Premium Essay

A Splash of Love in a Strange World

In:

Submitted By happyfoot2u
Words 523
Pages 3
A Splash of Love in a Strange World

Gattaca is the name of a space agency in the not-too-distant future, where the preparation for man's first journey to Saturn's moon, Titan, is in progress. Among the people vying to leave Earth and explore Titan is someone who goes by the name of Jerome Morrow. He is fully qualified for this job: he has the right genetic material that puts him a cut above all the rest in terms of mental and physical skills.
The catch is that Jerome Morrow is really Vincent Freeman, an "in-valid" with defective genes, who has managed to infiltrate the elite space agency by faking his identity---right down to the nucleic acid level. Vincent routinely obtains blood, hair, and urine samples from the real Jerome Morrow (Jude Law) to pass identification and screening tests. The real Morrow is not able to realise his potential since he was crippled in an accident, and therefore needs Vincent as much as Vincent needs him.
Throw in some sibling rivalry between Vincent and his "valid" brother, a murder sub-plot, and a love interest for Vincent, you end up with Gattaca. The story is essentially about how Vincent overcomes the programming in his in-valid genes and competes against the best in the "valid" world.
The scientific premise, like in most science-fiction movies, combines a mix of truth and fiction. In the movie, the alleles from parents are so chosen that the combination produces the optimal arrangement in terms of the child's genotype. But we know enough right now to realise that even in situations where there is a great degree of genetic predisposition, it is quite probable that that predisposition (positive or negative) is never realised. For more complex behavioural traits such as intelligence, aptitude test results would be a far better indicator than genetic makeup. In other words, any correlation people may find between a complex

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Books of Wisdom Literature

...Ho Man Chan RELI 1301 05 J. Jonathan Kim, Ph.D. 11-12-2010 Books of Wisdom Literature Wisdom Literature is a style of Hebrew literature. It was originated from 6th century BC, when the Israelites in exile after being swept into the AD era. These literary works are such as "Wisdom books." "Wisdom literature" has four main characteristics: 1. The writing time should be after the Israelis were swept and before the birth of Jesus Christ; 2. The contents should focus on ethics, but not designed to focus on theology; 3. The way of expression are mainly the maxim, aphorism, metaphor, fables, poems, eulogy, etc; 4. The writing object is not only limited to Jews. There are five main books of Wisdom Literature, Book of Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Psalms and Song of Songs. First, Job is a faithful servant of God who is known for piety and patience. At that time, the Israelites were polluted to worship the Egyptian demons, but only Job is adhered to worship the God purely. The most ancient tradition believed that Moses is the author of this book. Many Jewish and early Christian scholars also agreed with this proposition. It is because the style of Job is very similar with the Pentateuch. So, the time of writing should be estimated around 1500 BC of the Patriarch Period. Most of this book (3:1-42:6) is a form of play or epic written. The front (1:1-2:13) is a prelude and (42:7-17) is the end. These two parts is written in prose form. Job not only teaches a great truth. “The Book of Job...

Words: 2147 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Lush Cosmetics: Unnaturally Good

...LUSH COSMETICS EXPOSED: UNNATURALLY GOOD. 2 Abstract Lush cosmetics is a company that allegedly stands for its ethics. They represent themselves as activists for animal rights and planet Earth, and claim to use only fresh and “safe synthetic ” ingredients. Lush emphasizes its dedication to the planet and its support for animals and other humanitarian causes, often. Their ideas about what is safe, humane, and ethical, however, differ from those whose activism is altruistic rather than exploitative. An important factor discussed in Lush's success are its Lushies, as the company calls them, the consumers of Lush cosmetics, who belong to a significant subculture in society: the ignorant but eager, they want to belong, and in this desire, have kept Lush alive. Also included is a SWOT analysis of the company, an explanation as to how Lush has failed to grow from its Corporate Social Responsibility, (CSR), followed by the cosmetics industry's part in globalization and the company's contributions to sustainability. Keywords: cosmetics, ethics, safe synthetics, CSR, globalization, sustainability LUSH COSMETICS EXPOSED: UNNATURALLY GOOD. 3 Lush Cosmetics Exposed: Unnaturally Good. Lush is a funky cosmetic company geared toward college kids and aging hipsters. With their “cool” layouts, aesthetics of bright colors with black and white captions and headers written in a rebellious but playful font, cause-centered mission statements galore...

Words: 3623 - Pages: 15

Premium Essay

Hey How's It Hanging

...the links you need to form a proper picture. All that I retain in my head of the house in town is the wallpaper with Teddy bears in my old room. In this new house, which was really a trailer, my sister, Caro, and I had narrow cots, stacked one above the other. When we first moved there, Caro talked to me a lot about our old house, trying to get me to remember this or that. It was when we were in bed that she talked like this, and generally the conversation ended with me failing to remember and her getting cross. Sometimes I thought I did remember, but out of contrariness or fear of getting things wrong I pretended not to. It was summer when we moved to the trailer. We had our dog with us. Blitzee. “Blitzee loves it here,” my mother said, and it was true. What dog wouldn’t love to exchange a town street, even one with spacious lawns and big houses, for the wide-open countryside? She took to barking at every car that went past, as if she owned the road, and now and then she brought home a squirrel or a groundhog she’d killed. At first Caro was quite upset by this, and Neal would have a...

Words: 5447 - Pages: 22

Free Essay

Entry

...always blames his tools 
A problem shared is a problem halved
A prophet is not recognized in his own land
A rising tide lifts all boats
A rolling stone gathers no moss
A soft answer turneth away wrath
A stitch in time saves nine
A swarm in May is worth a load of hay; a swarm in June is worth a silver spoon; but a swarm in July is not worth a fly
A thing of beauty is a joy forever
A trouble shared is a trouble halved
A volunteer is worth twenty pressed men
A watched pot never boils
A woman's place is in the home
A woman's work is never done
A word to the wise is enough
Absence makes the heart grow fonder
Absolute power corrupts absolutely
Accidents will happen (in the best-regulated families).
Actions speak louder than words
Adversity makes strange bedfellows
After a storm comes a calm 
All good things come to he who waits
All good things must come to an end
All is grist that comes to the mill...

Words: 3612 - Pages: 15

Free Essay

Jonathan Livingston Seagull

...This is a story for people who follow their dreams and make their own rules; a story that has inspired people for decades. For most seagulls, life consists simply of eating and surviving. Flying is just a means of finding food. However, Jonathan Livingston Seagull is no ordinary bird. For him, flying is life itself. Against the conventions of seagull society, he seeks to find a higher purpose and become the best at doing what he loves. This is a fable about the importance of making the most of our lives, even if our goals run contrary to the norms of our flock, tribe or neighbourhood. Through the metaphor of flight, Jonathan’s story shows us that, if we follow our dreams, we too can soar. ‘Richard Bach with this book does two things. He gives me Flight. He makes me Young. For both I am deeply grateful.’ RAY BRADBURY Jonathan Livingston Seagull a story RICHARD BACH PHOTOGRAPHS BY RUSSELL MUNSON The most celebrated inspirational fable of our time Element An Imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 77-85 Fulham Palace Road Hammersmith, London W6 8JB The website address is: www.thorsonselement.com To the real Jonathan Seagull, who lives within us all and Element are trademarks of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd First published in Great Britain by Turnstone Press 1972 This edition published by Element 2003 17 19 21 23 25 24 22 20 18 16 Text copyright © Richard D. Bach 1970 Photographs copyright © Russell Munson 1970 Richard Bach asserts the moral right to be identified as the...

Words: 9512 - Pages: 39

Free Essay

Jonathan Livingston Seagull

...This is a story for people who follow their dreams and make their own rules; a story that has inspired people for decades. For most seagulls, life consists simply of eating and surviving. Flying is just a means of finding food. However, Jonathan Livingston Seagull is no ordinary bird. For him, flying is life itself. Against the conventions of seagull society, he seeks to find a higher purpose and become the best at doing what he loves. This is a fable about the importance of making the most of our lives, even if our goals run contrary to the norms of our flock, tribe or neighbourhood. Through the metaphor of flight, Jonathan’s story shows us that, if we follow our dreams, we too can soar. ‘Richard Bach with this book does two things. He gives me Flight. He makes me Young. For both I am deeply grateful.’ RAY BRADBURY Jonathan Livingston Seagull a story RICHARD BACH PHOTOGRAPHS BY RUSSELL MUNSON The most celebrated inspirational fable of our time Element An Imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 77-85 Fulham Palace Road Hammersmith, London W6 8JB The website address is: www.thorsonselement.com To the real Jonathan Seagull, who lives within us all and Element are trademarks of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd First published in Great Britain by Turnstone Press 1972 This edition published by Element 2003 17 19 21 23 25 24 22 20 18 16 Text copyright © Richard D. Bach 1970 Photographs copyright © Russell Munson 1970 Richard Bach asserts the moral right to be identified as the...

Words: 9512 - Pages: 39

Free Essay

Fake Memories of Me

...Fake Memories of Me by Cathyn McKenna Copyright 2016 ===== 1 September, 1853. Our parent's summer estate outside Arkangel'sk. You, 17, freshly returned from your second year at the Tsar's Imperial Riding Academy, your eyes all aglow with the thoughts of your Commission, two years hence, but still completely dominating your thoughts and words. Me, 25, already bored of The Social Circle, as all heirs were obligated to navigate, the slow gyration of palaces, dances, hunting, small talk, and the never ending search for a marital partner only slightly above your level, at least in income, but certainly not prestige. Rumors of war tainting everything. There was that one bright perfect day. In a week you would be back at the Academy. In a week, I'd be heading for Nizhny Novgorod to romance the Count's daughter, the insufferable thing. But on that day, the last good weather before May, we were brothers again. We drank, we danced, we fenced, we talked deep philosophy and shallow gossip, but we were brothers. Brothers again after so long apart, and so soon to be parted. Who could have known that a year later to the day, a fresh-faced Lieutenant of Horse, newly commissioned, and commanding 65 fellows, would lead a charge to silence a platoon of English cannon, those same cannon smashing the Lieutenant and his men to bits instantly, and mothers across Velikaya Rus smashed for the rest of their lives. I sit now at your cenotaph, as I have every year for the last nineteen...

Words: 9554 - Pages: 39

Free Essay

Opgave Nyyyy

...Engelsk A Studentereksamen 1. delprøve, uden hjælpemidler kl. 9.00 - 10.00 stx132-ENG/A-22082013 122050.indd 1 Torsdag den 22. august 2013 kl. 9.00 - 14.00 02/07/13 13.38 122050.indd 2 02/07/13 13.38 Side 1 af 8 sider Nedenstående rubrikker udfyldes. Efter prøven afleveres dette hæfte med din besvarelse til en ­ ilsynsførende. t stx132-ENG/A-22082013 Skolens/kursets navn: Elevens/kursistens navn: Klasse/hold: Elevens/kursistens nummer: Elevens/kursistens underskrift: Tilsynsførendes signatur: Denne delprøve besvares uden brug af hjælpemidler. Besvarelsen afleveres kl. 10.00 122050.indd 3 02/07/13 13.38 Side 2 af 8 sider Besvar opgaverne i A – D A Ret fejlene i følgende sætninger, og forklar på dansk dine rettelser. Brug relevant grammatisk/faglig terminologi. Der er kun én fejl i hver sætning. Skriv den korrekte sætning på linjerne nedenunder. 1. Two lightning bolts hitted an Airbus A380 in a terrible thunderstorm. 2. Modern historians claim that the king reigned successful for 17 years. 122050.indd 4 02/07/13 13.38 Side 3 af 8 sider 3. He is carpenter, but he would very much like to work in a bank. 4. Some scientists objects to the idea of artificial intelligence. 5. The police had given up finding the ones whom had robbed the bank. 122050.indd 5 02/07/13 13.38 Side...

Words: 6225 - Pages: 25

Free Essay

Compilation of Nursery Rhymes

...Poetry Nursery Rhymes Most children love being told nursery rhymes. Many of the nursery rhymes that we have read to our children have their origins in British history. Rhymes were written for many different reasons. Some rhymes were written to honor a particular local event that has since been forgotten, while others were written to express feelings of love. Rhymes were also used to hide real meanings, such as when someone wanted to express displeasure toward the government or the sovereign without being executed. Another reason for rhymes is that they’re easy to remember, and therefore could be spread by word-of-mouth—an essential feature for a large population of people who could not read or write. So here are some of many nursery rhymes that have been written: Jack be Nimble (aka Jack b Nimble) Jack be nimble Jack be quick Jack jump over The candlestick. Little Tommy Tucker Little Tommy Tucker sings for his supper, What shall we give him? Brown bread and butter. How shall he cut it without a knife? How shall he marry without a wife? The Grand old Duke of York The Grand old Duke of York he had ten thousand men He marched them up to the top of the hill And he marched them down again. When they were up, they were up And when they were down, they were down And when they were only halfway up They were neither up nor down. Diddle Diddle Dumpling Diddle, diddle, dumpling, my son John, Went to bed with his trousers on; One shoe off, and one shoe...

Words: 14522 - Pages: 59

Free Essay

Mary and Max

...8-year-old Mary Daisy Dinkle (Bethany Whitmore) is a lonely little girl living in Mount Waverley, Melbourne, Australia. Her relatively poor family cannot afford to buy her toys or nice clothing, and she is teased by children at her school due to an unfortunate birthmark on her forehead. Her father is distant and her alcoholic, kleptomaniac mother provides no support. The closest thing she has to a friend is the man for whom Mary collects mail, Len Hislop, a World War II veteran who lost his legs as a prisoner of war and has developed agoraphobia. One day, she decides to write a letter to someone living in New York City: by pure chance she chooses Max Jerry Horowitz (Philip Seymour Hoffman) from a telephone directory. Max turns out to be a morbidly obese 44-year-old whose various mental problems (including anxiety attacks and overeating) have left him unable to form close bonds with other people. Max decides to write back to Mary, and the two become friends. Over time, Mary's increasingly sensitive questions about the adult world give Max progressively worse anxiety attacks, and he is ultimately institutionalized. During his time there, Max is diagnosed with depression and Asperger syndrome. Now aware of why he has difficulty relating to other people, Max finds a new lease on life and resumes his correspondence with Mary. The two remain friends for the next two decades, keeping one another updated on various events in their lives. Mary (Toni Colette), inspired by her friendship with...

Words: 9871 - Pages: 40

Premium Essay

Eleven Files

...SPEAK ENGLISH LIKE AN AMERICAN YOU ALREADY SPEAK ENGLISH... NOW SPEAK IT EVEN BETTER! DELUXE BOOK & CD SET A M Y GILLETT Copyright © 2004 by Language Success Press All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems without permission in writing from the publisher. First Edition ISBN 0-9725300-3-7 Library of Congress Control Number: 2004102958 Visit our website: www.languagesuccesspress.com Bulk discounts are available. For information, please contact: Language Success Press 2232 S. Main Street #345 Ann Arbor, MI 48103 USA E-mail: sales@languagesuccesspress.com Fax: (303) 484-2004 (USA) Printed in the United States of America The author is very grateful to the following people for their collaboration and advice while preparing this book and CD set: Vijay Banta, Jacqueline Gillett, Thomas Gillett, Marcy Carreras, John McDermott, Natasha McDermott, Cat McGrath, Patrick O'Connell. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Amy Gillett has taught English as a Second Language (ESL) in Stamford, Connecticut and in Prague, Czech Republic. Her essays and humor writing have appeared in many publications, including MAD Magazine, the San Francisco Chronicle, and Family Circle. Amy majored in Slavic Languages and Literature at Stanford University and holds a Master's degree from Stanford in Russian and Eastern European Studies. Amy has studied and worked abroad in many countries...

Words: 27413 - Pages: 110

Free Essay

Ano Ang Kahulugan Ng Ipinagunita ?

...Project In English Submitted to: Ms. Shaira C. Pavo Submitted by: Gerard C. Balazo Table Of Contents I. A Dark Brown Dog II. A Haunted House III. Araby IV. The Winepress V. A Dark Brown Dog Stephen Crane A child was standing on a street-corner. He leaned with one shoulder against a high board-fence and swayed the other to and fro, the while kicking carelessly at the gravel. Sunshine beat upon the cobbles, and a lazy summer wind raised yellow dust which trailed in clouds down the avenue. Clattering trucks moved with indistinctness through it. The child stood dreamily gazing. After a time, a little dark-brown dog came trotting with an intent air down the sidewalk. A short rope was dragging from his neck. Occasionally he trod upon the end of it and stumbled. He stopped opposite the child, and the two regarded each other. The dog hesitated for a moment, but presently he made some little advances with his tail. The child put out his hand and called him. In an apologetic manner the dog came close, and the two had an interchange of friendly pattings and waggles. The dog became more enthusiastic with each moment of the interview, until with his gleeful caperings he threatened to overturn the child. Whereupon the child lifted his hand and struck the dog a blow upon the head. This thing seemed to overpower and astonish the little dark-brown dog, and wounded him to the heart. He sank down in despair at the child's feet. When the blow was repeated, together...

Words: 7662 - Pages: 31

Free Essay

Against Joy to Live

...Over the years I have developed a distaste for the spectacle of joie de vivre, the knack of knowing how to live. Not that I disapprove of all hearty enjoyment of life. A flushed sense of happiness can overtake a person anywhere, and one is no more to blame for it than the Asiatic flu or a sudden benevolent change in the weather (which is often joy's immediate cause). No, what rankles me is the stylization of this private condition into a bullying social ritual. The French, who have elevated the picnic to their highest civilized rite, are probably most responsible for promoting this smugly upbeat, flaunting style. It took the French genius for formalizing the informal to bring sticky sacramental sanctity to the baguette, wine and cheese. A pure image of sleeveless joie de vivre Sundays can also be found in Renoir's paintings. Weekend satyrs dance and wink; leisure takes on a bohemian stripe. A decent writer, Henry Miller, caught the French malady and ran back to tell us of pissoirs in the Paris streets (why this should have impressed him so, I've never figured out). But if you want a double dose of joie de vivre, you need to consult a later, hence more stylized version of the French myth of pagan happiness: those Family of Man photographs of endlessly kissing lovers, snapped by Doisneau and Boubat, not to mention Cartier-Bresson's icon of the proud tyke carrying bottles of wine. If CartierBresson and his disciples are excellent photographers for all that, it is...

Words: 7922 - Pages: 32

Free Essay

Analysis

...20th century. He is famous for his art of story-telling and his humour which is based on misunderstanding. He is good at revealing the weak sides of human nature. This extract is about three men who decided to cook an Irish stew. They began cooking from peeling the potatoes. They threw another products which they wished to get rid of and mixed all carefully. At the end Montmorency bought fresh caught water-rat. After some discussions these three men decided to try something new and added the rat. Eventually, they were very happy by their cook masterpiece. By this text the author wanted to tell us that it had better to try something new than to be indifferent and do everything as usual. People ought to develop in this case world progress would go ahead. Jerome presents his story as 1st-person narration with descriptive passages. This extract may be divided into the following parts. The first one is a description of Sonning. The second is decision of cooking an Irish stew. The third is Montmorency’s contribution to the dinner. The last one is about great success of Irish stew. This text is written with the cheerful, humorous, emotional and optimistic prevailing mod. The author used in this text a lot of lexical and stylistic devices which helped to create the needful atmosphere. In the description of Sonning Jerome used metaphor: they (roses) were bursting forth in clouds of dainty splendour; simile: it is more like a stage village than one built...

Words: 5187 - Pages: 21

Free Essay

Ch11

...4790642 Jungle Book 24/11/06 11:45 Page i THE JUNGLE BOOK In the hills of Southern India a baby lies warm and safe in a cave. He lies among wolf-cubs, next to Mother Wolf’s side, and he is not afraid. Outside the cave Shere Khan, the man-eating tiger, roars angrily, wanting to kill. ‘No!’ says Mother Wolf. ‘The man’s cub belongs to me. He will live, to run with the other wolves, to be my son. And I will call him Mowgli.’ The years pass, and Mowgli the man’s cub grows up with the wolves. He learns the Law of the Jungle from his teachers, Baloo the old brown bear and Bagheera the black panther. He has many adventures, and many friends among the animals of the jungle. But he still has an enemy. Shere Khan the tiger has not forgotten. He waits for the day when he can catch the man’s cub – and kill him. 4790642 Jungle Book 24/11/06 11:45 Page ii 4790642 Jungle Book 24/11/06 11:45 Page iii OXFORD BOOKWORMS LIBRARY Classics The Jungle Book Stage 2 (700 headwords) Series Editor: Jennifer Bassett Founder Editor: Tricia Hedge Activities Editors: Jennifer Bassett and Alison Baxter 4790642 Jungle Book 24/11/06 11:45 Page iv 4790642 Jungle Book 13/1/07 07:50 Page v RUDYARD KIPLING The Jungle Book Retold by Ralph Mowat Illustrated by Kanako Damerum and Yuzuru Takasaki OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS 4790642 Jungle Book 24/11/06 11:45 Page vi Great Clarendon Street, Oxford ox2 6dp Oxford University...

Words: 10782 - Pages: 44