Enhancing the efficacy of fresh produce washing operations Essay

Enhancing the efficacy of fresh produce washing operations - Essay Example The KKT allows for the actual translation of the research findings into pragmatic applications and commercial possibilities (OMAFRA 2010). Moreover, KTT facilitates a real life platform to the researchers so as to enable them to test the viability of their findings in the light of the real life problems and issues (OMAFRA 2010). One other salient aspect of KTT is that it helps in the identification of the possible commercial applications of a research finding, thereby making way for a rapid commercialization and actual application of the research findings (OMAFRA 2010). In a way KTT effectively bridges the gap between the scientific research and practical application, thereby accelerating the transfer of the research generated knowledge into commercially viable products and services. This paper intends to furnish a KTT plan for a research project to be presented to the University of Guelph, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Food Science. The research title is Enhancing the Efficacy of Fresh Produce Washing Operations. In the last few years the fresh produce washing industry has witnessed an immense growth. It has been estimated that the fresh cut industry produces approximately 6 million bags of salad daily (Bowen et al. 2006, Doyle et al. 2008). The per capita consumption of the fresh cut vegetables has increased by 30 percent in the period 1991 to 2006 (Doyle et al. 2008; Warriner et al. 2009). This translates into an average market growth of 1.7 percent per annum (Doyle et al. 2008; Warriner et al. 2009). However, this impressive growth of the processed fresh produce to a great extent has been eclipsed by a rising incidence of the food borne illnesses associated with the fresh cut produce (Bowen et al. 2006). No wonder, the fresh cut produce is a viable source of disease causing pathogens. In fact more cases of food borne illnesses have been

Tuberculosis Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 8750 words

Tuberculosis - Dissertation Example TB is thus more fatal among children and interferon (IFN)-?-deficient individuals, who still lack granulomatous response (Mustafa et al 449). These are seen in Chest X-ray as lung lesions, and patients also experience muscle wasting (Verreck et al. 8). Pathological characteristics TB patients also have increased C-reactive protein (CRP), while decreased mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) were also observed (Verreck et al. 8). IL-10, transforming growth factor (TGF)-?, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-?, and interferon (IFN)-? play various roles in the formation of tuberculous granulomas of TB patients. TNF-? is associated with activation of macrophages. This cytokine, together with IFN-?, enhances the bactericidal activity of monocytes and macrophages, recruitment of these immune cells, and subsequent formation of granulomas (Mustafa et al. 450). IFN-? is produced in response to IL-12 secretion, which is initiated by toll-like receptor (TLR)-2 activation.O n the other hand, Il-10 and TGF-? antagonizes the action of TNF-? and IFN-? respectively, reducing the anti-mycobacterial immune response and allowing the growth of the pathogen within the host cells. In particular, IL-10 induces the macrophages to release soluble TNF-ÃŽ ± receptor type 2 (TNFR2), which couples with the cytokine to form an inactive TNF-ÃŽ ±-TNFR2 complex. In this regard, a balance among these four is necessary in the optimal immune response against M. tuberculosis. M. tuberculosis is communicated through aerosols and inhaled bacilli. Upon phagocytosis by alveolar macrophages patrolling the lungs, the bacteria replicate within the host cell. Its survival lies in its ability to block phagosome maturation. Because of the intracellular nature of infection, drugs developed against TB should be able to reach within cells (Feltcher, Sullivan and Braunstein 1582). After which, granuloma forms through the migration of macrophages, lymphocytes and dendritic cells at the infection site. Among these cells, macrophages differentiate into epithelioid cells (EC), or fuse to form multinucleated giant cells (MGC), which is also known as Langhans giant cells. ECs have better mycobactericidal functions, as seen in their lesser antigen load. On the other hand, the TGF-?- and FasL-expressing MGCs contain more bacterial antigens, and thus allow bacterial growth. In addition, antigen-presenting cells (APCs) with heightened expression of FasL induce apoptosis in T lym phocytes during antigen presentation. Interestingly, ECs that contain mycobacterial antigens may resist apoptosis, and fuse to form MGCs. In contrast, ECs without mycobacteria undergo apoptosis. These findings show that M. tuberculosis cause inhibition of host cell apoptosis, and the MGCs cause death of antigen-specific T cells. By resisting apoptosis, viral antigens are not presented to immune cells, thus inhibiting recruitment and allowing persistence of the lesion. Persistence of TB infection also partly results from the immune suppression caused by FasL-expressing MGCs (Mustafa et al. 450-454). Thus, despite presenting no clinical symptoms, M. tuberculosis are present in granulomas, and can later reactivate and cause disease (Feltcher, Sullivan and Braunstein 1582). Diagnosis The gold standard in diagnosing TB remains to be clinical examination, acid-fast bacilli staining of sputum and bacterial culture. Culture of M. tuberculosis

The Portrayal Of Women In Horror Films

The Portrayal Of Women In Horror Films This dissertation will consider the roles of women in the horror film genre and will deconstruct the way in which the conventions of the horror film prescribe such roles. Despite continued criticism for presenting women in a negative manner, many of the films explored here appear to suggest strong female representation so it will possible to investigate the position of the female from a number of different angles allowing a fluid discussion and counter argument. The passive female roles will be studied from the perspective of the male gaze and abjection, whilst active female roles will be explored from the role of the mother and the outcome of The Final Girl. As it would be impossible to discuss the entire history of the horror genre and womans relationship to it within the space available, so three chosen films will support the discussion. In all cases these films are regarded as classic horror films and, importantly, landmark and watershed moments in the horror genre. Psycho (1960), The Exorcist (1973), and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) all represent meta statements in the history of the genre and provide essential examples of the arguments discussed here. It should also be noted that all three films contain also ambiguous female characters for example; Mrs Bates in Psycho, the cross dressing Leatherface in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and the possessed Regan in The Exorcist who will all be debated. Significantly the films were produced and released during periods of change for womens rights, including the beginnings of the womens liberation movement in the early sixties though to the publishing of The Female Eunuch by Germaine Greer, and Spare Rib magazine in the seventies. This help to fuel the debate more significantly as the selected films span a time when women in the real world (as opposed to the constructed world of the cinema) had made great steps toward equality through the feminist movement. Horror films are told as stories of good versus evil. The drama of their narratives tends to derive from the clash between a monster and an innocent, So I want to understand why so many gratuitous, unjustified acts of violence towards woman could be justified on screen. I will consider the following aspects: male gaze, abjection, family structure, and the outcome of the final girl in the context of horror film genre. These are four common tendencies embedded within the literature of women and horror film and the background to these discussions will be framed within the context of the chosen films. This writing will deconstruct and examine the structure of those films, the motives behind their structure, and will consider their target audience. It will examine the symbolism that is used to express the plots and sub-plots and, most importantly, consider the roles of the female characters in those films. I will employ psychoanalytic and feminist theory to explore the female roles and will interpret commentary on Freudian and Lacanian theory, including castration anxiety and the role of the subconscious and apply them to horror film. Semiotic and populist perspective will also be considered to set out this debate. Much has been written on the subject and over twenty books have been researched to discuss this consideration of women and horror film in detail. Key texts include: Ways of Seeing (1972) by John Berger, Men, Women and Chain Saws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film (1992) by Carol J. Clover, The Monstrous-Feminine: Film, Feminism, Psychoanalysis (1993) by Barbara Creed and Powers of Horror (1982) by Julia Kristeva. The texts outline the intellectual context into which this dissertation enters. People assume that horror film exclusively represent women in a reactionary fashion, but further analysis has suggested that female characters are not as weak and vulnerable as they first may appear. For example The Final Girls last moments have been radically written and rewritten across the remakes and sequels to give new meaning. Analytical and theoretical analysis has been informed by the writing of Laura Mulvey and in particular her discussions of the male gaze. Mulvey argues in her polemic essay Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema that cinema was primarily created for the male spectator exploiting women as objects of desire. Julia Kristevas essay The Powers of Horror provides essential understanding on the position of abjection in the context of horror and mortality. All of the above writers discuss theoretical studies and theories of Dr Sigmund Freud and Jacques Lacan who are both indirectly referenced throughout this dissertation. Barbara Creeds The Monstrous-Feminine and Carol Clovers book Men, Women, and Chainsaws will inform debate around the matriarchal figures in Psycho and the outcome of the final girl in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. CHAPTER 1 Gendered Spectatorship The male gaze is made explicit in the horror genre, and this is inscribed in both the aesthetics of the films and its exhibition context. One of the most important essays about women in cinema is Laura Mulveys theory on the male gaze. As Mulvey states: The cinema offers a number of possible pleasures. One is scopophilia (pleasure in looking). There are circumstances in which looking itself is a source of pleasure (1989, p16). (do I reference?) If scopophilia can be defined as love of looking or deriving pleasure from looking, then this can be a definition of the cinema experience. Cinema is, after all, a form of visual entertainment. It involves the individual singularly engaging with the screen and its projections as a form of escapism and even relaxation, and can be comfortably achieved alone as it involves very few social skills, since the viewers only commitment to the process is to look. However, once we question how the film is viewed and who views the film, the relationship becomes more complex. The purpose of this essay is to question how the female is viewed from the perspective of the spectator; to question how women are portrayed in horror films, and how they are looked at. It will explore the argument that cinematic looking comes from a male perspective and will question what kind of pleasure is obtained from looking at horror films from this perspective. As Mulvey explains: The cinema satisfies a primordial wish for pleasurable looking (1989, p17). It allows the spectator the opportunity to observe in an entirely passive role while the action takes place. The experience of cinema is a one-sided arrangement between the film itself and its viewer. However, as Mulvey discusses regarding Dr Sigmund Freud, it also goes further, developing scopophilia in its narcissistic aspect (1989, p17). Scopophilia can also suggest that sexual pleasure can be derived from looking at objects; that how they are interpolated can make them erotic, and while they are not erotic in their own right through their relationship with the spectator they can become sexually objectified. The celebrated psychologist Dr Sigmund Freud isolated scopophilia as one of the component instincts of sexuality which exist as drives independently of the erotogenic zones. At this point he associated scopophilia with taking other people as objects, subjecting them to a controlling and curious gaze (Mulvey,1989, p16). The history of art emphasises this aspect of scopophilia. Throughout art history, painters have been commissioned to paint female models as objects of desire that have been and still are masquerading as works of art more closely related with pornography than with the great masterpieces. Moving forward, Clover debates that the cinematic gaze, we are told, is male, and just as that gaze knows how to fetishize the female form in pornography it also, she suggests (going on to relate this to cinematography), knows how to follow a female character as she moves through a forbidding house, and scrutinise her face for signs of fear in a way that it does not do with male characters, since: a set of conventions we now take for granted simply sees males and females differently. (1992 p50-51). This suggests that the ownership in the context of cinema is the cause of the effect that the viewer, by objectifying the figure on screen, gives it new meaning, a new social place. By simply being viewed, new rules apply. To place this into the context of women within horror, the male can now view the woman and the conditions and events around her in a newly detached manner and freely let the actions against her take place on the screen. In psychoanalytic terms, the female figure poses a deeper problem. She also connotes something that the look continually circles around but disavows, claims Mulvey (1989, p21). This could be suggesting that as the spectator is assumed to be male, the appearance of a female (ie non-male) form creates an anxiety around the potential for castration and an un-penised body à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦hence unpleasure. Mulvey argues in Lacan: and Post feminism by Elizabeth Wright (2000, p45-46) that the look is linked to the discovery of sexual difference, and that the lack of a penis must be filled by multiple images of glamourised women as a substitute for the imaginary phallus. Mulvey writes that cinema, and in particular horror cinema, is inclined to focus attention on the human form (1989, p17). The human form and the human condition are key aspects in the horror genre, especially the female body. Horror displays visceral and exaggerated versions of our basic desires and a strong and aggressive version of body lust. The horror film in particular relies on the physical human form and hostility towards the body to carry its plots and storylines in the most extreme sense. This is clearly not a natural state of being: to be seated in a darkened room, with a huge rectangular screen in view and surround sound at high volume. But this is the environment of the cinema, where the viewer is asked to focus on exaggerated and extreme events far beyond the realms of real life in the name of entertainment. Here, not unlike in other places in the media, the female form is prevalent, to be exhibited again for entertainment and it is the female characters in the horror fi lm genre that appear to command most of the attention on the cinema screen. Mulvey suggests that, since the world displays such disparities between the genders, with the masculine nearly always holding the reins of power: Do I reference here as well? pleasure in looking has been split between active/male and passive/female. The determining male gaze projects its fantasy onto the female figure, which is styled accordingly (1989, p19). So since society isnt equal in terms of who holds the power, either sexually or otherwise, women act a certain way because they are aware of how men expect them to be that is, passive and sexualised. Mulvey states this as a symbolic equation, woman = sexuality. (1989, p35). John Berger differentiates men from women as he describes a mans presence as being defined by what he is capable of doing to you or for youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦but the pretence is always towards a power which he exercises on others. (1972, p39-40) Expand Mulveys view is that narrative cinema positions its spectators as male, catering only for male fantasies and pleasures (p39 Feminist Film Theorists). This suggests that women are objectified in film in general (and for the purposes of this argument, substantially in horror films). Mulvey also claims that the spectator/viewer/audience is said to be a man; cinema almost expects its viewers to be male and therefore creates characters and plots to fulfil a mans gaze. So prevalent is this notion that Mulvey claims narrative cinema does not offer a place for female spectators'(p40 Feminist Film Theorists); that cinema essentially isolates the female as a serious viewer: As the spectator identifies with the main male protagonist, he projects his look onto that of his like, his screen surrogate, so that the power of the male protagonist as he controls events coincides with the active power of the erotic look, both giving a satisfying sense of omnipotence. (Mulvey, 1989, p20). Shorten Clearly men can easily identify with the male protagonist but the female audiences have to distance themselves from their femininity in order to participate in the cinematic experience; critics refer to this as gender confusion. Freud would argue that to share these experiences, woman would have to revert back to her pre-Oedipal phallic phase. It might now be relevant to explore the male gaze specifically functions in the context of the horror genre. Looking back at the history and evolution of the horror film, the cinemas flourished at a time when there was less available to the public and strong moral codes and rules about relationships were in place. The clichà ©d idea of horror films was being scripted and edited to fulfil the role of the dating couple on a Saturday night. (pg 61 Horror: The Film Reader Edited by Mark Jancovich (different authors per chapter) The cinema was a place where young couples could escape family life for the few hours of a date. It allowed them space to be alone together at a time, before the sexual revolution, when men were expected to be chivalrous and protect and provide support for their female companion, as Mark Jancovich explains: Women cover their eyes or hide behind the shoulders of their dates. (pg 61 Horror: The Film Reader Edited by Mark Jancovich (different authors per chapter). This then created an opportunity for the male viewer to comfort his date as she squirmed and shrieked at the on-screen horror. He could become closer and more intimate as she was lured into vulnerability by the action projected in front of her. Mulvey highlights this dominant order: As an advanced representation system, the cinema poses questions about the ways the unconscious (formed by the dominant order) structures ways of seeing and pleasure in looking. (1989, p15) Paraphrase or include in text. Given this climate, the notion of the girl as victim was allowed to evolve. A connection could then be made between the female viewer and her on-screen female counterpart, in that the spectator cannot bear to look on helplessly as her cinematic alter ego that is, a close representation of herself suffers the horrors of rape, mutilation and murder. Mulvey argues that women have had two different functions within cinema: as erotic objects for the characters within the screen story, and as erotic objects for the spectator within the auditorium. (1989, p19) There is clear evidence of this in Tobe Hoopers The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It follows the story of a group of young Americans as they venture into the countryside and meet their fate in the shape of a disturbed and hostile cannibalistic family whose weapons of choice are butchers tools and chainsaws. The three young men meet their deaths quickly, paving the way for the females more drawn-out and gratuitous torture. While one of the women meets her slow, lingering fate via a meat hook and deep freezer, the other is chased and tortured repeatedly across the final third of the film. Female characters in horror films are generally young and attractive. They maintain a key role in the film; examples of this would be Laurie in Halloween and Marion in Alfred Hitchcocks infamous Psycho. When Michael Myers pretty sister meets her fate in the opening scene of Halloween, she is pursued by (and through the eyes of) her killer; indeed, throughout Halloween the story is often seen/told through the eyes of the killer, a technique referred to as the POV (point-of-view) shot. But before the murder takes place, the audience are offered a completely superfluous view of her naked body, seen through the male gaze as she brushes her hair. It could be argued that the female characters occupy many on-screen hours and appear to dominate the films, yet on closer inspection the real lead role is saved for the star psychopath, who is almost always male. It could be debated that male spectators are therefore being asked to identify with the killer. With respect to Halloween there are a number of shots explicitly from Myers physical point-of-view with an acoustic close-up of his monstrous heavy breathing (Isabel Pinedo 1997, p52). It cannot be proven that the whole audience identifies with him but they are forced to see through his murderous gaze, which almost compels a form of affinity. Horror genre is traditionally thought of as low culture. It has a casual tone and audiences have grown to expect violence, nudity and cheap thrills. This position in low culture appears to grant a licence to horror films to get away with more than high art cinema, and horror is rarely studied for meaning or metaphor to the same extent. But because of these lower expectations, the reality can be stretched (not unlike in cartoons), leading to irrational storylines with horror far more extreme than could be expected in real life. Therefore, it could be argued that horror films make explicit the assumption of a male spectator which is, according to Mulvey, only implicit in all popular cinema. Other films, under the pressure of higher expectation, have to keep such a misogynist perspective more contained, but horror can afford to make it overt. Clearly all normal rules do not apply. So, once reality is dropped in favour of visual pleasure, why do we ask audiences to witness hostility and brutality against women? Brian De Palma assesses the motives behind this argument. It is, he suggests, not that women are presented for male pleasure but that they provide a greater capacity for terror in the audience: If you have a haunted house and you have a woman walking around with a candelabra, you fear more for her than you would for a husky man. (Clover, 1992, p42). This provides a greater margin for a violent death. But why is this? Why would a woman be more vulnerable than a man in this age of equality? The answer to this lies far deeper than in the relatively trivial world of the slasher movie or psychological thriller. This genre is simply a form of entertainment and perhaps not the place for intellectual analysis, as John Carpenter hinted when he was challenged with the notion that he is responsible for the tasteless massacre of sexually active women. He claimed that, although the victims in his (and so many other) horror films are indeed the more sexually active characters, to insist that this is why they die is to miss the essential pointThey get killed because they are not paying attention. How do I reference Carpenter? And it could be argued that academics were reading a little too much into Halloween, since a male character is also murdered straight after sex with his girlfriend. One could even claim that this balances the plot and clears the director of the accusation that he is somehow guilty of misogyny. However à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦argues that: His death is usually only a device to remove protection from the now vulnerable female. (pg 165 Bitches, Bimbosà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦). This suggests that the male character is now secondary and his death is insignificant by comparison to the murder of the female. It could also be argued that Carpenter and other celebrated film makers just want to make entertaining horror and dont intend to make hateful statements against women, or objectify them for the male gaze, but that this is simply what people find exciting and why they fill up cinemas. Irrespective of Carpenters intentions, the standards of what is considered entertainment tell us a great deal about our views towards women in horror cinema and perhaps in society as a whole. CHAPTER 2 The Abject Feminine The ultimate figure of abjection is the corpse. As the horror genre is ultimately obsessed with death one could suggest that horror fetishizes the abject. It has been suggested that the horror film attempts to bring about confrontation with the abject. (p4 Horror Film and Psychoanalysis: Freuds Worst Nightmare.) Creed refers to Kristevas notion of the border: When we say such-and-such a horror film made me sick or scared the shit out of me we are actually foregrounding that specific horror film as a work of abjection or abjection at work almost in a literal sense. (1993, p10) By the presentation of repulsion one knows what is not repulsive; to understand abjection one must understand boundaries. As we grow up we stop playing in dirt and become more dignified; this is something we learn from society as well as from our mothers teaching us how to be clean and proper. This notion references Lacans concept of the mirror stage, Kristeva supports: It is thus not lack of cleanliness or health that causes abjection but what disturbs identity, system, order. What does not respect borders, positions, rules. (1982, p4). Woman and abjection The horror genre has a historical tendency to represent the female form as abject. In Kristevas view, woman is specifically related to polluting objects, which fall into two categories: excremental and menstrual. This in turn gives woman a special relationship to the abject. (1982, p10) What we are scared of is not the matter that we expel but what it signifies loss of identity, loss of control, death and the unknown. Nor is it the end of a natural life that contributes to the tension of horror cinema, but an endless list of horrific deaths that we could possibly encounter. Paul Wells backs this notion with his comments on the forbidden facets of the human body its propensity to foul secretions and physical corrosion which are linked to our relentless descent towards death, and which are reflected in images of abjection in the horror film (2000, p16). IS THIS 2ND PERSON? When we are children our parents encourage us to respect boundaries about cleanliness and behaviour, and we reject the abject. But in the context of the horror film there is perverse pleasure that allows us to explore our curiosity about the abject. The abject confronts the repressed/un-civilized side of the ego and allows us to investigate the other. The horror film makes good use of the abject. Julia Kristeva uses her experience with milk as a child in an attempt to explain the idea of abjection: Food loathing is perhaps the most elementary and most archaic form of abjection. When the eyes see or the lips touch that skin on the surface of milkà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦I experience a gagging sensation and, still farther down, spasms in the stomach, the belly: and all the organs shrivel up the body, provoke tears and bile, increase heartbeat, cause forehead and hands to perspire. Along with sight-clouding dizziness, nausea makes me balk at that milk cream, separates me from the mother and father who proffer it. (p23 Powers of Horror: An Essay on Abjection by Julia Kristeva). Does this need to be cut? This could suggest that when a skin forms on top of milk, it is crossing over a border or breaking a rule regarding what is acceptable as good food, and so the milk is no longer pure. The milk has perhaps split into two; milk being the acceptable form and its solidified state being the abject. Hence it fulfils a similar role in our imagination as a corpse does over a living, breathing body. We will no longer accept/drink the milk as it has turned bad and represents death, a state beyond living. The maternal body grows and delivers a living being but it is also the sister of the corpse so it can remind us of life but also death. If we confronted the abject in everyday life we would be constantly aware of our own mortality. Milk described in the context above provides an effective example of abjection, as it suggests the differential between acceptable breastfeeding as a child and unacceptable breast-feeding as an adult. The Exorcist was the first of many possession films. Its premise involves an innocent young girl named Regan McNeil who displays abnormal behaviour in the middle class American home she shares with her mother and house keeper. Throughout the film her father appears absent so it is her mother (Chris McNeil) who bears witness to the profound and hostile series of events and paranormal behaviour as the plot unfolds. Creed states that: The possessed or invaded being is a figure of abjection in that the boundary between self and other has been transgressed (1993, p32) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦by the devil himself, who appears to be the only male central figure in the film until the arrival of a psychiatrist and two Roman Catholic Priests. Within the plot of The Exorcist, Regans character is a vehicle that allows the portrayal of abjection to the mass audience. Had a young boy been cast in a similar role, the horror could have been undermined, but due to our own preconceptions of femininity and youth, the possession portrayed within this young girl only adds to the horrific events. Regan is the most passive of female victims, repeatedly switching from tearful little girl to demonic aggressor. She expels her bodily fluids, blood, vomit and urine; she is a playground for bodily wastes (1993, p40). Creed goes on to point out that the female body is more abject because its maternal functions acknowledge its debt to nature 1993, p11). She also points out that, as Regan cavorts and flaunts herself, we become all too aware of the forbidden fascination of the abject , as well as its horror, inherent in the fact that this young girl has overtly flouted her respectable feminine function, and has; put her unsocialized body on display. And to make matters worse, she has done all of this before the shocked eyes of two male clerics. (p 198 Post-Theory: Reconstructing Film Studies. edited by Bordwell, D and Carrol, N) Creed (1993, p37) puts forward: In Kristevas view the abject represents that which disturbs identity, system, order. Regans possessed soul projects this through levitation and deep spoken foul language. As the film continues, an exorcism takes place in the form of a battle between the Church and the Devil. If religion could be used to explore the abject, no film does it more tellingly than in The Exorcist. Creed puts forward, according to Kristeva: Kristeva argues that, historically, it has been the function of religion to purify the abject. (1993, p14) As the film comes to an end, Regan is saved by the church and restored to purity. She turns to hug the one person who saved her: a male Priest, or perhaps God himself? Spectator In the real world, when confronted with something genuinely repulsive, we reject that object of repulsion. But in the cinema it is not necessary to fully block what confronts us. The positioning of the spectator within the cinema experience must be recognized if abjection is going to be fully absorbed. The viewer happily sits as the spectacle of horror unfolds and is projected onto them. Though the viewer has no control over the events projected before them, the unpleasant acts witnessed by the spectator can comfortably be dismissed when the credits roll and the film is over. Viewing the horror film signifies a desire not only for perverse pleasure where boundaries are crossed, both attracting and repelling (confronting sickening, horrific images/being filled with terror/desire for the undifferentiated) but also a desire, once having been filled with perversity, taking pleasure in perversity, to throw up, throw out, eject the abject (from the safety of the spectators seat). CHAPTER 3 The Absent Mother Relationships in the maternal melodrama are almost always between mother and daughter; it is to the horror film we must turn for an exploration of mother-son relationships. The latter are usually represented in terms of repressed Oedipal desire, fear of the castrating mother and psychosis. Given the nature of the horror genre its preoccupation with monstrosity, abjection and horrific familial scenarios the issues surrounding the mother-child dyad are generally presented in a more extreme and terrifying manner. (Creed,1993, p139) Cut down One area of female representation that is more ambiguous is the figure of the Mother in the horror film genre. No longer could the killer be simply defined by gender. At the beginning of the 1960s audiences were subjected to a new kind of cinematic terror, as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ explains in her essay: The monster was no longer out there; it was in here. The monster was the human mind. (Pg 160 Gary, J and Sheila, S (ed) Bitches, Bimbos and Virgins: Women in the Horror Film) As Hitchcocks psychological thriller Psycho was released The early sixties audience would be led to believe that the approachable Norman Bates (played by Antony Perkins) was simply a victim of his over-zealous mothers bullying. But as the plot unravelled, the film presented a deeply obsessive human mind as the real monster, as Steven Jay Schneider further explains: When used to shed light on horror cinema, psychoanalysis in its various forms has proven to be a frightful and provocative interpretive tool (Pg 187 Schneider, S. J. Horror Film and Psychoanalysis Freuds Worst Nightmare) The film follows its self-sufficient central female character, Marion Crane, jaded by her affair with a married man, as she embezzles a large amount of money from her male employer and leaves town in pursuit of a new life. On arrival at the infamous Bates Motel she meets the proprietor, the twitchy but approachable and, more importantly, passive Norman Bates, who is clearly attracted to Crane, something she comfortably takes in her stride, suggesting a non-passive female. However, on closer inspection, Marions actions throughout the first section of the film are defined by male characters she comes into contact with: her lover Sam, her male employer and the male client, the highway patrol officer and Norman Bates who all define her destiny with their attitudes towards her. Robert Kolker supports this theory: Psycho: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the mix of pleasure and pain common to all horror viewing, and aligned with a feminine subject position, is negotiated differently by men than by women. (p193 Alfred Hitchcocks Psycho: A Casebook edited by Robert Kolker) Throughout the first part of the film Marion is portrayed as feminine, attractive and defying the typical representation of women in horror films; however, from the perspective of the male gaze Bates watches Marion, unbeknown to her, through a hole in the wall as she undresses and prepares to shower. Normans eye is filmed in extreme close-up, drawing attention to the activity of the voyeurism. (1993, p145). As the camera lingers on her it is this scene that suggests that Hitchcock cannot break away fully from the traditions of the horror genre where the female becomes objectified and is observed from the gaze of the active male. Norman Bates mother is another female character significant to the plot, not seen but heard off-screen discouraging her son from having any social contact with the newly arrived female and, throughout most of the film, verbally abusing her son. Surrounded by stuffed birds, Bates even states a boys best friend is his mother. The viewer can assume that he is a loyal and reliable son. However, as Lacans theorys are refered : The baby is bound to its image by words and names, by linguistic representations. A mother who keeps telling her son What a bad boy you are! may end up with either a villain or a saint. (2010, p43) Norman Bates appears to be gentle and sensitiv

Ethics of Genocide and Eugenics Essay -- Biology Medical Biomedical Ge

Gene Therapy: Genocide and Eugenics or Striving for a More Perfect Population Controversy and Ethics Just as there are different types of people who look at one glass of water and describe it as half full or half empty, the public has many different views on the future of our society. Gene therapy is also a glass that can be viewed in different angles – different perspectives. Some say it has great potential to shape the ideals of our future, while others believe it signifies intolerance for disabilities, imperfections that supposedly deplete from a person’s interests, opportunities and welfare (quoted by Peter Singer, xviii). This global issue has brought people with different opinions in the open, arguing their views using history, morality and foresight. â€Å"It is human nature to strive to improve everything.† (as quoted from Ron Harris by Singer, xxii) As the world moves forward in science and technology, it seems that only humans themselves are lagging behind. Success and perfection are so important as to even play a role in determining human characteristics – once thought to be inalterable – right down to gene selection. In our increasingly capitalist society, parents want their children to be born with as much an opportunity to excel as others. It is the same well-meaning motivation that drives parents to make more money to buy a bigger house in a better community, so their children could live better and attend a higher-scoring school (Singer xvi). So with equal or greater conviction, they want their children to be born with a relatively high IQ, good looks and a healthy body. This mentality is adequately represented by a website: ronsangels.com, which sells eggs of women â€Å"with beauty and brains† to the highest bidder (... ...ne starts life with an equal chance of health and success. Yet, gene therapy can also be thought of as a straight route towards a dark outlook, where perfection is the first priority, genes are seen as the ultimate puppeteer, and personal freedom to thrive based on one’s self isn’t believed to exist. With the emergence of each new technological discovery comes the emergence of each new ethical debate, and one day, each viewpoint on this momentous issue may be able to find a bit of truth in the other. Eventually, our society may reach a compromise on gene therapy. Bibliography: Cambridge. The Ethics of Inheritable Genetic Modification. Cambridge: Cambridge Universtiy Press, 2006. Rpt. in The Ethics of Inheritable Genetic Modification. Collins, Francis S. "Foreward." Playing God? 2003. By Ted Peters. 2nd ed. Great Britain: Routledge, 2003. Rpt. in Playing God?

Alphonse Mucha

Alphonse Mucha: Job Cigarettes During the 19th century, many changes were taking place in modern European society, which was noticeable through art at that time. A different kind of style that was moving away from the traditional, standard art that were taught at art academies and was heavily influenced by the Arts and Crafts Movement was developed. This â€Å"modern† style of art was known as Art Nouveau. Alphonse Mucha was an important figure and had a strong influence in this new style.Alphonse Mucha had a style that garnered a lot of public attention in America and Europe and it also influenced many artists to mimic what many called the â€Å"Mucha style. † Mucha’s Job Cigarettes poster illustrates the â€Å"standard’ of the Art Nouveau style and notes some of the changes taking place in modern society. Alphonse Mucha’s Job Cigarettes was not the first poster that brought him fame and put him in the eye of the public; however, it is a poster th at could be said was his best piece. It one of several commercial art ads he did for the rolling paper company known as Job.It features a female holding a cigarette in one hand. The female has a faint smile with her eyes closed and her head raised a bit high to indicate she is really enjoying her cigarette and perhaps getting some sort of physical or emotional satisfaction from her smoke. She seems to go beyond the border giving this piece a sense of depth perspective. It seems to say that she cannot be contained and that she is free to do as she pleases and enjoy her smoke. She has very long and curly stylized hair that was traditionally used by Alphonse Mucha known as macaroni or vermicelli.The hair serves as an essential adorning, decorative component of the poster, which also serves to display the sensuousness of the woman and gives it a more aesthetically pleasant look. The smoke from the cigarette flows upwards in a left and right manner which guides the eye from the cigarette to the head of the female and then finally towards the â€Å"Job† logo. The poster seems to have a decorative border that was most likely influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement. The colors are soft and pastel-like which gives a feeling of serenity and peace.Mucha’ technique in his Job Cigarettes poster and his treatment of the three main elements, flowing lines, heavy curves, and organic subject matter, which traditionally found in Art Nouveau depicts the standard in this style of art. There are no hard-edged lines found in the main figure of the poster. The only hard-edged line work is found in the ornamented border. Mucha also used heavy and light strokes, which was most likely influenced by Japanese woodcuts/art, throughout the female figure and the smoke. He seems to create a heavier stroke on he outside lines, which creates a sort of silhouette giving it a dynamic feel.The heavy curves are easily identifiable in the woman’s hair adorning the female fig ure. They are very long and exaggerated in form, which was traditional of Mucha and the Art Nouveau style. The hair on the female has an organic feel that seems to look like vines or something of that sort. The decorative border seems to frame the whole piece and makes it seem like the woman is leaning outside of a window and into nature to freely enjoy her smoke. As a teenager, Mucha had applied to the Prague Academy of Fine Arts art but was rejected because he did not have the skill to be a â€Å"true† artist.His rejection was even followed up with a note saying that he should find a better profession where he would be more useful. Perhaps Mucha was not the only artist who was rejected in such a manner, which is why many artists probably felt the need to rebel against the traditional style of the Academy, and decided to make art in their own style. They wanted to try something new and move with the rapid changes taking place at that time. One example of change in modern soc iety was the heavy use of posters in commercial art.Mucha decided to use a lithographic poster for his Jobs Cigarettes ad and it made such a great impression on the Job Company that they actually hire him to create additional advertisement posters for them. Another change with Art Nouveau was the constant presence of female figures in the artwork. Female illustrations played an important factor in advertisements. Artwork was sexually charged to sell market commodities. Although Mucha’s Job Cigarettes poster is not overly sexual, he does use a female figure that seems to be getting some sort of pleasure from the product to sell to consumers.Mucha’s illustration perhaps seems to show the rise of women’s social position. Mucha shows a female doing what was traditionally a male activity, smoking. As a result of mass production from the Industrial Revolution, there were a lot of mechanical looking objects in society. These massproduced items just made the world look more ugly, generic, and bland. Mucha gathered much influence from the organic shapes and curves from nature and heavily adorns his illustration to bring more beauty, life, and freedom to society.Alphonse Mucha’s Job Cigarettes poster had a freeing, unique style that was much different than the traditional standards taught at art academies. Mucha’s technique was so evident and admired that the Art Nouveau style was often referred to as the â€Å"Mucha style† and highly imitated by other artists. Through his technique, style and subject matter, he comments on the changes occurring in modern society and in art, and it has influenced not only artists from his time but also many other artists today.

Public Relations and Social Media

Figure 1: BDI Logo An essay on the Black Dog Institute’s use of social media for public relations purposes. Major Assessment: How is social media being used by not-for-profit organisations for PR purposes? Choose one not-for-profit organisation operating in Australia and discuss – with reference to public relations and new media theory – how the organisation is using social media to manage their key stakeholders and community groups online. The practice of public relations has seen a change in recent years, and now includes many and varied tools; including new media.The term ‘new media’ encompasses a variety of non-traditional methods including social media. This essay discusses the use of social media in a public relations capacity, to assist in managing an organisation’s key stakeholders and community groups online. The focus organisation is the Black Dog Institute (BDI), a notfor-profit organisation and an â€Å"educational, research, clin ical and community-oriented facility offering specialist expertise in mood disorders† (Black Dog Institute, 2012).When considering how an organisation uses social media, it is important to understand who the key stakeholders are and also what constitutes social media tools. Some of the institute’s key stakeholders (otherwise known as the specific target audience) include health professionals, donors/sponsors and government agencies. So, with some of the key stakeholders defined, what then is social media? Social media, as a whole, is online media with which you – the user can participate.Mayfield (2008) states that social media of all kind shares most (or all) of the following characteristics – participation, openness, conversation, community and connectedness. The Black Dog institute has used several social media tools to get their message out to the wider community. The use of these new media tools, specifically social media tools, assists not-for-profit organisations such as The Black Dog Institute in managing their key stakeholders and community groups online. Social media is fast becoming an effective tool for public relations purposes and The Black Dog Institute has mplemented a variety of tools such as wikis, social networking, blogging, video, an interactive website and applications suitable for iPhone, iPad and iPod. Figure 2: Social Media The Black Dog Institute engages in wikis such as The Mental Health Wiki. The Mental Health Wiki (2012) which claims to be â€Å"a collaborative, open platform for capturing high quality information in the mental health field† is open to anyone however the site only allows suitably qualified people to contribute. So how does this wiki help The Black Dog Institute manage their key stakeholders?Through participation, the institute is able to demonstrate their expertise in the area of mental health therefore enhancing their reputation among other health organisations. Wikis are a potent ial destination for online Page 2 of 7 PRN101 – Major Assignment research and thus by contributing to such, the organisation is able to continuously improve relationships between themselves and their stakeholders (medical professionals) As a fundamental function of public relations is to build mutually beneficial relationships, the contributions supplied by the institute on the Mental Health Wiki would be accessible by other health care professionals.This accessibility is a key in building such relationships, and in turn, the institute has access to other organisation’s research material. On the flip side however, it is important for the institute to consider the legal ramifications of contributing to such a forum. Flynn (2012) states that social media content can be subpoenaed and used to support (or sink) an organisation in the event of litigation, therefore it is important that the institute adheres to laws affecting PR such as copyright, privacy and the Trade Pract ices Act.Facebook is a social networking site offering community, conversation and connectedness and is another largely accessible social media tool with which The Black Dog Institute has engaged. Their active Facebook site allows community groups to interact and remain connected with the institute. The site offers news feeds, events, videos and the option for like minded people to contribute to the site through ‘posts’ – discussions. Figure 3: BDI FaceBook Page According to Solis (2009) social networking is not just about socialising, it’s about leveraging the network to increase visibility for expertise, reputation and activity.As you can see with the image, the Black Dog Institute’s Facebook page includes a picture of their facility, but is this the kind of visibility we refer to in PR? To increase their visibility (or exposure) the institute utilises social network i. e. Facebook to promote upcoming events, VIP associations, and other online pre sences such as websites/twitter and to provide another avenue to access their products for sale. By using social networking to increase their visibility, the institute develops another avenue to increase donations and much needed funds.Page 3 of 7 PRN101 – Major Assignment Blogging is another social media tool that has been adopted by The Black Dog Institute, through the use of Twitter – a micro-blogging site. Their Twitter blogs allow readers to ‘pull’ information that is relevant to them and with the dynamic nature of blogging; the institute gains a genuine insight into the opinions of their public. In terms of public relations, blogging assists the organisation to maintain a constant and up-to-date connection with its publics.The Black Dog Institute embraces that connection and continues to build a network (or community) of like minded people and remain connected with their audiences. With one of the most important functions of public relations being to create understanding, blogging sites such as Twitter allows The Black Dog Institute to create this understanding. Some media tools do not allow participation from an organisation’s public, however through blogging a two-way process is encouraged thereby creating a mutual understanding.It is important to acknowledge that a forum involving two-way conversation can again place the organisation in a vulnerable position – both its’ legally and socially responsible position. Therefore maintaining an ethical approach to the blogging process, with a deliberate course of action, can help to reduce this vulnerability. Figure 4: YouTube Videos are another social media tool that an organisation can use to remain connected with their public. Sites like YouTube are becoming increasingly popular with individuals and organisations alike.The Black Dog Institute has a YouTube channel, where subscribers can upload videos and also comment on videos uploaded by others. The institut e joined the YouTube ‘phenomenon’ in September, 2011. At present there are only two videos available on their own channel, however when you search the term ‘black dog institute’ several others have been uploaded (as indicated in the above image). This indicates an increasing awareness of the institute through an often entertaining and light hearted forum. Videos offer the institute the opportunity to present their organisation in an honest and accurate way.Further development of their YouTube channel can be achieved Page 4 of 7 PRN101 – Major Assignment through commenting on other contributor uploads regarding the institute and its activities from other users. Other tools utilised by the institute, which are a little out of the scope of this essay, include an iPod/iPad application – â€Å"The Black Dog Pedometer†. This tool gives the institute’s stakeholders/community access to not only a pedometer but also a link to learn more a bout the institute and also a donation option.In terms of public relations, the pedometer application increases the organisations image as an authority on the subject of mental health and mood disorders. The institute also has a website developed specifically for teenagers – www. biteback. org. au which as a whole is not a social media tool; however the blog component of the site offers interaction and participation by subscribers. The Bite Back website allows the BDI public relations team to take a proactive approach to their subject of expertise, offering an engaging and interactive forum for their younger community groups.As you can see throughout this essay, social media assists the Black Dog Institute in its’ public relations plans. Tools previously outlined such as wikis, social networking, blogging and videos assist the institute in building and improving relationships with their key stakeholders and to increase awareness and visibility of their organisation. As the momentum of social media continues, further opportunities may develop for the institute. Trimester 1, 2012 Page 5 of 7 PRN101 – Major Assignment Reference List: Figures Figure 1: Black Dog Institute Logo – www. lackdoginstitute. org. au (accessed 30 April, 2012) Figure 2: Social Media – http://masoncadeagency. com/wpcontent/uploads/2011/07/SMO_Social_Media_Optimization. jpg (accessed 3 May, 2012) Figure 3: Black Dog Institute Facebook page – http://www. facebook. com/blackdoginst (accessed 5 May, 2012) Figure 4: YouTube screenshot – Available: http://www. youtube. com/results? search_query=black+dog+institute+&oq=black+dog +institute+&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_l=youtube. 3†¦ 16614. 20473. 0. 21177. 22. 19. 1. 2. 2. 1. 30 3. 2779. 5j7j6j1. 19. 0†¦ 0. 0. (accessed 6 May, 2012)Bibliography Texts: Ali, M 2006, Public Relations – Creating an IMAGE, Heinemann, Oxford, GB Chaffey, D & Smith, PR. 2010, eMarketing eXcellence – Planning and optimizing your digital marketing, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, UK. Flynn, N, 2012, Social media handbook – policies and best practices to effectively manage your organization's social media presence, posts, and potential risks. Wiley, Australia Harrison, Kim 2011, Strategic Public Relations – A Practical Guide to Success, Palgrave Macmillan, South Yarra, Australia Lee, R & Kotler, P. 011, Social Marketing – Influencing Behaviors for Good, 4th edition. Sage, California Rix, P, 2011, Marketing – A Practical Approach, McGraw Hill, North Ryde, Australia. Solis, B & Breakenridge, D. 2009, Putting the Public Back in Public Relations – How Social Media Is Reinventing the Aging Business of PR, Pearson Education, New Jersey Page 6 of 7 PRN101 – Major Assignment eBooks and PDFs: Junee,T 2012, PRN101_Social_Media_2012-2 [Slide]. THINK: APM College of Business, Sydney Mayfield, A. 2008 What is Social Media? v1. 4 updated 1 August 2008 http://www. crossing. co. uk/fileadmin/uploads/eBooks/What_is_Social_Media_iCrossing_eb ook. pdf (accessed 3 May, 2012) Weblinks: Black Dog Insitute. 2012. About Us: Black Dog Institute. Available: http://www. blackdoginstitute. org. au/aboutus/overview. cfm (accessed 6 April, 2012) Harris, A. 2012. Be Social Media Savvy. Available: http://www. pria. com. au/priablog/be-social-media-savvy (accessed 7 April, 2012) Mental Health Wiki. 2012. Register: Available: http://www. mentalhealthwiki. org/deki/plugins/register/register. php (accessed 2 May,2012) Facebook. 012. Key Facts. Available: http://newsroom. fb. com/content/default. aspx? NewsAreaId=22 (accessed 1 May, 2012) YouTube. 2012. Search results for Black Dog Institute. Available: http://www. youtube. com/results? search_query=black+dog+institute+=black+dog+instit ute+=f===youtube. 3†¦ 16614. 20473. 0. 21177. 22. 19. 1. 2. 2. 1. 303. 2779. 5j7j6 j1. 19. 0†¦ 0. 0. (accessed 18 April, 2012) Black Dog Bite Back. 2012. Blogs: Availabl e: http://www. biteback. org. au/ (accessed 2 May, 2012) Page 7 of 7 PRN101 – Major Assignment