Blackadder Goodbyeee Essay Example for Free

Blackadder Goodbyeee Essay Blackadder is a four series BBC1 sitcom that was created in 1983 by Richard Curties and Ben Elton. It attempt to explain Bristish history in a period from 1485 to 1917 in a comedic way. Blackadder Goes Forth has an lampoon approach to the World War I which was an dread event. This lampoon approaching is particularly success in the last episode, Goodbyee, which tells the story of five main character, Captain Edmund Blackadder (Rowan Atkinson), Private S. Baldrick (Tony Robinson), Genereal Sir Anthony Hogmanay Melchett (Stephen Fry), Lieutenant The Honourable George Colthurst St. Barleigh ( Hugh Laurie) and Captain Kevin Darling (Tim McInnerny). Each of them had their own reaction and feeling in respond to the last push. The fear, the anxiety, and desire not to be dead were described in a comedy way. It is said that when the situation is far worse to cry, laugh to it. It means there is no word can describe the horror of that situation. The episode Goodbyee chose that approach to tell the real story of soldiers, hero and casualty, in World War I. Eventhough the laugh, silly questions, cunning plan, and funny event happen throughout the movie, there is nothing real fun. All the reaction is their respond out of depression as the last attempt to avoid the dead. Blending comedy with tragedy, Goodbyeee definitely makes the audience feel the horror of the war, the meaningless and the cost of it. World War I or Great War was a major war took place in Europe from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918 between two opposite alliances: the Allies (United Kingdom, France and Russia) and the Central Power (Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italia). Triggered by the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, the heir of the throne, the war began. The Austro-Hungarian invaded Serbia, the German invaded Belgium, Luxembourg and France, and the Russian attacked Germany. The Western Front settled into a static battle with a trench line that changed little until 1917. After United Sates entered the trench and the Allies drove back the German armies in a series of successful offensive, Germany agreed to a cease fire on 11 November 1918, marked the end of the Great War. This four years war cost about 70 million military personnel mobilized and more than 9 million combatants killed. â€Å"World War I†, Wikipedia) Goodbyeee tell the true story about the soldier in the Western Front. All of their reaction, feeling and ideas about the war are shown in their last minutes before the big push. Eventhough they were professional soldiers, they were still afraid of a battle. Captain Blackadder (Atkinson) pretended to go mad by putting an underwear on his head and putting stick up his nose, in order to be sent back but it did not work out. General Melchett (Fry) gave Captain Darling (McInnerny) the frontline commission honor- the honor of being dead. Afraid of being dead,Captain Darling kneeled and pleaded General Melchett (Fry) to change his mind but unsuccessful. Eventhough the fear of Captain Darling was so obvious; General Melchett intentionally misinterpreted the pleading. Regardless the leader’ responsibility and role-mole, all of them were trying to find a way to escape the dead. They did not feel ashamed when pretending to be mad in the cunning plan in front of their soldier or shoving the honor of dead in the front line to other people. They did not feel humiliated when pleading and kneeling. They even pretended to misunderstand the obviously begging. They ran away from their responsibility. That never have been expected to do as a soldier who could die for their country. The laugh added, the calm voice and the funny faces of actors make the viewer the humor of the situation. However, beneath the humor is the raw fear that can not be easily uncovered. The raw fear was not easily uncovered, but the lost would be. All of George’s friends were dead, simply and normally. However, looking at the way their dead were described â€Å"Sticky had been out for a duck†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Goodbyee, DVD), there were anything but normal. The news of their dead was not told directly to avoid the feeling of lost. This mean the lost were so horrible that it needed to be avoided. Obviously, as George said, â€Å"I suppose I’m the only one of the Trinity Tiddlers still alive. † (â€Å"Goodbyeee†, DVD), the number of lost were so high. This scene of the movie has another interesting but sorrowful approach: the lost counted by the number of soldiers who were still alive rather than who had been dead. The fear was so visible and the lost were horrible. That leads the question of Private Baldrick (Robinson),â€Å"How did the war start? (â€Å"Goodbyee†, DVD). Even the soldiers who were responsible for protecting the country did understand the reason of the war. Even the Captain could not give the fully and correctly answer. The scrambling of words in question and explanation were attempted to avoid the real truth behind it. There were no clear reasons for the war. There were blind soldiers who would die without knowing why. That is the real horror of the war that the movie makes: people may felt fear, tried to avoid the dead, lost the pride as a soldier without understanding why. Good bye is the obviously comedy. However, beneath all the humor is the sorrowful truth about the war: fear, death and the meaningless of the war. Fear was hidden under mindless activities for exclusion from war. Death and the meaningless of the war were avoided by scrambling words. Laughing at the humor in the movies to hide the tears bursting out when the final truth had been recovered in the last minutes before the big push â€Å" I’m scared, sir. † , said Goerge, â€Å"I’m scared too, sir†, said Baldrick. (â€Å"Goodbyeee†, DVD).

Terrorism Essay -- essays research papers

Terrorism: Cause and Responses Answer 1   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Our world has been a victim of terrorism and terrorist acts since the civilized human life began on this planet. There have been radicals and extremists who have been unhappy about something or the other all along during the development of our world. It can be seen that the ways how these people terrorized the world has changed along with time. Terrorists have always used the path of violence to get their voice heard to the world. With the technological innovations these groups also adapted their means of violence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the examples of the traditional terrorist group (which I must clear that any Indian would not believe it to be a terrorist group but at the time was labeled as a terrorist group) was Hindustan (Indian) Republican Association in India. The whole world knows that India got its independence by following the path directed by Mahatma Gandhi of non-violence, but not many people know that even during the time of Gandhi India did see some brave soldiers like Chandrashekhar Azad, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and many more young generation people who formed groups to fight against the British government. These people were called terrorists by the British government during that time. One of the most famous groups of that time was Hindustan (Indian) Republican Association (HRA) and Bhagat Singh was one of the most active members of group. Before Bhagat Singh joined HRA the activities and the purpose of this group was unknown to the general public of India and that was one of the main reasons that even the population of India thought that this group was a terrorist organization, but everything changed after Bhagat Singh joined HRA. Bhagat Singh was a well educated man who believed in communism. He studied the writings of the anarchist leader Bakunin, some thing of the father of communism Marx, but more of Lenin, Trotsky and others who had succeeded in bringing about a revolution in their country. For Bhagat Singh the decisive break came in the post-1926 period when the Hindustan Republican Association leadership fell on his shoulders. He lost no time in articulating the necessity of having a political ideology and that was to be Marxism. In 1928, Bhagat Singh also had the responsibility of the Hindustan Republican Association with Chandra Shekhar A... ...ocracy. On the other end the radical Islamic groups are not at all confined to their own country; they are more interested in spreading the word of Islam in the whole world. –The Islamic groups would indulge in terrorist act towards their own country only when it is necessary. –The other big difference is the highly sophisticated training camps that the radical Islamic groups use is not that easily available to the right wing groups. –The funding in case of the right wing groups is limited and does not have any support from their own government or the people. –One of the most important goals of the radical Islamic terrorist groups is the formation of a coalition of all loosely-affiliated Islamic groups and countries and spread the word of Islam in the world. On the other hand there is not much of a connection between different right wing American terrorist groups amongst themselves. The reason behind the right wing American terrorist groups and the radical Islamic terrorist groups to be different might be that their final goals are different from each other. Some of their methods of beliefs might be similar but except that the final goals of both the groups do not match.

Ron Gutman: the Hidden Power of Smiling and Amit Sood: Building a Museum of Museums on the Web

Ron Gutman, the founder and CEO of HealthTap, a personalized health-info site, gave the speech about the power of smiling. As everyone knows that smile is good for our health; he gave the supporting data and facts about that statement. For instance, there was a study about the relation between student face’s photo in the yearbook of UC Berkeley and the student’s success and well-being throughout their lives. Another study showed that the span of the people’s smile could predict the life span of people’s life; people who have beaming smile could have 79. 9 years of their life span while only 72. years for people who do not smile. W e naturally smile to express joy and satisfaction; one smile could generate the same level of happiness equals to 2,000 bar of chocolate; even the people in the tribe who are isolated from the modern world also smile. Also smiling could make us healthier since it reduce stress-enhancing hormone like cortisone. And the message behind smiling, which is happiness, could be passed to the others as well. When you smile, you look and feel good. And when other people see you, they would mimic the smile and feel good too, as this would go on as a cycle. In conclusion, smiling has many aspects of benefit, so let’s SMILE. http://www. ted. com/talks/ron_gutman_the_hidden_power_of_smiling. html Amit Sood: Building a museum of museums on the web Art Project is the great idea created by Amit Sood. It is the project of creating a 3D virtual image of the museum on the website which allows the people from any class of society to get access to the artworks from any museum through the website www. googleartproject. com. Users can move around and look at the artwork one by one by simply just clicking. And it is much faster to move from one end to another room of the museum by one click. Besides, the images of the artworks in the museum have huge size i. e. 10 billion pixels. It is amazing because user could notice some small spot of details e. g. painting crack that is impossible to notice when they carefully look at the real artwork in the museum. Moreover, user could create his/her own favorite collection album regardless of who they are. http://www. ted. com/talks/amit_sood_building_a_museum_of_museums_on_the_web. ht

Cultural Relativism

|Cultural Moral Relativism. Do We All Agree? | |Essay #1 Pratheep | |Sivabaalan 100266114 | |11/18/2009 | |James Connelly | I find Rachel’s arguments against the view of Cultural Moral Relativism persuasive and very convincing. Believers of Cultural Relativism have influenced the notion that cultural moral codes are culture bound. After explicating and assessing Cultural Relativism views and Rachels arguments, it is clear that there are discrepancies and inconsistencies in the views that favor Cultural Relativism. Rachels introduces a number of considerations that reject Cultural Relativism. Cultural Relativism tells us that there is no such thing as universal truth in ethics, and what does exist is the customs of different societies. Furthermore, we cannot judge a custom of another society or our own as right or wrong. Cultural Relativism simplifies its facts by employing an argument, known as the ‘Cultural Differences’ argument. ) Different cultures have different moral codes 2) Therefore, there is no objective â€Å"truth† in morality. Right and wrong are only matters of opinion, and opinions vary from culture to culture (Rachels, p18) Rachels identifies that argument as being unsound, thus an invalid argument altogether. Rachels explains that the conclusion does not follow the premise. Rachels explains that the argument’s premise concerns what people believe, and the conclusion concerns what really is the case. I agree with Rachels reasoning on the argument, the premise is motivated by observations, and not the facts and the conclusion suggests what is true. Therefore, the argument cannot be considered as a strong view for cultural relativism since the conclusion does not logically follow the premise; an unsound argument. Rachels attempts to provide stronger claims to reject Cultural Relativism through a method known as reduction ad absurbum. One of the main points that Cultural Relativism stresses is that â€Å"We can no longer say that customs of other societies are morally inferior to our own†. Rachels disagrees with this notion in contrast with less compassionate practices in other societies. Rachels brings up examples, such as the oppression of the Chinese Government upon its citizens. Cultural Relativism denies us to condemn such actions because we cannot judge practices in another society to our own. I believe Rachel has a good point on how far is too far, when it comes to customs in other societies. Situations and practices like excursion, slavery, stoning and etc raises questions on how tolerate can people be on inhuman practices. Another proposition that Cultural Relativism brings up is that â€Å"We could no longer criticize the code of our own society†. Rachel criticizes this statement by suggesting that people do not believe our society’s code is perfect, but Cultural Relativism disallows us to think of ways why our society can be better. I agree that our society’s moral code is not prefect and there are a number of reasons that suggests this. For example, animal testing and killings of specific dog breeds are questionable in our society’s moral codes. Furthermore, in our society we have different views on the topic of abortion, where people feel it is right and wrong. Like many societies and our own, we are prone to question our own moral codes and customs. Lastly, â€Å"The idea of moral progress would be called into doubt†, is the last statement Cultural Relativism conveys. The statement contradicts many of Cultural Relativism views it expressed. Rachels example of women rights can be seen as progress, yet it also means that the old ways, before the movement, are now being replace by new and improved ways. Cultural Relativism does view women rights changes as progress; however it forbids us from thinking that this is making our society better. Thus, cultural relativism views on progress makes this argument contradictory. The five tenets of Cultural Relativism undergo further explication as Rachel notes further criticism. The first claim, â€Å"different societies have different moral codes†, holds some truth, however fails to explain that there are universal values that all societies do share. Values such as truth telling, prohibition of murder and caring for the young are conceived by all societies. The only difference is the factual beliefs, not their values. I agree with Rachel, that there are some values that cultures do share. The second tenet, â€Å"The moral code of a society determines what is right within that society; that is, if the moral code of a society says that a certain action is right, then that action is right, at within that society†. Rachel assesses and explains that there is a vast difference in what a society believes and what is really true. Practices, like excision, can be very wrong and suggests does it really promote or hinder human well being. I believe it hinders a human well being, excision is a painful procedure that abolishes sexual pleasure for the individual. Scarring and tendencies to contract disease(s) are most probable in the long run. Cultural relativism believes that society’s morals of a culture can never be wrong. However, Rachels believes that we can see that societies are in need of moral improvement. I agree with Rachels statements, there is room for societies to understand and learn that mistakes can be made even in cultural customs. The third tenet, â€Å"There is no objective standard that can be used to judge one society’s code as better than another’s. There are no moral truths that hold for all people at all times†. Rachels strongly disagrees with this tenet in cases of stoning, slavery and excision. Rachels says, â€Å"it always matters whether a practice promotes or hinder the welfare of the people affected by it†(Rachels, p28). People affected by such barbaric practices do not seem to improve the quality of their lives nor their happiness. The forth tenet, â€Å"The moral code of our own society has no special status; it is but one among many†. Rachels points out that Cultural Relativism says, â€Å"it is merely one among many†(Rachels, p28) which directs an ‘open question’. A code in particular can be one of the best or one of the worse. This opens up an entirely new discussion that there are customs that are questioned to being right or wrong. The fifth tenet, â€Å"It is arrogant for us to judge other cultures. We should always be tolerate of them†. Rachels raises truth in this statement, we are often arrogant when we criticize other cultures, and tolerance is a good thing. Nevertheless, Rachels notes, we shouldn’t tolerate everything, human societies have done horrible things. Tolerance can only go so far, to a point where intervention is crucial. This claim is inconsistent with the second claim, ‘that right and wrong are determined by the norms of a society’. There are instants that norms of a society favor intolerance, for example the Nazi army invading Poland. Cultural Relativism teaches us not to criticize the Nazis for being intolerant if all they’re doing is following their own moral codes. However, cultural relativism also tells us that the norms of a culture are bound within the culture itself. Since the norms are bound in Polish society, invasion and manslaughter are not part of their norms. Work Cited: Rachels, James and Stuart Rachels. (2009). The Elements of Moral Philosophy. 6th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Free will, determinism and fatalism.

Free will, determinism and fatalism. According to the notes and the discussion in class we have seen that fatalism means "that certain events are fated to happen no matter what we want or do", therefore assuming that there is nothing that we can do to stop it from happening. Hosper is a believer of the fatalism; he argues that we are all determined to behave in a certain way according to the psychological laws. I would have to agree with Hosper, if he refers to those certain psychological laws as the environment that surrounds each individual. In my opinion, individuals will react and make decision according to the way that individual was brought up or depending on his environment. In my point of view, fatalism makes sense only for small choices, choices that do not have a big repercussion in someone's life. For example Fatalism is easy to believe in a small case that shows an Asian person choosing sushi over a burger; and vise-versa for an American person to choose the burger over the sushi.From http://hypernews.ngdc.n oaa.govThat choice can be called fatalism; However Determinism makes more sense, "it is the view that all actions and events are determined to happen based upon antecedent causes and pre-existing conditions. Given your beliefs and desires a certain action or response was certain to follow. According to the determinist all actions are determined and that rules out the possibility of human freedom. We are simply biological entities behaving in accordance with the laws of nature. If you knew all the laws, then you could determine all of our behavior". I believe this theory holds some truth, it applies to more important choices an individual will make, like for example in the area of love. It is difficult for me that a person was for each another. In the notes,

President Trumans Fair Deal of 1949

President Trumans Fair Deal of 1949 The Fair Deal was an extensive list of proposals for social reform legislation suggested by U.S. President Harry S. Truman in his State of the Union address to Congress on January 20, 1949. The term has since come to be used to describe the overall domestic policy agenda of Truman’s presidency, from 1945 to 1953. Key Takeaways: The "Fair Deal" The â€Å"Fair Deal† was an aggressive agenda for social reform legislation proposed by President Harry Truman in January 1949.Truman had initially referred to this progressive domestic policy reform program as his â€Å"21-Points† plan after taking office in 1945.While Congress rejected many of Truman’s Fair Deal proposals, those that were enacted would pave the way for important social reform legislation in the future. In his State of the Union Address, President Truman told Congress that that, â€Å"Every segment of our population, and every individual, has a right to expect from his government a fair deal.† The â€Å"Fair Deal† set of social reforms Truman spoke of continued and built on the New Deal progressivism of President Franklin Roosevelt and would represent the last major attempt by the Executive Branch to create new federal social programs until President Lyndon Johnson proposed his Great Society program in 1964. Opposed by the â€Å"conservative coalition† that controlled Congress from 1939 to 1963, only a handful of Truman’s Fair Deal initiatives actually became law. A few of the major proposals that were debated, but voted down, included federal aid to education, the  creation of a Fair Employment Practices Commission, repeal of the Taft–Hartley Act limiting the power of labor unions, and the provision of universal health insurance. The conservative coalition was a group of Republicans and Democrats in Congress who generally opposed increasing the size and power of the federal bureaucracy. They also denounced labor unions and argued against most new social welfare programs. Despite the opposition of the conservatives, liberal lawmakers managed to win approval of some of the less controversial measures of the Fair Deal. History of the Fair Deal President Truman first gave notice that he would pursue a liberal domestic program as early as September 1945. In his first postwar address to Congress as president, Truman laid out his ambitious â€Å"21-Points† legislative program for economic development and expansion of social welfare. Truman’s 21-Points, several of which still resonate today, included: Increases to the coverage and amount of the unemployment compensation systemIncrease the coverage and amount of the minimum wageControl the cost of living in a peacetime economyEliminate federal agencies and regulations created during World War IIEnact laws ensure full employmentEnact a law making the Fair Employment Practice Committee permanentEnsure sound and fair industrial relationsRequire the U.S. Employment Service to provide jobs for former military personnelIncrease federal assistance to farmersEase restrictions on voluntary enlistment in the armed servicesEnact broad, comprehensive and non-discriminatory fair housing lawsEstablish a single federal agency dedicated to researchRevise the income tax systemEncourage the disposal through sale of surplus government propertyIncrease federal assistance for small businessesImprove federal assistance to war veteransEmphasize conservation and protection of natural in federal public works programsEncourage foreign post-war reconstructio n and settlements of Roosevelt’s Lend-Lease Act Increase wages of all federal government employeesPromote the sale of surplus wartime U.S. naval vesselsEnact laws to grow and retain stockpiles of materials essential to the future defense of the nation Expecting lawmakers to take the lead in drafting the bills necessary to implement his 21-Points, Truman did not send them to Congress. Focused at the time on dealing with rampant inflation, the transition to a peacetime economy, and the growing threat of Communism, Congress had little time for Truman’s social welfare reform initiatives. Despite the delays and opposition from the conservative Republican majority in Congress, Truman persisted, continuing to send them an ever-increasing number of proposals for progressive legislation. By 1948, the program that had begun as the 21-Points had come to be known as the â€Å"Fair Deal.†Ã‚   After his historically unexpected victory over Republican Thomas E. Dewey in the 1948 election, President Truman repeated his social reform proposals to Congress referring to them as the â€Å"Fair Deal.† Highlights of Truman’s Fair Deal Some of the major social reform initiatives of President Truman’s Fair Deal included: A national health insurance planFederal aid to educationAbolition of poll taxes and other practices intended to prevent racial minorities from votingA major tax cut for low-income workersExpanded Social Security coverageA farm assistance programExpansion of public housing programsA substantial increase in the minimum wageRepeal of the labor union-weakening Taft-Hartley ActA new TVA-style program to create public works projectsCreation of a federal Department of Welfare To pay for his Fair Deal programs while reducing the national debt, Truman also proposed a $4 billion tax increase. The Legacy of the Fair Deal Congress rejected most of Truman’s Fair Deal initiatives for two main reasons: Opposition from members of the majority-holding conservative coalition in Congress who viewed the plan as advancing President Roosevelt’s New Deal’s effort to achieve what they considered to be a â€Å"democratic socialist society.†In 1950, barely a year after Truman proposed the Fair Deal, the Korean War shifted the government’s priorities from domestic to military spending. Despite these roadblocks, Congress did approve a few or Truman’s Fair Deal initiatives. For example, the National Housing Act of 1949 funded a program removing crumbling slums in poverty-stricken areas and replacing them with 810,000 new federally rent-assisted public housing units. And in 1950, Congress nearly doubled the minimum wage, raising it from 40 cents per hour to 75 cents per hour, an all-time record 87.5% increase. While it enjoyed little legislative success, Truman’s Fair Deal was significant for many reasons, perhaps most notably its establishment of a demand for universal health insurance as a permanent part of the Democratic Party’s platform. President Lyndon Johnson credited the Fair Deal as being essential to the passage of his Great Society health care measures such as Medicare.

MKTG CLASS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

MKTG CLASS - Essay Example Although it is a very old brand (154 years), it needed a lot of restoration work in the present economic climate. She says that in the planning stage many basic questions were asked. New plans were devised to come up with better products. The customers were segmented on the basis of their geographical locations. After the planning, she removed much inefficiency within the company. Millions of pounds were saved but not at the cost of staff. Instead the company spent more money on renovating the stores and making them look more attractive. The presentation then focuses on the ‘soft strategies’. New methods were devised on the backbone of digital technology in order to lure the customers. Burberry now frequently organizes fully choreographed live webcast. The video shows people all around the world watching runway shows live in the Burberry showrooms. All the crucial information about new products, stores, shows etc is provided on the internal website. Travelling road shows are also organized as a part of CRM. The focus of the presentation then shifts towards the human element of the company. Angela says that they hire smart and like-minded people for their brand and organize awards in order to appreciate and motivate them. The company wants to project its modernity through every aspect of its business. For this reason, the Burberry headquarter has a futuristic look with energy saving features to it. But the innovation doesn’t stop with the building. The company has created its own social media website. Customers throughout the world are kept informed through Facebook and live stream shows. The presentation then ends with Angela assuring the audience of her team’s sincerity towards making Burberry a hugely successful