Translating culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Translating culture - Essay Example Globalization is an overwhelming global trend drawing both positive and negative influences. One of the significant impacts of globalization on cultural identity lies in the spread of multinational corporations. This has been a significant driver of consumer culture and standardization of products and values.2 Globalization has been significant in propagating economic opportunity, elevating human rights, and enhancing access to information, technology, and goods and services to the people. Globalization has had a remarkable influence on the viability of locally made products and the people who take part in producing them.3 Local culture can be analyzed in terms of three dimensions. The first dimension relates to human relationship to nature and to life while the second dimension relates to symbols and rituals that aid people in structuring social relationships and building communities. Lastly, culture infers quest for ultimate meaning that avails goals and motivations. People make cu lture, and culture, in turn, makes people. Cultures keep on changing, and evolving, and the elements within any cultural identity reflect consumer choices. Nevertheless, globalization may accelerate cultural change and lead to a quick dilution of local cultural identity.4 From a socio-cultural perspective, globalization has a permeating effect on building of relationships between and among people.5 Prior to the emergence of globalization, most cultures were local, autonomous, distinct, and well-defined. The previous robust and culturally sustaining experiences, connections and reinforced local cultural identity have been destabilized. In this case, identity can be perceived in terms of gender, sexuality, religion, ethnicity, and nationality. In the contemporary world, people’s lives are perpetually being modified by contradictory trends of globalization and identity. Cultural identity and globalization are correlated and interconnected phenomena. Globalization is a critical s ource of transformation of new and modern ideas, development of human capital and information. Globalization has enhanced contacts between people with their values, ideas, and ways of life. Globalization diffuses cultural traits from one society to another. Culture is altered by other cultures that it comes into contact with through diffusion, commercial or political relations. Globalization has been associated with free flow of information, rapid advancement in technology and communication. Similarly, there has been phenomenal growth in the transportation sector, leading to the world becoming a â€Å"global village.† The new global culture signifies a â€Å"deterritorializing† character of globalization and eventual emergence of a borderless world. This aspect is blamed for diminishing the consequence of locality in cultural experience.6 Globalization has eased the way in which people can take part or integrate into another country’s cultural, economic, and pol itical life. The dominance of capitalism geared towards selling as much as possible to maximize profit has contributed significantly to the weakening of local cultures. The hyper commoditization stems from massive advertisement campaigns carried out to disseminate information concerning the products. Consumer

Judicial term Essay Example for Free

Judicial term Essay Forum non convenience is a judicial term used for an inconvenient place of judicial trials for one of the parties involved in the case. In judicial trials if parties involved are not satisfied for the place where their case will be executed they can take a motion to dismiss the case on the basis of forum non conveniens. Any parties involved in the case can submit a proof that the current forum is not sufficient or suitable for them. Instead another place (forum) is more suitable for their case and the dismissal of the case in the current forum is more in favor of both the parties than carrying out in the same forum, and the alternative forum is suitable for both the parties. All the factors of the plaintiff’s and defendant’s interest involved in the decision of dismissal are considered. The balancing between the parties must be equal and favoring them. The facts involved in the forum non convenience grounds are weighed before the decision is taken. Also the convenience of court and the justice itself is considered. Whether it would be convenient to dismiss the case and carried out in another forum would be an appropriate step itself? If it satisfies the needs of both the parties and justice would be more balanced in an alternative forum then court has the right to dismiss the case on the forum non conveniens. This also involves that the new forum will not pose up new issues for any of the parties involved. The plaintiff and defendants must be satisfied with the new forum and will not make it an issue when the trial will be conducted.

Reflection On Nature And Nurture Philosophy Essay

Reflection On Nature And Nurture Philosophy Essay The theme of Nurture v. Nature is a topic of heated debates. Different scientists in many branches of science still can not find agreement about the degree of influence of hereditary and social factors on human development. Carolyn Csongradi in her article Why the Topic of Bioethics in Science Classes? explores this theme and gives her opinion on the topic. The author investigates how relation between nature and nurture influence thinking processes. The research is very interesting because the process of human thinking and cognition is another object of controversy and heated debates and the author unites two interesting and controversial topics in one article. In the first part of the article she explores different approaches to the problem of nature v. nurture influence. The author of the article explores different theories which investigate the relation between hereditary and social influence. The article is interesting because the author gives arguments from different field of human science. She approaches the problem from different perspectives and this gives the readers opportunity to get a detailed information on the topic. Those who believe that hereditary factors have greater influence on human development believe that genetic information determine human personalities and behavior. Of course some behavioral patterns may be nurtured but still major influence belongs to hereditary factors. According to evolutionary approach our knowledge and reactions are inborn but they may be modified by upbringing and society. Evolutionists believe that the most important knowledge about the world is selected by natural selection and passed through time and generation. This kind of information helps different spices to survive. According to Darwin, the founder of the Evolutionary Theory, instincts which are useful for the survival of the entire spice are more valuable and that is the reason why some behavioral patterns became suitable for the life in the society. During the 1800s, Charles Darwin speculated that certain rules for conflict arbitration were needed at the point in time when a species evolved a longer mem ory, a keener imagination and became involved in social contracts. For example, a bird, which could leave an active nest to migrate with her group, choosing that instinct over the one to nurture, would find this choice too difficult with a better memory (Csongradi). Neurological studies described by the author of the article show that nature prevails over nutrition. As an example the author speaks about the research of Oliver Sacks, who investigated behavior of savants people with extraordinary artistic abilities. Oliver Sacks finally came to the conclusion that surrounding has little influence on the abilities of these people. They are not dependant on the things which surround them and on the people around them. Then the author turns to philosophical investigation on the topic. The author turns to the opinion of outstanding philosophers, such as Hume and Kant, who underlined the important role of hereditary factors in human behavior and development. Kant believed we inherited certain categories or concept grids on which experiences could be sorted or organized (Csongradi). Freud, famous behaviorist and the founder of psychoanalysis, also believed that nature became that factor which determined human behavior and reactions. Descartes, famous philosopher of the 16th century expressed even more radical view. He doubted the existence of any objects outside of human mind. The author of the article gives description of the simple experiment which proves that our reactions and perceptions are determined by our mind. This simple experiment very vividly illustrates that human mind determines our perception and experience. In this experiment three bowls of water are put on the table. One bowl of water is hot, another is very cold and the third one is tepid. The participant of the experiment puts one hand in the cold water and another hand in the hot one. After several minutes he places both hands in the bowl with tepid water. The sensations in two hands will be different. This experiment proves that human mind influences our perception of reality. The author also gives arguments against natural approach. As she states there exist values which are not necessary for the survival of the spice. Certain qualities were developed not only through natural selection process and this fact raises doubts concerning natural approach. Such qualities as altruism, truthfulness or justice contradict to natural approach because they are not always necessary for the survival of the spice. Some choices may even result in the death of an individual but still there are people who make these choices. Carolyn Csongradi made interesting investigation on the theme of relation between genetic and social influence on the development of human personality. In her article she provides information in interesting and convenient manner. Information is divided into subcategories which makes it convenient to get the authors idea. It is evident that Csongradi stands for natural approach. Her thesis is clearly formulated in the beginning of the article. She presents several groups of arguments in order to prove her position. These groups are: philosophical discussion, neurological studies, evolutionary view. These three sections present different kinds of proofs for the naturalistic approach. The author uses research data. She bases her conclusions on the research of the contemporary scholars. In addition, she addresses famous philosophers of the past in order to give proofs of her position. Csongradi descries neurological research and studies which give proofs to natural approach to the person ality formation. In addition, the author describes simple experiment with water which can also prove to which extend our perception is conditioned by our mind. Big number of references at the end of the article proves that the author addresses multiple sources in her research. At the end of the article Csongradi describes arguments of the opposing side. She gives data which does not fit smoothly into the theory of natural approach and evolutionary selection. She gives arguments which must provoke reader for their own reflections on the topic. In general, the article gives interesting and trustworthy data on the theme of natural and social influence on the individual. The article Why the Topic of Bioethics in Science Classes? A New Look at an Old Debate by Carolyn Csongradi can be found in the site of National Health Museum (http://www.accessexcellence.org). In these site specialists and researches in different fields of human knowledge discuss questions of human health, bioethics and other important questions. The information presented in the website may be regarded as trustworthy. Despite the site contains advertisements, it does not refer directly to the themes of the articles. The articles presented in the site are written by specialists and presented in simple and interesting manner in order to give different people opportunity to expand their knowledge in different fields. Csongradi, Carolyn Why the Topic of Bioethics in Science Classes? A New Look at an Old Debate http://www.accessexcellence.org/LC/SER/BE/whata.php Why the Topic of Bioethics in Science Classes?A New Look at an Old Debate by Carolyn Csongradi What Is The Relationship Between Nature And Nurture In The Acquisition Of Knowledge? Nature is more influential than nurture: Knowledge arises from genetic information honed by a process of natural selection. Some portions of this knowledge might be nurtured, but genetically determined forms also may modify how we categorize our experiences. Evolutionary view: From an evolutionary point of view, certain things we know about the world are innate, although modifiable by interactions with family, education, religion and society. This knowledge about objects and what is valued is natural having been selectively reinforced over time. For instance, pack behavior observed in wolves is a form of collective behavior which supports kinship preferences and caring, while perpetuating a common genetic pool. These core values, associated with social groups, were used long ago by individuals who were successful in their primitive world and had the greatest chance of procreation. Accurately understanding the world enhanced both group and individual survival. During the 1800s, Charles Darwin speculated that certain rules for conflict arbitration were needed at the point in time when a species evolved a longer memory, a keener imagination and became involved in social contracts.(29) For example, a bird, which could leave an active nest to migrate with her group, choosing that instinct over the one to nurture, would find this choice too difficult with a better memory. He argued that certain instincts, such as caring for young as opposed to making a rapid decision to leave, were preferentially selected in any conflict because those values had longer lasting consequences. (30) A reasonable alternative interpretation might be that those behaviors encouraging the survival of young also perpetuated those genes which might select for altruism at least among relatives. This form of altruism enhances the survival of the genotype of the altruist. Altruism for non-relatives is quite a different story because the personal pay-off or gain is less easil y discerned. Neurological studies: Oliver Sacks, author and neurologist, has devoted much of his recent book to describing the unique behavior of a group of his patients who are savants.(37) A savant is someone who demonstrates an extraordinary talent in a particular field such as art, music, or mathematics. A large percentage of savants are autistic with limitations in their ability to personally relate to others. Sacks became friends with a young boy named Stephen, who was an autistic savant, capable of memorizing complex scenery at a glance and retaining the information for months. When asked he would accurately construct a pen and ink sk etch from what he had observed earlier. He started his pictures at one edge of the paper, working across to the other edge, filling in the framework and all the details without an outline. While drawing, the house could come down and Stephen would not notice. He sometimes took artistic license and added features which did not originally exist, but the basics, the original flavor, remained. In a sense, having demonstrated his enormous talent at an early age, he had little need for nurture from the environment or from other humans. Philosophical discussion: In examining the relationship between what was inherited and what was learned from experience, philosophers Hume and Kant were echoed by the behaviorist, Freud, when they spoke of natures contribution as a force to be reckoned with, educated or subdued. Human nature was always a fact to contend with. In a more extreme view from the 1500s, Descartes questioned whether anything existed outside of the mind. He finally conceded that if there were real things instead of only our thoughts about them, God was responsible for the interpretation. Kant, who realized that Descartes position made all knowledge subjective to each individual, tried to move away from this restrictive view and proposed that the mind was an active participant in knowledge acquisition, constructing certain aspects of an experience. Kant believed we inherited certain categories or concept grids on which experiences could be sorted or organized. (5) To understand how the mind might construct an experience, the following experiment should be helpful. Obtain three bowls each holding about a gallon of liquid. Arrange them so that the first bowl contains hot water; the second, tepid; and the third, very cold water. Simultaneously, place your left hand in the hot water and you right in the cold. Wait one minute and immerse both hands in the tepid water. What has each hand told you about the temperature? Additional examples of the minds involvement in interpreting experience are seen with optical illusions, the unnoticed retinal blind spot and other adaptive behaviors found in the nervous system. One of the problems with a purely nature based argument is how to explain the existence or continuing survival of certain values which may involve actions for which there is no obvious natural selection pressure. For example, why should a choice be made contrary to an individuals stated preferences or which may result in actual punishment? Altruism for non-related individuals, truthfulness and justice as fairness are values difficult to support from an evolutionary view, particularly when some choices cause the death of an individual, effectively removing those genes from the pool. Hypothesizing these as primarily inherited values would generate a requirement for a very complex set of genetic directions having a large common human base of reference. The search for a potential common morality has provoked more debate than agreement among anthropologists, theologians, and philosophers.(33)

Music: The Power of Plot :: Music Theory Essays

Music: The Power of Plot People relate to music. We sing it. We cry to it. We laugh to it. The reason: we can see ourselves in music. We can let go of our feelings and just relate to the words or the instruments. One way the songwriter connects the listener to the music is through plot: the problem or reaction to a problem a character/singer is expressing. Whether it is a fight with a lover, a fight with a friend, finding a lover/friend, or any other, the plot is helps the listener relate to the song. Currently in my CD player is a live recording of Jill Scott at a concert. Most of her songs have to do with life & love. Take for example the song â€Å"Gettin’ in the Way.† This song is about a woman trying to steal her man. She tells her to step back because the woman is â€Å"getting in the way of what I am feeling.† The sequence of events in this song is interesting. In the commentary she explains that this song is about principle. First she says to the woman to nicely step back. Then she says it in a harsher tone: â€Å"I know you don’t understand, but sister girl, you gotta get off my man.† Finally, she says â€Å"I am about to go off in your face: You better chill!† Clearly the conflict in the song is clear and can be easily related to the listeners’ lives. Let’s look at another example, â€Å"To Zion† by Lauryn featuring Carlos Santanna. The song is about an unplanned pregnancy. She talks about how she â€Å"touched my belly overwhelmed.† She was told by many people to â€Å"be smart / look at your career they said / ‘Lauryn, baby, use your head.’† However, she chooses to use her â€Å"heart† and keep the baby. The name of her son is Zion, which gives light to the next verse â€Å"Now the joy of my world is in Zion.

Miss Brill Essay

â€Å"Miss Brill† is a short story published in1922, in which Katherine Mansfield, the author gives great insight into how isolated individuals can begin to twist their perception of the world around them, eventually leading them to unintentionally contradict their loneliness and causing their false perception of the world to collapse and become estranged. Miss Brill, the main character is a middle-aged, unmarried English teacher who lives by herself in an apartment in France. Miss Brill owns a treasured fur which she wears around her neck every Sundays at three o’clock when she goes to the park. The lonely foreigner strolls around the park and has become quite an expert at eavesdropping on other people’s conversations while creating artificial connections or relationships with the people around her. The short story focuses on one particular Sunday afternoon where Miss Brill is forced to step out of her delusions and face reality after her illusions were shattere d by the remarks of a young couple. In the story Katherine Mansfield uses conscious narrative to allow readers to know so much about the main character through the main character’s thoughts and perception of other characters. By doing this, the readers get a complete characterization of Miss Brill, the main character through the responses and emotions that result from other character’s conversations or actions. A good example of that would be when Miss Brill suddenly realized that the people who sat at the bench next to her all seemed odd, silent and old which ironically reflects on her situation although she does not see it at them time. According to short stories for students, â€Å"Miss Brill is told in a third-person, stream of consciousness narrative, a common device in Mansfield’s works which serves to heighten the story’s psychological acuity and perceptive characterization. Though narrative is in third person, the stream of consciousness technique allows the reader full access to nothing but Miss Brill’s thoughts.† This shows us that the point of view is extremely critical to our understanding of Miss Brill’s character and what she is all about. At the beginning, readers perceive Miss Brill’s excitement and mood as pleasant when she describes the blissful weather and her surroundings. â€Å"Although it was so brilliantly fine-the blue sky p owered with gold and great spots of light like wine splashed over the Jardins Publiques  Ã¢â‚¬â€œMiss Brill was glad that she had decided on her fur†. At this point conclusions can be drawn that the fur is somewhat connected to its owner because they are both advanced in age and live in a â€Å"dark room or cupboard† where they get to come out of every Sunday. In the first few paragraphs readers get the sense that Miss Brill is quite pleased and satisfied with her current lifestyle and readers also comprehend that Miss Brill has indeed found a way to compensate for her solitude by sitting in on other people’s lives. We can articulate for sure that Miss Brill is delusional when she refers to herself as an actress in a fantasized play. Miss Brill believes that she somehow serves a purpose when she goes to the park every Sunday and if she did not show up for her role someone would notice. This fantasy is abruptly cut short when a young couple insults her and brings her back to reality. One critic, Robert L. Hull argues that Miss Brill’s world is more than lonely: he claims that it is also an existential world in which she finds herself in complete solitude estranged from God, man, and importantly from herself. The critic goes on and states that the primary theme of â€Å"Miss Brill† is that of estrangement, estrangement f rom love, which Mansfield admits in a letter to John Middleton that it was the primary reason for writing Miss Brill. I completely agree with Robert and I think that Miss Brill was not just lonely, her life made no meaning whatsoever. In a traumatic conclusion, Miss Brill’s life was changed drastically from that one encounter with the young couple. She will never be the same again after that day; the young couple did more than just hurt her feelings, in a way they took away her innocence. To Miss Brill the Sunday the outings was more than just eavesdropping at other people or being noisy, it was the one harmless thing that made her happy, sort of like a guilty pleasure. Finally, Mansfield leaves the readers wondering what would happen next to Miss Brill, would she continue with her normal Sunday routine or was she so traumatized that she wouldn’t dare go back to the park. Works Cited Hull L. Robert â€Å"Alienation in â€Å"Miss Brill†, in studies in short fiction, Vol. V No.1, Fall 1967, pp 74-6 Murry J. Middleton, The Letters of Katherine Mansfield, Knopf, 1930 Wilson Kathleen Ed, â€Å"Miss Brill† Short Stories for Students, Vol.2. Detroit: Gale, 1997, 132 145, Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 19 Sept.2014 Miss Brill, A Character Analysis. 123HelpMe.com. 19 Sep 2014 http://www.123HelpMe.com/view.asp?id=110412 Nordquist, Richard â€Å"Miss Brill’s fragile fantasy† http://grammar.about.com. Wood Michael Kerry â€Å"The short fiction Mastery of Katherine Mansfield as seen in Miss† www.humanities360.com. Published: July 30, 2009 Scarlett Velveteen â€Å"Characterization of â€Å"Miss Brill† by Katherine Mansfield†http://www.teenink.com 16 Sept 2014

5 Netflix Shows for Writers to Binge-Watch

5 Netflix Shows for Writers to Binge-Watch Netflix and chill takes on an entirely new meaning when youre a writer looking for inspiration. With the plethora of shows and topics available for a small fee per month, its now easier than ever for writers to find storytelling inspiration while also achieving down time in the form of media consumption and relaxing to a great series.With this in mind, here are the top shows on Netflix that you simply shouldnt miss if youre a writer. From expert dialogue, to storytelling genius, to character arcs that would even impress Tolstoy, here are five Netflix shows you absolutely must see to perfect your craft.Russian DollRussian Doll, starring Natasha Lyonne.Imagine being a single woman on the night of your 36th birthday but reliving the same night again and again- all in an attempt to make sense of the extraordinarily cynical mess that your life has become. From fatally funny to mournfully sad, Russian Doll takes on a life of its own after the first few episodes of the protagonist returning to the same night in this eight-part Netflix series aimed at exploring mid-life crisis at its finest.This review from NPRs Linda Holmes sums the show up best:A woman whose curly red hair spills past her shoulders stands in front of a bathroom mirror as a party rages outside. She looks at her reflection. People bang on the door to get in. She turns and leaves, through a door with a handgun for a handle, out of the bathroom where the areas of the walls and door glow with blotches of chilly blue light. As she leaves, two women push their way past her into the bathroom, and she moves into the room where the party is. Friends swarm around her. A woman cooking in the kitchen offers her a joint laced with cocaine. Something is wrong. She is a quick-witted New York game designer who seems to smoke in part for the smoking itself, but also in part so she can gesture, in quick little jabs, with her cigarette. And she cant figure out quite whats going on. What was I just doing? she asks her fr iend.Linda Holmes, NPRThe fact that Natasha Lyonne, one of the stars of Netflixs original, Orange is the New Black, leads the cast doesnt hurt the intense effect of the show. The actress is brilliant at playing a lost 30-something party girl coming to terms with her life decisions and future choices. All in all, the show is an amazing dive into deep character study and unique storytelling, and would be a welcome addition to any writers exploration into what makes us human after all. Particularly those of us who think too much.The Walking DeadThe Walking Dead, starring Andrew Lincoln and Norman ReedusDont watch The Walking Dead for the gore. In fact, dont watch the show because of zombies or apocalyptic fiction at all. Simply watch it for the character study in a Lord of the Flies-esque exploration of how society collapses under the pressure of survival of the fittest.Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times Television Critic, says of the first season:In an early scene we see the emotional t oll the killings can take and in several instances, Grimes and others pay homage to the former humanity of their predators. But still, zombies are clearly not human. Or rather they are the nightmare version of humanity, the fear that our friends and family are not to be trusted because they are capable of turning on us at any time.That same anxiety is played out among the survivors- the suspicion that what civility we have is merely a habit, that any shift in the order of things will reveal the hidden bullies and tyrants, the murderers and rapists and thieves. The Walking Dead, like any good horror tale, still believes in the importance of monsters, perfectly balancing the struggle of basic human decency with those palsied four-in-the-morning moments when we are convinced that everyone around us is trying to eat us alive.Mary McNamara, Los Angeles TimesBlack MirrorBlack Mirror, starring Bryce Dallas Howard and Hannah John-KamenTechno-paranoia, dystopia, suspense- Black Mirrors antho logy-like approach to all were uneasy about in our world is a guaranteed way to turn your mind upside down and inside out. From the darkness inherent in social media to the lives we try to keep hidden despite big brother, Black Mirror explores the darker side of technology and human nature when the two of them combine to create a real sense of madness.In reflecting our decidedly freakish and dark 21st Century existence back to us, Black Mirror, created by Charlie Brooker and executive produced by Brooker and Annabel Jones, is a show that is guaranteed to get any writers mind whirling with possibilities- from dystopia to cyberpunk and all the realms of possibilities in between.Emily Nussbaum, reviewer for The New Yorker writes:Anyone who has skimmed Guy Debords Wikipedia page or watched the American Music Awards could condemn our culture as a masquerade, a spectacle of virtuality. But whats refreshing about Black Mirror is that Brooker goes deeper than that, aiming past the obvious t argets- the know-nothings and narcissists of the Internet. Instead, his villains are the bad-faith cynics, like the reality-TV judge, in one episode, who murmurs, with cagey calculation, Authenticity is in woefully short supply. In Black Mirror, the danger is not complacency, or, at least, not that alone: its letting your outrage turn into contempt, a pose of transgression that is, in the end, more deadly than any desperation to be loved.Emily Nussbaum, The New YorkerMeanwhile, Michelle Orange, writer for Vogue, suggests Black Mirror might be the Twilight Zone of the Digital Age, and writes:Black Mirror [is] pretty tough to watch. Whats caught in its dark reflection might look a lot like you. There are high-handed moments and a schematic quality basic to its project, but overall the show is earnestly and intelligently, imaginatively engaged with its times, which makes it- ironically, given the central indictment of spectatorship- hard to look away. The stories set archetypal human d ilemmas- death, identity, fidelity- within an entirely new context, which is exactly how we are living them. What they reveal of human nature is not new but newly captured. In the future of Black Mirror, technology has set us, which is to say we have set ourselves, a perfect trap.Michelle Orange, VogueThe KillingThe Killing, starring Joel Kinnaman And Mireille Enos.While admittedly, the audience and critic reviews tend to swoon downward as the series progresses, The Killing starts off with a bang thats hard to beat when it comes to police procedural and crime drama action.Critic Troy Patterson from Slate Magazine, who compares The Killing to the infamous Twin Peaks, writes: The prologue practically functions as a schematic diagram of all the police procedurals- with their virtuous investigators and their quasi-necrophiliac tone- that The Killing seems to deconstruct and reassemble on a higher plain.David Bianculli, as heard on NPRs Fresh Air program, again equates The Killing to Twi n Peaks and suggests that it, along with some of the worlds best-known recent crime series, have come from Scandinavian countries, including Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. He also notes:The Killing is intentionally slow, and doesnt provide any of the usual staples of the genre as high-octane relief. No gun battles, no car chases- just cops doing their duty, politicians looking for ways to spin things to their advantage and parents facing their worst fears. Theres one scene, in which the parents are called in to identify the body of their daughter, where their individual reactions are nonverbal, unconnected and emotionally scalding. The husband and wife dont even hold or look at each other. In that awful moment, theyre hit by their own individual grief. Its astoundingly good acting- but, like so much of The Killing, its tough to watch.But it deserves to be seen- and the persistence of these detectives is a little reminiscent of Columbo, where their unassuming, unorthodox approach ends up unearthing certain hidden clues- and, at the same time, getting us to root for them strongly along the way.David Bianculli, NPRs Fresh AirBianculli continues to note that The Killing is AMCs most depressing series yet- and this is from a network that has given us apocalyptic zombies and a terminally ill crystal meth manufacturer.Stranger ThingsStranger Things, starring Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, and Millie Bobby Brown.There cant be a list of binge-worthy Netflix shows for writers without adding my personal favorite, Stranger Things.With the first season set in 1983 in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, Stranger Things is a nostalgic trip back to childhood in the 80s, with storytelling that is as taut as it is perfectly executed. Although the cast is large, it becomes hard to pick a favorite, as each character becomes as dearly beloved as ones childhood playmates.Any adult who grew up riding bicycles with friends, exploring the woods, and trembling at night t o spooky stories told beneath blankets will feel a genuine connection with the kids. Any parent who has ever felt helpless as their child experiences trauma will feel instant empathy for the adult characters in the show.Its really difficult to describe Stranger Things to someone who hasnt seen it. There are genuine horror elements inspired by Stephen Kings literary universe, combined with nail-biting chapter installments that make it difficult to NOT binge-watch the show. Combined with a perfectly matched soundtrack and stellar acting, Stranger Things should be on any writers radar- particularly for a lesson on how to craft a story that achieves sympathetic characters, while appealing to the emotions and primal fears of an audience. As reviewer Wenlei Ma notes, Dont just watch it for the nostalgia or the genuine creeps, watch it because its compelling storytelling.