The Musketeers of Pig Alley (1912) Essay Example

The Musketeers of Pig Alley (1912) Paper The gangster genre of film has been on of the few genres which has evolved over time whilst still remaining close to the basic formula of each film. One of the firsts to mark the start of the gangster/crime genre was D. W. Griffiths The Musketeers of Pig Alley (1912). The earlier films were set in the silent era if film. Meaning the narrative would often be crude and lack depth, due to the lack of any true dialogue. It wasnt until the 1927 film that the first modern gangster film was created, in the form of Josef von Sternbergs melodrama Underworld. It held many of the standard conventions and filmed from the gangsters point of view, a first for the genre. When the 1930s and the emergence of sound being used in the film dawned. So did the use of real-life crime bosses being used in the narrative for the crime/gangster drama. Many films were made about Al Capone. The films also because more appealing to the audience, as the added excitement of screeching tyres and gun shots. As the 30s continued, a wave of gangster films was released, each using the same narrative formula each time. Usually involving a gangster or bootlegger cast in an ant-hero role, however, towards the end of the film, he would meet his demise. One of the main formulas on the gangster genre was its mise en scene. The lighting was always dark. The costumes and props were also set to a specific formula, gangsters wore nice suits (usually black) and carried Tommy Guns. Police officers wore their uniforms and carried batons and private detectives always wore a brown trenchcoat and hat. In the early 1930s, the Hays Production Code brought the curtain down on the days of glorifying the main role of gangsters as hero. We will write a custom essay sample on The Musketeers of Pig Alley (1912) specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Musketeers of Pig Alley (1912) specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Musketeers of Pig Alley (1912) specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The code brought us new gangster films, portraying the police or private detectives on the right side of the law as the Good Guys. Most of the films carried a moral of Crime doesnt pay. This quietened the uproar from the audience as the narrative gave the audience a hero that they could truly get behind. Gangster films kept to the same kind of formula which were tried and tested, until 1972. Im gonna make him an offer he cant refuse. Francis Ford Coppolas The Godfather (1972) reinvented the genre. Based on the book, written by Mario Puzo, of the same name, the film was about the Corleone family. A Sicilian family who settled into New York, whos crime syndicate made them as powerful as the Government and Big Business. One thing thats strikes with The Godfather is the non-diegetic soundtrack. It has one of the most recognisable theme tunes in a film. However, every piece of music is parallel. This may add to the soundtrack in one way, yet the lack of contrapuntal may be a detriment in another. This could be due to Francis Ford Coppola wanting to play it safe, and to not tamper with the atmosphere the music creates. The Godfather also had many selling points to the audience. The most obvious being its cast, featuring Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan and Diane Keaton. However, one can look towards the book aswell to draw in an audience. The narrative structure remained focused on a single story throughout the course of the film. This is rare for a film with such a long approximate running time (Nearly 3 hours). This have been detrimental to the appeal of the film, as people may find it hard to sit through a single story for 3 hours The language in the film is also very important to the film. One thing the audience might notice is the lack of the words Mafia and Cosa Nostra. These being replaced with a euphemism of The Family (Or La Famiglia). This is quite the Juxta position, as such euphemisms are used; yet there are brutal murders which take place throughout the course of the film. There is also the use of both Italian and English. This could be interpreted as Coppola and Puzo trying to make them film as authentic as possible. People who are of different ethnicity still speak their mother tongue, even though they have immigrated to another country. The costume used in the film continues on with the gangster formula, with the Corleone males in expensive suits, the women in expensive clothing too. This is a shift from the moral of Crime doesnt pay which was placed on the genre some 40 years earlier. The opening shot of the film is a close up a face of a man in the Dons dark hone office; this opens up with intrigue, as the audience doesnt know who this man is. Most of the camera angles used in the film are used to make Don Vito Corleone look as powerful as possible, usually a high angle mid shot, to make him superior. There are also scenes where he has a light shining from above him, to make him look God like, despite his actions being more of reminiscent the devil. The Godfather laid the template for future films of the genre, while still following. It continues the representation of Italian-Americans being very family-orientated, complimented with a fiery temper. This is a double-edged stereotype, as it is positive that Italians are very close knit families, yet negative because of the short fuse. Say ello to mah lil friend Scarface (1983) was loosely based on Al Capone, however, the lead role was that of Cuban immigrant Tony Montana (Played by Godfather star Al Pacino). Scarface has a different selling point to The Godfather, which is that it is loosely based on Al Capone. However, the use of Al Pacino, who was in The Godfather can also be its selling point. One major difference between Scarface and The Godfather is its non-diegetic soundtrack. There is one scene in the film which is reminiscent of a Rocky movie. There was a montage where Montana and his associates were committing many illegal activities, however, the music used was contrapuntal, and it had a very positive sound to it. The language used was modern, with lots of expletives, showing that the gangsters are now starting to lose their class. Gangsters used to be like upper class businessmen, however, now the audience were starting to see gangsters as lower class people, who just happen to have money. The costume was a slight variation on the classic gangster attire. They were still wearing suits, however, the style is modern. One also notices the style of suit change as the film progresses, especially on Tony Montana. When he first enters Floridas crime world, he was wearing a cheap, pea-green polyester suit. However, towards the end of the film, his style becomes more and more expensive. Compare this to The Godfather, almost everyone is in a black suit, this could be due to Coppola wanting the audience to view the Corleone family as the Bad Guys and Brian LaPalma wanting the audience to root for Tony Montana. One of the first props the audience will take notice of is the Chainsaw which is used to kill Tonys friend Angel. This showed that the genre was getting more brutal and there was blood in abundance. This again can be referred back to The Godfather, as Tony cared for his friends and family, which is a positive social trait, however, this is sandwiched between the brutality and criminal activities. Scarface borrowed a lot of its Mise en Scene from The Godfather, despite being made some eleven years later. The audience was still seeing big guns, luxury cars, suits and money. The camera angles were made to look Tony Montana look very powerful, with lots of close ups and high angle mid shows and back lighting. The film also kept with a single narrative structure. Look, can everyone stop getting shot? Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) did something most films have tried, but havent really succeeded in. Making working class people look like gangsters. Gangsters were becoming working class heroes. The narrative has multiple stories, the first being the card game which has put the four central characters into  £500,000 worth of debt, and the second being the shifting of marijuana between two different gangs who have never even met before. The camera angles used were very different; there werent as many close-ups as there wasnt really one single central character. That being said, the first shot is an extreme close up of Eddy and other unnamed men (who later turn out to be policemen). One camera shot that is used to good effect is the slow motion shot. It makes an action-packed shot seem more realistic, as it is thought that when something like getting shot at happens, everything seems to happen in slow motion. The diegetic sound in these scenes are also muffled. There was also a lack of any direct brutality. The Godfather and Scarface show killings in great detail, however, when someone got shot in Lock, Stock, we dont actually see it happening. The musical score was also very different from the norm when it comes to the Gangster genre. The use of bands such as Ocean Colour Scene made the soundtrack more appealing to the audience, as opposed to constant parallel soundtrack. The costume made reference to the films pred ecessors; however, it was given a more casual look. Suits were not always the clothing of choice. Many characters opting for jeans and a shirt. However, the use of leather jackets and trench coats by almost all characters made it a new norm in the genre. The film had a selling point of Sting and Vinnie Jones starring in the film. Mustard? I dont care if hes Mohammed Im-Hard Bruce Lee Snatch (2000) continued where Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels left off. Using many of the same values used, the multi tier narrative and the semi-open endings. Both Lock Stock and Snatch had relatively open endings, with Tom straddling the bridge at the end of Lock, Stock and with someone coming over from America to buy the diamond in Snatch. The genre of the gangster has evolved greatly since its primitive early beginnings and has been somewhat cyclical. In the beginning, the gangsters were glorified, then vilified, now we seem to be living in an era where gangsters are glorified once again. We have also seen a shift from an Italian-American dominated genre to a more global genre, with some of the more successful films taking place in London. The films have also become shorter, with The Godfather and Scarface being longer films with a single narrative structure with a definite ending. To shorter, multiple narrative films where things are constantly changing.

Use OptionParser to Parse Commands in Ruby

Use OptionParser to Parse Commands in Ruby In the article discussing OptionParsers features we discussed some of the reasons that make using OptionParser in Ruby preferable to looking through ARGV manually to parse commands by hand. Now its time to get down to learning how to use OptionParser and its features. The following boilerplate code will be used for all the examples in this tutorial. To try any of the examples, simply put the examples opts.on block next to the TODO comment. Running the program will print the state of the options has and ARGV, allowing you to examine the effects of your switches. #!/usr/bin/env rubyrequire optparserequire pp# This hash will hold all of the options# parsed from the command-line by# OptionParser.options {}optparse OptionParser.new do|opts|# TODO: Put command-line options here# This displays the help screen, all programs are# assumed to have this option.opts.on( -h, help, Display this screen ) doputs optsexitendend# Parse the command-line. Remember there are two forms# of the parse method. The parse method simply parses# ARGV, while the parse! method parses ARGV and removes# any options found there, as well as any parameters for# the options. Whats left is the list of files to resize.optparse.parse!pp Options:, optionspp ARGV:, ARGV Simple Switch A simple switch is an argument with no optional forms or no parameters. The effect will be to simply set a flag in the options hash. No other parameters will be passed to the on method. options[:simple] falseopts.on( -s, simple, Simple argument ) dooptions[:simple] trueend Switch with Mandatory Parameter Switches that take a parameter only need to state the parameter name in the long form of the switch. For example, -f, file FILE means the -f or file switch takes a single parameter called FILE, and this parameter is mandatory. You cannot use either -f or file without also passing it a parameter. options[:mand] opts.on( -m, mandatory FILE, Mandatory argument ) do|f|options[:mand] fend Switch with Optional Parameter Switch parameters dont have to be mandatory, they can be optional. To declare a switch parameter optional, place its name in brackets in the switch description. For example, logfile [FILE] means the FILE parameter is optional. If not supplied, the program will assume a sane default, such as a file called log.txt. In the example, the idiom a b || c is used. This is just shorthand for a b, but if b is false or nil, a c. options[:opt] falseopts.on( -o, optional [OPT], Optional argument ) do|f|options[:opt] f || nothingend Automatically Convert to Float OptionParser can automatically convert argument to some types. One of these types is Float. To automatically convert your arguments to a switch to Float, pass Float to the on method after your switch description strings. Automatic conversions are handy. Not only do they save you the step of converting the string to the desired type, but also check the format for you and will throw an exception if it is formatted incorrectly. options[:float] 0.0opts.on( -f, float NUM, Float, Convert to float ) do|f|options[:float] fend Some other types that OptionParser can convert to automatically include Time and Integer. Lists of Arguments Arguments can be interpreted as lists. This can be seen as converting to an array, as you converted to Float. While your option string can define the parameter to be called a,b,c, OptionParser will blindly allow any number of elements in the list. So, if you need a specific number of elements, be sure to check the array length yourself. options[:list] []opts.on( -l, list a,b,c, Array, List of parameters ) do|l|options[:list] lend Set of Arguments Sometimes it makes sense to restrict arguments to a switch to a few choices. For example, the following switch will only take a single mandatory parameter, and the parameter must be one of yes, no or maybe. If the parameter is anything else at all, an exception will be thrown. To do this, pass a list of acceptable parameters as symbols after the switch description strings. options[:set] :yesopts.on( -s, set OPT, [:yes, :no, :maybe], Parameters from a set ) do|s|options[:set] send Negated Forms Switches can have a negated form. The switch negated can have one that does the opposite effect, called no-negated. To describe this in the switch description string, place the alternative portion in brackets: [no-]negated. If the first form is encountered, true will be passed to the block, and false will be blocked if the second form is encountered. options[:neg] falseopts.on( -n, [no-]negated, Negated forms ) do|n|options[:neg] nend

Social Entrepreneurism Module WA1 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Social Entrepreneurism Module WA1 - Coursework Example Model 2 enterprises- These are nonprofitorganizations that realize their funding from the surrounding environment and the business community. They operate to ensure a sustainable social value at the same time minimizing costs. Model 3 enterprises- these are social organizations that depend entirely on private business funds. They operate as a business with their returns going to the investors (Dees, Emerson & Economy, 2002). Value evaluation – these are the assessment activities carried out the business enterprises to come up with facts that help in decision making in the organization or assist the evaluators in generating periodic reports. Value evaluation involves assessment of issues such as the number of clients served over a certain period, the impact of the organization to the society and the environment and the level of customer satisfaction. Strategic service vision- These are the goals and targets set by the organization’s management to be achieved after a set duration of time e.g. by the end of the financial period. Strategic service vision helps the management come up with the organizations objectives, missions and vision Operating services strategy- these are the strategic plans and procedures laid by an organization on their daily operations. Different organizations have different service strategies depending on the products or services they provide. Operating service strategies are important in helping the organization realize its goals, missions and objectives. Examples of operating service strategies may include maintaining their customers by getting their contacts and following up on their progress or ensuring a clean, tidy environment and maintaining proper hygienic standards to portray a good image of the organization. The activities of value evaluation provide the facts and information required in decision making by the management.

Child Care Aboriginal Australia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Child Care Aboriginal Australia - Essay Example "Assimilation" refers to the attempts of white Australian government to intermesh Aboriginal and white culture, often with the purpose of eventually eradicating Aboriginal culture. Under the 1940's assimilation policy, many Aborigines were removed from their own territory and forced to settle n new areas. Indeed, many Aborigines intertwined with whites. Sally Morgan's autobiographical novel, My Place, serves as an example of this mixed generation. "Dispossession" occurred when the White Australian government forced many Aborigines away from their original home. As a result, land which had originally been deemed sacred became the possession of white Australia. These occurrences of "dispossession" were particularly hard for Aborigines, who tied their beliefs and religion with particular geographic areas. This strong Aboriginal emphasis of land can be seen particularly in Aboriginal paintings and other forms of artwork. "Personal racism" refers to the subconscious idea that exists among some white Australians that Aboriginal identity is less valuable than white identity. This racism occurs on a personal level because white Australians believed that the darkness of someone's skin reflect their Aboriginal identity. ... The belief emphasized that it was up to Aborigines to gain land rights and reclaim their native lands. This period marked a great period of social progress for Aborigines and would eventually result in reclaiming many lost lands. "Invasion" occurred when English natives began to establish posts and reservations in Australia. In an Aboriginal perspective, the "invasion" of whites into Aboriginal culture resulted in the destruction of traditional Aboriginal society and the dispossession of most Aboriginal settlements. "Land rights" refer to the battle Aborigines face in reclaiming their own land. Within the past century, Aboriginals have won various land claims which provided back certain territories. Beginning with the Aboriginal Land Act of 1976, Aborigines have begun to reclaim their native lands. This phrase also represents the clash in thought between Aborigines and white Australians over who owns certain areas. Although white Australians physically own certain native Aboriginal lands, Aborigines claim that their religious and cultural beliefs entitle them to possession of sacred Aboriginal territory. Although the white Australian government attempted to mix Aboriginals with white society, "segregation" was still practiced in Australia and separated Aboriginal people from whites. On a basic level, Aboriginals were given certain areas to live apart from whites. "Segregation" was also practiced within society and many people who contained even one Aboriginal ancestor were segregated against as being less than people of entirely white heritage. "Terra nullius", a Latin phrase meaning "empty land", refers to a 17th century legal concept that allowed

MAF307 EQUITIES AND INVESTMENT ANALYSIS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

MAF307 EQUITIES AND INVESTMENT ANALYSIS - Essay Example The strategic analysis of the group indicates that with continued development of new initiatives and business products, the group is likely to expand its client base by entering new markets. The company’s salary packing business continues to provide an annuity stream of income that further allows cross-selling of company’s other products such as leasing services. The company has a very strong balance sheet and cash flow position that gives it opportunity to choose inorganic expansion route. The company’s revenues from core activities experienced 12.6% to $161.50 million at the end of December 2012, with net profits rising over 19.3%. The company announced the gain in gross revenue and profit for the year June 2013 but a proposal from the Labour government shook company’s future earnings capacity causing the company’s share price to plunge by over 55% in the middle of July 2013. Background of Share Price Crash McMillan Shakespeare’s Finance gr oup share price almost halved since the government flagged changes to current laws of fringe benefit tax (FBT) that has created uncertainty in the markets. The company’s trading was suspended for a week and when it resumed trading the share prices crashed by over 48% to $7.99 wiping away almost $549 m of shareholders’ wealth from the markets (Australian Associated Press, 2013). Due to this reason the company’s management requested for an extension to halt trading which is viewed by many analyst as a desperate move by the management to avoid such huge amount of losses and save shareholders’ wealth from volatile and uncertain markets. The Australian Securities and Investment Commission have however rejected the company’s plea of halting trading. (Source: ASX, 2013) The company has criticised the government’s recent decision to tightening FBT guidelines especially on salary package and car leasing for the share price crash and uncertainty in ma rkets. The panic among the investors was evident since the proposed changes to FBT guidelines tighten fringe benefit taxes on salary packaging and car leasing. The investors in the market expected the revenues of the company to be adversely affected from the government’s decision since the company’s primary source of revenues is generated from car leasing and salary packages. This negative outlook on the company’ future earning capacity from the tightening of FBT created panic in the broader markets that led to overselling of company’s stocks in Australian Stock Exchange. Thus, it can be said from the above discussion that a chain of events starting from the government’s decision to tighten FBT guidelines, the same decision to adversely affect profitability of the company, negative sentiments among the investors in the market regarding company’s future, and huge sell of the Finance Group’s MMS stocks after a week’s inactive tra ding, ultimately caused the company’s share prices to plummet by over 55% in the mid of July 2013. Reasons behind Dramatic Price Change The company under observation derives almost 50% of its revenues from two major segments namely Asset Management and Group Remuneration Services. But from the analysis of financial statements of the company it is apparent that over 70% of its total earnings are generated from the revenues of group remuneration, which is almost three

Federalism And The Perspectives Of Democracy Politics Essay

Federalism And The Perspectives Of Democracy Politics Essay The term Federalism which was introduced during 18 and 19 centuries in multicultural societies to meet different social needs in the direction of unity while reserving diversity, another time has been propounded in multi-cultural societies. While, federalism as a political and legal theory in different societies has its own characteristics, and based on the considerations of the units it shows different performances. The technologic revolution along with the development of international information networks have created a great revolution in the structure of governments and power centers, the governments decline took place gradually, great economic poles developed the extensive network of power; as a result, those national, local, and regional units supporting connection between local capital with global capital gain the political power. The Europe Union seeks to spread and reserve its historical achievements and concentrate its potentials to resist against the enormous revolutions of Asia and America National units often enjoy common culture, history, and territory, having a common political plan they try to provide appropriate backgrounds for having collaboration with other nations. National units, different groups and ethnics in collaboration process in a common territory acquire national identity and defend their nationality and territory. We have federalism system with its different forms in the political perspective of the world. It seems to be an effective approach for solving national problems in multi-cultural societies. (Yahyaee, 1384: 15) Globalization, in the present time, is changing monetary and financial markets, production and consumption toward globalizing; public opinions by applying communicational devices lead to globalization, so, the inscrutable power of the governments are declining and multi- structural powers are developing. 2. Research design and its importance: Proponents of federalism, who have attracted a lot of attentions from political forces and elites of national units, believe that dividing power among the units paves the ways for more collaboration and develops national identity. As a result, not only the territorial integrity is damaged, but also reinforces national impression among national units and different ethnics. In this regard, the democratic institutes are created and organized by people. In this situation, the democratic atmosphere of country paves the way for discourse under its shadow intellectual and helpful thoughts take form. Federalism contributes to the development of democracy, political culture, and gaining experience; as a result, political parties will be more active in the national units; democratic and constant institutes are established; political elites leave seclusion and contribute to training political practitioners, finally sophisticated and skillful political practitioners receive trainings necessary for managing the country. (Bashyryeh, 1995:37) In countries in which different nations live with their various features the development of democracy, politics and economy reflex in their political life, so that respecting nations and ethnics rights is included in the constitutional law. With respect to relative and classic democracy in which the will of majority is dominant, however, sovereignty is in the hands of that nation which has the majority and determines the political fate of the country in accordance their interests. So, the principles of democracy and regulations of multi- national societies can not secure freedom and rights of minor nations and ethnics. Federalism as a pervasive administrative and political approach has high functions and potentials that correspond with the needs of plural societies and is able to solve their structural problems. In order to fulfill this approach in plural societies and adopt it with different situations, first of all we should undertake cultural activities along with political and economical measures. (Kolaee, 2002: 18) Federalism or dividing power among different centers prevents power from concentrating in one center; this in turn leads to the development of democracy in the units. Fulfilling these situations, federalism activates political parties, trains more political elites to participate in countrys leadership and management. If the elites are familiar with social and economical features and needs of units, the can adopt more suitable policies; then they can apply communicational tools, find effective resolutions for the current problems, and develop their relationships with people. If there is close relationship between governmental institutes and people, independent institutes will be allowed to control performances of political power, this matter at last results in democracy development. 3. History and definition of federalism: Federalism originates from the Latin word Foedos that means agreement or treaty. Thus, cooperation and unity among different groups and units in search of establishing larger units to fulfill their common objectives is called federalism. (Habermas, 1996: 13) In political terms, federal government is a kind of political organization in which political power is divided among smaller political units; each one has its own regulations and institutes that function in accordance with their interests and public or group origins. In such a system, borders of power and units management are determined by certain regulations. Organizations of different federal nations are not the same. Based on their social, political, and geographical situations they have different features. The United States, Russian Federation, Federal Germany, Canada, Australia, Mexico, Switzerland, and so forth have different structural and administrative organizations. Federal governments have two distinctive administrative systems. First, Federal administration has all the country under its coverage. This kind of administration is an active center conducting administrative activities nationwide. Besides this system, there are plenty of institutes and organizations selected directly by peoples votes that function under peoples monitoring. In the second system countrys administration is divided to smaller units. These administrative units include province to region. Therefore, they are called national or regional units. These federative units function within their borders and are considered to be responsible for a part of country or a certain population. Then, federalism is applied to a kind of administration in which there is a pervasive national government as well as several smaller national units. According to their population or regions, these units divide the political power among them and establish political government based on which. (Yahyaee, 2006: 62) If the process of uniting was in the same direction with the development of modern culture and economy as well as freedom, equality, justice, and law, there would be better results. As the process of nationalization in those western countries established based on power plurality and dividing it has led to democracy establishment. Switzerland, for instance, has got a brilliant history and experience in federative system. This country has always sought to expand this system in accordance with public and states rights. Thus, Switzerland has strengthened relationships among people, culture, language, and various needs. (Thurow, 2001: 86) Lack of centrality has expanded states abilities in accomplishing their activities, created closer relationships between people and governmental agencies and finally, thoroughly has developed democracy across society. As a result, Switzerland is considered to be a member of international family in which all the social and individual rights are secured exactly. A reason of Switzerlands social and economical developments lies in its administrative and political system that it is for a while that are managed federatively. Based on the above discussions, one can make this conclusion that in those countries where different nations and ethnics live with their special cultures and languages, they can pave the ways for a comprehensive progress. In January 1918, the first constitutional law of Russian Soviet Federative Social Republic (RSFSR) in the forth nationwide congress of the soviets was approved. That constitutional law was approved to be applied in managing Russian Federative Republic, as by then the Soviet Union has not been established. (Kolaee, 2002: 18) The constitutional law of 1918 which had suggested its objective as transition from a bourgeois democracy to a proletarian one, at the same time had discussed about nations equal rights and had proposed federalism in accordance with the development of different cultures. While evaluating the Czarina Russia, Lenin had said: Russia is the prison of the public; it is just through establishing the Soviet Union that we can secure all rights of the nations. According to this statement, article 70 of the Soviet Unions constitutional law had named that country as a multi-national one and its federal system in the form of soviets provides all nations with equal rights. (Kolaee, 2002: 170) Like Italy, Spain was ruled by centralist and dominant government of Franco. During that period, fascist and pen fascist thoughts were dominant in the political system. Therefore, democratic movements and public institutes were suppressed strongly. Under the pretext of trying to weaken the central government, regional and local movements, too, were suppressed and their members were pursued. After the death of Franco, there were remarkable changes in Spains political system. In 1987, the constitutional law changed. With respect to cultural and ethnical features, self-determined regions with different possibilities and authorities were established. The new law supported and guaranteed those self-determined regions. As a result, after the death of Franco they undertook remarkable measures in democraticazing their society. They began some activities in accordance with lack of centrality, determined ways of undertaking their measures and their borders to be able to negotiate with the central government. When the new constitutional law was approved, according to cultural, lingual, geographical, religious, and economical differences 17 self-determined regions were established. (Yahyaee, 2006: 64) Canadian federal system is consisted of 10 units; 9 of them are ruled by English speakers and the other one is governed by French speakers. Quebec is the only state French speakers have control over. This state is economically, especially in industry sector developed. Some social groups, especially extremist nationalists seek to separate this state from Canada. (Khobroyepak, 1999: 186) 4. Basic features of federative systems: Federalism forms based on two principles. First, based on population; that is, it should have sufficient similarities. Second, based on geographical regions which should have some differences with other regions. (Khobroyepak, 1999: 190) The number of constituent units depends on geographical divisions. Thus, these units take on different names. In some countries, for example, we have units called state, province, region, self-determined, and autonomous governments. The United States of America is consisted of some 50 states, Federal Republic of Germany of 16 units, Russian Federation of 89 different units with special rights and authorities, India of 25 states and Belgium of 6 regions. (Khobroyepak, 1999: 192) A federal system functions independently in its interior affairs. In federal systems public institutes are controlled by people, as political institutes are selected by people. Their performances, then, are controlled by people and democratic institutes which are not under the control of government. Canada is consisted of 10 federals and 11 administrative centres. Thus, federal systems are called multi-cantered systems. (Khobroyepak, 1999: 193) Nowadays, units of federal systems are not able to accomplish great projects by themselves and need the cooperation of other units. This element creates unity among the units. Federalism is an administrative system and a method of governing in which there are different centres of power. Unlike centralized systems which are ruled from one centre, in federal system there is a pervasive national government with several regional governments differing from autonomous or self-determined governments remarkably. Two-parted federal systems consist of 3 power centres. Attending the applications of refugees, accepting or rejecting foreigners residing or ways of settling them in different states, as well as establishing different associations are among the responsibilities of the states. Decision makings and performances of the states should correspond with expectations of the federal. Those units established as state or region having common culture and language with other unite, confine their activities mostly to development, construction, housing, water supply, conserving natural resources, and environment conservation. Educational and cultural activities of these units have their own regulations enacted by the federal governments which are carried out across the federal country. Units are mostly engaged in economical and constructive activities. There are different centers for making and executing decisions in federal governments; as units are responsible for monitoring and observing political and economical regulations and the centre has no if any intervene in units interior affairs. Finally, those units have their representatives in central organizations and have direct participation in decision makings; as it is one of the basic features of federalism. Establishing federal governments without units having economic possibilities is impossible, as units legal and administrative guarantees depend on their financial power. (Yahyaee, 2006: 95) It is why in establishing units based on population and geographical regions economical potentials and financial power are more emphasized on. Executing this policy in some cases, however, raises dissatisfaction or causes tension between national and ethnical groups. Most of the federal countries are divided based on geographical researches and establish their units according to these researches. These geographical regions are located alongside each other according to their common political and economical interests. People of these regions may have different cultures, races, religions and special features. (Maghsudi, 2001: 241) These features include race, culture, language, and national and religious beliefs. So, geographical units bring about some cultural and natural differences. These cultural and national differences whether have a long history or are created by the pass of time or political and historical events. Anyhow, these differences are of great importance in establishing federal units. Certainly, in the constitutional law of a federal country the relationship between the center and its related units and visa versa has been determined, their authorities and obligations, too, have been explained. In adopting federalism as a political system for a country, cultural, lingual, religious and ethnical differences have great importance. Among the important features of federalism one can refer to power division among the units, it is while we can meet the needs of those civilians who have different languages and cultures by adopting policies like corporatism, pluralism, and functionalism, but these concepts have no consistency with federalism. Dividing power according to geographical region and organizing federal system are the inseparable parts of federal systems. (Maghsudi, 2001: 243) Thus, the term federalism is applied to those units having geographical borders and interior regulations while participating in the central government. In federal systems, will of people can not alone decide on some of their wishes or fulfill them, it is the federal units and their residents who are determinant, as they propose their wills to the national assembly and control its performances. Thus, in the process of policy making in federal governments not only the people of country but also residents of the units affect this process. The number of parliament members depends on population. The more population a unit has, the more representatives it has. As a principle of federal systems, units have equal rights in the parliament and no one can change these rights for the benefits of others. People of those countries that have federal political systems have got multi- identities; that is, from one hand they have national identity and from the other hand they have a single identity belonging to their unit. These dependencies are either regional and geographical or ethnical and population; in each case those people simultaneously have more than one identity. They can refer to federal administrations or units organizations to have their applications attended. In most of the cases, they refer to their local organizations. As they can easily control their performances. Among other features of federalism we can name power division, units equality and having equal rights. These features exactly correspond to the essence of federalism. (Castells, 1997: 392) From international laws point of view, constituent units of federal country are not considered to be a whole and independent country, so, in international associations they do not enjoy the same benefits with independent countries. However, they can engage in some mutual economical contracts. Federal country attends the international associations on behalf of its related units and functions by their names. 5. Federalism and democracy: In federal systems public and democratic institutes control over government and administrative organizations performances, mainly in executing rules with respect to the different centers of power will be more effective. In this regard, federalism with its certain structure and regulations provides all the necessary possibilities for executing rules and expanding democracy for all the people and national or ethnical groups. We do not mean that other countries having centralized or self-determined structures are unable in executing democratic rules or respecting human rights. Some countries, especially those developed centralized ones with respect to their social and cultural differences produce macro policies, and then apply them in accordance with the interests of society and social groups. In a country where different nations live, development and institutionalization of democracy is in contrast with power concentration in a centre, as in such political organizing governments power increasingly grows so that by applying its power and relying on one of those reasons, it turns its people to some peasants and bases and governs them easily. (Maghsudi, 2001: 250) If power is divided and the law has sovereignty in a society, people are allowed to use these potentials and control governments performances. As a result, different units in a federal country contribute to survival and development of democracy. Proponents of democracy in multi-national countries defend nations rights and federalism. It should be said that federalism can not spontaneously reinforce democracy, and even some kinds of federalism may develop inequalities among the nations and weaken their correlation. Trying to find a form of democracy which can set civil nationality and equal citizenship rights in a society, prevent national and ethnical prejudgments is one of the most important duties of proponents of democracy in different societies. In federal systems, people have more participation in their political fate, political and economical competitions revolve the society, and in turn, this contributes to developing democracy and institutionalizing it. In societies where different nations with different cultures are living, creating solidity and nationalization has taken a lot of time, has spoiled appropriate opportunities and the necessary correlation for public progress has encountered a lot of challenges. Therefore, by reserving nations identity we can pave the ways for cooperation; create voluntary unity to reach common objectives. Federal system with its special structure prepares necessary opportunities in this regard, as the civilians not only participate in their unit, but also play remarkable roles in the political activities of their society. Undertaking economical competitions along with exhibiting art works, sports and other activities of units lead to the development of different sectors; this process, then, results in more correlation among nations; it is why federal system is considered to be an effective tool in expanding and maintaining democracy. In single and centralized systems, however, the cooperation between nations and different ethnics takes place in accordance with class and group interests, but this cooperation is found to be fragile; because if these interests are damaged, this cooperation will break down. This situation is more common in those countries which have not yet formed civil society or their social institutes are not so effective. Anyhow, these two administrative systems are organized with respect to social situations, population and geographical structure and have their special features. We should remind that democracy and its institutes do not form just in federal systems, as some countries with single administrative systems have made some remarkable progresses in creating civil society and developing democratic institutes, European developed countries can be good examples in this regard. So, having federal systems does not assure providing democracy and respecting international charter of human rights, but democratic institutes should develop to allow people to have direct intervene in their political fate. Having federal or pen federal law does not guarantee providing social and individual freedoms, as federal system is different from uniparty systems, marital dictatorship, and totalitarian regimes. Federalism is based on this concept that its related units have their own policy makings while having direct intervene in policy makings of the central government. Thus, the structure of representation takes shape and power will be divided. (Khobroyepak, 1999: 202) the units reserve their features including: language, religion, culture, history, and economy then make effort to reinforce them and patrol their national interests. In the case of having different power centers, the possibilities of centralization and empowering of a centre or a certain group disappear. Also, the system of democracy observation is applied by the units to reserve them, as observing law articles guarantees their survival. In those countries where federal system is adopted successfully, power centers seek to create political and economical cooperation among units to enjoy their benefits. Most of the policy researchers believe that federalism is one of the best choices and methods for supplying rights of ethnical, religious, and national minorities. As the law guarantees these rights and plurality of power centers pave the ways for reserving social structure and explaining its differences. The units keep their cultural, social, and economical identity. Therefore, they would not suffer from identity crisis and this, in turn, contributes to correlation among nations. Some countries governed by single systems try to develop democratic rights and solve ethnical problems by establishing autonomy and considering geographical situations. It is while supplying just political rights can not provide social justice, but the backgrounds of economical justice should be arranged. Accepting plurality federal countries get more ready for social revolutions. Therefore, accepting and developing democracy in these countries has prior backgrounds and can institutionalize easily, as cultural and social differences are accepted by these countries, so trying to reserve plurality results in rapid growth of culture. Ultimately, the bed for development of democracy and social and economical progress will be available. Stable democracy in federal systems depends on the relationships between units and the relationships between the centre and its related units. Power division among units and units participation in federal decision makings indicate of democracy development across society and peoples participation in their political fate. There are some federal systems, in which the units dont have sufficient power or authority, and then they are unable to decide about their social, political, and even economical fate; in comparison to autonomous regions, these units enjoy fewer authorities. Therefore, political participation of units in the central government and peoples role in determining policies of units show the degree of maturity and development of democracy in these societies. Owning to the remarkable developments in computer technology in the recent decades, now different countries are closer to each other and have developed their regional cooperation. (Falsafi, 1998: 249) Due to plurality in power centers, federalism has shortened peoples distance from these centers and has allowed them to have more participation. In those countries that have democratic systems and there is a single political system managing society politically, people participate in their political fate freely and select their representatives in accordance with their interests, then send them to the parliament and observe the execution of policies. Constitutional laws of federal countries are more often democratic, liberal, and have some features that encourage people to participate in their fate. It seems that all those countries which have any kind of political systems seek to display their constitutional laws as democratic by adding some democratic articles to them. It is beyond doubt that having some democratic articles in law does not indicate of democracy and has no administrative guarantees. As people and public institutes dont have power of monitoring and in the case of repre ssing the regulations by the ruling government have no means to defend it. In federal systems observing law is possible through different power centers. As forming dictatorship and controlling all the centers of power is difficult and with regard to their special situations, suppressing all the units can not be easily possible. It is why reserving constitutional law and operating democracy in federal countries are easier. (Falsafi, 1998: 249) unfortunately, there are some social and economical discriminations owning to them all the social groups dont have equal opportunities and possibilities. So, federalism by having extensive possibilities for expanding democracy and freedom across the society can not apply democracy by itself; but social, economical, and political backgrounds should be provided for the society to take steps towards democracy and social justice. Enjoying extensive potentials for solving social problems and identity crisis, federalism can not solve all social problems and in action encounters some shortages. Constituent parts of federal government act in accordance with their economical and social interests, and then create the sufficient regulations for their social and cultural development. They try to reserve their identity and reinforce it. Among these units, there are some minor groups or ethnics deprived from their social rights, and as are in minority can not reserve their interests and in special situations are suppressed strongly. So, while has those extensive potentials, federalism is found to be unable to develop pervasive democracy for all groups and ethnics; as a result it keeps social contradictions and crisis inside itself. For instance, we can refer to the situation of Negroes in different states of America. They are unable to reserve their interests and rights. The policy of their complete rejection or accept ance is adopted. As a result, we observe sometimes some social crisis and violence in those states that are accompanied with polices harsh suppression. (Mawlaee, 2001: 124) Thus, it is the civilians who are responsible for reserving and observing their civil rights. Federalism as a political system with its structural plurality is able to fulfill the charter of human rights and can adopt it in its units. 6. Challenges of federalism: Tremendous economical and social differences among units of federal government and its reflection in lifestyle have led to different approaches to international issues, treaties, conventions, and agreements. Federal government signs the charter of human rights and other agreements and undertakes to fulfill them. But the units considering expectations of the central government as intervene in its interior affairs, refuses executing those agreements. Thus, executing the contents of these treaties that support human rights anywhere and in any situation encounter different problems. Above all, in countries like US, Canada, and Australia that are managed by federal systems, the local people suffer from different deprivations; these deprivations do extensive damages to the federal system and put their justice under question. As, the units while have enormous possibilities, can not supply their ethnics and smaller groups rights and in some cases succumb to suppressing them. Canada, for example, adopting federal system, has allowed the residents of Quebec to use French language and has provided them with all the necessary possibilities to develop their language; it is while that Canada does not allow other speakers to develop their cultures and languages. In spite of those great possibilities federalism has allocated for the freedom of different nations living in a geographical region, can not solve all social problems; thus, cooperation among units is inevitable if we want to strengthen life levels and freedom. When the Soviet Union scattered, in those countries once had been governed by federal systems, separation increased unprecedentedly. A wave of blind nationalism covered those societies. War and murder replaced peaceful coexistence. (Kolaee, 2002: 138) Proposing the right of separation and mentioning it in the law prevents accomplishing long-term projects in federal countries. Distrust in an unknown future leads to political crisis, thus its economical and social results will appear in interior policy makings and international relations. The danger of separation weakens countries political stability. (Bashyryeh, 1995: 300) This process directly affects domestic and foreign investments and determines policial and economical fate of the country. In search of their short-term interests, units avoid long-term cooperation with other units. As a result, administrative organizations of federal government will encounter problems in macro policy makings which consider al peoples interests in l ong-term. 7. Discussion and conclusion: While the development of technology using satellite and information networks pass the borders and do not confine themselves to national governments and geographical borders , insisting on nationalism- in its chauvinistic form-, lingual and ethnical excellence indicates of a historic straying and lack of knowledge. It is taken for granted that any activity in the direction of federalism and political and economical unions requires extensive and open insights in which moderateness and negligence replace ethnical and cultural differences, then the prosper

Realism in British Soap Opera Essay -- essays papers

Realism in British Soap Opera Using a media text as a key example, evaluate selected techniques of fictional production which contribute to a sense of realism consistent with genre or format used. Many have defined the term realism but these definitions by Watt and Williams can be easily applied to my choice of media text, which is the British soap opera. Fiske writes that Watt and Williams â€Å"†¦.tend to define it by its content. Watt traces its origins to the rise of the novel in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.† And Williams â€Å"†¦whose historical perspective covers the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, lists three main characteristics of realism in drama: he finds that it has a contemporary setting, that it concerns itself with secular action †¦ and that it is â€Å"socially extended†. ( Television Culture, John Fiske, Routledge, 1997, P.21 – 22) To expand on Williams’ three characteristics, the contemporary setting means that the drama should be set in the present day or at least modern times that the present audience are likely to have lived in. When the drama â€Å"concerns itself with secular action† this means that the events that take place within the drama are about people and described in human terms. The term â€Å"socially extended† means that the events in the drama revolve around the lives of ordinary people and not kings or social leaders. Williams definition can be seen to relate to the working class and their experience of subordination in industrial society. These are three of the generic characteristics found in the British soap opera. Coronation Street is one of Britain’s most successful soap operas where all of these characteristics can be seen clearly. The contemporary setting can be seen through the iconography used such as the modern cars, the clothes and issues that are discussed in the programme such as general elections. In soap opera this contemporary setting goes further than just modern day, they like to appear as if to be on the same day as the audience watching. This is achieved by covering the general elections as mentioned and characters making reference to the weekend in a Friday episode. The â€Å"Secular Action† in Coronation Street is clear as the narrative is character driven and the events are always seen from the characters point of view. â€Å"Secular Actionâ€Å" is particularly prevalent in Corona... ... record 29 million people watched an episode of Coronation Street in which Alan Bradley – who had been beating his wife Rita – was run over by a tram. After he had been â€Å"killed off† Mark Eden, who played Alan, was hit over the head with an umbrella in a shop. Viewers have also been known to send wreaths to television companies after characters have â€Å"died.†Ã¢â‚¬ ( Alex Duval Smith, Guardian, Education, Nov1 1994) In conclusion, the techniques used to contribute to sense of realism in the British soap opera include the three characteristics that Williams outlines. These are the use of a contemporary setting, the soap must concern itself with secular action and the soap should be socially extended. Other techniques that soap opera makers employ are the use of naturalism in the sets and characters, the time paralleling real time, the coverage of everyday issues as well as the big issues which actually happen very rarely but are very real. However the programme makers occasionally fail in their attempts to portray the real with the omission of gay characters and the closeness of all the residents of their particular area, which in real life is virtually non-existent.