Friday, August 21, 2020

The Disunited States essays

The Disunited States expositions As indicated by the article, most of the country is by all accounts star devolution, or for returning force from the national government to state governments on a few issues. The writer gives a few explanations behind devolution and against it, yet by and large he imagines that devolution would be a significant mix-up for the country and recommends that we rather rearrange the national government to address the issues of today. There are a few reasons given for devolution of the central government, the first is that a solitary state could be utilized as a lab to attempt new monetary and social thoughts, being that on the off chance that it didnt work it would not influence the country overall. Rivalry between states is another explanation given for devolution. Interstate rivalry would deliver increasingly inventive and constant approaches to do the undertaking of government. What's more, last, as duties stream to state governments, open division productivity will increment. Next the creator proceeds to give his reasons against devolution. The main explanation is that it would have no impact on the open dept; devolution would just purpose a cut in government spending by not exactly a large portion of a percent. Devolution would likewise compound the chances of success by making untalented work employments harder to stop by. The last explanation the creator gives against is that it will cause interstate contentions by causing states to vie for residents causing lower and lower charge rates between urban areas making it harder for the state governments to work. Rather than absolute devolution the creator recommend that the government be reshaped by 5 unique courses so as to address the issues of today. The first is to decay, yet just in zones where the state would make a superior showing. Two, reestablish bureaucratic power in hostile to neediness arrangement, being that the government would make a superior showing. Three, perceive states confines as stewards of instruction. Four, check rivalry for business and five, fix t ... <!

Saturday, May 30, 2020

12 Real Estate Softwares for Your Brokerage

Do you struggle to manage your real estate brokerage? I don't blame you—your list of tasks can feel overwhelming. With tracking leads, managing commissions and uploading new listings, there's a lot that goes into selling properties. But, there's one thing that can help: Software. Related: Should you hire a real estate marketing agency? If you're enlisting the help of real estate software to help you manage each task, you could cut the time you spend on each activity—and boost your productivity in the meantime. In this guide, we're sharing a list of 12 incredible real estate softwares you can use for each major task you're handling on a daily basis. 1. Copper CRM Is your inbox out of control? Whether you're inviting leads to an open house event or coordinating with someone selling their home, you might be struggling to remember who's who. That's where Copper (formerly ProsperWorks) helps. Because Copper is a CRM with G Suite integration, you can create profiles for each person you're emailing—allowing you to follow email conversations and manage leads directly from your inbox, without needing to switch between several apps. Pricing: From $19 per month. 2. Propertybase If you need more from your CRM, Propertybase is worth investigating. This real estate software tracks and manages leads, while also featuring a marketing center to manage email campaigns, real-time lead generation dashboards—and even syndications with platforms like Rightmove and Zoopla. Granted, it's more expensive than Copper's CRM, but it could be the only software you need to manage your brokerage. Pricing: From $79 per user, per month. 3. QuickBooks QuickBooks is an accounting tool that real estate companies can use to track their finances. But, what makes QuickBooks different is the control it gives businesses without tons of financial knowledge, looking for more than just a spreadsheet. You can track transactions, along with: Property descriptions—including floor plans Lease dates Current and market rent Due dates Appraisal values Pricing: From $10 per month. 4. Placester Every brokerage needs a website—that's nothing new. But if you're looking for a platform built specifically for realtors, Placester is fantastic. Placester allows you to build modern, personalized websites with the aim of generating more leads for your properties. And, with several themes and lead capture templates to choose from, you don't need a ton of HTML knowledge to create a strong website for your real estate company. Pricing: From $99/month, plus $99 setup fee. 5. PropertyWare Are you managing a handful of rental properties at your brokerage? Another real estate software you should add to your list is PropertyWare. Designed to act as a "toolbox for single-family property management," PropertyWare is a web-based software that allows realtors to track payments, create online portals for tenants and owners, and screens tenants to make sure they're high quality. The best part? It's built by property managers—so they know what they're doing. Pricing: From $1 per unit, per month (minimum 250 units), plus an implementation fee of 2x the monthly subscription. 6. Commission Trac Creating commission reports can quickly get confusing. That's where Commission Trac shines. A real estate platform that allows brokers to manage commission plans, invoices and agent distributions, Commission Trac "streamline back office accounting" and take away the headache from managing commission cuts. They've also partnered with organizations like the National Association of Realtors to offer members 20% off their plans. Pricing: From $45 per month, depending on how many agents are in your brokerage. 7. HelloSign Don't let paper documents take over your office. Ditch the traditional scanners and use HelloSign instead—a tool that allows your clients or tenants to sign documents electronically. You can use HelloSign for a variety of electronic documents, including: Tenancy agreements Mortgage papers Offers to purchase Closing statements Real estate transfer tax returns Plus, HelloSign documents are legally binding (and enforceable in court). Pricing: Free for 3 documents per month; $13 per month thereafter. 8. ShowingTime If you regularly schedule property viewings, ShowingTime is a software you'll love. ShowingTime is a real estate software that allows brokers to collect analytics and provide feedback on home showings. It also allows realtors to quickly schedule and confirm property showings, while helping to offer better customer service to their clients. Nobody likes no-shows, right? Pricing: Custom; demo required. 9. CityBlast You're likely familiar with marketing software that can help businesses supercharge their growth. But, CityBlast is different to the rest. They focus solely on real estate businesses and have a live team who describe themselves as "social experts." They provide social media PPC campaigns to increase audience growth—meaning you could see more social followers, site traffic and hot leads if you're enlisting their specialist help. Pricing: From $83.25 per month. 10. AreaPulse For more in-depth reports on your properties, it's worth checking out AreaPulse. In this web-based real estate software, you'll find every metric you need to track the success of your brokerage, including: How long a property has been on the market 6-month price trends in the local area How many homes you've got for sale You're also able to send AreaPulse reports to your potential customers, giving them a solid understanding of the property market. Plus, with the ability to track open rates on these emails, it's a great way to identify which subscribers could become hot leads. Pricing: From $49 per user, per month. 11. HouseCanary Value Report Another incredible option if you're looking to dive deeper into real estate analytics is HouseCanary's Value Report tool. They use data science, advanced software and predictive analytics to create the "most accurate automated valuation model"—meaning you get a full understanding of the local property market, forecast returns over the next three years, and set rent fees that are relative to the area. Sounds awesome, right? (Spoiler alert: It is.) Pricing: Custom. 12. Lucidpress ...We couldn't share a list of real estate softwares without including ourselves, right? Lucidpress gives brokers a nifty tool to create branded material—such as PDFs, social media images and newsletters—in one web-based portal. There are hundreds of templates to choose from, making it perfect for real estate businesses that need ahold of their branding campaigns, but don't have a clue about graphic design. (Considering that consistent branding increases revenue by 23% on average, you'd be mad to miss this off your list.) Pricing: From $5.95 per month. Key takeaway Now that you're well-equipped with the real estate software you'll need to manage your brokerage, it's time to start seeing results. Remember to determine which tools are affordable, and start with tools you need (versus the tools you want). You don't want to go broke in the process. You'll soon be experiencing increased productivity—we're sure of it. Get started with Lucidpress, the brand management platform for real estate. It's perfect for brokerages of any size.

Saturday, May 16, 2020

The Entente Cordiale, Signed 1904 - 2461 Words

The Entente Cordiale, signed 1904, was a series of agreements that changed Anglo-Franco relations entirely. For one thousand years beforehand, the English and the French had many disagreements, wars, and conflicts that created a lot of tension between the two nations. But forty years after the Entente established a friendship between the two countries, England and France fought two major wars as very close allies. The main reason that the Entente Cordiale was signed in the first place was that England and France were having conflicts over land in Africa. Yet the agreement was so monumental in nature that it completely changed Anglo-Franco relations for over one hundred years to come. It caused the two countries that had previously hated each other to fight on the same side of two wars and cheer each other on. It changed public opinion and foreign policy between the two nations. However, the actual origins as to why the British would engage in negotiations with a country that they’ve hated for centuries seem uncertain. Germany is starting to mobilize, is threatening Britain with its rapidly growing and modernizing navy, and is industrializing at an alarming rate. At the same time, France is becoming more prominent in Africa and the Mediterranean, not to mention a powerful alliance with Russia in addition. With these facts in mind, what was the strategic upside to England signing the Ente nte with an old enemy? Was it to defend themselves from the growing military threat ofShow MoreRelatedThe Between 1879 And 19801833 Words   |  8 Pages1980 the relationships between the powers changed greatly in their nature, coinciding with a shift in the balance of power. The Entente Cordiale of 1904 can certainly be seen as a key turning point, along with other factors such as Neville Chamberlain’s policy of appeasement, the Cuban Missile Crisis and the SALT I and II agreements. The signing of the Entente Cordiale in 1904 epitomised the ever-growing division on the European stage in the early 1900s, and certainly contributed to a pre-war allianceRead MoreDiscussing The First World War1432 Words   |  6 Pagesset into motion, one must know and comprehend all the past alliances, treaties and accords that were created in the past and that in time would bring to the two major European alliances, the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance. The treaty that dates back the farthest is the Treaty of London, signed in 1839. More than alliance, the Treaty of London was a pact made between the countries in Europe to recognize the autonomy and neutrality of Belgium. This accord still existed and was valid in 1914Read MoreThe Second Alliance And The Triple Entente900 Words   |  4 Pagesfirst world war was a time of make alliances. These alliances started out as small agreements between countries turned into a force that divided the major powers of Europe into two alliances. These alliance were the Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente. Agreements made within these alliances help to pave the way to the war. The first of these alliances that was formed was the Triple Alliance. It was formed in secrecy in may of 1882. This alliance was made up of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and ItalyRead MoreThe Moroccan Crises Of 1905-1906 And 19111466 Words   |  6 PagesTriple Alliance and weakened it slightly because Austria-Hungary and Germany didn’t know if they could count on Italy’s support. However, it did make Austria-Hungary and Germany closer because they knew they could rely on each other’s support. The Entente Cordiale was strengthened because France felt more confident of Britain’s support after they supported them at Algeciras. Britain also started to take more interest over European matters so they came out of Splendid Isolation where they had stayed outRead MoreThe Reasons For The Outbreak Of The First World War1276 Words   |  6 Pageslong term causes. Between the years of 1817 and 1914 a ‘web of alliances’ can be seen to have formulated, effectively creating two sides within Europe. The Triple alliance of 1882 encompassed Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy, whilst the Triple Entente of 1907 encompassed Great Britain, France and Russia. For Sir Edward Grey, the growing alliances within Europe encouraged the vast arms race within the European powers, and therefore in his opinion ‘made war inevitable’. However Otte can be seen toRead MoreThe Political And Geographic Situation Of Europe At The Beginning Of World War I991 Words   |  4 Pagesnation forming the centrals powers. In 1882 Italy joined the ranks of German allies thus creating the triple alliance. The German Kaiser, William II, wanted to make Germany a feared and respected nation, sensing the growing alliance of the triple entente he feared the nations of France ,England and Russia. France was realign from defeat and the German annexation of two of its territories, Alsace and Loriane in 1870, by the German chancellor Otto Von Bismark. The French people never forgiving theRead MoreThe Cause of World War I Essay740 Words   |  3 Pagescauses of The Great War and what effect they had. The Triple Alliance and Triple Entente First of all, the main powers in Europe were Great Britain, France, Germany, Austria-Hungary and Russia. The aim of these countries was to keep a balance of power to prevent large scale wars. There were two main alliances during the WWI. In 1882, Germany, Austria-Hungaryand Italy signed a document stating they would give each other military support if there was a war. ThisRead MoreEssay What Extent Is Germany to Blame for Ww11735 Words   |  7 PagesAustria-Hungary signed a pact that created The Triple Alliance. This pact was to keep Italy from siding with Russia and turning on Austria-Hungary and Germany. Russia finally formed an alliance in 1894 with France called the Franco-Russian Alliance; this was to protect Russia from Germany and Austria-Hungary. The nineteenth century rolled around and four more alliances were made. The first of these alliances was made between France and Britain, and although not formal, when it was made in 1904 it helpedRead MoreThe First World War : The Great War1600 Words   |  7 Pagesto their rivalries in Europe. With nations having an increased tension along with a desire for power and prestige, the great nations were plunged into World War I. Powerful empires joined alliances. On one side of the Great War was the Triple Entente which consisted of France, Great Britain and Russia. On the other side of the war was Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy who joined forces to form the Triple Alliance. With the formation of the alliances, there were increased tensions between theRead MoreThe Catalyst for the First World War1679 Words   |  7 Pagesequipped army. Germany had, just before the outbreak of war, the second world fleet, behind Britain. The foreign policy of Germany was conducted by Otto von Bismarck, the first Chancellor of Germany from 1871 to 1890. Its policy enabled Germany signed numerous treaties and alliances, often with secret clauses. Nevertheless, he tried to preserve the European balance. In 1872 was formed the League of the Three Emperors (Germany, Russia, Austria-Hungary), followed in 1879 by the double alliance (or

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

The Involvement of War in British Literature - 944 Words

Kimberley Johnson creates an article about the angel, Raphael, which was to send a message to Adam and Eve, warning about the temptation of Satan during the war between God and Satan. Raphael failed to have the human race receive the message for Raphael stopped one of Satan’s demons and the war between God and Satan continues which is refers to the War of Heaven. Johnson implies that, â€Å"The sweeping war epic Raphael tells in Book 6 stands in direct opposition to Michael’s counsel not to imagine the battle between good and evil as a duel, and it also contradicts the narrative priorities that Milton himself lays out at the beginning of Book 9† (Johnson 213). This passage in Johnson’s article explains that Milton intentions of creating the†¦show more content†¦They say that fear is the true outcome from war neurosis instead of terror and hysteria. The history of war in British literature involves in the book, Culture in Camouflage: War, Empire, A nd Modern British Literature. The book, Culture In Camouflage: War, Empire, And Modern British Literature, is written by John Howard Wilson remaps the history of British war culture by insisting on the centrality and importance of the literature of the Second World War. Wilson speaks of a great British narrator, Patrick Deer, who opinionates that â€Å"‘the emergence of modern war culture’ and argues that ‘war writers challenged the dominant narratives and imaginaries projected by an enormously powerful and persuasive mass media and culture industry’† (Wilson). Writers of war involve culture and mass media in their stories to give it a more dominant narrative. Wilson has Deer conclude, â€Å"the experience of Britain during the Second World War reveals that modern war culture is self-perpetuating and self-replicating: it normalizes and naturalizes a state of war.† (Wilson). Deer explains that world war two is replicating to the past wars in h istory and that war has a natural and normal state that every war has or goes through. Deer claims that, â€Å"the culture went into camouflage to fight the wars, and the writersShow MoreRelatedLord of the Flies and World War Ii1737 Words   |  7 PagesSteiner Many things such as social and political environments can impact literature. British involvement in WWII directly influenced Goldings novel, Lord of the Flies. As all authors use their life and times as reference points in their works, Golding drew heavily on sociological, cultural, and military events. Lord of the Flies is an allegorical parallel to the world, as Golding perceived it. The island, the boys, and many other objects and events described in his work represent Goldings viewRead MoreThe Fischer Controversy. The Publication In 1961 Of Fritz1483 Words   |  6 Pagesthe First World War, caused a wave of reactions from other historians and the general public. His claim angered German historians because it stated that Germany was solely responsible for the outbreak of World War I because they had â€Å"aggressive war aims in 1914.† According to Fischer, World War I was the excuse Germany needed to advance these aims. Although Fischer’s claim focused only on Ger many the impact he made was felt among other nations who had also taken part in World War I. In turn eachRead MoreThe Crisis of the British Empire Essay1260 Words   |  6 PagesThe Crisis of the British Empire Beginning in 1754, two years later the French and Indian war spawned what is known as the Seven Years War in Europe. Attempting to gain control over the Ohio River fur trade, the North American French colonies in alliance with the American Indians attacked British troops along the western frontier. The war ended in 1763, forcing France and Spain to cede their regions of North America to the British empire (namely, Canada and Florida). This acquisition andRead MoreEdmund Burke : From Reflections On The Revolutions1189 Words   |  5 PagesEdmund Burke: From Reflections on the Revolutions in France The French Revolution began in the year of 1792 and ended the year 1802. The war originally began as a defense for the revolution but became a battle of conquest under the reign of the European Empire. The French Revolution caused hostility from monarchs, nobles and clergy. These three groups feared the idea of republican ideas abroad. Austrian and Persian rulers created the declaration of Pillnitz in the month of August stating that, theyRead MorePolitics in Modern Film (V for Vendetta)1189 Words   |  5 Pagesby Warner Brothers. The plot of the film circulates around a mysterious and charismatic masked freedom fighter being hunted down by the totalitarian British government in the near future. Although his full identity is kept a mystery throughout the film, audiences learn he was a victim of a cruel scientific experiment involving â€Å"unwanted† British citizens and hormonal drugs. He spends decades planning out his revenge on those involved. While making preparations for both his revenge and a nation-wideRead MoreAlfred, Lord Tennyson and the Meaning of The Change of the Light Brigade1883 Words   |  7 Pages Lord Tennyson and the Meaning of â€Å"The Charge of the Light Brigade† â€Å"The Charge of the Light Brigade,† by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, was one of the artists’ most famous poems because it memorialized a failed but valiant attack by the British cavalry during the Crimean war. The poem is an emotional tribute to bravery and gallantry in the face of devastation. It highlights the cavalry’s valor in courageously executing their orders, even despite being outnumbered and brutally defeated. Throughout theRead MoreSlavery and Liberty ‚Äà ¬ Profit vs. Morality1306 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿ Slavery and Liberty – Profit vs. Morality 18th-Century British Writers Speed the Process of Freedom â€Å"By the late 18th century, over eleven million African men, women and children had been taken from Africa to be used as slaves in the West Indies and the American colonies. Great Britain was the mightiest superpower on earth and its empire was built on the backs of slaves. The slave trade was considered acceptable by all but a few. Of them even fewer were brave enough to speak it.† (AmazingRead MoreDoes General Haig Deserve to Be Remembered The Butcher of the Somme?1331 Words   |  6 Pages Field Marshall Sir Douglas Haig (19 June 1861 – 29 January 1928) was a senior commander in the First World War (WWI), and perhaps one of the most notable figures in British Military history. Although he served as the commander of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) from 1915 to the end of the war – which was one of the greatest victories in Britain’s military history – the involvement during the Battle of the Somme, lead him to become one of the most cri ticized Commanders in the WWI. The BattleRead MoreThe Contribution Of Mark Atwood Lawrence Essay1255 Words   |  6 PagesAmerican Commitment to the War in Vietnam is an American piece of literature published in 2005. Mark Atwood Lawrence is an Associate Professor of History, Director of Graduate Studies at the Clements Center for National Security at The University of Texas and Distinguished Fellow at the Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law. Lawrence has published two books, Assuming the Burden: Europe and the American Commitment to War in Vietnam and The Vietnam War: A Concise International HistoryRead MoreDuring the 1960s, a new culture spread throughout the United States, stirring up the Flower Power800 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"hipster†. It described how the Hippies believed that we should make love, not war, their vocal opposition to the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War, and the increasingly rocky road to shared civil right s among all Americans led to this new, alternative form of activism. But the Hippie movement wasn’t just about experimentation. The concept of Flower Power also emerged as a passive resistance to the Vietnam War during the late 1960s. The nineteen sixties were a very noteworthy time in

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Database Management Systems

Question: For this assignment you will implement and query a database from a supplied ER Diagram and Schema. You will be required to write the SQL statements to create the database structures, to fill the database with data and to run queries on the data. Answer: Relational Schema Figure 1: Relational Schema Bibliography Beach, B. and Platt, D.C., Tivo Inc., 2015. Distributed database management system. U.S. Patent 9,195,694. Cable, J.D. and Whitaker, L.L., TOTAL SYSTEM SERVICES, INC., 2016. Database Management System Tools for An Automated Work to Stage Process. U.S. Patent 20,160,070,698. Charlet, K.J., Church, N.D., Hite, K.D. and Tran, R.V., Charlet and Kyle J., 2015. MANAGING DATA CONVERSION FOR USER-DEFINED DATA TYPES WITHIN A DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM. U.S. Patent 20,150,254,316. Clifford, P. and Robinson, M., FACE RECORDING and MEASUREMENTS LTD., 2016. DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM. U.S. Patent 20,160,070,751. Clifford, P., Robinson, M. and Rogers, T., FACE RECORDING and MEASUREMENTS LTD, 2016. DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM. U.S. Patent 20,160,078,104. DeBrabant, J., Pavlo, A., Tu, S., Stonebraker, M. and Zdonik, S., 2013. Anti-caching: A new approach to database management system architecture. Proceedings of the VLDB Endowment, 6(14), pp.1942-1953. Grefen, P., Pernici, B. and Snchez, G. eds., 2012. Database support for workflow management: the WIDE project (Vol. 491). Springer Science Business Media. Krishnamurthy, S., Thombre, N., Conway, N., Li, W.H. and Hoyer, M., Cisco Technology, Inc, 2014. Addition and processing of continuous SQL queries in a streaming relational database management system. U.S. Patent 8,745,070. Lee, H., Chapiro, J., Schernthaner, R., Duran, R., Wang, Z., Gorodetski, B., Geschwind, J.F. and Lin, M., 2015. How I do it: a practical database management system to assist clinical research teams with data collection, organization, and reporting. Academic radiology, 22(4), pp.527-533. Ordonez, C., Teradata Us, Inc., 2014. Horizontal aggregations in a relational database management system. U.S. Patent 8,712,993. Pakhira, M.K., 2012. Database Management System. PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd.. Starkey, J.A., Nuodb Inc., 2013. Database management system. U.S. Patent 8,504,523. Thomas, A.D., Stamatis, D., Bertsch, J., Isbandi, M., Jansson, J., Mallajosyula, J., Pagani, I., Lobos, E.A., Kyrpides, N.C. and Reddy, T., 2014. The Genomes OnLine Database (GOLD) v. 5: a metadata management system based on a four level (meta) genome project classifications (No. LBNL-7089E). Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA (US). Varshney, G., 2012. Database Management System. Global Vision Publishing House. Wu, Y., Rubin, D.L., Woods, R.W., Elezaby, M. and Burnside, E.S., 2014. Developing a comprehensive database management system for organization and evaluation of mammography datasets. Cancer informatics, 13(Suppl 3), p.53.

Friday, April 17, 2020

To compare and contrast two films Essay Example

To compare and contrast two films Essay The purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast two films made by two different directors of, Romeo and Juliet. The two directors made the same story into a movie. There is a difference between the two though, one is an old 1968 version and the other is a more modern 1996 version. The 1968 version, Zefferellis version, was truer to Shakespeares original, while the 1996 version, Luhrmans version, had its own originality. In this essay Im going to compare and contrast the two.The events that happen in Zefferellis film is completely different from the events in Luhrmanns film. Zefferelli being true to Shakespeare and Luhrmann being modern and true to rock and roll there has to be differences. For instance the opening events in Zefferellis version are much closer to the way Shakespeare would probably want it. The way it starts is a little more appealing to the older generation because it starts of with the narrator, Lawrence Olivier, speaking with his soothing voice as the camera sl owly pans the gentle landscape of Verona City.Also in Zefferellis film the Capulets start the argument by biting their thumb at the Montagues, then Tybalt, played by Micheal Yorke, comes and turns the argument into a fight, and instead of the police stopping it is the Prince who stops it. Where as in the Luhrmann version it is very different. In the start of it there is a news reporter on a television screen speaking and recreating the prologue but in a 20th century way. While the woman is speaking she fades and the narrator, Pete Possewaite, starts to speak and at the same time the camera shows clips of Verona City 20th century style with neon signs, skyscrapers, billboards and statues.Also in this version there is a fight but instead of the fight being at the market it is at a gas station and instead of the Montagues being brave, calm, peaceful people like in the Zefferelli version they are loud, cowardly, peace disturbing people. Also in the Luhrmann version the Montagues are the jokers instead of the Capulets as in the Zeffirelli version. Both events have different effects on the audience. Zeffferellis effect on me was it gave me a little calm humour at the start then a little excitement with the fight and back down to calm but with no humour. You wont be as fond of it if you arent into 16th century style movies. Where as the Luhrmann version gives excitement and jokes right the way through, and it makes you feel interested by their terminology but confused by the speed because so much things are happening at once.There is a big difference between the settings and props used in the two films. In Zefferellis film the props looked cheap but they used them wisely. For instance Zefferellis version was set in the 16th century medieval market place in Verona, Italy. It is a hot sunny afternoon with market stalls filled with fruit and vegetables, horses trotting around, bells ringing, and when the chaos breaks out theres men fighting with steel swords and plenty of market people running around. I think it cost a lot to do all that back in those days but its nothing compared to the cost of Luhrmanns film.Luhrmanns film was a lot more high-tech than Zefferellis film. For instance instead of black and brown horses there was almost every colour car you can think of. There has to be though because its set in the 20th century in a fictional Verona, which was filmed in Mexico, California, and Miami. It had props like skyscrapers, guns (which they referred to as swords), cars, televisions, a gas station, and they even had helicopters but the best touch was the statue in the middle of the city separating the two families Capulets and Montagues. All this played had a similar effect on the audience with both Zefferelli and Luhrmanns films. They both help you feel like its real because of the detail they put into this particular aspect, which is one of the few things they both have in common.The acting is, in my opinion, one of the biggest advantages Z efferellis version has over Luhrmanns. The actors in Zefferellis film play their parts like it was made for them. They might seem old fashioned with their costumes but they make the costumes work for them, and they speak clearly, plus they have the accents with facial expressions and body language down pact. For example Tybalt, who is played by Micheal Yorke and is supposed to be a dark, evil and mysterious character with no love for any Montague, is played perfectly.The accent is evil, the expressions hateful and even the body language is mysterious. I havent seen Leonard Whiting or Olivia Hussey, who are Romeo and Juliet, act yet but judging by the high quality of acting I have high expectations. Even the narrator plays his part correctly. The way he speaks is calm and gentle just sets the scene and tone. In the Luhrmann film although the acting is good it is not as good as the acting in the Zefferelli film. For example, the man that played Tybalt, John Leguizimo, didnt quite get the accent right because it was a mix of Latino, American and Italian but he did get the dark, evil and mysterious aspect across. Also the narrators part was read exquisitely by Pete Possewaite like in Zeffirellis version.Once again I havent seen Leonardo Dicaprio or Clare Danes, who are Romeo and Juliet, act yet and Im not sure what to expect in this film because it is very unpredictable. The acting in both films was good though and acting has a huge impact on the audience. If the acting is absolute garbage and everything else is great then the movie still would not be that great. The Zefferelli actors have a better effect on the audience, the same as the Luhrmann actors but better, because the acting helps you to get to know the characters and makes you love, like, dislike or hate a character and gets you into the movie a bit more, which is one advantage Zefferelli has over Luhrmann.Camera shots and angles is another big part in a film. There are many different types of camera sho ts and angles and many of them were used in both Zefferellis and Luhrmanns films. In Zefferellis movie he used a lot of long, high and medium angle shots, to show Veronas lovely landscape, with a lot of panoramics which helps you appreciate the beauty of Verona. Also before and after the fight started he used a lot of sow zooming and close ups to build up tension, which is what Luhrmann, pretty much, done.There is a difference though, Luhrmann takes advantage of the technology and uses higher angle shots, moves the camera faster so the shots and sequences go faster, a lot of extreme close ups, point of view shots, zooms and medium shots. The panoramics are much faster though but there are much more which builds up a lot pf tension and makes the film a lot more suspenseful. That makes a big impact on the audience because in Zefferellis film the camera shots and angles help the audience further understand whats happening and build up tension. Where as in the Luhrmann version the camer a shots and angles confuse the audience a bit but still build tension.Sound effects, put together with the camera shots and angles, also play a big part in a movie. This is one aspect, I think, Luhrmann definitely has over Zefferelli. Zefferellis sound effects are great but Luhrmanns are better. In Zefferellis film during the prologue you hear slow, gentle and soothing instrumental music that coordinates with the narrators calm and relaxing voice. After that it switches to the market place where you hear the sounds of people talking quite loud. Then suddenly the sounds get louder and you start to hear more sounds like horses and their hooves, shouting and bells.During the fight, though, you could hear all those things plus screaming, swords clattering, and trumpets blowing which creates the atmosphere. However, Luhrmanns sound effects were different. During the prologue you could hear classical church music which the switched to rock after the prologue and then to punk, all of the i nstrumental. After that you could hear the sound of car engines and burning car tires scratching against the pavement, which are some sound effects he used a lot.When the fight broke out you could hear screams, instrumental Latin music, the cling clang of the spurs on the Capulets boots and just before you could Tybalts match as it plummeted to the asphalt. Then after the fight when Tybalt began to chase Benvolio you could hear the busy traffic of Verona with people beeping their car horns and sirens of the police cars with the propellers of police helicopters in the background which was a nice touch because its the 20th century and the police dont chase people with horses anymore, but both Zefferelli and Luhrmanns sound effects were fantastic but I prefer Luhrmanns. Zefferellis sound effects create the realistic atmosphere for the audience, yet still it doesnt create the atmospheric feeling as well as Luhrmanns.There are a lot of emotions a film could make you feel. They can make y ou feel happy by making you laugh, sad by making you cry, or even angry because of what someone has done. They can also make you feel all these emotions in a space of ten minutes. That is exactly what happens in Zefferellis film. In the beginning theres a little humour which suddenly changes and becomes serious.Then the foolish fun becomes ferocious fighting until Tybalt arrives and expresses his hatred for all Montagues which you could see by his facial expressions and hear by the words coming out of his mouth. Tybalt turns the ferocious fight into a barbaric battle and then the Prince comes and shows his disgust of the way the Capulets and Montagues are fighting which you can see by his facial expressions and body language, but in Luhrmanns version its a little different. First at the beginning theres joy and humour like Zefferellis, then a short while after the Montagues reach the gas station theres a little more humour but anger shown by the Capulets. Then suddenly it switches f rom humour and anger to anger and fear. As the camera starts to pan and show the expressions on their faces the tension slowly builds.Then, bam, it turns into a fight and you could clearly see the fear on the Montagues faces and the hatred in the Capulets eyes, and when Tybalt and Benvolio get caught by the police you could see the disappointment on Tybalts face and the relief on Benvolios. At the time you could see the anger in the policemans face because of all the damage they had caused. The show of emotions does help in a movie because it assists the audience on understanding the film. In Zefferellis version the emotions the characters show get you to understand them and whats happening because of the slow panning and the time taken to show their expressions which slowly builds up tension. In Luhrmanns film though it is passions and emotions of the characters that help the audience indulge.Both films are fabulous remakes but both have their highs and lows. They have a great effe ct on audience overall. The effect Zefferellis version had overall, on me personally, is that it is a good film with humour that is more realistic in showing how Shakespeares play was but it is more for the forty years and older generation. At the same time it has some magnificent acting and its easy to keep up with. Luhrmanns overall effect, on me once again, is that it is also a good film with humour but is more a modern film for the fifteen and up generation because of the personality of the characters, the colours, the sword guns and the action and explosions.The acting, however, is terrible but can be overlooked because of the action. Overall they both are stupendous films with glorious opening sequences, but in my opinion, the German Baz Luhrmanns 1996 version is better than the Italian Franco Zefferellis 1968 version. I prefer modern 20th century settings and action to old fashion 14th century settings and action even though the acting is better.

Friday, March 13, 2020

Battered Womans Syndrome

Battered Womans Syndrome Free Online Research Papers This paper looks at the history of men battering their wives. The physical and mental strain placed on the victim is examined, as is the behavior which many women who face these beatings experience. This paper examines reasons why a woman would fight back using deadly force and will show the successful use of the battered woman syndrome as a defense in court. The battered woman syndrome will be viewed as a legitimate cause for self defense and justifiable homicide of the victim’s spouse. Throughout United States history, women have been controlled, beaten and verbally abused by their spouses. This is mainly due to the fact that from the time this country was conceived until the early 19th century, women were viewed by the U.S. legal system as the property of their husbands. The law was written that, by marriage, a man and a woman were recognized as one person in the eyes of the law. The law even went as far as to allow the husband to give his wife â€Å"moderate correction†. This meant that he could strike his wife in order to restrain her as long as he used nothing wider than his thumb. This came to be known as the â€Å"Rule of Thumb†. Since these days of barbaric unions between men and women, the United States government has passed the Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution. The Fourteenth Amendment clearly states that â€Å"†¦ [n]o state shall deny equal protection of the laws to any person.† This statement means that the government cannot take away rights protected by the Constitution based on an individual’s race, religion, or sex. As a result of this Amendment being passed, the United States Supreme Court has f ound many laws to be in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment, including the â€Å"Rule of Thumb†. (Muraskin, 2007. pp.5-6) Today, domestic violence laws prevent a man from beating his spouse without any consequences. This is assuming that the wife decides to call the police, which often times she will not because of a fear of embarrassment. Therefore, this leads to many women being beaten continuously to the point where the physical and psychological damaged caused can lead to a violent outburst towards their husband, which then results in his murder. In such cases where a woman is beaten to the point of becoming capable of murdering her abusive spouse, the battered woman syndrome can become a very useful tool for the defense counsel in order to gain an acquittal on the grounds that the woman killed out of self defense, thus making it a justifiable homicide. (CRJ30 class notes) First, it is important to take a look into exactly how battering can occur. The reason men batter their wives has been a mystery to society for the better part of the last half century. Social learning theory suggests reasons as to why there are men who will use force and violence against their spouses. Violent behavior will likely not stop once it has been initiated and rewarded, and some victims tend to have great difficulty in either stopping the violence or ending the relationship with their abusive spouse. (Pagelow, 1981. pp.29.) Social learning theory is defined as â€Å"an extension of differential-association and reinforcement theories, holding that social sources, or people with whom one interacts, are the reinforcers that result in the learning of nondeviant and deviant behavior. The type of behavior that is most frequently and consistently reinforced by the people will be the one most often exhibited.† (Pagelow, 1981. pp.35.) A basic proposition of the social learning theory is that reinforcement which follows behavior can increase the probability that this behavior will be repeated. Another proposition of this theory is that intermittently reinforced behavior is the most difficult to extinguish. The theory points out that the two major parts of the learning process are reinforcement and punishment. The emphasis is focused more on the reinforcement than the punishment. This is due to the fact that punishment has been shown to have relatively short-term effects on extinguishing behavior while immediate reinforcement will outweigh the effects of delayed punishment in controlling behavior. (Pagelow, 1981. pp.36.) However, for one to understand the battered woman syndrome, one must familiarize themselves with the kind of physical and mental strain that a battered woman goes through, as well as the psychological trauma which is placed upon the abused. Many critics of the battered woman syndrome blame the victim rather than the abuser. Critics believe that a woman who is beaten by her spouse can simply just call the police in order to stop the violence. Unfortunately, it is not that simple. Abused women are often embarrassed by these encounters with their spouse to the point that they would not want to tell anyone, not even the police. This silence about the abuse leads many women to learn how to live with the violence rather wanting to eradicate it from their lives. Many critics of the battered woman syndrome claim that the women who use this defense are pathological individuals. Critics and prosecution alike see these women as having an individual problem rather than seeing domestic violence as a social issue that could affect anyone. To these people, an abused woman is a rare occurrence and women who are abused are mentally ill. The assumption that an abused woman is â€Å"sick† is based on the belief that she is a masochistic and she, as well as the abuser, receives a certain satisfaction from the violence. (Pagelow, 1981. pp. 54-55.) Harvard Law Professor Alan M. Dershowitz believes that a battered woman does not have to take matters into her own hands but rather â€Å"has the option of either leaving or calling the police†. (Reutter, 2005) This is simply not true. An abused woman, who does nothing to stop the abuse, is often stuck in a state of learned helplessness. This means that she believes that she can not control the abuse and she recognizes herself to be completely helpless to it. Learned helplessness consists of three essential components. The first of these components is called contingency. Contingency deals with the objective relationship between a person’s actions and the outcome which they experience. In this case, the actions of the abuser make the abused feel like she is less than her husband and therefore becomes accustomed to the situation. The second component to learned helplessness is known as cognition. This has to do with the way in which the woman perceives, explains, and extrapolates the contingency. There are several steps involved with the cognition. First, she must apprehend the contingency. A person experiencing learned helplessness may view the contingency either accurately or as the complete opposite of what it really is. In the case of domestic violence, the woman perceives the abuse as being somehow her fault because her spouse makes her feel as if she has done something to deserve the beating, when in actuality she has done nothing wrong and he is the one who is in fact wrong. Next, she explains what she has perceived. If she perceives that the abuse takes place because of her wrongdoing, then she will hold herself responsible as the cause for her beating. Finally, she uses her perception and explanation to form an expectation about the future. For example, if her husband beats her every time she has not finished preparing dinner by 6 o’clock, she will then assume to be beaten every time dinner is still in the over when he arrives home. Because of this false perception, she is left open to future abuse to no fault of her own. (Peterson, Maier, Seligman, 1993. pp.8.) Gelles (1976) explained his theory as to why women stay with their batterer in an article he published. His ideas in this article received wide publicity since that time. In the article, Gelles stated, â€Å"Three major factors influence the actions of abused wives. The less severe and less frequent the violence, the more a wife remains with her husband. Secondly, the more a wife was struck as a child by her parents, the more likely she is to remain with her abusive husband. Lastly, the fewer resources a wife has and the less power she has, the more likely she is to stay with her violent husband. In addition, external constraint influences the actions of abused wives.† (Pagelow, 1981. pp. 145) Of course, for any good battered woman defense to be brought into a murder trial, a battered woman needs to set herself up with the right lawyer to present her case to the judge. As attorney Michael G. Dowd stated about his experience with defending a battered woman, [â€Å"Before a battered woman could fight the battle for the hearts and minds of a jury she needed an advocate to present her story. Like a screenplay that needs a good director and the backing of a producer, a battered womans self defense case needed the vision of a lawyer to structure the case and a judge willing to let it be presented to the jury. An attorney or judge encumbered by prejudices about battered women would be an unlikely candidate to advance a defense that contradicted fundamental opinions about the existing social order. Even the unbiased might deny the reality of societal prejudice to absolve themselves of any responsibility for the violence these beliefs tolerated. Obviously the denial of such prejudice renders us powerless to correct an injustice that we cannot admit exists. Too little attention has been paid to the cases of women that were never presented in court, not because of a biased or ignorant judge but as the product of inaction or ignorance of the atto rney charged with her defense. These injustices surface, if at all, as the woman languishes in jail and becomes aware of what could have been done for her case.â€Å"] (Dowd, 1999.) It could be easy for any judge or lawyer to confuse the battered woman syndrome with being a disease because of the word â€Å"syndrome†. The word â€Å"syndrome† suggests that there is something wrong with the woman. If that were the case, then she would not be the victim. In fact, it is merely a syndrome that results from the battering itself. Once periodic beatings take place, there is a sense of imminent danger, and this is a key fact in any self defense case. Imminent does not refer to a specific period of time, however. This fear of danger is that the woman believes she could be beaten at any moment or anywhere. This belief in imminent danger further helps the self defense case. For example, if a woman is beaten repeatedly for years on end, she may feel the need to defend herself even at times when the abuse is not occurring at that exact moment. If she were to kill her husband in his sleep, a jury or a judge may say that it was unprovoked. However, the battered woman’s syndrome suggests that it is self defense because she is always in a state of fear from imminent danger. There is not a single moment of her life where she feels safe, yet she does not run to the police or tell anyone because she believes there is something wrong with her. (Dowd, 1999.) In the 1985 decision for People v. Torres, the judge wrote, [â€Å". . . It is the defendants state of mind and sense of fear which is critical to a justification defense. In this regard, proof of violent acts previously committed by the victim against the defendant as well as any evidence that the defendant was aware of specific prior violent acts by the victim upon third parties is admissible as bearing upon the reasonableness of the defendants apprehension of danger at the time of the encounter.†] The battered woman’s defense has caught the spotlight ever since it was first introduced in Ibn-Tamas v. United States. Since that time there have been hundreds of successful cases involving this defense. There are certain aspects to these cases, however, that differ significantly from abuse cases that do not result in the death of the batterer. First, cases involving deadly retaliation by the abused often contain alcohol abuse, death threats, threats with weapons, more severe beatings and sexual violence towards the woman or other family members. The actually homicide often takes place after an unusual incident, meaning that something was done by the male that was not in his usual repertoire of violence. He could do things like threaten the lives of their children, which would then lead to the woman saying â€Å"he’s never done that before†. This could prove to be a turning point because now the abuser has gone to other forms of abuse other than what she h as learned to live with. (Easteal, 1992. pp.3) Still with all of these studies done, there are many misconceptions and false beliefs about the battered woman’s syndrome. To combat these myths, a good defense team will enlist the help of an expert witness. Without the help of expert witnesses it would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to win a case of self-defense. The expert witnesses are able to paint a picture for the jury of exactly what a battered woman’s mind is like in order to help understand a battered woman’s thought process. It is extremely important for a judge to allow the testimony of an expert witness into these cases. In the instances where a judge has not allowed those testimonies, there have been numerous successful appeals of the original decision. (Easteal, 1992. pp. 5) Dr. Easteal sites one specific case in her article (1992) where the battered women defense was successful in gaining an acquittal for self defense. [â€Å"The Diaz Case 1985 (Blackman 1989, pp. 184-6): This case is particularly interesting since it exemplifies the increasing use of a self-defense plea in situations where, in traditional terms, there is no immediate sense of danger since the batterer is asleep (or passed out) at the time of the killing. Madelyns husband, a police officer, had committed numerous acts of violence, including sexual, upon her during their marriage. These included taking her out in the car in winter, making her undress and inviting a stranger to rape her in the backseat while he watched. The day preceding the killing, he had threatened their six-month-old daughter, holding a revolver at the babys head. He had never done this before. The next morning as he still slept, Madelyn left with the three children to go grocery shopping. Having forgotten money, she returned and opened the drawer where the money was kept. She picked up the gun that lay there and hearing a flashback of his voice as he had held the gun to the baby, she fired it twice at his sleeping body. Then she left, went shopping and bought items that he normally liked. Initially, she told investigators that the apartment had been broken into; three days later, she remembered what she had done and confessed. Madelyn was indicted for murder in the second degree, the highest murder charge in New York State. Ultimately, she was acquitted. The jury extended the definition of self-defense to include the circumstances Madelyn described. The jury, with the help of expert witnesses, was able to see that the threat of violence was psychologically imminent.†] (Easteal, 1992. pp. 6) The Diaz case is a perfect example of the battered woman defense at its full potential. The jury was able to view the imminent danger through the eyes of a battered woman rather than through the eyes of the average reasonable American. Therefore, the case for imminent danger was established. Secondly, this is a fantastic example of expert witnesses basically winning a case for the defense council. In a world where domestic violence often goes unnoticed by outsiders, it is important for society to keep an open mind to those who suffer from the battered woman’s syndrome. When this case is presented as self-defense, it can often be seen as a farce and be met with many myths and misconceptions by judges, juries, and prosecution teams alike. However, with the help of expert witnesses to establish the meaning of imminent danger to a battered woman, juries can more likely be swayed to the side of the defense. There is no doubt that the battering of women is a serious issue that can often time result in a deadly backlash, and unfortunately it is often that the batterer had what was coming to him. Society can only expect a woman to take so much abuse with a closed mouth before she finally snaps, and often times homicide is the only answer. However, the battered woman syndrome can prove to be a very reasonable cause for a justifiable homicide by reason of self-defense. References Dowd, M.G. (1999). The Battered Womans Defense Its History and Future. Retrieved April 9th, 2007, from Find Law. Website: http://library.findlaw.com/1999/Dec/1/130513.html Easteal, Dr. P. (1992). Battered Women Who Kill: A Plea of Self- Defense. Retrieved April 9th, 2007, from JSTOR. Website: aic.gov.au/publications/proceedings/16/Easteal1.pdf Muraskin, R. (2007). It’s a Crime: Women and Justice. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. Pagelow, M.D. (1981). Woman-Battering: Victims and Their Experiences. Beverly Hills, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. Peterson, C., Maier, S.F., Seligman, M.E.P. (1993). Learned Helplessness: A Theory for the Ages of Personal Control. New York: Oxford University Press. Reutter, M. (2005). Battered Women Who Kill in Non-Beating Situation Have Self Defense Right. Retrieved April 9th, 2007, from New Bureau. Website: news.uiuc.edu/news/05/0815women.html Research Papers on Battered Woman’s SyndromeUnreasonable Searches and Seizures19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraCapital PunishmentThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationPETSTEL analysis of IndiaEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyMind TravelQuebec and CanadaWhere Wild and West Meet