Sea World

Sea World Did you ever wish that something amazing would occur in your life, and when your wish is fulfilled, the outcome is better than you imagined? Well ,welcome to my stunning story about my adventurous trip to the Orlando's Sea World Water Park†¦.. The day begun just fine. I was ten years old and it was a few days after I arrived in Florida. It was summer, in the year 2009 and my cousins and I were very bored. Before I arrived in Florida, my aunt promised me that she would have taken me somewhere, but she wasn't sure where as yet.A few minutes later, my older cousin- Que wanner arrived from work, exclaiming that she got free tickets to Sea World. Hearing about it all the time and watching the advertisements on the television, I was really anxious! â€Å"When are we going Que wanner? †, I asked, curiously. â€Å"How about we go now! † she replied. â€Å"Ye aah! † I screamed, ambivalently. I ran to my closet and took out: a pink strapless top,white short shorts, my new swimsuit, my towels and my pink and white hi-top sneakers. After packing my bag, I scampered down the stairs. Everyone was ready except mom. She was having trouble with finding her swimsuit.Five minutes later, we were on our way to Sea World. We laughed and sang until we arrived at the amazing place. I could smell the fresh aromatic scent of the fresh water-park as I stepped out of the car. I heard the birds chirping, a patter and the trees danced with the cool breeze. The first thing I saw, was a huge roller coaster extending over a small building in the sky, that seemed like a mini tower. The water park was colorful and everything was in order. As we were about to enter the building, there was an anile lady shouting and she created a big scene in front of a group of men.I think she was a bit of a coquette. Anyways we continued to enter the park. First, we visited the zoo. There were a lot of cameras flashing, as the different animals posed. We visited the tiger, the zebras,polar-bears,lions,snakes, ,stingrays and other animals. My cousin, a future veterinarian was overwhelmed with joy. After seeing that, we couldn't wait to explore the rest of the park. Secondly,we entered a building with a big aquarium roof and information about rocks made of limestone,and other information about the animals in the aquarium. The building was really pretty ; I couldn't wait to explore more!Third, we we went back outside. We were trying to decide where to visit next but the park was filled with different â€Å"catchy† attractions which made it hard to decide. I saw a big blue roller coaster that shaped like a stingray and a sign-Manta was printed on it. â€Å"Can we try that one? † my cousin Alyssa asked. â€Å"You guys can go but I'm not coming! † mom said nervously. â€Å"Are you scared ! † we teased her. My aunt, my cousins and I headed to the ride. Grandma and mom were sitting on a bench waiting. We walked briskly to the ride and it was also filled with a big aquarium roof, with real animals.At the door,there was a lady checking if we were at the average height to enter to the ride. As we stepped up, she said my aunt,my cousin-David and I were great, but Alyssa didn't make it to the average height. Disappointed, we walked Alyssa back to the bench, and tried to catch the ride. We sat in seats that were set in a horizontal order. It left within five seconds. As my first roller coaster, I was nervous. It carried us all the way in the sky,in the water, then diagonally back into the sky. It ended within one minute. I couldn't wait to race back and tell mommy and grandma about the excitement and the joy I felt on the ride.After talking, we left the park for twenty minutes and went to the nearest Wendy's Restaurant to eat. After eating, we returned to the park. We went on the simulator ride which welcomed relaxation and comfort. Then we went on a water slide which was quite risky, but fun. The place was getting re ally dark, it was 5:42. My aunt said that we would have to leave soon because the park closes at 6:00. We saw a sign that said a show by the famous whale- Shamu. We went into the building and there was a very big pool with deep water and some divers with buckets filled with dead, raw fishes.They were feeding dolphins and whales. As we were watching the show, I observed that the whale-Shamu, was pretty amazing, friendly and he was famous. The audience was cheering as he performed some cool tricks, which entertained me a lot. When the show was over, we were all tired but disappointed because we had to leave . Sea World Water park is the best water park I have ever visited! If I were to recommend a water park to a friend ,or a place to just relax and have some fun, I would really go for Sea World Water Park! MY WONDERFUL TRIP TO SEA WORLD Name:Celine DeCambre

A summary of your self-analysis Essay

Audience Analysis (Rating: 1 (2) 3 4) Explanation: My audience is a mixture of students and ordinary people of various ages. They are the masses that form the greater number of the society who prefers plain and simple language, and whose culture, needs and interests are facilitated by their interpersonal relationship and by their basic daily activities. I encircle 2 because I rank 4 as the audience composed of scholars and 3 composed of professionals and well educated people. They are the most important audience as they are the people who are aware of the issues confronting the society and are highly capable of judging me. I chose 3 because they are not my audience yet. Written Communication (Rating: 1 2 (3) 4) Explanation: I chose 3 because I see my self as between 4 and 2. Given the 4 as very good, I would not rank my self this high as I am fully aware I still need to improve in written communication. However, I chose 3 in the sense that I can write short magazine article, write formal letters, and written communication such memorandum for various department of the company. I chose 3 simply to emphasize where I am in the scales of 1 to 4 being 1 as basic and four as very good. Oral Communication (Rating: 1 (2) 3 4). Explanation: I am not good enough in oral communication but I can communicate fairly well. Given that 1 need improvement which means basic, I do need improvement too but as I said, I can communicate orally but not as effective as I do in the written communication. So though not really basic which means 1, I need further improvement in oral communication so I encircle 2 as my rating in this aspect. Visual Communication (Rating: 1 2 (3) 4) Explanation: I can say that I have skill in this type of communication; I can use visual aids effectively in such a way that my audience understands well the ideas that I conveyed to them. However, I could not say that I do not need improvement at all, am not not perfect and I need to continually improve my skill. So I encircle 3 to emphasize on this regard. Self-image and the image that you project (Rating: 1 2 (3) 4) Explanation: I am quite good at projecting my self but I feel that I need to do. Yes, I can project the image that I wanted my audience to identify me but I still could not say I am really good in this, so I in the rating of 1 to 4 I would chose 3 being 1 as the basic and 4 as that do not need improvement. Effectiveness of dealing with feelings—your own and others (Rating: 1 (2) 3 4) Explanation: Unfortunately, I am quite weak in dealing with my own feelings much more that of others. I still have to address my weakness particularly my temperament and emotional impulses. In this case I rate my self 2 there are still a lot in me that I need to improve. Based on your self-evaluation, please answer the following questions: What are your major communication strengths? Please list. Among my major communication skills are the following, 1. ) I am a good listener. Citing the work of Covey, Poulter, Brooks and Goldstein (2001) pointed out that it is â€Å"difficult, if not impossible, to engage in effective communication †¦if we fail to listen† (p. 49). 2. ) I can write well and express my ideas through writing. 3. ) I can also effectively convey ideas through using visual aids. 4. ) I can project the image that I wanted people to identify me. What are your major communication weaknesses? Please list. 1. ) I am weak in dealing with my emotional impulses which often affect my communication with others. 2. ) I am also weak in oral communication 3.), and in dealing with 3 and 4 audience category What are your goals for improving your leadership communication skills? Please list. The goals that I want to pursue to improve my leadership communication are: 1. ) I need to overcome my emotional impulses and to manage well my temperament, through asking my self what is it that I really wanted to achieve. 2. ) Improve my oral communication skills by learning from great poets and speakers through studying their speeches. 3. ) Enhance my listening and writing ability through determining who my audience is and how will I level my communication to my audience. How will you obtain feedback to ensure that you are making progress on your goals? Please explain. I would say that the best way for me to obtain feedback apply the Leadership Practices Inventory Assessment & professional development plan. This leadership assessment developed by Kouzes and Posner specialized in getting feedback and I would say that it is the best way of obtaining feedback to ensure that I am making progress on my goals. Reference Poulter, S. B. , Brooks, R. , & Goldstein, S. (2001) Raising Resilient Children New York: McGraw-Hills.

Articles of Confederation DBQ

Between 1781 and 1789 America experienced a period of political weakness and lack of action to fix the impending crisis. Following the Revolutionary War, America succeeded in establishing its liberty, free of tyrannical British rule. During this period, the new found freedom of America acted as a double-edged sword. Although Americans had finally achieved the freedom that they had fought for, they were faced with the challenge of establishing an entirely new system of government which they organized under the Articles of Confederation.John Dickinson led the authors of the Articles of Confederation by sharing the document with the Continental Congress on July 12, 1776. The Articles of Confederation provided the United States with an ineffective government, incapable of performing the necessary duties to ensure the success of the growing nation. During the establishment of this free nation, individuals throughout the colonies felt a greater loyalty to their colony than to the newly for med nation which was reflected in the distribution of powers throughout the levels of government.Americans had recently escaped the clutches of a tyrannical government under the rule of King George III of England resulting in a fear of too much centralized power. Instead, the Articles of Confederation regarded the state government as more powerful than the federal government, undermining any federal laws that were passed, as displayed in Document A.â€Å"The said States hereby severally enter into a firm league of friendship with each other, for their common defense, the security of their liberties, and their mutual and general welfare, binding themselves to assist each other, against all force offered to, or attacks made upon them, or any of them, on account of religion, sovereignty, trade, or any other pretense whatever. â€Å"

The determinants of the crises upon the technology firms in turkey Essay

The determinants of the crises upon the technology firms in turkey - Essay Example The business cycle or economic cycle refers to the ups and downs seen somewhat simultaneously in most parts of an economy. The cycle involves shifts over time between periods of relatively rapid growth of output (recovery and prosperity), alternating with periods of relative stagnation or decline (contraction or recession). These fluctuations are often measured using the real gross domestic product. To call those alternances "cycles" is rather misleading as they don't tend to repeat at fairly regular time intervals. Most observers find that their lengths (from peak to peak, or from trough to trough) vary, so that cycles are not mechanical in their regularity. Since no two cycles are alike in their details, some economists dispute the existence of cycles and use the word "fluctuations" (or the like) instead. Others see enough similarities between cycles that the cycle is a valid basis of studying the state of the economy. A key question is whether or not there are similar mechanisms that generate recessions and/or booms that exist in capitalist economies so that the dynamics that appear as a cycle will be seen again and again. Now let us closely observe the main types of business cycles enumerated by Joseph Schumpeter and others in this field have been named after their discoverers or proposers: 1. The Kitchin inventory cycle (3-5 years) -- after Joseph Kitchin. 2. The Juglar fixed investment cycle (7-11 years) -- after Clement Juglar. 3. The Kuznets infrastructural investment cycle (15-25 years) -- after Simon Kuznets, Nobel Laureate. 4. The Kondratiev wave or cycle (45-60 years) -- after Nikolai Kondratiev. Edward R Dewey, who formed The Foundation for the Study of Cycles, studied cycles in everything -- including economic data.... The paper tells that in the Juglar cycle, which is sometimes called "the" business cycle and is the main focus of this entry, recovery, and prosperity are associated with increases in productivity, consumer confidence, aggregate demand, and prices. In the cycles before World War II or that of the late 1990s in the United States, the growth periods usually ended with the failure of speculative investments built on a bubble of confidence that bursts or deflates. In these cycles, the periods of contraction and stagnation reflect a purging of unsuccessful enterprises as resources are transferred by market forces from less productive uses to more productive uses. Cycles between 1945 and the 1990s in the United States were generally more restrained and followed political factors, such as fiscal policy and monetary policy. Automatic stabilization due the government's budget helped moderate the cycle even without conscious action by policy-makers. Because the periods of stagnation are painfu l for many who lose their jobs, pressure arises for politicians to try to smooth out the oscillations. An important goal of all Western nations since the Great Depression has been to limit the dips, and until 2001 or so, a comparable period of economic malaise was avoided. Government intervention in the economy can be risky, however. For instance, some of Herbert Hoover's efforts (including tax increases) are wide, though not universally, believed to have deepened the depression. This was perhaps because his ideas were uninformed by Keynesian economics.

Parenting a Genius Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Parenting a Genius - Essay Example However, there are rare situations wherein the gift is a clear portrayal of superb talent at an early age. It does not only manifest as a mere potential because it enormously exceeds being above average. Hence, a gift becomes a miracle because it appears innate and needs less effort for its development. People argue that if all are given potentials, why do some individuals fail to develop their talents? The answer lies in the fact that while all people are bestowed with capabilities, not all have the passion for the enhancement of these capabilities. Talent and passion come hand in hand. Passion is the fuel that can nourish one’s talent. It is noteworthy, that there is a thin line that separates passion from talent. One may develop interest in an area which is far from his potentials. The stimulation of this passion is the key role that one’s environment plays. The surroundings contribute highly to a person’s development. One essential component of this environme nt is home, which includes the parents. Parents are primary caregivers and the ones mainly responsible for igniting a child’s passion. A harmonious parent-child relationship fosters positive environment. The resulting positivity at home is an atmosphere conducive for refinement of a child’s talents. ... It is his empathic nature that compelled him to choose not to win. The subliminal message of innocence and conscience transcends into the viewers. The film also contains a brief comparison of how a father and mother view their child. The father is eager for achievement like winning, while the mother is unconditional and focuses on his son’s feelings. In a heated argument, the mother is willing to take away her son for the sake of the latter’s freedom. Although, the difference between a father’s and a mother’s love cannot be generalized, it touches the fact that family dispute is unsuitable for a positive parent-child relationship. This, in turn, leads audience back to the realization that home is a key factor in the development of a person’s character. It is a common trend when a family’s passion is into music that the children become inclined to music as well. This is the case for David Helfgott, an Australian pianist, to whom the 1996 film Shine centered upon. Director Hicks made an effort to bring Helfgott to the audience through the exploration of the deep core and complexity of the human character. It is with Helfgott’s father, that we came to realize that parents are human beings too - imperfect and vulnerable to egotistical mechanisms. Amidst these parental flaws, what is more important is the parents’ ability to overcome such temptations. In the film Shine, the father tries associating his past through imposing tension upon his son. Helfgott’s father creates an authoritative ambiance which seemed to be suffocating. As a consequence, Helfgott entangled himself with the pursuit of freedom which ultimately led to an emotional collapse. The mental breakdown of Helfgott opened the viewers’

Did the New Deal work Why or why not Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Did the New Deal work Why or why not - Essay Example Hence, prompted intense debates that persisted during the New Deal’s implementation. However, the New Deal eventually realized its goals giving the president during then a firm base meant to response to his critics’ opinions boldly while citing the then improvement of economic sector in all aspects including people’s lives. The New Deal despite at its inception and during implementation faced numerous criticisms from disbelieving opponents, it worked efficiently evident in the way it met its economic targets. As Roosevelt stated, â€Å"substantial gains well known to all of you have justified our course (Roosevelt, â€Å"Relief, Recovery, Reform and Reconstruction†)†. In this case, gains encompassed numerous and varied improvements that characterized then economy besides heightening people’s welfare. The president was even elaborative in defending his strategy with statistics though hesitantly to mention because those whom he was telling espe cially his opponents knew much about them. They encompassed gain in â€Å"average weekly pay† and reemployment of numerous people especially by private sectors, hence his strategy not only was economic-focused but also touched on citizens’ lives. ... this led to reducing incidences of bankruptcy and uncertainties, which the state together with its industrial firms earlier experienced due to economic unpredictability. In this case, Walker’s sentiments aimed at arousing his audience’s thoughts concerning what used to be the norm in comparison to the economy after implementing the New Deal whose benefits they could measure and experience. Therefore, this acted as a wakeup call for the citizens and especially critics of the then idea to see huge federal’s amount of money that had gone into stabilizing the economic and emerged successfully. This was in alignment with the New Deal intentions, which many before its inception thought was ineffective. New Deal’s emergency gave birth to the rise of varied the then emergent agencies aimed at heightening citizens’ welfare irrespective of their respective political persuasions. According to Mooney, â€Å"†¦.the legislation passed in the first â€Å"Hu ndred Days† of the Roosevelt administration created an array of new federal agencies intended to organize the economic recovery (Mooney, 96).† Agencies in the entire framework of the New Deal comprised varied aspects whose intentions were citizen-centered, for instance, WPA. Since, each state’s economic progress is the measure of citizens’ welfare and ability to offset daily bills satisfactorily without compromising regime of the day’s financial goals. Therefore, through strategy the state not only managed to help the people but also met their respective goals through establishment of agencies, though critics seemed too â€Å"blind† to notice them. The inception and taking over of New Deal contrary to numerous debates successfully managed to change

Financial Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Financial Management - Essay Example The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of globalization on poverty in India. The paper is divided into two parts. The first part, which is assorted of backdrop, provides some theoretical insights into the rationale of economic reform. The second part examines the impact of the reforms in reducing poverty in India. Indeed, the issues of reduction of poverty and inequalities, economic, social and regional, had been the prime concern during the struggle for independence and were used to give effect for social mobilization as well. They also found a prominent place in the five-year plan documents of the country. Any regime, be it market mediate, or state o socially mediated has to be judged in terms of its impact on poverty and inequalities. Indeed, people are the means as well as the end of development. This paper explores that economic reforms that seek to usher in globalization are not directly addressed to poverty. The acknowledged logic of globalization as rationalized by IMF and World Bank is expressed in the two concepts, stabilization and structural adjustment. Related to that is a rule-based operation of free trade and â€Å"trade-related† services, globally promoted and administered by WTO through a series of multi-lateral agreements. Two IMF theoreticians have defined stabilization program as a package of policies designed to eliminate disequilibria between aggregate demand and supply in the economy, which typically manifests itself in balance of payment deficits and rising prices.

Assignment - Assistive Technology Plan Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

- Assistive Technology Plan - Assignment Example Research ability is limited due to his physical disability, and his performance in social science and liberal arts courses is below average. He has a need for more physical activity, but it has proven difficult to make this happen. Due to his lack of involvement in extra-curricular activities, James has a hard time making and maintaining strong relationships with his peers. He is easily angered and frustrated at not being to participate in some everyday activities, yet he appears to be losing the desire to do so altogether as well. His physical skills continue to deteriorate, as he does not exhibit much physical exertion at all during the normal course of a day. James has two older brothers and a caring mother and father at home. All indications are that the family structure provides a nurturing environment that has contributed greatly to James’ successes to this point. The older brothers have always assisted with James when they can and they spend a great deal of time with hi m, while being permitted to carry on with their daily lives independent of the family as well. Goals of the AT Plan: The Assistive Technology Plan for James involves providing him with devices that will assist his researching and writing skills moving forward. In addition, some devices should be considered that encourage James to become more physically active and more socially involved. Finally, the AT Plan will not neglect his current strengths in the fields of math and science and, as such, will include devices aimed at furthering his interest and ability to excel in these disciplines (Beard, Carpenter, and Johnston, 2011). . Materials and Methods Potential Barriers/Missed Opportunities AT Solutions Example: Printed textbook or worksheets Student with a visual impairment has difficulty seeing small text. This student would benefit from using a text-to-speech program, such as Kurzweil 3000 (http://www.kurzweiledu.com/k12.html) so that text can be converted to files and read aloud t o the student.   Further, the student could benefit from having an electronic magnifier for text-based resources used in the learning environment (Beard, Carpenter, & Johnston, 2011, p. 75). 1.Lab reports and mathematical formulas   Because James has difficult with mobility, it is often difficult for him to manipulate lab reports and math formulas to see what is expected of him. A device that magnifies visual aids to the point it is more accessible to James would be beneficial to him as he strives to continue to develop his math and science skills. 2.Reading social science and liberal arts materials, particularly when doing research Because it is not only difficult for James to hold reading material for long periods of time, it is also cumbersome for him to read large amounts of material on the computer, microfilm, or via another medium. There are devices that convert text to voice. This could prove beneficial to James so that once he finds material relevant to a particular topi c he is interested in researching, he can better focus his attention by listening to the text and taking notes as needed. This would eliminate his need to try to manipulate texts, the computer, or papers to suit his physical limitations. 3.   Computer Typing It is quite labor intensive for James to type. In addition, it is even more difficult for him

LCA REPORT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

LCA REPORT - Essay Example (UNEP 2001-2003). Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a tool for the systematic evaluation of the environmental aspects of a product or service system through all stages of its life cycle. The assessment provides an adequate instrument for environmental decision support. In this paper we will use the life cycle of a kettle as our reference. The study of a kettle has used a flexible life cycle assessment (LCA) and cost model. The model has been used to assess and compare the environmental impacts and associated economic costs. Based on the standards made by the International Standards Organization, the LCA consists of four phases: The goal and scope definition, inventory analysis, impact assessment and interpretation. The phases of LCA is an interactive process, in which subsequent interactions can achieve increasing levels of detail or lead to changes in the first phase prompted by the results of the last phase. The life cycle assessment has proven to be a valuable tool to document and analyze environmental considerations of product and service systems that need to be part of decision making toward sustainability. Goal and Scope definition: the product or services to be assessed are defined a functional basis for comparison is chosen and the required level of detail is defined. The steps in identifying the goal and scope includes the defining of the purpose of the LCA study, ending with the definition of the functional unit, which is the quantitative reference for the study. Defining the scope of the study includes the drawing up of a flowchart of the unit processes that constitute the product system under study, taking into account a first estimation of their inputs from and outputs to the environment ( the elementary flows or burdens to the environment). Defining the data required, which includes a specification of the data required both for the inventory analysis and for the subsequent impact assessment phase. The Inventory analysis - the energy carriers and raw materials used, the emissions to atmosphere, water and soil, and different types of land use are quantified for each process, then combined in the process flow chart and related to the functional basis. In this phase the following steps must be taken: Data collection which includes the specification of all input and output flows of the processes of the product system, both product flows (i.e flows to other unit processes) and elementary flows (from and to the environment). Normalization to the functional unit, which means that all data collected are quantitatively related to one quantitative output of the product system under study, most typically 1 kg of the material is chosen, but often other units like car or 1 km of mobility are preferred. Allocation which means the distribution of the emissions and resource extractions of a given process over the different functions such a process. Data evaluation, which involves a quality assessment of the data by performing sensitivity analyses. The result of the Inventory Analysis, consisting of the elementary flows related to the functional unit, is called the Life Cycle Inventory Table. Impact assessment, in this phase the effects of the resource use and emissions generated are group and quantified into a limited number of impact categories which there maybe weighted for importance. This aim to make

Legion of Honor Trip Essay Example for Free

Legion of Honor Trip Essay This semester marked the first time I had stepped foot onto any type of school or college in over six years. I must say things have changed. Everything seems to be taken over by the internet and I’m not exactly sure I like this idea just for the fact that it takes away from past habits. Furthermore, I am extremely glad that I had the opportunity to enroll in this Art 165 class because it taught me not only the history of art but how to appreciate it as well. As I drove up the road to the Legion of Honor I had no idea what to expect. What I found was a beautiful structure with amazing scenery to surround the museum. It really wasn’t like anything I had ever seen or been to before, if you can tell I don’t leave town very much. After making my admission official with putting on my un-adhesive sticker, I walked into a space of extraordinary history. Not knowing where to start, I began on to the left where I found artworks from the Medieval times and the Renaissance. In the room there was an incredible ceiling that displayed what I thought was an early pendentive. While in the Renaissance room, I seen a painting by El Greco that really caught my eye. It was his painting Saint Francis Kneeling in Meditation. This painting is an oil on canvas and was done around 1605-1610. The art work explains the life of Saint Francis and his love to Jesus. People at the museum were saying that Saint Francis was a very poor man who always had his own death on his mind. He wondered constantly how he was going to die and if it was going to be a nice or painful death. The painting shows him kneeling and praising Jesus while having a skull in the background making you feel as if he was having death on his mind. The artist must relate to Saint Francis because on the issue of death or some type of detachment to the world because most of El Greco’s art shows humans in a very pale, thin and unhealthy perspective. The brushwork was extremely detailed with a beautiful diagonal composition. Entering the Baroque and Rococo section of the museum I seen the Equestrian Statue of Charles III. It was produced by Tommaso Solari of Italy in 1762. At first sight, you would think it was Donatello’s Gattamelata. The next thing you find out, is that it’s wax! Maybe that was common in these times, however, being that we never went over any wax statues or wax artworks, this was astounding to me. From a 360 degree point of view, this piece of art had me in awe. How does something made of wax stay so delicate and well preserved? If you look at the straps on the sides of the horses mouth or in King Charles’ hand, you would actually think they were real because of the extreme detail. Da Vinci had been commissioned to create a large scale horse which was never produced, however, seems to me the horse that King Charles is riding has a very familiar pose as well as its features as did Da Vinci’s concept. As I walked through the museum I found myself in the 17th Century Dutch and Flemish Painting room. There I seen a very different still life portrait. It was titled Hunting Still Life by the Flemish painter Jan Fyt. This oil on canvas was produced in 1655. It is told that his influences for hunting portraits and still life were from his teacher named Snyders. This still life contains graphic images of dead animals such as birds, chickens and a rabbit or hare tied to a rifle. I believe this portrait shows a great example of Tenebroso in the way the light shines on the animals making them the subject of the portrait. If you look at it closely the sunlight on the clouds says that the sun is coming from the opposite direction that the light that is shining on the animals is coming from. You can see the dog staring at its light source as if he’s defending the animals from cruelty, there is also a badger or some type of creature hissing at that light source as well saying â€Å"Get back! † Since dogs meant fidelity in paintings, then this dog is being true to his own kind in that sense and his red collar probably represents his compassion. I find myself a sucker for still life portraits and I enjoyed this one especially for its uniqueness.

Transhumanism: Biotechnology and its Role in the Singularity

Transhumanism: Biotechnology and its Role in the Singularity BY SHAYMA ABUKAR ABSTRACT   Ã‚   Due to rapid advances in technology, our world is slowly progressing to the point where we may surpass human limitations. This report will aim to focus on the developments of biotechnology and its importance in the achieving this post-human state, as well as its role in reaching a hypothetical singularity. It will also follow the goals of transhumanism and the ethics related to genetic engineering. It is clear that if we are to achieve transhumanist goals, through the aid of, not just AI, but also biotechnology, life as we know will be vastly different. All research conducted for this report is secondary and data was retrieved from journals, scientific magazines and online articles[DS1]. INTRODUCTION What is transhumanism? With life becoming more and more efficient through emerging technologies, humanity is struggling to keep up with our rate of progression. Transhumanists belong to a group that believe we will one day enhance ourselves to the point of being post-human. Transhumanism can be defined as the belief or theory that the human race can evolve beyond its current physical and mental limitations, especially by means of science and technology. (Oxford Dictionary 2016). Its a movement that believes that, through genetic engineering, nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, etc., humanity will progress to a point of surpassing human limitations such as death, disease and other biological frailties (McNamee and Edwards 2006). The three main goals of transhumanism are achieving super-longevity, super-intelligence, and super-wellbeing. These goals can be achieved through our rapid technological advancements. Super-longevity is becoming more and more likely with our ever advancing medicine and drug development. Through genetic engineering and genome editing, scientists are now able to cure what were once incurable diseases[DS2]. Transhumanists generally fall into two categories: strong and weak. Weak transhumanists believe that technology should be used to simply enhance humanity, whether that be intelligence, appearance, life span, etc. (Strong Transhumanism | Ethical Issues In Health Care 2014). Strong transhumanists on the other hand have the radical belief that technology should be used to develop humans to another species all together. The ideas advocated by weak transhumanists are already accepted by many in todays world, and the development of drugs and nanotechnology to help solve medical issues is already seen as ethical by a majority. Strong transhumanist goals to develop a new species entirely, on the other hand, is met with accusations that its unethical and unlikely to happen. SINGULARITY Transhumanists generally discuss the concept of the singularity, which can be defined in various ways. In the mathematical world, a singularity is the point at which a function takes an infinite value. However, in regards to technological advancement, the singularity is most commonly defined as a hypothetical moment in time when artificial intelligence and other technologies have become so advanced that humanity undergoes a dramatic and irreversible change (The Best Definition Of Singularity 2016 ). The concept of the singularity is seen as either thrilling or daunting. Whilst techno-optimists believe it is sure to happen in the near future, those skeptical of the singularity and transhumanism believe that it is either impossible, or sure to do more harm than good. In an article on The AI revolution (Urban, T 2015), Tim Urban discusses the concept of DPU (Die Progress Unit). He introduces it as a measure of how far into the future an individual would have to travel before they die of shock due to the vastly developed and technologically advanced environments (relative to their time). Bringing a man from 1750 to 2016 would expose him to technology far beyond comprehensible to someone of his time, thus shocking him to the point of death. His DPU, therefore, is achieved in merely a few hundred years. However, in order for a DPU to be achieved in 1750, the person would have to travel a lot further back, to 12,000 BC. The man from 12,000 BC would then die of shock after experiencing civilisation and the more complex architecture of 1750[DS3]. As Kevin Kelly from Wired magazine stated, all change in the last million years will be superseded by the change in the next 5 minutes. The article suggests that the rate of our advancements are staggering, and as much as AI plays an important role in reaching the singularity, genetic engineering methods and biotechnology have begun to make just as large an impact. Scientists are growing increasingly worried that genome editing is moving too fast for humanity to catch up. Biotechnology plays a key role in achieving this hypothetical event that is so often discussed amongst transhumanists, and development of this technology will allow humans to alter their genome with precision and ease. The more advanced this technology becomes, the easier it will be to effectively surpass human limitations and for life to be transformed beyond recognition. In order for this to be widely accepted, it will need to be used for medical purposes only. GENE EDITING   Ã‚   One of the ways biotechnology is advancing our bodies and developing medical methods is through gene editing or genome editing. Gene editing can be described as the process of inserting, deleting or replacing areas of DNA within an organisms genome. This is done using molecular enzymes that act as molecular scissors (Editing Our DNA With Molecular Scissors | Understanding Genetics). This technology has incredible medical applications and may be used, in the future, to cure a vast number of diseases. Other applications of biotechnology include gene therapy and genetic screening, which both help solve medical issues. DNA is a cells genetic material and consists of a sugar phosphate backbone and nitrogenous bases, and it forms a double helix structure[DS4]. These nitrogenous bases make up nucleotides which carry the genetic data (Whats A Genome?). These nucleotides make up what is known as the genome. An organisms genome contains all of its genetic data thus containing all the information needed to build and maintain that organism. By finding methods and techniques to edit and change parts of our genome, we can effectively cure genetic diseases and medical problems. In 2003, a collaborative group of international scientists completed what is known as the Human Genome Project (What Is A Genome?). Coordinated by the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Energy, the project sought to sequence an entire human genome. By achieving this, it paved the way for new genetic technologies and techniques to be developed[DS5]. Scientists have previously struggled to find a method of genome editing that is safe for human use, however, the development of CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) has proven that it is now possible to genetically engineer our genome without damaging our DNA (Zhang, S 2015[DS6]). CRISPR is a component of a bacterias immune system that recognises and remembers threatening areas of viruses (known as phages) in order to equip itself to defend against them is they were to attack again. It also involves an enzyme called Cas which then precisely cuts the viruss DNA and prevents it from dividing. This intelligent mechanism now allows scientists to accurately and precisely edit and cut out parts of DNA. The specific enzyme used is known as Cas9, and whilst its responsible for snipping parts of the DNA, it works to edit the genome with CRISPR, which is a collection of DNA sequences telling Cas9 where to cut. CRISPR is already being used as a possible treatment for eye diseases in animals and lung cancer in their first human trials (Le Page, M 2016). Scientists are using the technique to remove immune cells from the body, edit their DNA to make the better at killing cancer cells, then put them back. The rate at which gene editing is progressing is far beyond the expectations of many, and will continue to be developed at a staggering rate. As this progresses, the concept of the singularity begins to be more of a reality. Although CRISPRs merits currently lie within its medical applications, scientists are already figuring out ways to use it to understand the human genome and molecular biology as a whole. Another form of genome editing is TALEN (transcription activator-like effector proteins). These proteins, like CRISPR, also come from bacteria and use its adaptive immunity to edit areas of the genome. The first medical application of TALEN was on an 11-month old girl who suffered acute lymphoblastic leukemia which is a form of cancer of white blood cells. The mechanism was used to extract T cells, genetically alter them, then insert them back into the body so they can better fight against the cancerous cells (TALEN-Based Genome Editing | Thermo Fisher Scientific). ETHICAL, FINANCIAL AND SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS Opinions on transhumanism and the use of biotechnology differ between varying groups of people. Some of the concerns regarding transhumanism and its goal of super-longevity is due to the possibility of over population. Whilst many believe that the medical applications of biotechnology and genetic engineering do well to extend our life spans and prevent us succumbing to diseases, there are some who fear that our world would not be able to withstand increasingly large populations of people. It would have social and financial implications. It is seen as unethical once the technology is no longer used solely for medical purposes, but to extend our life span in the absence of disease. Religious groups of people also believe that transhumanism interferes too much with human nature and what God has created. If we were to use our technology to become a new species entirely, as strong transhumanists believe will happen, then it would mean religious beliefs would be compromised, therefore many are against the ideology (Messerly, J 2015). CONCLUSION The faster we develop biotechnology, the more efficient our methods of curing diseases become and therefore, we are able to use genetic engineering methods to achieve a longer life span. As well as achieving super-longevity, biotechnology can also aid us in developing ourselves to the point of becoming post-human, which may then lead to the singularity. Whilst these techniques and developments have positive medical applications, the rate at which we are progressing is so fast, that its difficult to predict the turnout of our actions and advancements. It may lead to unethical consequences and results that favour strong transhumanists, as opposed to weak transhumanists. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thank you to Amelia and Nuffield for arranging this placement, and thank you to Dekkel and Andre for supporting and guiding us along the way, and providing up with useful resources. REFERENCES Editing Our DNA With Molecular Scissors | Understanding Genetics. Genetics.thetech.org. N.p., 2016. Web. 1 Sept. 2016. Messerly, John. Transhumanism And Religion. Ieet.org. N.p., 2016. Web. 1 Sept. 2016. Strong Transhumanism | Ethical Issues In Health Care. Scholarblogs.emory.edu. N.p., 2014. Web. 1 Sept. 2016. TALEN-Based Genome Editing | Thermo Fisher Scientific. Thermofisher.com. Web. 1 Sept. 2016. The Best Definition Of Singularity. Singularitysymposium.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 1 Sept. 2016. Urban, Tim. The Artificial Intelligence Revolution: Part 1 Wait But Why. Wait But Why. N.p., 2015. Web. 1 Sept. 2016. What Is A Genome?. Genetics Home Reference. N.p., 2016. Web. 1 Sept. 2016. Whats A Genome?. Genomenewsnetwork.org. N.p., 2016. Web. 1 Sept. 2016. Zhang, Sarah. Gizmodo.com. N.p., 2015. Web. 1 Sept. 2016. Le Page, Michael. New Scientist N.p., 2016. Mag. 1 Sep.t 2016. The new genetic lottery. New scientist N.p., 2016. Mag. 1 Sept. 2016. Does Evolution Lead To Singularity?. Singularity Weblog. N.p., 2015. Web. 1 Sept. 2016. Gene Editing. Horizondiscovery.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 1 Sept. 2016. [DS1]Good. [DS2]Good points, but need to be support with a reference. [DS3]Good. [DS4]Source needed [DS5]This paragraph is riddled with great points, but referencing sources will give it much more credibility [DS6]Good.