Portlandia Television Show Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Portlandia Television Show - Movie Review Example This paper will discuss whether the film is well-done or not, whether there should be a season three or not, and if there should be, which topics should it address. To the audience, at a first glance, Portlandia looks like a coterie television series that could only be clear to former university radio disc jockeys in their late 20s and early 30s. Featuring the dubious trio of Saturday Night Live's Sleater Kinney, Carrie Brownstein, and Fred Armisen, Portlandia is created atop a complicated system of allusions, nods, and winks. Andrew Singer and Jonathan Krisel directed the film specifically to post-hipsters, post-post-punk viewers, and to post-collegiate (Sidereel 1). Its humor might effortlessly alienate viewers from a variety of demographics. The series, which just concluded its leading season, turns this slim focus into its greatest force (Sidereel 1). Parts of the city that are presented in the show are In Other Words. It refers to a feminist bookstore that sells mostly books for ladies. The book store features heavily in season one. The second place is the Gilt Club. Gilt Club refers to the restaurant which Fred and Carrie try to find out facts regarding chicken in the pilot episode. The third place that features mostly in the show is Oblique Coffee Roasters. This refers to the place where Fred and Carrie meet with the mayor of Portlandia to discuss setting up a basketball team for Portland. Voodoo Doughnut is also one of the major spotlights of the show (Sidereel 1). The joint was dominant during the scavenger hunt where the team looked for clues in the doughnuts. Portland Esplanade was also covered in the show. Portland Esplanade was where the music video for Dream of the ’90s was shot. Wealth Underground Farm was also covered in the show. The farm was seen in the pilot episode at the time Carrie and Fred fell under the influence of its charming leader. Finally, the place where the rehearsal dinner took place is referred to as the Cathedral City P ark. In relation to how people in Portlandia look like, numerous social practices occur outside the art world, both public and private in nature. Portlandia citizens have these personalities. One explanation of why they are concerned with social practice is because it concerns expanding the potential of art practice. They prove that art is not a professional, elite or a lone act. It can be a spirit or a means of living in the world. The Portlandia citizens are seen as supporters of this spirit. With regards to the way people in the show talk, the tone is set from the leading episode. Coming back from a trip in Portland, Fred asks Carrie: â€Å"Do you ever think of the 90s? Individuals were conversing about getting piercings, having tribal tattoos and they were singing about saving the world and setting bands. There is still a region where that thought lives.† Fred also reminds Carrie of the poem concerning Portland which recommended sleeping till 11 in the morning and not doi ng any job.

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

Integrated STEM Education - Essay Example For the K-12 learners, it is evident that they require approaches that will increase their interest in the subjects. Through the integrated approach, the National Academy of Engineering and National Research Council (2014) point out that the learners will be more motivated and encouraged to design their own knowledge of the environment around them. It is, therefore, arguable to conclude that integrated approaches learners are more motivated to learn the STEM subjects. Successful integration of STEM has also seen the teachers be conversant with their roles in the classroom setting. The educators, as seen in the research conducted by National Academy of Engineering and National Research Council (2014), have played the role of encouraging the learners to continually solve problems that emanate from the STEM fields. It is expected that these approaches, will undoubtedly see an integrated STEM

A DIFFICULT CHOICE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

A DIFFICULT CHOICE - Essay Example Chances of avalanches are real! It is not possible for anyone to survive in this condition of blinding blizzard, in the tent for 10-15 days at a stretch. Even the return journey is going to be perilous! We venture to give this advice to you from our fifteen years’ experience with the moods of the Himalayas. The weather may worsen further or everything may be perfect by tomorrow. That is the unpredictability about the Himalayas.† At our insistence they agreed to stay in this camp for another two days. If the weather is fine by tomorrow, we shall make a trial ascent in the morning and return to the camp by evening. That will give us confidence for the final assault and to acclimatize our bodies to high altitude conditions. My dear friend, you know the challenge of Mount Everest has been my daring dream. My birth at Colorado has something to do with it. But let me tell you, mountaineering at Colorado, are kindergarten stuff as compared to the challenge of the Himalayas. From a distance, Everest looks a graceful and gentle mountain. In the climber’s life its conquest is the ultimate achievement. I came here in pursuit of that ambition, and my girl-friend Sandia, had reservations about the timings of my adventure. â€Å"Attempt it two-three years after our marriage,† she often pleaded. â€Å"No, you will marry the Everest hero, not an ordinary mountaineer,† I retorted. Right now we are in a brutally exposing situation. In all probability, we are up to a do or die situation. In any case, we two will not give up without making a final attempt on the summit, when the blizzard stops and the weather turns favorable. Frankly, I have no moral courage to address this letter to Sandia directl y. She is tender-hearted and would be unable to bear the shock of my being stuck up in the snowy heights of the Himalayas. When you get this letter, meet her, do pep talks to bolster up her spirits and then show her the letter. With

Monopolies and Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Monopolies and Economics - Essay Example Economists have debated the value and the cost of monopolies for centuries and still have come to no clear consensus. Even our laws that protect the market from monopolistic practices have been viewed as incapable of defining the words 'market' and 'monopoly'. When does market share become a monopoly In the United States, the foul line is crossed when the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) interprets the anti-trust laws and rules that the actions are injurious to competition. The technical definition of a monopoly is a business that is the sole provider of a good or service that has no suitable substitute. Consumers are restricted to buying from the monopolist. Geographic limitations can also create a monopoly such as being the only doctor within a hundred miles. Monopolies can also exist where a firm manufactures a specialized product to a limited market. New innovations may become monopolistic due to patent restrictions or until the innovation becomes more widely available. Another characteristic of a monopoly is that there needs to be a barrier to entry into the market. This is usually due to high sunk-costs that prevent competitors from reaching an economy of scale. Though all these traits are seen in monopolies, many practices are labeled monopolistic because they restrict competition and are prohibited by law. Most of these practices serve to limit competition or drive competition out of business. Product dumping, price fixing, predatory pricing, and bid rigging are all considered monopolistic practices. In the United States corporations are occasionally allowed to engage in a monopoly or monopolistic practices. Professional sports, utilities, government institutions, and markets with a single producer are sometimes exempted or protected. These protected monopolies do not always benefit from their monopoly status, as they may still need to be competitive to keep new entrants from competing. Major League Baseball is sometimes seen as a monopoly. However, there are substitute products in the form of other sports and entertainment activities. Though they prevent any new entries into the market, they can't be called a true monopoly. Even the US Post Office, a protected monopoly, has come under increased competition with the advent of new technology and services. Though they were once the only provider for their services, failure to innovate left them vulnerable to alternate suppliers. A criticism often leveled at monopolies is that they are complacent and slow to innovate. . Monopolies can be destructive to the economy because they give the firm the opportunity to be a price maker rather than a price taker. The monopoly will reduce the supply, which increases the price to the point that it maximizes profits (Parkin 110). This point is almost always at a point above the price that would be available in a competitive market. According to Stigler, "the purely "economic" case against monopoly is that it reduces aggregate economic welfare". For example: If a firm can sell 100 units when the price is $5 it will generate $500 revenue. If they price them at $7 they can only sell 80 units, but will have generated $560 revenue. However, the loss to the economy is 20 unsold units at $5 each, or $100. Though the firm has gained $60, the market has lost $100. This aggregate loss is known as deadweight loss and is what the anti-trust laws are designed to

Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder - Essay Example Patients’ successful coping with treatment and medication can change the course of depression (Lam et al, 2000). Bipolar disorder consists of several symptoms, some of them being prodromal or predicting the onset of an attack. The purpose of this paper is to critically examine the symptoms of bipolar disorder based on research. Hence, three empirical research articles from peer-reviewed scientific journals will be summarized, and an overview of the research findings from all three studies will be detailed. The distinctive features of bipolar disorder have been determined from earlier research studies. Some reverse neurovegetative symptoms such as hypersomnia or excessive sleeping, hyperphagia or overeating; melancholic symptoms; suicide risk during the depressed phase; irritability, anger, overactivity and psychosis are associated with bipolar depression. The clinical predictors of the disease are early onset of symptoms, bipolar family history, and hypersomina (Perlis et al, 2006). Relapses are likely to occur after long distance traveling when undergoing a jet lag, or from disorder and deviation in the pattern of daily routine (Lam et al, 2000). The main recommendations put forth by the American Psychiatric Association (APA, 2000) for cognitive therapy are the early detection and treatment of prodromal symptoms, the maintenance of regular social interactions and sleep routines (Lam et al, 2000). Research investigations focusing on the symptoms of bipolar disorder are crucial for developing preventive interventions as well as optimally effective therapies for the mental illness. This empirical research was conducted by Simon et al (2008). The authors studied the phenomenon of mood symptoms in people with bipolar disorder, and evaluated how the symptoms related to work productivity. This is a significant topic for research because bipolar disorder being a major cause of disability leads to increased likelihood for loss of

Case analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Case analysis - Essay Example Wolfgang Keller, a charismatic graduate from the Harvard Business School, is the managing director of premium brewer Kà ¶nigsbrà ¤u’s Ukrainian subsidiary, Kà ¶nigsbrà ¤u-TAK AE. Before taking his current position at Kà ¶nigsbrà ¤u-TAK, Keller was a strategic planner for a large German food products manufacturer. Within six months he was promoted to general manager of a small subsidiary in Ukraine that was struggling financially. Within his roughly two years spent with the company, he managed to turn it around and create a reputation as a successful hands-on manager. After his short stint as a strategic planner, Keller left the food manufacturer and joined Kà ¶nigsbrà ¤u as managing director of its Ukrainian subsidiary. After three years in this position, Keller made significant changes which dramatically helped increase sales and revenues within the company. By changing the marketing strategy, hiring a new top-management group, restructuring the sales force, and acquiring a fourth brewery in Odessa, he increased earnings by â‚ ¬10 million. Keller loved his job here and took it because he loved the responsibility and challenges it offered. These challenges helped to form Keller’s temperament , personality and business style. One of the main issues in this case is that there are two completely different personalities and management styles between Wolfgang Keller and Dimitri Brodsky. The differences between the two have resulted in a hostile working environment and a negative relationship. Keller’s personality is relationship and task oriented and employee oriented. For example Keller likes to establish trust and relationships with co-workers by motivating them and helping them to perform better. However when it comes to Brodsky he is more coercive. Keller is a highly interactive and hands on leader, whereas Brodsky keeps his distance in his interactions.

Race Colors Judgement Essay Example for Free

Race Colors Judgement Essay The criminal justice system in the United States is one of the many places that I believe stereotypes are formed. For example, African-Americans make up only 13% of the U. S. population but represent 46% of the inmate population who have received sentences of more than one year (Hart, 2006, p. 1). Another example of a racial disparity can be seen the percentage of African-Americans who are drug users (14%) and those sentenced for drug offenses (53%) (Sentencing Project, 2009 p. 3). More African-American men are in prison or jail, on probation or parole then were enslaved in 1850, before the Civil War began,† (Alexander, 2010). However, this is not just a problem within the African-American community. More than 60% of the people in prison are now racial and ethnic minorities and three-fourths of all persons in prison for drug offenses are people of color (www. sentencingproject. org). The Bureau of Justice Statistics shows, that the likelihood for an African-American or Hispanic to be imprisoned is, 18. % for African-Americans and 10% for Hispanics, while the likelihood for Whites is 3. 4% (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2005). Brennan and Spohn (2009) showed in their study, â€Å"The Joint Effects of Offender Race/Ethnicity and Sex on Sentence Length Decisions in Federal Courts†, that African-American males received a significantly longer sentence (93 months) than White males (86. 2 months) (Brennan Spohn, 2009). These are just some of the numbers, which cannot be ignored. An important question to ask; why are these racial disparities happening? In the study â€Å"White juror bias: An investigation of racial prejudice against Black defendants in the American courtroom†, Sommers Ellsworth (2001) have a quote, which, I think, sums up the reasoning for studying race and its effect on juries, it came from one of my favorite movies: â€Å"In our courts, when it is a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins. They’re ugly, but those are the facts of life†¦The one place where man ought to get a square deal is a courtroom, be he any color of the rainbow, but people have a way of carrying their resentments right into the jury box† (From To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee, 1960, p. 20). The thinking by many social psychologists is â€Å"Racism still exists in our society today but is no longer endorsed by explicit racist beliefs or overt acts of prejudice† (Sommers Ellsworth, 2003). Instead it’s a â€Å"Subtle, implicit, or aversive form of racism† (Sommers Ellsworth, 2003). Whites in our society are taught to embrace egalitarianism (equality) and make a conscious effort to behave non-prejudice, or have non-bias beliefs. However, that does not mean that they still don’t harbor prejudicial attitudes. In a trial setting aversive racism and race salience, or racially charged vs. racially neutral, go hand and hand. Studies have concluded, a trial that is racially charged reminds jurors of their egalitarianism, but in a trial not racially charged a jurors’ motivation to avoid being prejudice is not triggered; instead they demonstrate their racial bias (Sommers Ellsworth, 2001). It is the run of the mill trials where juror biases are displayed. White jurors need to be â€Å"reminded† that they should not have a bias. By â€Å"reminding† them, by a racially motivated incident, jury voir dire, jury instructions before deliberation, and others, White jurors are less likely to demonstrate racial bias towards an African-American defendant. Jury composition or heterogeneity vs. homogeneity groups, is theorized to be a huge factor in overall group decision-making skills. This is especially important in the jury decision-making process and verdicts because minorities are underrepresented on a jury. Sommers’s study â€Å"Racial Diversity and Group Decision Making† (2006) concluded, a jury, which has heterogeneity, rather than homogeneity considers a wider range of perspectives and information (Sommers, 2006). It was the diversity of the group influence on the White juror more than the performance of the African-American juror in the group (Sommers, 2006). This is not to say that the African-American juror did not perform well. Since many juries are not racially diverse, Whites on a jury may forget their egalitarian values, may not consider a wider range of perspectives and information, and will spend less time on their decisions. In-group bias is when people show a strong preference for fellow in-group members and tend to malign out-group members (Sommers Ellsworth, 2000). Thomas Pettigrew, current Research Professor of Social Psychology at the University of California, in his 1979 study demonstrated that negative behaviors of in-group members were attributed to situational forces but negative behaviors of out-group members were attributed to inherent dispositions, which is the opposite from positive behavior attribution (Sommers Ellsworth, 2000). This is a particularly important theory because juries for criminal trials are taking in facts pertaining to the negative behavior of a defendant who is either from their in-group or out-group. Systematic information processing is conceptualized as â€Å"Comprehensive analytic orientation to inform processing in which perceivers access and scrutinize a great deal of information for its relevance to their judgment task† (Tamborini et al. , 2007) Heuristic processing is conceptualized as â€Å"A more limited mode of information processing that requires less cognitive effort and fewer cognitive resources than systematic processing† (Tamborini et al. , 2007) Simple stated, heuristic information processing are shortcuts using previous knowledge and stereotypes, which influences peoples’ judgments. During a trial, jurors take in enormous amounts of information and when deliberating they tend to fill in the missing information with past experiences or stereotypes about certain crimes and criminals. This is not their intention, however it is how people cognitively process information-we put information into or take it out of certain categories. There are three main research methods used to study race and its effects on juries (Sommers Ellsworth, 2003). Archival analysis of actual cases is ideal but there are a lot of confounding variables, which are hard to measure and control statistically (Sommers Ellsworth, 2003). Another method used is post-trial juror interviews. This method is useful because you are asking direct questions of the jurors, who were part of the real trials. However, it is time consuming, has a small sample size, and relies on self-reporting by jurors (which in unreliable) (Sommers Ellsworth, 2003). The third method is mock juror experiments, which relies on the experimental method of social psychology and allows the experimenters to control the confounding variables (Sommers Ellsworth, 2003). There are some downfalls to using mock juror experiments as well, such as using college students as participants, written trial summaries, instead of witnessing a real trial, and the decision made by mock jurors have no real consequences (Sommers Ellsworth, 2003). According to Sommers and Ellsworth (2003) it is best to use multiple methods. For example compare archival data to mock jury data. As I stated earlier, aversive racism and race salience (racially charged vs. racially neutral) in trials go hand and hand. Sommers and Ellsworth (both social psychologists) first studied race salience in their study, â€Å"Race in he Courtroom: Perceptions of Guilt and Dispositional Attributions† (2000). Since the theory of aversive racism (modern or subtle) states, Whites are more motivated to â€Å"appear† non-prejudice when racial issues are salient or prominent. They found that when a trial involves race salience the race of the defendant did not influence the White jurors (Sommers Ellsworth, 2000). However, when a trail did not have race salience, the African-American defendants were found to be more guilty, aggressive, and violent by the White juror then the White defendant. This could have a profound effect, since Whites are not caught up in the day to day of racial issues, they may not take notice to the most subliminal racial issues in a trial. It may cause them to revert back to the more overt form of racism without even consciously knowing they are being racist or displaying their biases. A more recent study, â€Å"Diversity and Fairness in the Jury System†, conducted for the Ministry of Justice Research Series, by Thomas and Blamer (2007) concluded when a trial is racially charged (race salience), conviction rates for African-American defendants were lower. However, the conviction rate between White jurors and African-American jurors for African-American defendants were no different (Thomas Balmer, 2007) (44% and 43%). In trials that were racially neutral, White jurors had low conviction rates for African-American defendants, while African-American jurors had high conviction rates for White defendants and low conviction rates for African-American defendants (Thomas Balmer, 2007). This was a very interesting finding because in the Sommers and Ellsworth studies (2000, 2001) African-American jurors showed leniency both in race salience and non-race salience trials. Thomas and Balmer (2007) point out that in the Sommers and Ellsworth study that jurors did not decide cases as part of a jury with any deliberations (Thomas Balmer, 2007). The results in the Thomas and Blamer study showed that individual jurors had difference conviction rates, but as a jury there was no difference between race salience and non-race salience trails (Thomas Blamer, 2007). None of the juries (there were 8 in all) in the Thomas and Blamer (2007) study convinced the White defendant, The juries in England and Wales where this study took place have the same makeup as juries in the United States, majority White (Thomas Balmer, 2007). That makes a nice segway into my next theory of jury composition because it appears that they dynamic of a racially mixed jury helped ensure individual biases were not allowed to dictate verdicts (Thomas Balmer, 2007). Justice Thurgood Marshall said, â€Å"Diverse juries enjoy wider ranging discussions because White and Black jurors bring different experiences and perspectives to the jury room† (Sommers, 2006). Not only do African-American jurors bring different experiences but also, as we saw in the Thomas and Balmer (2007) study a racially mixed jury might help to ensure individual biases are not allowed to dictate verdicts. Again, referring to a study by Sommers (the leading researcher in this field) in which he specifically studies â€Å"The multiple effects of racial composition on jury deliberations† (Sommers, 2006). Having African-Americans (or minorities in general) on a jury can bring two different types of diversity-deep-level diversity and surface-level diversity (Sommers, 2007). Both can affect information exchange in different ways. Deep-level diversity brings the expertise, attitudes, and values of the individual members to the deliberation room (Sommers, 2007). Surface-level diversity brings members’ demographics and social category membership into the deliberation room (Sommers, 2007). Sommers’ (2006) found diverse groups spent more time deliberating, made fewer factual errors, and if there was an error it was more likely to be corrected, more open-mindness, and less resistance to discussions of controversial race topics (Sommers, 2006). The homogenous jury was the opposite (Sommers, 2006). Those results showed the affect deep-level diversity could bring to a jury. However, another aspect, which will bring me back to the theory of aversive racism and race salience, is the affect having diversity has on a White juror. By having a racially diverse jury, the White jurors have the issue of race and egalitarian values in the forefront of their minds. The White jurors are avoiding seeming bias. Sommers et al. , (2008) conducted a study to see if there are â€Å"Cognitive effects of racial diversity in a group. † The study found that Whites in a diverse group process information more thoroughly. They had no interaction with a diverse group member, it was simply being aware of a diverse group composition, which impacted the cognition of White members. It even improved reading comprehension of race-relevant passages, especially when Whites expected to have race-relevant conversation. This is important in a legal context as well. If a White juror’s cognitive ability, and information processing is improved they will use systematic processing which is â€Å"A comprehensive, analytic orientation to information processing in which perceivers access and scrutinize a great deal of information for its relevance to their judgment task†, instead of heuristics processing or shortcuts in their decision making (Tamborini et al. 2007). The Supreme Court attempted to make juries more racially diverse â€Å"Batson prohibition against race-based peremptories was based on two assumptions: (1) a prospective juror’s race can bias a jury selection judgments; (2) requiring attorneys to justify suspicious peremptories enables judges to determine whether a challenge is, indeed, race-neutral† (Batson v. Kentucky, 476 U. S. 79 (1986). To summarize the findings, White jurors tend to show their bias towards African-American defendants when the trial is not racially charged because they are not motivated to conceal their bias (aversive racism and egalitarian views). In homogenous juries Whites are more like to be bias, spend less time on their decisions, make more errors, consider fewer perspectives, are not motivated to conceal their bias. Also, when there is information overload jurors use heuristics (shortcuts) to process information, rather than a systematic review of the information. Tis effect, of using shortcuts, produces bias judgment for both African-American jurors and White jurors. All the aforementioned could be cause for the bias decision making of jurors and juries. However, there are positives that can be found throughout these studies. For instance, racially diverse juries, and race salience trials can help alleviate the biases by jurors and juries. It also proves that not all White juries are affected by the race of a defendant (in certain situations). Race and its effect on jury decisions is a topic that will be studied for years to come because of the complex nature of a jury and modern racism. Although studies have shown bias decision-making by White jurors there is still not enough statistics to make a causal connection. Research has also shown ways in which a jury’s bias can be minimized. The jury is one of the backbones of the court system, because of this, it is imperative that we continue to study juror bias and how to minimize their bias through different trial techniques and policies and procedures.