. When I stepped into the Registry Room I was in awe. Here was the focal point for the newcomers because they were question in the same are that I was standing in. This was where they were given permission to enter the lan d or denied access. Ellis Island was originally known to the Native American as Kioshk, or gull Island, because those birds were its only inhabitants. The Dutch then purchased the island and called it Little Oyster Island because of the delectable oysters found in its bay. The Island was then referred to as Gibbet Island because they would hang criminals on gibbets or gallows trees. Then Samuel Ellis was given ownership about the time of the American Revolution, he died in 1794 and in that same year the city began to fear British attacks so they built a defense on Ellis Island. I was briefly talking to a tour guide and she informed me that to the immigrants Ellis Island looked like a gracious haven on the outside but on the inside it was a place of cruelty and corruption. Newcomers were sold tickets at inflated prices and the seller would then pocket the money, pretty young girls were given passes by conductors on...

Utterance Definition and Examples in English

Utterance Definition and Examples in English In linguistics, an utterance is a unit of speech. In phonetic terms, an utterance is a stretch of spoken language that is preceded by silence and followed by silence or a change of speaker. (Phonemes, morphemes, and words are all considered segments of the stream of speech sounds that constitute an utterance.) In orthographic terms, an utterance is a  syntactic unit that begins with a capital letter and ends in a period, question mark, or exclamation point. EtymologyFrom the Middle English, outward, make known Examples and Observations [T]he word utterance . . . can refer to the product of a verbal act, rather than to the verbal act itself. For instance, the words Would you please be quiet?, spoken with a polite rising intonation, might be described as a sentence, or as a question, or as a request.  However, it is convenient to reserve terms like sentence and question for grammatical entities derived from the language system, and to reserve  the term utterance  for instances of such entities, identified by their use in a particular situation.(Geoffrey N. Leech,  Principles of Pragmatics,  1983. Routledge, 2014)Utterances and Sentences-  We use the term utterance to refer to complete communicative units, which may consist of single words, phrases, clauses and clause combinations spoken in context, in contrast to the term sentence, which we reserve for units consisting of at least one main clause and any accompanying subordinate clauses, and marked by punctuation (capital letters and full stops) in writin g.(Ronald Carter and Michael McCarthy, Cambridge Grammar of English. Cambridge University Press, 2006)- An utterance can take sentence form, but not every sentence is an utterance. An utterance is identifiable by a pause, a relinquishing of the floor, a change of speaker; that the first speaker stops indicates that the utterance is, temporarily, complete and awaits, invites a response.(Barbara Green, Experiential Learning.  Bakhtin and Genre Theory in Biblical Studies, ed. by  Roland Boer. Society of Biblical Literature, 2007) For I have neither wit, nor words, nor worth,Action, nor utterance, nor the power of speech,To stir mens blood: I only speak right on.(Mark Antony in William Shakespeares Julius Caesar, Act 3, scene 2)Intentionality[T]he problem of meaning can be posed as follows: How does the mind impose Intentionality on entities that are not intrinsically Intentional, on entities such as sounds and marks that are, construed in one way, just physical phenomena in the world like any other? An utterance can have Intentionality, just as a belief has Intentionality, but whereas the Intentionality of the belief is intrinsic the Intentionality of the utterance is derived. The question then is: How does it derive its Intentionality?(John R. Searle, Intentionality: An Essay in the Philosophy of Mind. Cambridge University. Press, 1983)The Lighter Side of Utterances: Kate Beckett: Um, do you know how you talk in your sleep sometimes?Richard Castle: Oh yeah.Kate Beckett: Well, last night you said a name.Richa rd Castle: Ooh.  And not your name, I assume.Kate Beckett: No.Richard Castle: Well, I wouldnt read anything into one random utterance.Kate Beckett: Fourteen utterances, and the name was Jordan. You said it over and over again. Whos Jordan?Richard Castle: I have no idea.Kate Beckett: Is it a woman?Richard Castle: No! Its nothing.Kate Beckett: Castle, I know nothing. Nothing is a dear friend of mine and this is not nothing.Richard Castle: Yes, it is. Besides, most of what I say is meaningless. Why would it be any different when Im asleep?(Stana Katic and Nathan Fillon, The Wild Rover. Castle, 2013)

Internet and Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Internet and Education - Essay Example 12). While this technology, in this instance the Internet, is argued to fundamentally shape the nature of knowledge, it does not mean it does so in a positive or effective way. One of the fundamental functions of Internet technology is the immediate access to large sums of information; such access shifts understandings of education such that people feel they have a sort of false wisdom, when in reality they have not truly digested the information available. For Postman, such a notion means that Internet technology has not increased our knowledge in a significant regard, as new technologies do not add wisdom, instead the nature of education has been structurally changed (Postman, p. 18). Ultimately, for education this does mean that our classroom thoughts, ideas, and interests have been significantly altered. The extent that such a shift is positive or negative remains one of subjective

Earth Sciences Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Earth Sciences - Essay Example Thus, careful study of the accurate cardinal orientation of the Great Pyramid at Giza, Egypt, and the Venus alignment of the Maya Palace of the Governor at Uxmal in Yucatan can reveal to what extent associated ancient cultures were advanced in their knowledge of astronomy and possibly provide scope for amazement at such achievements of monumental precision ((The Center for Archaeoastronomy, 2002). Stonehenge (Figures 4 & 5) has special significance to archaeoastronomy. It is certainly not the largest ancient stone circle in the world but it is certainly the only one with lintels on the upright stones (English Heritage Website, FAQs on Stonehenge). "Stonehenge, the word, is believed to have originated from the Anglo-Saxon period, from the old English word "henge' meaning 'hanging' or 'gibbet'. Thus, Stonehenge literally means the 'hanging stones' and may have been derived from the lintels that seem to hang above the uprights (English Heritage, Historical Background, Stonehenge, 2006). Today 'henge' has a special significance in archaeology meaning a circular construction of either stone or timber (English Heritage, Historical Background, Stonehenge, 2006). The discoveries at Stonehenge in the 60s have made the interdisciplinary fields of archaeoastronomy and ethnoastronomy (the study of contemporary native astronomies) active fields wherefrom scholars derive knowledge of our species' continuous interaction with the cosmos (The Center for Archaeoastronomy, 2002). The report seeks to find clearly why Stonehenge was built, when it was built and by whom. It shall explore available literature with research findings in recent years to attempt to do so. 2 Stonehenge - The English Heritage Monument: 2.1 Introduction: English Heritage and the National Trust look after Stonehenge jointly. Though curious visitors have been coming to the ancient site to gawk at the monumental constructions for over 5000 years it has only recently in 1986 been declared a World Heritage Site (English Heritage, Historical Background, 2006). Researchers from the English Heritage Scientific Dating Service used a variety of dating techniques to assess dates when the monument was built. The researchers assert that Stonehenge was built in three phases - the oldest construction was the Mesolithic activity in the present car park attached to the site. It must be noted here that the team

Expository essay Essay Example for Free

Expository essay Essay Expository writing is a life skill. More than any other type of writing, expository writing is a daily requirement of most careers. Understanding and following the proven steps of the writing process helps all writers, including students, master the expository essay. Expository Essay Structure Usually, the expository essay is composed of five paragraphs. The introductory paragraph contains the thesis or main idea. The next three paragraphs, or body of the essay, provide details in support of the thesis. The concluding paragraph restates the main idea and ties together the major points of essay. Here are expository essay tips for each part of the essay structure and writing process: 1. Prewriting for the Expository Essay In the prewriting phase of writing an expository essay, students should take time to brainstorm about the topic and main idea. Next, do research and take notes. Create an outline showing the information to be presented in each paragraph, organized in a logical sequence. 2. Drafting the Expository Essay When creating the initial draft of an expository essay, consider the following suggestions: The most important sentence in the introductory paragraph is the topic sentence, which states the thesis or main idea of the essay. The thesis should be clearly stated without giving an opinion or taking a position. A good thesis is well defined, with a manageable scope that can be adequately addressed within a five-paragraph essay. Each of the three body paragraphs should cover a separate point that develops the essay’s thesis. The sentences of each paragraph should offer facts and examples in support of the paragraph’s topic. The concluding paragraph should reinforce the thesis and the main supporting ideas. Do not introduce new material in the conclusion. Since an expository essay discusses an event, situation, or the views of others, and not a personal experience, students should write in the third person (â€Å"he,† â€Å"she,† or â€Å"it†), and avoid â€Å"I† or â€Å"you† sentences. 3. Revising the Expository Essay In the revision phase, students review, modify, and reorganize their work with the goal of making it the best it can be. Keep these considerations in mind: Does the essay give an unbiased analysis that unfolds logically, using relevant facts and examples? Has the information been clearly and effectively communicated to the reader? Watch out for â€Å"paragraph sprawl,† which occurs when the writer loses focus and veers from the topic by introducing unnecessary details. Is the sentence structure varied? Is the word choice precise? Do the transitions between sentences and paragraphs help the reader’s understanding? Does the concluding paragraph communicate the value and meaning of the thesis and key supporting ideas? If the essay is still missing the mark, take another look at the topic sentence. A solid thesis statement leads to a solid essay. Once the thesis works, the rest of the essay falls into place more easily. 4. Editing the Expository Essay Next, proofread and correct errors in grammar and mechanics, and edit to improve style and clarity. While an expository essay should be clear and concise, it can also be lively and engaging. Having a friend read the essay helps writers edit with a fresh perspective. 5. Publishing the Expository Essay Sharing an expository essay with the rest of the class can be both exciting and intimidating. Remember, there isn’t a writer on earth who isn’t sensitive about his or her own work. The important thing is to learn from the experience and use the feedback to make the next essay better. Essay Variations Essay writing is a huge part of a education today. Most students must learn to write various kinds of essays during their academic careers, including different types of expository essay writing: Definition essays explain the meaning of a word, term, or concept. The topic can be a concrete subject such as an animal or tree, or it can be an abstract term, such as freedom or love. This type of essay should discuss the word’s denotation (literal or dictionary definition), as well as its connotation or the associations that a word usually brings to mind. Classification essays break down a broad subject or idea into categories and groups. The writer organizes the essay by starting with the most general category and then defines and gives examples of each specific classification. Compare and contrast essays describe the similarities and differences between two or more people, places, or things. Comparison tells how things are alike and contrast shows how they are different. Cause and effect essays explain how things affect each other and depend on each other. The writer identifies a clear relationship between two subjects, focusing on why things happen (causes) and/or what happens as a result (effects). â€Å"How to† essays, sometimes called process essays, explain a procedure, step-by-step process, or how to do something with the goal of instructing the reader.

Cameron’s The Terminator and Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale as Responses to Neo-conservatism :: Movie Film Essays

From abortion to pornography, the â€Å"war on drugs† to the end of the Cold War, the 1980s played host to considerable controversy; amidst such political uneasiness, then, it seems that Reagan Era rejuvenated middle-America’s latent conservatism. This return to the traditional Puritan values of the â€Å"nuclear family† also sponsored heightened State intervention and policing of the private sphere, thereby buttressing cultural myths of the dangerous, unknown â€Å"Other†. As such a fear of the Other was socially perpetuated, it seemed the responsibility of liberal-minded skeptics to note such propaganda as an alarming preparation for totalitarianism. Many cultural texts from the period, such as James Cameron’s 1984 science-fiction film, â€Å"The Terminator†, and Margaret Atwood’s 1986 feminist predictive-text, â€Å"The Handmaid’s Tale†, used this opportunity to illustrate the drastic outcomes of a society founded on such mass ignorance. Following in the tradition of â€Å"dystopian†, or anti-utopian, fiction, both texts use a depiction of a â€Å"perfect† future world in order to isolate, exaggerate and expose certain problematic social trends. While not intended as realistic or plausible predictions, these dystopian texts seek to expose extremist attitudes (such as radical conservatism, religiosity, or technological reliance) as fundamentally threatening to human nature and individualism. Dystopia, then, can be understood as a locale for the constant impediment of human freedom, maintained by a regime’s oppressive control of technology, gender and ideology. What makes this fictional society so fascinating, however, is its cunning transformation from utopia to dystopia, or from Heaven to Hell; each of these corrupt worlds is originally presented as a safer, more stable and efficient alternative to contemporary society. Atwood’s tale, for example, presents a portrait of a society, Gilead, which is superficially ideal: it is free of (visible) violence, hatred or suffering. Yet this apparent perfection comes with sacrifice, for all aspects of the population are controlled: social class and intellectual ability are all carefully regulated, with stability maintained at all costs. Similarly, Cameron’s â€Å"Terminator† presents members of modern-day (circa 1984) Los Angeles in a beneficial symbiotic relationship with machinery: as technology improves daily life for humans, so too do humans improve technology. Yet this techno-friendly society based on social alliance is jaded once the machines begin to overpower and out-wit humans; here the oppressive regime that threatens humanity is technology itself. In both texts it seems clear that both technological advancement and control are imperative to the succession of an autocratic state. And as the audience is always kept keenly aware of the dangers that homogeneity poses to the quality of life, these dystopian texts question whether technology necessitates a sacrifice of human individuality.

OSHA Lawsuit

In this article, there are no details given on what was the nature of the complaints filed by the employee originally, however, searching the internet for other related articles, I found one of a reason for which the employee may had been ruminated, â€Å"OSHA says the employee was fired after complaining about a potentially unsafe situation of finding the building unsecured when she arrived, alone, to open the store. The worker also filed a safety and health complaint with OSHA, which triggered an OSHA inspection that identified two unrelated violations. (Two Whistler's†¦ , n. D. , p. Xx-xx). In my opinion, the employer, Xebec Inc. Could have done a lot to address the situation as soon as It learned of the complaint. First of all, securing the doors of the business should have been of outmost priority, not only to Insure the safety of the employees, but to safeguard the equipment, Inventory and other Items that may been left In the store overnight. Launching an Investigation t o find out why the door was not secured, should not have been a major issue as it was.Making sure the employee's was heard and safety precautions put in place should be a first priority to every employer, these safeguards could not have been costly at all either, there should not have been any excuse. Secondly, the employer should have reassure the employee once the safeguards were put into place, that a situation such as this would be addressed every time she rough it up, to make her feel secure on the performance of her duties.Also, if the employee had any suggestions as to how to better guard her well-being when she enter the store first-thing In the morning, should have been part of a plan of action. Often, employers are not present at all times to Insure that everything goes smoothly during business hours and they must rely on their employees to be their eyes and ears during their absences. Lastly, terminating the employee was not going to end the employer's responsibility to o ther employees and their community.If the store's door was constantly left open overnight, word could have gone out the undesirable members of community as a place where they could commit crimes, therefore, putting the rest of the business owners at risk. References; Todd, E. , & Rodriguez,J. (201 3, January 31 Us department of labor files whistle- blower lawsuit against Helena, Mont. Based xebec Inc.. Retrieved November 8, 2013, Unknown (n. D. ). Two Whistler's Lawsuits Filed over Workplace Violence Allegations Ð’Â » Safety's. Retrieved November 8, 2013, from http://safety's. Com/ Article

Cultural Sensitivity Essay

Cultural sensitivity is vital to remember when any firm does any business in a foreign market. Certain strategies and procedures used in the United States may not translate the same way in other countries or have the same impact. Other areas in the world operate their businesses with different priorities and in different cultures so it is crucial to consider how these differences may affect how business is done. Ethical situations will inevitably arise when a firm begins operations in a new international market so it is best to be prepared to face such situations with character. Company A now feels ready to enter the Eastern Asia market to continue its plans to grow the company and its profits. Taiwan is the country chosen for the next international expansion and there are many things to consider before entering this market. After researching several Eastern Asia markets to globalize in Taiwan, a republic of China was chosen as the country to expand in because there is the potential to manufacture a large volume of their engine parts there while paying very little in labor costs. The absence of any organized trade union is also a factor because there will be little resistance offered from any form of union. With expansion to any new country or region there are always cross-cultural ethical differences to take into consideration since all countries or areas hold their own world-views, religions, politics, traditions etc. Expanding to Taiwan with obviously has an impact on both Company A and Taiwan itself. While labor costs in Taiwan are much cheaper than the United States Company A must act ethically with concern to culture of Taiwan and the people who the employ there. Some people in Taiwan are grateful for American expansion to their country because there are more jobs available but there are also currently many in Taiwan who look at the American expansion in their country as a negative. There is a major concern in both Taiwan and the US that many of the multinational corporations doing business in Taiwan are doing far  more that just operating a company there. Most believe that these multinational corporations have a significant influence on the political agenda’s of Taiwan w ho have the interest of their company in mind before that of the people of Taiwan. There is also major concern for the worsening of government regulation in Taiwan, as there appears that they are not protecting workers from any physical, mental or social risk in the workplace. Company A should also consider creating some form or insurance benefits package for its Taiwanese workers as this would go a long way in showing them that they are ethical, that they care about their workers, and that they respect the Taiwanese people. This all has an affect on company A because they must make a conscious effort protect their image and brand so that they can continue to grow their business within the US and worldwide. Company A must make ethical decisions towards their operations across the company and within Taiwan so that they are not branded as a company who is simply taking advantage of cheap labor in a foreign country. With the majority of Taiwan believing that workers are not protected and that multinational corporations are attempting to influence political issues, I t hink it would be wise for Company A to make massive effort towards showing the people in Taiwan that they will protect their workers and use any influence they hold to help improve government regulation and attempt to mutually benefit both the company and the people of Taiwan. Company A must also consider the traditions and general way of life for the Taiwanese people. For instance learning their foods, drinks, religious practices, and recreational activities and somehow blending them into the company culture may help workers feel more comfortable and trusting towards Company A. Taiwanese people drink a lot of tea and juice drinks with boba in them so maybe offering or selling those within the company property would be a good idea. Also Buddhism, Taoism, and Chinese folk religion are the common practices in Taiwan so perhaps offering a place of worship on company grounds would be a great gesture. As far as work hours are concerned, Taiwanese people are working similar business ours that Western countries typically will work so they are hard working people and are accustom to similar schedule to what the factory in the US would for Company A. The will also be critical adjustments needed to be made regarding Company A’s marketing strategies in Taiwan versus how they would typically market their products in the US. There are different consumers in Taiwan because of their dense population and their culture. Most Taiwanese people would not tend to purchase large trucks or vehicles that would necessitate the heavy duty parts that Company A manufactures so they must concentrate almost all of their marketing efforts around a specific group of Taiwanese consumer or business that utilizes larger vehicles on a consistent basis. Company must market their product mainly to businesses that use heavy-duty equipment in their operations and in industrial areas since the average Taiwanese consumer would not buy a large truck, as they are not sold in such large volumes as they are in the US. As far as marketing to consumers Company A’s focus should be on the wealthy people of Taiwan who can afford to operate and maintain larger vehicles. Company A should also reduce the price of their product to ac commodate for a smaller volume of sales on trucks in Taiwan and also to begin attracting new clients since they will be new to the area. This price reduction should be offset somewhat by the less expensive labor costs experienced in Taiwan. Cross-cultural communication is also important for Company A to build a strong relationship with its Taiwanese workers. The first barrier to communication is language. The primary language in Taiwan is Mandarin Chinese and while most Taiwanese businessmen do speak English, it would be a good idea for some representatives from Company to a learn some Mandarin Chinese to help with communication efforts. Company should also consider having some translators available to maintain clear communication as well. Taiwanese business is based mainly off of respect so it is important to meet fact-to-face whenever possible, include senior executives meetings whenever possible, direct presentations to the senior ranking person and also make sure to give and receive any gifts with both hands as a sign of respect, and always look people in the eyes. It is also very important to refrain from being too frank or outspoken because this will be viewed as disrespectful. Is it vital to keep these practices as well as learning other important cultural traditions when conducting business in Taiwan or with any Taiwanese people. As far as marketing is concerned, while in the US marketing can be based around creativity and branding, it is important in Taiwan to focus  their marketing around integrity and respect. Taiwanese people and their businesses are less concerned with gimmicks and flash and maintain an emphasis on ethics and as always respect is absolutely vital. There will without a doubt be many cultural differences to overcome when opening a new plant in Taiwan. Marketing strategies and how businesses are viewed will not be the same in Taiwan as they are in the US so while A Company may be accustomed to operating their plants at home in a certain way, they must make adjustments to accommodate for the cultural variances of the environment their new plant is operating in. The impact that the cultural differences will have could be minor or they could be significant depending on how well Company A does their research and how they handle adapting their new plant to conform to the Taiwanese market while maintaining efficiency and their core company beliefs. Taiwan is densely populated country and their consumers purchase mainly small fuel efficient vehicles and since Company A specializes in engine components for heavy duty trucks they must focus their marketing strategies on smaller sized trucks with an emphasis on the advantages of their engi ne components, along with businesses that utilize heavy duty trucks in their operations.

School Vouchers1 essays

School Vouchers1 essays Education School Vouchers There has been a lot of debate recently over the use of school vouchers. Voucher programs offer students attending both public and private schools tuition vouchers. It gives taxpayers the freedom to pick where their tax dollars go. In theory, good schools will thrive with money and bad schools will lose students and close its doors. Most people feel that taking taxpayer money from public schools and using this money as vouchers for private schools is a violation of the constitution. Most private schools in America right now are run by religious organizations. There has been a lot of controversy over this issue mainly because of the importance of an education in a modern society. School choice initiatives are based on the premise that allowing parents to choose what schools their children attend is not only the right thing to do, but is also an important way for improving education. Instead of a one-size-fits-all model, School choice programs offer parents various options from which to pick the educational settings they believe will work best for their child. However, there is Supporters of school vouchers claim that it levels the educational playing field for lower income families who would have the option to send their kids away from an ineffective poorly funded public schools. Some lower class families feel that their kids would have a better chance with a tuition voucher to go to a private school where more money is spent on education. Many feel that vouchers would undermine public schools, by taking away public money for smaller class sizes, teacher training and innovative curriculum. Also, many feel that vouchers would erode the support for public education. In Milwaukee, voucher schools say they do not give special services to students with disabilities. Most of the voucher schools refused to sign a letter that they will ...

Chariots of Fire

In marriages, family units and even friendships, falling-out is a common circumstance. It is apparent that there are oppressive forces that manipulate us. While some filmmakers offer the public entertainment as remedies to this dissatisfaction, others reinforce the sense that individual worth is being assaulted from several areas. Chariots of Fire is a film that celebrates the triumph of the human spirit over adversity. Two very different approaches to religion and sport are at the heart of this movie. The film is based on the true story of two British sprinters in the 1924 Paris Olympics; one Christian and one Jewish. Neither runner is out for personal or national glory. These two men are competing for the same reason; a matter of a higher calling but in very different ways. For Harold Abrahams, a proud English Jew from a well-to-do family, running is a weapon against anti-Semitism; a way of validating his worth, and by extension his Jewishness, to his Anglo society and to himself. There is something to be said for this approach: After shattering a long-standing speed barrier at Cambridge’s Trinity College, the master says â€Å"Perhaps they’re the chosen people after all. † In a way, he is right. As an athlete, Abrahams is driven by rebellious anger and shame endangered by the legacy of anti-Semitic prejudice that has gone hand in hand with the Jew’s divine determination. For Eric Liddell, a devout Scot with missionary aspirations, running is something he can do to give glory to God, the same way the grass glorifies him by growing and the sun by shining. In one part of the movie, Liddell tries explaining the value of running to his sister, who doesn’t see the value of it at all by saying â€Å"I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run, I feel his pleasure. † The difference between their motivations is highlighted in a number of ways. Each runner’s commitment goes well beyond whatever obligation either feels to the expectations of their society. Where Abrahams’ commitment leads him to dispense himself from unwritten rules about amateur athletes not receiving professional coaching, Liddell brings his own additional unwritten rules to participation. For Abrahams, the chief crisis he faces is whether he can win after losing a race to Liddell and for Liddell; the crisis is whether he can even qualify when en route to the Olympics discovers the qualifying heat for his event is on the â€Å"Sabbath. While Abrahams must swallow his pride and find the courage to run in the Olympics, Liddell must swallow his hopes and find the courage not to run. Chariots of Fire is an aesthetically well realized work of art. The authentic drama deals directly with issues such as athletic competition, the nature of winning and losing and the central place of beliefs in sports. It touches sensitively and strongly on the longi ng for perfection, the search for meaning and the struggle for acceptance.

Sun Exposure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Sun Exposure - Essay Example The most important information to capture in educating patients about the skin and sun exposure relates to the benefits and damages that the sun causes to the skin. The patients need to understand the extent of sun that is necessary for their skin. This is in the view that vitamin D; a crucial vitamin in the human body can be derived from sun rays (Reichrath, 2008). However, excessive exposure of the skin to the sun is harmful, and can result in skin diseases; among them skin cancer. The patients have to be equipped with vast explanations as to how such scenarios may arise. On the other hand, the damaging aspect of sun exposure to the skin would be crucial to account for, making patients understand the process behind the harmful aspects of sun exposure to the skin. Personally, the underlying risks of sun exposure are well understood. On the simple step towards reducing such risks, covering the skin in extreme sunny days comes in handy. Over and above this, use of certified products that protect the skin from harmful aspects of sun exposure also works. On the same note, having regular checkups by a dermatologist and seeking relevant advice and information towards minimizing sun exposure, or actually alleviating the underlying risks

The Natural Disaster of Hurricane Katrina Research Paper

The Natural Disaster of Hurricane Katrina - Research Paper Example Before Hurricane Katrina slammed into New Orleans, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, there was a positive impact on the development in education, cultural and economic sectors. For instance, the teachers introduced digital directions in school curriculum and developed school systems that facilitated innovation and industrial revolution. In addition, demographers say that there was an influx of the college-educated newcomers in New Orleans and the number of people joining the university slots remained high. There was the competition for senior schools. Towards the anticipation of the Hurricane Katrina, teachers some of the teachers were making preparations to teach students during their leisure days. The congress disclosed in a report that the education system was running smoothly at the time, with and that it had given about $235 to be used in schools to educated the students. The district before the Hurricane Katrina had enough money to finance the school systems while keeping the ir budgets solvent (Waller, 2013).Furthermore, there was cultural diversity in the areas that were affected by Hurricane Katrina. For instance, the demographic statistics indicate that out of 484, 000 populations of people who were living in the cities, 28 percent were the whites while 67 percent comprised the African-Americans. In additional, there were cherished institutions in New Orleans that was the home to the cultural artifact and the history of the region such as The Camella Grill.

Information Technology in Criminal Justice Systems Research Paper

Information Technology in Criminal Justice Systems - Research Paper Example On law enforcement, such information systems have helped in crime prevention and criminal justice program network, technical cooperation activities, and the development of the criminal justice information aimed at maintaining institutional capacities to respond to requests from member states as well as the general public. Future activities in the Information technology require more funding, planning, and coordination within the crime prevention and criminal justice programs in the realm of criminal justice information and computerization (Dana Spiegel 2009, pg 113). There are potential benefits that will come about with the use of wireless technologies in the criminal justice systems, which will mainly be realized in prosecutions, courts, and the correctional parts of the criminal justice systems. The prosecution will undoubtedly see an improved case output through the computer-based systems to assist with the cases' recording, in detail, and to track progress on each case, thereby triggering reminders when actions fall due. It will also bring about better use of clerical and professional resources as a result of easier recording and collating of information pertaining to different cases.

Digital Composite in Special Effects

Digital Composite in Special Effects INTRODUCTION A massive spacecraft hovers over New York, throwing the entire city into shadow. A pair of lizards, sitting in the middle of a swamp, discusses their favourite beer. Dinosaurs, long extinct, live and breathe again, and the Titanic, submerged for decades, sails once more. Usually the credit of all these fantastic visuals given to CGI (computer generated imagery) or computer graphics. Computer graphics techniques, in conjunction with a myriad of other disciplines, are commonly used for the creation of visual effects in feature films. Digital compositing is an essential part of visual effects that are everywhere in the entertainment industry today: In feature films, television commercials, and many TV shows, and its growing. Even a non effects film will have visual effects. Whatever will be the genre of the movie there will always be something that needs to be added or removed from the picture to tell the story. It is the short description of what visual effect are all about adding elements to a picture that is not there, or removing something that you dont want to be there. Digital composite plays a key role in all visual effects. It is the digital compositor who takes these disparate elements, no matter how they were created, and blends them together artistically into a seamless, photorealistic whole. The digital compositors mission is to make them appear as if they were all shot together at the same time, under the same lights with the same camera, then give the shots a final artistic polish with superb color correction. I mentioned earlier that digital compositing is growing. There are two primary reasons for this. First is the steady increase in the use of CGI for visual effects, and every CGI element needs to be composited. The second reason for the increase in digital compositing is that the compositing software and hardware technologies are also advancing on their own track, separate from CGI. This means that visual effects shots can be done faster, more cost effectively, and with higher quality. There has also been a general rise in the awareness of the film-makers in what can be done with digital compositing, which makes them more sophisticated users. STRUCTRURE Introduction Phase I will deal with the history and introduction of compositing. Olden compositing techniques such as optical compositing, in camera effect, background projection, hanging miniatures etc. Apart from all that I will focus on how they were creating ground breaking effects during optical era. What are the advantage and disadvantage of optical compositing? Information hub Phase I will deal with the core concept of live action and Multipass composting with a brief introduction of stereoscopic composting. Under live action compositing I will discuss the basics and core concept of live action compositing such as rotoscopy, retouching, motion tracking with more emphasis on keying. Inside multipass compositing section simply I will focus on core concept of passes, different types of passes, use of passes. Finally a brief introduction of Stereoscopic compositing an emerging technology in the world of computer graphics. Incredible masters Phase I will discuss upon the contribution of pioneers of this sector to develop it up to this extent and also give a brief introduction of the new technologies being used and developed. Case study Phase which is also the last segment of my dissertation proposal I will discuss on the ground breaking effect techniques used in the Hollywood blockbusters such as Terminator, Golden compass and Finding Nemo etc. History of compositing In the summer of 1857, the Swedish-born photographer Oscar G. Rejlander set out to create what would prove to be the most technically complicated photograph that had ever been produced. Working at his studio in England, Rejlander selectively combined the imagery from 32 different glass negatives to produce a single, massive print. It is one of the earliest examples of what came to be known as a combination print. Motion picture photography came about in the late 1800s, and the desire to be able to continue this sort of image combination drove the development of specialized hardware to expedite the process. Optical printers were built that could selectively combine multiple pieces of film, and optical compositing was born. Introduction of Optical compositing Not to be confused with laboratory effects done on an optical printer these use optical attachments which go in front of the lens. The intention of such apparatus is to modify the light path between subject and lens. There are many such accessories available for hire or purchase but frequently they will be constructed for a particular shot. Techniques of Optical compositing Glass Shot Otherwise known as the glass painting, Hall Process or (erroneously) glass matte or matte painting, the glass shot takes the mask painted on a sheet of glass to its logical conclusion. The next stage of complexity is to make these additions to the frame representational instead of purely graphic. For example, lets say that we have a wide shot of a farm with fields stretching off into the distance and require a silhouetted fence in the foreground. If the camera is focused on the distant hills then, with a sheet of glass positioned at the hyper focal distance (near point still in focus when focused on infinity), we can actually paint the piece of fence on to the glass. This is made possible by the two-dimensional quality of motion pictures. So long as nothing passes between the glass and the lens, and the glass is in focus, then an object painted to be the correct size for the scene when viewed through the lens will appear to be actually in that scene. Thus the silhouette of a fence pa inted on the glass will appear totally believable, even if a cowboy and his horse pass by in the scene beyond. This minor change actually represents a fundamental leap in our effects capability, for now our mask has become a modification to the picture content itself rather than just an external decoration. However, once we have made this philosophical leap it is a small step to move on to creating photorealistic additions to the scene. The next stage is to light the camera side of our glass and paint details into the image thereon. In the example of the fence we now paint in the texture of the wood and expose it as required to blend in with the scene. Glass painting is a fundamental technique of VFX and can be applied to the latest digital equipment just as easily as it was to film prior to the First World War. Basically, if opaque paints are used (or are painted over an opaque base paint) what one is effectively doing is covering over detail in the real image with imaginary additions. This is a replacement technique and is the first of many in the VFX arsenal which permits falsification of real images. Rotoscopy Frequently, it comes to pass that a character or object that was not shot on bluescreen needs to be isolated for some reason, perhaps to composite something behind it or maybe give it a special color correction or other treatment. This situation requires the creation of a matte without the benefit of a bluescreen, so the matte must be rotoscoped, which means it is drawn by hand, frame by frame. This is a slow and labor-intensive solution, but is often the only solution. Even a bluescreen shot will sometimes require rotoscoping if it was not photographed well and a good matte cannot be extracted. Virtually all compositing programs have some kind of rotoscoping capability, but some are more capable than others. There are also programs available that specialize in just rotoscoping. Each frame of the picture is put up on the monitor and the roto artist traces an outline around the characters outer edge. These outlines are then fi lled in with white to create the familiar white matte on a black background, like the example in Figure 1-12. Large visual effects studios will have a dedicated roto department, and being a roto artist is often an entry-level position for budding new digital compositors. There has even been a recent trend to use rotoscoping rather than bluescreen shots for isolating characters for compositing in big-effects fi lms. I say big-effects films because it is much more labor-intensive, and therefore, expensive to rotoscope a shot than to pull a bluescreen matte. The big creative advantage is that the director and cinematographer can shoot their scenes on the set and on location naturally, rather than having to shoot a separate bluescreen shot with the talent isolated on a bluescreen insert stage. This allows the movies creators to focus more on the story and cinematography rather than the special effects. But again, this is a very expensive approach. Rotoscoping is the process of drawing a matte frame-by-frame over live action footage. Starting around the year 50 B.C. (Before Computers), the technique back then was to rear project a frame of fi lm onto a sheet of frosted glass, then trace around the target object. The process got its name from the machine that was used to do the work, called a rotoscope. Things have improved somewhat since then, and today we use computers to draw shapes using the splines we saw in Chapter 5. The difference between drawing a single shape and rotoscoping is the addition of animation. Rotoscoping entails drawing a series of shapes that follow the target object through a sequence of frames. Rotoscoping is extremely pervasive in the world of digital compositing and is used in many visual effects shots. It is also labor intensive because it can take a great deal of time to carefully draw moving shapes around a moving target frame by frame. It is often an entry-level position in the trade and many a digital compositor has started out as a roto artist. There are some artists who fi nd rotoscoping rewarding and elect to become roto kings (or queens) in their own right. A talented roto artist is always a valued member of the visual effects team. In this chapter, we will see how rotoscoping works and develop an under standing of the entire process. We will see how the spline-based shapes are controlled frame-by-frame to create outlines that exactly match the edges of the target object, as well as how shapes can be grouped into hierarchies to improve productivity and the quality of the animation. The sections on interpolation and keyframing describe how to get the computer to do more of the work for you, and then fi nally the solutions to the classic problems of motion blur and semi-transparency are revealed. ABOUT ROTOSCOPING Today, rotoscoping means drawing an animated spline-based shape over a series of digitized fi lm (or video) frames. The computer then renders the shape frame-byframe as a black and white matte, which is used for compositing or to isolate the target object for some special treatment such as color correction. The virtue of roto is that it can be used to create a matte for any arbitrary object on any arbitrary background. It does not need to be shot on a bluescreen. In fact, roto is the last line of defense for poorly shot bluescreens in which a good matte cannot be created with a keyer. Compositing a character that was shot on an uncontrolled background is illustrated beginning with Figure 6-4. The bonny lass was shot on location with the original background. A roto was drawn (Figure 6-5) and used to composite the woman over a completely new background (Figure 6-7). No bluescreen was required. There are three main downsides to roto. First, it is labor intensive. It can take hours to roto a simple shot such as the one illustrated in Figure 6-4, even assuming it is a short shot. More complex rotos and longer shots can take days, even weeks. This is hard on both schedules and budgets. The second downside to roto is that it can be diffi cult to get a high quality, convincing matte with a stable outline. If the roto artist is not careful, the edges of the roto can wobble in and out in a most unnatural, eye-catching way. The third issue is that rotos do not capture the subtle edge and transparency nuances that a well-done bluescreen shot does using a fi ne digital keyer. If the target object has a lot of very fi ne edge detail like a frizzy head of hair, the task can be downright hopeless. SPLINES In Chapter 5, we fi rst met the spline during the discussion of shapes. We saw how a spline was a series of curved lines connected by control points that could be used to adjust the curvature of those lines. We also used the metaphor of a piano wire to describe the stiffness and smooth curvature of the spline. Here we will take a closer look at those splines and how they are used to create outlines that can fi t any curved surface. We will also push the piano wire metaphor to the breaking point. A spline is a mathematically generated line in which the shape is controlled by adjustable control points. While there are a variety of mathematical equations that have been devised that will draw slightly different kinds of splines, they all work in the same general way. Figure 6-8 reviews the key components of a spline that we saw in Chapter 5, which consisted of the control point, the resulting spline line, and the handles that are used to adjust its shape. In Figure 6-8, the slope of the spline at the control point is being adjusted by changing the slope of the handles from position 1 to position 2 to position 3. For clarity, each of the three spline slopes is shown in a different color. The handles can also adjust a second attribute of the spline called tension, which is shown in Figure 6-9. As the handles are shortened from position 1 to 2 to 3, the piano wire loses stiffness and bends more sharply around the control point. A third attribute of a spline is the angle where the two line segments meet at the control point. The angle can be an exact 180 degrees, or fl at, as shown in Figure 6-8 and Figure 6-9, which makes it a continuous line. However, a break in the line can be introduced like that in Figure 6-10, putting a kink in our piano wire. Figure 6-10 Adjusting angle. Figure 6-11 Translation. Figure 6-12 Mr. Tibbs. Figure 6-13 Roto spline. Figure 6-14 Finished roto. In addition to adjusting the slope, tension, and angle at each control point, the entire shape can be picked up and moved as a unit. It can be translated (moved, scaled, and rotated), taking all the control points with it. This is very useful if the target has moved in the frame, such as with a cam era pan, but has not actually changed shape. Of course, in the real world it will have both moved and changed shape, so after the spline is translated to the new position, it will also have to be adjusted to the new shape. Now lets pull together all that we have learned about splines and how to adjust them to see how the process works over an actual picture. Our target will be the insufferable Mr. Tibbs, as shown in Figure 6-12, which provides a moving target that also changes shape frame-by-frame. Figure 6-13 shows the completed shape composed of splines with the many control points adjusted for slope, tension, and angle. The fi nished roto is shown in Figure 6-14. One very important guideline when drawing a shape around a target object is to use as few control points as possible that will maintain the curvatures you need. This is illustrated by the shape used to roto the dapper hat in Figure 6-15, which uses an excessive number of control points. The additional points increase the amount of time it takes to create each keyframe because there are more points to adjust each frame. They also increase the chances of introducing chatter or wobble to the edges. ARTICULATED ROTOS Things can get messy when rotoscoping a complex moving object such as a person walking. Trying to encompass an entire character with crossing legs and swinging arms into a single shape like the one used for the cat in Figure 6-13 quickly becomes unmanageable. A better strategy is to break the roto into several separate shapes, which can then be moved and reshaped independently. Many compositing programs also allow these separate shapes to be linked into hierarchical groups where one shape is the child of another. When the parent shape is moved, the child shape moves with it. This creates a skeleton with moveable joints and segments rather like the target object. This is more effi cient than dragging every single control point individually to redefi ne the outline of the target. When the roto is a collection of jointed shapes like this, it is referred to as an articulated roto. Figure 6-17 through Figure 6-19 illustrates a classic hierarchical setup. The shirt and lantern are separate shapes. The left and right leg shapes are children of the shirt, so they move when the shirt is moved. The left and right feet are children of their respective legs. The light blue lines inside the shapes show the skeleton of the hierarchy. To create frame 2 (Figure 6-18), the shirt was shifted a bit, which took both of the legs and feet with it. The leg shapes were then rotated at the knee to reposition them back over the legs, and then the individual control points were touched up to complete the fi t. Similarly, each foot was rotated to its new position and the control points touched up. As a result, frame 2 was made in a fraction of the time it took to create frame 1. Frame 3 was similarly created from frame 2 by shifting and rotating the parent shape, followed by repositioning the child shapes, then touching up control points only where needed. This workfl ow essentially allows much of the work invested in the previous frame to be recycled into the next with just minor modifi cations. There is a second, less obvious advantage to the hierarchical animation of shapes, and that is it results in a smoother and more realistic motion in the fi nished roto. If each and every control point is manually adjusted, small variations become unavoidable from frame to frame. After all, we are only human. When the animation is played at speed, the spline edges will invariably wobulate (wobble and fl uctuate). By translating (moving) the entire shape as a unit, the spline edges have a much smoother and more uniform motion from frame to frame. INTERPOLATION Time to talk temporal. Temporal, of course, refers to time. Since rotos are a frameby- frame animation, time and timing are very important. One of the breakthroughs that computers brought to rotoscoping, as we have seen, is the use of splines to defi ne a shape. How infi nitely fi ner to adjust a few control points to create a smooth line that contours perfectly around a curved edge, rather than to draw it by hand with a pencil or ink pen. The second, even bigger breakthrough is the ability of the computer to interpolate the shapes, where the shape is only defi ned on selected keyframes, and then the computer calculates the in-between (interpolated) shapes for you. A neat example of keyframe interpolation is illustrated in Figure 6-20. For these fi ve frames, only the fi rst and last are keyframes, while the three in-between frames are interpolated by the computer. The computer compares the location of each control point in the two keyframes, then calculates a new position for them at each in-between frame so they will move smoothly from keyframe 1 to keyframe There are two very big advantages to this interpolation process. First, the number of keyframes that the artist must create is often less than half the total number of frames in the shot. This dramatically cuts down on the labor that is required for what is a very labor-intensive job. Second, and perhaps even more important, is that when the computer interpolates between two shapes, it does so smoothly. It has none of the jitters and wobbles that a clumsy humanoid would have introduced when repositioning control points on every frame. Bottom line, computer interpolation saves time and looks better. In fact, when rotoscoping a typical character it is normal to keyframe every other frame. The interpolated frames are then checked, and only an occasional control point touch-up is applied to the in-between frames as needed. KEYFRAMES In the previous discussion about shape interpolation, the concept of the keyframe was introduced. There are many keyframing strategies one may use, and choosing the right one can save time and improve the quality of the fi nished roto. What follows is a description of various keyframe strategies with tips on how you might choose the right one for a given shot. On 2s A classic and oft used keyframe strategy is to keyframe on 2s, which means to make a keyframe at every other frame—that is, frame 1, 3, 5, 7, and so forth. The labor is cut in half and the computer smoothes the roto animation by interpolating nicely in between each keyframe. Of course, each interpolated frame has to be inspected and any off-target control points must be nudged into position. The type of target where keyframing on 2s works best would be something like a walking character shown in the example in Figure 6-21. The action is fairly regular, and there are constant shape changes, so frequent keyframes are required. Figure 6-21 Keyframe on 2s. On shots where the action is regular but slower, it is often fruitful to try keyframing on 4s (1, 5, 9, 13, etc.), or even 8s (1, 9, 17, 25, etc.). The idea is to keep the keyframes on a binary number (on 2s, on 4s, on 8s, etc.) for the simple reason that it ensures you will always have room for a new keyframe exactly halfway between any two existing keyframes. If you keyframe on 3s (1, 4, 7, etc.) for example, and need to put a new keyframe between 1 and 4, the only choice is frame 2 or 3, neither of which is exactly halfway between them. If animating on 4s (1, 5, 9, etc.) and you need to put a new keyframe between 5 and 9, frame 7 is exactly halfway between them. Figure 6-22 shows the sequence of operations for keyframing a shot on 2s in two passes by fi rst setting keyframes on 4s, then in-betweening those on 2s. Pass 1 sets a keyframe at frames 1, 5, and 9, then on a second pass the keyframes are set for frames 3 and 7. The work invested in creating keyframes 1 and 5 is partially recovered when creating the keyframe at frame 3, plus frame 3 will be smoother and more natural because the control points will be very close to where they should be and only need to be moved a small amount. Bifurcation Another keyframing strategy is bifurcation, which simply means to fork or divide into two. The idea is to create a keyframe at the fi rst and last frames of a shot, then go to the middle of the shot and create a keyframe halfway between them. You thengo mid-way between the fi rst keyframe and the middle keyframe and create a new keyframe there, then repeat that for the last frame and middle frame, and keep subdividing the shot by placing keyframes midway between the others until there are enough keyframes to keep the roto on target. The situation where bifurcation makes sense is when the motion is regular and the object is not changing its shape very radically such as the sequence in Figure 6- 23. If a keyframe were fi rst placed at frame 1 and frame 10, then the roto checked mid-way at frame 5 (or frame 6, since neither one is exactly mid-way), the roto would not be very far off. Touch up a few control points there, and then jump midway between frames 1 and 5 and check frame 3. Touch up the control points and jump to frame 8, which is (approximately) mid-way between the keyframes at frame 5 and frame 10. Figure 6-24 illustrates the pattern for bifurcation keyframing. While you may end up with keyframes every couple of frames or so, bifurcation is more effi cient than simply starting a frame 1 and keyframing on 2s, that is, assuming the target object is suitable for this approach. This is because the computer is interpolating the frames for you, which not only puts your shapes control points close to the target to begin with, but it also moves and pre-positions the control points for you in a way that the resulting animation will be smoother than if you tried to keyframe it yourself on 2s. This strategy effi ciently recycles the work invested in each keyframe into the new in-between keyframe. Extremes Very often the motion is smooth but not regular, such as the gyrating airplane in Figure 6-28, which is bobbing up and down as well as banking. In this situation, a good strategy is to keyframe on the extremes of the motion. To see why, consider the airplane path plotted in Figure 6-25. The large dots on the path represent the airplanes location at each frame of the shot. The change in spacing between the dots refl ects the change in the speed of the airplane as it maneuvers. In Figure 6-26, keyframes were thoughtlessly placed at the fi rst, middle, and last frames, represented by the large red dots. The small dots on the thin red line represent where the computer would have interpolated the rotos using those keyframes. As you can see, the interpolated frames are way off the true path of the airplane. However, in Figure 6-27, keyframes were placed on the frames where the motion extremes occurred. Now the interpolated frames (small red dots) are much closer to the true path of the airplane. The closer the interpolation is to the target, the less work you have to do and the better the results. To fi nd the extremes of a shot, play it in a viewer so you can scrub back and forth to make a list of the frames that contain the extremes. Those frames are then used as the keyframes on the fi rst roto pass. The remainder of the shot is keyframed by using bifurcation. Referring to a real motion sequence in Figure 6-28, the fi rst and last frames are obviously going to be extremes so they go on our list of keyframes. While looking at the airplanes vertical motion, it appears to reach its vertical extreme on frame 3. By placing keyframes on frame 1, 3, and 10, we stand a good chance of getting a pretty close fi t when we check the interpolation at frame 7 (see Figure 6-29). If the keyframe were placed at the midpoint on frame 5 or 6, instead of the motion extreme at frame 3, the roto would be way off when the computer interpolates it at frame 3. Final Inspection Regardless of the keyframe strategy chosen, when the roto is completed it is time for inspection and touch-up. The basic approach is to use the matte created by the roto to set up an inspection version of the shot that highlights any discrepancies in the roto, then go back in and touch up those frames. After the touch-up pass, one fi nal inspection pass is made to confi rm all is well. Figure 6-30 through Figure 6-32 illustrates a typical inspection method. The roto in Figure 6-31 was used as a mask to composite a semi-transparent red layer over the fi lm frame in Figure 6-32 to highlight any discrepancies in the roto. It shows that the roto falls short on the white bonnet at the top of the head and overshoots on the side of the face. The roto for this frame is then touched up and the inspection version is made again for one last inspection to confi rm all the fi xes and that there are no new problems. Using this red composite for inspection will probably not work well when rotoscoping a red fi re engine in front of a brick building. Feel free to modify the process and invent other inspection setups based on the color content of your personal shots. MOTION BLUR One of the historical shortcomings of the roto process has been the lack of motion blur. A roto naturally produces clean sharp edges as in all the examples we have seen so far, but in the real world, moving objects have some degree of motion blur where their movement has smeared their image on the fi lm or in the video. Figure 6-33 shows a rolling ball of yarn with heavy motion blur. The solution is an inner and outer spline that defi nes an inside edge that is 100% solid, and an outside edge that is 100% transparent as shown in the example in Figure 6-34. The roto program then renders the matte as 100% white from the inner spline graduating off to black at the outer spline. This produces a motion-blurred roto such as the one shown in Figure 6-35. Even if there is no apparent motion blur in the image, it is often benefi cial to gently blur the rotos before using them in a composite to soften their edges a bit, especially in fi lm work. One problem that these inner and outer splines introduce, of course, is that they add a whole second set of spline control points to animate which increases the labor of an already labor intensive process. However, when the target object is motion blurred, there is no choice but to introduce motion blur in the roto as well. A related issue is depth of fi eld, where all or part of the target may be out of focus. The bonny lass in Figure 6-4, for example, actually has a shallow depth of fi eld so her head and her near shoulder are in focus, but her far shoulder is noticeably out of focus. One virtue of the inner and outer spline technique is that edge softness can be introduced only and exactly where it is needed so the entire roto does not need to be blurred. This was done for her roto in Figure 6-5. SEMI-TRANSPARENCY Another diffi cult area for rotoscoping is a semi-transparent object. The main difficulty with semi-transparent objects is that their transparency is not uniform as some areas are denser than others. The different levels of transparency in the target mean that a separate roto is required for each level. This creates two problems. The fi rst is that some method must be devised for reliably identifying each level of transparency in the target so it may be rotoscoped individually, without omission or overlap with the other regions. Second, the roto for each level of transparency must be made unique from the others in order to be useful to the compositor. A good example of these issues is the lantern being carried by our greenscreen boy. A close-up is shown in Figure 6-36. When a matte is created using a high quality digital keyer (Figure 6-37), the variable transparency of the frosted glass becomes apparent. If this object needed to be rotoscoped to preserve its transparency, we would n eed to create many separate roto layers, each representing a different degree of transparency. This is usually done y making each roto a different brightness; a dark gray roto for the very transparent regions, medium brightness for the medium transparency, and a bright roto for the nearly solid transparency. While it is a hideous task, I have seen it done successfully. Motion tracking and Stabilizing MOTION TRACKING One of the truly wondrous things that a computer can do with moving pictures is motion tracking. The computer is pointed to a spot in the picture and then is released to track that spot frame after frame for the length of the shot. This produces tracking data that can then be used to lock another image onto that same spot and move with it. The ability to do motion tracking is endlessly useful in digital compositing and you can be assured of getting to use it often. Motion tracking can be used to track a move, a rotate, a scale, or any combination of the three. It can even track four points to be used with a corner pin. One frequent application of motion tracking is to track a mask over a moving target. Say you have created a mask for a target object that does not move, but there is a camera move. You can draw the mask around the target on frame 1, then motion track the shot to keep the mask following the target throughout the camera move. This is much faster and is of higher quality than rotoscoping the thing. Wire and rig removal is another very big use for motion tracking. A clean piece of the background can be motion tracked to cover up wires or a rig. Another important application is monitor screen replacement, where the four