Abstract The paper examines Federico Fellini's Italian film "LaDolceVita" within the context of its times. The paper looks at how the architecture in the film gives the movie greater resonance and depth and reveals the limitations in the character Marcello's pleasure-seeking view of the world. The paper is of the opinion that the film is a masterpiece by a master-craftsman that uses the architecture of Rome as a most effective tool.
From the Paper "The period 1950-1960 was a difficult one in some respects for Italy. The nation's glory as the seat of power for the Roman Empire was obviously far in the past and the country was still suffering the lingering effects - loss of life and international disgrace - of Mussolini's unhinged efforts to gain for himself (and, secondarily, his country) power and standing by aligning (however uneasily) with Hitler; moreover, the country's embarrassing foray into North Africa during the war years (and during the lead-up to the war) was still fresh in mind. While it can be over-stated, one is tempted to suggest that the events of less than two decades earlier - along with the terrible human toll they exacted - fed a burgeoning cynicism that made Italian young people of the age disinclined to accept the mores of their parents; after all, the Second World War had been, for all intents and purposes, their parents' war. When viewed within that context, the spiritually bankrupt nature of many of La Dolce Vita's characters and the sense of decadence which pervades the film throughout seems to hint at a culture that has lost its way and turned against the strict injunctions and moral coda of earlier times."
Abstract The paper explores how humanistic and existentialist psychology could help Marcello, the lead character in Federico Fellini's film, "LaDolceVita". The paper shows the unhappiness inherent in Marcello's lifestyle and discusses how Marcello needs a father figure or a stern therapist that could authoritatively guide the boy towards manhood.
From the Paper "In Fellini's 1960 film classic, La Dolce Vita, Marcelo Mastroianni plays a wandering play-boy journalist (Marcello Rubini) who seems unable to commit to anyone or to anything. For example, he threatens throughout to write a novel, but never really makes any substantive process on the matter. In terms of his personal relationships, Marcello appears to move from one woman to another without any great enthusiasm for establishing a meaningful relationship with any one of them."
Abstract This eight page paper examines urban sprawl in Las Vegas. The author notes that in writing about urban sprawl in Las Vegas and analyzing its impact on the city future growth it is evident that environmental and city planning issues must be examined, for successful future growth depends upon better solutions to the problems Las Vegas is currently experiencing. The writer further points out that unfortunately the present expansion of the city has been driven by too much of a focus on short term goals, many of which are incompatible with one another.
From the Paper "In writing about urban sprawl in Las Vegas and analyzing its impact on the city's future growth, it is evident that environmental and city planning issues must be examined, for successful future growth depends upon better solutions to the problems Las Vegas is currently experiencing. Unfortunately, the present expansion of the city has been driven by too much of a focus on short-term goals, many of which are incompatible with one another. This has led to urban sprawl, unnecessary traffic congestion, and a host of other problems. Analyzing these issues indicates that the solution to urban sprawl in Las Vegas is to develop the central city first and revitalize the city from within."
Abstract This paper reviews the life of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, born 1547 in Alcala de Henares, Spain and how he used his experiences to write the book 'Don Quijote de la Mancha'. According to the paper, while the old fashioned ideals of chivalry, romance and aristocratic justice were steadily becoming hackneyed in burgeoning renaissance Spain, Cervantes took out his pen and wrote the relished story of 'Don Quixotes', the vivacious man from La Mancha whose imagination was as wild as the embraced socio-cultural history of the nation.
From the Paper "This lackluster punctuation of daily duty was of no surprise to Cervantes, whose own personal histories were none too different. After the publication of his first literary work, "Serenisima Reina En Quien Se Halla," dedicated to the birth of Phillip II's second daughter, Cervantes spent his young years under the tutelage of Diego de Urbina aboard the royal Marquesa. In 1571, Cervantes was ill with malaria when his ship was attacked, and imbued with the same raptured infatuation for antiquarian ideals of nobility, he stood valiantly strong with his shipmates. "Cervantes is stricken with malaria but, in spite of high fevers, fights heroically from the bow of the ship, in the 'greatest moment that past centuries have seen and which those to come have no hope of seeing." At the battle of Lepanto, the event was less colorful; he was an injured, low-ranking shipman with little hope for career advancement and the ideals of a hero less applicable in the reality of a fighter struggling for one side in a bloody role for national cultural definition."
Tags:La, Galatea, Persiles, y, Segismundo, tale, knight, battle
Abstract This is a short, yet in-depth account of the John Rieker film, "La Ciudad". The author takes you through the film as if you yourself were watching it. The author takes a personal look at the film and offers personal, subjective opinions.
From the Paper "La Ciudad (which means "The City") is a movie set in the mid to late 1990?s. It was directed by John Rieker, and is in black and white. In La Ciudad, the audience is shown four examples of how Spanish-speaking immigrants are mistreated and abused in the United States. The film is geared towards the American audience, however all but a very small portion of the dialogue is in Spanish, with English subtitles. This method is effective because it puts you directly into the environment of the immigrants, and helps you understand the significance of the language barrier between the two cultures, and make you feel as if you are truly witnessing the events that take place."
Abstract This paper presents a marketing case study of the LA Gear company, which has decided to attempt to penetrate the men's athletic shoe market. The paper demonstrates how this decision evolved, beginning with the company's desire to capitalize on its strength in the women's athletic shoe market. The paper also considers the female coding of "fashion," and ways this might be overcome, or even turned into an asset, in marketing to men.
From the Paper "In seeking to sustain growth in the highly competitive athletic shoe market, LA Gear faces a double challenge. On the one hand its penetration of the women's athletic-shoe market is already strong..."
Abstract This paper analyzes Dante Alighieri's testament to romantic love and his own love for Beatrice in "LaVita Nuova". Through an analysis of the theme, tone and structure of the 25 sonnets contained in "LaVita Nuova", the paper explains that Dante uses the poignant sonnet form to convey the nature of his love for Beatrice and that his use of the the phrase "love and the gentle heart" refers to the type of mature love shared between the spouses in an old married couple.
From the Paper "The third and fourth lines of the poem use a teasingly sardonic analogy to emphasize the poet's main point. "...each from the other one as well divorced / as reason from the mind's reasoning." The use of the word "divorce" serves as a double entendre, referring both to two ordinary objects being rendered as well as to two persons dissolving their marital vows. As divorce is the exact opposite from union, the poet creates some dynamic tension through the use of phrases like "one thing" and "the other one" in conjunction with the word "divorce." The repetition of the word "one" in lines one and three acts as a unifying devise in this initial stanza. Similarly, the last line of stanza one contains another word repetition: "reason" and "reasoning." The poet could have easily selected a synonym for either "reason" or "reasoning." Dante's choice implies a conscious use of word repetition that parallels the repetition of the word "one." The repetition helps emphasize the poem's central themes. Finally, the concept of reason differs greatly from the concept of love." Love and reason are in fact often in direct opposition to one another. The irony of love being compared to reason mirrors the contrast between love and divorce in this first stanza."
Abstract This paper discusses and compares the cultures of Germany, Italy, and France and how they relate to what is going on today. It shows how Germany's militaristic background not only influenced its history, but also how life is done today, including culture, education, and business practices. The paper compares this attitude to Italy which has a distinct culture of "ladolcevita" or "the sweet life" which has had an impact on every aspect as well. It also discusses the great importance of family as well as the not so stable political system. France follows a very centralized control system, and how the relationship between schools, business, and government are all important in French business. The paper concludes by showing that the cultural patterns in Germany, Italy, and France are mostly based on the relationship between government and businesses.
From the Paper "Germany's strong political economy has made it a great leader of the European Union. It has the highest per capita in Europe, and is also a technological leader specializing in engineering, manufacturing, and chemicals. Germany was once the fastest growing economy in the European Union, but their high quality products bring about problems with high product costs and slow increase in productivity, leading to the recent stagnant economy. Other attributes to the stagnation include a limitation in domestic competition, which lessens the need for innovation, reluctance to new technology because the workers must be retrained in these new technologies, and labor reforms, since companies do not fire, they are reluctant to hire. The military approach has had a great impact on Germany as seen through German history, which goes through cycles from fragmentation and poverty, to unity and prosperity, to war and defeat, and finally back to fragmentation. The country was at its best when united with the military, and the lesson learned from each of these cycles of history is that they have to be stronger next time."
Tags: business, culture, education, europe, european, french, german, government, italian
Abstract Vita Sackville-West was done a monumental favor by Virginia Woolf when she chose to immortalize her colleague, friend, and lover by creating a character named Orlando in her image. This paper shows how we would have known little about Vita had it not been for this unusual character for which she had provided inspiration. The paper discusses the role played by Sackville-West in the creation of Orlando's protagonist and also sheds light on her relationship with Virginia Woolf.
From the Paper "Victoria Sackville-West who was an early-twentieth century novelist, biographer and gardener developed a deep bond of friendship with the well-known author of her times Virginia Woolf. This bond was soon transformed into a controversial love affair which was celebrated in Woolf's 1928 fictional biography titled Orlando. We must understand that Orlando was not a very famous work because of its surreal plot but it helped to give Vita Sackville-West a permanent and prominent place in the author's life. Woolf admired her a great deal and thus wanted to express her feelings for the writer in this book, which later inspired many other books, films and documentaries. Orlando would have never been written had it not been for the relationship that existed between the two writers because it was during these years, that Woolf observed her lover carefully and felt like paying her a tribute by immortalizing her existence. While most of us have heard and read about Woolf and her sexual orientation, we hardly know much about Vita who was a confirmed bisexual and a prolific writer. And therefore Virginia Woolf probably did her favor by encapsulating her personality in this fictional work."
Abstract This paper explains that the main thrust of the primary narrative thread or 'plot' of Dante's Vita Nuova ("New Life") is the love of the poet for the beautiful Beatrice, a woman from Dante's social circle, who was holy and beautiful in her manner and countenance but married to another man. The author points out that "New Life" means a new life of a person as a result of renewed faith, feeling, spirituality and insight. The paper relates that, in this writing, poetic creation, religious understanding and personal romance are lifted to the heights of greater Christian worship and comprehension of the divine project for all humanity.
From the Paper "This confusion between Mary and Beatrice is not entirely unintentional upon Dante's part. It is partly reflective of the ailing, troubled mind of the narrator as he lays ill in bed. But it is also indicative of how Beatrice has served as Dante's poetic inspiration and muse over the course of his life. Dante, has not adored her like a man, but worshipped her from afar, as if she were a religious figure of adoration. He does not know her, intimately on a sexual level or on a personal and friendly level like a human being or a woman-Dante only bears witness to the lady in her socially and personally manifested beauty and piety, as if she were a statue, or a great queen, an ideological icon and representation of all that is good in heaven."
Abstract This paper discusses how the Las Vegas Valley, including the cities of Las Vegas, Henderson, and North Las Vegas, is the fastest growing region in the United States. New tourist attractions and large casino resort hotels are also being built and opened on a regular basis. This paper looks at the three major factors which may have an effect on construction in the Las Vegas Valley. The first is summer heat, the second is wind, and the third is flash floods.
From the Paper "Construction in the area is constant. New subdivisions are being built at a tremendous rate to keep up with those who are moving into the area. New tourist attractions and large casino resort hotels are also being built and opened on a regular basis. The city is growing at an exponential rate. The tourist Mecca of Las Vegas is located in a broad desert valley in extreme southern Nevada. Mountains surrounding the valley extend 2,000 to 10,000 feet above the valley floor. The Las Vegas Valley comprises about six hundred square miles and runs from the north to the southeast. These mountains and the metropolitan area's location at the bottom of the valley have extreme effects on the weather."
An exploration of the filmmaker's use of mise-en-scene and iconography to represent space, i.e. Las Vegas in the films "Ocean's 11", "Casino" and "Leaving Las Vegas".
Abstract This paper discusses how as Hollywood's entertainment counterpart, Las Vegas has been screened as a mecca for romance, crime, action and adventure. It shows how with its consumer expenditure and capital gain, its seductive neon lights, together with its surrounding vast desert, make it an ideal space for filmmakers to explore a diverse range of character types and narratives. It analyses how although all set in three different periods of time, the films "Ocean's 11", "Casino" and "Leaving Las Vegas" depict very different images of Las Vegas. It discusses how each film does this through the director's use of mise-en-scene and iconography and the values it holds and their use of time both outside of the film to create a period of time and within the film to correspond to the film's narrative.
From the Paper "Scorsese depicts a Vegas at a time when organized crime played a pivotal role in the ownership and running of the casinos. Behind the sexy showgirls, the enticing neon lights, the shining slot machines and the lucky blackjack tables, lives an underworld of greed, vengeance and power which he explores in his 1995 film Casino. In 1983, Ace Rothstein played by Robert De Niro is blown into a sky of flames and is dropped into the flashing neon lights of 1970's Las Vegas. The opening credits are supplied over a close up of the dots which combine to create a neon sign; very similar to the opening credits of Milestone's 1960's classic Ocean's 11, reminding us that these signs will take us into the glittering world of Vegas, where ?anything goes;? a world in which before Casino, has only ever been depicted through the eyes of the visitor."
Tags: nevada, urbanism, scorsese, hollywood, gambling, city
Abstract The writer explains the causes and effects of the El Nino, which has an ocean warming effect, and the La Nina, which creates unusually cold ocean temperatures. The paper describes how the winds, the ocean surface temperatures and atmospheric circulation affect the natural climatic conditions in the Pacific region. The writer explains the impact these effects have on weather and climate in the United States. The paper examines the effect that climatic changes have on the economy. In conclusion, the paper states that the effects of the El Nino and La Nina create significant changes to the weather patterns, which are naturally created and affected, by changes in sea temperatures.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Causes
Ocean Surface Temperature and Atmospheric Circulations
- During Normal Conditions
- Conditions During El Ni"o
- Conditions During La Ni"a
Effects of El Nino and La Nina
Impact on Weather and Climatic Changes
Impact on Economy
Ecological Impact
Conclusion
Bibliography
References
From the Paper "Under "normal" conditions, the tropical trade winds blow from east to west, collecting warm water in the western Pacific. In the eastern Pacific, the trade winds pull up cold, deep, nutrient-rich waters down the equator from the Ecuadorian coast to the central Pacific. The warmth of the western Pacific results in a predominantly vigorous hydrologic cycle there with towering cumulus clouds and tropical storms that "radiate" atmospheric waves and disturbances across vast area of the globe. Heat and moisture lofted into the upper atmosphere by the clouds and storms are dispersed by high-altitude winds across vast regions of the globe.
During an El Ni?o, this situation is interrupted and the trade winds weaken, thus reducing the upwelling of cool waters in the eastern Pacific and permits the pool of warm water in the west to drift eastward toward South America. As the central and eastern Pacific warms, atmospheric pressure gradients along the equator decline, and the trade winds lessen even more."
Abstract This paper is a brief analysis of the importance of the duet "La ci darem la mano" from Mozart's opera "Don Giovanni." The paper focuses on the importance of the duet in terms of character and plot and how they are important to the rest of the opera, and how the scene ties in with the rest of the major plot developments of the opera. There is no discussion of the musical aspects of the opera.
From the Paper "The opera Don Giovanni, written by W.A. Mozart in 1787, has been hailed by some as the greatest opera ever written. It tells the story of a wealthy playboy, Don Giovanni, in his attempts to win the hearts and bodies of the young women around him. Don Giovanni's duet with Zerlina, called "La ci darem la mano," in the first act is an important piece in the opera, both in terms of character and plot development. The duet takes place in Don Giovanni's gardens, after we have already heard and seen some of Giovanni's malicious and murderous transgressions and heard the long list of his conquests read to Donna Elvira."
Abstract This paper discusses the dynamics of race relations in contemporary Las Vegas, from the viewpoint of a Caucasian middle-aged male. The author describes the demographic and political makeup of Las Vegas, and the way in which local media has embraced racial and cultural diversity. The author explains, giving specific examples, that from his personal experience, factors such as income and social class appear to racialize human interactions in Vegas more strongly than race alone. Age is also perceived as playing an important part in determining whether the author experiences racial reactions. The paper concludes with the author's belief that within racial minorities, different individuals enter into social interactions with different degrees of preconceived expectations and racialized perspective in Las Vegas.
Outline:
Racial Relations in Society
Unique Cultural Elements of Las Vegas
Personal Experiences and Observations
From the Paper "Conversely, members of racial minorities are likely much more conscious of the degree to which the predominant social culture embraces cultural diversity, both in its formal policies as well as prevailing informal attitudes. This is an issue that affects me more because, to a certain extent, the perceptions among minority cultures about their relationship to society shape their expectations of individual members of the predominant majority in social situations. Likewise, it may very well play a role in the outward attitude of many members of racial minorities expressed to me in personal interactions, although it is sometimes difficult to know the underlying source of substantial variations that likely mean more than many aspects of outward behavior."
