Act of Concern Essay Example for Free

Act of Concern Essay The average Filipino generates 0.3 and 0.5 kilograms of garbage daily in rural and urban areas, respectively. A recent Asian Development Bank (ADB) 2004 study showed that 6,700 MT of waste is generated daily in Metro Manila. Annual waste generation is expected to grow 40% by 2010 These garbage come in many forms: the styrofoams used by a fast food chain, a broken pair of slippers and wrappers of various snacks are just some examples. For the past decades, issues regarding disposal of these large amount of waste have been a primary concern. Landfill sites continuously blow as more garbage is generated. However, economists would say resources are scarce and limited especially in land. Thus in 2002, the Supreme Court decided to pass Republic Act 8749 or the Clean Air Act of 1999 making the Philippines the first country to ban burning or incineration of all wastes. Incineration is a waste treatment process which uses combustion. Waste materials are converted into ash, flue gas and heat. Incineration does not totally replace landfill sites but rather significantly reduces the volumes of wastes necessary for disposal1 (Wikipedia). But beneath this supposedly positive output lies the harmful effects of incineration to the environment. Environmentalists claim that burning waste materials result to numerous negative environmental, social and health effects. Some of these harms are: †¢ Poison to the environment, human body, and food supply with toxic chemicals. The release of gases like dioxin during the burning process is harmful to every human life. †¢ Production of toxic byproducts †¢ Undermining of waste prevention and recycling †¢ Contribution to global climate change †¢ Generation of waste energy and destruction of vast quantities of resources †¢ Violation of the principles of environmental justice When the ban of combustion was lifted, there went opposition from various groups that were directly affected. These groups were businessmen, firms and rich individuals involved in the business and industrialized sector, for the reason that they find incineration as the easiest and cheapest method of waste reduction. Such a self-centered way of thinking cannot be changed by any reasoning. And â€Å"nature’s revenge† has its means to get even. At the outset, www.hubpages.com reported that 377 people died, 32 still missing and Php 10 billion or over $200 million worth of damage to infrastructure, crops and properties were lost when typhoon â€Å"Ondoy† devastated the whole country last September 26, 2009. Even some parts of the Metro Manila had been temporarily removed in the map. It was noted as one of the most alarming catastrophes in the country’s history. Not only houses, buildings and establishments were destroyed but also families who have lost their beloved relatives. Indeed, the incident had left people nothing but sorrow. Other than this, the Payatas tragedy is also an alarming result of this garbage problem in the country. These incidences would not probably happen if the government has not failed to implement an effective and efficient waste reduction program. So, even though the government has its loop holes or shortcomings in terms of the full implementation process, everyone should be concerned in taking care of the environment. We must all be responsible for our actions. And to quote from one professor â€Å"even the smallest thing we do can make or break our resources.† In the end, if the state will not follow the rules and regulations those will be futile ones and should be abandoned.

Effective Use of Sound Techniques in Fritz Lang’s Film, M Essay

Effective Use of Sound Techniques in Fritz Lang’s Film, M M was directed by Fritz Lang and was released in Germany in 1931. M follows the story of a strand of child murders in a German city. In a hunt for the murderer the police as well as the organized criminal underground of this German city search rapidly for the killer of these innocent children. The specific elements that Fritz Lang uses to express his view of what the sound should be are, how particular sound techniques shape the film, and how the sound affects the story. In a shot by shot analysis of a series scenes that uses diegetic sound the audience can understand what Lang's intentions for sound was for this film. Initially the audience is witness to how particular sound techniques shape this film. For instance, one of the main details that the audience hears is the song that the murderer whistles. Due to the marvel of sound the audience can pick out that the whistling is related to the murderer. Along with the blind man who figured this mystery out, the audience could only put these two together with this sound technique. The director shows the audience how such a simple part of every day sound can be so important to solving such a terrible crime. An additional sound technique that the director uses is during the beginning of the film with the clock on the wall of Elsie Beckmann's family's apartment. The director uses this clock as a suspense builder to show more and more time is passing without her mother hearing something from her daughter. Attributable to the novelty of sound, the ding dongs and coo-coos on the clock are louder than in reality. This could be another way in which the director wanted to pull the audience into the element of what the clock ... ... understands how important time is being portrayed for Elsie's mother. In brief, the audience can see how this 1931 sound film could be shaped by sound in a number of ways. Considering that sound at this time was a new phenomenon it is understood why mostly diegetic sound was used over nondiegetic sound. This director also showed the audience how the story could be affected by sound with examples like the clock becoming a character and storyline of its own and also the murderer being identified with his whistling. With the lack of sound and the collage of images during specific times, the director was able to create a mood without music or sound. Apparently this was a technique that was learned throughout his many years of silent films. These details were what brought the story together and would not have been done so precisely without the technique of sound.

“Art for Heart’s Sake” by Reuben Lucius Essay

â€Å"Art for Heart’s Sake† is a short story written by Reuben Lucius â€Å"Rube† Goldberg, an American cartoonist, sculptor, author, engineer, and inventor, who lived between 1883 and 1970. He is best known as a cartoonist and a founding member of America’s National Cartoonists Society. Collins P. Ellsworth is a wealthy 76-year-old businessman who is being treated for a form of compulsive buying disorder, otherwise known as oniomania: His uncontrollable buying habits—he can hardly suppress the urge to purchase businesses and property such as grocery stores and railroads—have precipitated a host of mental and physical problems. Dr. Caswell, his doctor, convinces him to try art therapy sessions with Frank Swain, a young art student. As the treatment progresses, Ellsworth turns his interest to painting and to the operations of art galleries. He then paints an amateurish picture, which he exhibits at the Lathrop Gallery. A letter soon arrives, revealing that the First Prize of the Lathrop Show has been awarded to none other than Ellsworth; it turns out that the old businessman has recently purchased the Lathrop Gallery. Written in a combination of third-person narrative and direct speech, the story brings Ellsworth and his experiment with art therapy into focus, reaching its climax when the old man, almost improbably, decides to exhibit his third-rate painting at the Lathrop Gallery (â€Å"He was going to exhibit it . . . !†). The story may be divided into five sections, each of which recounts a different stage of Ellsworth’s progress: from his background as a compulsive property buyer, to Dr. Caswell’s treatment suggestion, to the art therapy sessions with Frank Swain, to the Lathrop exhibition, and finally, to the startling revelation of Ellsworth’s purchase of the gallery. [Possible section titles: Enter a Cranky Property Addict, Cajoled into Rehab, Art is Medicine, Practice Doesn’t Always Make Perfect, A Relapse.] The story is told in a humorous and, to an extent, ironic tone. We would be hard-pressed to deny the situational humor of a snappy and petulant, albeit very wealthy, 76-year-old in a hospital-like establishment. The epithets â€Å"a loud, raucous splash on the wall† and â€Å"a god-awful smudge,† along with the metaphor â€Å"gob of salad dressing,† are teasingly said in reference to Ellsworth’s weak painting skills. His personified dislike of the pineapple juice prescribed by Dr. Caswell (â€Å". . . old pineapple juice comes back.†) is likewise worth a smile. By using zeugma (â€Å"All his purchases of recent years had to be liquidated at a great sacrifice both to his health and his pocketbook.†), Goldberg forges a link of irony between Ellsworth’s health and his money: the more money the old man spends on compulsive property purchases, the more his condition deteriorates. The ultimate irony, however, is that a treatment designed to alleviate Ellsworth’s oniomania serves only to aggravate it. The character of Collins P. Ellsworth is portrayed, mostly indirectly, as crabby, materialistic, and petulant. From the very first lines, we can hear him retorting with the informal nope and brandishing dated colloquial pejoratives (e.g., bosh, rot, poppycock). The simile â€Å"like a child playing with his picture book† brings out Ellsworth’s childishness, while his impatience is highlighted by his frequent use of the interjection umph. Vain and impatient, he â€Å"snaps† and â€Å"grunts with satisfaction† at his feeble attempts at painting. His belief that money—as opposed to talent—can buy one anything may not be the best philosophy to live by, for it is money and his uncontrollable urges to spend it that have undermined Ellsworth’s health. Dr. Caswell is driven by professionalism (â€Å". . . with his usual professional calm . . .†), logic (â€Å"He had done some constructive thinking . . . .†), and compassion, alway s acting with Ellsworth’s best interests at heart. The fact that he recommends Frank Swain as tutor to the often intolerable Ellsworth, thereby helping Swain pay his tuition, also speaks positively of Dr. Caswell. Frank Swain is similarly patient and attentive, which is evident, for example, when he brings the grumpy old man watercolors and oils, or when he politely (â€Å"Not bad, sir.†) comments on Ellsworth’s risible picture, although there is no certain way of establishing whether the remark was or was not used somewhat sarcastically. The character of Koppel, the male nurse, does nothing but fetch pineapple juice and therefore plays only a subsidiary role in the story—perhaps that of helping fuel Ellsworth’s grumpiness and of functioning as a sort of human prop in the final â€Å"surprise† scene of the story. As noted above, apart from largely neural vocabulary, the story features a number of dated informal words (as above, e.g., bosh, rot, poppycock), phrases (by gum), and colloquialisms (kinda), which all serve the purpose of portraying Ellsworth as an old, grumpy, and childish man. Vocabulary pertaining to painting—such as water-colors, oils, picture book, gallery, exhibit, and numerous others—helps establish the setting and reinforces the image of Ellsworth as a grown-up baby â€Å"[fooling] around with chalk and crayons.† At the syntactic level, brisk, simple sentences account for the majority of the sentences found in the story. If not too simple, the syntax, on the whole, is rather uncomplicated, with a significant number of elliptical (â€Å"Not bad.† â€Å"Fine.†) and exclamatory (â€Å"Nope!† â€Å"Bosh!† â€Å"Umph!†) sentences. Such sentences, in conjunction with the straightforward syntax, strengthen the impression of Ellsworth’s awkwardness. Through repetition (â€Å"See, see . . .†) and aposiopesis (â€Å"But, but—well, now . . . .†), Goldberg imitates the way many people would react in moments of overwhelming surprise. This story is interesting in that it portrays a complex man—old, rich, petulant like a child, and in a precarious state of mental and physical health. As we watch his ostensible passion for art develop, we may find ourselves inspired by his progress and, not infrequently, even amused by his caustic remarks. But when we learn about his regression at the end of the story, we are bound for disappointment—we begin to view Ellsworth as a childish and materialistic person not worthy of our sympathy. Is he such a man? That is precisely why this story is so interesting: While humorous and ironic on the surface, it poses the deep question of whether Ellsworth is really in control of himself when he decides to purchase the Lathrop Gallery, or whether he is a victim of a mentall illness none of us would ever wish on our worst enemies. Should we be amused at his regression, or should we pity him?

Jackie Robinson s Impact On Baseball - 1150 Words

Jack Roosevelt â€Å"Jackie† Robinson was born on January 31,1919 in Cairo, Georgia. Jackie was the youngest of five children born to Mallie and Jerry Robinson who were sharecroppers. Jackie was a very athletic individual. Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier and became the first African-American player in the 20th century. Through his contribution, he allowed many others to come join the big league which forever contributed the game. Robinson’s impact made to baseball will always be remembered. Robinson was a very educated and athletic individual who went to high school and college. In 1935, Robinson went to John Muir High School and did tremendously well in the field of sports. At Muir High School, Jackie player shortstop and catcher on the baseball team, guard on the basketball team, quarterback on the football team and won numerous awards in the broad jump. Looking at his excellence in sports, his older brothers Mack and Frank pursued their interests in sports. 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The only thing lacking in the great game was the absence of African American players and the presence of an all white sport. America still wasn’t friendly or accepted the African American race and many still held great prejudice towards them. All this would change when the general manage r of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Branch Rickey decided he was going toRead MoreJackie Robinson1707 Words   |  7 PagesBaseball has always been Americas national pastime. In the early and all the way into the mid 50s, baseball was America and America was baseball. The only thing lacking in the great game was the absence of African American players and the presence of an all white sport. America still wasnt friendly or accepted the African American race and many still held great prejudice towards them. All this would change when the general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Branch Rickey decided he was going to