First Documentary Essay Example for Free

First Documentary Essay Robert Flaherty’s classic film tells the story of Inuit hunter Nanook and his family as they struggle to survive in the harsh conditions of Canada’s Hudson Bay region. I’d say that the vast majority of footage is staged, in the sense that Flaherty told the actors what to do in order to fit the frame. Yet there is a weird authenticity to what Flaherty ends up with, probably because of all the stories and local culture he had absorbed in the months preceding. Flaherty’s aim was to document a way of life, not a series of incidents that happened to occur while his camera was on. He represents his subject to the audience, portraying staged events as real but on the other hand, the theme is the battle of humans against nature and the fight for survival in a hostile environment. Although the film is only showing a few people, it can be seen as an exploration of the world of a different people and their culture. Much of the action was staged and gives an inaccurate view of real Inuit life during the early 20th century. Nanook was in fact named Allakariallak, for instance, while the wife shown in the film was not really his wife. And although Allakariallak normally used a gun when hunting, Flaherty encouraged him to hunt after the fashion of his ancestors in order to capture what was believed to be the way the Inuit lived before European influence. The most impressive characteristic in his way of filming is how he spent a few months in the Arctic to record the daily life of the Eskimo, Nanook and his family on camera (the hunting, fishing, building of igloos, fur-trading, child care, and the sleigh-dogs). Its dramaturgic and narrative sophistication is by showing the daily life of Nanook and his family, Flaherty avoids a reserved or distanced position from the protagonists and allows for the audience to identify with them, although they are exotic primitives, Flaherty’s Eskimos are acting subject, no ethnographical objects . Additionally, Flaherty did not show any signs of the clumsiness of a beginner in his cinematographic abilities. Not only did he know how to take good pictures, he also knew how to tell stories with them. He used long takes mainly, which are realized by a motionless position of the camera (with only a few pans) and the action is caught mainly using a medium close-up distance of framing. Like his models, Flaherty used a linear narrative in chronological order, mostly unedited and story-lines are not resolved. Also, following their fashion, he used dramatic effects by restricting the view with the camera to create suspense; by letting pictures run through the frame slowly, disclosing their meaning and purpose only gradually. A good example for this is the opening sequence, introducing the dramatis personae: Nanook and his family, Nyla, his wife with the youngest baby on her arms, the children Allee, Cunayou, and Comock, and the husky. This way of filming expresses the exploration of the world of a different people and their culture. We see the hunters creeping inch by inch upon a herd of slumbering walruses, and then Nanook springing up and harpooning one, and then a fierce struggle in which the mate of the walrus joins the battle. Such scenes simplify Inuit life to its most basic reality. In this land the only food comes from other animals, which must be hunted and killed. Everything the family uses; its food, fuel, clothing and tools, comes in some way from those animals, except for the knives and perhaps harpoon points, which they obtain at a trading post. The effects created here is the fact that a lot of the action in Nanook was initiated by the Eskimos themselves, such as the walrus hunt. This becomes clear during the take in which a fur-trader attempts to entertain Nanook with a gramophone. Nanook plays the simple-minded wild man who uses his teeth to check how the white man conserves his voice on a record. The other example, is during the he construction of an igloo. Nanook and his friends carve big blocks of snow and stack them in a circle, carving new ones from the floor so that it sinks as the walls rise and curve inward to form a dome. Then he finds sheets of ice, cuts holes in the igloo walls, and inserts the ice to make windows. There is another igloo, a smaller one, for the dogs. And inside the big igloo, the tiniest igloo of all, for puppies, which the big dogs would quickly eat. Conclusions Although the story of Nanook’s family is unscripted, Flaherty approached them with a preconceived idea of what he would film. Accounting for decisions about what would and would not be filmed, the notion that he has captured real life becomes vague. The Eskimos look directly at the camera, aware that they are being filmed. Flaherty even brought film processing equipment with him, so he could develop and view the reels as he shot them. The Eskimos viewed the reels as well and understood what was going on. Furthermore, Flaherty intended to create a feature film, as features were popular in theaters at the time. He included aspects of features in his work such as dramatic narrative, characters with personalities, conflicts and resolutions. At 79 minutes, it was considered feature length at the time. He simply chose to use unscripted, uncostumed non-actors in a natural setting. References Robert Flaherty. Nanook of the North: A story of life and love in the actual arctic.

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Wernekink commissure syndrome secondary to ischemic stroke: severe dysarthria is one of the main characteristics of this syndrome Introduction Pure midbrain infarctions are relatively rare. Several midbrain syndromes such as Weber’s, Claude’s and Benedikt’s syndrome had been described extensively before. Because of its rarity, clinicians do not frequently confront Wernekink commissure syndrome, but it is one of the midbrain syndromes. Wernekink commissure involves the decussation of dentatorubrothalamic pathway, which provides cerebrocerebellum connections through superior cerebellar peduncle in midbrain. Its main characteristics are bilateral cerebellar dysfunction, occasional oculomotor signs including internuclear ophtalmoplegia or palatal tremor [1-3]. We report a case of a patient with Wernekink commissure syndrome due to focal infarction in the caudal paramedian midbrain presenting with anarthria and bilateral cerebellar ataxia. Case Report A 62-year-old male current smoker was admitted to stroke unit in our hospital because of sudden onset dizziness, impaired speech and gait disturbance. He could barely walk without assistance. On admission day, his vital signs were normal except a blood pressure of 162/94 mmHg. He was alert and not dysphasic but his pronunciation was markedly slurred. He could not pronounce a single syllable. The extraocular movements were full, but he showed saccadic pursuit in all directions. Upbeating nystagmus appeared when he gazed upward. All limb extremities showed Medical Research Council (MRC) Grade 5 motor power and sensory examinations did not reveal any abnormality. Motor incoordinations were detected with finger-to-nose, heel-to-shin and rapid alternating movement test on both sides, the le... ...in the adult]. Revue neurologique 98 (6):435-477 3. Liu H, Qiao L, He Z (2012) Wernekink commissure syndrome: a rare midbrain syndrome. Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology 33 (6):1419-1421. doi:10.1007/s10072-012-0966-4 4. Mossuto-Agatiello L (2006) Caudal paramedian midbrain syndrome. Neurology 66 (11):1668-1671. doi:10.1212/01.wnl.0000218180.03127.11 5. Zhu Y, Liu HN, Zhang CD (2010) Wernekinck commissure syndrome is a pure midbrain infarction. Journal of clinical neuroscience : official journal of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia 17 (8):1091-1092. doi:10.1016/j.jocn.2009.11.032 Figure Legend Fig.1. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance image (MRI) showed diffusion restriction located in the paramedian midbrain (arrowheads).

Organized Crime Exam 2 Study Guide

Exam Review 3/28/13 10:32 AM Rockefeller and Standard Oil (2) Proliferation of organized crime caused by: †¢ Collapse of Soviet Union †¢ Explosion of global markets Primary businesses †¢ Drugs †¢ Arms †¢ Human Trafficking – 3rd largest growing criminal industry o Article Handed out – On Test o 2 Components ? Labor ? Sex Trafficking o 1/3 of human trafficking resources come from craigslist Globalization and nexus of terrorism, differences from org crime †¢ Terrorism is inherently an organization that destroys politics, organized crime nurtures and infiltrates politics.Terr subvert government, org crime wants to maintain and run a parallel organiztion Where organized crime groups thrive †¢ Tri-border coiuntries – ability to cross, human trafficking, etc. Al Queda †¢ Using La Comorra to forge documents 3 different types of traditional organized crime †¢ Sicilian †¢ La Comorra from Sp prisons †¢ L’Ndranga? Popular in Australia and Canada, origin in slums of Collabria, Italy 4 types †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ of terrorism Criminal – profit, psychological gain EcoterroristsIdeological terrorism – effort to change political power. Mubarak in Egypt Nationalistic terrorism – terr activity that supports the interest of an ethnic or ____ group EX Afghanistan †¢ State sponsored terrorism – state threaten to use violence internationally, N KOREA Theories behind org crime †¢ Anomie – normlessness by Angle Durkheim. Robert Murton picked up on that theory. Break down his concept into GOALS and MEANS. 5 Categories of ppl o Conformity o Innovation o Ritualism o Retreatism o RebellionEdwin Sutherland Theory of_____ †¢ Close, intimate personal groups teach you mechanics and justification for criminal behavior Shawn McCay †¢ Concentric circles, Zone 2 the Zone of transition, where most crim activity is identified Theory of Olin – theo ry of relative deprivation and differential opportunity †¢ 3 categories o Retreat o Conflict o Criminal Ethnic succession concept Motorcycle Gangs †¢ 1%ers †¢ Probate, Citizen, Run, Colors, Significance of Harley Davidson repair manual †¢ 4 most notorious gangs †¢ Who Sonny Barger isLatino Organized Crime †¢ Columbia – world’s primary cocaine industry. o Political strife, civil war between wealthy landowners la Valencia o Castro overthrows Batista, how many narcotraffickers settle in N America o How Columbians began to export cocaine to Cuba, but eventually Cuba becomes their own organization o Medallin – first significant Columbian Cartel (Criminal Network resembling a holding company or corporation). Ocha family, primary family in the medallin cartel. ? Pablo Escobar – 1970s nothing but a drug dealer.By 1980s, emerged to such power that he attempted to engotaiot with Columbian govt to forego xtradition. They refused, he con tinues to promote drug organizeiton until he was assassinated o Followed by Cali Cartel ? Elmhurst Jackson Heights in Queens NY – little Columbia ? The Rejula brothers founded it. Incarcerated †¢ Mexico o PRI rule mexico for 70 years. Taken over by opposition party under Vicente fox †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ o Drug trafficking – initially working with Columbians, ****For every 2kilos brought in, Columbians gave 1 free**** Eventually Mexicans establish their own contacts – grow a majority of cocaine in Bolivia and peru, operate independently of Columbia o Amazucas Cartel – distinct notoriety in Methamohetamine o Sonola Cotel – Gusman/El Chapo / Shorty – mentioned in an ARTICLE ? How most powerful drug traffickers run their business o Tijuana Cartel – borders San Diego. ? Operated by 7 brothers, 4 sisters. o Sonora Cartel – borders Arizona Dominican Republic o Notorious transshipment point o Uptown manhattan pa rt of Washington Heights Known for moving large amts of heroin and crack cocaine v powder coke MS13 o El Salvador formed o Notoriously violent in el Salvador and N America La M o Prison based gang o Rely on wholesale violence o Now rivals a second Mexican-American Gang LA NUESTRA FAMILIA o Mexican Mafia still fueds with them o Primary business since it was formed in prisons is providing heroin in the Mexican prison system ARTICLE A JOURNEY INTO HELL – Not on test ***** 3/28/13 10:32 AM 3/28/13 10:32 AM Organized Crime Exam 2 Study Guide Exam Review 3/28/13 10:32 AM Rockefeller and Standard Oil (2) Proliferation of organized crime caused by: †¢ Collapse of Soviet Union †¢ Explosion of global markets Primary businesses †¢ Drugs †¢ Arms †¢ Human Trafficking – 3rd largest growing criminal industry o Article Handed out – On Test o 2 Components ? Labor ? Sex Trafficking o 1/3 of human trafficking resources come from craigslist Globalization and nexus of terrorism, differences from org crime †¢ Terrorism is inherently an organization that destroys politics, organized crime nurtures and infiltrates politics.Terr subvert government, org crime wants to maintain and run a parallel organiztion Where organized crime groups thrive †¢ Tri-border coiuntries – ability to cross, human trafficking, etc. Al Queda †¢ Using La Comorra to forge documents 3 different types of traditional organized crime †¢ Sicilian †¢ La Comorra from Sp prisons †¢ L’Ndranga? Popular in Australia and Canada, origin in slums of Collabria, Italy 4 types †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ of terrorism Criminal – profit, psychological gain EcoterroristsIdeological terrorism – effort to change political power. Mubarak in Egypt Nationalistic terrorism – terr activity that supports the interest of an ethnic or ____ group EX Afghanistan †¢ State sponsored terrorism – state threaten to use violence internationally, N KOREA Theories behind org crime †¢ Anomie – normlessness by Angle Durkheim. Robert Murton picked up on that theory. Break down his concept into GOALS and MEANS. 5 Categories of ppl o Conformity o Innovation o Ritualism o Retreatism o RebellionEdwin Sutherland Theory of_____ †¢ Close, intimate personal groups teach you mechanics and justification for criminal behavior Shawn McCay †¢ Concentric circles, Zone 2 the Zone of transition, where most crim activity is identified Theory of Olin – theo ry of relative deprivation and differential opportunity †¢ 3 categories o Retreat o Conflict o Criminal Ethnic succession concept Motorcycle Gangs †¢ 1%ers †¢ Probate, Citizen, Run, Colors, Significance of Harley Davidson repair manual †¢ 4 most notorious gangs †¢ Who Sonny Barger isLatino Organized Crime †¢ Columbia – world’s primary cocaine industry. o Political strife, civil war between wealthy landowners la Valencia o Castro overthrows Batista, how many narcotraffickers settle in N America o How Columbians began to export cocaine to Cuba, but eventually Cuba becomes their own organization o Medallin – first significant Columbian Cartel (Criminal Network resembling a holding company or corporation). Ocha family, primary family in the medallin cartel. ? Pablo Escobar – 1970s nothing but a drug dealer.By 1980s, emerged to such power that he attempted to engotaiot with Columbian govt to forego xtradition. They refused, he con tinues to promote drug organizeiton until he was assassinated o Followed by Cali Cartel ? Elmhurst Jackson Heights in Queens NY – little Columbia ? The Rejula brothers founded it. Incarcerated †¢ Mexico o PRI rule mexico for 70 years. Taken over by opposition party under Vicente fox †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ o Drug trafficking – initially working with Columbians, ****For every 2kilos brought in, Columbians gave 1 free**** Eventually Mexicans establish their own contacts – grow a majority of cocaine in Bolivia and peru, operate independently of Columbia o Amazucas Cartel – distinct notoriety in Methamohetamine o Sonola Cotel – Gusman/El Chapo / Shorty – mentioned in an ARTICLE ? How most powerful drug traffickers run their business o Tijuana Cartel – borders San Diego. ? Operated by 7 brothers, 4 sisters. o Sonora Cartel – borders Arizona Dominican Republic o Notorious transshipment point o Uptown manhattan pa rt of Washington Heights Known for moving large amts of heroin and crack cocaine v powder coke MS13 o El Salvador formed o Notoriously violent in el Salvador and N America La M o Prison based gang o Rely on wholesale violence o Now rivals a second Mexican-American Gang LA NUESTRA FAMILIA o Mexican Mafia still fueds with them o Primary business since it was formed in prisons is providing heroin in the Mexican prison system ARTICLE A JOURNEY INTO HELL – Not on test ***** 3/28/13 10:32 AM 3/28/13 10:32 AM

British Poor Law Reform in the Industrial Revolution

One of the most infamous British laws of the modern age was the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834. It was designed to deal with the rising costs of poor relief, and reform a system from the Elizabethan era unable to cope with the urbanization and industrialization of the Industrial Revolution (more on coal, iron, steam) by sending all able-bodied people in need of poor relief into workhouses where conditions were deliberately harsh. The State of Poverty Relief Before the Nineteenth Century The treatment of the poor in Britain before the major nineteenth-century laws depended on a large element of charity. The middle class paid a Parish poor rate and often saw the increasing poverty of the era merely as a financial worry. They often wanted the cheapest, or most cost-effective, way of treating the poor. There was little engagement with the causes of poverty, which ranged from illness, poor education, disease, disability, underemployment, and poor transport preventing movement to regions with more jobs, to economic changes which removed domestic industry and agricultural changes which left many without jobs. Poor harvests caused grain prices to rise, and high housing prices led to greater debt. Instead, Britain largely viewed the poor as one of two types. The ‘deserving’ poor, those who were old, handicapped, infirm or too young to work, were considered blameless as they obviously couldn’t work, and their numbers stayed more or less even across the eighteenth century. On the other hand, the able-bodied who were without work were considered ‘undeserving’ poor, thought of as lazy drunkards who could have got a job if they needed one. People simply didn’t realize at this point how the changing economy could affect workers. Poverty was also feared. Some worried about deprivation, those in charge worried about the increase in expenditure needed to deal with them, as well as a widely perceived threat of revolution and anarchy. Legal Developments Before the Nineteenth Century The great Elizabethan Poor Law Act was passed at the start of the seventeenth century. This was designed to fit the needs of the static, rural English society of the time, not that of the industrializing centuries afterward. A poor rate was levied to pay for the poor, and the parish was the unit of administration. Unpaid, local Justices of the Peace administered the relief, which was supplemented by local charity. The act was motivated by the need to secure public order. Outdoor relief – giving money or supplies to people on the street – was coupled with indoor relief, where people had to enter a ‘Workhouse’ or similar ‘correctional’ facility, where everything they did was tightly controlled. The 1662 Act of Settlement acted to cover up a loophole in the system, under which parishes were shipping sick and destitute people into other areas. Now you could only receive relief in your area of birth, marriage or long-term living. A certificate was produced, and the poor had to present this if they moved, to say where they came from, impinging on freedom of labor movement. A 1722 act made it easier to set up workhouses into which to funnel your poor, and provided an early ‘test’ to see if people should be forced in. Sixty years later more laws made it cheaper to create a workhouse, allowing parishes to team up to create one. Although the workhouses were meant for the able-bodied, at this point it was mainly the infirm that were sent to them. However, the Act of 1796 removed the 1722 workhouse act when it became clear a period of mass unemployment would fill the workhouses. The Old Poor Law The result was the absence of a real system. As everything was based on the parish, there was a huge amount of regional diversity. Some areas used mainly outdoor relief, some provided work for the poor, others used workhouses. Substantial power over the poor was given to local people, who ranged from honest and interested to dishonest and bigoted. The whole poor law system was unaccountable and unprofessional. Forms of relief could include each rate payer agreeing to support a certain number of workers – depending on their poor rate assessment — or just paying wages. The ‘rounds’ system saw laborers sent round the parish until they found work. An allowance system, where food or money was given out to people on a sliding scale according to family size, was used in some areas, but this was believed to encourage idleness and poor fiscal policy among the (potentially) poor. The Speenhamland System was created in 1795 in Berkshire. A stop-gap system to stave off mass destitution, it was created by the magistrates of Speen and quickly adopted around England. Their motivation was a set of crises which occurred in the 1790s: rising population, enclosure, wartime prices, bad harvests, and fear of a British French Revolution. The results of these systems were that farmers kept wages down as the parish would make up the shortfall, effectively giving employers relief as well as the poor. While many were saved from starvation, others were degraded by doing their work but still needing poor relief to make their earnings economically viable. The Push to Reform Poverty was far from a new problem when steps were taken to reform the poor law in the nineteenth century, but the industrial revolution had changed the way poverty was viewed, and the impact it had. The rapid growth of dense urban areas with their problems of public health, housing, crime, and poverty was clearly not suited to the old system. One pressure to reform the poor relief system came from the rising cost of the poor rate which rapidly increased. Poor-rate payers began to see poor relief as a financial problem, not fully understanding the effects of war, and poor relief grew to 2% of the Gross National Income. This difficulty was not spread evenly over England, and the depressed south, near London, was hit hardest. In addition, influential people were beginning to see the poor law as out of date, wasteful, and a threat to both the economy and the free movement of labor, as well as encouraging large families, idleness, and drinking. The Swing Riots of 1830 further encouraged demands for new, harsher, measures on the poor. The Poor Law Report of 1834 Parliamentary commissions in 1817 and 1824 had criticized the old system  but offered no alternatives. In 1834 this changed with the creation of the Royal Commission of Edwin Chadwick and Nassau Senior, men who wanted to reform the poor law on a utilitarian basis. Critical of amateur organization and desirous for greater uniformity, they aimed for the ‘greatest happiness for the greatest number.’ The resulting Poor Law Report of 1834 had is widely regarded as a classic text in social history. The commission sent out questionnaires to over 15,000 parishes and only heard back from around 10%. Then they send assistant commissioners to roughly a third of all poor law authorities. They were not seeking to end the causes of poverty – it was considered inevitable, and necessary for cheap labor – but to change how the poor was treated. The result was an attack on the old poor law, saying it was costly, badly run, out of date, too regionalized and encouraged indolence and vice. The suggested alternative was the strict implementation of Bentham’s pain-pleasure principle: the destitute would have to balance the pain of the workhouse against getting a job. Relief would be given for the able-bodied only in the workhouse, and abolished outside it, while the state of the workhouse should be lower than that of the poorest, but still employed, laborer. This was ‘less eligibility’. The 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act A direct response to the 1834 report, the PLAA created a new central body to oversee poor law, with Chadwick as secretary. They sent out assistant commissioners to oversee the creation of workhouses and the implementation of the act. Parishes were grouped into unions for better administration – 13,427 parishes into 573 unions – and each had a board of guardians elected by ratepayers. Less eligibility was accepted as a key idea, but outdoor relief for the able-bodied wasn’t abolished after political opposition. New workhouses were built for them, at the expense of the parishes, and a paid matron and master would be in charge of the difficult balance of keeping workhouse life lower than paid labor, but still humane. As the able-bodied could often get outdoor relief, the workhouses filled with the sick and old. It took until 1868 for the entire country to be unionized, but the boards worked hard to provide efficient and occasionally humane services, despite sometimes difficult agglomerations of parishes. Salaried officials replaced volunteers, providing a major development in local government services and the collection of other information for policy changes (e.g. Chadwick’s use of the poor law health officers to reform public health legislation). Education of poor children was begun inside. There was opposition, such as the politician who referred to it as the â€Å"starvation and infanticide act†, and several locations saw violence. However, opposition gradually declined as the economy improved, and after the system became more flexible when Chadwick was removed from power in 1841. Workhouses tended to swing from nearly empty to full depending on the bouts of periodic unemployment, and the conditions depended on the generosity of the staff working there. The events in Andover, which caused a scandal for the poor treatment, were unusual rather than typical, but a select committee was created in 1846 which created a new Poor Law Board with a president who sat in parliament. Criticism of the Act The evidence of the commissioners has been called into question. The poor rate was not necessarily higher in areas making large-scale use of the Speenhamland system and their judgments on what caused poverty were wrong. The idea that high birth rates were connected to allowance systems is now also largely rejected. Poor rate expenditure was already falling by 1818, and the Speenhamland system was able to mostly disappear by 1834, but this was ignored. The nature of unemployment in industrial areas, created by the cyclical employment cycle, was also misidentified. There was criticism at the time, from campaigners who highlighted the inhumanity of the workhouses, to Justices of the Peace upset they had lost power, to radicals concerned with civil liberties. But the act was the first national, monitored central government program for poor relief. Outcome The basic demands of the act weren’t being properly implemented by the 1840s, and in the 1860s the unemployment caused by the American Civil War and the collapse of cotton supplies led to outdoor relief returning. People began to look at the causes of poverty, rather than simply reacting to ideas of unemployment and allowance systems. Ultimately, while the costs of poor relief initially fell, much of this was due to the return of peace in Europe, and the rate rose again as the population rose.