The Matrix †Over-Zealous Fans and Hero Worship :: Movie Film Essays

The Matrix – Over-Zealous Fans and Hero Worship There are too many zealous fanzines on the web devoted to The Matrix and its sequels, and these are not fan sites that dissect CGI or allow you to download doctored photos of Keanu Reeves. Such obvious surface obsessions are no longer the norm. Instead, these new sites cater to a much more frightening fantasy. They foretell of the "depth" within The Matrix: the great religious teachings, the deep philosophies, the hidden Christ elements. And, it is true that The Matrix essentially scraped the loose and pliant first layer of skin from Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism to create the aura of mystic machinery in the film. However, let's face it, all resemblances to Christ figures---living or dead---is purely incidental. But, such easy-to-digest philosophy allows the average film viewer to feel that he "gets" what he considers a "deep" philosophy. Let's just avoid the whole joke about packaging "deep" philosophy in two-hour chunks of shiny latex-laden kung fu. It's been done. But, essentially, I don't believe that the "deep" religiosity of the flick is the true motivation of most devotees. Such vapidity is merely a convenient cover for something much more selfish: The idea that any typical American slacker will be plucked free from his lackluster, lazy existence and converted into the Messiah without any real effort----just a few kick-ass computer games shoved into the back of his head and he's all set to save the world. It's the ultimate fantasy for our couch potato hordes. Even I comprehend the adrenaline rush that half-ass Messiahness can create: All power, no effort. Additionally, maybe there are other factors that contribute to our American slacker relating to the major characters of The Matrix. Besides the nice no-step route to simple saviorness, there are other bonuses to this job. Maybe those who find The Matrix deep and philosophical are really just interested in the strange fact that the "enlightened" get to wear sexy, perfectly tailored black clothing and sunglasses that would cost more than my Ford Ranger if they weren't blipped from the nothingness of a "loading" program. That's really the only reason I can personally see for converting an entertaining, but plot-flawed, flick like The Matrix into a set of life philosophies: When you're enlightened, baby, you look good. Neither Buddha nor Christ ever had the duds to compete with Neo. So, we've got an easy route to Messiahness and a kick-ass wardrobe.

negroes with guns :: essays research papers

-  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  in June of 1961, the NAACP chapter of Monroe, North Carolina decided to picket the town’s swimming pool that was forbidden to Negroes although they formed one quarter of the population -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  the blacks started the picket line and the picket line closed the pool. When the pool closed the racists decided to handle the matter in traditional southern style, they turned to violence -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  the pool remained closed but we continued the line and crowds of many hundreds would come to watch us and shout insults at the pickets -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  on June 23, Williams was driving when a heavy car came up from behind him and tried to force his car off the embankment and over a cliff with a 75 ft. drop off. The bumpers of the two cars were stuck and the cars had to pass right by a highway patrol station, which was a 35 mile and hour zone, but the car was pushing his at 70 miles per hour. Williams started blowing his horn hoping to attract the attention of the patrolmen, but when they saw they just lifted their hands and laughed. He was finally able to rock loose from the other car’s bumper and make a sharp turn into a ditch. He went to the police about it, but they would not do anything because he was black. The police in Monroe never did anything to help blacks -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  the picket lines continued and the whites were getting mad. One day a white person fired a pistol and started screaming, â€Å"kill the niggers†. The black people then showed the whites that they too were armed and then all of the sudden the police decided to help because they realized the whites were outnumbered and outarmed -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  the southeastern regional headquarters of the Ku Klux Klan was also in Monroe -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Williams had been in the Marine Corps and when he got out he knew he wanted to join the NAACP, so he did -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Monroe branch of the NAACP got the reputation of being the most militant branch of the NAACP -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The swimming pool they were fighting over had been built with federal funds, but yet negroes could not use it -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First the blacks had asked city official to build a pool in the negro community. the city officials said they couldn’t comply with this request because it would be too expensive. Then they asked if two days out of each week the blacks could use the pool.

The Fantasy of Womens Sports in Primetime TV Slots :: Womens Issues Essays

The Fantasy of Women's Sports in Primetime TV Slots Gail, a dark, tiny, female reporter, is given the assignment of investigating Babe, one of the most talented female athletes of the twentieth century. Suggestions have sprung up that Babe was not a woman at all. These suggestions have come from beer corporations and radical right-wing opponents of a new growing opinion that men and women's sports should equally share primetime TV slots. Gail had never heard of Babe. Gail writes movie reviews and articles in the Arts section. Gail is a chain smoker. She used to cut gym everyday to smoke under the bleachers with her friends. She hasn't owned a pair of sneakers since the third grade. In high school she used to think there were three kinds of kids: the nerds, the jocks, and the freaks. She was some combination of the first and last group. She still held that opinion and liked to sneer at joggers in the park. She was, thus, unhappy about this assignment. Gail visits her parents who live in the suburbs. They are bohemian types. They eat a lot of gorp, have matching pottery wheels in a shed in the back yard, and would have never owned a television, but Gail begged them to get one in her freshman year of high school. When she graduated, it was the first thing that was unplugged and packed into the car, ready for her dorm room. She asks them if they ever heard of Babe. They say they vaguely remember a golf player named Babe. But they sneer. Golf is for the bourgeoisie, they say. Gail goes up to her old room. When she was in elementary school all of her friends had horseback riding ribbons and trophies. She looks at her room now, imagines the walls covered in tiny ribbons, and they dissolve into a Picasso poster and the graffiti she used to write when she hadn't fallen asleep yet. She goes over to one section of the wall, runs her finger over a phrase: JOCKS ARE DUMB. Gail goes back down stairs and asks her father why she never wanted to play sports. "Well, honey," he says, "You're small. And artistic. You're not an athlete." And she thinks to herself, I didn't know what the word athletic meant until I was in the third grade. And then I threw out my tennis shoes.

Brief In Support Of Defendant’s Motion To Dismiss

On July 2, 2003, John John, the Plaintiff, resigned from his employment at the City of Weirton. Plaintiff declared that he experienced harassment from his colleagues and from the management while working at the City of Weirton. He cited several incidences such as a fellow employee pulling down his pants and shaking his buttocks at him and the frequent summons to the office of the manager for flimsy reasons such as the tardiness of another employee or another person’s absences or being written up for no valid reason at all.As a result, he was forced to resign from employment. Plaintiff alleged that the conduct he experienced from his employer and from his colleagues forced him to resign from his employment even though that was against his will. He filed this suit for wrongful termination. Plaintiff filed this suit at the Brooke County Circuit Court. II. Standard of LawUnder Rule 12 (b) of the West Virginia Civil Rules of Procedure Every defense, in law or fact, to a claim for r elief in any pleading, whether a claim, counterclaim, cross-claim, or third-party claim, shall be asserted in the responsive pleading thereto if one is required, except that the following defenses may at the option of the pleader be made by motion: (1) lack of jurisdiction over the subject matter, (2) lack of jurisdiction over the person, (3) improper venue, (4) insufficiency of process, (5) insufficiency of service of process, (6) failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted, (7) failure to join a party under Rule 19.III. Argument a) The court should grant brief in support of motion to dismiss because the Brooke County Circuit Court is not the proper venue for this suit. The Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia has extensively answered the question of venue in a civil action in the United Bank, Inc. v. Blosser, No. 32691. Citing the  § 56-1-1 of the W. Va. Code, the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia stated that: â€Å"a) Any civil action or other procee ding, except where it is otherwise specially provided, may hereafter be brought in the circuit court of any county: (1) Wherein any of the defendants may reside or the cause of action arose†¦Well-settled is the rule in statutory construction that when a statute is clear and unambiguous then there is no room for its interpretation. Its plain meaning should be accepted and applied without the need for interpretation. In this case, the cause of action arose in the Hancock County where the City of Weirton is located. It is there where the act of wrongful termination was committed. There could be no other venue for this wrongful termination suit except in the Hancock County. Venue relates not to jurisdiction but to trial.It touches convenience, not substance. However, the choice of venue for filing civil suits should not be left to the plaintiff’s whim and caprices. Facts such as judicial economy, proper administration of justice and the convenience of the parties must not be taken for granted since they are the reasons for which the rules of procedure and venue were formulated. In this case, since the City of Weirton is located at 200 Municipal Plaza, Weirton, West Virginia which is at Honcock County there could be no other venue except the Hancock County.B) Court should grant brief in support of Motion to Dismiss because the motion to dismiss on the ground of improper venue was timely filed pursuant to the doctrine enunciated in the case of Higgins v. Alpha Burnett (01-801) The Supreme Court of Arkansas in the case of Brenda Higgins v. Alpha Burnett, et al, Opinion delivered June 6, 2002, discussed the importance of filing the defense of improper venue at the earliest opportunity. That case involved an action for fraud and conversion filed against two defendants residing in Lonoke County. The suit was filed in Faulkner County Circuit Court.The defendants filed their answer which was generally in the nature of mere denials. They did not raise any affir mative defense of improper venue nor did they reserve the right to raise this defense. It was only after fourteen months that they filed their motion to dismiss raising as a defense improper venue. The trial court granted the motion and dismissed the suit. In reversing the trial court’s decision, the Supreme Court of Arkansas said that the defense of improper venue had been waived by the defendants when they failed to raise the same at the time they filed their responsive pleading.â€Å"Because appellees did not raise their valid defense of improper venue in the answer, or by motion filed prior to or simultaneously with the answer, we hold that the defense was waived; therefore, the case is reversed and remanded†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Ordinarily, the rules of civil procedure must be liberally construed. However, the provisions on period within which to raise certain defenses are strictly applied as they are deemed indispensable to the prevention of needless delays and they are necess ary to the speedy discharge of judicial business. In this case, the defendant has timely filed his defense of improper venue.The motion to dismiss should therefore be granted. IV. Conclusion For the foregoing reasons, defendant respectfully requests that this Court grants defendant’s motion to dismiss this suit for wrongful termination on the ground of improper venue. Following the W. Va. Code  § 56-1-1, the suit shall be filed in the county where the defendant resides or where the cause of action arose which is Hancock County where the City of Weirton is situated. CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE I hereby certify that the above Brief In Support of Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss was served upon the Plaintiff on August , 200 by mailing a true copy by certified mail to:

A Business Proposal to Improve Production

A Business Proposal to Improve Productivity, Guest Experience, and Revenue Through Innovative Use of Technology Prepared for Freddie Johnson Vice President, Research and Marketing Boardman Management Group Prepared by Darren Jackson Manager of Marketing Baderman Island ResortMarch 7, 2012 Proposal Number: RM07-01 Baderman Island Resort: A Business Proposal Baderman Island Resort A Business Proposal to Improve Productivity, Guest Experience, and Revenue Executive Summary Background The Baderman Island Resort has 3 hotels, a convention center, 4 restaurants, 2 gift shops, a pro shop and a spa. While all of the business entities are owned by the Baderman Island Resort and executively managed by the Boardman Management Group, each business entity is operated independently.Each business entity was opened at different times and, while each entity started out with up-to-date computer hardware and software, upgrades of equipment and software have not been uniform. The word processing softw are in use at the Resort is a case in point. Currently, we have: * 26 computers running Windows XP and Word XP * 38 computers running Windows 2000 and Word 2000 * 6 computers running Windows 98 and Word 97 While there is backward compatibility between the various versions of the software, the older versions do not have all of the â€Å"bells and whistles† of the newer versions.We are wondering what would be entailed to upgrade to a standard version of Microsoft Word or, alternatively, to switch to a word processing software application from another vendor. Currently, Baderman Island Resort is in need of addressing business risk with effective technology. Old and out dated Systems have the tenices to go offline when aging components fail and key networking connection don’t work. Security issues can emerge and threaten the integrity of business data. All work or portions of the business could see systems go offline, while other systems continue to operate normally.The cu rrent IT or Windows system in place is not up to date or easy to manage, and this is a situation that could possible set the stage for potential problems down the road. Objective Maintain productive smooth running business operations that are mission critical. To maintain business momentum and employee productivity by being trained for challenges that are associated with acquiring and maintaining the most effective IT environments to support ongoing operations. The technology must be both affordable and easy to operate on a day-in, day-out basis to effectively support the business.Goals Baderman Island Resort: A Business Proposal To ensure the company has the capability of facing the growing demands of today’s market, supply data, and services to customers on a level that will exceed the expectation of the customers. Provide each employee with the knowledge training to successfully run and give value service information to the customer concerning the wireless service. For Win dows XP to provide huge amounts of useful software on their platform, provide more RAM to increase memory, and provide widespread availability of hardware driver support.Improved storage capacity will allow us to be better positioned to serve our customers and meet increasing demand for security and wireless connectivity. Improve corporate network security by not allowing personal information about customers or intellectual property on phones, be sure that access to the corporate network using a smartphone be based not only on the user’s role in the business, but also on his or her location and the connection used, such as inside or outside the corporate network, or through a VPN.For example, a connection via an unsecured Wi-Fi network that is not going through the corporate VPN should be blocked. And also wireless networking benefits that will provide reliability, security and robustness service for our customers. Cost The following table presents an initial estimate of cost s. Table of Estimated Cost Initial Monitoring and Units Rate Total Cost ($)Information Gathering 384 hrs. 50 hr. (avg. ) $19,200| Evaluation of up Grades Units Rate Total Cost ($)| and Instillation 288 hrs. $70 hr. (avg. ) $43,200 Implementation of Windows Units Rate Total Cost ($) | IT System 96 $50 hr. (avg. $4,800 Employee Training Units Rate Total Cost ($)| 48 $50 hr. (avg. ) $2,400 | Total Project Costs $52,320 | Note: This estimate is comprised of information based on the gathering by Boardman Management Group and the initial research by Baderman Island Resort. These calculations are expected to remain consistent throughout the process.Baderman Island Resort: A Business Proposal Administrative Information These are the desired qualifications for technicians, requirements for formatting and submitting feedback, confidentiality notice of proposal submissions, employer reference requirements, contact information for clarification, deadline for proposal submission, timeframe for v endor selection and selection criteria. Technicians need to have top-notch software and hardware skills including the ability to troubleshoot, resolve problems, diagnose hardware problems and replace malfunctioning components.The requirements for formatting and submitting proposals is letter of transmittal with proper identification, a brief description of your organization’s experience as it relates to the services specified in this RFP, include organizations points of contact, and attach the Signature Affidavit and Reference Form to the narrative portion. The cost proposal should be submitted in a separate sealed envelope with the written proposal that clearly identifies all fees to be charged for the requested services. Confidentiality notice that gives us the right to accept or reject any or all proposals submitted.Present a signed employee reference requirement. Employer reference requirement is needed to ensure contractual expectations and requirements. The deadline dat e for proposal submission is 30 days form the proposal date at 12 midnight. Selection criteria for vendors to adhere to are the ability to maintain confidentiality, to work as a team, to work independently, to work under pressure, attention to detail, flexible and adaptable approach to work, initiative, organizational/planning skills, problem-solving ability, verbal communication/interpersonal skills and written communication skills.Closing With this new technology onboard at Baderman Island Resort, it will enable the hotel to do more than provide guests with enhanced technology. Baderman Island Resort will have more ways than ever to interact with it guests in their rooms, to the mutual benefit of the hotel and the guests. Customer interaction will move to the next level with the new version of eRoomsuite is deployed. These new technology will allow Boardman Management Group enhancements that will take advantage of the new Microsoft technology, including Window Server 2010 Hyper-V virtualization technology.Server virtualization, which enables multiple virtual servers to run on a single physical machine, will enable Baderman Island Resort to install fewer servers at a hotel property, thereby saving space, utility costs, and maintenance overhead as well as help ensure business continuity and more effective disaster recovery. Sincerely, Lon Ratcliff Manager of Marketing Baderman Island Resort Baderman Island Resort: A Business Proposal Accepted for Baderman Island Resort By Name: | | | Signture: Date:

Drama Performance Evaluation

In our most recent performance we created a play called â€Å"The Streets† In this my characters friend dies as he is shot by my brother. I have to show sadness towards his death during the slow motion reaction scene whilst also being shocked. When the scene comes to life I have to use body language and facial expression to show that at the same time. I am upset that my brother has shot my friend and that he took his to dislike towards him that far. Whilst being panicked and anxious, because I don’t know how to deal with the grief. I am searching for help, with my desperate pleas, but nobody is around to help me, as they are all in the same situation as my character. Everybody is dealing with same emotions. I think the piece was effective as the music throughout would have set the mood and atmosphere as the music is quite calming and relaxing, which contrasts with the harshness of the death. Also the â€Å"gangs† reaction is contrasted when they refuse to help him, and then later regret this decision. The sorrow begins to set in, the community will never be the same, as every single persons character is connected in some way to Tom. Whether that’s his friend, family or just someone who knew his family. We are all deeply affected by what has happened. During this performance we touch on the themes of domestic abuse, lies, relationships and drugs. The mood of the play stays the same throughout. As I was a gang member I had to change how I walked, the way I talked and my overall attitude and reactions to things to make it believable. I walked with a lisp, spoke in slang and reacted as if I thought that I was better than everyone else and that I could beat the all if it came to a fight. These are all the ways that I changed my character from my personality to get a higher mark. Of course costume was another factor to help me get in character. Overall I think that as a whole class we did very well, people remembered their cues and lines. Everyone knew what the next scene was. People used facial expressions to convey how they were feeling to the audience. And body language was used to make characters believable. Although of course there were some bad points, people lost focus and came out of character, people mimed actions and they were looking at the teacher whenever she didn’t get the lighting or music cues right. People also talked in between scenes. I would grade myself at a merit, as although it was effective towards the end, I lost my focus and it wasn’t clear as to who I was. As I became my comfortable with the audience being there then I began to become myself more and more towards the end of the performance which would obviously pull my grade down from a distinction.

Discipline

1a. Rose’s action was wrong. It was an insult to Kalinda’s personality. Since Rose had an unresolved issue with an operator, Kalinda was right by calling Rose into her office to discuss and address the matter. Although, the company’s policy supported open-door policy which rose was trying to adopt, it was wrong for her to say such word directly as if there have been some unresolved issues between her and Kalinda. Rose also insulted her by saying she knows her right and that she will take care of the person to talk to.2. Perhap, Kalinda should have not asked rose to come to her office to discuss the issue, she might have just called her and the operator together so that she will hear both from the operator and then from rose. Â  Also Kalinda perhaps should not have asked the question who rose will be comfortable talking to; Kalinda can just talk to her, try to encourage her, and probably sought out any unresolved differences between them, then ask about the issue with the operator. Furthermore, Kalinda can also wait for some time, so that Rose can come to her senses after the rigorous conflict with the operator, before calling her to discuss the issue. 2. a) Randy‘s answer to Judith was grossly inappropriate. Judith has not done wrong by trying to speak to Randy on his behavior to the customer, since it is for the benefit and in the interest of the company. From Randy’s action to the customer, one can easily deduce that he has some personality problems and he could not control his emotions (i.e. he is not matured). Judith knew that if Randy continues in this way, the company might end up losing some important customers; hence she needed to speak to Randy. Moreover, she did call randy in a modest way respecting his person by calling him to her office.b). Probably he might have some personal issues with Judith that made him to react this way or may be he had personality disorder. Also, randy might have a bad day or had a conflict at home before coming to work.c). after witnessing the whole scenario, she should have waited much longer before calling him, probably during break when he is relax. Moreover, Randy might feel b elittled when Judith called her to her office, so might have save Randy the stress of leaving the desk for her office.d). Yes. at least for Judith to have called him to her office that means she must be his senior at work, so he must be punished, first, for treating the customers in a unprofessional ways and secondly, by disrespecting a senior officer in the company.