Too Much Punch For Judy :: Drama

Too Much Punch For Judy Introduction During the past few drama lessons we've been studying a real life tragic play called 'Too Much Punch For Judy'. It is a play about two sisters (Judy & Jo) who decide to go for a drink one day. They meet two guys who buy them drinks. When they are ready to go, Judy suggests to Jo that she should drive home as she has had less to drink than her (however she is still over the legal limit). After some persuasion Judy agrees and throws Judy the car keys. As they drive back Jo pleads to Judy to slow down. However, Judy suddenly loses control of the car and crashes. Judy survives the crash, her sister Jo who is in the passenger seat dies. A man who has heard the crash from his house runs down to the scene, he rings the police. The police arrive and call for two ambulances. When two ambulances arrive Jo and Judy are taken away separately. At this stage, Judy is unaware that Jo is dead. At the hospital Judy consistently asks to see her sister, until the policeman finally tells her that her sister is dead. After reading the play, I immediately felt angry with Judy. I felt sorry for Jo and her family and perhaps almost for Judy. As the play was a true story the moral of the play 'don't drink and drive' struck me harder. The moral definitely gets across to me, and made me aware of the effects of drinking and driving. I thought the play was a good way of getting that point across. It gave young people, like my group and I, a chance to be put in that situation and to experience the feelings and emotions of an actual person in that predicament. Depending on how we deal with this we are able to make a choice whether it is the right or wrong thing to do. In this case, during a scene that I played Judy crashing and killing her sister, I felt scared at the consequences and extremely guilty. I would not like feel like that at any time. I have the power to control that, so that is why thanks to the play, I would not put my self in the same situation as Judy and feel it is the wrong choice to make. Response ======== Too much Punch For Judy allowed us to look into the effects of drinking and driving. It is a tragic piece of drama, however there are many scenes which exaggerated and comical, resulting in completely the opposite feelings to the inevitable tragedy of the play.

Bruce Dawe “Weapons training” Essay

Bruce Dawe is an Australian born poet that lived during the time of the Vietnam War. He lived through a changing time of social unrest, consumerism, and feminism, and it was all reflected in his poetry. His poetry revolves around the opinions of a society that didn’t agree with politics and created their own culture. The Vietnam War was controversial, as many argued involvement was unnecessary. Bruce did not agree with choices made by hierarchy in regards to the War, and expressed his beliefs through writing. Weapons training and homecoming are both poems that argue against the success of the Vietnam war by using strong imagery to bring the readers emotions into play. Bruce Dawes poem ‘Weapons Training’ is a piece written about experiences of the Vietnam War in an interesting and unconventional way. The poem is written to give the public an idea of what it may be like as a soldier when being addressed to by an instructor. Rather writing a traditional poem with organised sentences devised with proper punctuation and grammatically correct phrases, he uses a predominant amount of slang to carry the tone of the unmannerly instructor. The way Bruce Dawe has refused the typical way of writing further casts a reflection of society’s behaviour at the time. The poem is an example of a sergeant dressing down a squad of recently enlisted recruits for the Vietnam War. References to â€Å"mob of little yellows†, â€Å"a pack of Charlies† and â€Å"their rotten fish-sauce breath† suggest of in-built war propaganda.

Is Morality a Talent? Essay

One typically wouldn’t think of morality when it comes to the nature versus nurture debate about the origin of personality, but after being faced with this issue I have realized that the origin of morality can be debated about all the same. With the classic nature versus nurture debate I myself have come to a conclusion that we are composed of a little bit of both nature and nurture, and I am still finding myself coming to that same conclusion with morality. I believe that morality is not only a talent, but is a learned skill as well. Just like personality, certain environments or events can lead to a manifestation of certain traits within us. I think that morality can exist at different levels amongst different people based on their genetic traits as well as their environmental or cultural experiences. Based on what I learned after reading Sam Harris’ â€Å"The Moral Landscape,† I have gathered an understanding of moral truth, and how that can apply to morality as being a talent and learned. His disagreement with moral relativism, analysis of psychopaths and the theories behind the nature versus nurture debate have lead me to my conclusions. Moral truth is the belief that there is a universal code of ethics that has lead us through the ages and has impacted our society’s understanding of morals today. I agree with Harris on the subject of moral truth. I think moral truth supports both the nature side and the nurture side because it exposes the universal aspect of morals, which is learned, and shows the natural desire in humans to want to exceed primitive standards through morals in order to promote survival. Many ethical codes truly are universal, such as â€Å"don’t kill. † If we don’t run around killing each other in our day to day lives, we will survive and thrive. That is an example of a known moral truth. By comparing first world civilizations to Western civilizations you will find that yes, we have all survived, but it is quite clear that one civilization is thriving more than the other; Westernized civilizations. They are less primitive, more technologically advanced, have better medicine and are as a whole wealthier. Why are these third world cultures not advancing? Out of many reasons, I think that one could possibly be that their ethical codes are far less developed than those of modern Western culture. This observation has led me to believe that there are cultures that are superior to others. Although moral relativism is a widely accepted theory, it is clearly incorrect. Moral relativism would seem like a pleasant theory to believe wouldn’t it? It removes intolerance of other cultures, religions etc. and allows us to â€Å"justify† or â€Å"understand† certain events based on specific, or relative, codes of ethics. While certain events or behaviors may not be right to one culture, they may be considered normal in another and everyone can go about their lives as if nothing wrong had happened. These assumptions are terrible flaws in the thinking of our society and of the world. Harris uses an example of moral relativism that he encountered in a conversation with a woman after an academic conference. He provided her the scenario of a culture that would pluck the eyes out of every third born child based on their religious beliefs. The woman stuck to her moral relativism, and said that this culture was not wrong since they were doing this for religious reasons (Harris, 33-34). How can this possibly make any sense? Morality and ethics lose all meaning if they are merely â€Å"relative† to every culture where horrendous rituals are practiced. If things like ritual murders were allowed in our society, we would not survive, we would not thrive and we would degenerate the human race intellectually, morally and psychologically. This brings meaning back to morality and ethics. There are universal codes that exist in order to promote our survival and happiness, or well being. Based on this understanding of moral truth, I believe that morality is both learned and genetic because moral truth and its implications show the experiences in which we have learned moral codes, and the promotion of survival that is instilled within the human race. If morality was solely genetic, or a talent, then the research on psychopathic brains would be highly disturbing. In an NPR articled called A Neuroscientist Discovers a Dark Secret by Barbara Bradley Hagerty I learned about the actual discoveries that neurology has made about the psychopathic brain. In an abnormal brain found in serial killers by research conducted by James Fallon, a neuroscientist of the University of California-Irvine, the orbital cortex exhibits a major lack of functioning or is completely non-functioning. While describing the abnormality of the orbital cortex Hagerty said that it is â€Å"the area that Fallon and other scientists believe is involved with ethical behavior, moral decision-making and impulse control. † The orbital cortex also controls the amygdala which controls aggression and appetite (Hagerty). Fallon ended up discovering that he also had the same error in his brain. He even specified a gene that he had found in all but one of his family members, descendents of multiple murderers. However, none of these people had become serial killers, but could they? â€Å"He doesn’t believe his fate or anyone else’s is entirely determined by genes. They merely tip you in one direction or another. † (Hagerty). This research goes to show that genes are not entirely responsible for your predispositions to act violently or otherwise abnormally. These results are showing that it is possible that the orbital cortex controls our ethic and moral actions, but abnormality or damage to this process does not ultimately control our actual thoughts and actions. These conclusions provide actual evidence to support my claim that morality is both talent and learned. If our moral impulses are regulated by the orbital cortex, but our actions are not determined, this is leading me to believe that our genes are not fully responsible for our personality, morality, beliefs, talents, etc. but they do have the ability to gear someone towards one side or the other. Morality is partially genetic, however our environments have the ultimate responsibility. If we have an experience that manifests within our psyche, it can ultimately ignite something within us that turns on or turns off certain physiological processes in the brain. Therefore, the classic nature versus nurture debate can and will never be resolved. Simply because there is no resolution. Neither nature or nurture can be held fully responsible for our actions or who we become throughout the effects of our daily experiences in life. Harris, however, disagrees with me. He believes that morality is purely a talent. He mentions this evidence from the neuroscientist James Blair who â€Å"suggests that psychopathy results from a failure of emotional learning due to genetic impairments of the amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex, regions vital to the processing of emotion. † (Harris, 99). Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? However, he doesn’t mention that there are plenty of people with the same genetic predispositions as psychopaths, who aren’t considered psychopaths and aren’t even aware that they have these genes. He’s giving nature full responsibility in this case, and states that people can exhibit moral talent. (Harris, 99). Although this is possible, that people can have moral talent, it is not the sole cause for our morality. Our society is governed by morals. Social norms and constructs have developed and evolved throughout history that have lead to the health and growth of our society. These rules we live by are instilled in our culture, and regulated through our judicial system. But they did not just appear there over night. There were millions of events included in diverse human experiences that lead us to live by our guidelines, which are continually evolving as time progresses. Generally, some people are more predisposed to be more caring in their demeanor as well as more cautious and aware of the moral outcomes of their actions. And then, there are those who are the opposite. However, for the most part those who are morally â€Å"challenged† genetically do not act out in immoral ways. Harris points out the biological aspect of this, â€Å"While it may be difficult to accept, the research strongly suggests that some people cannot learn to care about others. † (Harris, 99). Well sure there are people like this. Of course there are! We aren’t all going to be cookie cut copies of one another. We are all unique. But if we are apparently so scared to accept this, I would like to know why? Just because some people don’t have the compassion for other people doesn’t mean that they have a compassion for negatively impacting other people. Does a lack of concern fully constitute immorality? In some cases, yes it does. For instance if someone had a thought that would lead to actions that injured other people and they chose to partake in this action anyways, then that would be immoral. But if someone is just traveling through life alone and lacking of a concern for others deep down but just keeping to themselves, this does not constitute immorality at all. We are afraid of something that is inevitable: diversity. Not to suggest that this diversity requires relativism, but to suggest that diversity is part of humanity and there will be negative or harmful people in the world. No matter what we discover about the neurology or origin behind morality, immorality will always exist and persist throughout humanity. With this being said, I agree with Harris’ statement that there are people who are less morally â€Å"talented† than others. Research suggests this, but it also suggests that environmental experiences also have their hand in our morality. I also think that if morality was solely genetic, there would be grounds for moral relativism. If our brains made us do it, who can say that one thing is wrong or right? It does not match up. The effects on society would be detrimental, our moral responsibility would be diminished. Harris’ evaluation of the possibility of a moral talent continues to lead me to believe that morality is both a talent and learned. In conclusion, there are many different theories to explain why we are the way we are. We may be who we are strictly because of physiological brain processes and genetic hardwiring. We may be who we are strictly because of our environments and experiences. But how can we decide which it is when there is so much evidence pointing to both nature and nurture? Well, like I said, we can’t. What we can realize is that both nature and nurture have major effects on our morality and ethics. Through the arguments of moral truth, we can see that there are learned moral concepts that we have acquired and have incorporated them into our societies. However, there is also the drive for survival within us that provides us with instincts to distinguish right from wrong. Through the research of criminal brains, we can isolate parts of the brain, their processes, and even genes to confirm that morality may be fully genetic. However, we can also see that the brain’s functioning doesn’t completely determine our personalities, moralities or actions. Instead, our environments or experiences that we have learned from can shape who we are for the better. Harris’ evaluation of moral talents can show us that there is diversity amongst us, moral diversity. But we are not doomed to be what our brain may want us to be. In fact, we may not even be conscious of what our brain â€Å"wants† us to be. We incorporate our experiences into our being, which can make or break our genetic dispositions. Based on my conclusions that I’ve come too after reading â€Å"The Moral Landscape,† I believe that morality is not only caused by nature, but that it is both a talent and a learned skill that we acquire through our lives. Works Cited â€Å"A Neuroscientist Discovers a Dark Secret. † www. npr. org, Barbara Bradley Hagerty, 29 June 2010. Web. 20 Nov. 2011. Harris, Sam. The Moral Landscape. New York: Free Press, 2010. Print.

Analysing Product Development Within Dell Computers

Analysing Product Development Within Dell Computers The Product Development at the Dell Computer Corporation case can be summarized with just its name, product development. The case focuses on development of Dell’s personal computers, highlighting the area of the laptops. The personal computer industry can be dated back to the 1830’s and Charles Babbage with his invention of the first digital computer. However with limitations of materials and marketing his vision mainly stayed on what is called â€Å"the drawing board.† It was not until the time period of World War II when a factory size computer was created by army engineers, they were named Mark I and Colossus and they were 50 feet in size. Through the 1960s and the 1970s only the government, mainly for defense, and big business had the opportunity to use computers. As technology increased and microchips replaced the wires and transistors, and financial availability became friendlier for consumers the microcomputer revolution began. In the 1970s and 1980s Appl e Computer was a successful leader in a commercialized interface that was easy to use. Apple set the technological pace for cramming as much new technology in to their products as possible. IBM who was always trying to play catch up with Apple kicked off its traditional corporate based computer line, with strong direct sales and service. Dell also released its own branded personal computer in 1981. During the 1980s personal computer sales grew from nothing to $40 billion dollars. It was in 1983 when Dell Computer was started by Michael Dell, who at this point in time was a freshman at the University of Texas. He would upgrade IBM compatible computers and go door to door selling them. The success was overwhelming for Dell, and he moved off campus and dropped out of school, with the initial idea of returning back to school if there was failure with the business. However, with $180,000 in sales during his first month the idea of going back to school never entered his mind. The next ste p for Dell was to buy and assemble his own brand name personal computers and get them directly to the customers. This is where Dell’s principle to eliminate the middle man began. With this premise in mind, high growth rates and attractive margins the building of the Dell name began. Soon, Dell would start a 24 hour complaint hotline and they would offer a supply of backup replacement equipment. By 1990, Dell computers had a distinctive line of its own personal computers which won several trade magazine awards for service and products. By 1990 microcomputers accounted for 40% of all computers sold. And there was major competition the brands helping to drive down the costs of manufacturing as well the cost for the consumers. With the development and success of Dell and their direct to consumer sales as well as their laid back sales manner, imitators such as Gateway 2000 and CompuAdd began business. While focusing on the competition Dell expanded in to the retail market attempti ng to gain more revenue. However, this was unsuccessful since Dell overshot the target budget of sales, finding them in a cash crunch. It was then decided on that that needed to do something different. They needed to stand out again

Should Iran be allow to have it's own nuclear power Research Paper

Should Iran be allow to have it's own nuclear power - Research Paper Example America’s double standards in terms of foreign policies towards Israel and Muslim world are causing big concerns in the Islamic world. Many people believe that Israel already have nuclear arsenal and hence there is no point in criticising Iran’s efforts to acquire nuclear power. Many others are of the view that allowing Iran to acquire nuclear power may intensify the problems in the Middle East. This paper analyses the arguments in favour and against allowing Iran to become a nuclear power. Opponents of Iran's nuclear program often argue that Iran should opt for the more economically efficient electricity from natural gas-fired power plants. Such arguments are also not valid. A recent study by two MIT professors indicated that the cost of producing electricity from gas (and oil) is comparable with what it costs to generate it using nuclear reactors — not to mention the adverse effects of carbon emissions or the need to preserve Iran's gas reserves to position Ira n in 20 or 30 years as one of the main suppliers of gas to Europe and Asia (Sahimi et al.). It is a fact that the available fossil fuels stocks in this world are sufficient enough for 30 or 40 more years. Industries are developing rapidly and the automobile uses are increasing every day. Under such circumstances, it is necessary for all the countries to look for alternate energy sources. Iran publicly says that they are trying to develop nuclear technology to meet their energy needs. It is a fact that energy crisis is a big problem in most of the countries. Since the fossil fuel is exhausting rapidly because of the increased exploitation, it is necessary find out alternate energy sources. Many countries turned their attention towards nuclear power to solve their energy crisis. For example, India is establishing a series of nuclear power stations across their territories to solve energy crisis. Under such circumstances, disallowing Iran from acquiring nuclear power cannot be justifie d. At the same time, many reports have shown that Iran is trying to develop nuclear arsenal rather than nuclear power stations in the name of energy crisis. In other words, Iran is trying to utilize nuclear power for destructive purposes rather than constructive purposes. Heated public rhetoric has filled the newspapers and radio broadcasts since Summer, 2003, warning that Iran is nearly ready to produce nuclear weapons and that, if she were ever to actually produce those weapons, she would be an unacceptable risk to her neighbours and to Israel through direct military confrontation. Further, Iran is said to be ready to supply global terrorists with nuclear weapons, thus posing a risk to the United States, to Great Britain, and to the European Union (Nuclear Armed Iran Vs. America – Whom Should The World Fear?). If Iran is trying to develop nuclear arsenal for destructive purposes, then they should be prevented from doing so. It should be noted that the destructive power of n uclear arsenal is unimaginable. Nagasaki and Hiroshima have shown us the destructive power of nuclear weapons. The damages caused by the nuclear weapons in Nagasaki and Hiroshima are negligible compared to the capabilities of modern nuclear weapons. Under such circumstances, UN like global agencies is trying to prevent countries from developing nuclear arsenal. A war between two nuclear powers may

Teenage Smoking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Teenage Smoking - Essay Example As per the findings of Holm et al, 80% of all smokers in the United States begin smoking even before the age of 18 (27). Because of the increased threat it raises to health and personal integrity, the prohibition of teenage smoking has become the most essential legal concern. In the United States, the issue has been a topic for debate for several decades between tobacco selling tycoons and social activists. Evidently, as an amicable solution to the controversial issue, the legal age of smoking should be raised, when at the same time, teenage smokers are perceived as vulnerable group that requires comprehensive care. The minimum legal age either for using or purchasing/selling tobacco products varies from country to country with an average range of 18-24. In most of the European countries including Poland, Serbia, Portugal, France, and UK the minimum legal age for smoking cigarettes is now 18. In contrast in the United States, there is no unified regulation on this issue and the minim um age restriction varies from state to state. Although 18 has been generally accepted as the minimum age, the decision is left to the discretion of states. For instance, many states including Alabama, Alaska, New Jersey, and some other counties of New York have recently reset the minimum age for smoking from 18 to 19. As per the Revised Washington Code, a person under the age of 18 who purchases or attempts to purchase, possesses, or attempts to possesses, obtain, or attempts to obtain cigarettes or tobacco products commits a class 3 civil infraction under chapter 7.8. (RCW 2002). Obviously, teenage smoking has to be approached with a socio-psychological perspective other than merely considering it as a health issue. Arguments favoring the rise of legal age to 19 or 21 strongly opine that teenage smoking indicates the behavioral inconsistency among adolescents which can be resolved only through comprehensive programs with the collective involvement of various governmental and non-g overnmental organizations. In order to define the behavioral changes of teenagers with regard to smoking as a symptom, we need to analyze some other aspects of this controversy. Researchers are deeply at odds regarding the factors that determine one’s behavior. Despite the actual trait, behavior of an individual is primarily determined by situational variables and environment. Hence, a person’s behavior is ever changing depending on the situation, place, and the surroundings. If an individual demonstrates exceeding emotional attachment or detachment to anything that comes within his personal environment it presumably point to a behavioral problem. This can be true with the adolescent smokers no matter how they got into this risk group. Several attempts have been made to reduce the use of tobacco products among the youth in the United States notably since 1996 as Food and Drug Administration (FDA) revised its previous policy. As Jacobson notes, the initial step the Stat es took was to introduce provisions ‘to suit tobacco industry to recover healthcare costs associated with smoking among medical recipients’ (1). One of the notable actions implemented with intent to reduce teenage smoking is the hike in cigarette price which according to some researchers has brought about significant decline in smoking habits. As Jacobson states, â€Å"the cost of cigarettes faced by teenagers can be raised through both price and non-price measures. Policy makers at the federal, state, and local levels can increase the price of cigarettes by raising cigarettes excise taxes-perhaps the most direct route of action† (Jacobson, 178). Admittedly, till date, the smoking

Society of Free Clinic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Society of Free Clinic - Essay Example Some governments happen to be reluctant in running these projects due to the high costs. They have long delicate processes which cannot be assumed and so the relevant authorities happen to postpone them. This explains the reason as to why many politicians rely on them for promises that would convince the public to vote for them. It is encouraging to experience a government that pays attention in fulfilling these promises. For a government to put up a free clinic to serve citizens in a specific area there is a procedure to follow that guides it in considering the necessary factors. Assessment must be done to the area to find out whether a free clinic will surely be of help to the inhabitants. It is in order to find out whether there could be presence of any other sector providing health services to the people. This helps to find out whether the inhabitants of the targeted area are really uninsured in terms medical facilities. The process also helps to evaluate the possibility of the community supporting the clinic. It is important to find out how well members will appreciate the project and join hands towards supporting it. Their support could be in terms of volunteering time, donations and even funds towards making the clinic run in the most effective way possible (Hall, 2011). These evaluations in terms of the public participation may also help to find out for how long the clinic is able to run and how effective it could be. In the process of putting up the clinic it is good to access additional support from nearby local hospitals. This helps in seeing to it that the delicate services that may require great skills will possibly be taken care of. Finally, the process must involve a research on the best location for the clinic, where it will be effective to those who need it (Starting a Free Clinic, n.d). These clinics have benefits to the members of the society.