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Changing Gender Roles
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Changing Gender Roles
Gender roles are one of the major themes in the short story “The Hite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini. The role of women in society is portrayed by a few women such as Soraya and her mother Jamila to show how women’s roles in life have changed over the years in the Afghan. Women have no power or right to make major decisions in their lives. Men are seen to have taken control over women in marriage. For example, the general despite the fact that Jamila, “had once been famous in Kabul for her enchanting singing voice. Though she had never sung professionally, she had had the talent,” she was asked never to sing again in public as an agreement for her marriage. Based on this, women have to hide their talents or any other abilities in fear of men. Besides, the general did not approve of women drinking alcohol as it is against the norms in Afghan.
However, things have changed over time, and this is depicted by Soraya who marries Ali, her choice as a husband. Also, despite her father’s restriction of taking alcohol, she does it but in the absence of his father. In addition, Soraya goes against her father’s will and finds a job, she can make major decisions in her life, something that was not approved in Afghan. Policies developed by the Afghan government has also been unreliable since they do not promote the rights of women, and this means that Soraya would have received a different kind of treatment if she grew up in Afghan. All these indicates the changing perception of women’s right to make autonomous decisions in their lives, a changing role of women.
Works Cited
Hosseini, Khaled. The kite runner. Penguin, 2003.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Nuclear Energy
Advantages and Disadvantages of Nuclear Energy
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Introduction
With the pressure from the international community to reduce the carbon footprint, individual nations are increasingly looking to use alternative sources of energy that have a reduced effect on the environment. Some of the most promising forms of energy include solar power, wind, and water (Darby, Hansson, & Tisdell, 2020). Nuclear energy has also emerged as a critical contender in this race, given that it is likely to solve the environmental problem by ensuring a zero-carbon future. Nuclear energy is attained from split atoms contained in reactors that then heat water and turn it to steam. The steam then turns turbines that generate electricity. It is important to look at the pros and cons of using nuclear energy as an alternative form of energy. Despite the hot debate on its use, nuclear energy comes with a number of drawbacks as well as benefits, making it a controversial energy source. Ultimately, it is a low-cost form of energy, is reliable, has zero-carbon emissions, promises efficiency for the future, and has high energy density, yet, it is water intensive, has a high risk of nuclear accidents, contains radioactive waste, and is a non-renewable source of energy.
Advantages of Nuclear Energy
One of the most notable positive aspects of nuclear energy is that it produces clean energy. In the United States, nuclear energy is the largest source of environmental-friendly and clean energy, generating more than 50% of clean electricity in the country every year (Suman, 2018). By using nuclear energy, Petrescu et al. (2016) found that the United States avoids more than 470,000,000 tons of carbon emissions per year. Other clean solutions presented by the nuclear energy alternative include using thermal energy from reactors to decarbonize other energy intensive sectors including the transport industry that is one of the largest contributors to carbon-related pollution.
Another benefit of nuclear energy is that it is a reliable alternative energy source. Unlike other commonly used alternatives such as wind energy and solar, Bosselman (2007) notes that nuclear energy does not rely on the natural elements such as the wind or the sun. Nuclear energy can be used any time of the day or in any season. The advantage of producing energy non-stop is that there are zero delays in production and intermittent provision as seen with solar and wind power.
Zero carbon emissions is one of the most sought after sustainable development goals advanced by the United Nations and championed by other global stakeholders including governments and welfare organizations. Nuclear energy does not produce carbon as part of its byproducts. This is a significant benefit over other traditional energy sources, including fossil fuels that release millions of tons of carbon dioxide into the environment and the atmosphere. The buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is noted to be a leading cause of the current changes to the climate (Apergis, Payne, Menyah, & Wolde-Rufael, 2010). Therefore, minimal greenhouse gases and carbon emissions is an advantage that is difficult to ignore.
Nuclear fusion has been identified as one of the most efficient ways to harness energy. With an ability to control atomic fusion, then the world would have unlimited energy. The advancements in nuclear energy methodologies promises to have positive results for the future, including providing limitless amounts of energy for global consumption (Suman, 2018). The potential that nuclear energy has is important to meet other global goals and objectives including keeping the environment safe and ensuring access to basic needs for all populations. Energy generation in the future will be anchored upon the standards that are being established today in the nuclear energy sector.
Lastly, one of the most important advantages of using nuclear energy is the benefit of high energy density. According to Apergis et al. (2010), the energy amount released in a single nuclear fission reaction is estimated to be more than ten million times more than the amounts released through burning fossil fuels. As such, the nuclear power plants require small amounts of nuclear fuel compared to other power plant types. The benefit with this is that it aids in contributing to low cost energy production because a single nuclear power plant is capable of producing more energy compared to traditional sources of energy.
Disadvantages of Nuclear Energy
Despite the many advantages mentioned above, the use of nuclear energy also attracts a number of drawbacks. One key disadvantage of nuclear energy is the environmental impact. Having zero carbon emissions is noted to be a positive point, yet nuclear energy has notable impact to the environment majorly through the water discharge and mining activities required to have the alternative up and running. Elements such as uranium used in the energy production must be mined (Rodríguez-Penalonga & Moratilla Soria, 2017). Any type of mining usually has a detrimental effect to the surrounding environment. Uranium mining leads to the production of radon and arsenic, contributing to negative environment results and poor health of those living near these mines. Thermal pollution is also a major concern as part of a negative environmental impact. The release of hot water into natural sources such as lakes and oceans are likely to change the chemistry of the surrounding making it less habitable for certain aquatic life.
Another major concern and a serious point of reference when discussing the disadvantages of nuclear energy is the increased risk of nuclear accidents. Although nuclear power plants follow strict protocols and rules when it comes to safety measures, accidents are still likely to happen. Events in countries like Japan, the United States, and in Russia have shown that a meltdown of these power plants would lead to catastrophic disasters. The Mile Island, Fukushima disaster, and the Chernobyl accident reveal that the effect to people and the environment would be near irreversible overtime (Mousseau & Møller, 2020). Although these accidents are very rare, it is important to note that the risk of occurrence is real and can be triggered easily through failure of a single component within the system.
Another notable disadvantage of nuclear energy is the fact that it has very high operating costs. Large and industrialized nations are more likely to invest in nuclear energy. However, the developing nations are still not capable of maintaining the power plants due to the challenging economic conditions in their countries. The strict rules on maintenance, the highly skilled staffing levels needed, constant operator training, and the international inspection standards required may be a financial burden to these emerging economies.
Conclusion
From the discussion above, nuclear energy is presented as a low-cost form of energy, is reliable, has zero-carbon emissions, promises efficiency for the future, and has high energy density. Even with these advantages, power plants are also revealed to be water intensive, having a high risk of nuclear accidents, contains radioactive waste that may have negative impact on the environment and health of people and wildlife, and is also a non-renewable source of energy. It is also noted that the high operating costs associated with nuclear energy makes the alternative unavailable to the emerging and developing economies because of the large economic and expertise levels required for maintenance. Overall, the advantages point to a need to explore the use of nuclear energy in the future because it promises limitless energy for global consumption. Yet, scientific procedures must work to ensure that the drawbacks are mitigated before the alternative can be accepted fully.
References
Apergis, N., Payne, J. E., Menyah, K., & Wolde-Rufael, Y. (2010). On the causal dynamics
between emissions, nuclear energy, renewable energy, and economic growth. Ecological Economics, 69(11), 2255-2260.
Bosselman, F. (2007). The Ecological Advantages of Nuclear Power. NYU Envtl. LJ, 15, 1.
Darby, L., Hansson, A., & Tisdell, C. (2020). Small-Scale Nuclear Energy Environmental and
Other Advantages and Disadvantages. Case Studies in the Environment, 4(1).
Mousseau, T. A., & Møller, A. P. (2020). Plants in the Light of Ionizing Radiation: What Have
We Learned From Chernobyl, Fukushima, and Other “Hot” Places?. Frontiers in Plant Science, 11, 552.
Petrescu, F. I., Apicella, A., Petrescu, R. V., Kozaitis, S., Bucinell, R., Aversa, R., & Abu-
Lebdeh, T. (2016). Environmental protection through nuclear energy. American Journal of Applied Sciences, 13(9), 941-946.
Rodríguez-Penalonga, L., & Moratilla Soria, B. Y. (2017). A review of the nuclear fuel cycle
strategies and the spent nuclear fuel management technologies. Energies, 10(8), 1235.
Suman, S. (2018). Hybrid nuclear-renewable energy systems: A review. Journal of Cleaner
Production, 181, 166-177.
Movie review. The Hands of Fate film
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Worst film
Mock awards have emerged to enhance art by humiliating certain entertainment productions such as film and music (Mathijs and Sexton 38). In spite of the idea that cinema thrives on cultic views, mock awards have gained authenticity and seriousness. It is this seriousness that MST3K placed Manos: The Hands of Fate film into public scrutiny by highlighting the serious flaws that the movie entailed.
In 1966, Harold Warren produced and directed the American horror film, thereafter, acquiring the status of the worst movies ever produced. By peering into the background of the director, it is not surprising that he availed the world a ludicrous film for the rest of the decades. Warren was a dealer in farm’s products, in Texas, and he decided to produce the movie as a result of a bet. The producer also had a role in the movie with notable El Paso theater actors. The independent production crew possessed limited background and experience in filmmaking. In addition, they faced a constrained budget at their disposal. On its debut, the film had little performances in the local theatres until MST3K discovered the movie and sparked its two DVD releases (Weiner and Barba 106).
An overview of the movie reads about a vacationing family who venture on a road trip and loses the way. The encounter by a pagan cult triggers the flaws that dominate the rest of the movie. The film possesses several technical deficiencies, continuity flaws, poor visuals and soundtracks, inexplicable scenes and shoddy acting.
The first flaw that indicates in the movie concerns with the production. The film begins by showcasing objects such as the car instead of the characters. This serves to divert the attention of the audience by failing to create curiosity into the later happenings. The movie is slow paced as the family drags its belongings into the car. A better way of launching the actions would have been to let the child stare into the camera. Since the child is sullen, the parents hum an irrelevant song into the child’s ears. As the family drives for a short distance, a sheriff pulls the vehicle over and asks of a tail-light problem. The father responds that the child is exhausted. There is a disconnection between the exhaustion of the child and the tail light failure (Trombo 52). The introductory part also entails landscape shots that exhaust the scene.
An additional problem with the movie regards its lighting. The producer chose most of the movie’s scenes at night. Given the scenes were to occur for several days, it does not create sense that the movie should majorly entail night scenes. The movie possessed inadequate electricity that helped develop a crudely lit and a murky effect. This effect of darkness emanate from the beginning of the movie whereby there is inadequate depiction of the day. The audience strives to make out the faces of the family members as they enter into the dwellings of Torgo. In spite of the idea that the movie entailed considerable night scenes, the audience did not have to struggle making out the characters’ faces.
In addition, the movie entailed inclusion of animals that did not augur with the direction of the script. The first animal is the family’s puppy that is supposed to travel with the family on a road trip. The child plays with the sullen animal that yearns to move out of the car. The puppy attains mild later scenes while the movie does not indicate the disappearance of the animal. In the Torgo’s cave, the child struggles playing with an uncooperative dog. This occurs regardless of the idea that the animals were supposed to accord a horror effect into the movie.
Another problem regards how the actors attain cue for actions. The film did not coordinate the camera movements with the actions of the actor. A shot begins by the actors consuming a long time in order to carry out their roles (Saltzman 47). This suggests that the actions could begin long after the camera had focused on the actors. The scenes comprised of actions whereby the actors could stare into the cameras before performing any significant thing. In the scene of question, the sheriff looked dead and hesitated before questioning the family. In addition, there is a scene in the car whereby the woman stays in absolute silence while staring at a nondescript object.
The car drives and stops at a seemingly abandoned house. The house does not approach the scene thereby appearing from nowhere. Instead of asking for directions, they are fearless of spending with the satyr. In essence, the satyr should possess scary features such as hooves or horns. The satyr is surprisingly warm instead of projecting a horror look onto the settled family. In addition, satyr is a wiry fellow that triggers the audience into sympathizing with him.
It is discernible that the Manos’ movie entailed terrible flaws that make it pale. To begin with, there is a whole idea of disconnection as pertains to the reason for getting lost because the characters should be familiar with their environment. The movie has other disconnections in terms of inappropriate soundtracks such as jazz in night scenes. This is coupled with poor lighting and sluggish actors that do not depict the required effects of a scene.
Works cited
Mathijs, Ernest, and Jamie Sexton. Cult cinema. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2012. Print.
Saltzman, Marc. DVD Confidential 2: the Sequel. New York, NY: McGraw Hill Professional, 2003. Print.
Trombo, Tony. Sueno the dream of Hal Warren: the director of fate creates space. New York, NY: Independent Publishing Platform, 2011. Print.
Weiner, Robert, and Shelley Barba. In the peanut gallery with mystery science theater 3000: essays on film, fandom, technology and the culture of riffing. New York, NY: McFarland, 2011. Print.