Saturday, September 7, 2019
Graphics Image in the Media Essay Example for Free
Graphics Image in the Media Essay The graphical portrayal of hostility, disaster and even death is generally essential to broadcast and print media. People are attracted to a gruesome but actual picture of life and it is where the public draws its sense of reality. A visual representation or picture normally has more effect than a broadcasted or published story. This is because its power to influence people surpasses spoken or written words. The media industry is subjected to the unwanted but common principle of â€Å"if it bleeds, it leads and is fatally attracted to the harsh journalism world where photographers, who produce graphic images of grim and emotional moments, are the ones being acknowledged and awarded more. As a result, the broadcast and print media is faced with a dilemma of commercially promoting the industry by inevitably sacrificing its ethical standard. Thus, viewers and readers tend to be offended and attracted to such graphical representations of real life events at the same time. The public wants to learn and feel the drama behind an incident but refuse to accept and confront its awkward details. However, the power of the media to influence people with its graphical depiction of events entails a responsibility. Media is bound by its obligation to present to the public what it deserves to know. Graphic images in the media, as a representation of reality, should never cease to exist despite the controversies and objections.            Media organizations are oftentimes assailed or criticized after airing or publishing a controversial graphic image that presents, for instance, a dead person or grieving victims of real-life events such as violence and calamities. Viewers and readers attack the editors and most specifically the photographers for being apathetic or insensitive and for making the pain of the person(s) worse by displaying the picture. Nevertheless, the photographer responsible and his or her editor are both obliged to present reality as it truly happens. On the other hand, these media practitioners defend themselves by arguing that it is innate for humans to have morbid enchantment with hostilities and calamities. It is just sad to note that these are the same critics who charge the media people for being insensitive and for taking advantage of the sufferings of others. The Boston Photographs            No matter how gruesome, graphic images are commonly used and known to ignite more dramatic reactions from people than stories. According to Nora Ephron, disturbing pictures of any incidents need to be shown to the public either through broadcast or publication. The fact that such graphic images affect or move the feeling of the public is exactly what pictures should be which in turn make photojournalism much more powerful than print media.            Ephrons article titled â€Å"The Boston Photographs†talks about the legality and ethical justification of printing controversial graphic images. Ephron discussed the pictures of a rescue attempt, captured in consecutive manner that unfortunately went wrong. â€Å"The Boston Photographs†depicts a woman who was attempting to get out from her burning apartment building. However, while escaping and during her rescue, the woman fell to her death after her flat’s fire escape crumbled. The publication of the graphic images of the dead woman resulted into a lot of dispute from offended people who felt and reasoned that it was inappropriate and uncalled for to publish images of a dead person. However, despite the negative reactions and criticisms, Ephron confirmed the publication of the photographs and reasoned that they were exemplary representation of reality that needs to be printed. Ephron is justified in promoting and fighting for the printing of the said pictures simply because of the fact that human accident and even death are major realities of life.            Regardless of the dramatic intensity created by the said graphic images and their alleged ethical violation, the public has the right to view the actual happenings of the real world including death. A lot of people were offended with the coming of the â€Å"The Boston Photographs†where in Ephron defended that â€Å"death happens to be one of life’s main events.†Again, it was just unfortunate to state that many people in our society usually let their emotions prevail and ignore the basic responsibility of the media to present the truth to the public.            Ephron wrote about three arguable graphic images of a failed rescue attempt that were captured by Boston Herald American Newspaper photographer Stanley Forman. With the use of a motor driven camera, Forman was able to take three frames per second of the famous â€Å"Fire on Marlborough Street!†on July 22, 1975. The first graphic image pictured a fireman who is trying to rescue a woman and a child. A collapsing fire escape was shown on the second graphic image. The last graphic image was the most controversial as it showed how the rescue attempt failed as the woman and her daughter fell from their apartment window resulting in the woman dying on the spot while her daughter survived as she landed on her mothers body.            Criticizing from the graphic images of the helpless victims alone, it can be ethically challenged that such gruesome pictures were used and published to gain commercial prominence or profit. A critic can even argue that the pictures were not representations of reality as they were captured with the primary intention of getting ones attention. However, Ephron was able to make her article very easy to be understood. Ephron succeeded in presenting all the components of the incident. She initially told about the details of the particular fire accidents. She continued by presenting how the readers reacted to the graphic image. Ephron further presented another angle when she disclosed the views as well as reactions of the newspaper editors. Citing a particular example, Ephron also included in her article how former managing editor of the Washington Star explained his personal view about publishing the three graphic images. In whole, the Ephron article was able to justify the existence and utilization of graphic images by the media industry by defending its necessity and importance in reminding people that such reality happen in everyday life. 9/11 Terrorist Attacks Aside from the famous Forman fire photo, another incident in the American history that was vividly presented in a lot of graphic images was the events of September 11. According to the news article by Jim Rutenberg and Felicity Barringer, the news producers had a difficult time sorting out the graphic images taken after the attack on the World Trace Center on September 11, 2001. Meanwhile, in her article from the Christian Science Monitor, Susan Leach cited Moeller who said that the controversies and arguments about the graphic images of tragic incidents such as the September 11 terrorist attacks resulted from the public notion that the media is using such gruesome pictures for commercial purposes. These marketing strategies are used primarily to gain profit such as to grab the peoples attention, lure the readers to buy the publication and prevent the viewers to switch their channels. Moeller, a professor of media and international affairs at the University of Maryland, adds: â€Å"[e]ven when the public is distressed by difficult images, if that news outlet is transparent about its reasons for running those pictures there has generally been very little outcry and protest, and often support for that ethical decision.†(qtd. in Leach).            The previous article also stated that one important component in justifying and deciding how the media uses graphic images of a tragic event is the nearness of the incident. Moeller further explained that if something is geographically distant and psychologically distant as well [with] no close emotional ties to the area, then the home media is a lot more likely to use graphic images.† One particular example is the coverage of the Madrid bombing incident as an aftermath of the September 11 US attacks. Moeller commented on how reserved the British media were, just like the American media when it covered and presented the 9/11 incident. â€Å"In other words, they really didnt show body parts, Moeller noted (qtd. in Leach).            In contrast, a comprehensive coverage of the collapse of the World Trade Center was depicted in a lot and more graphic images outside the U.S. According to editor Naureckas, the worldwide audience of the 9/11 attacks did not need to receive a discreet graphic images of falling pieces of the twin towers and carnage of thousands of people in order to be updated of the event. Rather, the use of more vivid and even gruesome pictures is necessary for other people to feel the pain and sympathize with the American people (qtd. in Leach). To cite an an example, Naureckas said: â€Å"if you were in another country where people who live in New York might be an abstraction, then seeing the actual person jumping out the window might have brought you closer to the event†(qtd. in Leach). Limitations            As stated earlier, the use of graphic images in the media is a privilege but it requires responsibility. Thus, it has to have some limitations. Effective limitations and conditions can be considered an otherwise absolute interpretation of â€Å"freedom of the press.†The restriction, editing, or censorship of graphic images (especially gruesome and controversial pictures) may be done by an independent body that governs and has authority over the media industry or it can start from the media organization itself by depending on the fair, critical and objective wisdom and judgment of its management as well as editors. In doing so, concerns whether graphic images in the media should be aired or not, or print or not can be addressed.            Ethical behavior may be in accordance with standards put up by the media organizations. These standards may be useful but usually vague thus they cannot anticipate any eventuality. Citing as an example is the Code of Ethics that media members generally follow. However, it fails particularly identify gruesome situations as depicted by graphic images. Generally, the â€Å"Code of Ethics†includes a provision where photographers â€Å"should at all times maintain the highest standards of ethical conduct.†Photojournalism â€Å"is worthy of the very best thought and effort, and members should â€Å"maintain high standards of ethical conduct (qtd. in Lester).            The issue of ethical standards, in the media in line with its choice to use graphic images, was what The Post freelance columnist Nick Clooney emphasized in his column titled â€Å"Media should use ethics standards.†According to Clooney, it is the responsibility of the media to abide with a set of ethical standards. He added that the moral guidelines should emanate and practiced within the industry and thus should not be violated by his colleagues. In citing a particular case that called for the setting of ethical standards in the media, Clooney mentioned the publishing of a tabloid of a picture of a rape trial victim which he said violated the privacy of that person. Clooney stressed that such instance of showing a graphic image by print media made him angry. This is because such sensationalism by what he called the â€Å"news quacks or the scandal-mongers and entertainers posing as journalist†violated not only ones privacy but the moral standing of the media. Clooney was not at all opposed to the use of graphic image in the media but rather concern that there is still a need for ethical standards that will guide and uphold the dignity of the media profession. Finally, Clooney did not give up the situation as he hoped that news media people will have sufficient ethical or moral standards and regard to the privacy of the public (Clooney).            In addressing conditions and graphic images of events and calamity victims, media practitioners are faced with the dilemma or arguments whether to capture and publish the picture or not (Lester). According to Lester and from the circumstances presented, media should generally expect that the public is inclined to criticize a controversial graphic image if some conditions are present. These include the following conditions: â€Å"[if] it was taken by a staff photographer; [if] it comes from a local story; [if] the image is printed in color; [if] the image is printed in a morning paper; [if] the image is printed on the front page; [if] it has no story accompaniment; [if] it shows people overcome with grief; [if] it shows the victim’s body; [if] the body is physically traumatized; [if] the victim is a child; and [if] nudity is involved.†Taking into consideration the said limitations, it can be resolved that the use of graphic i mages in the media is essential but not absolutely free. These limitations are proven useful in order not to be hit by possible firestorms or reactions coming from the offended public (Lester). Conclusion            A picture, indeed, is worth a thousand words. However, no one can ever determine how much history account, feeling, idea, and gut wrenching response some images are worth or can interpret. While the use of graphic images in the media is necessary and critically important in conveying a message or even replacing a whole story, broadcast and print journalists are still bound by a sense of responsibility. Media has the obligation to be sensitive and conscious to the possible negative effects of using gruesome graphic images. Thus, certain limitations have to be in place. However and most importantly, media is still obligated to present the truth even to the extent of painfully showing the realities of life. Works Cited Sophronia, Nora. â€Å"The Boston Photographs.†Envision: Persuasive Writing in a Visual World. Ed. Alfano, Christine and Alyssa O’Brien. New York: Longman Publishers, 2005. Leach, Susan Llewelyn. â€Å"How to tell story of the dead without offending the living.†The        Christian Science Monitor. 19 January 2005. www.csmonitor.com Lester, Paul Martin, â€Å"Photojournalism: An Ethical Approach.†1999. College of  Communications, California State University, Fullerton. 24 March 2008          http://commfaculty.fullerton.edu/lester/writings/chapter4.html Rutenberg, Jim and Felicity Barringer. â€Å"After the Attacks: the Ethics; News Media Try to Sort out Policy on Graphic Images.†The New York Times. 25 March 2008 http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=980CE2DE1038F930A2575AC0A9679C8B63
Friday, September 6, 2019
Written by Charles Dicken Essay Example for Free
Written by Charles Dicken Essay The tension built up is temporarily lifted as a perfect and surreal atmosphere is created, The rhythmic was of the sea upon the reef was becoming audible now, and it had a pleasant sound in his ears; the water washed along the side of the canoe, and the paddle dripped between each stroke. Presently he began to doze. This perfect setting dispels all current tension, and as the men relax Evans begins to fall asleep. Although appearing to dispel tension I believe this also creates tension. The reader is drawn into a false state of security with this perfect setting and oversees the fact that the men are falling asleep on an unknown land that they are not well adapted to. This is not as clear and straight forward as the rest of the tension contributing to the build up, but still has an effect on the reader and adds to the tension build up. Between line 51 and line 56 a reminder of the hazards and consequences of the island are highlighted. A wrecked ship and the crew are described, a shipwrecked crew thinned by disease, a quarrel or so, and the needs of discipline, and at last taking to their boats never to be seen again. This shocking and disturbing story instantly creates a massive amount of strong tension; the reader will immediately relate this short story to the men currently exploring the island and believe there is little hope for them. Sikes and Nancy was written by Charles Dickens in 1869 and this story deals with a great deal of effective tension build up and one of the most infamous criminals of all time! Extremely effective and powerful tension is created immediately in this story as it starts with a description of the infamous Fagin. Fagin is the stereotypical criminal of the time; he is aggressive, impatient and overall experienced in pick-pocketing. Fagin the receiver of stolen goods was up, bedtimes, one morning, and waited impatiently for the appearance of his new associate, Noah Claypole, otherwise Morris Bolter; who at length presented himself, and, cutting a monstrous slice of bread, commenced a voracious assault on the breakfast. The planning of misdeeds and crime is an obvious and fairly weak source of tension here, There seemed, indeed, no great fear of anything interrupting him, as he had evidently sat down with a determination to do a deal of business. Misdeeds are highlighted between lines 43 and 47 as Fagin shows Noah the woman he is to follow. The feeling of no-good is emphasised for the reader here. Fagin pointed out a pane of glass high in the wall to Noah, and signed to him to climb up, on a piece of furniture below it, and observe the person in the adjoining room. Is that the woman? Fagin nodded yes. Tension is well-built here and is effective on the reader. The reader is aware of how much Fagin is paying Noah to do the job in hand; à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1. In those days à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1 was a great deal of money for a job, so suspicions arise for the reader and immediate and very effective tension is created. We begin to imagine just how important this job is, as someone so tight-fisted and intimidating as Fagin is willing to pay so much for one job. Although not completely obvious at the start, the setting of the story itself builds very strong and effective tension. In this time that the story is set in especially, London was a grim, sinister and dangerous place to be. The shadowy labyrinth of streets, back alleys and tunnels are the perfect environment for criminals like Fagin. This setting alone creates so much potential for bad things to happen, the reader would pick up on this sooner or later and an extremely powerful sense or tension is created.
Thursday, September 5, 2019
Michel Foucaults Theory of the City
Michel Foucaults Theory of the City In this essay I will discuss and plain how the city is represented as place of power and surveillance, using Michel Foucaults ‘the means of correct training in his discipline and punish (1977) and the film 28 weeks later where I will pick four scenes from the film. I will discuss and explain how the film deals with the notions of institutional and private rights, how visual design might represent notions of surveillance and oppression through (space, colours juxtapositions, and characters); and finally, how the city is represented through various ways of looking/imaging. The shift to consumerist city has marked changes in the surveillance and control of urban space through an innumerable technologies and moral practice. These type of change happed as cities tries to rebrand and remarket themselves within local regions nationally and internationally in order to compete with the current capital investment markets. Visual politics of the street underpins changes in urban and its governance, thereby creating risk- taking business that focuses on creating visually pleasing spaces via architecture to regulate to practices surveillance not only in urban spaces but also in suburbs places. canary wharf can be seen as primary example of this panopticon described in Michel Foucault discipline and punish in the means of correct training. In his book he describe panopticon as all round the clock functioning surveillance machine which is designed to insure that no prisoner could ever see the inspector who conduct the surveillance from his control room to the radial (central location within the radial configuration). Hi goes on saying. The prisoner could never know when he was being surveyed in the instant of the scene in 28 weeks later where the commanding officers ware surveying on the survivors by using machine guns at night time or in the instant the ware the architecture of the building /faà §ade was designed with glass, which in this case the inspector had a full control and awareness of the activities conducted by not only the survivors but also the survivors were aware of the presence of the commanding forces around them. There individual rights at this stage. could be manipulated and cause destruction for the institutional powers. I will feather explore this scenario as I progress feather is this assay. In the same time considering the survivors were aware of been watched at all times, the mental uncertainty and the anxiety of been quoted doing anything against the set up rules in itself enough to discipline them. Due to high effect of ponopticon in the film were the survivors are injected with this state of mind that surveillance is present at all times and that automatic full functioning power is around the clock, and no uncharacterized behaviors will be tolerated. In this instant, the survivors are caught up in a power situation of which they are themselves the bearers. To achieve this, it is at once too much and too little that the survivors are constantly watched by a CCTV cameras and commanding forces, to the extent that the survivor is aware of been watched but in the same time there is no need for him or her to be observed. In such Circumstances Bentham laid down the following principle that â€Å"power should be visible and unverifiable. †he went in saying visible that the inmate /patient will constantly have before them the central tower in front of them/ (control room in the instant of the 28 weeks later film) which there spied upon, and unverifiable that the inmate/patience or the survivors under no Circumstances should he/she know whether is been watched, but he must know he may always be so. But in the 28 weeks later film from the scene nine where the commanding forces from the top unit were surveying on the survivors at nig ht time. In this scene we see how surveillance is conducted without the knowledge of survivors. One sees everything without been seen. In this scenario we see the same principles been mentioned in bentham book in panopticism been repeated in the film Where the commanding forces where using high tech machine guns and CCTV cameras to insure all the people were where they were supposed to be and insuring orders were kept at all times. With the aid mordern of architecture power could be exercised to its fullest effect and individual rights were at no place to question the institutional power. Putting into consideration the main location where the power was enforced and practiced was in canary wharf, one can clearly see how power is immediately portrayed without even questioning the forerunners aim. (Scene seven) Bentham goes on saying â€Å"the Panopticon is a machine for dissociating the see/being seen dyad: in the peripheric ring, one is totally seen, without ever seeing; in the central tower, one sees everything without ever being seen†. He continue saying â€Å"it is an important mechanism for optimizing and disindvidualising power.†Here we see Bentham say panopticon is not a bad thing when is used for the right reasons; he give examples of the usefulness of the panopticonhe says â€Å"it makes it possible to draw up differences among patients and also to observe symptoms of each individual, in education it make it possible to observe performances. And among workers†it makes it possible to note the aptitudes of each worker, compare the time he takes to perform a task. â€Å"But the Panopticon was also a laboratory; it could be used as a machine to carry out experiments, to alter behavior, to train or correct individuals. To experiment with medicines and monitor their effects. To try out different punishments on prisoners, according to their crimes and character, and to seek the most effective ones.†Power is not the activity or the subject of knowledge that creates main parts of knowledge that opposes power, but is the power- knowledge and the struggles of those who goes through it determines the forms and possible domains of knowledge. http://cartome.org/foucault.htm which in the film when Andys mum was found had to be put under strict surveillance to prevent out-break of the virus but then when individual and institutional power are combined as seen in scene fourteen one of the power either for the individual or institution surfers severely or in most cases they both do. Conclusion in the reading of Michel Foucault discipline and punish; and in the film 28 weeks later one can draw many conclusion on how surveillance and institutional powers are conducted and how the city is viewed as a place of power. But in the same time we see when individual power and rights are exercised simultaneously cause severe consequences ; for example in scene 1,. Especially when Tammy and Andy decided to go to their old home to collect some of their possession here we see Tammy and Andy wanted to be free, they wanted to something that would remind them of their mother but under the rules set in the comp they were not permitted to leave the premises. As a result they rebelled and consequently brought back the virus in the camp and the end result most the survivors were exterminated, infected by the virus and the only survivors left in the whole city were them. My point is power should only be exercised when knowledge lead and it should be exercised by one part at a time to avoid coll ision. References Joe Kerr, Andrew Gibson, London from punk to Blair http://books.google.co.uk: city watch, 131-13, M. Foucault, 1977, Discipline and punishment, means of correct training, France: Gallimard Richard J. Williams. (2004). the anxious city. US andCanada, English urbanism in the late twentieth century. the anxious city 1, 10-19 http://cartome.org/foucault.htm
Wednesday, September 4, 2019
Dietrich Bonhoeffer :: Essays Papers
Dietrich Bonhoeffer Dietrich Bonhoeffer was born on February 4th 1906, as a son of a professor of psychiatry and neurology at the University of Berlin. Throughout his early life he was an outstanding student, and when he finally reached the age of 25 he became a lecturer in systematic theology at the University Berlin. Something that is very striking is that when Hitler came to power in 1933, Bonhoeffer became a leading spokesman for the Confessing Church, the center of Protestant resistance to the Nazis. He organized and for a shot amount of time he led the underground seminary of the Confessing Church. His book Life Together describes the life of the Christian community in that seminary, and his book The Cost Of Discipleship attacks what he calls "cheap grace," meaning that grace used as an excuse for moral laxity. Bonhoeffer had been taught not to "resist the powers that be," but he came to a conclusion to believe that to do so was sometimes the right choice. In 1939 his brother-in-law introduced him to a group planning the overthrow of Hitler, and he made significant contributions to their work. (Bonhoeffer at this time was an employee of the Military Intelligence Department.) He was later arrested in April of 1943 and imprisoned in Berlin. After the failure of the attempt on Hitler's life in April of 1944, he was first sent to Buchenwald and then to Schoenberg Prison. Bonhoeffer was almost killed, but was lucky as his life was spared, because he had a relative who stood high in the government; but then this relative was himself implicated in anti-Nazi plots. On Sunday 8 Dietrich Bonhoeffer :: Essays Papers Dietrich Bonhoeffer Dietrich Bonhoeffer was born on February 4th 1906, as a son of a professor of psychiatry and neurology at the University of Berlin. Throughout his early life he was an outstanding student, and when he finally reached the age of 25 he became a lecturer in systematic theology at the University Berlin. Something that is very striking is that when Hitler came to power in 1933, Bonhoeffer became a leading spokesman for the Confessing Church, the center of Protestant resistance to the Nazis. He organized and for a shot amount of time he led the underground seminary of the Confessing Church. His book Life Together describes the life of the Christian community in that seminary, and his book The Cost Of Discipleship attacks what he calls "cheap grace," meaning that grace used as an excuse for moral laxity. Bonhoeffer had been taught not to "resist the powers that be," but he came to a conclusion to believe that to do so was sometimes the right choice. In 1939 his brother-in-law introduced him to a group planning the overthrow of Hitler, and he made significant contributions to their work. (Bonhoeffer at this time was an employee of the Military Intelligence Department.) He was later arrested in April of 1943 and imprisoned in Berlin. After the failure of the attempt on Hitler's life in April of 1944, he was first sent to Buchenwald and then to Schoenberg Prison. Bonhoeffer was almost killed, but was lucky as his life was spared, because he had a relative who stood high in the government; but then this relative was himself implicated in anti-Nazi plots. On Sunday 8
Tuesday, September 3, 2019
The Not-So-Honest Man in The Fifty-Dollar Bill :: Fifty-Dollar Bill Essays
The Not-So-Honest Man in The Fifty-Dollar Bill     The main character in Donald Hall’s "The Fifty-Dollar Bill" has spent most of his life trying to live up to his honest reputation. When he is accused of trying to bribe a person at the Judge Advocate General’s office, he tries to convince himself and everyone else that it was just an "unfortunate coincidence" (Hall 958). However, the evidence shows that it was more than just a coincidence and that his actions were intentional. The narrator goes out of his way to prove to us that he is a honest man. He contrasts himself with other lawyers who "live on intimate terms with dishonesty" (Hall 957). While he prides himself on being honest, the narrator has a deep obsession with his honesty; it seems he will do anything to live up to his reputation. In the first paragraph, he says "I call myself an honest man," not I am an honest man. By his choice of words he demonstrates a lack of confidence in his honesty. You don’t have to be truly honest, in order to call yourself honest. The narrator begins defending his actions long before we know that he did anything wrong. In the second paragraph, he claims "I had no intention of avoiding service to my country and I expected . . . to go into the office of the judge advocate general in June, 1942" (Hall 957). By telling us this early on he gets us on his side. We now are more likely to believe that he would never try to bribe his way out of being drafted. He also makes sure that we know he was in a hurry when he mailed the letter, which makes a mix-up seem more possible. By setting up his defense so early he shows that he has a real need to be defended. Once we know what he did wrong, his defense begins to look like Swiss cheese; it has a lot of holes in it. He and his wife used the $500.00, that they received as a wedding present, during the summer of 1941. They stopped using the money "When school started in the fall," probably close to the beginning of September (Hall 958). It’s hard to believe that in four months a man who had been in college and law school for six years, would actually forget about an envelope that he had used at least nine times over the previous summerâ€â€much less an envelope that had money in it.
Monday, September 2, 2019
Lobotomy and the Quest for the I-Function :: Biology Essays Research Papers
A large concern of the field of neurobiology seems to be finding and understanding a connection between the structure and function of the nervous system. What tangible system of tissues is responsible for creating a given perceived output? Some outputs can be more easily traced back to a specific 'motor symphony' and the involved structures isolated. This problem has obsessed generations of scientists. One of the first of this generation of researcher was F.J. Gall who promoted the idea that observable features of the brain could lead to an understanding of specific traits of action (7). Gall's greatest opponent, Marie-Jean-Pierre Flourens published research on localization of function and among his findings was evidence for sensory perception in certain sub-cortical structures (7). However, when Flourens examined the cerebrum he did not get such clean results. He found that damage to the cerebrum would not compromise specific abilities in the patient based on area, but incapacitate the patient in different ways based on the extent of the created lesion. In other words, damage to the cerebrum effected a diminution of 'higher mental faculties' such as "perception intellect and will" according to how great the lesion actually was, not according to where in the hemispheres it occurred (7). His conclusion proposed these higher mental faculties as existing throughout the structures of the cerebrum, and not isolated as with sensory perception. How is it possible to attribute, say elements of personality to a specific structure? Is their a region of the brain responsible for the way we are? A 'nice' region, an 'angry' gland? Here we encounter the ever ephemeral concept of where the I-function lies within the nervous system. Flourens' experiments, as well as many in the field of physiological psychology involved in great part injuring or impairing a section of the nervous system and then observing resultant changes in behavior. Indeed, much scientific discovery stems from observation of impairment-using disability as a way to understand ability. This method is a bit of turning observations on their heads-what one observes in a damaged patient might provide clues as to what one would observe in a healthy patient. This sort of process of elimination method of observation is an especially applicable tool when the structures and functions involved are little understood. In the case of locating where aspects of personality may come from, this is definitely true-much is left unexplained about what creates a human sense of individuality and character.
Sunday, September 1, 2019
What Are the Main Problems Associated with Using Plastic Bags?
Module code: FC 5012T Title: Skills for Study 1 Assignment question: What are the main problems associated with using plastic bags? Identify solutions to reduce these problems. Word count: 742 Tutor name: Bird, Marianne City University Number: 110065767 Submission Date: 26/10/2011 Plastic bags have been used on a daily basis since 1977 (Williamson, 2003) as a means of carrying items such as groceries as they are not only convenient but also cheap. However, the over-use of plastic bags has posed significant threats to the environment in recent times as they are non-biodegradable and also a threat to wildlife.The primary reason for this concern is that plastics bags are not re-used, but simply disposed of in landfills. These problems have both social and environmental impacts that are of global concern. This essay will begin by illustrating the problems associated with plastic bags, followed by the various ways in which society can hope to resolve this dilemma. The manufacturing proces s of plastic bags commences with the extraction of and handling of raw materials.Large amounts of energy are required to extract crude oil, and most of the electricity used in the process of manufacturing the plastic used in these bags comes from coal-fired power plants (Greenfeet, 2004). The fundamental components of manufacturing plastic bags are petroleum and natural gases (Lajeunesse, 2004), whereby 4% of the world’s total oil production is used in the production of plastic bags (Greenfeet 2004). The toxic emissions and consequently air pollution of chemicals and carbon dioxide during the production of plastic bags presents a serious concern for the environment.According to the Institute for Lifecycle Environmental Assessment (1990), the manufacturing of two plastic bags produces 1. 1 kg of atmospheric pollution, which contributes to acid rain and smog. Plastic bags are normally shipped to different consumer countries which also in turn has a harmful impact on to the envi ronment due to excessive emissions of pollutants such as sulphur (Long and Wagner, 2000). Each year there is an increase in demands for plastic bags, and therefore more are shipped, creating further environmental pollution concerns.This increase in demand has lead to the phenomenal upsurge in the use and misuse of plastic bags globally, both in developed and developing countries. Statistics show that 4 to 5 trillion plastic bags are produced per annum, whereby North America and Western Europe account for nearly 80% (Geographical, 2005; Reusable Bags, 2005). Cheeseman (2007) states that approximately â€Å"380 billion plastic shopping bags are used in the United States annually†; in turn, only 0. 6% of this is recycled. Almost 96% of plastic bags are disposed of in landfills (Williamson, 2003).This leads up to another problem as plastic bags are non-biodegradable – in other words, plastic bags do not biodegrade for over a thousand years (Stevens 2001). Plastic bags may also land in farms and in oceans which have an impact on the wildlife. Livestock such as cows may eat plastic bags while grazing. These pose a threat if ingested as they may tangle in their stomachs, causing serious injuries and potentially death (Dreyer et al, 1999; Rasmussen 1999). Each year over a billion birds and mammals die due to the ingestion of plastic bags (Baker, 2002).Many of these issues however, can be addressed and even resolved in several ways. Nowadays, a number of countries have begun to impose taxes on plastic bag consumption, with few even banning the use of plastic bags altogether. In Ireland a 15% tax has now been levied on the consumption of plastic bags, which has resulted in a 90% fall in plastic bag consumption. Many Asian and African countries, including China have also issued new policies on the banning of plastic bags (Ganster 2010 and Hill 2010). Some countries are now making new, more environmentally-friendly paper bags.These bags are biodegradable whi ch means will be able to biodegrade significantly faster compared to regular plastic bags. In Uganda, bags are now made out of banana leaves, making them more eco-friendly and are in themselves biodegradable (Hill 2010). Countries such as the USA have now begun implementing recycling programmes. However, its success has been limited as such services are not yet widely available (McKinney and Schoch, 2003) and the plastic used in the production of these bags are not easily recyclable. In conclusion, the problems presented by such plastic bags lie throughout he production line: from the production process to the way in which plastic bags are overly consumed, through to the ways in which they are disposed of. Although several solutions have been implemented to mitigate the issues caused by plastic bags, there is still much to be done to reduce future, drastic consequences to both society and ultimately the environment. Marquita K. Hill (2010). Understanding environmental pollution . 3rd ed. United Kingdom: Cambridge university press. p345-346. Linda A. Mooney/ David Knox/ Caroline Schacht (2010). Understanding social problems. th ed. United states of America: Linda Schreiber-Ganster. p485. Hansard (2007), â€Å"Parliamentary Debates â€Å", Kenya National Assembly Official Record, Jul 25, pp. 15-17. Baker, R. 2002. â€Å"Ministerial Brief: Plastic Bag Levy. †Website. Accessed October 22,2011. http://sres. anu. edu. au/people/richard_baker/examples/briefing/minty/Minty. html Geographical. 2005. â€Å"Waste: An Overview. †Geographical 77(9): 34-35. Greenfeet. 2004. â€Å"Paper vs. Plastic – The Shopping Bag Debate. †Website. Accessed November 20, 2005. http://www. greenfeet. net/newsletter/debate. shtmlLajeunesse, S. 2004. â€Å"Plastic Bags. †Chemical and Engineering News 82(38): 51. McKinney, M. L. , and R. N. Schoch. 2003. Environmental Science: Systems and Solutions. Mississauga, ON: Jones and Bartlett Publisher s. Reusable Bags. 2005. â€Å"Facts and figures regarding the true cost of plastic bags. †Website. Accessed October 25, 2011. http://www. reusablebags. com/facts. php Long, R. , and M. Wagner. 2000. â€Å"Report Finds Ships the Dirtiest Transportation Source, Causing Smog at Sea and in Port: Lawsuit Filed Against EPA for Failure to Regulate Large Ship Emissions. Website. Accessed November 28, 2005. http://www. commondreams. org/news2000/0717-07. htm Reusable Bags. 2005. â€Å"Facts and figures regarding the true cost of plastic bags. †Website. Accessed November 27, 2005. http://www. reusablebags. com/facts. php Stevens, E. 2001. Green Plastics: An Introduction to the New Science of Biodegradable Plastics. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Williamson, L. J. 2003. â€Å"It’s Not My Bag, Baby! †On Earth: Environmental Politics People 25(2) (June): 32-34.
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