Sunday, September 15, 2019

Heavy Rain

Heavy Rain Trying to rescue your own son from a serial killer by completing a set of painful, heart-wrenching trials, Heavy Rain was one of the most touching and depressing (and one of the greatest) video games I have ever played showing the true nature and consequences of people’s morality when their human reasoning is put to the test. â€Å"Human reason† generally refers to the human being's capacity to use logic and make judgments related to knowledge and, depending on who you read, ethics. (Yahooansweres).In Heavy Rain, you play as Ethan Mars, a man suffering depression when one of his sons is hit and killed by a car. This leads him to try to win the affection of his now only son Shaun who is slowly growing distant from him. When his son is kidnapped by the famous Origami Killer, he is forced to go through five trials if he wants to obtain clues to where the killer and his son might be; he needs to drive at high speeds for 5 miles in a busy city without stopping, cr awl through a small tunnel of broken glass, cut off one of his fingers, drink poison†¦ and to kill a drug dealer.I want to address three points in this essay, one what Ethan’s reasoning were when attempting these trials, two, the justifications and consequences of his actions and three, how human reasoning inform the ideas of this game and why that makes this game so great. Self-mutilation, putting people in danger and murdering is all viewed on as something wrong in society; Ethan obviously is aware of it too but his devote love to his son causes his determination. When completely the tasks self mutilation, mentally and morally these tasks were the â€Å"easiest†.Ethan thinks â€Å"I would never do anything to harm or hurt myself, but I can lose a finger for my son†. He has two choices, don’t harm himself and let his son die or harm himself and save his son. Then comes driving at high speeds through a busy city without obeying the laws of traffic; n ot only does Ethan put himself in danger, but many others as well. Does he choose to rely on his driving skills and eventually drive the five miles or can he choose to back out?Choosing whether or not to kill the drug dealer must have been the hardest for Ethan; when the drug dealer begs for his life and shows him a picture of his two daughters Ethan must contemplate whether he really should kill this man. â€Å"Maybe there are other options. Maybe he’s lying. The man’s a scumbag who sells dope to kids does he really deserve to live? How can I play God and take away the life of another? So again he’s left with the two choices of letting his son die or live? are just some of the many thoughts that rush into Ethan’s head as he contemplates the choice he is about to make. Then we come to the final trial where Ethan needs to drink poison. By drinking it Ethan will only have an hour to live and attempt to save his son with the clues he has. Morally, Ethan alr eady knows that the right thing to do is to drink the poison†¦ but he contemplates whether he’ll have enough time and again contemplating that maybe there might be other options? So are Ethan’s action justified?By completing these trials Ethan saves his son and brings a serial killer to justice. At the same time he harms himself, other people and kills man. Harming himself for his son, we can see that the human reasoning of Ethan is logical here and shouldn’t be disputable. Then comes the driving, he’s putting many people’s live in danger, so now Ethan’s reasoning and morality is challenged. Is it really worth it? It’s his son, he shouldn’t’ back out and leave his son to die and a killer to go free†¦ right?But what about the innocent lives he might be taking? Then again†¦ cops get in high speed chases to catch the bad guys all the time right? If he decides to complete his task†¦ is his reasoning overa ll logical? Legally, no. Morally, most likely not, but in the ends justify the means and what needs to be is done. Now, what about choosing whether or not to kill the drug dealer; he’s a father just like him dealing with problems. Legally, we can already see that if Ethan chooses to kill him he has broken the law and morally this is wrong too.But then again the ends justify the means and just like Hiroshima, it may not have been the moral thing to do†¦ but it needed to be done. Heavy Rain isn’t just another videogame; it’s a videogame with a story to tell, a message to send. Influenced by the power of human reasoning, Quantic Dream (the developers of Heavy Rain) wanted to emphasize the importance of reasoning and how it comes to play when your morals are challenged, and Heavy Rain does a good job at sending their message; making decisions in the game that determine the final outcome aren’t easy.Unlike games like Call of Duty and Red Dead Redemption w here you’re killing enemies off left and right without a second thought, in Heavy Rain, the aesthetics and feel of the game are made to try to be realistic and mirror the realities of life. Because of that, making some decisions in the game really got me sitting on the couch with a Play Station controller in my hands asking myself â€Å"What would I do? I completed all 5 trials excepting murdering the drug dealer (haha, it was just too hard for me) and instead had to fit my clues together and try to guess where the killer was (and yeah, eventually I beat it without having to do anything in the game against my morals; and yes the happy ending made up for all the depressing events I had to go through). Yeah, I tried to tell myself that â€Å"it’s just a video game and now of this is true† but after really getting into the game’s story, it didn’t really help, my own morals were tested against me; just how this game intended it to be.In a world where life can be brutal and your morals are constantly being tested, Heavy Rain isn’t just another videogame, it’s a beautifully told story putting you in the shoes of Ethan, forcing you to make the decisions that eventually determine the outcome in the end. After finishing the game you’ll wonder â€Å"how far will I go to achieve something I desperately want? † And when your back in reality, when your morals really are tested†¦ how will you reason and contemplate the situation?

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Natural Justice Essay

4) What is natural justice? Natural justice is a natural sense of what is right and wrong. It is a procedural concept and does not imposed any substantive restriction. Besides that, natural justice is also a fair administrative procedure to be followed by the administrative body in arriving at a right decision. Natural justice has two main components; the rule of hearing or rights to be heard or audi alteram partem and the rule against bias or nemo-judex in causa sua. 5) What are the main elements in nemo-judex causa sua? Nemo-judex causa sua means the rules against bias. It means that a man should not be a judge in his own cause. The principle that bias disqualified an individual from acting as an adjudicator flows from two fundamental maxims; a man should not be a judge in his own cause; and justice must not only be done but be seen to be done. The fountain of administration justice must not only be pure but it must also enjoy public confidence and credibility. The adjudicator must not only be free from bias but there must not even be appearance of bias. There are three types or elements of bias; Pecuniary bias, Personal bias and Policy bias. A pecuniary interest, however small, in a controversy disqualifies a person from acting as a judge. In DIMES v GRAND JUNCTION CANAL, a public limited company filed a case against a land owner in a matter largely involving the interests of the company. The Lord Chancellor who was a shareholder in the company heard the case and gave the desired relief to the comp any. The decision was quashed by the House of Lords because of the Lord Chancellor’s pecuniary interest in the company. Personal bias may arise in the adjudicatory right, or in favour of, one party to the dispute before him under many varied circumstances, for example relationship, friendship or business dealings with or hostility or animosity against a party may disqualify an official to act as an adjudicatory in a dispute. All these circumstances create bias either in favour of, against a party to the dispute. In AK KRAIPAK v UNION OF INDIA 1970 SC 150, a Selection Board was formed to select employee of state service to the Indian Forest Service was one of the candidates and he was a member of the Selection Board. The Supreme Court held that a member of a decision making body cannot be both a party and a judge in the same dispute. In the case of official bias, the adjudicatory is not influenced by any personal or pecuniary but he is so imbued with the desire to promote official policy of his department that he becomes blind to the existence of the interests of the private individual. When an administrator acts as decision maker to decide a dispute between an individual and his department, there is a tendency that he was an official or policy bias towards his department. In ALKAFF & CO v THE GOVERNER-IN-COUNCIL, the Commissioner of Law was a member of Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT). SIT approved certain scheme and applied to the Governor-in-Council for approval. The Governor appointed the Commissioner to inquire and to make report on the proposal. The commissioner recommended approval of the scheme. Therefore held, the appointment of Commissioner to inquire the merit of the scheme could result in suspicion that justice might not be done. The order was quashed. 6) What is the element in audi alteram partem? Audi alteram partem is the rule which requiring fair hearing. It has few elements. The first element is notice. Notice is a basic norm of natural justice is that before initiating adjudication proceedings, the party concerned should be given notice of the case against him so as to enable him to adequately defend himself. The right of hearing become illusory if the party has no knowledge of allegations which he need to meet. Notice thus regarded as the sine qua non of the right of hearing. The notice means an adequate notice as regards the details of the case against the party. Any proceeding taken against a person without adequate notice to him infringes natural justice and is thus invalid. It is necessary that all the grounds on which action is proposed to be taken must be communicated to the person concerned. If it transpires later that action was taken on a ground which had not been taken communicated to him earlier than the action will be invalid. In the case study of MARADANA MO SQUE TRUSTEES v BADI-UD-DIN MAHMUN [1967] 1 AC 13, the government took over the school on two grounds due to the failure to pay salaries of teachers and unable to manage the school, but the manager was asked to explain only one ground which is the failure to pay salaries. The managers had no notice of the other grounds, which influenced government’s decision. Privy Council held that the decision to take over the school was quashed as the managers were not given notice of one ground. The minister was acting in quasi-judicial capacity and was bound to observe the rule of natural justice. Relating to the case above, a notice must be served in order for the person concerned to know the charges he had to meet; and have a sufficient time to prepare his defence. For example, in the case of SURINDER SINGH KANDA v GOVT OF MALAYSIA [1962] MLJ 169, Lord Denning stated that if the right to be heard is to be real which is worth anything, it must carry with it a right in the accused man to know the case which is made against him. The notice must be given a reasonable opportunity to comply with its requirements. Sufficient time must be given to the concerned person to prepare his defence. For example, in the case of RE LIVERPOOL TAXI OWNERS’ ASSOCIATION [1967] 2 MLJ 186, a letter was sent to the association to show cause by return of post against the issue of fresh taxi licenses. The notice was held to be inadequate. It is against natural justice to call upon the concerned person to show cause immediately and to permit him no time to consider the charges against him. If the notice is inadequate, the decision will be invalid as it is against the natural justice. The second element is hearing. Natural justice requires an adjudicatory body to not to make a decision adverse to a party without affording him an affective opportunity of adequately meeting the allegations against him and presenting his own case. There is no fixed hearing procedure which has to be followed in all cases. It varies from situation to situation. It is ultimately for the court to decide whether the procedure adopted in a specific situation accords with natural justice or not. In the case stu dy of PHANG MOH SHIN [1967] 2 MLJ 186, the inquiry officer embarked on the inquiry immediately after reading the charge to the officer against whom the inquiry was being held. His request for an adjournment to enable him to prepare his defence was refused. It was held that there was a denial of natural justice. The third element is reasonable opportunity of being heard. There are certain elements need to be observed. The first element is the adjudicating authority should disclose all information, evidence or material which the authority wishes to use against the individual concerned in writing at its decision. The general rule is that all the relevant material which is being relied upon by an adjudicating authority for giving its decision against a person, should be brought to his notice and he be given an opportunity to comment, criticise, explain or rebut the same. For example in the case of AZIZ BIN ABD RAHMAN v ATTORNEY GENERAL SINGAPORE [1979] 2 MLJ 93, the court held that as vital and relevant evidence had not been disclosed to him, there was breach of natural justice insofar as he was denied an opportunity of correcting or controverting the medical evidence considered relied upon by the medical board. The second element is the authority should receive the evidence and all relevant material which the party concerned may wish to produce before it in its defence. In an oral hearing, the adjudicatory authority is obligated to give the person concerned opportunity to produce evidence on behalf of the affected person may amount to breach of natural justice by the authority concerned. Based on the case MALAYAWATA STEEL BHD v UNION OF MALAYAWATA STEEL WORKERS [1978] 1 MLJ 87, the company challenged an award of the Industrial Court on the ground of breach of natural justice as the company was denied the opportunity to call witnesses. The High Court held that there had been a denial of natural justice when the applicant was not allowed to call his essential witnesses to adduce evidence at the hearing and was therefore denied a reasonable opportunity of presenting his case. The third element is the authority should give to the individual concerned an opportunity to rebut the material against him. In oral hearing, cross-examination of witnesses testifying against a party should be permitted. It is actually not regarded as an obligatory part of natural justice in all cases. Whether an opportunity for cross-examination is to be given or not depend upon the circumstances of each case. Based on the case CEYLON UNIVERSITY v FERNANDO, the argument of the appellant that he had not been given an opportunity to cross-examine witnesses testifying against him was rejected by the Privy Council on the ground that he never claimed such right. Even where cross-examination of witnesses is allowed, the authority may refuse to permit unnecessary cross-examination of a witness. Even if cross-examination of witnesses is not an obligatory part of natural justice, it is still necessary for the decision-making authority to give the party concerned a fair opportunity of comment ing on the evidence produced against him and of contradicting the same. The fourth element is reasoned decision. Traditionally, the British courts had taken the view that natural justice does not obligate an adjudicatory body to give reasons for its decisions. In BREEN v A.E.U. [1971] 2 Q.B. 143, Lord Denning did emphasize that the giving of reasons is one of the fundamentals of good administration. The obligation to give reason avoids unfair or arbitrary decisions by adjudicatory bodies; search for reasons for their decisions is bound to make these bodies alert and careful. Reasoned decisions ensure that decision-making bodies apply their mind to the facts and circumstances of the matters they decide and that they do not act in a mechanical manner. In India, however, the Supreme Court has insisted time and again that natural justice obligates decision-making bodies to give reasoned decisions. The fifth element is the right to be counsel. Generally, appearance of a lawyer is not claimable as a matter of right in a quasi-judicial hearing. But in a case where complicated questions of law and fact arise, where the evidence is elaborate and the party concerned may not be in a position to meet the situation himself effectively, denial of legal assistance may amount to denial of natural justice. In PEET v GREYHOUND RACING ASSOCIATION [1968] 2 ALL ER 545, the Court of Appeal ruled that natural justice required that the plaintiff should be presented through a lawyer as he was facing a serious charge concerning his reputation and livelihood. However in the case of FRASER v MUDGE [1975] 3 ALL ER 78, the court ruled that in a disciplinary matter there was to be hearing but no legal representation. In this case, a prisoner with an offence against prison disciplines sought legal representation before the Board of Visitors while enquiring into the charge before him.

Friday, September 13, 2019

Grammatical differences between general american english and african Assignment

Grammatical differences between general american english and african american vernacular english (AAVE) - Assignment Example This report seeks to investigate the intricate grammatical features of the language and compare such with the General American English. In doing this, the research will analyses the lyrical contents of a number of songs created by such celebrated African American artists as Jay Z and Kanye West while comparing such with the songs composed with such American artists as John Legend. The report seeks to portray the differences between the two types of English languages and establish the role of arts, especially music in enhancing the spread of each. African American vernacular English is a common language in the United States whose structure comprises of a variety of dialects, sociolects and ethnolects. The language is common among bi-dialect African Americans and has a number of phonological and grammatical similarities with other American dialects of language spoken in the Southern in America. The difference between AAVE and general English spoken by other Americans is clear given the unique grammatical differences in the two types of English dialects. The use of the two different languages is distinct often depending on the cultural backgrounds of the various ethnicities in the country. Artists play a fundamental role in the use of language. Musicians in this context compose their lyrics systematically by using language to communicate. The pattern in the United States is distinct with most of the African American musicians using AAVE while other artists using standards general English. The musicians enhance the spread of the languages. Furthermore, they influence the structure of the languages with their artistic manipulation of language. American English and African American vernacular English (AAVE) and General American English have a number of grammatical differences as the discussion below portrays. The origin, development and spread of AAVE

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Describe this art figuer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Describe this art figuer - Essay Example At first, I did not see the relevance between the title of the artwork, and the woven textile. So I searched the title and found out that it was named after the humans common cold virus. The pattern in the woven art is a resemblance of the actual genetic sequence of the rhinovirus type 89. Phillip Stearns is an artist whose works focus on translating digital information into an artwork. In the case of the Rhinovirus Type 89, into a woven textile. The codes are translated into computer-generated data that can be expressed through the textile being woven and knitted. Each color of the textile in the artwork pertains to the specific code of the genome sequence (Stearns, 2014). With more information on the background of the artwork, I found it even more amusing and revolutionary. How it was created shows the merging of science, technology and arts, and it is really fascinating to see that the letters or codes that scientists use can be deciphered by

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Article about Walmart by using Prahalad&Hamel1990 materials and Assignment - 1

Article about Walmart by using Prahalad&Hamel1990 materials and stratigies - Assignment Example Its low-cost merchandise and services include groceries section. It offers health and wellness services. It has an e-commerce section and offers diverse financial services. It offers entertainment services. Besides, it offers hardliners. Wal-Mart has an apparel section at its stores. It also has home furnishings and housewares. It operates mobile commerce applications used by its customers. With the current advancement in technology, the company has incorporated the latest techniques in business such as the E-commerce services to promote its growth. Wal-Mart Company is anticipating significant growth in its subsidiaries locally and globally stretching its customer’s base. The advancement of the social media network exposes the company to extensive online order placement increasing its annual growth rate to ii percent. The company would like to maintain and increase the rate of reputation it enjoys now and in future as a giant retail corporation internationally. Products sold are environmental friendly and affordable to customers at Wal-Mart as compared to other retailers. Goods sold at Wal-Mart are safe for consumption since they pass quality control department within country. Customers at Wal-Mart pride in the exceptional service offered to them at the shop. The low prices of products and services at Wal-Mart attract customers. Centralization and decentralization chronologically analyses the company management organizational structure. Wal-mart performs the top-down management procedure having its big headquarters in Arkansas all the subsidiaries are managed from a central point. Wal-Mart’s central management deals with supervision and the delegation of duties to junior employees at their international outlets. The company’s corporate culture and the management structure are centralized including procurement and supply chain services. Its top-down management strategy enhances the delivery of orders to employees and the suppliers to maintain the

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Tales from Shakespeare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Tales from Shakespeare - Essay Example The public apology of Claudio is also excluded; 6. It is intended for very young readership; and 7. The tale is intended to convey positive values. Lamb's tale version of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing tries to convey to the readers the beauty of the English language by incorporating the original dialogues in the play to the narrative prose. Since it serves as an introductory tale to Shakespeare's plays, the tale gives the readers a taste of the master's original language. In it the reader's interest to read further the original plays is heightened and thus they are being ushered into the beauty of Shakespeare's genius. These and more have made the tale version incorporate in it a true "touch" and "feel" of the beauty of the Shakespearean English used in the original play. The dialogues when read aloud are so poetic that even young readers could memorize and recite them at random and these are pleasing to the ears. The Lambs have preserved the plot of the play and have remained faithful to the rendition and description of the events and characters except for some exclusion which are made due to some valid reasons. The names of the characters are preserved as well as the succession of events. This shorter version of the lengthy play is a good start for first time readers of Shakespeare. The setting, Messina, is retained. ... The names of the characters are preserved as well as the succession of events. This shorter version of the lengthy play is a good start for first time readers of Shakespeare. The setting, Messina, is retained. So are the characters, like Leonato, Hero, Beatrice, Don Pedro, Don John, Claudio and Benedick. So are the minor characters, Margaret, Ursula, Borachio, the Friar and others. The series of events are as faithful to the original as possible. It begins with the coming of the guests, the courtship between Hero and Claudio and the clash between Beatrice and Benedict. It is followed by the announcement of Hero and Claudio's wedding. In the same line, Beatrice and Benedick were tricked into loving each other by the collaboration of Leonato, Don Pedro, Claudio, Hero, Margaret and Ursula. Then follows the plot of Don John to stop the wedding by setting up Borachio to deceive Claudio and Don Pedro into believing that hero has been unfaithful to Claudio by talking to a man in the eve of their wedding. The next scene is in the church where Beatrice was shamed and accused by Claudio and the suspension of the wedding rites. It is followed by the friar's advice to keep Hero in hiding and to tell the people that she had died until the truth about her innocence would be revealed. It is also at the church that Benedick and Beatrice were drawn closer to each other. When Hero was found innocent by the magistrates' catching of Borachio and Don John, Leonato punished Claudio by letting him marry his niece who in fact Hero. The play ends with Benedick proposing to marry Beatrice. The only details that are excluded are the love-making of Borachio and Margaret

Monday, September 9, 2019

Activities Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Activities - Personal Statement Example The lessons a person learns when he or she plays as an athlete can help him or her succeed in the corporate world. A valuable experience that I had outside of classroom was an internship at HSBC. During this internship I had to meet a lot of great people that inspired me to graduate soon and have a full time job. I learned the importance of communication and of being a team player. Another activity in which I have been involved in the past and of which I am very proud is community service. I have donated hundreds of hours to local food shelters and volunteering work coordinated through a church. Working in a shelter for the homeless was a life changing experience for me because it has taught me how we can make a difference in the lives of people who are in need. Community service is a very satisfying activity because other people reap the rewards of your efforts. Volunteering can help build a strong and united