Silent Film Meets the Talkies: A Brief History Essay example -- Film M

Silent Film Meets the Talkies: A Brief History A gambling man, Governor Leland Stanford of California needed visual proof to win a bet he had eagerly placed. Governor Stanford firmly believed that at some point in their stride, horses had all four hooves off the ground at the same time. After hiring a photographer who was to no avail, the Governor brought in John D. Isaacs, the chief engineer for the Southern Pacific Railroad, to have a look at the situation. Isaacs decided to rig up a system of magnetic releases to trigger a series of cameras, twelve total, as the horse ran down the track (Everson, 17). Mounting these images on a rotating disk and projecting them on a screen through a special lantern, they produced a moving picture of the horse at full gallop as it had occurred in real life (Encyclopedia Britannica, 1211). American cinema's next big break came with beginning of World War I. Until this period, the industry had been dominated by France, Italy, and Germany, particularly in the area of feature length presentations and the construction of permanent theaters. However, when the war broke out in Europe, film production abroad nearly ceased due to the overlap of chemicals used in film and the manufacturing of gunpowder (Encyclopedia Britannica, 1213). Simultaneously, American Cinema experienced a period on unprecedented prosperity and growth. By the end of the war, when the Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1919, 90 percent of all films screened in Europe, Africa, and Asia were American (Encyclopedia Britannica, 1213). Germany however, was the exception, because it had been cut off from America since 1914. When the Germans did finally reconnect with the world, the United States benefited greatly from their techn... ...me box office hits, regardless of the acting or recording quality. As talkies became more refined and commonplace, silent films started to dwindle. A backlash occurred and these pantomimed movies were labeled as the true art (Geduld, 253). Yet, nothing could be done to slow down the continual development of cinema as sound poured out of studios on a daily basis. In fact, this new cinematic style was so popular, the film industry turned out to be one of the few prosperous enterprises during the Depression (Geduld, 253). Works Cited Ellis, Jack C. A History of Film. eedham Heights, Mass: Allyn and Bacon, 1995. Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britanica Inc.; vol. 24, 15th ed. Chicago, IL: 1995. Everson, William K. American Silent Film. New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 1978. Geduld, Harry M. The Birth of the Talkies. London: Indiana Univ. Press, 1975.

Income Inequality and Its Affects on Healthcare Essay

Mastrianna (2010) speaks of income inequality as variations in earnings among individuals and households. He states that some income disparity is desirable for creating an incentive for individuals to invest in education and training and to take risks in employment and investment for greater rewards. Concerns are being voiced as to the income inequality in the United States due to the degree of inequality which is shown in the Lorenz Curve and Gini Index. (Pg. 189) Some of the causes of income inequality that have the greatest impact Mastrianna says are first, education. Education or lack thereof has a great effect on income inequality. In 2007, the median incomes of a high school dropout were $22,256, compared to $31.408 for a high school graduate and $51,324 for an individual with a bachelor’s degree. Over a work life an individual with a bachelors degree can earn at least one million dollars more than a high school drop out (based on 2007 dollars). Employment opportunities have also shifted toward medical, business, and other services that disproportionately employ college graduates. Rapid employment in restaurants and retailing explain the low wages of high school graduates. (Pgs. 189, 190) Second is technology, Mastrianna says that the use of computers in the workplace has increased and the estimate is that over 55 % of the labor force now uses computers on the job. These workers earn an average of 10-20 % more in wages than those who do not. Highly educated employees are also more likely to adjust to computers complexities than less educated employees. Consequently, income inequality is increased as the economy is becoming more technologically efficient. According to the AeA, the average technology worker earns $79,500 compared to $42,400 for all private sectors which will widen the income gap as more bright people head toward the information economy. (Pg 190) Thirdly Mastrianna mentions unions stating that the decline in the number of workers belonging to labor unions also contributes to income inequality. This decline in the organized workers is largely due to the loss in manufacturing jobs which leads to fewer jobs at a higher pay forcing many to work in lower paying service jobs which in turn adds to income disparity. (Pgs 190,191) Fourth, Mastrianna notes abilities. There are individuals that are gifted with talents such as the â€Å"smarts† to become doctors and lawyers, or have the physical abilities such as Tiger Woods to become a star athlete, or have artistic talents such as Angelina Jolie. These talents enable certain individuals to contribute substantially to total output but these high incomes have become a highly controversial issue during a time of income inequality. Especially when it comes to CEO’s collecting high salaries, bonuses, and stock options even when their companies fail while laying off thousands of workers. (191) Fifth Mastrianna points out wealth. Income from wealth is more unevenly distributed than income from labor he states. Wealth can be generated by its current owners as well as by previous generations through inheritance. The Bureau of the Census estimates that 84% of the nation’s wealth is held by 20% of households. The collapse of the housing bubble left many households with negative household equity or in bankruptcy. Updated figures may show that this phenomenon has served to further increase the uneven distribution of wealth. (Pgs 191, 192) Finally Mastrianna states that discrimination plays a part in income inequality among the races and sexes. The U.S. Census Bureau indicated in 2007 that the median income of all white, non-Hispanic households was $54,920, while for blacks it was $33,916, and for Hispanic households it was $38,679. Asian and Pacific Islanders had the highest household medians with $66,103. The U.S. Census Bureau also indicates that females who worked year-round made $35,102 annually, compared to men who made $43,113. More often than not labor market discrimination is based on channeling groups of people into occupations for which they are considered suitable. Women and minorities are channeled into occupations that are reserved for them. Such crowding increases the supply of labor in these fields, driving wages down. At the same time, wages are higher in the restricted fields because labor is reduced. (Pgs 192 – 194) The condition of poverty is one extreme of income inequality and the remainder of this paper will compare another extreme; the healthcare and the mortality rates of people due to their income inequality. According to doctor’s Alex Y. Chena and Jose J. Escare numerous studies have found that high-income Americans use more medical care than their low-income counterparts, irrespective of medical â€Å"need.† The methods employed in these studies, however, make it difficult to evaluate differences in the degree of income-related inequality in utilization across population subgroups. In this study, the doctors derived a summary index to quantify income-related inequality in need-adjusted medical care expenditures and reported values of the index for adults and children in the United States. They used the summary index of income-related inequality in expenditures developed by Wagstaff et al. The source of data for the study was the Household Component of the 1996-1998 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, which contained person-level data on medical care expenditures, demographic characteristics, household income, and a wide array of health status measures. They used multivariate regression analysis to predict need-adjusted annual medical care expenditures per person by income level and used the predictions to calculate the indices of inequality. Separate indices were calculated for all working-age adults, seniors, and children ages 5 to 17. For all age groups, predicted expenditures per person, adjusted for medical need, generally increased as income rose. The index of inequality for all adults was +0.087 (95% confidence interval, +0.035, +0.139); for working-age adults, +0.099 (+0.046, +0.152); for seniors, +0.147 (+0.059, +0.235); and for children, +0.067 (+0.006, +0.128). Through their study they found that there exists income-related inequality in medical care expenditures in the United States, and it favors the wealthy. The inequality was highest among seniors despite Medicare, intermediate among working-age adults, and lowest among children. Sarah Glenn author of another article â€Å"Income Inequality Linked to Hospital Readmission† states that income inequality is linked to a greater risk of hospital readmission but not to mortality. The finding that she speaks of came from a large study of older patients in the U.S. and was published in the British Medical Journal. Investigators said that over a three year research period that about 40,000 extra hospital admissions resulted from income inequality. Although the experts are not positive why there was no consistent association between income inequality and mortality, they suggested that, over one month, â€Å"readmission is more sensitive to social conditions than is mortality, and that an effect on mortality might have been observed had they extended the period of observation to one year.† The article also states that scientists have known that income inequality is linked to a diversity of negative health consequences such as: reduced life expectancy, higher infant mortality and poorer self-reported health. Previous research also in BMJ, demonstrated that there is also an association between low standards of child well-being and income inequality. In an article written by doctor’s Diane McLaughlin and Shannon Stokes they speak about whether or not minority racial concentration matters when it comes to income inequality and mortality. The study that they did examined the relationship in all counties in the United States to see if relationships found for states and metropolitan areas extended to smaller geographical areas and if the influence of minority racial concentration did affect the inequality-mortality link. The results of their study proved that the relationship between income inequality and minority concentration show that mortality is robust for counties in the United States. Minority concentration interacts with income inequality, resulting in higher mortality in counties with low inequality and a high percentage of Blacks than in counties with high inequality and a high percentage of Blacks. The research that has been done on income inequality on mortality offers 2 main pathways in which income inequality operates. First, Daly et al. 7 and Lynch et al. 5 posit that political units with highly unequal income distributions are less likely to have affordable housing, education, environmental protection, economic development, and other resources required for the health of their populations. This underinvestment has negative consequences for the health of poor and middle-class individuals. Second, as Daly et al. note â€Å"inequitable income distribution may directly affect people’s perceptions of their social environment which may in turn have an impact on their health.† 7(p319) This postulated psychosocial pathway linking health and mortality stems from conditions in highly equitable communities that result in lower social cohesion, inequities in social and political influence, and less willingness to participate in community activities. Further, Wilkinson argues that the impacts of inequality result less from the experience of inferior material conditions than from social meanings that individuals give to their circumstances and from the effects of stress on both the endocrine and immune systems. While the exact pathways through which income inequality influences mortality are still being defined, there is strong agreement that the determinants of health and mortality include factors beyond the level of the individual. In conclusion, it seems that Mastrianna is correct in his theory; a lack of education, not having special abilities or not being wealthy as well as being discriminated against does factor in on a person’s income inequality. Not only do these factors affect income inequality but they also affect a person’s healthcare and in the case of high concentrations of blacks also affect the person’s psychological and social views which can contribute to their mortality. I was somewhat surprised as well to find in the study by Daly et al. that social relationships influence the health outcomes of adults as well as those social relationships should be taken as seriously as other risk factors that affect mortality. Myself having to deal with treatment for breast cancer can see how social relationships are very important as I am somewhat isolated and it makes me feel good to have social relationships through my online friends as well as with my healthcare professionals and social worker to better be able to cope in my situation as my family has not been there for me like I had hoped that they would be. Without that support from others I could become very depressed which could in turn affect my healthcare outcome. BIBLIOGRAPHY Qualifying Income-Related Inequality in Healthcare Delivery in the United States Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams and Wilkins Retrieved on February 17, 2003 from http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/4640689? Glynn, Sarah. (February 15, 2003) Income Inequality Linked to Hospital Readmission Medical News Today Retrieved on February 17, 2013 from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/256412.php Mastrianna, Frank V. (2010) Basic Economics. Mason. OH: South-Western, Cengage Learning. Pp. 189 – 200 McLaughlin, Diane K. PhD and Stokes, Shannon C. PhD (January 2002) Income Inequality and Mortality in US Counties: Does Minority Racial Concentration Matter? Retrieved on February 17, 2013 from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1447397/

Extra Tax on Fast Food Essay

Nowadays people always are overweight or obese. A big reason of this is unhealthy food like a Big Mac, Hamburger etc. Too much of any of those can cause serious health problems which a lot of people of the world today suffer from. The real problem is why are people making these choices? It’s simple, unhealthy food is cheaper than healthy food in many cases. Is it a good idea to introduce a fast food tax, or do unhealthy food observe to remain cheap and free of extra tax? To start things off, I will refer to this unhealthy food as â€Å"fast food†. One problem with fast foods is that they are low in satiation value. That is, people don’t tend to feel as full when they eat them, which can lead to overeating. Another problem is that unhealthy food tends to replace other, more nutritious foods. When people are snacking on chips and cookies, they are usually not loading up on fruits and vegetables. Already you can tell this is quite a problem, but it can be reduced to some degree if we raise the taxes on fast food. If the taxes are increased then people will be opted to buy healthier foods such as vegetables or other nutrient rich foods without added sugar or sodium. They will no longer be more expensive than the cheap, unhealthy, fast food. This in essence, will reduce the amount of unhealthy food that people will ingest. Another point is that the extra tax on fast food will saves lives. Heart disease is the second most common cause of death. Many lives could easily be saved. As well as saving lives, reducing obesity will also improve the quality of life. The argument against a extra tax on fast food is that those on low incomes are more likely to consume unhealthy foods, therefore this tax will increase inequality. However, if a tax on fast food saves lives, we should not avoid implementing it just because it is the poor who will mostly benefit. If we are really concerned about the impact on equality, the revenue from a fat tax can be targeted to the benefit of the poor. A increase in inequality need not occur from a fast food tax. Who is the government to tell people what to eat? If we want to eat salty and fatty foods then let us eat this. The whole point is people are still free to consume as much salty and fatty foods as they like. All in all it can be said that it is an unfair tax because fast food is bad for people who suffer obesity, shouldn’t mean that everyone who enjoys the quick, cheap service fast food offers. People who are in a hurry or people short on cash may find fast food an ideal service, but if it is taxed due to obesity, then it will also affect people who aren’t obese.

The great Depression and the World Wars essays

The great Depression and the World Wars essays A Look at the Great Depression of 1936 After reading through the article, I gained very good information of what really happened during the era of 1930s in USA. Whereas I think the main cause for the Great depression was the huge stock market crash that occurred in October 1929 other than the Dust Bowl. The great Depression affected almost every nation. It caused a sharp decrease in world trade because each country tried to help its own industries by raising tariffs on imported goods. Everyone blamed the President Herbert Hoover at that time and people were very upset about his decisions involving the economy. They dealt with anger and elected President Franklin D. Roosevelt. He was the one who helped get the economy back in shape by creating a program called the New Deal. I think the Great Depression is one of the most misunderstood events in American history. It is routinely cited, as proof that unregulated capitalism is not the best in the world, and other interventions can save capitalism from itself. Among the man y myths surrounding the Great Depression are that Hoover was a laissez faire president and that FDR brought us out of the depression. What caused the Great Depression? To get a handle on that, its necessary to look at previous depressions and compare. The Great Depression was by no means the first depression this country ever had, but it was clearly the worst. What made it different that the rest? At the time of the Great Depression, government intervention in the economy was higher than it had ever been and a special government agency had been set up specifically to prevent depressions and their associated problems, such as bank panics. One agency was the Federal Reserve Board and it was to have been the loaner of last resorts for banks in order to prevent collapses as it happened before. I think the most dynamic fiasco, ever recorded which affected life in eve...

League of Nations failure essays

League of Nations failure essays Why did the League of Nations failed in the 1930s? The break down of the League did not happen overnight but rather progressively. An important reason for this could be because America was not able to loan huge amounts of money the Depression that followed on after the Wall Street Crash in 1929. Without the badly needed money, the Dawes Plan could not be put into effect any longer. Therefore, economically, Europe was spiralling down into deeper depression. America was also a powerful country, if they had became a member, the League would have stood a chance of enforcing economic sanctions on Japan in the Manchuria incident, and Italy in the Abyssinia incident. It is true that other members like France and Britain could have enforced it themselves, but the consequences are that trade would be disrupted and lead to a dropout of international relations. For example, when the issue of activating sanctions on Italy was discussed, France was not willing to co-operate because France saw Italy as a valuable ally that would protect France f rom Germany. However, one can argue that even if France had agreed, these sanctions were more than possible to be broken soon. In fact, to make it worse, the outcomes of the Manchuria and Abyssinia crises caused the League to lose Japan and Italy as important and powerful members. France and Britain were meant to provide firm support in times of crisis like these, but they were both too preoccupied by the self interests of their own nations to tackle the League problems. Their country came first instead. The League did not have an army for them to stop the Italians from invading Abyssinia. Again, Britain and France were meant to help provide the majority of these troops but they were reluctant to. This is due to the fact that at this time, both countries could not risk sacrificing military reinforcements. To them, it was not practical to send their own troops all over the world, leaving their own bord...

A Tale Of Two Cities Essays - English-language Films, Literature

A Tale of Two Cities Throughout the book, A Tale of Two Cities the theme of sacrifice is used to help the reader realize the cost of life, as well as to develop the plot through the effects of those sacrifices. Through the characters of Sydney Carton, Dr. Manette, and Ms. Pross the theme of sacrifice is developed. The theme of sacrifice brings key aspects of the plot together, and Carton's sacrifice brings the novel to closer in the end. Sydney Carton paid the highest cost of sacrifice with his life, and in doing so he was very similar to Jesus Christ. Carton laid down his life for a man who had never done anything for him and who in fact had abused his relationship as demonstrated on page 191 when Carton describes himself in Darnay's view as "a dissolute dog who has never done any good, and never will." Similarly Jesus Christ let himself be beaten, abused, and killed for the same people who spit in his face. Other people in both cases thought that Jesus and Carton were not thought to be much more that dogs, while they both sacrificed their lives so these people who treated them like dogs could live. Both Carton's and Jesus' sacrifice was inspired by a deep desperate love for which they were willing to do anything. Carton was willing to die for Lucie because of his desperate, scandalous love for her, just as Jesus showed his love for man when he was willing to give up his life for every man. This level of love makes the sacrifice even more valuable and brings things to closure. Finally, Carton and Jesus both knew that through their sacrifice, others could have life. Carton's death breathed life into Darnay just as Jesus Christ's death breathes life into those who trust in him. The importance of their death is that it brings life. The role of Carton's sacrifice in the plot is that the cost of life is sometimes high. Through his sacrifice the cost and privilege of living can be measured, just as Christians can see the true cost and privilege of life through Jesus Christ's sacrifice. Dr. Manette also sacrificed much of his life by giving up his own personal goals and agenda for Lucie. On page 125 Dr. Manette says, "any fancies, any reasons, and apprehensions, anything whatsoever, new or old against the man she really loved?they shall all be obliterated for her sake." Dr. Manette was willing to relinquish his own personal feelings or perhaps "rights" so that Lucie may be happy. He set aside, "anything whatsoever" in order for Lucie to marry the man she loves. Dr. Manette did anything he could to save Darnay from death, even to the point where Madame Defarge mocked him saying, "Save him now, my Doctor save him!" Dr. Manette had always been suspicious about Darnay, but he put aside his doubts in to Make Lucie happy. Deep down he knew that Darnay was an Evermond?, but he sacrificed his own feelings for Lucie's feelings. Thirdly, Dr. Manette gave up all of his desires, hopes, thoughts of revenge for Lucie, as demonstrated when he says, "She is everything to me; more t o me than suffering, more to me than wrong, more to me?." Dr. Manette had years of anger and revenge stored up him from when he was imprisoned, yet he forgot about all of it and only tried to make Lucie happy and make up for the many years he had lost. Dr. Manette's pain was so great that he often reverts to the insanity that was caused from his imprisonment, while he still does everything he can even though his pain is so great that he can not physically control it. Manette laid down his life so that Lucie could fully live. Ms. Pross sacrificed her life day by day for Lucie to have a better life. Ms. Pross simply devoted her life to Lucie, and her well being which is shown when Mr. Lorry describes Ms. Pross's devotion, "there is nothing better in the world than the faithful service of the heart; so rendered and so free from any mercenary taint" (87). Ms. Pross was sacrificed things

Dehav Travel report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Dehav Travel report - Essay Example The paper also discusses the issue related to the graduate management development program. There are other issues related to the management of the organization that has been discussed in the paper, that also involves organizational culture and ethics management within the organization (CIPD, 2013). There are employee turnovers within Dehav Travel starting from the junior to senior managers and the factors that leads to employee turnover. The researcher through this paper aims to carry out a detailed analysis on the leadership management strategy followed by the organizations and the challenges that the company faces. The research also offers the researcher the scope to understand the effectiveness of the factors responsible for the leadership management in Dehav Travel. Leadership deals with the ability of the managers to enhance the performance of the employees by motivating them and providing them with the training that is needed. There are various styles of the leadership followed within the organization and it depends on the personality of the individuals who wishes to be team leaders (Zur Muehlen, 2004; Fullan, 2002). Research says that the leader should adapt themselves to the new trends in order to make the team members perform well in order to make them compete with the rivals in the organization (Gaba, 2000). However, there are differences among the leadership and management process followed by the organization. The management process within Dehav Travel involves planning and accounting techniques and finally, establishing the detailed steps for achieving the goals of the organization. This also involves allocating the resources necessary to implement the project successfully (Guthrie, 2001). The leadership process involves a vision set by the managers for the organization and the strategies undertaken by the managers to achieve the vision. The next step under the management