Nurses in Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Nurses in Politics - Essay Example Public health care institutions are funded by the government that also formulate policies to govern them. Lois Capps plays a crucial role in policy setting and determination of budget in the health care sector. She understands the sector and can convince her colleagues on issues pertaining health to care. Having adequate knowledge in the health sector allows her to give a strong opinion in communities that require a professional in the field. Her experience in the field also allows her to give specific encounters that will help the other legislators understand the challenges patients and healthcare providers face in the facilities (Feldman, & Lewenson, 2000). Her contribution to successful Acts can be summed up into two major bills. The Nurse-managed Health Clinic Investment Act of 2009 and The School-Based Health Clinic Establishment Act of 2009. The two bills were cosponsored by Lois Capps and are meant to ensure that clinics run by advance practice nurses and school-based clinics to get funding from the government. Lois Capps was also a vocal supporter of the health care reform bill, which ensured Americans get access yet affordable health care (Mason, Leavitt, & Chaffee,

Diversity Issues Essay Example for Free

Diversity Issues Essay It does not create a mouth-opening effect on us when we get to know any issue related to sexual harassment that is happening somewhere in the country, whether it is any organization, community, educational institution, or village. It is because there is no such country in the world that has totally eliminated this issue, even if they have, then other diversity issues such as, discrimination, hatred, and glass-ceiling occur. The paper would discuss an article about sexual harassment, analyze the legal concerns, and highlight the thoughts regarding the issue. Introduction Sexual harassment is a term that is used to define any act of harassment where a person or employee â€Å"makes continued, unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature, to another employee, against his or her wishes† (Heathfield, 2010). Examples of Sexual Harassment There is not any specific way of harassing the opposite gender in the workplace; in fact, there are variety of ways that can be used depending on the circumstances. People pass on jokes, non-verbal gestures, or other offensive comments on the physique, dresses, or way of walking or talking of the other party. Touching and making some bodily connection also comes under sexual harassment, where patting someone’s back, holding him or her from waste, and scratching is done. Moreover, requests to the other party are made to have date even that party has refused before. And finally, sending emails or texts that contain some lewd text or pictures and playing sexy music are also part of sexual harassment. Legal Concerns Sexual harassment has increased to so much extent that now it is considered to be a common thing, which would not have any negative impact towards the organization or its performance. But in reality, it does have several legal concerns over the confidence and self-esteem of the harassed one, performance of the organization, violation of the ethical and moral principles, and also the corporate culture. Starting from the moral and ethical issues, one does not have any right to sexually harass anyone else in the workplace even if the other party does not entertain the offer or gets reluctant to it. It violates the ethical principles because one does not feel the sense of freedom where he or she is working, and since it is the workplace so protest or condemnation cannot be done openly. Second of all, it diverts the mind of both the harasser and harassee from their work since they continue to disturb and get disturbed from each other’s reactions. Therefore, the time is wasted and focus is not made on the everyday tasks, hence resulting in the decline in productivity of both parties. As far as the self-esteem and confidence of harassee is concerned, it gets hurt seriously because the harassee cannot openly raise voice in front of others to either protect him/her or complaint about the harasser. Moreover, there is a great chance of other people perceiving the harassing situation as the consensual relationship or flirting of both the parties, which might degrade one’s image. Not only this, once the rumors about sexual harassment being happening in an organization spread, it exacerbates company’s image and so many of the women or minorities would hesitate to join it in the future. Thoughts and Beliefs This growing issue in the workplaces have tarnished the image of many organizations and as well as the countries where minorities are harassed either sexually or for some other purpose. Although this is a silent issue that has not been considered to deal at the upper level either by the companies or governments; nevertheless, employees are the only one who can help themselves and get out if this nuisance. Sexual harassment can be prevented by the organizations if they develop and introduce certain stiff rules about the issue, which ensure that whoever is found to be harassing others would either be fired or suspended. Of course, the employer would not want this issue to prevail in the company so the harassee must complain secretly to the immediate boss or manager who could take the issue seriously in dealing with it. Also, harassee must have proper proofs and records of harassment been done by the harasser, so that he or she could take legal actions against the harasser and let him or her face the music (Heathfield, 2010). This would not be it; in fact the role of government and law-making bodies is very decisive here that can introduce certain laws especially for the workplaces where sexual harassment usually takes place. Once the rules are implemented, the issue would certainly take a rain check and minimize. Conclusion Therefore, there are many diversity issues prevailing in the organizations, one of them is sexual harassment that involves the passing of certain remarks, words, jokes, or some physical contact with the other party. Its outcomes are quite gloomy where the performance level of employees goes down, image is tarnished and corporate and ethical principles are violated. The issue can be managed by taking action on-the-spot by the harassee and the employer, and also by implementing stiff rules and regulations. References Heathfield. S. M. (2010). Address an Employee Sexual Harassment Complaint. Retrieved on August 4, 2010. From http://humanresources. about. com/cs/workrelationships/ht/sexualharass. htm Heathfield. S. M. (2010). Sexual Harassment. Retrieved on August 4, 2010. From http://humanresources. about. com/od/glossarys/a/sexualharassdef. htm

N. Scott Momadays House Made of Dawn Essay -- Momaday House Made Dawn

N. Scott Momaday's House Made of Dawn House Made of Dawn, the novel that began the AMERICAN INDIAN LITERARY RENAISSANCE, is Scott Momaday's masterpiece. He originally conceived the work as a series of poems, but under the tutelage of Wallace Stegner at Stanford, Momaday reconceived the work first as a set of stories, then as a novel. House is the story of Abel, an Indian from the Pueblo Momaday calls "Walatowa," a fictionalized version of Jemez Pueblo in New Mexico, where Momaday grew up. Abel returns from World War II a victim of what we would call today "post-traumatic stress syndrome." He is unable to speak, even to his grandfather, Francisco, who raised him. Abel, who is drunk when his grandfather picks him up on the return to the reservation, is based in part on a veteran that Momaday knew at Jemez, but also in part on Ira Hayes, the Pima Marine who raised the flag at Mt. Suribachi, and was memorialized in the statue that became the symbol of the Marine Corps. Hayes couldn't adjust to civilian life, and died drunk in a ditch on the reservation. The Indian veteran who is a hero in war but cannot find a niche in civilian life when he returns to America has become an archetype. Abel's name (Momaday only gives him one) suggests the biblical victim, and many readers assume the Cain who lays him low to be white society. But readers should remember that in the Bible Cain is Abel's brother, and the characters in House Made of Dative who cause Abel the most harm are indeed his fellow Indians. Furthermore, Abel's troubles begin even before his stint in the army. He is illegitimate, and as a result has always been an outsider at Walatowa. The war exacerbates his problems, but they started at his birth. Abel's first t... ...se of hendiadys, simple clauses linked with "and:" "The feasting had begun, and there was a lull on the town." Faulkner’s influence can be seen in the stream of consciousness passages and the use of the bear as a symbol of the wilderness. But Momaday's novel is distinctly Indian as well. Cherokee novelist and critic Louis OWENS says: "What has matured with Momaday is not merely an undeniable facility with the techniques and tropes of modernism, but more significantly the profound awareness of conflicting epistemologies [Euro-American and Indian]. . Momaday's novel represents more fully than any Native American novel before it the "assertion of a different perspective (92)." Works Cited Momaday, N. Scott. House Made of Dawn. New York: Harper, 1968. Owens, Lewis. Other Destinies: Understanding the American Indian Novel. Norman, OK: U Oklahoma P, 1994.

Why Women Should Be Able to Vote

Today, I am speaking for the affirmative to why women in Australia should be given the rights to vote for many obvious reasons. My reasons being; firstly, we should all be treated equally with justice or else Australia would not be considered as an egalitarian society. Secondly, other countries have benefited their society by passing women’s suffrage. Lastly, women are just as hard-working as men and deserve as much as men do. To start off, I without a doubt believe that women should be able to vote as Australia or we would not be known as an egalitarian society.Egalitarian means to treat everyone equally regardless of their gender, social class, nationality, education, family, appearance or job. Why should we call ourselves an egalitarian country if we’ve even consider to not give women political privileges such as voting or contributing to ideas based on gender? Women are counted as citizens of the country. They still pay taxes and obey the law. Yet, their ideas and v oices are being crucially mocked and ignored.By allowing women to vote, contribute ideas and analyse problems, we would have more intense debates and more conflicts in arguments. However, we would also be aware of more common problems and needs of the people that need to be met. My next reason why women should be allowed to vote is that countries allowing women’s suffrage have benefited from these actions. The first country allowing this to be passed was our neighbouring country, New Zealand in 1883, and then followed by Denmark, Norway, Germany and Finland in the mid-1900s.Australia can grow by following the footsteps of these countries as they now have a wide variety of ideas beneficial to both men and women because it serves the citizen’s need which should priority. It also gives women, hope and role models to look up to. Lastly, women should be able to vote because we are just as hard working as men. A majority of women are capable of doing tasks men can do. Women are very committed to their family.How can a woman financially support her family if she does not get paid as much as men due to men’s bias? Women are expected to only do large amount of cooking, cleaning and looking after kids. It would only be fair if they were able to vote as their votes would contribute to what is best for the country and its future. In conclusion, I strongly believe women having the right to vote will increase our economy as its extremely beneficial for the people’s rights, needs and the future of Australia being known as an egalitarian country.

Test the heart rate of a number of pupils while they were taking part in a `stepping activity`

Aims: To arrange pupils who took part in the exercise in order of fitness level. I will look at who is the fittest and see why, and also see if there are different fitness levels between girls and boys within the group. Method: The information that I have been given is that eight pupils, four of each sex took part in a stepping activity, their height and weight were recorded, the heart rate of all pupils before the activity, the heart rate of all pupils at regular intervals during the activity and the heart rate of all pupils 10 and 20 minutes after the activity. The way in which the pupils who carried out the investigation took the measure of heart rate was in the following way; each pupil in turn was connected to a BBC heart rate monitor and then asked to step up and down for ten minutes. Their heart rate was taken every 2 minutes. The pupils were then asked to rest. Their heart rate was taken again 10 and 20 minutes after the exercise had been completed. Background Information: There are many measures of fitness. For example the volume of blood, this is very important. The red blood cells contain the haemoglobin that reacts with oxygen. There are about 5.5 million red blood cells in each cubic cm of blood in a healthy adult. So the larger the volume of blood, the more oxygen is transported in a minute. So it is vital to have the requested amount of blood as that oxygenated blood which contains the oxyhaemoglobin, is that one that transports the oxygen to the cells, in this case the muscles exerting the force will be in most need to oxygen. Another thing that will affect the efficiency of the pupils in the exercise is how big the lungs are. If the lungs were big, they would have a large volume of air because the diaphragm and external intercostals muscles are larger and therefore create a larger volume when they contract; this is advantageous since they supply the increasing amount of oxygen to the blood passing through. When a person exercises, the level of carbon dioxide in blood increases and this is toxic. This increase in the level of carbon dioxide in the blood is detected by the chemoreceptors, which send messages to the medulla oblongata, which in turn sends messages via the nerve fibers to the intercostals muscles, and diaphragm making them allow larger volumes of air in and because of that breathing rate increases. So the bigger the lungs, the more carbon dioxide they can take out from the carboxyhaemoglobin as they inhale. Until this point its all aerobic respiration but when it gets to the point when the heart can't cope with the increasing demand for oxygen, the muscles will not get enough oxygen to react with glucose to create the energy to make adenosine triphosphate (ATP) which is then used as an `energy currency` to `pay` for these changes in a cell which require energy, the cells start to break down what it can from the glucose to create little energy without the presence of oxygen, this is called anaerobic respiration as it doesn't need oxygen and doesn't produce carbon dioxide and water but instead Lactic acid. So no matter how fast you breathe or how fast your heartbeats, your body cannot obtain enough oxygen from aerobic respiration to supply all its energy needs. So although your muscles will get the energy they need, this lactic acid will start to collect in the muscles, which changes the blood pH, which also makes your muscles ache. So at the end of the exercise, the heart would have reached its limit in some pupils. The limit is when the heart is pumping as fast as it can and all the oxygen in the arterioles is taken and most of carbon dioxide is given to the venules. Within a minute, there will be too much of this acid that your muscles stop working altogether. So build up of lactic acid affects performance. You then will be breathing deeply after the exercise to repay the oxygen debt, which is the amount of oxygen needed to get rid of the acid. The heart is a muscular organ, so the cardiac tissue develops more strength with increased use so therefore when someone exercises that will make the heart more efficient and increases its size. So when the muscle develops the heart will pump more blood in each beat. This means that the heart can beat less frequently and still pump the same amount of blood. So the stronger the heart the fitter the person is. Now I am going to represent the information that I have been given in a series of graphs and charts so that I can analyze them and evaluate the procedure. Analysis: Graph number 1 shows the heart rate of all the pupils before, during and after the activity. A resting pulse is the pulse that you have when you are relaxing and not doing any exercise and doing your normal body functions. So when you compare the resting pulse of the pupils you notice a difference, this is because some pupils have stronger hearts. So low heart rate indicates strong cardiac muscles, which may be inferred that person is physically fit. Graph number 3 shows that the boy's average heart rate is higher than the girls; therefore I can assume that the heart muscle of the girls is stronger within this sample. During the exercise phase all the pupils' heart rate goes up because there is a greater demand for energy, which is met when the heart supplies blood carrying oxygen and glucose necessary for respiration. Due to the strengths of the hearts, some of the pupils are only able to sustain the effort for only a short period of time and others for longer. The heart rate goes down after the pupils stop exercising because there is a less demand for oxygen in the muscles, and so the heart is able to cope with that easily and therefore it doesn't need to beat as frequent. You do realize that at the 10th minute the exercise is over, after the 10th minute, the graph shows the recovery time of all pupils. The recovery time is the time a pupil takes to recover from the end of the exercise to return back to the resting pulse. I have drawn a separate graph for the recovery time, as this time is an important sign of fitness. The shorter the time the fitter the person is because the person hasn't got much of oxygen to pay back to get rid of the lactic acid. This shows that hisher heart copes well with the increasing demand for oxygen. From graph number 2 you can see that Anne and Daljit have the shortest recovery time, which is also identical i.e. 20 minutes, the longest recovery time is Jane's which was 30 minutes long. So she took a while to repay the oxygen debt, her heart is not strong as the others, because it needed to keep pumping frequently to get the required amount of oxygen to where its wanted. Also the bar chart shows that the boy's recovery time is slightly higher than the girls' recovery time. The boys have an average of 19.5 and the girls have an average of 21.5. These averages are not accurate because we have not been given accurate information, as the pupils who took these measures, didn't take them at narrow time intervals. So looking at these averages in addition graph number 3 showing pulse rate of boys verses girls which tells us that girls in this group have stronger cardiac muscles than boys for this sample. Summary: I conclude that Anne is the fittest pupil for a number of reasons. Anne has the lowest resting pulse and during the exercise her pulse rate stays the lowest, which means that she has got strong cardiac muscles, she has a very fast recovery time, which shows she is fit, and she is also physically fit because she has strong leg muscles. For the same reasons I will place the others in order of fitness level being the fittest at the top: 1. Anne 2. Daljit 3. Rhona 4. Marj 5. Jane 6. Sean 7. Aaron 8. Stan Evaluation: I am going to evaluate the experiment in the following way: the aim of the experiment is to find out who is the fittest and if there was any difference in fitness levels between boys and girls, but this experiment only experiments the stamina, and fitness involves all the S-factors which are strength, speed, stamina and suppleness. So they must cover the other three aspects. For strength they could have done some press ups. For speed they could have done a race. For suppleness they could have told the pupils to stretch themselves as much as they can. They also could have taken the pulse of the pupils at intervals of 2 all the way through the exercise till the pulse returns to the resting pulse instead of taking the pulse at intervals of 10 after the tenth minute. This way it would be easier to work the recovery time and the time would be more accurate. Also the sample size was not enough to support any conclusion that any sex is fitter than the other, therefore I would use a sample of at least 30 pupils of each sex. They should have got some more background information about the pupils and their health status. They could have done the exercise twice so the results are more reliable. The pulses taken were accurate because they connected the pupils to a BBC heart rate monitor. While some of the pulse rates appear to be anomalous, we can be sure of their accuracy due to the way they were recorded. Our interpretation of these is skewed as we have only 2 other data points to consider. These are discrete measurements determined by a wide range of continuous variables. On basing our conclusions upon these points we have to remember the underlying determining variation and that these factors have an influence on pulse rate.

financial accounting Essay

financial accounting Essay financial accounting Essay INTRODUCTION Boyce's (2008) paper identifies various key issues that are seen to have lead many corporate failures, accounting and ethical education. These failures, as seen by Boyce, have shifted the focus from the system in which we operate in to the behavior of individuals. Furthermore, he argues the neglect in the emphasis of change in the way accounting intellectuals educate students is adding to the core failures in identifying unethical behavior. Also, Boyce (2008) identifies the failure by the profession to adequately provide a code of conduct to be followed that could be faced in the realm of the current corporations failures. ETHICS EDUCATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY One of the major issues that Boyce (2008) identifies is the lack of adequate ethical education to accounting students in particular. He voices his concern about the non-existence of ethical relevance in teaching today which adds the question of whether the approach of educators towards students ability to identify ethical issues if come across made even harder specifically when faced with real situations. The suggested solution to such failure as seen by Boyce (2008) is to extend the knowledge of education to students by implementing awareness of ethical dilemmas for real situations. Furthermore, to go beyond, these ethical dilemmas, Boyce suggests a structural reforming in tertiary education. One way to create a change is to substitute the practical scenarios given to students that do not relate by any way to the real situations they could face in the

Free Essays on Eucharist

History On the night of Holy Thursday the meal was different from the other times because it was the Jewish Passover. This act was also known as renewing God’s covenant. When Jesus shared the meal with his friends, it showed them how much he loved them. One of the greatest symbols of the Passover Meal is bread because it sustains life. Jesus believes that when you think of him you take part in the Paschal Mystery. In the Infant Church the people would worship in the temple and then go to private homes to celebrate the Messiah. During the First Century the meal was recognized as an agape. This means a love feats or common supper. It was told that at these common suppers people abused the bread and wine. Since some people drank too much of the wine, the celebration was set aside from the common meal. In the Third and Fourth Centuries priests started to say their own prayers during the mass. According to some people the prayers were so meaningful that they were recorded in books. Today, most of ours prayers date back to the very early church. During the Fourth through Seventh Centuries many things changed throughout the mass. For instance, in 384 the mass was to be said in Latin. The theory of an Eucharistic Meal began to fade out. The actual presence of Christ in the bread and wine was being debated during the Middle Ages. By this point in time mass was being celebrated in a huge church because of the extensive number of Christians. The 20th century was known as the reform century. The Council of Trent gathered in order to correct some abuses in the church. Today the mass is said in several languages, and people are allowed to take communion by hand. The church is very concerned about how well the people participate and understand the mass.... Free Essays on Eucharist Free Essays on Eucharist History On the night of Holy Thursday the meal was different from the other times because it was the Jewish Passover. This act was also known as renewing God’s covenant. When Jesus shared the meal with his friends, it showed them how much he loved them. One of the greatest symbols of the Passover Meal is bread because it sustains life. Jesus believes that when you think of him you take part in the Paschal Mystery. In the Infant Church the people would worship in the temple and then go to private homes to celebrate the Messiah. During the First Century the meal was recognized as an agape. This means a love feats or common supper. It was told that at these common suppers people abused the bread and wine. Since some people drank too much of the wine, the celebration was set aside from the common meal. In the Third and Fourth Centuries priests started to say their own prayers during the mass. According to some people the prayers were so meaningful that they were recorded in books. Today, most of ours prayers date back to the very early church. During the Fourth through Seventh Centuries many things changed throughout the mass. For instance, in 384 the mass was to be said in Latin. The theory of an Eucharistic Meal began to fade out. The actual presence of Christ in the bread and wine was being debated during the Middle Ages. By this point in time mass was being celebrated in a huge church because of the extensive number of Christians. The 20th century was known as the reform century. The Council of Trent gathered in order to correct some abuses in the church. Today the mass is said in several languages, and people are allowed to take communion by hand. The church is very concerned about how well the people participate and understand the mass....

Ultimate Guide to the University of California Schools

Ultimate Guide to the University of California Schools SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The University of California schools are widely regarded as some of the best public universities in the nation. Because I have provided college counseling to hundreds of students in California and chaperoned college visits to UC campuses, I’m very familiar with these colleges and know people who have attended each of the nine UC schools that offer undergraduate education. In this article, I will describe the UC system, profile each of the University of California colleges, and explain how to choose which UC school to attend. About the UC System There arenine UC schools that offer both undergraduate and graduate education.UC San Francisco is only a graduate and professional school.The nine UC colleges are UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego, UC Irvine,UC Davis,UC Santa Cruz, UC Riverside, and UC Merced. The UC schools are large public research universities, and they are generally considered to be some of the best public universities in the country.The UC system has more than 238,000 students and more than 190,000 faculty and staff. Most of the UC schools are big and have over 20,000 undergraduate students. UC Merced, which opened in 2005, is the newest of the UC campuses and has the smallest enrollment. It has around 7,000 undergraduates. UCLA, which has the largest undergraduate enrollment, has over 30,000. The UCs are governed by The Regents of the University of California, a 26-member board established under the California Constitution.While each school is unique and has its own personality, the University of Californiaschools offer many of the same benefits and possible disadvantages.As parts of the UC system, they’re all well-regarded, selective, research-oriented colleges. They're generally strong in STEM, the humanities, and the social sciences. Also, UC studentstend to be diverse and accepting of diversity, although African-Americans and Latinos are underrepresented at most of the UC campuses. Many of the complaints about the University of California colleges are typical of complaints about large public universities. Class sizes can be very large, and some students have difficulty navigating the bureaucracy. Students can have trouble registering, getting into the classes they need, and dealing with financial aid.While the in-state tuition for California residents is significantly lower than tuition at private colleges, many students claim that there is not a lot of financial aid available for middle-class students, and tuition costs continue to rise. Comparing the UC Schools by the Numbers I created a table comparing the undergraduate enrollments, average standardized test scores, and acceptance rates for each of the UC campuses. Take a look at the table to get an idea of the size and selectivity of each UC institution. School Number of Undergraduates Middle 50% SAT Score Middle 50% ACT Score Acceptance Rate UC Berkeley 30,574 1340-1530 29-35 15.1% UCLA 31,002 1240-1490 27-33 16.1% UC San Diego 28,587 1250-1470 29-34 36% UC Santa Barbara 22,186 1240-1470 26-32 32% UC Davis 30,145 1120-1360 25-31 43.5% UC Irvine 29,307 1170-1410 24-30 36.5% UC Santa Cruz 17,577 1160-1370 24-30 51.4% UC Riverside 20,069 1090-1300 23-29 57.2% UC Merced 7,375 1020-1230 18-23 69.1% Ranking the UC Schools While rankings are somewhat subjective, based on reputation and objective statistics, I’vesortedthe UC schools into four tiers. The first tier is UC Berkeley and UCLA.They’re the most selective and generally the most well-regarded of the UC schools. Non-UC colleges that would be in this tier includeUniversity of Notre Dame, Georgetown University, USC, and the University of Virginia. The second tier is UCSB, UCSD, UC Davis, and UC Irvine.Their US News and Forbes rankings, average GPAs, average standardized test scores, and admission rates are all very similar. It would be difficult to definitively rank one ahead of the others. Non-UC colleges that would be in this tier include Boston University, Tulane University, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and University of Wisconsin-Madison. The third tier is UC Santa Cruz and UC Riverside.UC Santa Cruz probably has a better reputation and is ranked higher by various publications, but these two school'sacceptance rates and average standardized test scores are similar. Non-UC colleges in this tier would be University of Colorado-Boulder, University of San Diego, Florida State University, and University of San Francisco. The fourth tier is UC Merced. UC Mercedis not necessarily trying to directly compete with the other UC campuses. It’s the newest of the UC campuses and has a significantly smaller enrollment than all the others. It also has the highest percentage of underrepresented minorities and low-income students of all of the UCs. It’s heavily invested in providing access to education to students in the San Joaquin Valley of California and offering a UC education to more California residents. I created a table with my rankings of the UC schools. Also, I included their US News rankings for National Universities and their overall Forbes rankings.Basically, I just averaged the US News and Forbes rankings to determine my own. School US News Ranking ForbesRanking 1. UC Berkeley 22 14 2. UCLA 19 46 3. UCSB 30 85 4. UCSD 41 81 5. UC Davis 38 94 6. UC Irvine 33 96 7. UC Santa Cruz 70 185 8. UC Riverside 85 204 9. UC Merced 136 unranked UC Berkeley (Berkeley Lab/flickr) Profiles of EachUC School In many respects, there are more similarities between the UC schools than there are differences.They’re all selective, research-oriented schools that share the same governing board. They have diverse student bodies, emphasize sustainability and environmentalism, and they offer many on-campus opportunities for student involvement. However, I think the primary differences between the schools are related to their locations and campus cultures.I’ll give brief descriptions of each school’s location and some information about what makes each school unique compared to the other UCs.I’ve been to every UC campus except Merced, but I have been in the Merced area. Also, I have friends and former students who have attended each UC. My assessments are based on my campus visits, information from the school websites, the opinions of friends and former students who attended these schools, and published student reviews. After my assessments, I used quotes from current and former students for each college from Niche,a website that provides reviews, rankings, and statistics about neighborhoods and schools.I tried to include both pros and cons that revealed how students feel about their experience at the school and were representative of many of the comments that I read. UC Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley is located in Berkeley, 15 miles across the bay from San Francisco.Berkeley is a vibrant, unique college town.It’s affectionately known as â€Å"Bezerkeley† because of the eclectic students and history of radical political activism in the city. I've always enjoyed my trips to Berkeley because there seems to be so much going on both on and off campus.At UC Berkeley, in one evening, you can attend a cultural event, join a political rally, go to a frat party, and top the night off with some good, cheap eats at Blondie’s or Top Dog. UC Berkeley is the oldest of the UCs and is known for its academically gifted students and renowned faculty.Berkeley was ranked the #1 public national university by US News for 19 straight years (losing out to UCLA for 2019). Also, in 2012, Berkeley started a scholarship fund for undocumented students. Student Reviews Here's what students have to say about UC Berkeley: Pros: In general, students rave about the campus and the school’s location close to the Bay Area. It gives them lots of opportunities for social opportunities as well as internships and networking connections. One student says, â€Å"There is so much to do and see in the area - I'm constantly visiting SF or going on fun trips.† Students also praise the quality of the classes they take (even if they’re challenging) and the intelligence and motivation of their fellow classmates. One student said, â€Å"Amazing faculty, the smartest students. Many classes push everyone to their limits even if the topic seems somewhat easy.† Another mentioned, â€Å"Berkeley was definitely the most challenging thing I've encountered in my life so far. But the hard work and stress made me stronger.† Cons: A major drawback that many students mentioned is the prevalence of crime in the area. â€Å"The biggest issue is the amount of crime.†Another says, â€Å"There are robberies and sexual harassments [sic] around or even on campus every day.† Students also mention lack of diversity as an issue, although the school is working on improving the problem. One student stated, â€Å"As a student of color, it is hard to go from Los Angeles to Berkeley especially when there is no one to relate to there.† As a large public university, Berkeley also doesn’t have the ability to routinely check keep tabs on all students, and a common refrain was that students at Berkeley need to know how to do things on their own. â€Å"I felt like students were on their own. No one really held your hand through anything. You had to make all by yourself.† UCLA UCLA is located in Westwood, a very nice area of West Los Angeles. Also, UCLA isthe only UC in a big city. However, Westwood has a number of restaurants, bars, and off-campus apartments for students that give it a college town feel within a city. At UCLA, 96% of freshmen live on campus, which contributes to alively on-campus culture.UCLA is a very spirited school. Even though many of the UCs excel in different sports, UC Berkeley and UCLA have the biggest fan bases and are the only UCs with FBS football programs.I’ve been to many basketball and football games at UCLA. The student body and alumni love their Bruins, and UCLA has more NCAA championships than any other college in the country. Furthermore, there are 13 Nobel Prize winners among the faculty, and this year UCLA was ranked #1 in Top Public Schools by US News. Student Reviews Here's what students have to say about UCLA: Pros: Academics get high marks at UCLA. Most students are very happy with their professors and the quality of the classes they’re taking. â€Å"All my professors are super helpful and have extended office hours the week before midterms and finals. There are many research opportunities and internships open every quarter.† Beyond the classroom, students also feel that UCLA provides numerous activities for students to get involved in, and its location in Los Angeles means there are many additional opportunities nearby. â€Å"Being in Los Angeles there is everything you need to get a head start on your career with volunteer, student organizations and internships in most fields.† Students also praise the friendliness of their classmates and how easy it is to make friends at UCLA. â€Å"The social scene is great and you're bound to meet people who you can click with.† â€Å"There are plenty of clubs to allow students to develop their interests.† As a bonus, many students particularly loved the food offerings at UCLA. â€Å"The food is the best in the nation, and I can honestly vouch for the quality of it. There is tons of variety and there are also many healthy options.† Cons: Although UCLA’s large size allows it to provide lots of opportunities for students, some feel that attending such a large school has drawbacks because there are a lot of people to compete with, and it can be difficult to find the resources you need. One student said, â€Å"A thing that I do not like about UCLA is the fact that class enrollment is a very stressful process as most of the time you will not be able to get popular classes as there are so many students who want the same time and same lecture class as you. With such a big school, it is kind of hard to make really close friends as schedules are vastly different.† Another mentioned, â€Å"The only issue is that due to the largeness of the student body population, some resources are hard to access like counselors for instance.† The high cost of tuition and living expenses is also a drawback for some students. â€Å"I find UCLA to be a bit on the expensive side, particularly for those who live on-campus.† UCLA(Prayitno/flickr) UCSB UCSB is located in Isla Vista, a beach town about an hour and a half north of Los Angeles.The school is literally steps from the Pacific Ocean, and even though it’s an academically rigorous institution, the laid back beach vibe permeates the UCSB culture. UCSB also has garnered a reputation as a party school, even though not all of the students participate in the party scene. However, UCSB still maintains an excellent academic reputation. In its 2013 rankings of the world’s top 500 universities, Leiden University ranked UCSB #2 in terms of impact in the sciences. Also, the Koegel Autism Center at UCSB’s Gevirtz Graduate School of Education has been recognized by the National Research Council as one of the top 10 state-of-the-art treatment centers for autism in the US. Student Reviews Here's what students have to say about UCSB: Pros: Students love UCSB’s campus and its location in Santa Barbara. One student who praised the school ended by saying, â€Å"It also doesn't hurt that the campus is stunning and you can study right on the beach!† Social butterflies mentioned that it’s easy to find parties here, but students who don’t like partying still enjoy themselves and the social atmosphere at UCSB. One student said, â€Å"The social scene is always full of excitement and things to do,† while another mentioned that, â€Å"Everyone thinks UCSB is a huge party school, but I actually haven't been to one party there and I don't feel pressured to go to any.† Cons: Many students praised the academics at UCSB, but others weren’t completely satisfied with their classes there, especially intro classes. â€Å"As a chemistry major, the average class size for my major-related classes are easily in the 100s. There are some professors that are able to teach us complex topics; however, the general consensus is self-study.† â€Å"Class sizes are larger, and certain classes are difficult to get into.† Students also mention that the dorms are pretty small and somewhat dated. â€Å"Most of the dorms are triple occupancy and the only dorms that offer double occupancy is either too small or a mile away from campus. In addition, the cost of living on campus is on the expensive side.† Want to build the best possible college application for UC schools? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in. Ryosuke Yagi/Flickr UCSD UCSD is located in La Jolla, an affluent community in the northern part of San Diego.La Jolla is an extremely nice area and has an average daily temperature of 70.5 degrees. UCSD is also very close to the Pacific Ocean. It's home to the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, one of the first centers dedicated to ocean, earth, and atmospheric science research and education. The school is organized into six residential colleges that help give it a smaller college feel within a large university. The journal Nature ranked UCSD first in the US in earth and environmental research.It’s also top among all UCs in terms of total active inventions and total US patents. UCSD is known for having a less energetic and involved on-campus culture compared to other UCs like UCSB, UCLA, or Berkeley. However, I have friends who were part of Greek life and actively involved in extracurricular activities at UCSD, and they thoroughly enjoyed their UCSD experience. Student Reviews Here's what students have to say about UCSD: Pros: Students had many positive things to say about the academics at UCSD. â€Å"The professors really know their stuff, and the ones I have had are so full of information! They want you to learn material from their class, and their lectures are so passionate and interesting!† Another student stated that â€Å"The academics at the school were excellent because there are very interesting classes and the students here are serious and you can tell they very much value their education.† Students particularly praised STEM classes and research being done at the school. â€Å"I love how engaged this institution is with research; they conduct amazing studies for the department of psychology and cognitive science. Really allows students to get involved and think critically of how behavior and attitude are tied in with our mind.† Cons: The major drawback to UCSD that most students mentioned is the lack of a party scene. â€Å"It is very socially dead unless you have the friends and the people that aren't dead.† However, other students find that there are plenty of social opportunities, especially if you look beyond parties. â€Å"Just because UCSD holds the reputation of no parties does not make the school socially dead, there are other ways people can socialize! There are campus events for everyone in any college and there are events that are specific to each individual college.† Another drawback is the large and sprawling campus. â€Å"Biggest downside is that the campus is HUGE, getting to back to back classes is difficult. This means you often have to do a lot of walking, and it can make the school feel like less of a community because everything is so spread out." UCSD (SD Dirk/Flickr) UC Davis UC Davis is located in Davis, a rural townin Northern California.Davis is 11 miles from Sacramento and 70 miles from San Francisco. The town of Davis is known for its friendly community and small town feel.Many of the UC Davis students seem to appreciate that the campus is surrounded by nature. According to the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2016, UC Davis is rankedfirstin veterinary medicine in the world. Because the campus is somewhat secluded, the on-campus culture at UC Davis is pretty active. It’s not known for being as wild as UCSB or Berkeley, but students seem to be more involved and social on campus than students at UCSD, UC Irvine, or UC Riverside. Student Reviews Here's what students have to say about UC Davis: Pros: UC Davis’s small and peaceful campus, surrounded by nature, is a draw for many students. â€Å"The campus is extremely beautiful, there is so much agriculture and life surrounding it that I never feel as though I'm not at home.† The school is also known for high-quality research, particularly in the sciences, which students can get involved in. â€Å"The school offers many research opportunities for students in the field of biological sciences.† Additionally, many students also feel that the campus has a very tight-knit community where everyone is friendly and welcoming. â€Å"It is the perfect college town and everyone is very friendly.† â€Å"The people here are super nice! I can talk to virtually everyone about anything.† Cons: Students who aren’t used to or don’t enjoy rural life often have difficulties with UC Davis’ small town setting. â€Å"Many say that the smell of cows is overwhelming.† UC Davis is also primarily a bike campus which can be difficult if you’re used to driving and having your car nearby. "You absolutely need to have a bike here, and there are many paths specifically for bike use." UC Davis (Ivan Kozik/Flickr) UC Irvine UC Irvine is located in Irvine, an affluent city in Orange County, California.Irvine is consistently ranked as one of the safest cities in the US and has some of the best public schools. According to US News, among specific undergraduate programs, The Henry Samueli School of Engineering ranked43rd among engineering schools whose highest degree is a doctorate. Furthermore, in US News's most recent rankings of graduate programs and specialties, UCI's literary criticism and theory, criminology, and organic chemistry eachranked in the top 10 in the country. The city of Irvine is not known for being the most exciting place, and the UC Irvine campus is also on the quiet side. The people I know who had the most fun at UCI were outgoing and involved with on-campus activities. Student Reviews Here's what students had to say about UC Irvine: Pros: Students at UC Irvine frequently mention how supportive the school community is, particularly professors who go out of their way to help students succeed. â€Å"The students, faculty, and staff are very welcoming and very eager to discover who and what they want to be.† â€Å"Professors are really helpful and try to give as much help as they can.† Many students also feel that UC Irvine gives them lots of opportunities to get hands-on experience outside of the classroom. â€Å"The school offers a lot of research opportunities and a chance to gain experience.† Another student mentioned that â€Å"There are a lot of chances to get an internship because there are many companies near school.† Cons: Some students struggle with how quiet the UC Irvine social scene is. â€Å"There is a very limited party scene that is dominated by Greek life.† â€Å"I would like to see the school stop being a commuter school as on the weekends it is very boring.† However, others mentioned that there are lots of clubs to join and the school is working on providing more. UC Irvine (UCI UC Irvine/Flickr) UC Santa Cruz UC Santa Cruz is located in Santa Cruz, a coastal city about 32 miles south of San Jose and 75 miles south of San Francisco.Santa Cruz is known for its coastline, redwood forests, and being socially liberal. The biggest tourist attraction in the area is probably the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. The campus of UC Santa Cruz is in the forest, and the students have a reputation for being a tad on the hippie side.PETA2, the young adult division of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, rated UC Santa Cruz as the #1 most vegan-friendly college in 2011.Approximately 25 percent of produce served in dining halls is organic, with much of it coming from local providers, such as the Farm and Garden run by UCSC’s Center for Agroecology Sustainable Food Systems. In 2014, Bestcolleges.com ranked UCSC #1 in the nation among top 50 colleges for Hispanic students.My friends who attended UC Santa Cruz speak highly of their undergraduate experience. Because it’s smaller than most of the other UCs, it seems to have more of a community feel, and it offers a social, progressive environment. Student Reviews Here's what students have to say about UC Santa Cruz: Pros: The academics at UC Santa Cruz get a lot of positive feedback, especially the supportive professors and small class sizes. â€Å"From my experience, the majority of the classes are very small and very individually oriented comparative to other universities, and you will never be hard pressed to find help if you need it.† Students love UC Santa Cruz’s campus, and they feel like being surrounded by nature makes going to class and studying more enjoyable. â€Å"The campus is most literally placed in the middle of a forest. It has a great college town with the boardwalk/beach, great food, and a great little town.† â€Å"Honestly, this campus is probably the most beautiful campus I've ever seen.† Cons: Students looking for a stereotypical campus full of parties may be disappointed by UC Santa Cruz, which mostly has a smaller, quieter social scene. â€Å"The social scene isn't as big as other college campuses which is a bummer but everyone joins the clubs and activities they are interested in so it's not too bad.† Other students mentioned they think the school would be improved if the dining hall stepped up the quality of its food and if the school provided more on-campus housing for students. â€Å"Improvement of housing and dining services would help.† â€Å"Many students have been protesting the lack of available off-campus housing to the University Board of Executives.† Some students also mentioned the difficulty of getting into certain classes as another drawback to the school and possible consequence of having small classes. â€Å"I would love if UC Santa Cruz expanded the number of courses offered per quarter because enrollment for classes is one of this school's biggest inconvenience for students. Many students, including myself, have not been able to enroll in a class they need for their major thus interfering with their graduation dates.† UC Santa Cruz (Benjamin Pender/Flickr) UC Riverside UC Riverside is located in Riverside, about 60 miles east of Los Angeles.Riverside is the largest city in what is known as the Inland Empire of Southern California.The area around the campus is probably not the nicest, and students have commented on the crime and not feeling safe walking alone at night. Originally, UC Riverside was a small liberal arts college when it opened in 1954, but it became a general university in 1959.Over the years, the student body has expanded rapidly, and the school and student body are still growing.The UC Riverside School of Medicine enrolled its first class in 2013. Also, according to its website, UCR enrolls a higher percentage of Pell Grant recipients than any other top research university in the country.There seems to be a significant push by UCR to make sure that it’s on the same level as the other UCs. It's adding students, new facilities, and plans to add 330 ladder-ranked faculty members. UC Riverside doesn't have the most active on-campus culture. About 70 percent of students are commuters, and freshmen don’t have to live on campus. Student Reviews Here's what students have to say about UC Riverside: Pros: One of the most commonly mentioned strengths of UC Riverside is its supportive environment. Students feel that everyone, from professors to staff to other students, are ready to help and want students to do well. â€Å"There is so much help offered to students here. From academic, to personal, and financial help, they've pretty much got it all here.† â€Å"There are so many people that can help advise you when it comes to picking classes. Don't worry about being lost because there is a lot of help around!† UC Riverside is also known for being a very diverse school that welcomes all students. â€Å"From an African American standpoint, UC Riverside really feels like a home away from home for me as I am able to meet and connect with people that look like me.† Cons: Student opinion of campus social life is mixed. Some mention that you can have a very active social life if you join Greek life or a lot of clubs, but others feel that the school’s high number of commuters makes it difficult to find many things to do on weekends. â€Å"During the weekends it gets boring, a lot of people go home so if you don't live close or don't have a car or anything then it gets kinda boring.† â€Å"I recommend staying on campus If, not then join an active club. If you don't follow my recommendations, then prepare to be lonely like I was. The party scene is near to non-existent.† Some students also mention large class sizes as a drawback that can make it difficult to get one-on-one attention from professors. â€Å"The only downside is that there are way too many students per faculty so the individual problems are not attended right away.† â€Å"The classes were very overpopulated 300-500 students sometimes.† UC Riverside (Ken/Flickr) UC Merced UC Merced is located in Merced, a small city in the San Joaquin Valley of Northern California.Merced is less than two hours to Yosemite National Park to the east and Monterey Bay to the west.Merced is in more of a rural area. Also, UC Merced opened in 2005 and it has a substantially lower undergraduate enrollment than the rest of the UCs. According to its website, UC Merced is the only American university with every building on campus environmentally certified. It pledges a Triple Zero Commitment, a plan to consume zero net energy, produce zero landfill waste, and zero net emissions on campus by 2020. Some students wish that Merced was more of an exciting town while others appreciate the smaller tight-knit community on campus and the small town feel of Merced. Furthermore, many students seem to appreciate that they’re part of creating the on-campus culture at UC Merced because it’s only 10 years old. They get to start organizations and leave a lasting legacy for future students. Student Reviews Here's what students have to say about UC Merced: Pros: Many students find the fact that UC Merced is a small and growing school to be one of its biggest strengths. The small size fosters a sense of community among students, and since the school is so new, many of them feel they get to have an important role in shaping what the school will be like for future students. â€Å"The school consists of a very small tight-knit community. There is a lot of student involvement on campus.† â€Å"I enjoy attending University of California Merced since it is a new school it is currently growing and I am excited to be able to grow with it.† In contrast to many other UC schools, many students are also happy with the amount of financial aid they’ve gotten and how easy it is to communicate with the financial aid department. â€Å"The school leads the UC system in financial aid given to students.† Cons: Although students love the tight-knit atmosphere at UC Merced, many mentioned that campus can feel boring and isolated when they’re looking for things to do. â€Å"UC Merced is a great university, but is in the middle of nowhere which tends to make weekends uneventful.† This can be especially difficult for freshman, since they aren’t allowed to have cars on campus. â€Å"The school is like its own private island. Therefore, when ordering an Uber it takes about 20 minutes to arrive and takes an even longer time to get anywhere into town.† Also, as a fairly small and new school, UC Merced doesn’t have the diversity of majors and classes that many of the other UC schools offer. â€Å"I wish UC Merced have more specific majors instead of broad Biology with emphasis tracks.† However, this is expected to change as the school continues to grow. UC Merced (tanyaboza/Flickr) How Do You Decide Which UC Schools to Apply To? One benefit of applying to University of California colleges is that you can apply to all nine of the UC schools with just one application. However, I don't recommend applying to a school that you have no desire to attend. Also, unless you qualify for a fee waiver, you have to pay $70 for each campus that you apply to. Even if you qualify for a fee waiver, UC will only waive the application fee for up to four UC campuses. Fee waivers are based on your family's income; you can apply for a fee waiver within the online application, and you'll be notified immediately if you qualify. Before selecting the UC colleges you'll apply to, look at your list of all the colleges you're applying to. Make sure you have enoughsafety schools. If not, consider applying to at least one of the less selective UCs, if your credentials would make you an extremely strong candidate for admission. Generally, you should have at least an 80% chance of getting in to consider a college a safety school. To help determine your odds of admission for each UC, google the name of the school and "prepscholar admission requirements." On each school's profile, you'll find our admissions calculatorthat will help you roughly determine your chances of gaining admission to that college. Start by eliminating the UCs you know you don't want to attend. Research each of the campuses. If possible, visit and take campus tours. Which schools don't have the majors you're considering? Which schools have a location or on-campus culture that doesn't appeal to you? If you're applying to UCs, I recommend applying to two to six campuses, depending on how many other schools you're applying to and your specific needs. Also, if you're in the top 9% of California high school graduates and aren't admitted to any of the UC campuses you apply to, you'll be offered a spot at another campus if space is available. However, you shouldn't assume there will be available space; that's why you should apply to safety schools. Want to build the best possible college application? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in. How Do You Decide Which UC School To Attend? If you’re in the position to choose which UC school to attend, then congratulations!You’ve done well enough in high school to have the opportunity to attend a great college, regardless of which one you choose. Honestly, you should choose which UC to attend the same way you would go about choosing any college.Determine the factors that are most important to you in a college. Then, research the colleges you’re considering extensively. There are many factors to consider to determine if a college is a good fit for you including location, selectivity, support services, and the majors offered. Look at the school’s website, and use guidebooks, college finders, search websites, and other ranking lists to help you in the college selection process. If possible, consult with teachers, counselors, parents, current students, and alumni. Most students who are deciding between UCs seem to base their college decisions primarily on selectivity, location, and campus culture.Selectivity seems to be the biggest priority for most students who are deciding between UC schools. It’s rare to find a student who opts to go to UC Riverside over UCLA. Most students want to go to the most selective school that accepts them, especially if both colleges are in the same general area. The next biggest priority for most students is location. Even though Berkeley may be ranked a little higher and might be slightly more selective, many students choose to attend UCLA over Berkeley. Some students prefer Southern California to Northern California, or they find the environment in Berkeley to be too overwhelming and prefer the more subdued confines of Westwood. Additionally, some students want to be close to home and some prefer to be a little further away. If you want to be in a rural environment, UC Davis and UC Merced are good options.If you want to be by the beach, you may prefer UCSB, UC Santa Cruz, or UCSD.If you want to be in Northern California, you should consider UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Santa Cruz or UC Merced. Furthermore, the campus culture is an important factor for many students. By campus culture, I’m primarily referring to the energy and activity on campus. You can find parties and numerous on-campus activities and organizations at all UCs, but some are known for offering a more enthusiastic on-campus environment and a more festive culture. Some students prefer to embrace a more lively college experience while others like being in a more quiet environment to focus on their studies.UCSB, fairly or not, has probably earned the reputation for being the best party school.UCLA and UC Berkeley have lively campus cultures, big-time sports, and active Greek life.UC Irvine and UC Riverside have more commuter students and the on-campus environments are not quite as lively. Also, while all the UCs are well-regarded academic schools, they do have different majors and programs.Because UC Davis is in a more rural area, it has more majors related to agriculture. For example, you can get a Bachelor’s in food science or international agriculture at UC Davis. Meanwhile, you can’t major in any agriculture-related field at UC Berkeley. If you’re interested in a specific major or program, or if you want to compare the majors offered at the different UCs, I recommend using a college finder like Big Future to quickly and easily compare the different colleges and get a complete list of the available majors. Finally, finances can be a major factor for some students when deciding which UC to attend.The cost of attendance is basically the same for each UC, but the financial aid you receive from each school can vary.Also, some students save money by living at home, so they choose the campus that is closest for financial reasons. Especially because most upperclassmen live off campus at UCs, the cost of living of the area of the school is a factor for students who are concerned about finances.It’s much cheaper to live in Davis, Merced, or Riverside than in Los Angeles, Irvine, or Berkeley. What's Next? Not sure if you want to attend a UC school? Read our guide on which colleges you should apply to. Ready to start your UC application? Check out this post on how to apply for college. You may also want to read about how to write a perfect UC personal statementandlearn how to come up with great college essay ideas. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Dracula 1931 vs 1992 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Dracula 1931 vs 1992 - Essay Example And this opinion has remained in some ways over the last eighty years. Tod Browning, the director, and Bela Lugosi brought the world what is arguably the most famous monster in history. This version is however, very slow-paced with low-lit sets. The film does not show Dracula ever biting into his victims’ necks, though. The film may have come alive if it had been made as a silent movie a few years earlier. In a non-talking film you have to show the horrors; you cannot convey horror through dialog as was attempted in 1931. It would be better if in between the dialogue, it had included sound effects or background music. When comparing to the 1992 Dracula, one finds the latter much more explicit. Director Coppola sticks to the original narrative of Bram Stoker but brings to life the horror and fear that the novel sometimes allows one to overlook. Dracula himself is seen both as the old count that Jonathan Harker meets and the younger, more suave version of the Count, who comes to London to woo Mina. The 1992 version also uses a lot of rich color and costumes to emphasize the gothic nature of the story. The script is truer to Stoker’s work, retaining characters like Holmswood and Quincey Morris who are usually skipped in other productions. All in all, the 1992 version may not be as iconic as the 1931 Dracula played by Lugosi, but in maintaining the terror of the story, it succeeds just as well, if not

Final exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 4

Final exam - Essay Example Therefore, I would do my best to improve employee relations because it would not only help the employees work in a collaborative manner but also it would result in increasing the company’s productivity. I would take a couple of steps to resolve the employee relations issue. First, I would make the marketing manager aware of the breakup between John and Sue. I would tell the manager that Sue does not enjoy working with John anymore because of the breakup. I would also tell the manager that Sue feels very uncomfortable when she finds John hanging around her office. After informing the manager about the nature of working relationship between Sue and John, I would advise him to choose some other employee to work with Sue on the upcoming project. In case the manager stresses on using John with Sue for the project, I would take the second step. The second step would be to improve the working relationship of Sue and John. I would summon John to my office to warn him. I would notify him that his name would be no more on the employee list if I get any complaint about him from Sue. I would also call Sue in my office to tell her that she would be going to work with John on a project and if John shows some unacceptable gesture during or after work to make her feel uncomfortable, she should let me know. Next, I would call both of them in my office together to sign a good working relationship agreement between them. In this way, I would be able to improve their working relationship for the benefit of the company. Labor relations issue is also very important in my view. The reason is that it resolves many of the individual compensation issues as well as employer-employee relationship issues. Labor relations deal mainly with the interchanges between employers and employees. â€Å"While labor relations is most often used to discuss this exchange as it pertains to unionized employees, it may also refer to

Report-Analyse Case Suty McDonalds Corp Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Report-Analyse Case Suty McDonalds Corp - Essay Example Proper segmentation, product targeting and positioning are important. McDonalds also needs to be selective in their franchisee selection as it should not disturb the existing franchisees in the region. Customer-oriented approach is essential in the fast food industry. Mass marketing techniques and standardization are no more applicable. Local adaptation is now essential to fight competition. All these indicate that McDonalds need to redefine their marketing strategy. McDonalds, that had once changed the way a nation ate and provided jobs to millions, is now reeling under difficult times. They lag behind in service and quality and despite bringing about changes in their food offers they have met with little success. The main issue is the unpopularity that has developed towards the McDonalds burgers. This has given rise to franchisee relations, downward sales and profits which ultimately are leading to closure of many units across countries. Product diversification without focus, lack of strategic direction and marketing strategies along with the top-down manner in which they dictate the franchisees is responsible for the stunted growth of the company. Attempts to create price war have yielded negative results. The profit margins of the franchisees have reduced between 2-4% against the 15% they enjoyed earlier. The retired CEO has been brought back along with two experienced executives to assist him but there are no signs of recovery. About 30-40% fewer outlets are being added to the chain each year while many close down every month. McDonalds need to realize that their marketing and franchising strategies have to be altered to suit the changed market environment and the ever-changing consumer needs. Kara, Kaynak and Kucukemiroglu (1997) contend that fast-food marketing strategies should have a sound understanding of consumers’ perceptions of and preferences for fast-food outlets and how they differ across cultures/countries. It was assumed in

Love & Friendship text analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Love & Friendship text analysis - Essay Example To her, Robbie is a sex-crazed maniac who is out to hurt her sister. Her accusation lands Robbie a jail-term. However, with age she comes to terms with her mistake and leads her life wishing for atonement, and this makes her writes to the end. All the events in the novel can be attributed to the failure of the older generation. Therefore, this paper shall seek to explain the extent to which the older generation’s failure contributed to the events of the story. The novel centers on the youth and adolescents facing challenges as a result of their parents’ failures. For instance, Briony’s cousins’ Lola, Pierrot, and Jackson visit the Tallis’s home for summer since their parents, Cecil Quincey and Hermoine are having problems in their marriage. They are giving their parents time to work out their differences and probably revert back their idea of having a divorce. It is during this visit that Lola gets raped and Robbie is accused of the crime. Chances are high that if Lola’s parents were in a healthy relationship, then they could have not visited the Tallis’s home during summer since they could be spending time together as a family. On the other hand, if they had not visited Tallis’s home, then Lola could have not been raped and Robbie could not have been sent to prison. The Talli’s family members are not happy as a family since their parents are not always there for them. Jack Tallis, the head of the family is always in London working and does not get time to visit or spend quality time with his family. McEwan asserts, â€Å"†¦and the old man is staying in town. He might come later† (48). The whole household misses his presence, and everything that goes wrong is attributed to the fact that he is not around. Briony explains that her father’s presence always changed the family’s atmosphere. She asserts, â€Å"Whenever he was around, the house settled on a fixed point† (McEwan 122). In as much as he spent his time at home in the library

Individual Mindset Challenge Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Individual Mindset Challenge - Assignment Example South Korean film industry emulated most modern production techniques from the U.S learning them from the Hollywood stars to restructure their film industry. Globalization of South Korean is a historical process spreading over centuries and should not be having links with westernization of a particular nation or culture. Globalization has significantly influenced different cultures towards its expansion in the global markets. Globalization can shape the traits of particular nation, community, or people. South Korea benefited much from globalization making the drastic changes from inferior to stable economic country in a very short period. South Korean used globalization to its advantage by increasing the interconnectivity with different countries and people using technology, pop culture, and trade, political and economic relationship. Its acceptance of globalization fostered positive international relations and economic development of the country. Absorption of South Korean culture by neighboring countries such as China, Japan, and Vietnam intensified the Korean adopted pop culture and other cultural platforms. Globalization has influenced South Korean culture including the television programs and film industry enabling South Korean pop culture to penetrate in Europe and North American countries. Korean globalization is termed as the Korean wave, which has been unique by creating unusual growth of local creative industries in neoliberal globalization. Korean creative industries have developed their personal, local cultural products and services making them the most successful contributors to Korean national economy. Korean wave has experienced a significant change with the development of digital technologies and social networking media such as You-Tube, social network sites (SNSs) and Smartphone’s in the 21 century. Local culture of various countries is supported by Korean wave through the digital

Logics and Supply Chain Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Logics and Supply Chain Management - Essay Example Most of its large and well established centers are located in the UK, Germany and Italy among other large developed nations (Frazelle, 2001, p. 54). The company has a large and able management team that has is motivated by the desire to propel the firm to great profit margins. For example, a Manager who is answerable and reports to overall regional managers head each of its magnificent plants (Great Britain, 2011, p. 37). In an effort to ensure excellence and efficiency in Euro Cast’s supply chain, the management of the company has managed to place a lot of emphasis on the improvement of the distribution networks within the company. The company has established a number of bureaucratic procedures aimed at enhancing efficiency in its supply chain networks (Jonsson, 2008, p. 145). To start with, the top management is concerned with the company’s supply department and has to report directly to the CEO (Ketz & Schwartz, 2006, p. 145). Other professionals lower in the supply ladder are supposed to respond to other superior executives within the firm. The entire supply team and the organization as a whole are committed to expanding the company’s operations (Long, 2004, p. 123). ... 356). Another supply strategy was the sales and operations planning strategy. The strategy has been lengthy but effective in the long run to those companies that have had their hands on it. A beverage company that had tried on the strategy advised that the company intending to adopt the strategy required implementing organizational and cultural changes first (Christopher, 2005, p. 100). Demand creating and product shaping strategy is the other strategy that characterizes the supply chain (Jonsson, 2008, p. 45). The chain is complex in the numerous ways and all are in place to ensure that the desired performance attained (Asumang & Astill, 2002, p. 67). Euro Cast has other complicated ways of increasing the chain’s efficiency (Moreno, Pichler & Quesada-Arencibia, 2012, p. 145). For instance, the company has outsourced its supply chains in order to increase its relations. Third party relations in the supply chain are encouraged give as they insights into new ideas (Bowersox, Coo per & Closs, 2007, p. 356). Euro Cast’s chain of supply is effective also due to delegated roles and duties. Breakdown duties and responsibilities ensure that each worker is allocated responsibilities according to capabilities. All this measures form a complex but effective and productive system (Great Britain, 2011, p. 104).Supply chains at Euro Cast are better defined as by the smooth flow of information and currency exchange. The supply chain managing has achieved milestones for it to achieve its present status (Mothobi, 2002, p. 99). Integration of technology in the supply chain management at Euro Cast In the modern world, internet has played a great role in changing people’s life and

Individual Mindset Challenge Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Individual Mindset Challenge - Assignment Example South Korean film industry emulated most modern production techniques from the U.S learning them from the Hollywood stars to restructure their film industry. Globalization of South Korean is a historical process spreading over centuries and should not be having links with westernization of a particular nation or culture. Globalization has significantly influenced different cultures towards its expansion in the global markets. Globalization can shape the traits of particular nation, community, or people. South Korea benefited much from globalization making the drastic changes from inferior to stable economic country in a very short period. South Korean used globalization to its advantage by increasing the interconnectivity with different countries and people using technology, pop culture, and trade, political and economic relationship. Its acceptance of globalization fostered positive international relations and economic development of the country. Absorption of South Korean culture by neighboring countries such as China, Japan, and Vietnam intensified the Korean adopted pop culture and other cultural platforms. Globalization has influenced South Korean culture including the television programs and film industry enabling South Korean pop culture to penetrate in Europe and North American countries. Korean globalization is termed as the Korean wave, which has been unique by creating unusual growth of local creative industries in neoliberal globalization. Korean creative industries have developed their personal, local cultural products and services making them the most successful contributors to Korean national economy. Korean wave has experienced a significant change with the development of digital technologies and social networking media such as You-Tube, social network sites (SNSs) and Smartphone’s in the 21 century. Local culture of various countries is supported by Korean wave through the digital

Technical Writing Assignments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Technical Writing Assignments - Essay Example It begins by outlining the relationship between microwaves and other forms of wave-radiation, such as light and radio, in order to help the reader understand what a microwave is. It then goes on to discuss some of the special properties of microwave radiation versus other kinds of radiation, such as the fact that microwaves travel in straight lines and can impart energy into water particles. Finally, it moves on to discuss exactly how those properties have been turned in to practical applications: because microwaves can go in straight lines, they can bounce off of objects, and use the reflection to determine distance: this is radar. Typically, radars had to rotate, but according to the article, some new radars are structured more like a fly’s eye, pointing at all directions simultaneously. Microwaves also have the property of being able to excite water molecules through other substances, meaning that they can be used to cook food. The article also details the timeline of these discoveries, so that its reader is able to gain a better understanding of the process through which microwaves have been developed throughout time. Fundraising Proposal This proposal will discuss fundraising for public schools. It’s primary audience will be school administrators, with its secondary audience being outside groups including businesses, that could create reciprocal fundraising relationships with schools. Fundraising is a difficult task for a public school. Parents feel that they have already paid their fair share (if not more) through taxes, and are often cash-strapped in a way that makes it difficult for them to put more money towards their children’s education. Furthermore, they will often be donating to projects that will never see fruition in their children’s educational experience. While some things, such as buying new instruments for a music class, can be done relatively quickly, most of the needs that will be addressed by fundraising, such a s redevelopment, renovation, adding new buildings and so forth can only happen after a great deal of fundraising has already occurred, bureaucratic processes have moved forward, and the investment is actually converted into a practical benefit to children. With children being in a school at most six years (for primary students) it is incredibly unlikely that any parental donation. Sure, some families may have several children attend the school, but this is unlikely. For all of these reasons, parents, though often tapped for fundraising efforts in schools, are actually not particularly beneficial. Schools would do better to build fundraising relationships with outside organizations rather than parents: these relationships can be longer lasting, and often involve larger sums that parents would have access to. Furthermore, any relationship should be mutually beneficial, and this is more possible with outside groups than it would be with parents. These forms of fundraising relationships must be reciprocal: this does not mean quid pro quo, where the school does something of equal value specifically for a particular amount of donation – this is fundraising, not anything else. However, it should be beneficial to both parties. These fundraising relationships will obviously be beneficial to the school, which gets money for much needed upgrades, equipment, building projects and so on. But the question remains, how should this relationship be beneficial to

The Impact of Technology on Society Essay Example for Free

The Impact of Technology on Society Essay The contemporary society is characterized by its intensive use of technology in all walks of life. Technology is indeed a broad concept dealing with species usage, knowledge of tools and crafts, as well as the manner in which it influences a species capacity to control its environment and adapt to it. It has aptly been termed globalization’s handmaid (World Economic Forum, 2007). Advances in communication, entertainment, medical treatments and warfare reach the airwaves as technocrats develop faster, more effective technology. Communication is faster, tasks require far fewer steps to complete thus saving time, and it is possible to relive certain experiences just by pushing a button. History has demonstrated that whenever inventions are introduced to a particular society, the society necessarily changes (Arbab, 2008). These changes may be positive or negative, depending on preexisting societal norms, beliefs and cultural practices. This is the crux of the ensuing discussion, with a bias on the world of entertainment.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to a study conducted by Forrester Research in the year 2000, the average American dedicates seven hours of their day watching television (Shoff, n.d.). Television is essentially a form of passive entertainment, taking out viewers’ cognitive capacity; everything is processed right in front of their eyes and there is no brain power involved (Borruso, 2005). Herein lies the big debate on the impact of television on children’s development. Their social skills are sacrificed in favor of passive entertainment. They lose out on other useful skills learned only through play and the urge to quench the innate curiosity of a child. Studies on the link between television and obesity indicate the debilitating impact of this form of entertainment on health. The stage from childhood to adolescence and early adulthood demands a high degree of self discovery. It allows individuals the opportunity to determine their talents, strengths and weaknesses. If seven hours are spent in front of the television and anther seven to eight asleep, there is hardly any time left for development. Despite the technological adroitness today’s generation possesses, they do not read, write, dive or add well. Cyber-world appears as a cocoon with these individuals focusing on entertainment.   They ignore key issues affecting mankind, their mental agility, street smarts and intelligence notwithstanding (Bauerlein, 2008). The influence of technology on entertainment has greatly fuelled the fire on instant gratification. It is possible to skip through commercials using applications like TiVo as well as select specific videos via Video on-Demand (VOD). In addition to this, cases of piracy are commonplace. With the technology available today, it is easy to compress large volumes of data and transfer it online. The one-to-many and many-to-many mode of transfer significantly exacerbates the problem of piracy. Should legal redress be sought, which elements of the distribution chain will be found culpable? In addition to this, entertainment material is fresh and plentiful, covering all imaginable genres. People are well aware of copyright laws, but conscientiously ignore them. The impulse-search-satisfaction route is the unstoppable driving force. This goes hand in hand with the ease of access attached to the Internet. Entertainment material is accessible at home, at work and on the road; practically everywhere. Many employees misuse their employers’ resources not only via quenching their thirst for entertainment, but also by misusing bandwidth in downloading extraneous material. This has been the subject of various IT-related policies with section of the public questioning an employer’s right to track employee computer usage. It boils down to the elements of ethics and codes of conduct. The discussion of technology and entertainment cannot be complete without a mention of the iPod. With respect to music, iPods makes shellac discs, vinyl records, video cassettes and compact discs appear as elements reminiscent of the Stone Age. However, these personalized digital players have created the effect of isolating individuals from the rest of the world behind white ear buds. The need to purchase entire albums died with the advent of the iTunes store as peoples could download only the desired tracks (A Technology Society, 2009). As with the every aspect of accessibility comes the question of blue movies. It seems that the billion dollar pornography industry found an efficient channel through the iPod. The Western society’s increasing tolerance of sexuality lays a foundation for pornography to find its way to mainstream media. This issue must necessarily be addressed, considering that in the United States alone, the adult entertainment industry was responsible for the generation of $2.5 billion dollars in 2004. In the month of August that year, 40% of all Internet users visit at least one adult site and 3% of all Internet traffic involved adult sites. Taking the hit rate statistics presented in the preceding paragraph, more so in relation to the speed of technological development, it will become much harder to censor pornographic content. Alex McKay, a Sex Information and Education Council of Canada research coordinator, all attempts at censorship have proved futile (Denomme, 2005). People may argue that adults have the prerogative to get involved whatever type of entertainment they please, but what about young innocent minds in their formative years? It is the society’s moral duty to guarantee proper formation of the youth. A concerned parent vocalized his opinion saying that the mass media of the day is making deliberate attempts to collapse the traditional, liberty, decency, social values that shaped America’s course (McLuhan, n.d.). He takes the argument back to the media bent on selling sensationalism. People cannot afford to ignore that when ethics and professional responsibility are categorically replaced with the yen to secure the greatest amount of advertising dollars, it is members of the public that suffer (McLuhan, n.d.). There is no question about the power the media wields over people via movies and programs. This power must necessarily be harnessed for the right purpose. The impact of technology on entertainment and society is powerful to say the least. The discussion presented indicates the need to establish strict codes of conduct, operating policies, as well as the legal implications of flouting stated procedures. Technology, in response to entertainment or otherwise, is a double edged-sword; it can either contribute to the greater good of society or lead to substantive destruction. This is where the importance of the development of well-laid out ethical standards comes in.   They serve as universal checks and balances with respect to technological operating procedures. Regardless of how powerful technology becomes, it must remain under the class of ‘aids’; human relationships must always rank higher in priority. References: A Technology Society. (2009). Has the iPod changed music? Retrieved April 3rd, 2009, from http://www.atechnologysociety.co.uk/has-ipod-changed-music.html Arbab, A. (2008, January 19). Impact of technology on society. Retrieved April 2nd,  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2009, from http://www.ideasdesk.com/2008/01/19/impact-of-technology-on  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   society/ Bauerlein, M. (2008). The dumbest generation: how the digital age stupefies young  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Americans and jeopardizes our future (or, dont trust anyone under 30). Tarcher. Borruso, S. (2005). The art of thinking – chats on logic. Paulines. Denomme, I. (2005). Video iPod a boon for porn lovers: ‘Negligible’ impact on  Ã‚  Ã‚   society, researcher predicts. Retrieved April 3rd, 2009, from  Ã‚   http://www.gazette.uwo.ca/article.cfm?section=FrontPagearticleID=462 McLuhan, M. (n.d.), Impact of computing technology on education and entertainment.  Ã‚   Retrieved April 4th, 2009, from http://pangea.tec.selu.edu/~hgildig/660695/mcluhan.pdf World Economic Forum. (2007). Technology and society: identity, community and  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   networks. Retrieved on April 3rd, 2009, from  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.weforum.org/pdf/summitreports/am2007/technology.htm

Stem Cell Research and a Ban on Human Cloning :: Argumentative Persuasive Topics

Stem Cell Research and a Ban on Human Cloning    Some biotechnology companies claim that a ban on producing human embryos through cloning would stall important research in generating "stem cells" to cure a variety of diseases [Cong. Record, 2/5/98, S425]. To put this claim in perspective:    1. Cloning is desired as a source of "customized stem cell lines" which would be an exact genetic match to each individual patient with a given disease. But this would require each individual patient to undergo somatic cell nuclear transfer to produce one or many living human embryos who genetically are the patient's identical twin sisters or brothers. These embryos would then be destroyed to provide embryonic stem cells.    Two methods of obtaining the cells have been described. In one, the embryo is allowed to develop normally for a week or two to the blastocyst stage, at or after the usual time of implantation in the mother's womb; then this embryo, consisting of hundreds of cells, is dissected for its stem cells. The other method is to introduce molecular signals into the embryo's environment to "trick" its cells into departing from normal development and instead producing "a mass of undifferentiated tissue," which can then be reprogrammed into various kinds of cells [Lee Silver, Remaking Eden: Cloning and Beyond in a Brave New World (Avon Books 1997), p. 128]. In either case, the living embryo is destroyed.    2. This avenue for providing medical benefits has been described even by supporters as "largely conjectural" (J. Kassirer and N. Rosenthal, in New England Journal of Medicine, March 26, 1998, p. 905). President Clinton's National Bioethics Advisory Commission called it "a rather expensive and far-fetched scenario." The Commission observed: "Because of ethical and moral concerns raised by the use of embryos for research purposes it would be far more desirable to explore the direct use of human cells of adult origin to produce specialized cells or tissues for transplantation into patients." The Commission outlined three alternative avenues for promising research using stem cells that do not involve human cloning, two of which do not use human embryos at all (Cloning Human Beings: Report and Recommendations of the National Bioethics Advisory Commission, June 1997, pp. 30-31).    The Commission's Alternatives    The alternatives outlined by President Clinton's Commission are as follows:    1. Generating "a few, widely used and well characterized human embryonic stem cell lines, genetically altered to prevent graft rejection in all possible recipients.

Anorexia Nervosa Essay -- Disease/Disorders

Anorexia Nervosa Anorexia Nervosa, AN, is an eating disorder that affects mostly females in their teenage years. The number of people that suffer from this disorder has increase in the recent decades making it a disorder that causes more deaths compare to any other psychological disorder. AN can have an effect on someone’s social life as well as physically and psychologically. It’s a disorder that can be treated with proper treatment, but identifying the symptoms is the first step. According to the present clinical literature, anorexia nervosa entails refusal to uphold health weight range as well as body image distortion. The most common symptoms of AN that can be identified include fear of gaining weight or/and becoming fat; refusing to maintain a healthy weight according to the height and age; failing to make anticipated weight growths at times of physical development and growth; loss of the menstrual cycle in females. (DSM –IV-TR,2000). Anorexia nervosa is portrayed by relentless hunt of thinness, emaciation, deep fear of gaining weight and distortion of body image. People with anorexia initially start dieting in order to lose weight which over time, the weight loss develops into a sign of control and mastery. The force to become slim is in reality secondary to concerns regarding control or/and fears involving one’s body. An individual carries on the cycle of limited eating, frequently accompanied by behaviors like overuse of diet pills, excessive exercising and laxatives to achieve weight loss. Eventually the body is driven to a point near starvation. There is obviously a strong connection between body image and eating disorders. With the media constantly feeding the idea of what the perfect body should be ... ... References American Psychiatric Association (2000). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association. Birmingham, C. L., & Treasure, J. (2010). Medical management of eating disorders. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Boyd, M. (2005). Psychiatric nursing: Contemporary practice. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. DeAngelis, T. (2002). Promising treatments for anorexia and bulimia. Monitor on Psychology, 33, 38. Dziegielewski, S. F. (2010). DSM-IV-TR in action. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Gay, K. (2003). Eating Disorders- Anorexia, Bulimia, and Binge Eating. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow Publishers Inc. Lock, J. (2001). Treatment manual for anorexia nervosa: A family-based approach. New York: Guilford Press. http://www.medicinenet.com/anorexia_nervosa/article.htm â€Æ'

Gattaca examines science, religion, genetic engineering and ethics

By opening the movie Gattaca with quotations from Willard Gaylin and Ecclesiastes, director Andrew Niccol invites us to ponder the tension between science and religion with regard to the ethics of genetic engineering. This tension is further sustained through the complex relationship of the main protagonists Vincent and Eugene, who must ultimately conquer their own physical limitations in order to find â€Å"God†. As the titles run, fingernails, hair threads and skin particles fall to the ground in slow motion, giving way to an image of a young man vigorously scrubbing himself. Along with a disturbing score by Michael Nyman, this obsessive-compulsive behaviour contributes to the macabre images of hypodermic needles, catheters and hospital bags of urine and blood. The shower from which Vincent has just stepped quickly converts to a furnace (is this heaven or hell? ) while the inter-title â€Å"in the not-too-distant future† runs across our screen. It is the same young man, Vincent, who provides a voice-over and our point of view in Gattaca – the antiseptic setting of a futuristic space program. Here, somnambulistic employees dressed as clones move in and out of a facility designed for cold efficiency. Note the cool blue filters, curved, shining surfaces and, again, a peculiar preoccupation with cleaning. Loudspeakers welcome visitors to Gattaca in various languages demonstrating that, along with space exploration, genetic screening has diminished both the significance and desire for global boundaries. We are already aware that in this future â€Å"blood has no nationality†. For science now enables discrimination that is far more expedient than simply skin colour. Vincent, a â€Å"God† child, is conceived without the help of genetic engineering and is quick to realise that his physical inadequacies, in particular a congenital heart condition, will prevent him from reaching his full potential. It is worth noting that the setting where Vincent's conception takes place is made â€Å"natural† by the inclusion of beaches and palm trees. As we remain in flashback to where baby Vincent plays with a toy cluster of atoms (similar motifs are repeated throughout the film), we begin to understand the hypocrisy of what this â€Å"brave new world† has to offer. `Genoism† – discrimination on the basis of genetics – is illegal, yet it seems that poor genetic outcomes such as Vincent's prevents insurance cover, which disqualifies him from pre-school – surely an issue that already has some currency in the world we inhabit today. But although Vincent feels displaced by his genetically superior brother, Anton (note how he walks into the frame just as Vincent tears his own image out of the family snapshot), he is determined to fulfil his dream of space travel. The initial swimming race where Vincent is beaten by Anton serves as a plot device pre-empting the climax of the film where both brothers, now adults, play â€Å"chicken† once again. Aerial shots intensify a terrifying sea and, this time, Vincent's victory. The irony is stark as Niccol underlines the central theme of the film – what constitutes a â€Å"valid† human being? For surely Vincent, an â€Å"invalid†, has just proved that genetics has little influence over sheer determination and grit. Enter Eugene. Genetically flawless but crippled both physically and emotionally from a suicide attempt (he finished second, not first, in a swimming race), he is continually compared with Vincent, whose genetic profile dictates that he will die at the age of 30. Eugene is bitter and twisted while Vincent is single-minded and driven. Both, however, are essentially blind to what it is that makes them human. Vincent, desperate to conceal his identity from Irene, is nearly run down on a frenetically busy highway, whereas Eugene deliberately steps in front of a car in the hope of bringing about his own death. Both are so preoccupied with their own deficiencies that they almost miss their important â€Å"spiritual† journey. In fact, both these men run perilously close to becoming like Anton – robotic and devoid of emotion. It is Anton who provides the real paradox here by ruthlessly investigating his own brother's â€Å"invalidity† and, in so doing, demonstrates that genetics does not necessarily correlate with one's humanity. Indeed, it is Irene who, from the outset, seems to be more in touch with the natural world towards which Vincent is striving to return. Note the setting where she lives; rolling surf, pristine white sand, the warm light within in which she is constantly bathed, her disappointment with Vincent's supposed â€Å"perfection†, her fascination with the sunrise, her ability to notice the change in his eyes after he discards his contact lenses when most people can only recognise human differences by a DNA test. Irene's costume and hair are much softer, feminine and distinctively individual when she is away from Gattaca. Yet our focus continually returns to Vincent and Eugene, whose relationship not only dominates most of the film's running time but develops an intimacy that is as selfless as it is full of love. The overt twinning effect (Eugene operates as Vincent's doppelganger) combined with the homoerotic subtext belies any real attempt by Niccol to establish a meaningful connection between Vincent and Irene, with the latter finally reduced to â€Å"nominal love interest†. In an effort to conceal Vincent's identity, Eugene's loyalty is clearly demonstrated when, slowly and painfully, he drags his broken body up the spiral staircase – remember, he's scared of heights. Reminiscent of a DNA strand, the staircase is a metaphor for transcendence, for raising ourselves to a new level of understanding. Eugene, determined that Vincent too will break free of his earthly bounds – his physical being – recognises the symbolism when he refers to space as â€Å"upstairs†. Earlier, Vincent tells Eugene that weightlessness is like being in the womb and that in space his legs â€Å"wouldn't matter†. But in the end, Eugene returns to where Vincent originally emerged (this time to a self-determined cremation), his sacrifice complete as Vincent is released into space. The gift of the lock of hair is on one level a safeguard against Vincent's disclosure but on another a unique and somewhat childlike reminder of Eugene's innocence in a world gone mad with science and its attending preoccupation with perfection. It is Eugene who occupies Vincent's thoughts at closure, not Irene. Despite having overcome their genetic and physical dispositions, it is clear there is no real â€Å"place† for either of these men on earth. By accentuating the tunnels leading back to the womb-like spaceship and the foetal position of Eugene in the furnace, Niccol has both Vincent and Eugene return to where science and religion originate – back to the stars, back to God, back to â€Å"home†.