A Picture is Worth a thousand…Parts?

It is presumed that adults can not recognize a face in parts as easily as the complete facial structure.   It is presumed to be as such because adults recognize the features of an individual’s face more easily than the context of the facial patterns in isolation (762).This gestalt-like facial processing theoretically begins in infancy and has a developmental milestone that is disrupted if something delays or obliterates this phenomenon.   On television shows and in magazines I recall partial viewings of celebrities’ faces and I almost never got it right.   Such is the finding of Young et al in 1987 study in which adults found it difficult to recognize the top half of a celebrities’ face when it was aligned   with bottom half of a different face (762).   Some theorists believe there is an intimate ability to recognize faces.   However, this research study invalidates that theory.   A controlled experiment was done with patients that were born with or suffered from visual impairments at infancy.These participants were all less than seven months when visual acuity was affected.   Vision was later corrected and the experiment for holistic facial identification had commenced (765).To test for the gestalt-like effect, participants were asked to move a joystick forward if the top halves were the same and back if the top halves were different.   Composites were created by splitting face images horizontally across the middle of the nose, and then recombining the faces using the top and bottom halves of different individuals.   In the aligned position, the top and bottom were properly aligned.In the misaligned condition the top half was shifted horizontally to the left (764).   The results were astounding.   The group that had visual imperfections at infancy actually performed better than their control counterparts on same trials when faces were aligned (766).This group was also more accurate on different trials than on same t rials and did not vary with alignment (766).   This supports the theory that this ability is not innate.   Holistic face processing or a composite face effect was not a sustained ability of those with visual impairments at a critical time period.   Such patients fail to integrate facial features into a Gestalt (767).This experiment shows that early visual input is very critical for the normal development of facial processing.   It also raises the question of whether early vision is necessary to preserve the neural substrate that would allow training to induce the later development of holistic processing of non-face objects (767),   I find it rather interesting and this bizarre phenomenon begs the question of when the critical time period begins and ends.The article states that by age six, adult-like processing takes place.   It does not state if visual perception is disrupted after age six, if this ability for gestalt-like processing is still apparent.   Thus this expe riment does not prove that infancy is the critical time period or developmental milestone for this ability.To be sufficient, it would have to include a group of participants that had visual impairments later in life and the length of the impairment would have to be similar.   What about visual impairments for one and two year olds? This only mentions infancy from 3 to 6 months.This experiment is partial, at best.   I would also like to know how the control group compares to those who have visual impairments that have not been corrected.   Are such people able to recognize faces aligned and misaligned with similar circumstances? These are critical points to validate and substantiate the findings of this experiment.

Hard Work: Remaking the American Labor Movement By Rick Fantasia and Kim Voss Essay

Hard Work: Remaking the American Labor Movement, by Rick Fantasia and Kim Voss, was published by the University of California Press in 2004. It runs to 259 pages. This book deals with the failures of the American Labor Movement to keep pace with the needs of American workers. It explains how the movement failed when it seemed like it was on the road to success and why it is in the lethargic state in which it finds itself today. It chronicles the attempts being made today to salvage what is left of the movement and its attempts to become a force fighting for social justice in America. One recurring theme of this book is that the people who consider themselves to be both progressive and liberal are constantly amazed that so little they have done and/or advocated has come to fruition or made any difference. They seem stunned to learn that their theories do not work in actual practice. The book documents the actions being initiated in today’s society in an attempt to get off high-center and get on the road to success necessary to keep the American Dream alive. What is now known as the New Economy as proposed by the Neo-liberals has contributed to the steady erosion of worker’s rights and benefits. Fantasia and Voss examine the dot com industry with particular scrutiny, blaming it for the loss of enormous numbers of jobs. The book examines such companies as Amazon, demonstrating how a vast corporation, doing millions in business can be operated with the use of relatively few unskilled and low paid employees, giving them obscene profits and very little overhead. The authors believe that such companies are the wave of the future and if allowed to truly globalize they will be extremely deleterious to workers around the world. They call the New Economy a ‘direct attack on labor’. This book reveals that a key element in many industrialized nations, which is lacking here, is that labor gains are not on a national level, meaning that unions and workers must fight for each concession on a company-by-company basis. In much of the rest of the world a gain by workers is held to be a gain for every worker in that country. The authors trace the history of the union movements for over one hundred years in America. They show that any sort of radicalism displayed by unions or workers was systematically eradicated. They show that what was left in place in each case was a tepid version of what could have been and the result was, intrinsically, a labor union which was in bed with the big corporations, allowing them to strip workers of their rights and fair benefits. This, the authors say, gave labor leaders the idea they were in some sort of perverse partnership with management to the ruin of the workers. Out of this rose the duality of leadership seen in this country. There came to be leadership that ruled by one of two ways, one, a strongman leader, whose ruled a personal fiefdom by decree and the other the bureaucrat in what the authors called the era of tame unionism, which was benign in an era when it should have stood shoulder-to-shoulder in solidarity with its members. During the Reagan era employers realized they were in the drivers’ seats and stripped rights and benefits to the bone while the government stood by or actively abetted them, as did the union leadership. The major premise of this book is that labor must re-invent itself in order to be relevant again. Corporate America is committed to the New Economy, which will never do anything for the worker but further erode any gains made in the past century. American unions and American workers must, the premise goes, regain their initiative and hang solidly together or they will, to paraphrase Benjamin Franklin, all hang separately, so to speak. There are numerous ways of going about rebuilding labor into a potent force for the good of the workers and some of these methods are being seen. There is a tactic known in labor jargon as â€Å"‘bargaining to organize’ and it has become one important tactic of social movement unionists,† (Fantasia, Voss 2004 p 154). During the 1990s labor struck some of Las Vegas’ casinos with mixed results, but what was telling in that situation was that the city’s Black population sided with labor and did much in solidarity with the workers. The strike won at one of the casinos but a second strike dragged on for over six years, making it the longest strike in American history, post World War II. The strike had its moments of high drama and on one occasion a mass demonstration of over twenty thousand people. The unions in Las Vegas actively recruited new members even during the height of the strike. It drew worldwide attention and favorable press for the unions. This, the authors say, is going to continue to be necessary in the future and unions are going to have to actively recruit and actively promote their message. With a strong recruiting drive and overt actions to revitalize what has become a moribund movement in the last few years. Unions must secure leadership from within their own ranks and see that these leaders are not in bed with Corporate America. Fantasia and Voss paint a rather bleak picture of American Labor, as it now exists. They seem to be somewhat optimistic for the future, however, by assuming that a social conscience will develop in this country and the unions will begin to make inroads into the New Economy, forcing corporations to deal with the rights of the working man. They detail some specific innovations designed to fight the domination by the large corporations, addressing such matters as working hours and conditions as well as the incredible disparity between workers’ salaries and executive compensation. There must come a new type of union for workers to be protected in the New Economy and the globalization of corporations. The authors refer to this new union, expected to rise like a phoenix from the ashes the old unions, as more a social order than what is generally thought of as a true labor union. Not to draw parallels, but it was the Polish Union, Solidarity, which brought down the communist government and freed Poland of its mind boggling bureaucratic red tape and the morass of regulations which kept the Polish workers in virtual servitude to the state. The future is not all sunshine and lollipops, however. â€Å"†¦labor retreats from movement building and the percentage of unionized labor force continues to fall,† (162). Not only will this be a disaster for workers, for it will soon reach the point where only a privileged few will have any union strength, such as government employees and professional athletes, with the rest of the workers vanishing off the radar screen. American labor, once the beacon of hope to workers around the world, will become like that of a third world nation and the workers will fight for the peanuts tossed about by their corporate masters. Not only will the worker lose all that he once had in the workplace, the unions’ once powerful voice in American politics, notably in the Democratic Party will cease to exist and the party will no longer pay any attention to the demands of the working man and woman for parity and job security. There will no incentive for them to bow to any demands for the union will no longer be able to deliver on either the threat of the carrot or the stick. The authors point out that not only will labor lose its clout on such social issues as minimum wage and job safety, but will eventually lose any ability to weigh in on such matters as free trade agreements and other policies directly affecting the American worker. This country has changed drastically since September 11, and has taken on a siege mentality. It is virtually being ruled by decree of a man who has assumed war-time powers and seems to believe that if something he does is unconstitutional then obviously the constitution needs to be changed. During his first (and disputed) term in office he was abetted by a rubber stamp congress of Republicans and dragged the nation into a disastrous foreign war for dubious reasons which have since been found to be lies and intentional obfuscations. Primarily, however, the union has much more difficulties in such a political climate for it is always difficult to organize and foment change in times of social upheaval and economic downturn (163). The national debt is in the trillions of dollar. â€Å"The context of severe national emergency has been the pretext for invoking the mantle of national security against unions in an effort to accomplish the long term Republican Party goal of denying the right of federal employees to join unions,† (163). The current administration is actively engaged in what Fantasia and Voss refer to as ‘a low intensity war’ on American labor and workers are seeing the result of this ongoing battle. The outcome of this attempt to revitalize labor is by no means certain. One ray of sunshine is that college students today are beginning to see what is happening and they are developing a social conscience such as they have demonstrated in the past for other causes. They have made a difference before. The Labor Union is not dead although it is severely bloodied. Fantasia and Voss seem to think there are two possible futures and which one will occur is largely up to the success or failure of the labor movement.

A Review Of Wendys

A Review Of Wendys Executive Summary Wendys Old Fashioned Hamburgers is an international fast food chain restaurant founded by Dave Thomason November 15, 1969, in Columbus, Ohio, and moved headquarters to Dublin, Ohio on January 29, 2006. Wendys was Americas national food, and the worlds third largest hamburger fast food chain with approximately 6,700 locations. On April 24, 2008, the company announced a merger with Triarc, the parent company of Arbys. Following the merger, Triarc became known as Wendy’s/Arby’s Group. Wendy’s/Arby’s Group is the parent company of Wendy’s, and is a publicly traded company. Arby’s Restaurant Group, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Wendy’s/Arby’s Group, Inc. This report will be focusing on Wendy’s Burgers of the Wendy’s/Arby’s Group. The main aim of this report is to investigate and analyze the marketing activities of Wendy’s Burgers. What is the Wendy’s orientation? What are t he strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) of Wendy’s? What are the competitive advantages of Wendy’s? What is the impact of Wendy’s marketing mix? This report will try to address the above questions and more. INTRODUCTION Wendy’s/Arby’s Group is the parent company of Wendy’s, and is a publicly traded company. Approximately 77% of Wendy’s restaurants are franchised, the majority of which are located in North America. Wendy’s and its affiliates employs more than 46,000 people in its global operations. In fiscal year 2006, the firm had $9.45 billion (USD) in total sales.While Wendy’s sets standards for exterior store appearance, food quality and menu, individual owners have control over hours of operations, interior decor, pricing and staff uniforms and wages. Wendy’s ended 2007 with just under 6000 Wendy’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers restaurants in operation. Of these, 1,274 (21%) were company owned and operated while the remaining 4,662 restaurants were franchised. In addition to Wendy’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers, Wendy’s is invested in the Cafe Express and Pasta Pomodoro restaurant chains, owning 70% and 29% of those chains, respectively. Until 2006 Wendy’s International Inc. also owned the Tim Hortons and Baja Fresh franchises. The chain is known for its square ground beef hamburgers and the Frosty, a form of soft serve ice cream mixed with frozen starches contracted from potato products. The idea for Wendy’s â€Å"old fashioned† hamburgers was actually inspired by Dave Thomas’s trips to Kewpee Hamburgers in his home town of Kalamazoo, Michigan. The Kewpee sold square hamburgers and thick malt shakes, much like the well-known restaurant that Thomas eventually founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1969. Thomas named the restaurant after his fourth childMelinda Lou â€Å"Wendy† Thomas. WENDY’S ORIENTATION Nature of demand Ov er the century, market for fast food has increased drastically, time being one of the major constraints. A recession in the early 1980s, combined with high beef prices and Wendy’s explosive as well as threatening growth incited the â€Å"burger wars.† Wendy’s moved into the number three spot behind McDonald’s and Burger King, fuelled by its introduction of a chain wide salad bar, chicken breast sandwiches, and baked potatoes.

The New Payroll Clerk (Case study in Instructions) Case

The New Payroll Clerk ( in Instructions) - Case Study Example Irene lacks knowledge of what to do, how and full details about her work package. As pointed out in the article, there lacks rules and procedures meant to fully orientate new employees. This makes the new employees feel detached and not part of the family. As noted in Siddiqui (2005), a bonded family of employees is more productive and satisfied with their work packages than in an organization which is marred with mere rules and regulations without adding value. Second, Irene suffers from a problem of harmony and coordination of activities. A productive and profitable organization values the value chain through improved business processes, for instance, taking quality improvement tools and techniques in order to improve quality of products and service that a company produces. It makes the firm posses a better competitive position and grows in the ever-growing competitive business environment (Muijen & Witte, 2000) Another problem is that work packages and roles are not clear. This is fueled by the nature of structure instituted that over emphases on rules and regulations, most of which are unpleasant and confusing. According to Martin (2002), rules are meant to establish and install a viable culture that will work to leapfrog the company’s missions of growth, survival and profitability. The organization should have a workable, flexible and yet stable working culture and structure that match the strategy and assist the company maximize value.

Strategic Analysis and Selection of Information Systems Essay

Strategic Analysis and Selection of Information Systems - Essay Example For the purpose of this assignment, two articles will be reviewed for inclusion into the essay. The first is Collaborative Computing and True Enterprise Architecture is Still Two Years Away, by Worthen and the second is B2B: Execution of the Concept is Key to Success by M. Sawhney. The purpose of this assignment is to explain the relationship between business strategy in IT strategy, determine any problems that occurred with strategy formulation, determine if there were problems with strategy implementation, and determine if there were problems with the strategic process. In order to fully understand the concepts presented in this assignment, it is first essential to know the definition of the words that will be discussed herein. Strategy can be defined as "a long term plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal, most often "winning". Strategy is differentiated from tactics or immediate actions with resources at hand by its nature of being extensively premeditated, and often practically rehearsed. Strategies are used to make the problem or problems easier to understand and solve" (Wikipedia, 2008). Strategy formulation then can be defined as "the process of determining appropriate courses of action for achieving organizational objectives and thereby accomplishing organizational purpose" (Kotelnikov, 2008). Strategic processes are made up of macro processes within an organization. "All organizational work is part of one or more processes. At their very broadest, macro processes can span an entire organization and cut across all major function s or departments. Examples of macro processes include the design and development of new products/services; producing products or delivering services; product order or service request fulfillment; invoicing/accounting, and collecting money; inventory management and logistics; information management; admitting, discharging, and transferring patients; or generating leads and making sales" (Clemmer 2008). Article 1 B2B: Execution of the Concept is Key to Success, by Mohanbir Sawhney Problems with Strategy Formulation When forming their strategy, "Their logic seemed elegant: create marketplaces that would match buyers and sellers, bringing improved liquidity, efficiency and transparency to B2B transactions, and make money through transaction fees from the trades, Once the buyers and sellers were on board to conduct transactions, the exchanges could augment that core functionality with value-added services such as logistics management, credit and settlement, and supplier verification" (Sawhney, 2002, p. 1). Yet, the B2B boom that was supposed to happen did not. This happened when investors started to question the business model upon with the new B2B concept was based. In other words, it was not the strategy formulation that was the problem; it was the strategy implementation. Problems with Strategy Implementation The article says itself, "One might conclude from the evidence that the idea of a B2B exchange is fundamentally flawed. However, it's not the concept of the exchange that is flawed but the execution of that concept" (Sawhney, 2002, p. 1). The article cites the chicken-and-the-egg concept as the reason for the failure of the B2B concept; i.e. it is hard to get buyers without suppliers and it is hard to get

Environment and Society of US & Canada Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Environment and Society of US & Canada - Essay Example When in the mid 19th century, western Canadian economy hit a low; immigrations were encouraged from England and Scotland. Consequently, the area was beginning to be occupied with agricultural lands, commercial towns. Several canal systems, railway networks were developed, streetcar tracks were laid, textile industry was expanded and the lumber industry was set up (Troper 2013). Similarly, the first Nations people, Hurons had used the St Lawrence lowland areas for agriculture, but they were the immigrants who put up the orchards and farms in the area and today those orchards of apples etc and vineyards are a source of profitable businesses in the region (Canada: Making connections  (n.d.). The low lying states of New England and Canadian Maritimes had started off as colonies where fishing and agriculture was practiced, but soon European immigrants flooded in since small industries had started. The immigrants contributed to a highly skilled labor and today Southern New England stands as stable economic region where several developments have been made, like areas have been developed for tourism and recreation, ski resorts have been made and the coast has undergone developments to serve a good spot for vacationing (North America. (n.d.). The immigrants have played a vital part in shaping the population of Canada. It is responsible for about 2/3rd of population growth that took place between 2001and 2006. The immigrants settle in major cities like Toronto and Montreal, adding to the workforce and also creating a demand for goods and services. These demands are integral for promoting growth in these regions. The immigrants moving into Canada may have moved in to find better job opportunities or lifestyle etc; their activities did help the region to flourish but their presence in the country could have effects which are not favorable to the country ultimately. For example, the immigrant

ANT 250I MOD 3 SLP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

ANT 250I MOD 3 SLP - Essay Example The most common muscular dystrophy is Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy – a disease found predominantly in males and diagnosed in a period between 2 and 6 years. It afflicts as approximately 1 out of every 3, 500 births (Emery 687). DMD (abbreviation for Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy) is a result of muscle fibers degeneration and atrophy brought about by the absence/lack of dystrophin, a protein which is responsible for maintaining muscle fibers intact. Specifically, the loss-of-function mutations found in dystrophin are accountable for the disease. Dystrophin’s function is to encode a specific protein - 427-kD protein. The latter is located below the sarcolemma. Dystrophin, in alliance with the associated proteins, called dystroglycan and the sarcoglycans, takes part in a mechanically powerful link which can be traced from the extracellular matrix to the cytoskeleton that underlies it (Rybakova et al 1209). Total or partial deficiency of dystrophin ruins the dystrophin-glycoprotein complex (abbreviated as DGC), which means that cytoskeleton present in the muscle fibers is no longer linked to the matrix (Hoffman, Brown, and Kunkel, 919). Hence, no dystrophin leads to the DGC complex functional impairment, while the mechanical stress accompanying with contraction results in the degeneration or atrophy of skeletal muscle fibers, impairment of movements, plus muscle-wasting. It finally leads to the death of the afflicted male kids which is a result of respiratory or cardiac failure, or both (Rando 1575, Petrof et al 3710). According to Engwal & Wewer, the existing dystrophin deficiency found in skeletal, as well as cardiac muscles, leads to the fact that several secondary processes start activating. Among them one may find inflammation, interstitial fibrosis, and extracellular matrix degradation, which badly affect the DMD progression (Engwal & Wewer 1579). Boys diagnosed with

Google and its Evil Face Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Google and its Evil Face - Essay Example The world declares the search engine as a mine for information, but fails to look at the down side to it since in reality Google is a corruption of the world in relation to information, privacy and security. Google states its mission as the organization of the world’s information so that it can be reached by anyone in the world. However, even when it provides plenty of information to the reader, this search engine is the worst thing to have happened to our society in relation to worsening of peoples’ reading habits, where there is no more reading in books. This is affecting comprehension of content acquired from reading books and read from Google search results. Google is a great tool to get any form of information; however, it is creating negative tendencies in our society. This is concerning Google users becoming careless on the information they search for and the safety concerns on privacy (Staff and Agencies). For this reason, searching for information on Google sho uld involve allocation of enough time in order to search for adequate information and resources, while putting into consideration privacy and security concerns. In fact, what society gets by using Google is quantity information, and not quality, which is what people instinctively want. Therefore, the public gets into a comfort zone, which it does not intend to leave due to the ease of operation for humans in that level. For instance, on a five-year research program the British Library and one by a U.K. educational consortium, they found out that people get obsessed with looking for information once they log on (Carr). In such cases, the users search for articles and journals that they do not necessarily read or intend to read, but instead keep searching. After this, the focus lies in skimming through the articles without taking the time to understand the concept. Consequently, people do not go to libraries to find information in books or from the periodicals rooms. As a result, Goog le is affecting the society through giving them quantity and by that, people stop reading books because; with only typing in Google search what they need, it would be an instant when they get the answers and all the necessary information requested. Google as any other social network wants to control what the users do. Therefore, they would not go and join other search engines, which provide email and the location where they are. Google is controlling the users by buying new markets and expanding in new areas, they get new features, a faster search and there is no one that can compete with this search engine (Rooketix Ltd). Similarly, bringing of Chrome for Android into the market has revealed how Google is potential of remembering all our browsing history and their capacity to transfer it into the cloud (Moreni). Therefore, if anyone is logged into a Google account, it is stated in the Google privacy policy that any service used will be able to track universally by using the e-mail address and your current location. Moreover, they are able to track everything you search for, and as long as you look for that same topic repeatedly, advertisements will start to appear on the sides according to the most current topics every user searches (Davies). Google based on its mission statement has gone as far as attempting to collect as much information as it can. This is in relation to creating a form of online storage the documents and other files that people have. Following the mission statement of Google, it seeks to create a database of all the knowledge that exists in the world and place it in a central place for all to access free of charge. In light of this, Google has come up with Google Drive, which saves up to five gigabytes of user documents;

Managing Information Technology in Small Business Term Paper

Managing Information Technology in Small Business - Term Paper Example Tebrak is a construction company that was established in 1979. The company was registered and started its operations in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia. It was initially started as a family business and had 30 employees at the time it was being incorporated. Tebrak managed to grow its workforce and by 1995, the company had employed more than 250 workers. In the year 2000, the company was classified level B. The company also managed to diversify its operations and in 2005 it commenced the supply of medical equipment and devices to hospitals. The company has been managed by a family with the assistance of twelve management-level employees in each company. It has also recorded approximately 200 million Saudi Riyal in sales revenue. This has seen Tebrak grow into a large company that has been offering significant employment opportunities to the residents of Riyadh city. Despite the robust growth of Tebrak, there was the issue of centralization of decision making. Decision making was for a long time restricted to top level management. The lower level of management was never involved in any decision-making process. This restricted participation in decision making never provided freedom of decision making (Aksoy & DeNardis, 2007). The top level of management was involved in strategic planning while the lower level was involved in the implementation of policies devised by the top management. The organization managed to emerge as the market leader in an industry that was very competitive with large firms dominating the industry. Tebrak had adequate capital that saw the company invest in a number of economically viable projects that sustained its profitability for a very long time. There was less use of technology during the early 1990s and most of the firms were unable to remain competitive. This resulted in the exit of a number of companies because of decreasing profit margins.

HCS 440 Question 1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

HCS 440 Question 1 - Assignment Example Time equates money that is, as a result, of trade and its interactions. Culture affects the quality in health care, which is a paramount measure. The impact of trade and choice reveals itself here as these two variables bring health in an ‘equilibrium state. Quality exchange is majorly placed on the capacity of group basis rather than individual basis hence delivery of proper service to prolong ones life in terms of good surgery, well-trained doctors, and medication. The factor of research, technology, and innovation has greatly affected the overhead cost of health care. With research going on various diseases and drugs, it is expected that the taxpayer’s money will play a huge part in this activity. About $2trilion is spent every year on health care system in the research of new drugs and treatment procedures. Without this great heavy input by the government, the otherwise cost incurred in not investing in healthcare system would be of a greater

Son Of The Revolution Essay Example for Free

Son Of The Revolution Essay STRUGGLE AGAINST ONESELF; CRITICIZE REVISIONISM (p. 144) was a slogan often used during the Great Cultural Revolution. In reality, the Cultural Revolution was not great at all. It was an unwarranted attack on personal freedoms of Chinas people. The Chinese fought themselves, they even acknowledged it as a struggle. They looked upon this struggle as part of the great Cultural Revolution. At age 3, a boy should not be held accountable for his parents political status. Yet, Liang Heng was. One mistake on his mothers, Yan Zhi-de, behalf changed his life forever. Yan Zhi-de uttered the words that the leaders of the Party would not listen to the masses opinions when it came time to give raises. This led the Party to label her a rightist. What began as the Hundred Flowers Movement quickly changed to the Anti-Rightist Movement, leading many to the path of poor political performance. In turn, disgracing her family members, she was sent to become a peasant. For the rest of her life, Yan Zhi-de remained a peasant. After this incident, Liang Heng, Liang Wei-Ping, and Liang Fang had been labeled Rightists children. Though each of the children attempted to fit in, the other students picked fights with Liang Heng and the children never had the opportunity to join the Red Guards. Not until Liang Heng tricked his way into being admitted into the group. Liang Heng saw many different aspects of the Cultural Revolution. He became a student, a peasant, a basket ball player, factory worker, and finally an intellectual (writer.) Liang Heng had been falsely accused of many crimes throughout his life, and he held his ground firmly. Fate had another choice for Liang Fang. Though she would try desperately to join the Communist Youth League, she was never able to. However, she did join the Red Guards and later became a Rebel. Ultimately, she ended up as a peasant until her mid-twenties. Liang Wei-Ping joined the Educated Youth which was the determining factor that led her to become a peasant. Liang Shan had one of the most miserable situations out of the entire family. Once his wife had been declared a rightist, he immediately attempted to  break off all relations with her. This was unsuccessful. Everything in his life went downhill from there. He was publicly humiliated and suffered mental torture due to the fact that he had to criticize himself. Liang Shan was sent to a re-education center for a number of years, then spending the rest of his days in the countryside. He eventually had a stroke and lost the abilities of his left side. The Cultural Revolution was a serious mistake. A mistake that took many happy homes and destroyed them. Neglecting to seriously care about the people of his country, Chairman Mao started a disaster. Thankfully, this disaster ended with his death. That allowed people to live somewhat normal lives, compared to the horrible lives the lower class was forced to live during the Cultural Revolution.

Automotive Spare Parts Manufacturing Supply Chain

Automotive Spare Parts Manufacturing Supply Chain Abstract This research study is objectively aimed at studying Inventory management in the global supply chain. The case study of an enterprise in the automotive spare parts manufacturing sector is presented to understand important aspects of functioning related to inventory control management in the global supply chain. The automotive industry has always been a booming industry and continuous to remain the same on a all levels i.e. local, national and global. The supply of automotive components forms a vital link and process in the automotive industry. Many business small, medium-sized and large through inventory management form a part of the global supply chain effectively. The researcher, proposes to present a case study analysis of Kapoor Automobiles (India), a medium-sized organization of repute and good market standing in the Global supply chain of automotive components. This research would throw light on the inventory management system employed by the organization, its effectiveness, shortcomings and remedial measures taken to fulfill consumer needs, retain them and grow through effective modes of Inventory control in the Global Supply Chain. The researcher, further proposes to utilize business analytical tools of primary research i.e. qualitative research and quantitative research, secondary research, S.W.O.T analysis (Strength, weakness, opportunity and threats) and P.E.S.T.L.E. analysis (Political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental) to ascertain the above mentioned objective of the research. Introduction: Kapoor Automobiles (India) was incorporated in the year 1965 in Mumbai (India). In the commencement Kapoor Automobiles (India) functioning in the capacity of a trading company for the sale and purchase of automotive rubber parts. In the year 1990, the business enterprise ventured into manufacturing activities and gradually advanced towards gaining a secure and permanent market position overseas in the automotive rubber parts replacement segment of the market. Kapoor Automobiles (India) succeeded in doing so on account of the provision of high quality services to their growing clientele. Kapoor Automobiles (India) places a high magnitude of emphasis on high quality and increased productivity to meet the global consumer demand and counter-attack competition. The Research and Development team of Kapoor Automobiles (India) focuses in continuity research on the changing consumer needs and the firm attempts to incorporate those needs in their production activities. Kapoor Automobiles (India) has been recognized as an organization of international repute by the following certification: ISO 9001: 2000 Quality Management System Certificate by French giants SGS. From humble beginnings of a small workshop, Kapoor Automobiles (India) currently has a manufacturing plant with an area of 12000 sq meters with state-of-the-art anti vibration connection technology. Here, assembly elements of rubber-metal composition are manufactured. The highlighting aspects of Kapoor Automobiles (India) are as follows: The organization has a staff of 127 production staff, 12 administrative officials and 2 rubber technicians. The products of the organization are a varied range of automotive rubber components for vehicles such as Bedford, BMC, BMW, Fiat, Hino, Isuzu, Iveco, Lada, Land Rover, Mazda, Mercedes, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Opel, Peugeot, Renault Toyota, VW, Volvo to name a few for the purpose of exemplification. Kapoor Automobiles (India) focuses on four major production processes: Rubber mixture preparation and Preforming Metal forming and Machining Metal and pipe surface preparation. Vulcanization Kapoor Automobiles (India) has a clientele spread across the African and European continent and the Middle East. Aims and Motivations of the Research Study: The automobile industry is a global industry which is witnessing a high level of growth. The competition in this global industry necessitates a well-coordinated process of supply of the automotive parts to car manufacturers as an when there is a demand for the same. Thereby the need to have good level of inventory management in the global supply chain is of prime importance to meet the demand of the market, help the business to survive and grow in this competitive market. My motivation and aim of this research study is to comprehend all the aspects which make possible successful inventory control in global supply chain management. My area of research and analysis in this context would lay focus on the automotive parts manufacturing sector. General Objectives: This study aims at on a general or basic level understanding Global Supply Chain Management and its significance in today day and age of excessive competition. The objective is also to learn about all the factors which influence inventory control in global supply chain management in a positive and negative way especially the automotive spare parts industry. To gain knowledge about how an improvement in the smooth functioning of global supply chain management can be brought about by a good level of inventory control. Specific Aims: This research is specifically aimed at understanding the functions of Kapoor Automobiles (India) with regard to inventory control in global supply chain management. In this regard its current activities, the positive aspects, the shortcomings and how improvisation could be brought about in the process of inventory control of Kapoor Automobiles (India) for global supply chain management. Research Questions: This dissertation is aimed at answering the following questions: What is Global Chain Supply Management? What is inventory control? How does Inventory Control in Global Supply Chain Management function in context to the automotive spare parts industry? How do firms in the automotive spare parts industry effective manage inventory control as a part of Global Supply Chain Management? Kapoor Automobiles (India)s strategy of Inventory Control in Global Supply Chain Management? How could Kapoor Automobiles (India) improve on their Inventory Control in Global Supply Chain Management and compete better in the overseas market? What are the future trends perceived in the Automotive parts Inventory Control in Global Supply Chain Management? Dissertation Structure: The structure of this dissertation incorporates the following: Chapter 5 lays focus on the theoretical grounding for the research, reviewing a generous selection of literature on Supply Chain Management, Inventory control, all the aspect necessary to be taken into consideration for successful inventory control, the need of it and Global Supply Chain Management. Furthermore the literature review also brings forth the importance of good inventory control in the global supply chain management of the automotive parts industry. Chapter 6 introduces the method of study to be employed to analyze inventory control in global supply chain management of Kapoor Automobiles (India). Chapter 7 presents the studys findings and discussion which are initially presented in diagrammatic form, then discussed. Chapter 8 will collate the main findings of the study to provide solid conclusions. The limitations are given, followed by an appraisal of the projects main strengths and weakness. Recommendations for future research are also provided. Literature Review: Supply Chain Management: A Supply Chain Management activity could be understood as the management of materials, vital information and finances as they are channelized from a supplier to the manufacturers then to the wholesaler, retailer and finally the consumer. The activity of supply chain management comprises of skillful coordination and integration of the above aspects within organizations and among them. The final goal of an efficient supply chain management process is to bring about a reduction in stock with the basic ideology that products are available when needed. (Cooper, M.C., Lambert, D.M., Pagh, J. (1997) Supply chain management flows can be divided into three main flows which are as follows: The product flow The information flow The finances flow The product flow constitutes the flow of products or commodities from a supplier to a consumer. The second aspect which is information flow comprises of transmission of orders and updates on status deliveries. The third aspect is the financial flow which comprises of terms of credit, payments, consignment and title ownership arrangements. Supply Chain Management of different organization differs depending on the size and nature of the organization and the product manufactured. An effective supply chain management ensures process of obtaining supplies and components, conversion of the same in to finished products and making supply of these products to the final consumer. Supply Chain Management is the management of all these aspects aptly without delays and at a low cost fulfilling the needs of the consumer in the process. (Haag, S., Cummings, M., McCubbrey, D., Pinsonneault, A., Donovan, R. (2006) There are six key elements to a supply chain: (Ketchen Jr., G., Hult, T.M. (2006) Production Supply Inventory Location Transportation, and Information The following describes each of the elements: 1. Production The needs (Kouvelis, P.; Chambers, C.; Wang, H. (2006) and demands of the consumer is taken into account prior to production. Decisions regarding what to product, how to produce and how many units need to produced are taken. Furthermore, it is also decided upon whether to produce the whole product or certain parts should be outsourced. These vital decision regarding production activities should be made keeping in mind the volume of goods, the quality, capacity and the consumer wants and levels of satisfaction. Decision regarding operational activities should focus on equipment maintenance, scheduling and quality control. 2. Supply An organization (Larson, P.D. and Halldorsson, A. (2004), cannot produce all the components required for the manufacture of a product and the need to outsource parts arises. The organization should be cautious in the choice it makes of the supplier of components. The focus of the organization while engaging a supplier to supply components should be on quality, flexibility and the development of velocity and at the same time should maintain low costs. In summation, vital decision has to be taken to make the outsourcing partnership or activity a viable one for the manufacture and supply of the final product. 3. Inventory Important decisions (Lavassani, M. K., Movahedi B., Kumar V. (2008) regarding how much should be stocked in the organization should be taken. A proper balance should be maintained as inventory holding is an important aspect of a good supply chain management process. The consumer demands should be met up without any supply delay and hence optimum level of inventory should be decided upon and place at strategic consumer points to serve the consumer as and when the demand for the product arises. Control policies must be checked upon to maintain right levels of supply at order and reorder points. 4. Location Strategic decisions (Movahedi B., Kumar V. (2008) regarding location of the production plant, facilities of stocking and distribution should be made to ensure that the consumer avails the product when he demands without any delay. When the parts or components are light in weight and market driven, manufacturing units should be located near the final consumer. In heavy industries, sources of raw materials should be taken in consideration while deciding where the manufacturing plant should be located. Tax and tariff issues should be looked into while making strategic decisions. 5. Transportation In context (Mentzer, J.T. et al. (2001) to fulfilling consumer demands, decisions related to transportation and inventory are quite closely connected. Utility of air transport is quick but expensive in comparison to water or road transport but makes the product available in a short span of time to the consumer. Water or road transport means being in possession of high levels of in-house stock to meet immediate consumer demands. Depending upon the demand the product generates, the cost of the product and the stock available decision relating to transportation should be made. 6. Information A (Simchi-Levi D.,Kaminsky P., Simchi-levi E. (2007) supply chain management in order to be effective focuses on acquiring information for point of final consumption and connecting the information resources all through the entire chain to bring an effective flow. A good organization of information is required to bring in innovation in operation. Connecting computers through networks and having the information flow streamlined helps consolidate knowledge and helps in creating velocity for the products. Account management software, product configurators, enterprise resource planning systems, and global communications are important factors to be considered. Pragmatic Applications Today the market scenario (de Kok, A.G., S.C. Graves (Editors) 2003) demands fast delivery of goods. By high levels of stocking, many organizations try to fulfill this market demand. The organizations are at times unable to produce goods as and when the market demands and hence maintains high stocks. If processes are analyzed in the supply chain then the causes and solutions could be found to bring reduction in throughput time. Reducing the time in the chain of events right from the moment the consumer places to the order to the delivery for the same could help a company gain a competitive edge without the need to have large stocks. Need for an effective Supply Chain Management: There is a high degree (Stock, J.R., D.M. Lambert. 2001) of competition in the business scenario today which demands that an organization in order to have a competitive advantage should utilize its resources to do what it is good at and indulge in outsourcing those processes that are not significant from an overall objective of the organization. SCM enable an organization to restructure its complete operation focusing on core competencies and outsourcing certain processes which would help the organization gain apt market positioning. Furthermore, is important to make the right decisions of partners, resources and manpower. The organization should understand which process or pattern could reduce wastages and raise levels of competence. For the sake of exemplification, the Japanese (Coyle, J.J., E.J. Bardi, C.J. 2002) car industry manufactures small cars by capitalizing on its available resources. The Japanese car industry effectively utilizes supply chain management to maximize core competencies and create niche market positioning. Toyota Motor Corporation, a Japanese company, is stated to be the number one auto car maker overpowering Ford and General Motors of the United States. Value Advantage Supply Chain Management (Bowersox, D.J., D.J. Closs, M.B. Cooper. 2002) has made provision for business nowadays to not just have benefits of productivity alone but also on value advantage. Productivity advantage provides a lower cost profile and the value advantage gives the product an extra plus over competitive offerings.Through maximizing added value there is cost reduction and more innovation can be brought to the product and process. Mass manufacturing offers productivity advantage and through mass customization, consumers are given the value advantage. For illustrative purposes, the Toyota Production System practiced in Toyota, evaluates (Ballou, R.H. 2003) its supply chain and determines what is value added activities and what is not value added activities. Inventory Holding: Advantages: The aspect which proves to be an (Silver, E.A., D.F. Pyke, R. Peterson 1998) advantage with regards to high inventory holding is that it acts as a buffer to the company when market demands are high. If prices are expected to rise then high stocking results in capital advantage or gain. The risk of supply shortage is overcome by high inventory. Market shortage of goods is also met with by high inventory. Disadvantages: High cost warehouse management is the main disadvantage of having large inventory of finished products. There could be a possible capital loss to the business if the prices fall in the market in future. Cash is bound in carrying stocks and there is a risk of loss on account of degradation, defects and write-offs. Lack of proper management of inventory could lead to losses too. It should be noted that though inventory assists in operations, it is an asset that ties up funds i.e. working capital and the related opportunity cost. Other disadvantages: Stock could be stolen, lost or forgotten Might be dangerous to store Might involve high cost to store particularly in terms of value. There is a possibility of replication or duplication at several different points e.g. retail stores, hospitals, builders, merchants. There are additional costs such as administrative and insurance costs Techniques to purchase stock and manage inventory efficiently It is vital for any (Blackburn, J.D. 1990) business organization to learn to manage inventory with efficiency thereby making possible a company to stock inventory sufficiently to meet the consumer needs. Lack of sufficient stock leads to delays and causes disrepute to the business. On the contrary, large inventory block organizational funds. A business which is primarily retail makes money only on the sale of stock and maintenance of stocks involves the following costs: Charges of Interest on any loans taken to buy goods. Charges for storage space. Transportation costs for stock movement and for its display. Cost of time involved in stock management. Cost involved in stolen of damaged stocks. Payroll expenses. Substantial amounts of an organizations funds could be blocked in inventory. Apt management of inventory essentially leads to high profits and lower costs. Purchase the right products Employ market research to make the identification of right products for the right market. Analysis of sales charts of previous financial years. Identify needs of consumers and create those products to satisfy needs. Analysis of economy forecast in the periods to come and make a determination of how market would function or react. Draw comparison between you and your competitors sales. Make the right decisions based on experience regarding what to products to buy and at what quantity. Buying Correct Quantities In order to meet the varying market demand, it is necessary to maintain the right quantity of inventory. In the process of maintaining the right quantity of inventory care should be taken to not have overstocking of obsolete products. (Gilmore, J.H., B.J. Pine. 2000) To do this you must: Have knowledge of the right product to order Order the right quantity of the product Have knowledge of the right time to order the product Have knowledge of product arrival Have knowledge about the right quantity of product to stock during the business cycle Have knowledge of when reorders need no submission Have knowledge of when products should not be stocked This knowledge is acquired by analysis and experience: Ensuring suppliers have market repute and would supply products in needed quantities. Making a study of lead times for the purpose of supply and delivery to make possible ordering at the apt time, or determining the delivery time for the consumers is more products have to be ordered. Overbuying should be avoided just to take advantage of special supplier deals. Re-check buying plans weekly and amend as needed. If the stock is being sold or being utilized faster than expected, look to source more products as soon as the trend is identified and in existence. Make a note of required stock levels (minimum, maximum and at the point to re-order). Success of Inventory Control: The regular and periodic (Stalk, G., T.H. Hout. 2003) evaluations of key performance indicators in companies help determine the success of an inventory system. The basic group of indicators reveals how well the inventory system fulfills the business needs and does it exceed the customer expectations. The inventory system should have the capability of accounting for that exists at the finished goods inventory with the inclusion of what was manufactured in the latest production cycle. This process makes it possible to bring forward units for consumer orders in at the right time without delays and help companies shorten the lead-time and thus building repute in the process. An efficient system makes it possible to maintain a good balance between the stock that is in possession and the stock that is required to operate the business efficiently. Global Supply Chain Management: For many business (De Geus, A., (1998) organizations, Global Supply Chain Management has become increasing important as there has been an increase in offshore sourcing and globalization. As global supply chain management involves many countries thereby the issues or difficulties to be tackled are many too. Primarily the overall costs need to be considered. Though labor cost could be minimal, cost of space, tariffs and other costs needs to considered with doing business abroad. The exchange (Drucker, P. (1988), rate too needs to be factored. The companys lead-time could positively or negatively affect depending on the productivity of the employees overseas and the shipping time involved. There could be time lags on account of custom clearance time and other governmental red tape. (Gersick, C. J. G. (1991). Supplier selection is also another important aspect of global supply chain management. Extensive research should be carried out by the company to help make the right choice. Logisti cal issues such as deciding the number of plants and their locations to surface and have to be worked out carefully. (Romanelli, E. and Tushman, M. L. (I994) Assembler-supplier relationships in the global auto industry For the last two decades, there has been a change in the relationship between assemblers and suppliers. Initially there has been a shift from supply of individual components to supply of complete function such as corners, systems, modules or sub-assemblies. (Sadler, D. (1998) a supplier who is first-tier assembles parts and makes a supply of them as complete units (such as dashboards, rear axle assemblies, body panels and seats). Operations earlier carried out in-house by the assembler, such as the manufacture of seats and exhaust systems, are moved on to the first-tier supplier. Second, component producers have taken an further role in the creating design of components and systems (Humphrey, J. and M. Salerno (2000) First-tier component producers assert more involvement with their consumers and have transited to providing black box parts or systems. While the assembler gives overall performance specifications and information about the interface with the remaining aspect of the car, the supplier designs a solution using its own technology, often taking in a basic design to the customers specific requirements.3 This shift has facilitated car assemblers to transfer R D costs to component manufacturers and to take advantage from the speci alized technological skills of these producers. Conclusion As supply chains have moved from a cost focus to a customer focus and now currently to a strategic focus, the need to think strategically about the supply chain has never been more important. The success of a strategy is only as good as the companys ability to fully and properly execute it. A great supply chain strategy, linked with operational excellence, can provide success for not only the company in question but also its partners and customers. Methodology: This chapter will essentially focus on the method employed for the conduct of research and analysis. The reasons governing the techniques chosen would be furnished. Furthermore, the chosen method of analysis of data compiled and the ethical consideration therein would be discussed. Primary Research: Ethical Considerations: The researcher is of the conviction that no research should be carried out without attention being paid to the implications which are of ethical nature. On ethical grounds, the researcher presented in all clarity to the participants or volunteers for this research study that the research was purely for academic reasons and the data compiled and analyzed would be utilized for the purpose of Academic projects and would not be in any manner shared with any other individuals other than Academicians evaluating the research conducted nor would the data collected be employed for commercial usage. The researcher provided this indemnification and hence the participants agreed to volunteer vital information regarding Kapoor Automobiles policies of Inventory holding and Global supply chain management. Furthermore the participants were informed of the fact that no participation fee would be levied or charged. Face to Face Interviews: Face to face interviews were conducted with the C.E.O. of Kapoor Automobiles (India) and the Board of Directors of the company to gain an understanding into the overall aspects of the functioning of the organization and to also gain information about their modes of Inventory control in their Global Supply Chain Management activities. Information about this was provided it in depth and the research succeeded in getting a clear practical picture of their operations. The researcher failed to acquire figurative data relating to inventory control as the C.E.O and the Board of Directors expressed confidentiality issues. The interviews too were conducted in an informal manner as they the participants (C.E.O and Board of Directors) insisted on anonymity and the researcher assured them of the same. For gaining an understanding of the production process and actual physical inventory control process, rubber technicians and warehouse supervisor of Kapoor Automobiles (India) were interviewed and productive insight was gained by the researcher. Time and Access: Limitations emerged in the form of lack of time and access in the case of certain Board of Directors of Kapoor Automobiles. Of the 8 Board of directors, 2 of them could not be accessed as they were overseas to conduct negotiations of Kapoor Automobiles (India) and hence they could not be interviewed. Some of the available Board of Directors could not spare sufficient time of the interviews as they had to attend to the day to day management affairs of the organizations. Though the time they made available was limited, their input were undoubted valuable. The C.E.O. expressed inability to even provide approximations of figurative data citing confidentiality issued and hence the researcher failed to have access to any figurative data whatsoever. Secondary Research: The techniques of secondary research employed by the researcher were essentially gaining vital data from the online library provided by Cardiff Business School. This library of the Cardiff Business School was of immense utility as all the theories relating to Inventory Control and Global Supply Chain Management were available in abundance and facilitated a process of ease in understanding and compiling the much required theories and data. The search engines of Mintel and Ebsco proved to be of immense use to the researcher. Besides the above mentioned source, the researcher referred to several books written by experts in the field of Inventory control and Global Supply Chain Management to acquire multiple perspectives on the area of research and analysis. The information gained was significant and hence employed by the researcher in his research study. Findings and Analysis: Introduction: Employing the primary research techniques, the researcher learnt through face to face interviews of the C.E.O and Board of Directors of Kapoor Automobiles (India) that the organization being medium-sized, financially they are not in a position to have high levels of inventory to meet unforeseen demands of the consumers in the Global Supply Chain Management process. Kapoor Automobiles (India) initially commenced as a very small business outfit carrying out its production, stocking and distribution activities from a very small workshop. Kapoor Automobiles (India) grew successfully over a period of time and now possess a large production and warehousing unit in comparison to what they had when the business commenced and this is owing to the fact that business leaders at Kapoor Automobiles (India) formulate the apt strategy to meet demand of consumers spread across the continents of Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Financial constraints necessitate Kapoor Automobiles (India) to follow t he Just-in-time inventory management process. Just-in-time (JIT) could be defined as a strategy of inventory management. This methodology focuses on bringing about an improvement in the firms return on investment by bring down or reducing the in-process inventory and related carrying costs. Just-In-Time production method is also termed as Toyota Production System. In order to fulfill objectives of Just-In-Time, this inventory management method is reliant on Kanban or signals emerging between different points in the link, which indicate the production department as to when the next batch should be produced. Initially, Kapoor Automobiles (India) was following this method on account of financial constraints which did not permit holding large inventory but now Kapoor Automobiles (India) prefers this method as the market trend is changing in continuity on account of new technological developments at regular and short intervals and this required constant change in product and the production methods and the other obvious reason as stated by Kapoor Automobiles (India) is the fact that they are yet a medium sized enterprise and would not be in a position to have large inventory. They further stated that large inventory for the Global Supply Chain Management process could lead to financial losses as the inventory could go obsolete as the automobile industry is a progressive and booming industry and there is a requirement of constant modification in the spare parts or components utilized for the manufacture of automobiles. Conclusively, Kapoor Automobiles (India) have stated that Just-In-Time inventory management system helps them reduce the in-process inventory costs and other related costs and hence is the most preferred mode of inventory management. They further state that their organization is in a state of growth in continuity and they objective aim at converting Kapoor Automobiles (India) which is currently a medium sized organization into a large sized organization and when Kapoor Automobiles (India) attains this objective they would continue to function utilizing Just-In-time inventory management system to meet the demands of their clients in the Global Chain as the product features and demands related to it are changing continuously and maintaini

Acting And Facial Expression In Animation

Acting And Facial Expression In Animation Our body never stop moving, no matter we are sitting, taking a rest or sleeping, our body and face keep doing different actions even it is small and unobtrusive. We have many different actions in our daily life. We can obtain different messages in these actions. For example humans feelings, characters, health, signal from others or even read peoples mind. There is so much information covert in acting and facial expression, but what about in animation? Animation started with no dialog and sound. To define animation, it imitates everything move in reality word, it can also create some things does not exist and even impossible by your imagination. To create a good animation, you need to study everything which can move no matter it is organic or inorganic. Also the speed of different objects: Speed up, slow down and the rhythm. That is the basic animation sense. Aim This study is concerned with a communication that beyond dialog in animation Acting and Facial Expression. Acting means all action, body language and facial expression. Animators always use them to present characters personality and the story in animation. The reason I choose acting and facial expression is because it is an international language in communication. Animation is always present with dialog, especially in long animation. Sometimes, facial expression and some small actions can express more messages to the audience and to deliver it faster than dialog. Without dialog, audience will focus on characters action and facial expression, it provides audience with more imagination and better in accordance with the animation significance. I will not say acting and facial expression can replace dialog, but I am going to prove that they are the better tools to communicate with audience in animation. Research Method The topic is closely related with my area of practice 3D animation. It is useful for me to produce and learn animation. From the research in this study, I can obtain more knowledge in human anatomy and the meaning and message in different action. These can support me to produce a more professional animation and improve my animation skills. I am going to research different animations, movies, television commercial which without dialog, to disassemble their script, characters acting and camera design, especially with the reference Tom and Jerry. In the other hand, I will compare them with some movies and animations which with dialog, for example: Ted, Mr. Bean and Pixars animations. Also I will research books about body language, facial expression and animation theory to support my study. Structure In my dissertation, I am going to divide it into five parts. After introduction, it is a chapter about acting in animation. I will start to define what are acting and body language first, to establish a basic knowledge with them. Second I will find out the relationship between acting and characters, storytelling and music. It is a very important part to research how acting affects these elements in animation. Third I will find out how animators animate inorganic things, how can acting gives them life and personality. Finally, I will have a case study of Tom and Jerry to research the relationship of acting and dialog, also compare their impact. In the next chapter facial expression in animation, I will research what is facial expression and how it talks. There are more than thousands facial expression we have, but what do they means? Can they show our minds? Besides, I will find out the relationship between facial expression and characters and storytelling. In chapter four communication beyond dialog, after studying acting and facial expression. I am going to find out what the impacts of dialog in communication are and compare it with acting and facial expression. Then I will prove how acting and facial expression give imaginations and demonstrate how they communicate with audience. Finally, I will find out in animation, are acting and facial expression an aid, strengthen or a necessary elements? And the final chapter is a summary. 2. Acting and Facial Expression 2.1. Acting and body language We express ourselves, communicate to others, show others our minds and ideas through action. Also, we always try to obtain and understand different meanings or messages through other peoples action, even our pets and other animals. Acting means all actions created by living things, a strong action can communicate a lot. To research actions, I start to study the nature of actions and I find out there are five basic actions we have since we are born inborn actions, discovered actions, absorbed actions, trained actions and mixed actions. When we are a baby, we already have our instinctive actions. A baby knows how to smile and suckle mothers breast to get food, even they never saw them before. These are inborn actions. Discovered actions mean we discover them from ourselves through our experience and our environment. People cross their arms or legs in the world, it helps us to keep warm, take a rest or protect ourselves. There is also an example of discovered actions sex. Absorbed actions are the actions we learn and copy from others. In a society, we want to get into a group no matter we are studying or working. We try to imitate their actions and the words they use. For trained actions, we need to practice and teach by the others, like swimming, dancing and cycling. Finally, mixed actions are special, we push further and mix the actions we learnt by discovering and studying new things. When we communicate to others, dialog is not the only way. Actions show our background, character and our inner thoughts. We can deliver messages to others, it is a body language. Body language is the earliest language we know, everyone know how to use it. We cry to draw our parents attention when we are a baby. We use body language everyday even sometimes we did not realize them. Following different peoples research, we can now discover many secret of our body and how they talks. For examples our body angles, body shift and when we touch ourselves. There are too many body languages and I cannot cover them all, but I am going to find them out in different animations and movies, see how those animators use them to create their characters and story. 2.2. Facial expression Acting means all body languages and facial expressions. Besides the research on acting, I want to analysis facial expression individually, because it is a main tool to communicate beside body language. We have come to know the face so well because it is so important to us; in fact, it is the center of our entire emotional life. From birth to death, the face links us to friends, to family, to everyone meaningful to us. (Gary Faigin, 1990s). Facial expression is the motion of our face muscles under the skin. There are many emotions we have and we always express them by different movement of our facial features. We less expressed our emotion by only use one facial features, it always comes up with mix. Do facial expressions universally recognizable? By Paul Ekman, he researched that there are six categories of facial expression are certain universal: sadness, anger, joy, fear, disgust and surprise. We can find these faces every day on the people we meet, but how much can we tell from our face? 2.3. How facial expression talks? This research will not cover all categories of facial expression, but I will analysis some of them which appear in animation and our daily life. On our face, eyes and mouth are the facial features that have the most movable range. Other than ears and nose, sometimes they can convey emotions individually. As the research of eyes, our eyes movement and angles have different messages in them, different angles show our feelings and thinking. Combine with our eyebrows, they can have so many changes. When we communicate to others, like we speak with our friends, colleagues or even in an interview, eye contacts become a very important tool. With our words, a firm eye contact can display our confidence, fascination, serious and respect. Opposite, hesitancy and unstable eyes will show that we are nervous and inattentive. It has the same effect when we listen to others. We will also use our eyes to give signal to others. For example: in a situation which we cannot speak or in a basketball game, eyes used to show our feelings or to direct others. In animation, we can only obtain messages from the image, we do not understanding the environment sometimes. Characters eyes will become the director for the audience in this moment. Certainly, eyes are the tool to show characters status like tired. Mouth is a special feature, besides eat and speak, it is the best facial feature to present joy. We can find joy or sadness for peoples mouth easily, but what else? When we feel nervous, uncomfortable and scare, we always tighten up our lips, it can let us relieve some of our pressure. And when we feel disgust, we will distort our lips, but everyone has different shape in this, it is always appear in comedy. Apart from that, a sinister smile is always a good characteristic for creating a bad character. After research on our facial features, I go on to find out more relationship of facial expression and animation. 3. Acting and Facial Expression in Animation 3.1. Acting with characters, storytelling and music In an animation, we receive messages from different elements such as characters, storytelling and music, but what are their relationships with acting. With the characters outlook, we can obtain much information of him, her or it- age, sex, work, power and physique. These are the basic information, but acting can gives more or makes different. For example: characters personality, attitude, status, ability and experience. Acting also shows the forces of gravity of the world in the story through characters movement. I found a short animation as examples One more beer! to show how acting and body language influence characters. In One more beer, it is a very short animation and only has one character, one scene and one camera. In the beginning, a man that looks big, boorish and strong sits down in the bar. He gives a fierce face and asks for something. We notice that he is a fierce man and want a big cup of beer immediately, but the bartender gives him a small cup and pink colours beer. The fierce man gets angry, the bartender gives him a small umbrella and put it in the beer. At that time, the fierce man change to a naive man and drinks that small beer like a child. A big man and a small pink beer form a big contrast. Audience got cheated from his outlook in the beginning, thought that he must reject that small beer. However, he loves that. All of these are depend on acting. Dont just do something, story is the difference between animating a character walking across the room, and having it walk the last mile to the electric chair. The story context will affect the way a character moves, acts and talks. (Nancy Beiman, Animated Performance, Page 4). Undoubtedly, acting and story influence each other in every animation. It delivers messages to audience. Sometimes a small action can leave thread or cheat audience. Also, acting can shows characters feelings, emotion and the relationship between characters. To research storytelling and acting, I found an animation Defective Detective. It does not have dialog, but it is good at storytelling. The main characters of this animation are a detective and an old woman. The detective is a hero of the city, but he is trouble in a case with a butcher. One night, he finds something wrong on his upstairs. He thinks that is the butcher, and the butcher is hurting the old woman. He clamps up and wants to shot down the butcher, but finally it is just his misunderstanding. The animation shows the situation of the detective and the old woman parallel, they have not seen each other until the end. The old women are just cooking tomato soups, but the detective thinks that the butcher are killing her, it is all come from his fantasy only. The animator use 2D animation to express his fantasy, we can find that the detective are stupid and impulsive. The most interesting and meaningful part I think is the end and I want to explain those small actions in detail. In the end, they drink the soup together, but someone scream from outside again. The detective stands up and pick up his gun to show he wants to help. However the old woman uses the spoon hit his hand and point to the chair, these actions mean she told him to sit down and do not get misunderstanding anymore. He sits down immediately and shake his hand and drink a spoon of soup, to show her do not worry and he will listen to her. In the final shot, he takes a look of outside, it shows that he still confusing. This time he is right, there are many crimes happening in the building. It is very meaningful in just these few seconds, the animator is good at acting and storytelling. Other than characters and storytelling, the relationship of acting and music is more special. Acting always follows the rhythm of the music, especially in animations which do not have dialog. Acting can strengthen and bring out the feelings of the music, and music can also strengthen characters emotion and acting. Both of them can be the lead. The most famous example is Fantasia from Disney. In Fantasia, there are seven animations in this film and this film created three relationships of music and animation. First kind, it use music to tells a define story. Second kind, it is no specific plot but just follow the rhythm and create the image. Third kind, to create an animation that exists for the music. The most famous part of Fantasia is The Sorcerers Apprentice. It only uses the original music for the animation, no any sound effects and dialog. It is just like a visual music concert. 3.2. Facial expression with characters and storytelling Facial expression is an important element to help a character to create its personality and express their emotions. For me, a character which has the richest facial expression and most impressive, he must be Mr. Bean Rowan Atkinson. He is not an animation character, but he is a really special performer which good at impress on acting. In 2002, Mr. Bean came up with an animated television series. It is based on the live action series of the same name and it is a minority example. Why Mr. Bean can success? I am going to find out some reasons with it. Mr. Bean is a comedy written and starring by Rowan Atkinson. Rowan Atkinson created Mr. Bean and described him as A child in a grown mans body. Bean less speaks, he always uses his body languages and facial expressions to convey himself. Sometimes he will speak something people do not understand, but within his voice tone and acting we can find out what he tries to present. He spends a lot of time with his best friend Teddy (A bear toy) and he helps Teddy to act. In both live action and animated series, Mr. Bean is a story around Beans daily life and some interesting incident. To describe Rowan Atkinsons face, he has big, clear and significant facial features. Also, combine with his changeable facial expressions, it impress on audience mind. In Mr. Bean animation, animators keep Beans characteristics and style. They even enlarge his facial features and exaggerate his acting. It shows that acting and facial expressions are identity of Mr. Bean. In the same time, that is one of a big r eason why Mr. Bean success. To research on the relationship between facial expression and storytelling, I found a special example Kuleshov Effect. It is a montage film editing effect and discovered by Lev Kuleshov which is a Russian filmmaker. It is an experiment to create reaction with editing, Lev Kuleshov wants to test if a face with no expression and fill in different objects or environment, what will audience think? He made a short movie with six shots. Also, he found three shots with different environment and put the same shot with one actor in front of them. The actors name is Ivan Mozzhukhin, he actually looking at nothing, he does not know what will they edit to when they are shooting at him. He did not express any emotion and that is what Lev Kuleshov wants, we cannot see any emotion on Ivan Mozzhukhin by only watching his face. Audience can only base on the environment along to infer his emotion. The viewers will think that the actor has different reactions and emotions, but actually they come from our own minds. We will admire the actors acting and do not realize it is affected by the scene. So does it mean facial expression is not important? Just the opposite, in Kuleshov Effect, audience will obtain different emotions of the actor only by their experience and imaginations. This effect just right to tell us where are the source of message that received by audience. Within facial expression and storytelling, audience can receive the messages exactly from the creator and understand the inter-relationships between characters. 4. Animation Comedy You get to be an impish God. You get to reform the world. You get to take the piss out of it. You turn it upside down, inside out. You bug out eyes. You put moustaches on Mona Lisas. You change the world and have for a brief moment a bit of control over it. At least you get to humiliate it for a moment, and thats what all cartoonists get their kicks from! (Paul Wells, interview in February 1995) Paul Wells described how to create a comedy. In creating comedy, we can become a naughty god and change the world to whatever we want. Comedy is a tool for people to relax and release their pressure from a custumal world. We must break and challenge the rules. After the initial study of Mr. Bean, I go on to research on animation comedy. I want to know more about how acting and facial expression influences animation comedy. 4.1. Case study Tom and Jerry Tom and Jerry is a famous animation start from 1940s, every chapter is short but expressing a story individually. It is just a story start from a cat and a mouse, but why can it success and enduring to show? With the research in last part, I start to analysis Tom and Jerry. Cats chasing mouse, everyone knows it, because it is the natural instinct of cats. It is a good and simple design in characters and story. However in Tom and Jerry, people always want Jerry wins and he does in the story. I think the reason is because their personality and relationships, it express from their acting. Tom is an arrogance cat and to be opinionated, he always thinks that he is the one. Jerry is cunning, but it is stems from the need for self-preservation, He is a kind mouse and always saves others who Tom is bullying. Tom always thinks he is the clever one and bully others, Jerry always takes him down because he is the real clever one. We will love to see this because to take down someone who is arrogance and to be opinionated is funny, as we want to do that in our reality society. Sometimes they are enemy, sometimes they are friend when they are facing difficulty or having the same enemy. We love to see that too. Storytelling is a big reason that why Tom and Jerry success. They have many reasons to fight in every chapter, not just about cats chasing mouse. Sometimes it is because Tom is hungry, the order from Toms master, revenge, misunderstanding, they want the same thing, enjoy to torture others or the third person get involved. Tom and Jerry less using dialog, it will be only used in they must need it to express or describe story to audience. Acting becomes the only way to communicate with audience. The master of Tom is a character who always have dialog, it is always used by the third person or radio too, Tom and Jerry almost do not talk. We can always find many exaggerated and violent acting in Tom and Jerry. Everything around the environment can be their weapons: tables, chairs, dishes, planks sometimes they even use guns, bombs and poisons. These become the way to attract audience and make them laugh, also the signature of Tom and Jerry. Music is an important character in Tom and Jerry too, it is always used to strengthen acting and deliver their emotions. Music can increase the atmosphere of comedy with the big contrast, for example: a classic music and an obtuse cat. In some case, Tom and Jerrys body will become a music instrument and play music with their acting. You can also find some chapters which are base on music to create their story. All of these are the basic analysis of Tom and Jerry. I also want to describe some examples which are impressive and creative to see how it has good use of acting. In Puss and Boats, Tom is a mariner. The story starts from Toms ship laying down their commodity. There is a big box of cheeses with a gap. In this time, Jerry is sleeping, but the smell of cheese becomes a hand and flies to find him. The hand removes Jerry from the bed and opens his eye, but Jerry is still sleeping and the picture in his eyeball shows he is eating a cheese. It shows Jerry is eating a cheese in his dream, and it is a special skill by using facial expression. Then, the hand wakes him up and shows him where are the cheese. When Jerry gets ready to get it, the hand stop him and point to somewhere because Tom is nearing there to protect those commodity. The acting of the hand is not just expressing the smell of cheese, it is only use useful to Jerry and only he can see this, because mice love cheese. The hand shows the natural of mouse, to find cheese and be careful with cats. The animator use a hand to present the relationship of cheese, mouse and cat, not just shows Je rry smell cheese and wake up. It is creative and well use on acting with character and storytelling. In a short section of Mice Follies, Tom is chasing Jerry and his friend in a small indoor skating rink. When Tom try to stop and catch them, he keeping slipping in the same place because of the ice. He keeps increasing his speed to move but still cannot move on. Coordinate with his acting, is a fast beat drums hit. With this situation, it created a very funny image. That is more effective by only using acting to present. It is a common comedy skill we can always find in Tom and Jerry. To describe other example of music in Tom and Jerry, I found The Cat Concerto. In this chapter, Tom is a pianist. He woke up Jerry when he was playing piano in a concert. Then they start to fight. The story is totally following the music to develop. In the whole animation, they never stop playing the piano while they are fighting. Even Tom gets hurt or stop to play, Jerry will keep playing to keep the concerto go on. Every part of the piano becomes their battlefield. Every time the music starts rapidly, they will have a strong conflict. It is a really accurate story design, the animator use music to imagine the story. Even a shears become a music instrument, Jerry want to cut Toms finger when he is playing piano. However, Tom hides it, the sounds of shears merges with the music. Finally, Jerry plays the piano from its inside to try to push Tom to follow it. Tom exhausts all his effort to follow, but his formal dress is totally rotten. In the end, Jerry wears a formal dress to curtain call. That presented a cat chasing mouse story with a very interesting and creative way. At the same time, it is a good example how acting cooperate To summarize, Tom and Jerry is an impressive and successful animation which use acting and the elements of animation effectively. It is a good example to shows us the importance of acting in animation. 5. Communication beyond dialog 5.1. Dialog in communication Actions speak louder than words, When we communicate only 7 per cent of the communication depends on verbal communication and the rest goes towards the non verbal communication. Of the 93 per cent- 38 percent is for voice modulation and 55 per cent is for body language.(ProfessorÂÂ  M. S. Rao, Soft Skills Enhancing Employability: Connecting Campus with Corporate, Page14). 6. Conclusions

Medical Career Expectations Essay -- Medicine Doctor Student Essays

Medical Career Expectations As a potential medical student, I will strive to be a tremendous asset to St. Christopher’s College of Medicine by devoting all my time and life to becoming an excellent physician. I believe that I am obligated to use my talents in a constructive manner, in a manner that benefits society. The medical career gives me the unique opportunity to express my talents while benefiting human life. Undoubtedly my cultural diversity will be a great contribution to St. Christopher’s College of Medicine. Being raised in a Pakistani family in Canada, visiting different countries, and now living in Canada, I have experienced the similarities and differences among many diverse cultural groups and geographical areas. This allowed me to relate to different types of peopl...

Practical Cognition :: essays research papers

Practical Cognition Theories of Knowledge (Karl Marx) In his early years of writing, Karl Marx's ideas were similar to American Pragmatism, especially his ideas about epistemology. He defines truth in a pragmatic fashion and explains cognition in terms of practical needs of the human being. While some of his ideas were not followed to their logical conclusion, nor made sense, the fundamentals of his epistemology contain valuable ideas which can be viewed as furthering pragmatism as a respectable philosophy. His theory of cognition states that cognition is a biological function of the human which is used as a tool for his survival. Marx defines truth in a pragmatic way. The truth value of a judgement is due to the usefulness of accepting or rejecting the judgement. A statement is true if accepting it makes a positive difference or has a helpful influence and it is false if accepting it causes difficulty or dissatisfaction. The meaning of a statement is the practical result of accepting the statement. In general, then, the truth or falsity of a statement is relative, not only to the individual accepting or rejecting the statement, but also to the circumstances in which that person finds himself. Truth is relative, but Marx is not an extreme relativist (no one to be taken seriously is) because there is a constraint to how relative the truth can be; Humans are making the truth judgements, and humans have a common element, viz . their needs, which do not vary greatly between people. Humans are in contact with nature at a fundamental level. The human understanding of nature is a consequence of the fact that nature confronts humans when they try to fulfill their needs. This is the case with any organism, and each species reacts according to the tools of that species. One of the human tools is the intellect, and it works through the cognition of the perception of elements of nature. Cognition occurs as the organizing of sensory data into categories. Without the ability to make generalizations, man would not be able to think. Moreover, the human capacity to think is exactly the same as making abstractions about experience. There is nothing more to descriptions of the world than those abstractions. Details about the world are described only in terms of generalizations, for if there were a word for a specific detail unique to only one event, then that word would be nothing but a name -an abbreviation for the term, the specific detail x , unique to only this one event, y . The assimilation of the external world, which is at first

Myth and Violence in The Waste Land Essay -- T.S. Eliot Waste Land Ess

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As evidenced by his writings, T.S. Eliot has a profound appreciation for the use of myth as a point of departure for maintaining a cultural or historical perspective. In "The Waste Land," his employment of myth is not simply an allusive and metaphorical tactic, but rather an attempt at relating his own ideas and tropes to universals in order to establish some external order for the chaos he is presenting: "The element of myth in his art is not so much a creative method, a resumption of the role of mythic poet, as it is an intellectual strategy, a device for gaining perspective on himself and on his myth-forsaken time" (Ellmann, 621). He draws from the ideas existing in the collective unconsciousness (which compose myth) and the differences in his representations present his own ideas about the human condition.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The fact that mythic structures are repeated cross-culturally evidences them as the outcome of primitive, common thought. These structures include concepts of life and death cycles; degeneration, death, and decay; purgation, purification, and rebirth; and creation and destruction. A common thread throughout the various mythic structures is that of violence. Violence is necessary for the completion of mythic processes. A simple example of this idea is the axiom that destruction (an intrinsically violent act) is a pre-requisite for creation. Furthermore, myth entails specific, violent acts against the human form as means for purgation and purification.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On another level, creation is a violent exploit not only through its relationship to destruction, but also through its relationship to sexuality. The sex act, the animal process of creation, is an act of violence against the female for... ...t regenerate, and his very use of structured myth conveys through contrast Eliot's concern with the utter chaos of modern life.       Works Cited Eliot, T. S. The Waste Land and Other Poems. Harcourt Brace & Company: New York, 1958. Ellmann, Richard "The First Waste Land." In Eliot in His Time: Essays on the Occasion of the Fiftieth Anniversary of The Waste Land." Princeton, Princeton UP, 1973. Vickery, John B. The Literary Impact of The Golden Bough. Princeton University Press, 1973.    Works Consulted Eliot, T. S. "Ulysses, Order, and Myth," from Selected Prose of T. S. Eliot. Frank Kermode, ed. London : Faber and Faber, 1975. 177. Ellmann, Richard and Charles Feidelson, Jr., ed. The Modern Tradition. New York: Oxford University Press, 1965. Girard, Rene. Violence and the Sacred. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1977.

The movie Super Size Me

The movie Super Size Me, is an in your face way of making people realize how the fast food industry is negatively affecting our nation. The surgeon general has declared the increasing rates of obesity an â€Å"epidemic†. In this documentary movie, Morgan Spurlock conducts an experiment, to investigate if indeed, fast food is the correlation to our nations obesity epidemic. The movie has severally bonus features such as an interview with Eric Schlosser, the author of Fast Food Nation, and an interview with Phil Lawler about the PE 4 Life program. As well as, The Smoking Fry, an interesting experiment looking at the decomposition of food. The movie Super Size Me, and all of its bonus features, revolves around two main components, the importance of nutrition and physical activity. I. Fast Food Nation The interview between Morgan Spurlock and Eric Schlosser discusses how fast food is processed and flavored, the unhealthy agricultural settings, obesity trends and how both the government and the people need to make a change for the better. I was appalled by the information provided in the interview, I had a basic idea of all the concepts but did not realize how extream they were. I can easily say that after knowing how fast food is made I have no interest at all in eating it. The fact that while in feed lots, cattle are pilled in fecal matter which can make it into the hamburgers that we eat, and that is why there is a higher increase in poisoning and disease from eating fast food. I think that is absolutely disgusting and it should not be allowed. I definitely will read the book Fast Food Nation, if this short interview opened my eyes this much; I am very interested to see how the book will make me feel. II. PE4LIFE Phil Lawler pointed out that, Illinois is the only state that enforces mandatory physical education k-12. During his interview talked about the PE4Life program, how it refocuses testing based on a healthy zone, that physical activity is the â€Å"fertilizer† for the brain, and the importance of creating a pattern and habit of exercising. PE4Life departs from the traditional approach to physical education by not focusing on traditional sports, but rather physical activities that assures every child is active. Testing in the PE4Life program assesses results on whether the students â€Å"does it well enough that he/she is considered healthy. While the traditional program assesses testing based on what percentile the student falls into compared to their peers. If the State of Michigan were to adopt a serious daily approach to physical education, such as the PE4Life program the outcome would be extremely beneficial to the students overall heath. We discussed in class how students in Michigan do not meet the set goal of exercising five times a week for thirty minutes at a time. Also, how forty percent of children in MI are currently over weight. The end of the Super Size Me video made it a point to state that Detroit is now the fattest city in the United States. Obviously something needs to be done to change these trends, implementing mandatory physical education k-12; using a PE4Life philosophy may be exactly what Michigan students need. III. The Smoking Fry The Smoking Fry was an experiment conducted by Morgan Spurlock to examine how different McDonalds food items and less artificially enhanced flood items would decompose after periods of time. I thought that all of the different food items would start to mold after about a week, and they all would get worse as more time went by. I just assumed that food that wasn’t frozen or at least refrigerated started to mold after a period of time. My reaction to the results was disgust; it made me wonder what kind of crazy chemicals are in those fries that they do not show any signs of molding after ten weeks. I think that as our bodies decompose food we ingest from fast food chains it is exposed to the many chemicals preservatives put in the food, and does not receive the proper nutrients. I would also assume that the same logic would apply from the experiment, to our bodies, meaning that it is more difficult for the body to decompose fast food as opposed to more natural foods. My mother eats mostly all organic food whenever possible, so when my birthday came she was going to make a cake from scratch like usual. I told he that I would rather have a funfetti box cake instead; begrudgingly she made the cake for me. Not without going on and on about how bad it is for you, and how many chemicals, and ingredients you cant even pronounce and in it and that not even like eating a real cake. What was interesting and supports the results from the Smoking Fry is that, she pointed out to me that after a month of sitting in the tupperware not a speck of mold was on it. Processed foods contain so many preservatives that they may never mold, for instance a Twinkie has no expiration date, I think that is absolutely crazy. The fact that processed foods are filled with so many chemicals to they have a longer shelf life should be a good indication as to how bad they are for your body. IV. Movie Super Size Me The movie Super Size Me is a documentary by Morgan Spurlock. In this movie Spurlock undertakes eating nothing but McDonalds for thirty days, to determine if fast food is the fast track to becoming obese and if its unreasonably dangerous. Spurlock had a set of rules for the month; can only super size when asked, can only eat food from McDonalds water included, has to eat everything on the menu at least once, and he must eat three meals a day, lastly limit the amount of steps per day. Before the experiment Spurlock consulted with a cardiologist, gastrologist, and a general practitioner, all three doctors concluded that he was currently physically healthy. The doctors said that increased cholesterol and triglyceride levels, weight gain, and an increased risk for heart disease were expected outcomes of this experiment. The actual end results of the experiment where much more serous than expected. Spurlock gained twenty four and a half pounds, the liver had basically turned to fat, cholesterol shot up sixty five points, body fat percentage increased seven percent, he doubled his risk for heart disease and failure, felt exhausted and depressed, experience rapid mood sings, had a non existent sex life, and developed an addiction, he craved more and more and had headaches when he did not eat the food. There was a point where he considered stopping short of the thirty days because his health being seriously affected. The movie addressed the lack of regards to the state of our nations physical education programs. Again it was stated that Illinois is the only state that makes physical education mandatory k-12. Brain Philips a physical education teacher stated that students in his elementary school only receive physical education one day a week for forty-five minutes. According to the surgeon general, a person needs to be physical active thirty minutes a day, every day to maintain your weight and a healthy well-being. The Nations schools are not close to implementing these standards, and its only getting worse. In 2001 while President Bush was in office he created the No Child Left Behind reform. Due to this reform schools cut recess time, heath, nutrition, and physical education classes back to allow for more time to prepare for the more â€Å"academic† classes. Naperville, Illinois setting the standards for the model program of physical education because they are creating an awareness in the community about the importance of physical activity, and in turn receiving the support to make the PE4Life program possible. In my opinion other states are not pushing to adopt this model due to the No Child Left Behind reform, lack of effort, fear of change, and the financial expenses. Physical education should be of the utmost importance for individuals making decisions about education in Michigan. Detroit is heaviest city in the United States. From class lecture we no that in Michigan forty percent of children are over weight compared to thirteen to fourteen percent Nationally. It can no longer be ignored; it must be addressed by the school systems, to stop this growing epidemic of obesity. This movie mad an impact on how I view fast food. I do not consume fast food on a regular bases, but occasionally when I am starving and I do not have time, or am not around to cook something, I will eat it. That is definitely going to change, after watching this how could you eat fast food, its disgusting. When I have children of my own, I will not allow them to eat fast food, except on very rare occasions. I grew up with a mother that always cooks dinner, buys organic food, and has always been very couscous on the making sure I eat a balanced diet. I plan to use the same nutritional approach with my own children. V. Conclusions After viewing Supper Size Me, my position of consuming fast food still stands, as it not being a healthy choice. Proper nutrition directly related to a persons heath, and with a sufficient amount of physical activity a person is at their optimal level of overall health. After watching Super Size Me, and its bonus features, it opened my eyes wider to both the importance of nutrition and physical activity, and how the Nation is in a fight against obesity epidemic. I do now think that eating fast food is truly the fast track to obesity. I now will make a more conscious decision about the things I am eating. My periodic fast food visits will be eliminated, and I will try to stay away from all process foods, anything with artificial flavoring, and definitely increase my eating of organic foods.