The boardroom episode of the apprentice Essay Example for Free

The boardroom episode of the apprentice Essay I saw The Apprentice once, many years ago. I didnt like it. I felt it was everything that was wrong with modern culture and the media in general. I vowed never to watch it again, and assumed everyone else would feel similarly. They did not. Jump to the present day, and The Apprentice is still as popular as ever, going by the fact that my Twitter feed mentions nothing else whenever it is on. I try to follow intelligent, liberal, clear-thinking people. So why do they all get sucked in to The Apprentice? Ive not heard anyone say they actually like it, if anything they seem to actively dislike it, but still they tune in every week without fail. What strange psychological system is in place that makes so many people want to watch the antics of a number of strangers they claim to find repugnant? Is everyone a secret masochist? Does Alan Sugar have some sort of mind-control power? Is the BBC employing weapons-grade There must be some interesting psychological phenomena in play. This needs investigating. So, as someone experienced in numerous areas of psychology who is largely ignorant about the current format and cast of The Apprentice, I felt I was in a perfect position to offer an objective psychological assessment of it. Here are the notes I made from viewing the latest episode. 2 min: OK, were barely out of the recap and already Lord Sugar emphatically says he believes actions speak louder than words. But many of the physical actions humans can perform produce little or no audible output. A metaphor, or does he suffer from synaesthesia? 3 min: Im thinking Lord Sugar may be using psychological methods to control the contestants and produce the most stimulating television. He seems the sort. Also, he strikes me as a cross between an ageing human and a belligerent Brillo pad. Just saying. 5 min: Lord Sugar calls the contestants at 5.20 am. Bit early, a possible attempt at sleep deprivation, leading to an unstable mental state? Also, all the contestants seem to live together in one house. Im assuming this is  something arranged by the show and not a massive coincidence? 8 min: Theyre visiting a farm, as you do. Details aside, Lord Sugar seems to persist in addressing the contestants from a raised level, so its a set-up where groups of supposedly ruthless people stand assembled in uniform while a man with absolute power over them looks down and barks orders. 9 min: Lord Alan Sugar wants them to set up and run a farm shop, something completely unfamiliar to people who work in the economic/corporate field. Excessive environmental change can cause symptoms to worsen in delirium. Most of the contestants dont seem old enough for that to be a major concern, but then given the aforementioned sleep deprivation 11 min: Maybe this friction between so many empty vessels is an attempt to generate large amounts of static electricity? Lord Sugar may want this to power some device hes working on. This doesnt sound like the most practical technology, but then again he is the head of Amstrad. 13 min: I dont think that guy Alex knows his eyebrows look like that. They must have drawn them on him as he slept for a cruel joke. 17 min: One of the women is on a farm and says the silage smells really nice. Maybe her insula or putamen is wrongly wired up? 19 min: Eyebrow guy showing obvious signs of dyscalculia. Im sure thats not an issue for people who want to work with large sums of money. 21 min: Theres a great deal of footage here of close-ups of vegetables and vaguely glamorous women. Its like being backstage at the filming of a Marks and Spencers advert. 23 min: The phrases Just use logic and Engage brain have just been used with no sense of irony or self-awareness. Can the Dunning-Kruger effect ever be fatal? If so, we might not make it to a full series. 25 min: Announcer keeps saying milkshake and now all the boys are in a yard. Nobody has mentioned the obvious joke yet. 28 min: I appear to be watching a lot of dislikeable people buy fruit, at prime time on BBC1. This may be an ingenious form of propaganda by the junk food industry. 29 min: I am struggling to tell these people apart, for all that they dont really resemble each other. The programme may have caused some form of prosopagnosia. Either that or my visual processing system has just grouped them together as some diffuse mass of absolute-tittery. I believe the gestalt theory of visual perception allows for this. 30 min: Theyve got to sell ridiculously expensive slabs of buffalo meat or theyll lose the contest, and yet nobody has said the steaks are too high. Its like Im doing all their thinking for them. 32 min: Heavily made-up woman just asked a passing pedestrian are you interested in some milk? Freud would have had a field day with this show. 35 min: I dont think anyone would be willing to buy produce from a man in the street with the sort of eyebrows used to denote a cartoon character as evil. How is it possible for a human to occupy the uncanny valley? 36 min: This show is instilling in me an intense loathing of these people and the capitalist system that produces and even rewards such individuals. This may be some clever use of associative learning by the BBC, subtly supporting its more socialist funding model. Good effort, if so. 37 min: Its no good; Im going to need some booze to get all the way through this. Back in a second. 37 min: OK, here we go again. I couldnt find any proper alcohol, so am sucking on an antibacterial kitchen wipe. Itll do. 39 min: I just realised that Lord Sugar sounds like the main bad guy in a cartoon that promotes dental hygiene. This could be worth a fortune. If only there was some way to present my business ideas to Alan Sugar

Urban Legend of Glenn Dale Hospital :: Urban Legends Ghost Stories

Glenn Dale Hospital Many urban legends get passed down to others from information people hear, read, and experience on their own. Stories get manipulated and exaggerated over time and reasons for the story’s existence can vary. The true story of Glenn Dale Hospital appears to be rather clear according to credible sources – but this does not stop people from creating their own myths and legends and believing what others tell them is true. The story was told to me by a white female college sophomore that I have known for many years. We happened to be back home over the same weekend and I happened to be on the hunt for an urban legend; luckily she was eager to tell me about her experience trying to visit Glenn Dale Hospital. The following is the story I was told, as close to verbatim as possible: I remember it was Freshman year [in high school] and all the upper class lacrosse girls told us to meet at one of the girl’s houses because we were going to go to a party. We met up there, and got into three different cars and started driving. The van I was in had 6 other girls in it and I was pretty good friends with the senior driving it so it didn’t take long for the senior to tell us that we weren’t really going to a party – and that we were going to go visit an abandoned insane asylum. I had never heard of Glenn Dale Hospital and the entire trip, we were told of how many unexplainable deaths used to occur at the hospital and how if you go there today, you can still hear the screams of the patients throughout the halls. I don’t remember what road we ended up on, but next thing I knew – it was all of us freshman walking through a long field seeing a large building in front of us. The closer we got†¦ the slower we walked. We started ta lking about everything we had heard in the trip up. One girl mentioned that there are still bodies and papers left in the hospital and that the place was abandoned after the workers refused to keep working there after so many inexplicable deaths. Another mentioned that there are always cops patrolling the place and you can get arrested for trespassing. Ironically, as soon as the girl finished talking about the cop, we heard a loud voice from the other side of the building.

Human Cloning and the Future Essay

In his work from 2002 â€Å"Religion and Human Cloning: An Exploratory Analysis of the First Available Opinion Data†, John Evans proudly states a few possible benefits, or advantages, of human ‘therapeutic’ cloning. While talking about embryonic stem cells, he states â€Å"these cells can eventually be used to treat diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and kidney failure, to name but a few†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (748). These possibilities have mostly been confirmed since the publishing of Evans’ piece and other more incredible possibilities have come about. The benefits of both reproductive and therapeutic cloning are endless, yet many still disagree. They say that cloning is dangerous and that it would end human evolution and bring disaster to society as we know it (Mautner, 68). Do most people really think this is true? Or is modern society simply scared of the unknown and not ready for change? Many scientists and authors constantly debate the ethics and possibilities of human cloning, both for reproductive use and therapeutic use. A couple of possible risks would accompany the beginning of human cloning, however the benefits are legitimate, and we as a species should reconsider. It is common knowledge that mother and father love one another. And it’s the classic ideal for a family to begin, in the act of spousal love through sexual reproduction. Alix Magney, in his work â€Å"Cloning Me, Cloning You: Reflections on the Ethics of Cloning for Individuals, Families and Society†, argues that since human cloning would cause childbearing to lose its proper origins as an act of spousal love, it â€Å"†¦plainly poses a threat to the dignity and equality of women†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (25). I don’t think this is true at all, as adopting a child has been practiced for thousands of years and in vitro fertilization was invented in 1978. In vitro fertilization is where an egg is fertilized by sperm outside the female body and then inserted into the uterus for maturation only once the egg is fertilized. Sperm donors have been used for decades, completely negating any ‘spousal love’ from the equation that is reproduction. While people continue to fight over equality for women, which has been true since the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution in 1920, other people continue to debate greater concerns about cloning. I have always heard it said ‘You’re special’, or ‘Just be yourself’, and these are sayings of encouragement to develop your own identity, not to follow others when unnecessary, and to accept that everyone is different. Giovanni Berlucchi, in his work â€Å"The Myth of the Clonable Human Brain†, states that â€Å"†¦most human values are corollaries of the concept that each person is unique and identical to himself or herself through space and time. (160) and â€Å"†¦that this kind of genetic manipulation may interfere with psychological and biological diversity, and therefore with the distinctiveness and autonomy of the individual† (160). I do think that the overuse of a single genetic identity for reproductive cloning would cause a disruption in the common value of individuality, but only in that physical aspect of things. Th e benefits of reproductive cloning and the possibilities of advancing the individual through therapeutic cloning could greatly outweigh any disruptions. Berlucchi continues, â€Å"Nature has, of course, been producing genetically identical humans from time immemorial†¦ in trifling pairs of monozygotic twins, and even less frequently in batches of monozygotic triplets†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (160). Prenatal uterine environment differences, along with other environmental differences post-conception, can significantly affect the psychological outcome of the child and is a main reason for psychological differences between monozygotic twins. The concept of environmental determinism dispels the myth that cloning humans would eliminate the core value of individuality. The controversy over abortion is one of the biggest issues for politicians and the rest of society alike. The debate over whether or not an embryo is to be considered a human being with rights is a ‘hot topic’ among the public and continues to be an important argument for almost everyone. In his aforementioned piece â€Å"Religion and Human Cloning†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , John Evans says that the Roman Catholic Church has the most clear-cut position against cloning, simply based on the status they give to a human embryo. They believe embryos are equivalent to fully grown humans: â€Å"Embryos are to be treated the same as born persons and therefore cannot be used as means toward an end. Most obviously, they cannot be destroyed to benefit others† (748). The church also opposes cloning because it â€Å"†¦severs human reproduction from sexuality† (748). If a couple is attempting to have a kid with each other, by any means, they are more than likely sexually active with one another, and therefore cloning doesn’t remove the sexuality from the overall situation, even if it is not directly involved with the contraception. Also, new technology has been developed since the writing of this article, and it is now possible to extract stem cells from embryos without destroying the embryo. You can take a single stem cell, or blastomere, and coax it to become an endlessly proliferating stem cell. Although these cells can’t form embryos, they can form major types of human tissue just as any embryonic stem cells do. So, therapeutic cloning is possible without the destruction of embryos. Other people fear the end of what Charles Darwin so valiantly discovered and explained to us all over 150 years ago – human evolution. Michael Mautner, in his piece â€Å"Will Cloning End Human Evolution? †, argues that a result of human cloning would be the end of human evolution. He states â€Å"Cloning will, in contrast, reproduce the same genetic makeup of an existing individual. There is no room for new traits to arise†¦ The result: Human evolution is halted† (68). Only an insane situation where cloning was the only method for reproduction and the same genetic makeup was used over and over again would lead to the end of human evolution. This is an extreme situation and would almost definitely never happen. New science behind non-embryonic stem cell research has shown incredible potential for stem cells in general, as embryonic stem cells show significantly more potential than stem cells extracted from other parts of the human body, like the yellow bone marrow. Stem cells are beginning to be used to regrow hair, teeth and cartilage in damaged joints. Since the procedures and research are incredibly expensive, treatment is limited to those wealthy enough. Professional North-American athletes have led the way, being human guinea pigs for the non-invasive procedures in hopes of returning their bodies to their prime, pre-injury, form. Stem cell treatments are growing in popularity and legitimacy, and the use of embryonic stem cells shouldn’t be limited as it can only advance our species. Scientific tests and studies have proven limitless benefits to stem cell transplants, yet ethical concerns and moral-based laws are constraining what could be groundbreaking and life-saving science. There is possible potential for embryonic stem cells to be grown into whole, functional, organs or entire limbs of the human body. The uses could range from a ounded amputee war veteran in need of a new leg, or an elderly woman in need of a new kidney as hers is failing, and the possibilities are endless. Human fear of the unknown is instinctual, but as the realm of the previously impossible comes more into the lights of reality, we need to change our minds on the practicality and usefulness of cloning and embryonic stem cells. For our ailing parents, for our children, and our children’s children, we need to advance as a society, and take hold of the opportunities and benefits sitting right in front of us.

For Euthanasia Persuasive Essay - 1663 Words

â€Å"Death is not the enemy doctor. Inhumanity is† (Rebman 5.) This quote was said by 78 year old Eli Kahn. He placed on a respirator machine in order to keep him alive but against his wishes. Eli Kahn was among countless people in this world that face an inevitable death who are not given the choice of preventing the pain and suffering. Euthanasia is a word that most people avoid because it is very controversial. But why? Euthanasia is a way of ending the prolonging of suffering, while leaving life in peace. Euthanasia is derived from the Greeks where Eu means good and Thanatos means death. When these phrases are combined the word euthanasia is created; meaning â€Å"good death† (6.) There are three types of euthanasia although only two†¦show more content†¦The Hemlock Society was formed by Dereck Humphry in 1980 and now has over 27,000 members. This Society works to change legislation in favor of euthanasia while offering support for person’ s contemplating euthanasia. They also produce publications about euthanasia subjects in order to better educate the public (18.) The second organization, the Euthanasia Society of America, was formed in the 1930’s and is dedicated to bring euthanasia cases out into the public eye (16.) A man by the name of Dr. Kevorkian is unrelated to the Euthanasia Society of America but also strived to bring euthanasia issues into the public. He has assisted in over 100 deaths through euthanasia to terminally ill patients. One of his patients, Thomas Youk suffered from a very severe and painful case of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. He found Dr. Kevorkian who helped him peacefully pass away and end his long time suffering. Kevorkian has also shown a way that euthanasia patients can also benefit those who are ill but do not want to choose euthanasia. After the death of aShow MoreRelatedEuthanasia Persuasive Essay1064 Words   |  5 PagesAn Avoidable Loss Death by choice or euthanasia is a very controversial subject that is typically one-sided. The very concept of death alone is somewhat a taboo, but controlling death itself is another monster. Death by choice or â€Å"euthanasia† should not be legalized because it promotes defeatism, may lead to the strict procedures to become more accessible to people with non-fatal illnesses, could legitimize murder, or pressure the elderly. When an unfortunate illness befalls, people have a tendencyRead MorePersuasive Essay Pro Euthanasia954 Words   |  4 PagesGrace (JiEun) Lee AP Language and composition Persuasive essay 6 October 2017 Euthanasia legalization The ultimate value of life depends upon awareness and the power of contemplation rather than upon mere survival. Aristotle Being one of the most fervid and controversial topic of all, euthanasia, also known as physician-assisted suicide, has initiated a very sensitive discussion on life and death under one’s ability to choose either side. Euthanasia is defined as a â€Å"the act or practice of killingRead MorePersuasive Essay on Euthanasia963 Words   |  4 PagesEuthanasia - The Right to Decide The definition of euthanasia from the Oxford Dictionary is: â€Å"The painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or is in an incurable coma.† Consider the words â€Å"suffering,† â€Å"painful,† â€Å"irreversible† and â€Å"incurable.† These words describe a patients terrible conditions and prospects. Euthanasia is known as â€Å"mercy killing† for a reason, it is the most, humane, moral and logical form of treatment available to patients that have no hopeRead MorePersuasive Essay On Euthanasia811 Words   |  4 PagesEuthanasia In present society Euthanasia is a very controversial topic and must be addressed carefully and thoughtfully out of the respect of others. It is a topic that for those who are undecided on what side to pick really do not know which way to swing until it impacts their life. Euthanasia roughly translates into â€Å"a good death†, so for those who chose to end their life by their own decision, and without them having to deal with pain or the inevitable long incurable diseases, thenRead MorePersuasive Essay On Euthanasia973 Words   |  4 PagesEuthanasia, more commonly known as mercy killing, is the action of killing someone in order to end their suffering. This is a way for patients with terminal illnesses to die a peaceful death rather than a painful one; however, it is illegal throughout most of the United States. People have debated for many years whether or not Euthanasia in people should be legal. In the Bible, Exodus 20:13 states that â€Å"Thou shalt not kill.† This verse brings people to believe that mercy killing is an act of defianceRead MorePersuasive Essay Euthanasia1446 Words   |  6 PagesEuthanasia: A Legal Murder According the Merriam-Webster dictionary, Euthanasia is â€Å"the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals (such as persons or domestic animals) in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy. This procedure seems appealing to the many people around the world who suffer from terminal illnesses. In the minds of these people euthanasia or doctor-assisted suicide seems like the only escape. As stated in a journal, â€Å"My friendRead MorePersuasive Essay On Euthanasia1430 Words   |  6 Pageswould that answer change if you were suffering? Euthanasia, also known as â€Å"good death,† is the act of putting a living thing to death painlessly or allowing them to die by withholding extreme medical practices, such as withholding food. Then there is involuntary euthanasia: â€Å"a competent person’s life is brought to an end despite an explicit rejection of euthanasia† as stated by Robert Young, the author of Med ically Assisted Death. In the case of euthanasia, many people will argue that it is murder, butRead MorePersuasive Essay On Euthanasia737 Words   |  3 Pageswith no hope of ever leaving their hospital bed, death may seem like a blessing. Euthanasia is the practise of intentionally ending a life to relieve pain or suffering, a practise which is yet to be legalised in too many countries for being seen as illegal and immoral-which is ridiculous. A terminally ill patient or those suffering from deteriorating progressive conditions should always have the option of euthanasia. If possible, everyone would choose a quick and dignified death when the time comesRead MorePersuasive Essay On Euthanasia730 Words   |  3 Pages Euthanasia is sometimes referred to a â€Å"mercy killing.† This controversial topic has been debated for decades. Some argue that euthanasia causes more harm than good, and with modern medicine it is simply unnecessary. Others argue that it is an act of mercy sparing a suffering individual from days, weeks, or months of unnecessary pain and anguish. However, there are moral and ethical questions surrounding euthanasia. It could be argued that killing of any kind is murder. No matter the situation orRead MoreEuthanasia Persuasive Essay1577 Words   |  7 Pagespainful clutch. Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide are two ways to end the life of a person. Euthanasia is the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals (as persons or domestic animals) in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy (Merriam-Webster), also defined by the Oxford dictionary as the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and pai nful disease or in an irreversible coma. In places where euthanasia is allowed, it