Across the Universe †All you need is love Essay

â€Å"Across the Universe† is a musical film based on 34 compositions by the legendary rock’n’roll quartet – the Beatles. The movie is called after the same name song of the band, â€Å"Across the Universe†, which was released in 1969 and later as one of tracks of a charity album â€Å"No One is Going to Change Our World† at the label â€Å"Apple†. The plot has nothing to do with the Beatles’ members life. However the pictured in the movie events represent many characteristics of their era being set in the 60’s and revolve around the songs which match up a lot of great scenes. All main characters bear the names derived from its original lyrics: dwarfed in life Lucy (â€Å"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds†), ambitious Jude (â€Å"Hey Jude†), an amateur singer Sadie (â€Å"Sexy Sadie†), a good-for-nothing Max (â€Å"Maxwell’s Silver Hammer†), Prudence (â€Å"Dear Prudence†) etc. The first 45 minutes is hyper and let us meet the characters. It doesn’t really rely on plot, like most musicals, it relies more on character development. Jude moves to the USA in purpose to find his father. On arrival he accidentally meets Max who becomes his friend in a short time. Together the boys go to New York where they are joined by Max’s sister Lucy (she has just lost her boyfriend killed on the battlefield). They quickly find out that the dream of living independently and enjoying their lives as an adults has its own difficulties. The second act is different: Vietnam War, psychedelic trips caused by taking LSD, free love flavoured with rock’n’roll – that is the very scenery of the romantic and at the same time tragic storyline. In the third act we actually get to see the characters solve their problems, it deals a lot more with our feelings towards music and war. Across the Universe† is actually much different from most musicals. Where most musicals rely on either joy, emotion, or war, it relies on all three. There are some moments where you actually feel like you want to get up and dance. The music here is absolutely amazing. No seriously. It’s amazing. The cast members (and read how I say cast members and not vocalists) sang all of these songs and did such a great job that if I even had a choice, I would actually had to say that some of their versions of songs were better than the actual Beatles. Speaking about the strongest moments I would distinguish one perfect example of telling a story through the song that has profound significance to me and too intense for words – the scene where Jude paints a tore and nailed to the canvas bleeding strawberry during â€Å"Strawberry Fields Forever† being sang. The berry as a symbol of love, streams of blood as a symbol of war and death, flashing faces of the characters in the background and paint-made blood all over the screen – it’s all in red, the color of lust and destruction. While watching the movie I felt different emotions: laughter, happiness, excitement but also sadness, fear and anger. What I’ve got from â€Å"Across the Universe† is more than a film, it is an experience in itself. It could be any kind of experience — a fun and very different experience, or a deeply emotional and sensual experience. For me, it was more of the second. When â€Å"Hey Jude† played near end of the movie I had run out of tears. It felt like I knew all the characters forever but when the two hours and ten minutes were over I was dying to see more. I am actually planning on seeing this again and again.

Compare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Compare - Essay Example This paper will compare and contrast the art of the Renaissance as against the art of the 20th century. I will do so by choosing two artists, one from each era and comparing and contrasting their styles on the basis of the ideas, methods, materials and media they employed. Further I will discuss at least three works of each artist to prove my point. For the purpose of this assignment I have chosen to compare and contrast the works of Michelangelo in the Renaissance Era to that of Salvador Dali in the 20th century. Both of these artists were incredibly talented and hardworking, worked on a variety of mediums and in a sense became the iconic artists of their eras. While surrealism dealt with imagery, this is no less important in the spiritual paintings of the Renaissance. The Art of the Renaissance The Renaissance can be characterized as a time during the fifteenth century in Europe when there was a rebirth or reawakening of the human mind and spirit in almost every way. Every discipli ne of importance was affected, including art. The Early Renaissance started in Italy round about the year 1400. It can be said that the Renaissance took Europe from the medieval times to the modern ages. All art forms like sculpture, paintings and even decorative art of this period bear some similar and distinctive characteristics that indicate the change in thinking as well as the creation of new artistic sensibilities. Among the prominent artists of the Renaissance are Titian, Raphael, Michelangelo, Bellini, Leonardo da Vinci and Sandro Boticelli. The opening work of this era is characterized by the bronze doors of the Baptistry of the Florentine cathedral designed by Lorenzo Ghiberti. Its culmination may be seen in the work on the Sistine Chapel done by Perugino, Ghirlandaio, Boticelli and Rosselli through their frescoes depicting the Life of Christ and the life of Moses. The Art of the 20th Century Twentieth century art had its beginnings in the movement towards modernism from t he late 19th century. It is also called Modern Art. Its beginnings lie in Art Nouveau and Post Impressionism. The art of the 20th century espoused many forms and used a variety of mediums. It was characterized at various times by Cubism, Fauvism, Dadaism and Futurism. Prominent among the artists of the 20th century are Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock and Damien Hirst. Each of these artists has used a different medium and some a variety of mediums to express their feelings and ideas. Ideas, Methods, Materials and Media Michelangelo was a versatile artist and a great painter and sculptor. He is said to have been a keen observer of the human body and even studied corpses for anatomical details. The results are clearly evident in his sculptures of the Pieta and David, classical masterpieces completed before he was thirty years old. Michelangelo studied painting under Domenico Ghirlandaio and sculpture under Bertoldo di Giovanni and emerged as one of their best pupils before embarking on his own career as an artist. He fashioned works of art out of wood, marble and stone, besides painting numerous frescoes. His work on the Sistine Chapel which took four years to complete (1508-12) and Pope Julius’s Tomb which due to various interruptions was completed in forty years remain outstanding as some of the hallmarks of Renaissance work (Hibbard, 48). Salvador Dali who was

Marketing Mix Analysis of Valentino Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Marketing Mix Analysis of Valentino - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that the current condition of the global economy is highly unstable and is being driven by uncertainty. Studies suggest that a large number of firms in every sector are struggling hard for survival and holding market positions. In such a time, it is gathered that demand and interest in luxury products and services among consumers have increased exponentially. The trend is not limited to a particular sector but can be witnessed across various sectors including the fashion industry. Valentino Garavani, also known as Valentino, launched his first product line in 1959 and since then, the company has made relentless efforts to become a prominent name in the fashion industry. Presently, Valentino is considered as one of Italy’s finest exporters of luxury fashion, and it has created an elegant range of fashion wear for various personalities over the past four decades. Besides apparel, the company offerings consist of shoes, bags, and access ories. Valentino opened the first store of the company in 1960 in Paris and introduced the signature ‘Red Valentino’ along with the ‘V’ label. Though the company started in Italy, presently it has stores all over the world. In 2013, the company earned revenue as high as 110 billion Swedish Kroner and its operating margin was around 16%. The assessment suggests that the company is enjoying steady growth even in an uncertain economic condition.

Migration, remittance and livelyhood Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 15000 words

Migration, remittance and livelyhood - Essay Example Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1Background Migration is a key element in the history of humanity in terms of continued existence and it has always gone hand in hand with the expansion of human race. On the other hand, over the years, the awareness of global migration and its impact to expansion has evolved, because of the growing recognition of the importance of remittance. The high quantity of migrant remittance flows to rising countries has guided to both pessimistic and optimistic views on the impacts of remittance. A wide range of literature and research has been available discussing the issue of remittance and its implications on expansion and migration. On the other hand, research to date has primarily concentrated on the impact of remittance to financial development, the connection between migration and remittance and so on. However, there remains an important gap examining the various processes of sending remittance and the wider problems remittance poses. The incomes that migrant s send home to their relatives, mainly global migrants, have expanded in current years to levels, which exceed direct foreign investments and official growth assistance. The World Bank estimated that worldwide remittances increased from about $85.6 billion in the year 2000 to about $167 billion in the year 2004 as contrasted to the direct foreign investment and development assistance. Presently, the bank estimates that global remittances reached about $318 billion in the year 2007, an amount of about $240 billion of that went to developing countries. Whereas potentially of similar importance, the quantity of internal remittances, sent mainly by urban migrants back to rural societies of their origin, as money or kind, are not commonly recorded and are hard to estimate. Extra migrants move internally than worldwide, and their earnings are inclined to be lower. Despite troubles of amount, the clearly huge amounts of remittances sent by global and internal migrants have attracted a lot of researchers to observe their impact on different aspects of growth. Recently, a growing sense of awareness has arisen with regard to the size and impact of informal remittances. Whereas formal remittances denote those remittances that enter a country during official banking channels, the informal remittances contain those money transfers that happen through private channels. Such private transfers contain remittances brought home by relatives, friends and even the migrant herself/himself. Whereas formal remittances to increasing countries have totalled to more than $167 billion in the year 2005, the point of informal remittances is practically unknown for the reason that they be inclined to flow through private channels. Estimates of the range of informal remittances differ widely, ranging from about 35 to 250 percent of formal remittances. This paper aims to fill this research gap by talking about the

FATIGUE BEHAVIOUR OF SELF COMPACTING CONCRETE SUBJECT TO CYCLE LOADING Research Proposal

FATIGUE BEHAVIOUR OF SELF COMPACTING CONCRETE SUBJECT TO CYCLE LOADING - Research Proposal Example Increasing the number of cycles beneath this stage ensures that the failure occurs and consequently, the crack of the material ought to come in next (Liu, 2009, 65). Other metals like aluminium do not have any distinctive limits and even a small oscillation may have the material reach its fatigue limit. Such cases have made scientists set a number of cycles, usually 10, as the average fatigue life of the material (Kennedy, 2008, 44). When the cycles go beyond the set threshold of the material, cracks start forming on the material and an attempt to stop the cycles does not yield any benefits as a microscopic crack may have the entire product destroyed beyond any point of repair. Shape of a structure definitely has a large impact on the fatigue life of the given material. This is from the fact that a product with a triangular shape has weak lines of force and a minute change in the oscillation pattern or rather an increase in the number of cycles may have it reach its end point rather fast (Comit, 2011, 46). Understanding the composition of concrete in order to reach the crack of the material comes in very imperative. In this case, the material may not have the stated metal necessary for the fatigue life to reach a certain age. Most of the times, the material stated is a metal such as aluminium and has the shape of a triangle. This has it that only a number of cycles lead to the concrete composition level that eventually breaks down the material (Harman, 2010, 53). For alloys, it is difficult to establish the exact amount of concrete required to break the material. One consequently has to work with an average figure depending on the most common point. This however is not preferred by many people due to accumulative values that may place the commodity in a tight place when it comes to marketing of the end material (Jerina, 2010, 78). One

Interview Report Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Interview Report - Assignment Example To me, I view him as a perfect example and a living demonstration that age is just but a number (Neugarten, 2006). His case is interesting because the society perceives the old as people with no energy, should not work and probably should rest in care homes. However, he disapproves the stereotypes. Besides, Antony’s capacity at work is usually a preserve of the young and energetic people who can serve client’s demands with precision. Interestingly, he narrates to me that he is people’s favorite at the bar. He points out that most of his customers are young people, but he manages to mix his services with life advice. An attribute that makes him stands out from other workers. Antony points out that he felt the odd one out when he started the work. However, the kind nature of Americans and the equal opportunity that the American society provides to all the citizens and the foreigners motivated him. I find Antony to be an excellent person. His passion, vigor, and desire to achieve even in severe environments are attributes I value most in my life. Therefore, my interaction to change my perception about work. It also enabled learn the importance of knowing different peoples culture as a mechanism for promoting world

The U.S. a Guarantor and Challenger of the UN Security System Essay Example for Free

The U.S. a Guarantor and Challenger of the UN Security System Essay The United States of America, through its former president Franklin D. Roosevelt was the founding nation of the United Nations during world war two. The U. S. is one of the permanent member of the UN with veto powers and one of the five Security Council members as well as the major contributor of revenues to the UN, making it a true guarantor of the UN security system. However, since the formation of the UN, the organization has experienced various challenges in executing its duties as a global organization committed to maintaining peace and security, better living standards and human rights, particularly with the United States which has proved somehow to be a stumbling block in the organization effective operation, with the U. S. not respecting U. N. security council resolutions by taking advantage of its mighty economy, huge contribution to the organization and its permanent membership vetting powers to push the UN to comply with its selfish interests, by breaking the organizations security council resolutions hence bringing conflict between the U. S and other security council members. ( Global policy forum, 2008) The United Nations been an international organization, committed to maintaining international peace and security, handles a wide range of issues across the globe. It is best known for peacekeeping, conflict prevention and humanitarian assistance; it requires huge finances to implement its duties. The organizations has a regular two-year budget and its specialized agencies (like UN security agency) are funded by assessments and voluntary contributions from member states. The organization budget is approved by the general assembly, which in addition determines the assessment for each member country, this is mainly based on the capability of each country to pay, although the organizations assembly adheres to its principle of not relying entirely on one member country to finance its operations, hence there is maximum amount which each country can contribute. However the U. S is the only member country that meets the maximum (ceiling rate) making it a true guarantor of the UN security system. In addition to funding the organization operations, the US is one of the five permanent security council members, hence it must participate in approving all peacekeeping and security operations, this a true indication that the U. S is a real guarantor of the UN security systems( Chicago council on global affairs, 2008) The U. S been one of the five permanent members of the UN security council and one of the only five countries recognized as nuclear-weapon states(NWS), it has a permanent representative in the security council hence the U. S participates in investigating any international dispute or any situation which mighty lead to international friction or cause a dispute, the U. S as a security council member take part in deciding what measures are to be taken in situations involving, threat to the peace and it is a stake-holder in recommending on the action to be taken to the concerned countries by either use of armed forces, to maintain and restore international peace and security. For instance the U. S was in the fore-front during the UN armed actions in Korea in 1950 during the Korean War, also the US was the main participant in the use of the coalition forces in Kuwait and Iraq in 1991, making it a true guarantor of the UN security system. (Creery, Janet, 1994) The U. S has been in the forefront as a guarantor and mediator of talks and processes for implementing comprehensive peace agreement needed to assist and bring both north and southern Sudan around one table, laid down their issues and give peace a chance. To understand the drivers of conflict and the gateway to sustainable peace in eastern Sudan, the U. S through its organization called the institute of peace and in partnership with other peace institutions like the Nairobi peace Initiative-Africa, the U. S funded a workshop entitled, Listening to East Sudan, a workshop aimed at assessing the social-economic stresses of the people of eastern Sudan, mobilizing responses in its relentless efforts to see peace and democracy prevail in Sudan (www. usip. org/resources/peacekeeping-and peace building-eastern Sudan) The most remarkable contribution of the United States to the United Nations system was during the Britton woods conference whose objective was to create a new, stable and predictable international monetary and trade regime. This new system opened world markets, promoted a liberal economy and paved way for the birth of different UN institutions like the World Bank and international monetary fund to assist in implementing UNs duties. The United States significantly supported the UN, through funding and other ways making the UN the first international organization to receive a huge financial support fro the U. S. this institutions among others are the building blocks of the UN hence the U. S is one of the financial cornerstones and a guarantor of the UN security systems. (Schweigman, David,2001) The United States has show remarkable efforts in its aggressiveness to see the whole world is at peace and there are no threats to any country. In its efforts to bring peace and sanity in this world, the country has sacrificed its expensive and high-tech military equipment and personnel, for instance in Afghanistan in its efforts to do away with terrorist and other terrorist groups like the Somalia pirates and militia groups such as the alshabab, an activity which is a security responsibility of organizations like the UN. Moreover, recently the whole world witnessed the U. S efforts in Kenya an African country where sometimes back experienced a very severe post-election violence, many innocent and poverty-stricken people including women and children as well as jobless youths lost their lives, the country has since independence experiencing bad leadership because of its outdated, colonial constitution, The US has been tireless in its effort to see the country come up with its people driven constitution, it has financed these process and it was just a few days when the country voted and endorsed a new constitution, a process which the U. S has been pushing for a very long time, hence the U. S has been an icon in maintaining international peace and security making it is a true guarantor of the UN security system because it is in fact executing some of the main UN roles(Samir, Alhawary, 2008) United States has been one of the main supporters of the UN, in various ways and even sometimes implementing some of the core functions of the organization, however, in some other various occasions, the unites States has been a bottleneck to the UN smooth and effective operation. Former U. S president, President Franklin D. Roosevelt was the leader behind the establishment of the UN during world war two . He suggested to his allies especially, Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin, the need for a joint organization which could become the primary vehicle for maintaining international peace and stability. Roosevelt was the one who came up with the idea of some member countries being granted veto powers, such that without the agreement of any member with veto powers the organization cannot execute any crucial resolution. The veto issue brought a lot of disagreements among different member states but it was not a matter of negotiation for Roosevelt and his allies, hence this is where the rain started biting the organization because even to date the U. S hardly respect the decision of other member countries and this has been a source of conflict between the U. S and other members who have been proposing the U. S to be chased out of the organization, this is a major challenge to the organization considering that the U. S is one of its faithful financers. (De Wet, Erika, 2004) Some member countries and mostly the United States have been pushing for various reforms to be carried out within the organization. Some want the UN to play a greater or more effective way in the world affairs, others want its mandate to be reduced to humanitarian work, others have been calling for the expansion of the organizations security council memberships among other issues although there has been little consensus on how to handle all this issues. The United States has also been accusing the organization for been inefficiency, this has been a challenge to the organizations operation. The organization experienced on of its ground breaking challenge during the1990, when the U. S withheld its dues citing inefficiencies and only started repayment when its condition of major reform initiative was introduced in 1994, when the organizations general assembly established the office of internal oversight services to serve as a watch dog. | (American interests and UN reforms, 2006)