A Broken Taboo

Several weeks ago the news about tragic death of a famous talented Hollywood actor of Australian origin Heath Ledger shook the world up. The 28-year-old actor is widely known for many roles, including his work in a controversial movie Brokeback Mountain, directed by a Far Eastern filmmaker Ang Lee.This movie became a milestone motion picture in the whole history of Hollywood, which sparked a lot of criticism and public debates. For the first time in cinema art male homosexual relationships were shown with a great frankness and openness, and there are certain concerns that breaking this taboo can have some far-reaching negative ethical consequences in the nearest future.The plot of the movie is based on complex and unorthodox love affair between two young cowboys, who were hired by a Wyoming ranch owner as herds, so they had to spend several months in isolation on the Mountain of Brokeback. Within this time a special bond was developed between the two men, which eventually evolved int o a deep emotional and physical relationship.After finishing their job, the cowboys separated and started living their lives, had families, but the unique feelings they shared on the Brokeback Mountain were left as scars on their hearts to be carried on to the rest of their lives.Certainly, it was not the first motion picture featuring male homosexuality. Such movie stars as Antonio Banderas, Jason Alexander or Tom Hanks have portrayed homosexual characters before. But it is hardly possible to disagree that Brokeback Mountain demonstrated more frank and intimate sides of gay relationships which have been never shown on cinema screens to general public before. In my opinion, the movie with its several scenes involving affectionate embraces, a kiss, and so on, had too close focus on physical aspects of gay relationships, which were always skipped in modern media, especially in cinema art.That is why public reaction on Brokeback Mountain was absolutely contradictive. While many liberal critics and art specialists in America and Europe were pleased with the depth of the plot, good acting, music and high-quality production, many social activists from Christian fundamentalist or Family-oriented social groups expressed their concern about possible negative effects (especially on teenagers and youth) of publicizing male homosexual relations.Moreover, since homosexuality is a terrible irremissible crime in Islam, in more conservative and religious countries of the Middle and Far East, including the director’s homeland Taiwan, the film was banned or censored.Undoubtedly, Brokeback Mountain was not a cheap â€Å"B† movie. Many were fascinated with convictive acting of young Hollywood performers, and numerous awards received by the cast are the best recognition of this work. Besides, the movie teaches being tolerant and respectful to the feelings of other people.Nevertheless, with its too forthright covering of homosexual relationships, this motion picture c an become the first step on the way to more frequent and freer employment of gay themes in modern cinema, as well as to more open popularization of the idea of male homosexual love. Certainly, it will affect our moral principles and aesthetic sensibility to a great extent.Brokeback Mountain is a multifaceted, unusual and quite difficult movie which evokes strong emotions and makes the viewers empathize. But the question remaining after viewing this screen version of a tragic story about gay cowboys is: whether our society is really ready to enjoy watching such relationship or not?Will the majority of us find beauty in male homosexual intimacy? In my opinion, the answer is not clear enough, because certain moral stereotypes and traditional values are still very strong in our modern society, even in such open-minded country as the U.S.Works Cited:Harris, Paul. â€Å"Hollywood to Break Last Taboo with Gay Cowboys.† The Guardian. Guardian Unlimited. 18 Jan. 2004. 11 Feb. 2008 .

Murmuring Judges

Re-read Act 2 Scene 3. How does Hare present tensions between characteristics in this scene and the play as a whole? In ‘Murmuring Judges’, Hare demonstrates many different tensions between the various characters and systems within the play. In Act 2 Scene 3, we witness the events taking place inside the police station. We see their day to day actions, mainly filling out paper work. However also included is an intimate conversation between Barry and Sandra, exposing Barry’s corrupt actions against Gerard and the other criminals.Throughout the scene, and indeed the rest of the play, Hare presents tensions in different ways, whether it be through the language use of the characters, the structure of their sentences or even the stage directions. Perhaps the most prominent tension that Hare has presented in this scene is in the relationship between Barry and Sandra. The pair find themselves alone within the police station and immediately the audience understands that t hey are romantically involved, but are keeping it a secret. â€Å"I do get tired of the secrecy. It makes the whole thing seem silly.Assignations. Times and places. † It’s already been made clear that their relationship is strained, with Barry describing it as if it was work. However, it’s through the language of Sandra that the tensions between the two are made obvious to the audience. â€Å"Don’t you rather like that? †, â€Å"Hasn’t it? †, â€Å"is that what you mean? †. Sandra’s frequent questioning suggests annoyance with what Barry’s saying, unable to understand or accept his speech. Hare also uses sentence structure to express the tensions between the pair. ‘How are you? Fine. I haven’t seen you. No. Hare has used very short sentences to further demonstrate that the relationship is strained, with an awkwardness and hesitation in their communication. To add even more to this effect, Hare uses th e stage directions to show just how tense it is. ‘(She waits)’, ‘(He waits a moment)’, ‘(There’s a pause)’. Hare uses pauses and moments of silence to create an atmosphere where even the audience feel uncomfortable. However it’s not just awkwardness that Hare uses the stage directions to demonstrate, he also presents anger. ‘(He is suddenly firm, as if his patience were worn down’.This shows that Barry is obviously very annoyed with Sandra or perhaps himself, creating a very tense atmosphere. Since this scene includes of the policemen and women, Hare presents other tensions separate to Barry and Sandra’s relationship. For example, Hare develops on the audience’s understanding that there is tension between the police force and how their profession works; a message Hare has put forwards in several of the previous scenes. This is demonstrated immediately with Jimmy’s opening speech. â€Å"An officer on the beat witnesses, actually witnesses, one crime every ten years†.Jimmy is expressing his annoyance with the fact that the police are unable to catch criminals, since they’re stuck doing paper work most of the time. Hare also presented this issue through Barry’s speech in Act 1 Scene 5. â€Å"If you never made any arrests, you’d all be out on the streets all the time, and London would be so much better policed†. This shows that they are obviously unhappy with how they must perform their duties, showing the tension between the police and their own profession. This relates to the context of the play and the fact that at that time, the police force were failing to act upon the vast majority of crimes.Hare also uses Jimmy’s speech to present the tensions between the police and the judiciary, a point which Hare demonstrates throughout the play. â€Å"There’s maybe thirty-five cases. Most of them you haven’t got a chance†. Jimmy is angered that the judiciary aren’t able to prosecute all these criminals with lots of evidence against them. Barry uses this argument to justify his corrupt actions against the Gerard and the other men, knowing he needed some hard evidence. â€Å"You’re allowed a way of doing things which is actually your own†. Hare shows this tension between the two systems on the side of the judiciary in Act 2 Scene 2 with Sir Peter. Just imagine the scale of your problem if the police began to have some significant success†. Hare has presented that both the judiciary and the police feel that the other side are the ones responsible for letting criminals go free. Hare also presents tension within the judiciary with the characters of Sir Peter and Cuddeford. In Act 1 Scene 2, Hare shows an obvious rivalry between the two as they discuss Sir Peter’s radio appearance. Once again Hare uses short sentences to suggest annoyance and bitterness. â€Å"No†, â€Å"Indeed†, â€Å"I see†. Cuddeford is obviously uninterested or jealous so he uses brief responses to try to limit Sir Peter’s boasting. If ‘fallible’ is how you wished to appear†¦it’s none if my business†. Cuddeford’s language is also used to present the competiveness and tension between them. Hare has used a variety of techniques to show many different forms of tension in Act 2 Scene 3 and the play as whole. The character’s language is perhaps the most obvious clue when spotting anger or annoyance, but it’s through stage directions and sentence structure that Hare fully demonstrates tension; whether it be of a romantic nature with Barry and Sandra, an ignorance with the police and the judiciary, or the rivalry between Cuddeford and Sir Peter.

Week 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Week 3 - Essay Example Weekly meetings are ideal because they allow the stakeholders to internalize the elements and implement them (Stetler,  Ritchie,  Rycroft-Malone,  Schultz, & Charns,  2007). Evaluation tools have been extensively used in projects and their use is increasing with time. The rationale for an evaluation tool for any evidence-based change project is that evaluation tools provide advantages to the project by capturing how well the project performs or aligns with the objectives set and the goals that it must fulfill. Therefore, an evaluation tool must have enough detail to measure all the deliverables and give appropriate feedback to the project participants. An evaluation tool in an evidence based project enables decision makers to make proper choices and decisions for the project based on the available evidence provided by the tool. Evaluation tools show if changes are needed in the project, what kind of changes, the time to implement those changes and the reasons why the changes are required (Patkar, Hurt,  Steele,  Love,  Purushotham, Williams, & Fox,  2006). Adolescent depression has become rampant among teenagers in the present world because of the pressures that they face each day. There are several reasons for adolescent pregnancy including poor grades, feeling of worthlessness, family life, environmental stress, social status among peers and sexual orientation. Generally, when things that an adolescent enjoys or likes do not help him or her to improve or get a sense of belonging, it is bound to create problems. There are several symptoms of adolescent depression that include apathy, headaches, withdrawal, lack of attention, loss of appetite, sadness, drug abuse, anxiety and memory loss among others. The primary intervention is to ensure that adolescent depression does not occur. This can be done by engaging adolescents in

Salam International Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Salam International - Essay Example From the excel output, the correlation matrix provides that while the correlation coefficient (R2) is 0.109, the adjusted correlation coefficient is -0.010 and that of the independent P/E and P/B ratios is -0.0102. The result of the correlation coefficient implies that 10.9% of the total variation is explained by the independent variables P/E and P/B while the remaining 89.1% represents the unexplained variation by the regression model. Consequently, the result of the adjusted R2 implies that the model implies that the model presents the best estimate of the degree of the relationship for our variables in the population under study. Consequently, the output presents the standard error as 0.0255 which implies that approximately 95% of the observations should fall within plus/minus 5% of the of the line fitted by the model which presents a close match for the prediction interval. Lastly, the intercept of 0.067 implies that given a P/B ratio of 0, then we can predict ROE as 0.067. The correlation matrix from the correlation analysis postulate that the correlation of P/B ratio and ROE is -0.324 which indicates that the correlation is weak and negative hence a change in one variable results to a change in the opposite direction of the other variables. Consequently, the correlation between P/E ratio and ROE is -0.226 which implies a weak negative correlation which indicates that a change in one variable to a large extent does not determine the direction of change of the other variable. The correlation of the P/E and P/B ratios is 0.528 which implies a strong positive correlation the change in one variable, either P/E or P/B ratio results to an equal change of the other variable to the same direction hence an increase in P/E results to an increase in P/B and a decrease in P/E results to a decrease in P/B and the inverse is also true. T-statistics seeks to

None Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 27

None - Essay Example Specializing in a single field is thus very important. This will enable someone to become skilled and therefore will find ways to attract the majority of customers. Having a variety of product may make the buyer feel that they are of less quality compared to that one person with a specific product. Therefore, it is important for an individual to focus on one product (Wiid, 96). Specializing in a specific product is very important. This is because people that are familiar with your kind of work will always think of you when they find someone a specific type of service since they know that you so good at. This position is identifiable within a subculture where the people involved are so passionate about a specific act, an example is Dave Company. This is not just but a regular bar and a restaurant, but rather it is also a place with video game meant for the adults (Hague, 89). They have found a position where adults comfortable do take beer, play games without having to deal with cases of people running around with quarters or screaming children’s that they are competing with. It is important to identify a suitable geographical place to place a business. Later one is to identify what the people within the location really want. This will help one package their product and services so that they benefit the people. This will enable the business to receive the maximum profit within a short span of time. Creating effective communication among the buyers and the sellers is also important. This will help provide more insight to what the majority of people expect. One will also identify the major gaps within the business and sell them (Wiid, 100). Identifying the problems people within a geographical location do face is also important. This helps identify products that are most needed in the geographical area. Through consideration of such factors, one will be able to identify a suitable market. Brainstorming on how the problems

Integrated Marketing Communications Plan for Virgin Atlantic Essay

Integrated Marketing Communications Plan for Virgin Atlantic - Essay Example The type of customers Virgin Atlantic Airways caters to vary across different status, genders and age. Most of its travelers are business and leisure travelers. Children above 5 years old are allowed to travel on the airline. For those kids who are younger than 5 years, should be accompanied by their guardians or parents. The company also has the policy of accepting trained pets on their flights provided that they are there to carter after a disabled person, for instance a blind person. The airlines are home to passengers who could include friend circles, family troupes and business travelers. Virgin Atlantic Airways attaches a great deal of importance to technology. Technology re-vitalizes and also builds up the expectations of the passengers. Once you are in the air-line business you just cannot undermine the importance of technology in running the air-craft. Virgin Atlantic understands how important it is for its technology to be up-to date and how cortically dangerous it can be i f the fleet is run without a check on latest technology. They have their own set of air-craft engineers who continue to work and improve the airlines at the technical level. Similarly, the airline has also incorporated and put technology to efficient use to entertain passengers during their flight. Technology has been used to come up with more innovative and novel ways for keeping the passengers busy and entertained during the flight. These included various incentives such as video entertainment, Sony watchman, ensuring that there is an individual video screen for every seat. The company’s entertainment was offering at least 20 audio channels and 16 video channels to its passengers. These ideas were implemented as a part of company’s plan to ensure that its passengers feel that they are being returned the right value for the money that they invest in Virgin Atlantic’s airways ticket. Political-Legal: The Heathrow Airport was opened to Virgin in the year 1991 by the UK government. This was when it removed the London Air Traffic Distribution Rules owing to pressure from within the industry. The London Air Traffic Distributions had taken form and effect in the year 1978. They had been implemented to ensure that the traffic between UK’s two main airports Heathrow and Gatwick was fairly distributed so that even Gatwick can make profit. Under the rules, it was stipulated that those airlines which did have an international scheduled service before 1st April 1977 would not be allowed to conduct their operations from Heathrow but would have to use Gatwick. On the international front, the rising trend in travel has been keenly observed by many. As developing countries continue to grow, their citizens have become more and more open to travel. A major trigger in encouraging air travel has been the industry’s privatization and de-regulation. Before the 1980s, most of the airlines especially in countries like US were state-owned.

Subject Knowledge Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Subject Knowledge - Essay Example me that because the cover letter not only lends a more professional touch to the resume, but also makes it more convenient for the employer to imagine the skills and capability of thee candidate for the job. The third change I made was removing the objective. It made little sense to put the statement of objective when the objective is otherwise quite obvious to every employer who gets his/her hands at my resume. The fourth change I made was removing the list of subjects I had studied in my graduation. Unnecessary details don’t impress the employers. They set the impression that the candidate did not have much to discuss in the resume so he/she has discussed the unnecessary. The fifth change I made was reorganizing the content. I changed the achievements to the reverse chronological order to show the latest achievements at the top and the oldest at the bottom. This was done with the intention to facilitate the employers in knowing my latest