A Spectrum Through Time Essay Example for Free

A Spectrum Through Time Essay Museum of the Moving Image is the countrys only museum dedicated to the art, history, technique, and technology of the moving image in all its forms. It is one-of-a-kind destination for audiences of all ages and interests, from connoisseurs of classic cinema to children and families to avid gamers. The Museum is located the state of New York in Astoria Queens and has a collection of approximately 130,000 artifacts relating to the art, history and technology of the moving image. The collection is the largest and most extensive in the United States, and is considered one of the most important collections of its kind in the world. Soon as one steps into the building the whiteness of the interior decor makes us wonder what is behind the walls. The museum embracing a wide range of subjects, including artifacts from all stages of film creation from nineteenth century optical toys to the latest in digital art and explores every phase of the production, promotion, and exhibition of moving images. Artifacts include costumes, fan magazines, games, design materials, licensed merchandise, and technical apparatus, still photographs, marketing materials for all kinds, video and computer games, and movie furnishings. It offers an engaging, highly interactive core exhibition, discussions with leading figures in film and television, programs of contemporary and classic films from around the world, a unique collection, stimulating changing exhibitions, inspiring educational programs for learners of all ages, and groundbreaking online projects. After everyone arrived of our ENG101 class, we got divided into small groups. My group started its 90 minutes tour on the third floor where we visited the primitive projectors and experienced the process of creating a moving image. Viktor, who was guiding our group, explained that any moving image is just an illusion. To create a moving image we need two preconditions. We must have speed and a split second of rest which is a moment of rest is given to the eye. Viktor also pointed out that the moment of rest could be achieved in several different ways. The first three we had looked at was the Phenakistoscope, Praxinoscope and the Thaumatrope. Viktor demonstrated all three methods which was fascinating. These popular devices were inspired in the nineteenth century by Peter Mark Roget’s theory of visual persistence, which held that our eyes retain an image for a fraction of a second, ermitting a series of still images to become â€Å"fused† as a moving image. Another way to break down movements into a series of still pictures is a so called â€Å"video flipbook†. A flipbook is the simplest way of making a sequence of still pictures appears to move. The intervals of darkness necessary for the illusion of motion are provided by the turn, or flip of each page. The nineteenth-century photographic experiments of Eadweard Muybridge and Etienne-Jules Marey broke down the movements of animals into a series of still pictures. When displayed in rapid succession, these pictures appear to be moving, recreating the original motion that the images document. Moving further in the exhibition, we looked at Brooklyn-based artist Gregory Barsamian’s kinetic sculptures animate three-dimensional objects in real time. He called it †Feral Fount† which is a physical representation of a dream he had in which drops of water from his kitchen faucet transformed into a bomb, and then a paper airplane before crashing into his dishpan. The artwork is a stroboscopic zoetrope made up of series of ninety-seven small sculptures, each slightly different from the preceding one. These sculptures function in the same way as the individual drawings in the frames of an animated film. The sculptures are mounted on a rotating armature. A strobe light flashes thirteen times per second, illuminating the sculptures. Because there are intervals of darkness between the flashes, we do not see a blur as the sculptures spin by, but perceive a â€Å"moving image†. The illusion of motion is convincing, although the flash rate of thirteen per second is slow enough for the eye to detect some flicker. Thirteen â€Å"frames† per second is just at the boundary between where we can and cannot detect individual images. There were so many more mind absorbing artifacts like the Three-Strip Technicolor Camera and Special Effects just to name a few. After Viktor described how all of these cameras worked in the past and how special effects were utilized even in today movies we continued our little tour to the second floor. We spent half as much time on the second floor, but none the less it was all so engaging as well. Gaining insight to all the subjects the movie makers implement to make a final project is quite fascinating. Visiting the Museum of Moving Image helped us understand what it takes to make a movie from start to finish, and comprehend the difficulties of every aspect of the movie and throughout its process. To view it all on a â€Å"canvas† white walls, truly makes the Moving Image Museum a spectrum through time.

Factors affecting change

Factors affecting change Explain briefly what kind of change has taken place in both the organization, and discuss the reasons of this change, identify whether it is a result of internal environmental factors or external environmental factors in both organizations you selected. Comparison of Chosen organizations I have chosen two organizations names, Tandoori Restaurant and Tata Motors, so Tandoori Restaurant is a small and private owned business as compare with other business because Tata Motors is an international and large brand so it is well known everywhere but both businesses are based in India. Overview of Tandoori Restaurant I have been with Tandoori Restaurant since two years as a waiter or serving staff. I analyze the changes in management when a senior casher Mr. Sangit Singh got position of manager so he brought several changes in management and system. Specifically he brought internal changes in the efficiency and performance of employees. Major Changes Business Hours; he change the business hours and maintain the new roster for employees, they spend more potential hours on work especially breakfast means early morning and dinner times to late night. Customer services focus; he put the certain ways and rules to employees for customer orientation like that deal politely and take order carefully etc. He trained the waiters how they take correct order and they should know the recipes of all dishes because some time customer asked about the ingredients before recording order. He has given the new bright vision to all employees about culture differences and diversities because some time customers belong to different cultures and religions. He builds up proper communication between chef and waiters about the food, ingredients and customer orders and if customer changed his order so waiter conveniently replace the order. Chef performance; leader improves the chef performance because he believes that chef should be active, professional and expert in all areas of cooking. In busy hours chef should be quick and cook several recepies at a time. He strictly check the quantity of cooked food and he stop the wastage of cooked food, in this way daily they cooked estimated numbers of people food and they saved their raw food items. Internal Reasons for Change Tandoori Restaurant is a small and private business so in the end of fiscal year they found the bit loss and their business is not growing so than they brought Mr.Singht Singh as a restaurant manager. He modifies the management system and he took initiative for the business growth. He brought some internal and external changes like that; Customer focus; he improve the quality of customer services and he gave the trial and training of dealing the several culture customers. they were in full competition so they need to provide best customer services and more working hours with the variety of food and may be time to time they need to do promotion offers as well. They have to improve the culture gap between employees of restaurant. Chef performance; he improves the kitchen management and chef performance during busy working hours. Meanwhile he reduces the wastage of cooked food and save the raw food and money. Overview of Tata Motors Tata Motors was highly successfully, well diversified and globally ambitious automobile giant represents one of Indias most remarkable corporate successful. Tata Motors has a 5 billion loss when suddenly his trucks demand collapsed so thats why by the end of fiscal year of March 2001they had a biggest lost in the history of company. Major Changes Less Cyclical Product; they focus on less cyclical products like that light commercial vehicles, buses, spare parts and passenger cars and they put their resources and effort on these products. Domestic Market Share; Today Tata Motors transformed in to worlds fifth-largest manufacturer of medium and heavy trucks .Now it has got 61 percent domestic market share in this sector. It is in number-two position for sales of passenger vehicles in the Indian market. Overseas Market; It has also built a significant global presence and establish the sales efforts in overseas markets because they want to improve and maintain their sales level. Tata is one of the large Company doing e-sourcing in India and it is one of the world wide leading automobile industry. Joint Venture; Tata Motors has formed a joint venture with Marcopolo, the Brazilian bus manufacturer, these are the international brands. Tata Motors will flourish their business with them. Tata Motors has embarked on a wide-ranging global partnership with the Italian group-an arrangement that both sides expect to flourish. External Reasons for change: Less Demand; Tata Motors faced a problem of less demand for its core product, so their main product was trucks and they face the loss sale in the present market so they invested on other products like that spare parts, passengers cars etc. Competition threat; they have a threat from overseas automobile companies because market is full with the competition of model, price and quality. There was a threat from overseas competitors Government Encouragement; There was an opportunity from encouraging social and economic trends like new mobility of young Indians, the governments large road-building program, and generally floating GDP growth. Internal Reasons for Change Loss in Profit; They had a loss of 5 billion rupees in annual fiscal year of March 2001. They had fewer sales so thats why that loss was a significant for business. Expansion of Business; they have desired to expand business in entire their own country and other countries as well. Desire of expand business. Question 2 Use your research and analytical ability and explain what was the role of the leaders in both organizations throughout the change. Also explain how various leaders applied their ideas and concepts in the process of change management. Answer; Role of Tandoori Restaurant He is a best leader because he brought the new way to do things right and flourish the business. He has several leadership qualities like that Brain Storming; he was the leader who has good brain storming skills because he cheered a meeting and discussions with employees before giving them change plan. Motivate; he motivated the employees to do hard work and learn new market skills for the improvement of existing business and he announce the bonus cash at the end of fiscal year for the most hardworking, regular and efficient employee. Team work; he gave the spirit of team work in the environment of restaurant and he realized to employees that business will go with team work, emphasis on the co-operation of chef, waiters and manager with each other and all the employees should work for the business growth. Customer Focus; he concentrate on customer services and dealing, basically this is the core area of business where they taught employees who they can focus on customers. Role of Tata Motor Leader; At the time of transformation, they had a problem of 40 % reduction in the commercial-vehicle market in India. They had loss of 5 billion rupee in March 2001 and it was happened first time in the companys history. But Ravi Kant along with his team understood the situation and tried to know what had gone wrong and to create a best path for the future, so that they never face such situation in future again. Cost Reduction; after big loss in business they planned to reduce the cost of product because they were facing the reduction in sales so all the Costs had to be reduced in a bigger way, and that was challenge for him as a companys point of view. Company Position; he maintain the standard of product and he retained the companys position in business market of India. He planned for expansion companys operations internationally. They being a unit Improved quality of a product. Employees Focus; he arranged the meetings and discussions for employees to know customer problems, demands and suggestions. Staff Training; He facilitated proper training programme for different staff and workers. Unity and Encouragement; he set and specify the certain ways to create unity among all staff and workers. He encourages the workers about their performance and coming challenges. Broad Vision; he has a broad business vision about national and international market. He knows the demand and opportunities of different products as well he knows the more potential international market. Optimistic; he was fully confident and optimistic about future of his business and he convert the both skills to employees. Question 3 Compare and evaluate the application of leadership in change management in both the organizations and discuss the similarities and differences in implementation of leadership ideas in both organizations. Answer; Comparisons; Tandori Restaurant has incremental change in management and Tata motors has transformational changes in their set up. Tata Motors is a big international known brand and Tandoori Restaurant is a local Indian based business and it is a small business. Similarities; Both organizations are customer focused and profit oriented because their main focus to gain more customers and earn significant profit. As well they have focus to maintain the good repute of their companies in local market. Both has a staff training programmes and counseling and staff problem solvers because their leaders believe if staff and employees are happy so they must show the best results in their performance. In this regard they listen their employees and consider their constructive suggestions. Both companies focused on team work and create cooperative and constructive environment for the employees and they vanish the communication gap and cultural difference between staff and employees of companies. Outcome of Changes in Tandoori Restaurant He was an intelligent and broad vision leader because Manager Singet Singh knew that their internal demand, which is quite high, will help as an important instrument for reactivating the economy of restaurant. Manager of restaurant knows the challenge and competition of restaurant in local market so thats why he brought professional business changes. Being a Manager Singet Singh took initiative in these incremental changes in restaurant management. However his recommendations are acceptable by the owner and employees of restaurant. The leader of Restaurant played a key role in the management of company and he realized that the decision-making process was a reflection of how he used to manage the company. Leader was fully committed with his given tasks and confident about his steps that what he is doing, is the right way to go. Leader has to be committed for what he is going to do. If he is trust on himself then people will follow him. Tandoori Restaurant manager encouraged and appreciate the hard working and consistent staff, in this regard he announce the cash bounce in the end of fiscal year. Restaurant manager acknowledge the value and objective of the company and he has taken steps in the interest of company. Outcome of Tata Motors Tata Motors leader is intellectual and broad exposure about business market so he took the initiative to manage and regain the financial stability of Tata Motors. At the time of diversification, TATA Motors had a problem of 40 % shrunk in the commercial-vehicle market in India. There was a loss of 5 billion rupee in 2001 and it was happened first time in the companys history. So leader was still optimistic and struggling to retain the position and revenue of the company. But still they understood the situation, tried to know what had gone wrong and to create a path for the future. So they never face such situation in future. TATA Motors had unity among their staff member thats why Ravi Kant says that if they would have had tried to go only through the top, they might not have succeeded as well, and the transformation might have taken much longer. TATA Motors facilitated breakfast meetings to boost staff, asking them for their frank views. Understanding they were suffocated and they wanted change. So they started picking out some them to face challenges and grow in company. Leader has to be patient, persistent, and brave at the same time. Meanwhile leader Ravi Kant considered the intrinsic values of employees as well and he took some tough people decisions. With those who are very closed to you because the company comes first; and leader is here to do what is best for the company.   Leaders should be patience and confident as we see Ravi Kant being a chairman, he has enough patience and confidence throughout entire management. He was the leader who has persistent attitude towards company growth and maintenance. Differences in both Companies Tandoori Restaurant is a small and private owned business and leader is bit autocratic with employees. Restaurant has the incremental internal changes because leader reorganizes the system of restaurant. Tata Motors is a big business but leader of this company is democratic because he invites the employees to discuss the issues and suggestion of customers. Tata Motors is a transformational internal and external change in his setup and management.

The Turning Points In Three Stories English Literature Essay

The Turning Points In Three Stories English Literature Essay One of the most important aspects of a story lies in the dynamic interactions of the different characters in it. Specially, it is on the main character that the story mainly revolves around and thus, it has the power to direct readers attentions. The main character of a story is called protagonist and there can be more than one main character in a story. The things happen to the main character, the way they are being reacted and the consequences or effects they bring are important factors for drawing readers attentions. Katherine Anne Porter, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Zora Neale Hurston on their stories The Jilting of Granny Weatherall, Young Goodman Brown and Sweat are able to take their readers all the way down to the end by wounding the protagonists vanities through breaking what they value most: promise, trust and patience. Porters The Jilting of Granny Weatherall present the main character, Ellen Weatheral, also called Granny Weatheral, as a sick eighty-year-old woman who has been through up and down of life and now laying on her dying bed. On this last day of her life, flashes of memories [squeezes] out from her heart-both to satisfy and to frustrate her (Kennedy 82). Porter moves back and forth freely from the present realities to the past memories without visible time boundaries and confuses readers so that to show the confusions in the Granny Weathers mind. As the title itself foreshadow, Granny Weatherall had been jilted. Sixty years before, she was being left alone at the altar sweating inside a white veil and in front of an untouched white cake (82). By then her husband to be, George, did not show up at all. The feeling of being jilted was so devastating and it has been affecting her throughout her lifetime. However, as time passes, she is able to go through changes that to some extent heal parts of her wounded vanity. Even if he is not alive today, she wishes to let George knows that she is given back everything he took away and more' (83). Somehow, she is satisfied in her accomplishments in life. After he jilted her, she married another man called John and bore four children with him. Even though John died at a younger age, she was successful to raises the children alone. She fantasizes the memories and [wishes] the old days were back again with the children young and everything to be done over (81). Some twenty years before, she was assuming of dying soon. However, death had never come by. Now, at the time she less think of it and unprepared for it, it comes to her as an endless mass of darkness. Even thought she hates the surprise, she believes that she has already secured a straight road to God (84). Her life, as a dot of light in the bottomless of the darkness, is waiting sign from God so that to be taken to heaven. God might be late or does not come at all. Nevertheless, Granny Weatherall, as a person who had been jilted before, has no courage to withstand the feeling and to wait. She once again feels being jilted. However, this time it is by what she value most and theres nothing more cruel than this-[she]ll never forgive it' (85). With this break of the promise of eternal life, her self-importance become permanently lost and she decide to end her life by blowing out the spot light. On the second story, the Young Goodman Brown, Hawthorne presented a young man called Young Goodman Brown who is newly married with a young woman, called Faith. Hawthorne used such symbolic naming so that to magnify the roles of the characters. The story opens with Young Goodman Brown leaving to a forest at night with a curious evil purpose -a mysterious journey to see the devil (420). When he leaves home, he feels sad for abandoning Faith at night and promises for himself that this will be for once and for all. However, what he is going to experience at this night would change him far more than what he imagined. While Brown fearfully hurries into the forest, he encounters an old man who seems the devil himself. Soon after, Brown feels bad and begins cursing himself for being the first to participate in such wickedness in his family line, whom he assumed them as a race of honest men and good Christians' (421). The traveler argues by evidencing himself as collaborator of Browns ancestors while they were committing crimes of persecution and genocide. Later on, Brown noticed an old woman, who had thought him catechism as youth and who currently is his counselor, proceeding into the darkness. Even though this tempted him for a while, he realizes that this womans choice to ruin her life has nothing to do with him and decides to stop to move forward-hoping to return home. However, before long he hears horses riders and recognize the voices of the minister and Deacon Gookin, discussing about the exciting meeting and the attractive young woman they are going to see (424). Even later, he recognized th e voices of his villages peoples whom he presumes them as good peoples. The whole thing shocked him to death! However, even with all these, he is still determined to resist the wicked: [with] heaven above and Faith below, I will yet stand firm against the devil!' (424). Nevertheless, after a while he hears the voice of his dear Faith and sees the pink ribbon, which was in her head when he left home, flying down to the tree in the forest. This collapses him; he loses his trust in humankind completely and acknowledges, [there] is no good on earth' (425). This is the turning point where he rejects the vanities of the world and his moral code becomes completely paralyzed. In resentment and grief, he rushes to the congregation. At some point after he reached, when he was not able to find Faith there, he was hoping that his backsliding would heal. Yet, the one look at his pale wife makes the change irreversible (428). This fearful experience, whether it was dream or reality, make him to lead a distrustful and gloomy life afterwards. Lastly, in her story, Sweat, Hurston present the main character, Delia John, as a suppressed and exploited washerwoman who is married to an oppressive husband, Skyes Johns. Even if she has been in this abusive relationship for fifteen year, they had different expectations from the beginning: [she] had brought love to the union and he had brought a longing after the flesh (531). Throughout their life together, he has been mistreating her both physically and mentally, wasting her money and cheating frequently on her. However, still she is trying to cope with the situation by neglecting him and by [avoiding] the villagers and meeting places in her efforts to be blind and deaf(534) Even if she tried to bring peace back piece many times, he refused to do so as he has now another intention. Now, he wants to throw out Delia as sugar-cane' and lives with another woman at Delias house (533). While he knew that she has an extreme fear for snake, thinking it would help him to push her out, he allows a rattlesnake to stay at the house. One time, when she complains that she is starving, as she is not able to go to the kitchen for fear of the snake, he affirms her that he has no plan to get rid of the snake at all. At that moment, her love to him grow blurred-Ah hate you tuh de same degree dat Ah useter love yuh. Ah done took an took till mah belly is full up tuh mah neck.'(535) However, it seems that he is not yet thrown out completely. She still hopes that he might feel regretful: [perhaps] he was sorry (536). On the next day, while she comes home with relaxed mood from church and after she began working inside the house, she finds out that the snake is inside. Frightened to death, she is manages to escape and to lie on the barn of the house. While she is there, coherent thought comes toward her mind and she begins to make self-examinations (536). She realizes that, her life is now endangered and it is vivid that Skyes wants to kill her. She also becomes conscious that, it is futile to fight for this unfortunate marriage and there will nothing she will regret about: Well, Ah done de bes Ah could. If things aint right, Gawd knows taint mah fault' (536). After that, Skyes entered to the house and attached by the snake. As she is already utterly broken and wounded, even though she can hear his horrible screams, she does not have the gut to help. Even at the end, she rather wants him to realize she had been there the whole time he was being attached. These three stories are similar in that they all have a turning point in which the main characters totally wounded their vanity. However, each was used for different purposes. Porter used that point to conclude the story as a loser, Nathaniel for brining permanent behaviors changes and Hurston for ending suppressions and miseries.

The Real Threat Of Nuclear Smuggling :: essays research papers

The Real Threat of Nuclear Smuggling This reading was based on the controversy over the threat that nuclear smuggling poses. It begins by going over the view of each side in a brief manner. It states that some analysts dismiss it as a minor nuisance while others find the danger to be very real and probable. This reading stands mainly for the belief that nuclear smuggling is a real danger. The analysts that find this issue to be a problem say that nuclear smuggling presents grave and serious because even though the percent of these type of smuggling is less than that of drugs for example, the law-enforcement type officials are also less experienced at stopping shipments of an item such as uranium than they are in seizing marijuana or hashish. These same analysts have also found that even a small leakage rate of any type of nuclear material can have extremely vast consequences and dangers. They say that although secrecy rules make precise numbers impossible to get, Thomas B. Cochran of the Natural Resources Defense Council in Washington, D.C., estimates that a bomb requires between three and 25 kilograms of enriched uranium or between one and eight kilograms of plutonium. A Kilogram of plutonium occupies about 50.4 cubic centimeters, or one seventh the volume of a standard aluminum soft-drink can. In addition to this, analysts have found that security is much to lax in even the supposedly "most protected locations". For example, the Russian stores in particular suffer from sloppy security, poor inventory management and inadequate measurements. Then there is the virtually nonexistent security at nuclear installations that compounds the problem. The main reason for this lack of security is that pay and conditions have worsened and disaffection has become widespread. So with an alienated workforce suffering from low and often late wages, the incentives for nuclear theft have become far greater at the very time that restrictions and controls have deteriorated. Against this background, it is hardly surprising that the number of nuclear-smuggling incidents-both real and fake-has increased during the few years. German authorities for example, reported 41 in 1991, 158 in 1992,241 in 1993 and 267 in 1994. Although most of these cases did involve material suitable for bombs, as the number of incidents increases so does the likelihood that at least a few will include weapons-grade alloys. In March 1993, according to a report from Istanbul, six kilograms of enriched uranium entered Turkey through the Aralik border gate in Kars Province. Although confirmation of neither the incident nor the degree of the uranium's enrichment was forthcoming, It raised fears that Chechen "Mafia" groups had

How effective is Harper Lees title of To Kill a Mockingbird? :: English Literature

How effective is Harper Lee's title of To Kill a Mockingbird? '" Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." That was the only time I ever heard Atticus say it was a sin to do something, and I asked Miss Maudie about it. "Your father's right," she said. "Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people/s gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."' (p. 96) From the above quote we learn that a mockingbird gives only pleasure to people. It does not harm anyone, or destroy people's gardens, like other birds might do. The book can be said to contain 'human mockingbirds' who, each in their own way, are persecuted or treated badly through no fault of their own. Probably the two main and most obvious mockingbirds in the novel are Boo Radley and Tom Robinson. These two characters very much contrast each other, but the way they are treated by other persons in the book gives them a mutual bond. Both of these characters had to pay for their actions with their lives - Boo Radley being deprived of friendship and the outside world by his own family, and Tom Radley being convicted of a crime he did not commit, which ultimately lead to his death. Boo Radley, otherwise known as Arthur Radley, is described by Jem as a monster-type figure: "Boo was about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that's why his hands were blood-stained - if you ate an animal raw, you could never wash the blood off. There was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time." (p.19) We know that this is not what Boo Radley really looks like, and Jem is giving this description to Scout so as to tease her. Being as young as she is, she believes this portrayal of Boo. However, though Jem is only having a laugh, this shows us what sort of image of Boo the children grew up with. The title could be connected with this because the children are mocking Boo's life and making fun of it. I also think that the following words from Jem are important: '" I think I'm beginning to understand why Boo Radley's stayed shut up in

Airframe by Michael Crichton Essay

Michael Crichton’s 1996 literary work takes its audience into a flight adventure of suspense with a dash of humor. As the title suggests, Crichton’s audience might deduce a frame which could be found in the air. In more accurate terms, speculate about the structure of a plane. As the audience read’s it, this deduction is further strengthened with the illustration of a plane â€Å"accident† that results to an investigation on the quality on a Norton Aircraft-manufactured N-22, followed by media frenzy. For some, the event of an airplane accident which eventually results to tedious and cumbersome investigation is quite uninteresting and dull. However, readers of this book are still compelled to continuously read it because of the twists, thought-provoking exploration of a plane’s structure, high tension issues and jitters. Moreover, Michael Crichton’s style and themes informs and teaches several factual issues and concerns to its audience while entertaining them. By looking into the history and flight events, it can be said that Michael Crichton’s accounted problems in his book indeed portray real-life scenarios. Michael Crichton’s novel starts at the Transpacific Airlines flight 545, said to be a Hong Kong based transportation. In addition to this, it was also illustrated that the plane, as mentioned before, a Norton Aircraft-manufactured N-22, that is expected to arrive at Denver. However, severe turbulences occur at the California Coastline, resulting to an emergency landing at the Los Angeles airport. From the pilot’s report on the status inside the plane, there were already several injured passengers and two dead passengers. The dilemma rises from the fact, as the book states, that the plain’s history never showed or experienced poor safety record or performance. In addition to this, the pilot who was maneuvering the plane was highly trained, which takes the possibilities of human error out of the question. As such, the story tediously proceeds and revolves around the investigation regarding this â€Å"anomaly† on the plane’s condition or on the question of its safety records, and generally about how the whole incident happened. In this novel, the aircraft manufacturers in this novel responded in a way that imitates what â€Å"real† aircraft manufacturers would show or usually do after such accidents. There are cases where manufacturers are held liable or not liable to certain accidents by the jury. If the jury was impressed with the overall save rate, the manufacturer is not considered liable, resulting to the acknowledgment of the whole design utility being optimized for the majority to the detriment of a few. On the contrary, if the jury would inspect the high-speed aspects of risk in contrasts to the high-speed save rate, the manufacturer can be considered liable. As such, it is â€Å"factual† or logical that manufacturers would react in ways that Crichton describes it. On the other hand, the actions or events which follow the media hype on the airplane accident seem exaggerated, though again, convincingly true. Several scenes or illustrations regarding the media generally show that they tend to scrutinize whatever links they find regarding a certain topic which could boost their ratings. In addition to this, there is generally a persistence of the media crowd to grab whatever fact they could get a hold on to, and sometimes create stories to build or form the bits of information that they have into a persuasive story, which can either be true or partly-true. In his accounts of both the airplane problems, media and manufacturer investigations there are convincing facts which are laid to the audience by the author. In addition this are critical observations which shows Crichton’s style and manufactured tensions that keeps his readers stuck on the book, without boring their selves (just like what I felt). Crichton is like giving an ice cream, with a sprinkle of reality and fiction, mounted on a cone, coated with information and served in a plate garnished with humor that definitely keeps its audience from wanting more. References Crichton, Michael. (1996). Airframe. Alfred Knopf Publishers.

Pride, Prejudice, and Vanity Essay

For two hundred years Jane Austen’s novels have been read, reread, dog-eared and bookmarked. They have been opened with smiles and closed with reluctant sighs, picked up and not put down again until every word has been read, cherished, and safely secreted away within the reader. Austen’s novels are each a rich bouquet of themes, motifs, and imagery. Perhaps most prominent of these themes is Austen’s depiction of love in the face of potential lovers’ pride, prejudice, and vanity. In Pride and Prejudice, one of the most significant illustrations of these themes can be found in the romances between the Bennet girls and their suitors, as courtships are wrought with snap judgments, uncompromising ideals, and extreme concern with frivolity such as appearance and social standing; no relationship in the novel exemplifies this more than that of Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy. In Pride and Prejudice, love and propriety harmonized with humor and irony, as Austen displayed her special talent for creating interesting people, places, and things; through ironic humor, cynicism, and rapier-like puns, the techniques employed by Austen to name items in her novels provide significant insight into the characters, serve as a subtle means for social criticism, and prove a successful comedic device, creating humor out of the mundane and displaying love in the most unlikely places. Her title for Pride and Prejudice initially appears that she abandoned much of the similar wit for a straightforward description of her text, though upon reading, one is forced to question the appropriateness of the novel’s â€Å"prejudice. † While it can said to be in Darcy’s general contempt for the lower social classes, it is really more his own vanity that makes him crave status so. Similarly, the Bennets are also rife with pride and predetermined â€Å"facts† of life, as Elizabeth has tends to judge upon first impressions and is often highly critical of others. However, the title speaks to something greater than the words themselves, and really speaks of the flaws of most humans: â€Å"The meanings that ‘pride’ and ‘prejudice’ acquire are related to the central theme of all of Jane Austen’s novels—the limitations of human vision† (Zimmerman 65). This limitation of human vision, the inability to see moral and actual existence clearly, not only leads to pride, prejudice, but also vanity. Through the less-than-clever Mary Bennet, Austen gives her delineation of vanity and pride: â€Å"Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us† (Austen). The romance between Lizzy and Darcy is not unlike Jane Bennet and Mr. Bingley’s in that the lovers share similar personalities and ultimately find great joy in being together, although it does differ in the course it takes, hindered by the pride and vanity of each. While Jane and Bingley were immediately enamored with each other, Lizzy and Darcy begin the novel as ultimately, Lizzy and Darcy’s love epitomizes ardor and devotion in spite of pride and vanity of each, however prejudice may be a misnomer. Lizzy actually has ample reasons to dislike Darcy after she meets him: â€Å"1) his snobbish and insulting remarks about her at the ball; 2) his attempt to break up the romance between Jane and Bingley; and 3) his alleged injustice to Wickham† (Fox 186). However, her disposition exemplifies her vanity, not prejudice, and her vanity is apparent throughout the novel. When Lizzy writes to Mrs. Gardiner to inform her of the engagement she writes, â€Å"I am happier even than Jane; she only smiles, I laugh† (250). Though Lizzy is happy, her vanity lies at the root of what she says, and: â€Å"It is clear that vanity here applies, not to the impression Elizabeth wants to make on others, but to her own opinion of herself† (Dooley 188). She is happy, after abandoning her initial judgments of Darcy, however she still compares her happiness to that of her sister. Through the two romances of Jane and Lizzy, Austen has painted a portrait of the good and of the great and how vanity often leads to greater significance in relationships. While the love between Jane and Bingley is sweet and honest, the love between Lizzy and Darcy is real, visceral, and passionate; one produces a smile, the other a rapturous laughter that only fills the void where words prove lacking. This is due greatly to the pride and the vanity of both Lizzy and Darcy, who each create higher ideals for them to live by, and the only real prejudice that exists in the novel is that which exists in every human.