Monday, September 30, 2019

The Structure of Myth and the Structure of Western Film

? The Structure of Myth and the Structure of Western Film Based on Saussure (1974), structuralism is a theoretical method derived from his theoritical work. He divides language into two component parts which together produce a third (signifier, signified and meaning). According to him, meaning is produced through a process of combination and selection. As Saussure insists, â€Å"In language, there are only differences without positive terms†¦ language has neither ideas not sounds that existed before the linguistic system, but only conceptual and phonic differences that have issued for the system. (1974: 120) Saussure divides language into langue and parole. Langue refers to system of language, the rules and conventions which organized it. Parole refers to individual utterance, the individual use of language. Structuralism takes two basic ideas from Saussure’s work. First, a concern with the underlying relations of cultural text and practices – the grammar which ma kes meaning possible. Second, the view that meaning is always the result of the interplay of relationship of selection and combination made possible by the underlying structure. According to Levi – Strauss, the myths are structured in terms of binary opositions. All myths also have similar social culture function within society. Their purpose is to make the world explicable, to magically resolveits problems and contradictions. In sixguns and society, Will Wright (1975) use both methodologies to analyze the Hollywood Western as myth. According to Wright, the western has evolved through three stages: classic, transition theme and professional. He also identifies a basic set of structuring opositions: inside society >< outside society, good >< bad, strong >< wilderness (49). In order to fully understand the social meaning of a myth, it is necessary to analyze not only its binary structure but also its narrative structure – the progression of event and the resolution of conflicts. The classic western is divided into sixteen narrative functions. Those are: 1. The hero enters a social group. 2. The hero is unknown to the society. 3. The hero is revealed to have an exceptional ability. 4. The society recognizes a difference between themselves and the hero; the hero is given a special status. 5. The society does not completely accept the hero. . There is a conflict of interests between the villains and the society. 7. The villains are stronger than the society; the society is weak. 8. There is a strong friendship or respect between the hero and a villain. 9. The villains threaten the society. 10. The hero avoids involvement in the conflict. 11. The villains endanger a friend of the hero. 12. The hero fights the villains. 13. The hero defeats the villai ns. 14. The society is safe. 15. The society accepts the hero. 16. The hero loses or gives up his special status. (48-9) Poststructuralism and popular movie Poststructuralists reject the idea of an underlying structure ultimately determining the meaning of a cultural text or practice. For poststructuralists, meaning is always process, a momentary stop in a continuous flow of possibilities. Jacques Derida (1973) has invented a new word to describe the divided nature of the sign: meaning both to defer and to differ. The sign is made meaningful for Saussure by being different. Derrida adds to this notion that meaning is also always deferred, never fully present, always both absent and present. Jacques Lacans poststructuralist account of the development of the subject has had an enormous influence on both cultural studies and film studies. Lacan takes Freud’s developmental structure and rearticulates it through a critical reading of structuralism to produce a poststructuralist psychoanalysis. According to Lacan, we make a journey through three determinate stages of development. Those three determinate stages are: 1. mirror phase 2. the fort-da game 3. Oedipus complex Laura Mulvey’s (1975) work is in part an attempt to appropriate the poststructuralist psychoanalysis on Lacan for a feminist film criticism. Using Lacan, she constructs an analysis of how popular cinema produces and reproduces what she calls the male gaze. The inscription of the image of women inthis system is twofold: she is the object of a male desire, and she is the signifier of the threat of castration. A particular problem for cultural studies is Mulvey’s account of the audience as purely textual- a homogenous and passive production of the text. There is no room in Mulvey’s theory for social, historical subjects who arrive at the cinema with a range of competing and contradictory discourses, which confront and negotiate with the discourse of the film.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Developing yourself as an effective HR Practitioner Essay

Briefly summarise the CIPD Profession Map (i.e. the core professional areas, the specialist professional areas, the bands and behaviours) In this report I will summarise the CIPD Profession Map which is made up of Ten Professional areas, Eight Behaviours and Four Bands. The two core Professional Areas Insights, Strategy and Solutions – This area of the map concentrates on developing an understanding and prioritising the direction of the organisation. Leading HR – Shaping and driving themselves and other employees to deliver a valued service to the organisation. The Professional Areas are made up of Organisation Design – This area of the map concentrates on shaping the organisation structure to the business needs. Organisation Development – This area of the map concentrates on developing skills and training of all employees to build a strong team. Resourcing and talent planning – This area of the map concentrates on identifying and developing talent within the organisation, seeing where the need is for new talent within the organisation, making sure the survival of the business continues to grow. Learning and Development – This area of the map concentrates on developing employee’s knowledge and skill in all levels of the business. Performance and reward – This area of the map concentrates on recognising performance and experience of all employees by rewarding them. Employee Engagement – This area of the map concentrates on insuring employees engage with each other and their work at different levels through the organisation. Employee Relations – This area of the map concentrates on keeping accurate records, supporting employees at all levels and rewarding employees in performance. Service Delivery and Information – This area of the map concentrates on delivering accurate information to the customer within an agreed time frame within an agreed cost. Eight Behaviours Curious – New ideas wanting to update technology and training needs. Decisive Thinker – Being able to analyse information and identify solutions. Skilled Influencer – The ability to influence customers in the direction of organisation needs. Personally Credible – Delivers and builds HR expertise to add value to the organisation. Collaborative – Cooperation between departments making positive contribution to the organisation. Driven to Deliver – Being able to deliver a service on time within budget by prioritising agreed tasks and goals. Courage to Challenge – Being able to challenge by specking skilfully when confronted with challenging situations. Role Model – Respected by other employees by using integrity and tact being able to deliver a solid service. Encourages others to act in the same way. The Bands are made up of four levels – Starting at Band One – Entry Level. Focusing on being accurate and flexible on collecting and providing data to the customer. Band Two – Advisory Level. Leading and advising individuals and teams, understanding issues when they arise and resolving them quickly and professionally. Band Three – Consultant Level. Addressing and leading all HR challenges providing ideas and solutions, analysing risks. Band Four – Leadership Colleague / Coach. Coaching and leading, developing strategies and plans for the customer needs. Comment on the activates and knowledge specified within any 1 professional area, at either band 1 or band 2, identifying those you consider most essential to your own (or other identified ) HR/L&D Role. I will select one Band and one Professional area which I consider most essential to my current employment. Band 1 and Service Delivery and Information as the Professional Area. In my employment I have to have a clear idea of what the Line Managers and Senior Managers want me to deliver. As listed in Band 1, Listening to them and asking the right questions understanding their needs, getting a time frame on when they want it to be delivered is essential. Its gives me a clear picture of what information I have to collate using the technology provided this saving time when delivering the information to them. Keeping the channels of communication open is essential in case of delays or other customer complaints that arise. Activity 2 2.1 Understanding customer needs (including examples of 3 different customers and 1 need for each, and explain how you would prioritise conflicting needs) In this activity I have chosen three customers, Staff, Line Managers and Senior Managers with reference to my own role I will identify their needs and prioritise conflicting needs. Staff – Pay Queries If a member of staff comes to the HR Department with a Pay Query the HR Department must deal with the query within an allotted time. In the Company I work for this time is 48hrs from the time of receiving a pay query. The next step of the process is to talk to the Line Manager to identify where there might be a problem, if this is to do with hours. This will then be passed on to the Payroll department to be rectified, the member of staff will be notified by email or phone call of the progress of the query. If this cannot be resolved by theses means the employee and the line manager will be asked to come to a meeting to discuss the query. Not resolving pay issues in an agreed time frame, can lead to low moral within your employees and give a negative response to the HR Department. Line Managers – Performance At the Company I work for the HR Department is requested by the Line Managers to be responsible for monitoring performance of all employees and reporting back to them if an employee falls below the agreed target. This has to be done daily and weekly depending on what department the employee is from, to keep the continuity of production flowing and reducing problems later on. Without the HR Department doing this as requested by the Line Managers the quality and productivity could be dropped if this is not monitored. This is essential for the business to produce good quality produce for the external customer thus reducing customer complaints. The HR Department would have to prioritise this service. If an employee has been identified that has fallen below the set target, they will work alongside with the Line Manager and agree what course of action should be taken i.e. Would the employee benefit from more training and what type, bearing in mind this would be an extra cost (has a budget been put in place for retraining employees) has the  employee performance dropped due to other circumstance, this would all have to be investigated. The employee would then be invited to attend a meeting with their Line Manager and a member from the Hr Department to discuss this. Senior Managers – Labour and Budgets At the Company I work for the Senior Managers puts together a Labour and Budget plan at the beginning of the year, for the amount of staff they will need each month. This plan is then given to the HR Department to recruit the right amount of staff on budget within the agreed time frame. The HR Department would have to prioritise this plan if they did not it would have a detrimental effect on the business no employees no product no business. The conflicting needs of all the different customers at any one time would have to be prioritised in order, for example Senior Managers requesting information would normally come first over other customers. Line Managers would then come second leaving the Employee last, but is this right does this mean the employee is less regarded in the organisation. No this should not be the case no matter what position you are in. It’s about prioritising what needs to be done first, not what level you work at. This may mean extending your delivery time within an agreed time frame with other customers, keeping channels of communication open with them until you can deliver the service to them. 2.2 Effective communication (include examples of 3 different communication methods and the advantages and disadvantages of each) Daily / Weekly Meeting The advantage of having a daily or weekly meetings is that a manager from each department usually attends a meeting discussing what will be happening or if there have any problems that need to be aired with other colleagues. This keeps communication following. The disadvantage of this, is another colleague would have to cover the manager’s work, while doing their own. Putting pressure on themselves to deliver their own work. Also information may not get passed down to other workers or the information may get distorted causing problems later on. Skype The advantage of using Skype that you can conduct meetings or interviews  with other sites and conduct interviews this would save on travel costs. The disadvantage of using Skype is if you are in an area with a poor signal. Newsletter – Monthly Advantage – A monthly newsletter is a good way of communication to employee’s especially to the ones that don’t have a company email or attend a regular meetings on what is happening in other departments on different sites. At the company I work for our newsletter is divided up into four section on what is happening and what is going to happen this usually starts with Operations Directors talking about what’s happening on their sites. It then moves on to Hello’s & Goodbyes announcing who has left and who has joined the Company and what department and position they are in. As well an email being sent out about a new employee starting this gives other employees a chance to know new faces. A Birthday or Celebration section has also been added. The last section is about Who Are We getting to know an employee each month. These newsletter is attached to the payslips monthly. The disadvantage of printing individual newsletters is the Cost depending on how many employees you have this could be high, the alternative is to place this on a notice board for all employees to see. 2.3 Effective service delivery (include: delivering service on time, delivering service on budget, dealing with difficult customers, handling and resolving complaints. The way to build and maintain an effective service delivery fast and professional, is to have a set procedure in place of: Who does what Has a time frame been put in place to respond, are you in receipt of all information to deal with this Request / Complaint. If you receive a complaint are you appropriately trained to deal with difficult customers. Keep the channels of communication open to all customer needs by the ways of a Phone Call, Email or a Letter or invite them to a one to one meeting. This all helps to keep the customer informed and make them feel valued. Interview the customer, identify key bits of the complaint, do you need to interview anyone else. All these factors need to be addressed to avoid a lengthily drawn out process. Any delay could prevent the Company from having  a successful result. What is it going to cost, is it within the budget. The key is to keep the channel of communication open, inform customers straight away of changes that may affect them. If there is a complaint react straight away. Bibliography ACAS. Workplace relations the key to better UK productivity – Sir Brendan Barber. Available at: http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=5169 Accessed (25 February 2015) ACAS. Top tips for better management. Available at: http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=2966 Accessed (12 February 2015) CIPD. CIPD Profession Map. Available at: http://www.cipd.co.uk/cipd-hr-profession/profession-map/ Accessed (21 December 2014) Martin, M and Whiting, F (2013) Human Resource Practice. 6th Edition. London: Chartered Institute of Personal and Development.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Kohistani History Essay

To reach Thull, a Kohistani community that is found in the mountains near the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan, you have to make a hazarding trip on an endless dirt road that is unattainable in bad weather. The Kohistani are inherently a violent people who strongly believe in vengeance and had most of their fighting take place between descent groups. For the most part conflict was handled by local leaders, and there was usually no fatal accident due to a lack of fatal weapons. The lack of guns was due to the lack of roads that limited economic development, which limited the amount of money a person could amass. However, when Pakistan took charge in 1965, a number of social and economic developments took place. The roads that were installed made it possible for Thull to be linked to other parts of Pakistan. Included with the overwhelming amount of changes that followed, Kohistani violence evolved due to the outside impression that all started because of the roads. By the way that Kohistani violence and other facets of their culture changed when the roads were introduced, it shows how interconnected everything is. The introduction of the road demonstrated how culture is integrated by the way it altered subsistence strategies, increased violence, and brought innovative ideas to religion. Before the road, subsistence in Thull solely depended on alpine herding and agriculture. Since importing fertilizer was now possible, Thull shifted its system to one weighing in the cultivation of potatoes, a cash crop that brought about several changes. The amount of men who participated in herding drastically decreased after the road was built due to the fact that herding was no longer the main source of income. With less land being used for herding, farmers were able to convert the property into more profitable potato fields. With the diminishing activity in herding, crosscutting ties became weakened as well. Even though the system for apportioning pastures r emained the same, preserving a positive relationship with herding units became unimportant since nobody was herding anymore. With crosscutting ties losing their effectiveness in sustaining peaceful relations, death enmity started to thrive. With the emerge of roads, the subsistence strategy of the Kohistani people changed, and with that incorporated more violence into their culture as well. This is a good example demonstrating how culture is integrated by the way that a street can alter other aspects of the Kohistani culture like its subsistence strategy, which in turn affects violence in the  Thull. In addition, not only did the emergence of roads bring a change to subsistence practices in Kohistani culture, but also brought a change to the economic system as well. This change was based on cultivating potatoes as a cash crop tied with an amplified quantity of fields that brought a significant influx of money into the community. Additionally, money in the community continued to build even more with the extensive timber exploitation that was occurring, which was the foremost motive of the Pakistan governm ent to build the road. With timber contractors hiring local Kohistani people as wage laborers, also brought about paid royalties on the timber, which brought even more cash to the community. This all seems like it benefits the Kohistani community in a positive way, but that isn’t the case. The deforestation that takes place is harming their environment greatly and affecting the fertile land around it, and with an increase in wealth, members of the community can purchase firearms. Prior to the construction of the road, conflict usually never ended in fatalities due to insufficient weaponry, but with everyone being able to buy rifles now that trend wasn’t likely to continue. Buying guns was almost too easy now and men acting on their honor and justifiable faith used them on their counterparts. The emergence of the road indirectly made it possible to violence to flourish in the Kohistani community. This is just another example of how culture is integrated, showing how this one road strengthened the violence of a people and harmed their environment. The change in cultural values was a crucial factor in establishing organized violence in the community. With a bus service ready to take people to the outside world, Thull’s religious leaders went out and learned from scholars and teachers about the center of Islamic teachings. These leaders then brought back these new concepts regarding honor and opinions toward women. These new concepts caused a wave of death enmity that they felt was justified by the new ideas regarding Islamic faith. This has continued through the years and revenge has become fundamental to a Muslim man’s identity and self-respect as well. They now see it as personal integrity is vital to Islamic faith and that taking vengeance is a stern religious requirement. This together creates an environment that basically supports the act of vengeance. The road let people get a taste of what the outside world was like. The isolated Kohistani culture became tampered with by new discoveries. Again, we can see  how culture is integrated here by the way the road indirectly revised the Kohistani religious values, and caused their violent ways to grow. The inhabitants in the Kohistani community had their lives changed due to political modernization. The transition from their subsistence strategy to an economic system focused on a cash-crop and timber really changed their identity and brought prosperity. This prosperity enabled people to purchase weapons that could do serious harm to others, making conflict a fatal concept in the community. Their religion was changed as well; having it injected with ideas that taking revenge is crucial to a man’s self-respect and basically demanding them to act out violently. All of these factors together encouraged a hostile environment that insisted on organized vengeance. With one road that connected Thull to outside world, Kohistani culture was changed drasti cally. The Kohistani were a great example to show how culture is integrated, because just one road affected so many facets of their everyday life.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Was the foreign policy of the Bush administration driven by fears of Essay

Was the foreign policy of the Bush administration driven by fears of global terrorism - Essay Example However, many people believe that most of the changes made in the foreign policies by President Bush were motivated by imperialism rather than patriotism or fears of global terrorism. Two of the major components of Bush’s foreign policies were the doctrine: preemptive strikes against potential enemies and promoting democratic regime change. In other words, Bush declared that America has the right to attack any other nation which promotes terrorism. Moreover, he also declared that it is the duty of the Americans to promote democracy in the world. The current war on terror conducting by America in Iraq and Afghanistan were the result of the foreign policy changes made by President Bush. Most of the Americans are against war on terror since they believe that these wars are destroying not only the economy of the country but also life of American soldiers. 9/11 was of course an unexpected and shocking incident for the Americans; however, majority of the Americans think that terrori sm cannot be tackled with the help of war alone. Science and technology advances more and more and the terrorists finding new ways to attack their targets. Removing terrorisms from the grass root level is definitely the right option for the safety of the public, but it is not easy because of the widespread network of terrorists. President Bush was definitely aware of the fact that the terrorist network cannot be destroyed completely with the help of war on terror alone. Moreover, the immediate reason cited for Iraq war was the theory of weapons of mass destruction. However, even after the execution of the Saddam, no chemical, biological or nuclear weapons seized from Iraqi soil. Many people believe that the declared reason for Iraq war was not the actual reason for attacking Iraq. Some people argue that Bush Sr. was humiliated by Saddam earlier and Bush Jr. was taking revenge for that. Some others believe that Bush had sight on the immense fresh water and oil resources in Iraq which was the major reasons for attacking Iraq. America is currently suffering from huge energy crisis and shortage of drinking water resources. In any case, it is already proved that the declared reasons for the Iraq war were not justified. The case of Afghan war is also not an exception. Under such circumstances, it is logic al to think that President Bush had other intentions rather than the declared ones. Actually President Bush was trying to spread imperialism and he made use of the 9/11 incident to spread American imperialism. While declaring war on terror, President Bush kept meaningful silence on issues like; How a country can attack another country without convincing reasons? How the idealism of spreading democracy with the help of war can be justified? Is it necessary for America to take more pragmatic approach in fighting against terrorism?. Since Bush failed to answer these questions, it is logical to believe that Bush was motivated by imperialism rather than the fear of glob al terrorism. This paper argues that the real intentions of America’s foreign policy changes during the Bush regime was not for destroying terrorists, but for spreading American imperialism. Imperialism, global terrorism and Bush’s foreign policies ‘Imperialism’ can be defined as the attempt to dominate over other states with the

Thursday, September 26, 2019

The Trade income distribuition from 2005 to 2010 in saudi arabia Research Paper

The Trade income distribuition from 2005 to 2010 in saudi arabia - Research Paper Example The national income of the country has been unevenly distributed because the trade income is based majorly on the oil sectors. The government is more focused on minimizing poverty rather than mitigating the gap between the incomes. The trade income of the country can possibly be considered as a reason of the spread of such inequality in income. The expanded trade produce and the changes in the income distribution have been highly imbalanced over the last few years in Saudi Arabia. However, freer trade is only possible with the use of better political as well as socio economic development of the economy. The empirical growth theory has been propounded on whether the government expenditure can promote the growth of the economy. Saudi Arabia’s present economic score has been 62.2 making the economy 77th freest economy in the world as per the economic index of 2014. The oil-based economic system backed by absolute monarchy rule has been the major reason for the steady economic development of the country. Fiscal policy is observed to be a key element of Saudi Arabia’s macroeconomic policies stressing on the financing investment and the consumption activities. Parallel to the above economic trends the country is also observed to be the fastest growing economy in the Middle East and North Africa regions. The governm ent of Saudi Arabia gives major importance to the public expenditures, which broadly includes wide ranges of expenditures ranging from wages to the public welfare and human resource reinforcement. Considerably, it could be noted that the discovery of the oil in the commercial quantity brought major changes in the economic development of the country. During the Post-World War II, the country took active participation in the export of oil all over the globe. Consequently, the steady export of oil led to the development of a strong infrastructure of the country, which assisted in developing the economic growth of the country in return

'Cargo' now intends to introduce justintime. Advise Cargo as to the Essay

'Cargo' now intends to introduce justintime. Advise Cargo as to the main problems they are likely to face and examine how they should overcome these problems - Essay Example As the company sells mainly to the Car industry it has to be noted that a change of ownership(especially in a foreign context) will lead to a clash of management and production culture. Some academics have spoken favourably of the incidents of such a takeover as Graham (1988) notes that 'just-in-time' production is an "innovative paradigm for manufacturing control". This production technique is the brainchild of the Japanese management philosophy and Graham (1988) has expressed the view that British and American systems can benefit from this in order to remain internationally competitive. The previous decades have seen a radical modification in the Manufacturing techniques through the interaction and intersection of Western and Japanese techniques. (Graham 1988, Yamashina 1996) It is worth noting that the political atmosphere of the decade of the eighties made the United Kingdom a conducive political environment for the Japanese foreign manufacturers. (Graham 1988, Yamashina 1996).Th is gave them a chance to transfer their highly competitive manufacturing processes and management techniques to the United Kingdom's production culture and a unique permeation of their specialities like Just-in-Time to their production culture.(McDermott 1996). ... Therefore the output is cost reflective and any accumulation of excessively low level production and inventory methods is highly discouraged.(Epps 1995).The system involves the establishment of highly balanced work flows with sophisticated linkages between the production stages.(Epps 1995).The process will involve the reduction of inventory buffers and a heightened emphasis on the economies of scale from wise efficient procedures.(Mc Dermott 1996). Just In Time owes its origins to the development innovations by Toyota Car Company in the mid fifties and later influenced many major western companies/engineering business concerns like General Electric and Rover.(Mc Dermott 1996). Mc Dermott 1996 and Yeung 1997 have stated in reference to Rover that this British Car company had a lot to learn from its Japanese influence as it benefited immensely by reducing the new product development cycle and reduction in and management levels.Also prominent is the introduction of the minimal inventory control (MIC), a just-in-time system as it embraced its Japanese influence in its new slogan- "Prevention not detection: part of Rover's total quality commitment". (Mc Dermott 1996).Therefore the positive western experience has led to the Just In Time systems to be widely used in British Car manufacturing today.Cargo Engineering Company will have to adopt itself to a number of salient features of the Just In Time innovation. At this point we are assuming that the British car company is neither familiar with the Just-in time culture nor has employed any foreign technical staff. However the presence of British labour laws is acknowledged along with an absence of any major technological changes in the past few years. Based on the analysis by Nataraajan &

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

To what extent is regional integration in North America part of Essay

To what extent is regional integration in North America part of globalisation - Essay Example Occupying such a vast geographical area and sound population in the three countries of NAFTA, the regional integration at this level certainly helped in the globalization. Globalization is defined as a process of complex series of economic, social, technological, cultural and political changes with increasing interdependence, integration and interaction between people and companies in different locations. It involves internationalization, deterritorilization, universalization, westernization and liberalization. The term globalization was used in 1940s but scholars began applying it in early 1980s. It is reported that Theodore Levitt coined the word â€Å"globalization†. Globalization also means the process of moving close to each other by different countires with a sole objective of collective benefit in terms of trade (Colas Alejandro, 2005 and Hulsmeyer, 2003). Globalization can also be described as the the intensification and integration of the consciousness of the world as a whole. It is also used to refer to these collective changes as a process, or else as the cause of turbulent change (James, 2005, Jones,2000 and Randall,2000). Globaliza tion stimulates economic reforms whose economic efficiency and political acceptability are increased through regional cooperation (Schrim,2002). New Regionalism contributes positively for globalization in three aspects: it offers a new theoretical approach to integration theory; it develops a distinct interpretative model for the impact of globalization on states; and it compares systematically the influence of globalization and the preferences for cooperation cross-regionally in Europe and the Americas. Regional integration and globalization coexist with other and they have both positive and negative effects (Perkmann and Ngai-Ling Sum, 2002). Positive effects include higher rate of export growth, faster capital accumulation and improvement in other economic

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Lord of the flies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Lord of the flies - Essay Example The novel, with its structure, symbols, motifs and allegories, serves the purpose of showing the innate evil of man. In his lecture of 1962 given at the University of California at Los Angeles Golding explained that the breakdown of civilization in his novel resulted from nothing but the inborn evil of man: â€Å"So the boys try to construct a civilization on the island; but it breaks down in blood and terror because the boys are suffering from the terrible disease of being human† (In Burris 1999). Golding does not justify this evil by the structure of the society, but quite the contrary, explains the defects of the society by the traits of the humanity. The writer stated that the shape of the society created by the boys on the island is â€Å"conditioned by their diseased, their fallen nature†. Intentionally, he avoided any elements that could make us think that it was the society rather than the human nature responsible for the breakdown: â€Å"The boys were below the age of overt sex, for I did not want to complicate the issue with that relative triviality. They did not have to f ight for survival, for I did not want a Marxist exegesis. If disaster came, it was not to come through the exploitation of one class by another. It was to rise, simply and solely out of the nature of the brute† (Golding, In Burris 1999). Though it is possible to suggest that in circumstances different the events would develop differently, the author insisted that the tragedy occurred â€Å"simply and solely out of the nature of the brute† (in Burris 1999). As the result of his views, Golding builds his novel around the central conflict between two opposite impulses existing within human beings: the tendency to live according to rules and moral commands, in peace and for the good of the group against the desire to satisfy one’s immediate desires and impulses, act aggressively to achieve supremacy over other people, and impose one’s will. For Golding

Monday, September 23, 2019

Mini business plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Mini business plan - Assignment Example rpose and scope of this plan is to provide particular information about the industry and to highlight the critical areas for successful launching of a new fast food restaurant in Minnesota. The data discussed in this business plan is based on some certain facts and has been collected through number of sources. A careful attempt has been made to present real time data, however, this information may change at any time due to occurrence of any changes in the target market, and thus the actual outcomes may differ from the projected results. Generation of revenue and profit is the main purpose of any organization and same will be for Minnesota Fast Food Restaurant. Since it’s a service provider unit, therefore, customer service is the base of its existence. Our aim is to become the first choice of the customers and make them staying with us again and again. We believe in PEARL as our core value i.e. MFFR will operate its business by keeping a target market of very general nature in front of it because Cottage Grove is a small area having a population of only 34,589 in 2010 census According to the census conducted in 2000, there were 9,932 households and 8,462 families living in the Cottage Grove. Our restaurant will address the youth population, between ages 18 to 44 years, as its target market because it is 41.8% of the total population. Population under 18 is almost 32.7% of the total population (Census Redistricting Data, 2010). In Cottage Grove, the per capita income for the city was $28,348 in 2009 (http://www.city-data.com/city/Cottage-Grove-Minnesota.html). The market behavior of US fast food industry is interesting and it has been observed that generally three types of orders are placed in fast food restaurant. These orders are placed with respect to nature of group and family. The figure shown as Appendix-I indicates that lunch and dinner items are having a larger share of the market as 29% of the US fast food industry consists of it. Snack items and

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Differential Association Theory Essay Example for Free

Differential Association Theory Essay 1. Differential Association theory would explain the burglar’s behavior by first looking at their social structure. Their social structure can affect everything; it can influence their close relationships, open them up to objective opportunities and could be seen as the main attribute that affects their learning process in behavior. A. Most of the people in these interviews are poor, young males with similar social structures. Growing up on the streets and in bad neighborhoods can influence the interactions that each of these people will have. These interactions can result in definitions favorable to crime because these people are beginning to surround themselves and interact with people who are already doing illegal actions. (Hagan, p.89). In the article it gave an example of how a group of friends may be doing coke and once it runs out someone in the group, that has developed their own belief in what’s right and what’s wrong, suggests doing burglary in order to get some money for more coke. A new person within the group may feel pressure in continuing in order to maintain their status and relationship with the members in the group. Here they are learning new attitudes and accepting new values that are favorable to crime (Hagan, p. 89). The behavior being learned is that burglary can help with any immediate needs and together they rebel against the law. The new member may now start to change what they believe is right and wrong and could begin acting in more frequent illegal actions. These burglars have the belief that burglary is okay because it is a matter of â€Å"day to day survival†. This shows that they have their own interpretation on what they think is right and wrong which is a learned definition favorable to crime. In the interview Wild Will proved this theory by describing that when he is in need of money he thinks to himself, â€Å"How do I know how to get money quick and easy?† He at one point had to have learned that an immediate fix to a bump in the road, which is justified in his mind, is to perform a burglary. Larry Harris would agree when he says that it is just something you have to do to get by. Neither of these men views burglary as something wrong but as something you do in order to survive. B. When it comes to the techniques that people learn in committing crime several burglars said that it is something that you just get better at over time. Wild Will stated that when he goes to rob a house he likes to stake out the house and call it in order to see if someone is home. This may have been a technique he had picked up from  someone else that he went and did a burglary with. Several participants in the interview confessed that if they had a friend that had a burglary set up that they would be willing to do it with them if given the offer. This is an incident where you could say that a person may have the opportunity to learned new strategies and techniques that have worked for someone else in the past. Another technique that gets learned on the streets is the ability to maintain and develop status. One of the participants shared that it is mandatory to be perceived as â€Å"hip†. People on the streets learn through interactions with each other what it takes to be hip and be seen as someone with high status. 95% of the participants confessed that they spend the money that they steal on things that give them the image of â€Å"high-living†. During the interview several things were revealed as things to do in order to gain that high status. These burglars can learn these techniques such as doing drugs, having sexual partners, the right styles and brands, and a car and car accessories, as things to pursue in order to gain that respected status in the street culture. C. It is already made clear that these burglars live in poor neighborhoods and are living on the streets which give them more objective opportunity than someone that is in a nicer well off neighborhood. Due to their neighborhood, it exposes these burglars to people that are promoters to committing crime (Hagan, p.90). Most of these men have also admitted that they are â€Å"too lazy† to maintain a real job so sources of income are limited within the household. Because of this most of these participants say that they are acting on illegal action, like burglaries, in order to gain money for food and clothing for their family. As for subjective opportunities not everyone would look at something as an opportunity to commit a crime but Larry William says it best in his interview when he is describing what he does when he is in need for money, â€Å"There it is! There’s the house†. He automatically looks for a target and sees it as an opportunity to immediately fix his problem whereas another person wouldn’t think of that as an option. Another subjective opportunity that these burglars have is the fact that their social bonds are also partaking in these acts and so they have multiple opportunities in performing a burglary when they are present with more opportunities given by their friends.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Development of Powers withing the British Constitution

Development of Powers withing the British Constitution â€Å"†¦the description of British government as an elective dictatorship is no longer appropriate.† (V. Bogdanor The New British Constitution (2009) Oxford, Hart). Discuss, considering in particular Bogdanor’s argument that the separation of powers has been strengthened within the British Constitution in recent years. Britain is described as not having a written constitution, instead it is simply: a set of inductive generalisations[1] which have resulted in Britain not having a formal separation of powers. Due to this lack of structure, the power within the constitution can become concentrated to a single group. Consequently an Act which would be held as undemocratic in places where there is a written constitution e.g. the United States, will not be in Britain. This essay aims to analyse the doctrine of the separation of powers, focusing on how the principle operates in the British Constitution where the separation between the branches of government is not strictly adhered to. It will examine how this entwining relationship has led to Britain living in an elective dictatorship opposed to the democracy it is advertised to be. Additionally, it will consider how the recent developments of the constitution, including the introduction of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, has led to the separation of powers being strengthened therefore the democracy of Britain increasing. The separation of powers is one of these principles that is found, in one form or another, in most modern constitutions[2]. It is a feature predominantly in constitutions which operate a system of government that is based on the law. The importance of the doctrine is significant because it underpins the way the power is used within a state. Nowadays, it has been recognised as having a crucial role in the constitution; it remains important to distinguish the primary functions of law-making, law-executing and law-adjudicating. If these distinctions are abandoned, the concept of law itself can scarcely survive.[3] Poor division of power between the different organs would mean it is impossible to prevent abuse therefore a dictatorship could arise. The principle suggests that the correct way to separate the power is to divide it equally into three separate organs, each with independent roles from each other. If each of these branches perform a different function then the constitution will run efficiently. The branches today are known as; the legislative- who create law; the executive- responsible for the day to day running of the constitution; the judiciary- they apply the laws. This means if these divisions are adhered to then the constitution will successfully run as an organised democracy. The Greek Philosopher, Aristotle, was the first to classify the government as being split into three elements; The three are, first, the deliberative, which discusses everything of common importance; second the officials and third, the judicial element.[4] These distinctions are based purely on a political entity[5]whereas todays understanding of the principle focuses more on different branches of the government. Todays theory comes from the French Constitutional Theorist Montesquieu who popularised the doctrine in his book, the Spirit of the Law[6]. He breaks down the institutions as legislatures, executives and judges who exercise certain specific functions making laws, executing laws and adjudicating disputes about laws[7]. These branches can be translated to the British Constitution. The Legislative branch is made up of Parliament whose function is to pass legislation which regulates the citizens and to scrutinise the work of the executive in order to ensure that they are not abusing their powers. Britain has a bicameral legislative branch which means that it is composed of two chambers; the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The members of the House of Commons are elected by the British public and the party with the most seats form the government. This means that it is a fairly elected democracy. In Britain the role of the executive is to formulate and implement policies. It is led by the Prime Minister who is responsible for the overall conduct of the government and the ministers who are the head of each department. The role of the judiciary is to interpret the legislation and apply the law in accordance with how Parliament intended it when they created it. The judicial branch covers all judges however, it is those which sit in the higher courts who are most important to the operation of the British Constitution because they are in a position to challenge the government and ensure that it functions with the law. It has been argued that in Britain, the result of not having a codified constitution is that there is no consequences in place if one branch exceed the limit of power they have according to the separation of powers theory. The principle came under significant criticism around the 1980s. One of the main criticisms was by Brazier who stated that the arrangement of the British Constitution is: at best a weak separation of powers at worst a separation in name only[8]. Locke, an English Philosopher was concerned with the division of power and the consequence if the separation was not equal. Concentration of power can seriously affect the organisation and functioning of the constitution. He believes that: it may be too create a temptation to humane frailty apt to grasp for Power, for the same persons who have the power of making laws, to have also in their hands the power to execute them, whereby they may exempt themselves from obedience to the laws they make [9] This means if there is too much power concentrated to one person, or to one branch of the government, it would lead to the system as a whole being corrupt. It would provide people with the opportunity to use the system to their own advantage, essentially creating laws others do not agree with thus creating a dictatorship. The idea that too much power can result in one group using it to their advantage can be seen within the British Constitution, where there is many overlaps between the branches. This led to Lord Hailsham describing the structure of this constitution as an elective dictatorship[10] because although the government is elected by the public, they abuse the amount of power they have been given and use this to their own advantages- they act like dictators. In theory it appears that the roles of each branch are clearly distinguished however, this is not the case in practice. However, Montesquieu also recognises that the division of power between the organs of the state is not always amicable, there can be overlap between the branches and it still be a democracy. This idea there is overlap in the British Constitution can be supported by Parpsworth who claims: a separation of powers is not, and has never been a feature of the UK constitution. An examination of the three powers reveals that in practice they are often exercised by persons which exercise more than one such power.[11] This idea can be seen by the role of the Lord Chancellor who had a position within each of the three government branches. He had a legislative function of being the speaker of the House of Lords, an executive function of being a member of the cabinet and a judicial function as being the head of the judiciary. Being the head judge gave the Lord Chancellor the right to participate in judicial proceedings and to appoint judges. This shows that there is more than an overlap between the branches instead it shows that the same person clearly does exercise more than one power.[12] regardless of Montesquieu stating: all would be lost if the same man exercised these three powers[13]. Evidently this suggests that Britain is an elective dictatorship because there is no restriction on the amount of power that each branch can administrate within society, they can influence the functioning of the constitution without regard to the view of the public. The Lord Chancellor was in a strong position to abuse his powers; he could provide himself with more benefits or use the arrangement to influence the branches and allow one organ to dominate the whole constitution. Clearly, his position within all three arms of the government does not conserve the doctrine of the Separation of Powers. However, it could be argued that even though there is clear overlap between the roles, the question of abusing power was irrelevant as the Lord Chancellor optionally chose to remain impartial to each branch when undertaking the particular function it required; in recent years, the Lord Chancellor had rarely sat as a judge and never on matters affecting the government. This suggests that the British Constitution was never operating in a way which could be described as an elective dictatorship[14], instead it has always been an independent system[15]. However, there are exceptions to this; Lord Mackay, however, did sit in the leading case Pepper v Hart, [1993] AC 593, on which he offered a dissenting judgement[16] which shows that there are exceptions and the lines between the branches have been overstepped. Regardless of this only being an exception there was a clear overlap in the way the functions of the branches were being performed so the Labour Party, the current government at the time, introduced the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 which led to dramatic reforms, specifically regarding the position of the Lord Chancellor. His position at the head of the judiciary has now been replaced by Lord Chief Justice who is now in charge of the deployment of judges and allocation of work in Courts in England.[17] Additionally, his legislative function as the speaker of the House of Lords has been replaced by the Lord Speaker. This means that since the reform, his function is now purely in the executive branch of the government where he remains to be a member of the cabinet.[18] Evidently, the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 has strengthened the doctrine of the separation of powers in Britain as the overlaps between the arms have been reduced thus the power distribution has been equalised. However, not everybody agrees that the reforms towards the Lord Chancellor has increased the democracy in Britain. His role was described as a necessary evil vital to ensuring the smooth running of the separate estates. [19] This criticism suggests that the Labour Government removed the connection between the branches which may reduce the effectiveness of the organisation of each function. However, the reform was essential because if these distinctions are abandoned, the concept of law itself can scarcely survive.[20] Another problem with the separation of powers in the British Constitution is the overlap between the legislative and executive. Theoretically, the executive initiate the creation of new laws and it is for the legislatures to debate and pass the proposals once the content has been agreed upon. This means that the legislative is supposed to have control over the executive however, in practice it is clear that the Executive tends to dominate the legislature, because the party and electoral systems usually produce a strong majority government, what Lord Hailsham called an elective dictatorship[21]. This means that the executive is therefore present at the heart of Parliament.[22] Being at the centre of the government structure allows the executive to have strong persuasion over the legislatures, meaning they can get the result they wish without the House of Commons standing in their way. This supports Bagehots description of the British Constitution being; the close union, the nearly complete fusion of the legislative and executive powers[23] as it appears that they operate as one branch; the executive. This intertwining relationship can be seen as there is a strong convention that ministers are members of one or other House of Parliament[24] as well as the Prime Minister being a member too. As a result they will have strong influential powers over the decisions of both the executive and the legislative. This is because the ministers will be less likely to challenge the decisions of their party therefore their activities will not be questioned so they will be able to initiate any changes they wish. This means they are able to operate an elective dictatorship without checks to the amount of power they are using. However, it could be argued that the separation of powers still exists because there are procedures in place to ensure the doctrine remains a strength of the British Constitution. For example, there is a limit on the number of ministers who can be members of the House of Commons. This will ensure that the amount of influence they have is limited. Additionally, there is the opportunity for a backbench revolt. This is where a large number of MPs who are not ministers or in cabinet for the leader, vote against them to try prevent them from carrying out their propositions. One example is from 2001 where; more than 100 Labour backbenchers rebel over the attempted removal of two Labour MPs from the chairmanship of important parliamentary committees.[25] which led to the reinstatement of two Transport and Foreign Affairs Select Committees. This suggests that although the executive try and overstep their powers by going against the opinions of the public which could effectively mean Britain is a dictatorship, there are checks and processes in place for their decisions to be effectively challenged. Members of cabinet can, and have, also taken stands against their own parties. A recent example of this can be seen by Tony Blair who proceeded with the Iraq War despite the majority of his cabinet disagreeing with his actions and a further two resigning. This example shows that the government are not persuaded by the actions of their cabinet or backbench revolts. This shows the need for checks to prevent the abuse of power is essential. The legislature has the duty to ensure that the executive do not overstep this limit ensuring that control is maintained, reducing the chance of an elective dictatorship. These checks mean that Bogdanors suggestion that we are less of an elective dictatorship is correct; the rules ensure that nobody gains too much control. In conclusion, the doctrine of the separation of powers is a feature of the peculiarly British conception of the separation of powers that Parliament, the executive and the courts have their distinct and largely exclusive domain.[26] Before the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, the power was not constrained to the three separate organs. Instead the distinctions were not clear therefore the power was subject to being abused and concentrated to different branches. The reforms led to a redistribution of power in the British Constitution which has effectively led to a decrease of living in an elective dictatorship, just as Bogdanor suggests. Bibliography Allan, T. R. S.. First principles: the Rule of Law and Separation of Powers. Constitutional justice: a liberal theory of the rule of law. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003. 31-52. Barnett, Hilaire. Fundamental Constitutional Concepts; the separation of powers. Constitutional administrative law. 7th ed. London: Cavendish Pub., 2009. 71-91 Bates, Clifford The Fundamental Similarity between Montesquieu and Aristotle http://www.academia.edu/5192735/THE_FUNDAMENTAL_SIMILARITY_BETWEEN_MONTESQUIEU_AND_ARISTOTLE>. Blair Backbench reforms. BBC News. BBC, 26 Feb. 2003 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2802791.stm>. Bogdanor, Vernon. The new British Constitution. Oxford: Hart Pub., 2009. Bradley, Anthony, and Keith Ewing. The relationship between legislature, executive and judiciary. Constitutional and administrative law. 15 ed. Longman, 2010. 78-88 Brazier, Rodney. Constitutional reform: reshaping the British political system. 3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008. Print. Constitutional Reform Act 2005. Constitutional Reform Act 2005 www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2005/4/contents> Lord Hailsham Elective dictatorship. The Listener, 21 October 1976 Lord Phillips, Lord Chief Justice. Interview by Marcel Berlins. Personal interview 2007 Montesquieu, Charles de Secondat. The spirit of the laws. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989. Parpworth, Neil. Separation of Powers. Constitutional and administrative law. 7th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012. 18-20 R Benwell and O Gay, The Separation of Powers www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/sn06053.pdf‎> Watts, Duncan. Constitutions. Understanding US/UK government and politics a comparative guide. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2003. 26-43. 1 [1] V Bogdanor,The New British Constitution(1st, Hart, 2009) 22 [2] A W Bradley and K D Ewing,Constitutional Administrative Law(15th, Pearson) 78 [3] T. R. S. Allan,Constitutional Justice: A Liberal Theory of the Rule of Law (Oxford, 2003) 31 [4] Aristotle Politics as citied in H Barnett, Constitutional Administrative Law(7th, Routledge, 2009) [5] Clifford Bates, The Fundamental Similarity Between Montesquieu and Aristotle (academia.edu 2005) http://www.academia.edu/5192735/THE_FUNDAMENTAL_SIMILARITY_BETWEEN_MONTESQUIEU_AND_ARISTOTLE> accessed 11th January 2014 [6] C Montesquieu ,The Spirit of the Laws (Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought)(1st, Cambridge University Press, Oxford 1989) [7] Clifford Bates, The Fundamental Similarity Between Montesquieu and Aristotle (academia.edu, 2005) http://www.academia.edu/5192735/THE_FUNDAMENTAL_SIMILARITY_BETWEEN_MONTESQUIEU_AND_ARISTOTLE> accessed 11/01/2014 [8]R Brazier,Constitutional Reform: Reshaping the British Political System(3rd, Oxford University Press, Oxford 2008) 108 [9]J Locke,Two Treatises of Government(ed. Laslett), chX11, para 143 as cited in A W Bradley and K D Ewing,Constitutional Administrative Law(15th, Pearson) 81 [10]Lord Hailsham, Elective dictatorship The Listener (21 October 1976) [11]N Parpworth,Constitutional and Administrative Law(7th, Oxford, 2012) 20 [12]N Parpworth,Constitutional and Administrative Law(7th, Oxford, 2012) 20 [13]C Montesquieu ,The Spirit of the Laws (Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought)(1st, Cambridge University Press, Oxford 1989) [14]Lord Hailsham, Elective dictatorship The Listener (21 October 1976) [15] The Lord Chief Justice 2007 Interview[2007] [16] V Bogdanor,The New British Constitution(1st, Hart, 2009) 66 [17]Lord Chief Justice (www.judiciary.gov.uk 2014) http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/about-the-judiciary/the-judiciary-in-detail/judicial+roles/judges/lord-chief-justice> accessed 11/01/2014 [18]Constitutional Reform Act 2005 (www.legislation.gov.uk 2005) http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2005/4/contents> accessed 11/01/2014 [19]V Bogdanor,The New British Constitution(1st, Hart, 2009) 63 [20]Allan,Constitutional Justiceas cited in A W Bradley and K D Ewing,Constitutional Administrative Law(15th, Pearson) 88 [21] D Watts,Understanding US/UK Government and Politics: A Comparative Guide(Oxford 2003) 36 [22] R Benwell and O Gay, The Separation of Powers (www.parliament.uk 2013) accessed 11/01/2014 [23] Bagehot,The English Constitution 65as cited in A W Bradley and K D Ewing,Constitutional Administrative Law(15th, Pearson) 78 [24] A W Bradley and K D Ewing,Constitutional Administrative Law(15th, Pearson) 84 [25] Blairs backbench rebellions (www.news.bbc.co.uk 2003) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2802791.stm> accessed 11th January 2014 [26] R v Home Secretary[1995] 2 AC 513as cited in A W Bradley and K D Ewing,Constitutional Administrative Law(15th, Pearson) 78

Friday, September 20, 2019

A Comparison Between Death of a Naturalist and Digging Essay examples -

A Comparison Between Death of a Naturalist and Digging For GCSE course work we have to compare two poems from a foreign culture. The two poems we picked were both by the popular Irish poem ‘Seamus Heaney.’ The two poems we’re looking at ‘Death of a Naturalist’ and ‘Digging’ could be seen as autobiographical. ‘Death of a Naturalist’ is basically about a young boy who had a keenness for nature, which has disintegrated throughout a summer. ‘Digging’ is about the poet remembering his childhood, he writes about about digging as though it is patriotic of his family. He talks about fore fathers and how he will continue this tradition, not by digging on a farm but with his pen, writing. Although with seemingly different storylines, the poems actually start off quite similarly; with both poems taking you back you a specific time in the poets’ childhood. In ‘Digging’ the poet is remembering other people in his life, like his grandfather and father but with ‘Death of a Naturalist’ his memories are all introspective. In both poems the original plot is elaborated upon with ‘Death of a Naturalist’ taking a negative line and ‘Digging’ turning positive. In ‘Death of a Naturalist’ the poem is split into two stanzas; this separates the poets’ opinion in two, full of enthusiasm in one ‘I would fill jam pots full of†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ To the lack of enthusiasm in the second ‘I sickened, turned, and ran’ ‘Digging’ is split into many stanza’s of seemingly almost random length, nut when you look closer you see that they get longer when the poem read to better things, for example the poet get most enthusiastic when he remembers his grandfather this is reflected in the fact that this stanza is by far the longest at eight lines. .. ...athered there for vengeance’ There are examples of onomatopoeia in both poems although it isn’t used at length in either. I noticed ‘slap’ is used in both poems, both in descriptions of mud or dirt sentences, showing the link in the poets’ language. Overall I enjoyed both poems though I did prefer ‘Digging’ as I like the way the poet flicked back and forth through time. I could also visualise this poem more, like a film, which I liked. I also like the cast use of alliteration which made the poem kind of roll off your tongue. There is also a really good use of onomatopoeia in the poem in the second stanza. ‘Under my window a clean rasping sound’ This sentence really draws you into the poem and you can almost hear the rasping as the shovel sinks into the ground. To sum up, all of these factors and more are the reason as to why I prefer ‘Digging’

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Duty-Based Person Essay -- essays research papers fc

Duty-based document Abstract A duty based is a person that has structure and guidance. A duty-based person is a person that has respect for leadership and the knowledge to be a leader. The writer will discuss her point of views of a duty-based person. She will also give her insight on people lying to and for one another. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, duty is† the action and conduct due to a superior, homage, submission; due respect, reverence; an _expression of submission, deference, or respect. The writer feels that a duty based would not lye to another person or lye for another person the writer feels that if someone thought you were lying to him or her, you cannot be trusted. When you start out lying about something you have to keep on lying to cover up the first lye you started out with. Most people that lye are scared of getting in to trouble. Other peoples that lye just like telling stories. Some people can look you right in the face and they will be lying to you. You can make things worse if you lie for someone, for them and for yourself. They can wound up getting in to trouble for lying. The person for whom they are lying can say they have no clue what that person is talking about. They can say they never asked anyone to lye for them. If you lye for someone else, you are j ust as guilty as the person you are lying for. If someone asks you to lye for them, you should ask yourself why are they not telling the truth. The writer feels that you shou...

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Free Trade V.S. Command Economy Essay -- Economics

Free Trade V.S. Command Economy =============================== Introduction: Politicians, countries and ideologies from all over the world have for years been torn between what they should follow and believe. Countries quarrel over which policies should be adopted and what, how, for whom have been the economist's fundamental question. Adam Smith preached for market economies often referring to "the invisible hand" Karl Marx preached for command economies often referring to "The proletariat will over run the capitalist class" These two men have substantially shaped the way countries have decided to run their economies. Not forgetting the names of a great deal of other Their works were published in volumes, therefore I will not attempt to integrate any of their work in this project, but instead I will refer to some of their ideologies. One would think that these two men were totally different from each other, but in actual fact they are very similar. They both wanted to change the way their societies ran things.  · Resource allocation  · Resource ownership  · Type of incentives  · Level of government decision making The 2 major economic systems are market and Marxist: The first is Capitalism: an economic system characterised by private ownership of the factors of production, market allocation of resources, use of economic incentives, decentralised decision making. E.g.(the US adopts an economic system very much similar to the one above but does have some forms of state intervention like the Defence) The second is planned socialism: an economic system characterised by state ownership of the factors of production, the use of moral, resource allocation and economic plan and central... ... thus queues for staple food were lengthening and demand was soaring. For most commodities supply had dropped because inter-trading with the USSR had also ceased. These ex-communist countries were each specialised in supply certain resources (i.e. iron, coalà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) but after the break of control from Moscow this was no longer possible. The transition in 1991 was less difficult for Poland because they already used market forces in agriculture. The USSR succeeded in sending the first man in space during communist rule In Russia investment and business were failing to settle because of the old bureaucratic system still in place, as the example goes (Its hard to teach an old dog new tricks). Another example of failure was that of Military expenditure, production fell, as well as space research, the two earlier accounting for 20% of the GDP in the USSR.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Glasser Essay

This would be a clear departure from Freud’s lengthy approach where the counselor would interpret the client’s story or life experience. Rogers believed, using empathetic understanding and unconditional positive regard people would have the potential given the proper tools to resolve their own problems. Rogers identified accurate empathetic understanding as another critical task of therapists. Choice Theory / Reality Therapy; William Glasser, born May 11, 1925 is an American psychiatrist who developed Choice Theory / Reality Therapy in the early sixties therapies. Choice Theory is an explanation of human behaviour developed by Dr. William Glasser. Reality Therapy is the application of Choice Theory within the context of helping relationships Glasser first developed this approach to use working in schools for troubled adolescents and may explain his life-long interest in both therapy and education. In 1985 the Institute of Guidance Counsellors arranged for Dr. Glasser to visit Ireland. By 1987 the Irish branch of the William Glasser Institute was founded and now co-ordinates training throughout Ireland. Reality Therapy continues to grow all over the world today. Choice theory rests on an assumption that we are always free to choose. Comparative Analysis The reality therapist teaches the client ways to try to control the world around them and how to meet their personal needs. They believe that the client can and will change their life for the better. The reality therapist focuses on the clients actions and why they act the way they do. They point out what the client doing and in getting them to evaluate it. The belief is that the behavioral or emotional problem is a direct result of the client’s feelings about themselves. The therapist will help the client evaluate their behaviors and feelings, to challenge them to become more effective at meeting their needs. With Person-centered therapy the therapist will attempt to move the client towards self awareness, helping the client to experience previously denied feelings. They will teach the client to trust themselves and to use this trust to find their direction in life. Person Centered makes the client aware of their problems and then guides them to a means of resolve them. The therapist and client must have faith that the client can and will find direction. The therapist will try to motivate the client in fully experiencing and expressing their feelings. Person-centered therapy believes that good mental health is a balance between the ideal self.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Summary Response

Agents of Change and Nonviolent Action* Nonviolent action is a way for ordinary people to fight for their rights, freedom, and justice. It is frequently associated with moral or ethical nonviolence, but I will address it here as a distinct phenomenon, separate from any moral or ethical underpinnings, to expand on how it works as a pragmatic way to exert leverage in a conflict. Nonviolent action is based on the insight that power in a society is ultimately derived from people’s consent and obedience.In contrast, the prevailing view is that power in a society is inherently based on whoever has concentrated wealth and the greatest capacity for violence. But just as the economy is a subsystem of the biosphere— and therefore is ultimately governed by the laws of the biosphere—so too, systems of power that are seemingly based on violence and money are actually subsystems of thousands or millions of people’s broader behavior and obedience patterns.If those people shift their loyalties, behavior, and obedience, the balance of power in a society, and in the world, shifts. Simply put, if people do not obey, then rulers or corporations cannot rule. Nonviolent action, therefore, wields power by creating shifts in people’s loyalties, behavior and obedience patterns at a collective level. This can happen dramatically, for example as it did at moments during the Indian Independence Struggle, the US Civil Rights Movement, various labor struggles (i. . the United Farm Workers movement in the mid-late 1960s), and the downfall of Ferdinand Marcos (1986), Augusto Pinochet (1988), Apartheid in South Africa (1980s-90s), Slobodan Milosevic (2000), and the authoritarian system in Ukraine (2004). Or, shifts can happen more subtly, as when people choose to shop at locally owned businesses, boycott a product, or work to develop alternative institutions and economies.Regardless of its myriad of methods and manifestations, all acts of nonviolent action fa ll into one of three categories: acts of 1 Â © 2008 Hardy Merriman. *A slightly modified version of this essay appeared in: Conservation Biology, Volume 22, No. 2, April 2008 pp. 241-2. commission—that is, people do things that they are not expected, supposed, or allowed to do; acts of omission—that is, people do not do things that they are expected, supposed, or required to do; or a combination of acts of commission and omission. In order to promote shifts in people’s obedience and behavior patterns, it is important to understand why people obey and behave as they do in the first place. Reasons will differ from society to society, but two of the most common reasons for obedience that I encounter in my work with activists and organizers around the world are that people feel there is no alternative way of behaving and they lack confidence that their actions make a difference. Many people have forgotten that they are the true power holders in their society.Of cou rse formal education, corporations, governments, and media all reinforce the narrative that power resides among the few individuals in a government building or corporate headquarters, and that money and guns (on which they have a monopoly) are the ultimate source of strength. This narrative suits their purposes well. Successful nonviolent movements throughout history, however, have awakened people to the fact that through their collective actions, people who are organized around a common vision and act strategically are far stronger than armies and money.Any contemporary grassroots movement that wants to gain traction should take note of this fact and make reminding people that they are powerful a central point of its rhetoric. Taking this one step further, successful movements not only tell people that they are powerful, they demonstrate people’s power by setting clear, achievable objectives and then documenting and publicizing their victories. The victories themselves may b e limited, but their impact on mobilizing people can be enormous.For example, the US Civil Rights Movement concentrated its strength on desegregating buses in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955-56 and desegregating Nashville lunch counters in 1960. The Indian Independence Movement focused its effort on gaining concessions from the British on the Salt Acts and others laws in 1930-31. Once achieved, these objectives were small 1 Gene Sharp, Waging Nonviolent Struggle: 20th Century Practice and 21st Century Potential, (Boston, MA: Porter Sargent Publishers), 2005, p. 547. 2 Â © 2008 Hardy Merriman. A slightly modified version of this essay appeared in: Conservation Biology, Volume 22, No. 2, April 2008 pp. 241-2. relative to the mammoth task of overturning segregation in the entire US South or gaining independence in India. But their true impact was in their catalyzing effect on the movements themselves. These victories showed people that their actions mattered and that they were capable of making a difference, which led to great increases in support and mobilization and propelled these movements to the national and international center stage.These objectives were not achieved merely because the US Civil Rights Movement or the Indian Independence Movement occupied the moral high ground. They were achieved also because of hard work, creativity, and skillful political analysis. This is true of all successful nonviolent action. However, many neglect this fact and instead assume that nonviolent action consists primarily of public protests, expressions of outrage, and moral injunctions, or that its success depends on a charismatic leader or some sort of mystical power. It does not.Nor does it require people who are ideologically committed to pacifism or ethical nonviolence. What it does require is an inclusive vision that unites people, sound strategic planning, effective public communications, and the identification of appropriate methods for the situation. There is no one -size-fits-all recipe—nonviolent action is place-specific. While the principles that govern it, such as power being based on consent and obedience, are constant across all struggles, its application depends on the context and particulars of a given society.Whether it manifests as bold public action, subtle shifts in buying patterns, or both (most movements have a wide variety of tactics that are designed to be used by people with different levels of involvement), it provides a way for people to use or create political space in their society from which to leverage concessions from an entrenched adversary. Fortunately, a lot of intellectual work, research, and communication have been done about how people can use, and historically have used, nonviolent action to achieve great results.Demand for this knowledge is increasing among those who recognize the power and potential that nonviolent action holds. You won’t read about this in most 3 Â © 2008 Hardy Merriman. *A sligh tly modified version of this essay appeared in: Conservation Biology, Volume 22, No. 2, April 2008 pp. 241-2. newspapers, and you won’t find a lot of politicians talking about it, but if you talk to grassroots organizers and members of civil society around the world, they will tell you. They recognize that it is the people in a society who are the agents of change and that structural change is created from the ground up.They are not waiting for a person to lead them, because they understand that most government and corporate leaders will not take the lead to do what is right if their populations are disengaged and do not know the means to hold them accountable. Therefore, people around the world are increasingly looking towards nonviolent action (which they may use in conjunction with voting, the legal system, or other traditional means of making change) as a pragmatic way to empower their communities to win human rights, freedom, justice, transparency, women’s, indige nous people’s and minority rights and environmental protection.Regardless of the objective for which nonviolent action is used, its prerequisite is the same: a reframing of the concept of power in people’s minds. Sharing this knowledge, and awakening people to their power, is an essential task in shifting humanity’s course. 4 Â © 2008 Hardy Merriman. *A slightly modified version of this essay appeared in: Conservation Biology, Volume 22, No. 2, April 2008 pp. 241-2. Summary Response Agents of Change and Nonviolent Action* Nonviolent action is a way for ordinary people to fight for their rights, freedom, and justice. It is frequently associated with moral or ethical nonviolence, but I will address it here as a distinct phenomenon, separate from any moral or ethical underpinnings, to expand on how it works as a pragmatic way to exert leverage in a conflict. Nonviolent action is based on the insight that power in a society is ultimately derived from people’s consent and obedience.In contrast, the prevailing view is that power in a society is inherently based on whoever has concentrated wealth and the greatest capacity for violence. But just as the economy is a subsystem of the biosphere— and therefore is ultimately governed by the laws of the biosphere—so too, systems of power that are seemingly based on violence and money are actually subsystems of thousands or millions of people’s broader behavior and obedience patterns.If those people shift their loyalties, behavior, and obedience, the balance of power in a society, and in the world, shifts. Simply put, if people do not obey, then rulers or corporations cannot rule. Nonviolent action, therefore, wields power by creating shifts in people’s loyalties, behavior and obedience patterns at a collective level. This can happen dramatically, for example as it did at moments during the Indian Independence Struggle, the US Civil Rights Movement, various labor struggles (i. . the United Farm Workers movement in the mid-late 1960s), and the downfall of Ferdinand Marcos (1986), Augusto Pinochet (1988), Apartheid in South Africa (1980s-90s), Slobodan Milosevic (2000), and the authoritarian system in Ukraine (2004). Or, shifts can happen more subtly, as when people choose to shop at locally owned businesses, boycott a product, or work to develop alternative institutions and economies.Regardless of its myriad of methods and manifestations, all acts of nonviolent action fa ll into one of three categories: acts of 1 Â © 2008 Hardy Merriman. *A slightly modified version of this essay appeared in: Conservation Biology, Volume 22, No. 2, April 2008 pp. 241-2. commission—that is, people do things that they are not expected, supposed, or allowed to do; acts of omission—that is, people do not do things that they are expected, supposed, or required to do; or a combination of acts of commission and omission. In order to promote shifts in people’s obedience and behavior patterns, it is important to understand why people obey and behave as they do in the first place. Reasons will differ from society to society, but two of the most common reasons for obedience that I encounter in my work with activists and organizers around the world are that people feel there is no alternative way of behaving and they lack confidence that their actions make a difference. Many people have forgotten that they are the true power holders in their society.Of cou rse formal education, corporations, governments, and media all reinforce the narrative that power resides among the few individuals in a government building or corporate headquarters, and that money and guns (on which they have a monopoly) are the ultimate source of strength. This narrative suits their purposes well. Successful nonviolent movements throughout history, however, have awakened people to the fact that through their collective actions, people who are organized around a common vision and act strategically are far stronger than armies and money.Any contemporary grassroots movement that wants to gain traction should take note of this fact and make reminding people that they are powerful a central point of its rhetoric. Taking this one step further, successful movements not only tell people that they are powerful, they demonstrate people’s power by setting clear, achievable objectives and then documenting and publicizing their victories. The victories themselves may b e limited, but their impact on mobilizing people can be enormous.For example, the US Civil Rights Movement concentrated its strength on desegregating buses in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955-56 and desegregating Nashville lunch counters in 1960. The Indian Independence Movement focused its effort on gaining concessions from the British on the Salt Acts and others laws in 1930-31. Once achieved, these objectives were small 1 Gene Sharp, Waging Nonviolent Struggle: 20th Century Practice and 21st Century Potential, (Boston, MA: Porter Sargent Publishers), 2005, p. 547. 2 Â © 2008 Hardy Merriman. A slightly modified version of this essay appeared in: Conservation Biology, Volume 22, No. 2, April 2008 pp. 241-2. relative to the mammoth task of overturning segregation in the entire US South or gaining independence in India. But their true impact was in their catalyzing effect on the movements themselves. These victories showed people that their actions mattered and that they were capable of making a difference, which led to great increases in support and mobilization and propelled these movements to the national and international center stage.These objectives were not achieved merely because the US Civil Rights Movement or the Indian Independence Movement occupied the moral high ground. They were achieved also because of hard work, creativity, and skillful political analysis. This is true of all successful nonviolent action. However, many neglect this fact and instead assume that nonviolent action consists primarily of public protests, expressions of outrage, and moral injunctions, or that its success depends on a charismatic leader or some sort of mystical power. It does not.Nor does it require people who are ideologically committed to pacifism or ethical nonviolence. What it does require is an inclusive vision that unites people, sound strategic planning, effective public communications, and the identification of appropriate methods for the situation. There is no one -size-fits-all recipe—nonviolent action is place-specific. While the principles that govern it, such as power being based on consent and obedience, are constant across all struggles, its application depends on the context and particulars of a given society.Whether it manifests as bold public action, subtle shifts in buying patterns, or both (most movements have a wide variety of tactics that are designed to be used by people with different levels of involvement), it provides a way for people to use or create political space in their society from which to leverage concessions from an entrenched adversary. Fortunately, a lot of intellectual work, research, and communication have been done about how people can use, and historically have used, nonviolent action to achieve great results.Demand for this knowledge is increasing among those who recognize the power and potential that nonviolent action holds. You won’t read about this in most 3 Â © 2008 Hardy Merriman. *A sligh tly modified version of this essay appeared in: Conservation Biology, Volume 22, No. 2, April 2008 pp. 241-2. newspapers, and you won’t find a lot of politicians talking about it, but if you talk to grassroots organizers and members of civil society around the world, they will tell you. They recognize that it is the people in a society who are the agents of change and that structural change is created from the ground up.They are not waiting for a person to lead them, because they understand that most government and corporate leaders will not take the lead to do what is right if their populations are disengaged and do not know the means to hold them accountable. Therefore, people around the world are increasingly looking towards nonviolent action (which they may use in conjunction with voting, the legal system, or other traditional means of making change) as a pragmatic way to empower their communities to win human rights, freedom, justice, transparency, women’s, indige nous people’s and minority rights and environmental protection.Regardless of the objective for which nonviolent action is used, its prerequisite is the same: a reframing of the concept of power in people’s minds. Sharing this knowledge, and awakening people to their power, is an essential task in shifting humanity’s course. 4 Â © 2008 Hardy Merriman. *A slightly modified version of this essay appeared in: Conservation Biology, Volume 22, No. 2, April 2008 pp. 241-2.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Rainbow Troops Movie Review

‘Laskar Pelangi': The audacity of hope Laskar Pelangi (The Rainbow Troops) is a 2008 Indonesian film adapted from the popular Indonesian novel by Andrea Hirata. The movie follows a group of 10 schoolboys and their two inspirational teachers as they struggle with poverty and develop hopes for the future in Gantong Village on the farming and tin mining island of Belitung off the east coast of Sumatra. The film is the highest grossing in Indonesian box office history[1] and won a number of local and international awards. The Rainbow Troops was a 2008 Indonesian film adapted from the popular Indonesian novel by Andrea Hirata. The movie is about an inspiring teacher and her 10 students in the poverty-stricken Kampung Gantong in Belitong. The poor condition of their school building does not dampen their high spirits and hopes for a better future. The movie, set in the 1970s, The Rainbow Troops, set on Belitong Island, Indonesia, tells the story of a tight-knit group of students and their teachers fighting for education and dignity, even as they face continual hardship. Fabulously rich in natural resources, Belitong is also home to chronic poverty and educational discrimination. This amazing story tells of a persistent young teacher and her tireless efforts to fight for her ten students† right to an education. Together, they take the reader on a journey through the beauty of childhood friendship, the inspiration of love, and the power of education. The students† magnetic personalities and unflagging determination are sure to inspire. Here is a movie adapted from a best-selling Indonesian novel. It took 40 days of filming on Belitong Island, Bangka-Belitung province, involving 12 local actors, and reportedly cost Rp 8 Billion. With all the efforts of transforming Laskar Pelangi (Rainbow Warrior) into a moving picture, will it satisfy readers' imaginations? Laskar Pelangi, the novel, was written by Andrea Hirata in 2005, based on the writer's own experiences. It is about an inspiring teacher and her 10 students in the poverty-stricken Kampung Gantong in Belitong. The poor condition of their school building does not dampen their high spirits and hopes for a better future. Two years later, the novel became a phenomenon in Indonesian literature. With its humanistic touch, Laskar Pelangi has sold more than 500,000 copies and has won the position of Must-Read Novel in every corner of the nation's bookshops and media review pages. It finally overcame the domination of teen-lit, chick-lit and even religious novels, the popular theme of today. Andrea entrusted the filming of the story to respected figures in the film industry, Mira Lesmana and Riri Reza, as producer and film director, respectively. â€Å"Mira and Riri are two people with high integrity in the movie-making industry in Indonesia. I believe they have a unique perspective in creating their work,† says Andrea. Mira, who made a record at the Indonesian box office with teen flick Ada Apa Dengan Cinta and children's adventure movie Petualangan Sherina, says â€Å"(After reading the novel) I felt like being slammed and was so ashamed of myself. How could I complain about our movie's poor condition, while far away in Belitong there are 10 children and a teacher whose lives are far worse than mine. But they still dare to have hopes and dreams. They struggle to overcome all obstacles with a smile. Riri makes a similar comment. â€Å"I think the novel is very interesting and it is important it be filmed. Interesting because it consists of many aspects such as educational, social and political issues. It is also important because it has an inspiring effect of hope and not giving up, while living a very hard life. † In July 2007, Mira and Riri started pre-production, which took a year to finish. Together wit h scriptwriter Salman Aristo they decided to create a different scenario for the film. â€Å"Novels and movies are two different things. Each has its own specialties and limits. It is very natural for the movie to have a slightly different content than the novel,† says Riri, who won a Citra film award for his movie Eliana Eliana in 2005. Mira admits she has no worries about the possibility of negative responses from adapting the novel into a film. â€Å"The film will eventually bring in our audience, whether they have read the book or not, just to relax, enjoy and be ready to be affected by different experiences,† she explains. The film was shot on location on Belitong Island, the setting of the novel. Twelve of the roles were played by local children. In my opinion, there won't be any actors with a deeper connection to the roles than those who were born and lived in Belitong their entire life,† Riri says to explain his reasons for pursuing authenticity. Some veteran actors such as Ikranegara, Slamet Rahardjo, Alex Komang, Jajang C Noer, Mathias Muchus and Robbie Tumewu will appear. And there is also fresh blood to satisfy youngsters, such as Tora Sudiro, Rieke Dyah Pitaloka and Cut Mini. Cut Mini (playing the central character, the teacher Muslimah) admits she found it challenging to play Miss Muslimah, described as a loving, tender, patient and smart fighter. It is simply a character that differs from any other role she has ever taken. â€Å"That's why, when I got the role, I was soooo happy. I kept on practicing and memorizing the script three hours a day and got acting tutoring directly from Riri himself. I also got the chance to meet Miss Muslimah in person, to get to know and learn more of her real character directly,† she says, admitting there is also a great expectation from the audience (especially the readers of the book) to see the Miss Muslimah character in the movie. I've given my best and I hope the audience can accept it,† she adds. Film is an form of art with a multidimensional influence. It has the ability to influence, move and change point of view, behavior, situation and society. Being aware of the power of film, many of those involved in making the costly Laskar Pelangi are committed to its success. Behind the scenes Mira and Riri wish the message is accepted by the audience. They hope it will stir the emot ions of all those who watch it. Please don't boast out about how great your country is, when you're still ignoring the education aspect of it,† Mira says. LASKAR PELANGI adalah adaptasi dari novel terkenal karya Andrea Hirata. Novel yang awalnya didedikasikan untuk sang ibunda guru tercinta, kemudian meledak menjadi bestseller, dan kini hadir dilayar lebar. Dua sineas muda, Mira lesmana dan Riri Reza adalah orang yang berhasil mewujudkanya. Naskah lengkap pelangi di tulis oleh Salman Aristo. Film Laskar Pelangi merupakan produksi ke-9 Milles Films dan Mizan production. Seprti di novelnya, Cerita LASKAR PELANGI berlatar belakang kehidupan di pulou bangka belitong pada pertengahan tahun 1970 an Hari pertama tahun ajaran baru kali ini sangat menegangkan bagi kedua guru SD Muhammadiyah, Muslimah (Cut Mini) dan Pak Harfan (Kranagara), beserta 9 orang murid dan orang tua mnereka. Pasalnya, jika tidak mencapai 10 orang, maka sekolah akan di tutup. Adalah Harun orang yang kesepuluh menyelamatkan mereka. The first day in â€Å"tahun ajaran baru† this time is tighten for two teachers in Muhammadiyah elementary school, Muslimah and Mr Harfan, with 9 students and their parents. Because, if the school doesn’t have 10 students, the school has to be close. Harun is the 10 syudents who save them. Bu M us pun menjuluki kesepuluh anak dengan keunikan dan keistimewaannya masing masing itu dengan nama Laskar Pelangi. Selama lima tahun bersama, Bu Mus, Pak Harfan dan kesepuluh murid, berjuang untuk terus bisa sekolah meski mereka harus menghadapi beragam tantangan serta tekanan untuk menyerah. Di tengah upaya untuk tetap mempertahankan sekolah, mereka kehilangan sosok yang mereka cintai. Ms Mus named the ten students with their uniqueness and their speciality with â€Å"Laskar Pelangi†. For 5 years, Ms Mus, Mr Harfan and the ten students, struggle hard to defend their school altough they have to face a lot of challenge and pressure to give up. In the middle to defend their school, they lose someone who they loved Film ini dipenuhi kisah tentang tantangan kalangan pinggiran, dan kisah penuh haru tentang perjuangan hidup menggapai mimpi, serta keindahan persahabatan yang menyelamatkan hidup manusia, dengan latar belakang sebuah pulau indah yang pernah menjadi salah satu pulau terkaya di Indonesia. This film full with story about â€Å"kalangan pinggiran†, and touch story about â€Å"perjuangan† live to reach their dream, and the beautiful of friendship that save a people live, with background in a beautiful island that ever been one of the richest island ind indonesia Novel itu mungkin dapat menyadarkan kita terutama pelajar akan penting arti bersyukur. Saya mungkin termasuk anak yang beruntung karena saya masih memiliki kedua orang tua yang masih mampu bekerja banting tulang sehingga dapat menyekolahkan saya di sekolah yang cukup bagus, membelikan saya peralatan sekolah yang lengkap, dan menyediakan sarana prasarana yang saya butuhkan dengan cukup lengkap. Padahal dalam novel itu anak-anak yang bersekolah di SD Muhammadiyah sangat serba kekurangan. Sekolah yang bisa dibilang sangat tidak layak dipakai, pengajar yang hanya berjumlah dua orang, kelas yang dipakai harus berganti-gantian, sungguh menyedihkan sekali sekolah itu. Namun dengan keadaan yang seperti itu para pengajar beserta murid-murid masih dapat melakukan proses belajar mengajar dengan baik. Mereka masih dapat menikmati kegiatan mereka dengan baik. Saya sangat suka sekali dengan tokoh Lintang, ia adalah sosok yang patut dicontoh. Kegigihan dia untuk menempuh jarak 80 km bolak-balik rumah dengan sekolah selain tiu ia harus menempuh bahaya bertemu buaya tidak menggoyahkan niatnya untuk belajar. Padahal kalau saya menjadi Lintang saya belum tentu mau melakukan hal itu, karena jarak 40 km untuk ke sekolah idaklah dekat apalagi ada buaya. Bukankah lebih baik saya di rumah saja dan belajar di rumah atau membantu orang tua bekerja. This novel maybe can â€Å"menyadarkan† us, especially student about the importance to be grateful. Maybe we also the lucky child, because we still have parents who still can work hard, so theyt can â€Å"menyekolahkan† us in good school, buy us â€Å"peralatan sekolah yg lengkap†, etc. in fact, in th is novel, the children who go to school in Muhammadiyah elementary school is very â€Å"kekurangan†. Semangat tidak mudah putus asa mungkin saat ini sudah jarang, padahal sebagai generasi muda harusnya kita punya semangat pantang menyerah seperti tokoh-tokoh laskar pelangi tersebut. Sebab dengan tidak mudah pantang menyerah segala sesuatu yang kita inginkan akan lebih mudah tercapai. Sebagai bukti Ikal dengan segala kekurangan baik materi dan keadaan sekolah yang tidak memadai akhirnya dapat melanjutkan sekolah hingga ke perguruan tinggi, bahkan ia dapat bersekolah di luar negeri. Hal di atas merupakan sesuatu yang dapat saya temukan setelah membaca laskar Pelangi walaupun masih banyak lagi. Mungkin sebaiknya yang belum membaca Laskar Pelangi dapat segera membacanya atau menonton di bioskop untuk dapat memahami dan merefleksikan apa yang dibaca ke dalam kehidupan kita masing-masing. This article will mark my first Indonesian movie coverage, and the film that had moved my interest this time is â€Å"Laskar Pelangi† which literally in English can be describe as â€Å"Rainbow Troops. † What I can say about this film when I formerly seen the preview was this is a film about minorities life in majorities of narrative, acting and cinematography. Based on a best seller novel that sold more than 500. 00 copies in Indonesia, â€Å"Laskas Pelangi† authored by Andrea Hirata has told about the struggling of teacher and 10 students for education in a remote place called Belitong. The beautiful views of Belitong that located on Bangka Belitong province in Indonesia, like you can observes it below by the film images, yet one reason that keep intriguing my mind. Ità ¢â‚¬â„¢s a place that able to bring some of my childhood memories back, a memory of that striking blue beach view decorated by snow white sands and big coral reef, along with it outstanding sight of sunset. Almost 100% shoots of the production were truly taken in Belitong island with real native Belitong children who’s all was the first-timer in acting had involved as the main casts. What the film producers Mira Lesmana and Riri Riza who’s also in charge as the director wanted with performing these native Belitong children is to build naturally chemistry between the story and actors. â€Å"From the beginning we did not think about using outside actor for playing as â€Å"Laskar Pelangi† children figure. So, actor hunting and casting process already we did from the beginning of production,† Riri said. Even these children have no experiences with acting world, but they are very talented children, have courage, no shy to try, and the most important, they could presented main figure at this film†, Mira continued. After hunting and casting process in Belitong, finally 12 Belitong have chosen to play the students character and in spite of that, they also not forgetting to cast the professional actor for the film. 12 big name Indonesian actors also have presence, they are Cut Mini, Ikranegara, Lukman Sardi, Ario Baru, Tora Sudiro, Slamet Raharjo, Alex Komang, Mathias Muchus, Rieke Diah Pitaloka, Robbie Tumewu, Jajang C. Noer and Teuku Rifnu Wikana. As Laskar Pelangi producer, Riri Riza said: â€Å"Laskar Pelangi has unique story, fully dynamic life with appeareance of 10 strong character students and an ambitius teacher which has big and noble wishes. And Andrea Hirata is very important factor why we would make film based on this book. First time meet with Andrea, there is enthusiasm shown at himself. Meet him like watching bright shining sunny, very inspiring†. This film has been scheduled to be release on this 25 September in Indonesia. Laskar Pelangi,† the novel, was written by Andrea Hirata in 2005, based on the writer's own experiences. It is about an inspiring teacher and her 10 students in the poverty-stricken Kampung Gantong in Belitong. The poor condition of their school building does not dampen their high spirits and hopes for a better future. Two years later, the novel became a phenomenon in Indonesian literature. With its humanistic touch, Laskar Pelangi has sold more than 5 00,000 copies and has won the position of Must-Read Novel in every corner of the nation's bookshops and media review pages. Actually, this was the first book and the global description of his 3 other books on the tetralogy included Sang Pemimpi (The Dreamer), Edensor and Maryamah Karpov. The story which taken place in a small village called Gantung in East Belitong is about the childhood of ten young Malay race children who all of them has a different story and personality but they all have the same condition in live that is poverty. They all join together in a poor school that in a threshold to be closed down if the school can not collect 10 or more new students. Meanwhile in tit there was just only 9 children, then suddenly a child named Harun at the age of 15th with mentally disorder (retarded) sign in, which then just solve the school problem by accepting 10 student in that time. Since that time the entire 10 student has join together in a lifetime bonding and make a group of â€Å"LASKAR PELANGI†. Ikal (the main character), Lintang (the science genius boy), Mahar (the art genius boy), A kiong (the kind heart Chinese boy), Syahdan (who wants to be an actor), Kucai (the head of the class for all the time), Borek a. . a Samson (the muscle boy), Trapani ( the handsome boy who can not be apart from her mother to long, later on he was diagnose as â€Å"heavy mother complex†), and Sahara (the only girl in the group before Flo come). The laskar pelangi all have a deep fondness to pelangi (rainbow) and every time after raining, they all get together in a filicium tree and stared on the rainbow with story from the art master Mahar. It helped a lot that their teachers were very dedicated and willing to sacrifice their own wellbeing for the sake of the kids. Though they are not gifted in the mind, they are very gifted in the way of the spirit and always talked in a very uplifting way. They symbolize patience, hard work and perseverance. Though they were trained only to teach a certain subject area, the impoverished state of the school has forced them to teach the kids everything from singing to physics. Fortunately, through the grace of God, two of these 10 were born geniuses and managed to teach the other kids things of the mind that the teachers can only be amazed about. All of these kids’ childhood is full with happiness although poverty was always be around them, but they manage to find their happiness in it, with high educational spirit they all fight for their future and hoping it will be better than the present that they live on. Initially, Andrea Hirata was trying only to reconcile himself with his bitter past when he decided to write about the earliest fragments of his life. One thing in his mind was to share his manuscripts with childhood friends who had been in the same boat. Living with a lack of almost everything is traumatic, especially for children, he said recently. â€Å"It's a real struggle to go back in time to growing up in a poor neighborhood (in Belitung), while next to our place was a giant state mining company that had all the luxuries in the world to offer its staff and their families,† said Andrea. An economics graduate of the University of Indonesia, Andrea received a scholarship from the European Union, which allowed him to take his master's degree at the Universite de Paris, Sorbonne, and at Sheffield Hallam University in the UK. (But) my childhood period lingers within me. My memories of that period of my life are the fondest. I learned then about sincerity, friendship and the many virtues that perhaps today's children cannot learn from their environments the way I did. † Andrea seemed to find his panacea when he decided to write. He could not stop. This debut novel was completed in less than six months. Here, I will not tr y to compare the film with the novel version because in actually I still haven’t read it yet, but I hope this big screen version will be resulting as good as the novel version had done.