Analysis of Jewish Messianism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Analysis of Jewish Messianism - Essay Example The messianic concept of the Christians believed Jesus to be a messiah or the Son of God. In Christianity, Daniel prophesied that a messiah would come to rebuild the Promised Land and bring peace to Israel by defeating the wicked. The Messiah would be the Son of Man and a descendant of King David and he would redeem the Holy Land from the Philistines. The hope of such a messiah can be traced in the history of the people of Israel. The main difference in the messianic concepts of Judaism and Christianity lies in the fact that in Christianity, Jesus, the Messiah, suffers for the sins of man and has to die to redeem humanity and reconcile it to God’s righteousness. In Jewish messianic beliefs, the Messiah is the upholder of God’s justice and His supremacy. The other point of difference is that unlike Christianity, Judaism does not believe in the resurrection. The traditional belief amongst the Christians that the Messiah must suffer and die for the cause of humanity is not resonated in the Jewish faith. Also, the spread of Christianity and the retaliation reeked by the Romans led the Jews to be skeptical of messiahs. The arrival of the Messiah is a belief that Jews hold very dear and await God’s benediction by following a path of intense piety and puritanical rules. To the Jews, the anointed messiah would bring the world back to God’s ways, restore the religious courts of justice, gather all the exiled under the fold of the holy land, restore the line of David, and so on. When Jesus was unable to realize all these expectations, the concept of Messianism in Christianity changed from being another Jewish messianic sect to a completely new religion.  Ã‚  

A look into history Essay Example for Free

A look into history Essay What would constitute a period in history called a â€Å"Golden Age†? Would the prosperity seen and felt by people make the description adequate? Would a greater sense of freedom in the regions of the world fit the description? How can we describe a â€Å"Golden Age†? In the years of the so-called â€Å"Golden Era†, from 1950-1973, the world saw an unprecedented rise in term of growth, with global averages reaching 4. 9 percent in the period of national Keynesianism (Monthly Review). This period, however, was not an isolated one (Institute of Industrial Relations). The period with the highest national growth rate, from 1935-1950, after an expansion in the previous economic period, 1918-1935, the distance between the two ends of the income distribution became smaller (IRI). Families of workers tried to adjust the loss of distance from the black community by downsizing in terms of number of additions to the family and the use of utilities (IRI). But in order for us to fully grasp the meaning why this period in time is called the Golden Age, we have to frame it beside two other growth periods, one before the age and the one just after it. It must be also noted if there were changes in the period that contributed to the growth of the succeeding growth periods. Before the Golden Age Families in the United States used to see how they have progressed through the years by taking a peek at their family albums, remembering the early years of their parents hard life (Bob Davis David Wessel). During the years of the Age, almost every tier of American life had been extended the benefit of a upbeat and climbing standard of living (Davis Wessel). But again, we must peek farther than the time before this period of unprecedented growth. In the past two centuries the world has seen an era of unhampered growth (Bart van Ark). In the years between 1820 and 1997, the gross domestic product around the world rose at around 2. 2 percent on the average (van Ark). This growth rate was around seven times the growth the world experienced from the preceding period, from 1500to 1820 (van Ark). But as time wore on, the disparity between the recipients of that high growth rate become more and more separated (van Ark). The worlds growth rate accelerated in 1870, and again at the beginning of the Golden Age, in 1950 (van Ark). Since the growth of the worlds economy grew in that time frame, it is not ti be understood that everyone benefited from that growth in equal shares (van Ark). Great Britain, one of the leading powers during the era, learned very well from the lessons of the founder of the capitalist system, Adam Smith (Robert L. Bartley). Smith blieved that raising the economic bar could only be done by practising free and open market principles, that traders and merchants interacting with the consumers will lead to a better share of the economic benefits (Bartley). Agnus Maddison, widely regarded as one of the premier authorities on long-term growth, gives us some insights into the growth engines at the time (Daniel Ben-Ami). In his studies, Maddison points to the year 1820 as one the more impotant inflection periods in the study of the worlds growth (Bartley). Global GDP per capita hadd increased from $420 dollars (1990 value) to about $545 by about the year 1820 (Bartley). The period of 1913-1950 would probably be the most interesting sections of the years before the Golden Age. This period embraces the events of two world wars, the Great Depression, the economic upswing in the 1920s (Bhanoji Rao), and one of the greatest political and bloody historical events in the modern era, the Bolshevik Revolution (Irma Adelman). Both World War one and two reversed the trends for the unrestrained movement of goods, money and migration of people (Rao). But in developing nations, the effects of these events were not felt as much, thus mirroring the differing aspects of the Wars and the Depression (Rao). In the aftermath of the war, large influential movements had espoused the needs for reform, and the captains in the capitalist end of the world were afraid of a return to the time of the Depression (Crotty). What should be seen however in this time before and after the Industrial Revolution was not the disparity in growth rates (Adelman). What was evident during this time was the degree that events bought leading to worldwide economic insecurity and to the global economic framework as a a whole (Adelman). The initiatives aimed at halting the transfer of the economic downturn led to the adoption of very strict global trading and payment methods (Adelman). As the initiatives took hold, tariffs and other quantity restrictions were soon implemented (Adelman). Tight constraints were implemented for the regulation on the movement of workers and capital (Adelman). The value of many currencies tended to be overvalued (Adelman). Rampant and widespread inflation led to the collapse of international payments (Adelman). This development led to the adoption of extreme government concern as to the stability of prices and foreign exchange as it relates to the level of unemployment (Adelman). Shifting to the Golden Era The march toward the golden age of the worlds growth had been marked by a shift from a market-driven and guided economy to one that was basically a government managed type (James Crotty). The era of the Golden age can be characterized by one of swift and widely distributed growth, having for its foundations an increase of control over quality of the markets dictated by the market and vented through the state (Crotty). Rather than a time of markets being centralized, it was a time rather of the markets being embedded in the society, the state rather than an enforcer taking on the role of a guide (Crotty). Agnus Maddison calculated that the worlds GDP rose to an average of 2. 9 percent, hitting 3. 9 percent in Europe and about 8 percent in the European continent (Bartley). The Second World War had spawned a time of demand that was pent -up during the time of the war, as capital and infrastructure was totally wiped out in Japan and on the Continent (Adelman). The command type of economy that was installed during the war, quickly gave way to the reinstitution of the usual framework of capitalism (Adelman). A great aid in the redevelopment of devastated Europe to get the continent up on its feet was the Marshall Plan (Adelman). With this Plan in place, the capital needs and infrastructure needed to jumpstart the economies of Europe were set in motion (Adelman). It was during this time, as stated earlier, that the world was experiencing a high degree of growth (Ben-Ami). In Japan, the Golden Age and the following decades after, the land of the rising sun was identified with the traits of efficiency and the highest levels of manufacturing standards (Terutomo Ozawa). This was exemplified by the low cost in the production of their automobiles nd electronic products (Ozawa). In Europe, the road to recovery was much simpler (Barry Eichengreen). Europe at the time underwent an almost complete transformation in the way they conducted their lives. In the middle of the century, Europes households had heat from burning coal, kept their food fresh with ice, and had no semblance even of basic plumbing. At present, they have gas-fired furnaces for heating, refrigerators to keep their food stuffs, and an endless number of electronic items that will make one dizzy. Incomes of an average European nearly went to three times their value by the turn of the century (Eichengreen). Also, working conditions and hours steadily improved, as time at work was reduced by at least a third, giving a boost to the leisure time of Europeans (Eichengreen). An upswing in the rates of the life expectancy in Europes residents was enhanced by new technological discoveries in health accompanied by a parallel advances in nutrition (Eichengreen). But all was not a pretty picture, as one would think. Levels of the ranks of the unemployed rose. Taxes levied on the people increased. The effects of the destruction of the environment, state repression and consumer spending limits were the order of the day under Eastern Europeans repressive regimes dominated that part of Europe for the next for decades following World War 2 (Eichengreen). But what made the road to recovery relatively easy for Europe? Europe, for its part, didnt have to plan anything new for its rebuilding; it just simply rebuilt. Europe just had to rebuild the damaged or destroyed infrastructure, reinvesting in its capital stock, and redeploying the men that were in the war effort to jobs in peacetime efforts (Eichengreen). This â€Å"catch-up† mentality had demonstrated itself in the utilization of technologies that were not yet in the pipeline, so to speak (Eichengreen). These were the technologies that were developed in the period between the wars, and were used by Europe to sustain its economic juggernaut (Eichengreen). But in the 1930s and 40s, Europe was thrown into an atmosphere of a depressed investment environment (Eichengreen). It was in this period that the United States gained a bit of a headway against their European counterparts. The Americans had outpaced Europe in terms of overall production and levels of productivity. By using the Americans technology, under license, adopting their business philosophies of American mass-production and personnel management, Europe could close the gap on the Americans. Hence was born the concept of â€Å"convergence†, fusing the levels of per capita income and levels of productivity to that of the United States (Eichengreen). But in the generation of wealth, particularly in the aspect of its distribution, not all of Europe could say that they were given an equal share of the pie, so to speak. For example, the northern parts of Europe were gaining faster than their southern counterparts. The same trend went for Western Europe, outpacing Eastern Europe. Eastern Europes woes came a failure of the central planning strategy that was common in the authoritarian governments that dominated that part of the continent. Though these are also important features of the Golden Age in Europe, nevertheless the period marked an era of expanded growth and change on the continent (Eichengreen). The economic machine of the Japanese economy, after the brilliant star of its economic achievements faded, had gone from one that was admired to one that was dealt with indifference, even one thrown pity (Ozawa). This was bought about by the virtues of the Japanese to put into secure positions some of the political interests rather than focusing on the real problems that had dogged the nations economy (Ozawa). In its early steps to climb out of the destruction wrought upon it in the 2nd World War, Japan had adopted its industry to a road of industrial improvement, moving from low value industrial output, gradually moving up to higher levels of value-added goods (Ozawa). But as the years passed, Japan began to remove the protection it afforded to its industries, essentially preparing them for competition (Ozawa). These industries that were left unsheltered were the ones that are the reason for the current state of the Japanese economys morass (Ozawa). Most of the world had been under the Bretton Woods Agreement (Adelman). This agreement was instrumental to the reintroduction to the regime of fixed rate payments, all payments to be based on the value of the dollar (Adelman). This regime was supported by a number of international organizations with the goal of giving some form of flexibility and in the management of foreign exchange inconsistencies (Adelman). After the Golden Era, the period of another growth slowdown was about to rear its head. After the Bubble burst After the Bretton Woods agreement had collapsed and countries and adopted more flexible foreign exchange rates, coupled with the skyrocketing of the price of oil, all these led to the indication that the Golden era was officially over (Rao). This was the era of the â€Å"stagflation† that hit the world in the mid-1970s (Ben-Ami). The Bretton agreement had become quite inadequate in meeting the liquidity requirements of most nations (Adelman). When the agreement eventually broke down, the system was replaced by a unstable, fluctuating means of foreign exchange (Adelman). The currencies of many countries went through a period of devaluation against the American currency (Adelman). But this was only the precursor of the coming storm. Oil prices had tripled their price in 1974, cereals doubled their prices by 1973, and gold prices doubled in the years of 1971-1973 (Adelman). Other problems were beginning to crop up for the world as the age ended. According to the International Labor Organization in its 1995 report on world unemployment, does not dispute the fact the upswing in the worlds economic standing, but it also emphasizes that the world, after the Golden Era, witnessed its GDP cut in half, and the levels of unemployment had reached levels never before seen or to be even though of during the era (Canadian Auto Workers Union). For this reason, economists divide the era into two parts (CAW). The first 25 years at the turn of the century has been called the â€Å"Golden Era†, the second part is called â€Å"The Age of Permanent Insecurity† (CAW). The effects of the downturn were quite visible. Growth rates had been sliced in half, good jobs were the exception rather than the norm, wages did not go up, surpluses were wiped out and social programs introduced at the end of the golden age, were dismantled at a slow but steady pace (CAW). Within a generation, the rate of growth fell to half its previous level, unemployment rates doubled, and decent jobs became the exception. Real wages stopped growing, budget surpluses turned into chronic deficits, and social programs which were proudly introduced near the end of the first period were dismantled in the second slowly at first, but then at an accelerating pace (CAW). The labor market in Canada and other industrialized nations also took a hit, as the unemployment rates hit 9 percent in the latter part of the turn of the century, as compared to the 4. 5 percent average registered in the first half (CAW). In the United States, the Federal budget registered a budget surplus from 1946 to 1970 (CAW). In the years following the Golden Era, the Federal government has never once posted a budget surplus (CAW). The Federal government, for every dollar that it allots for programs, it pays about 63 cents of its earnings to pay for the interest of its debt (CAW). The period after the War was one of significant unheralded growth, born out of the combination of several factors (CAW). Among them was the combination of the development of emerging technologies tapped during the War, the retooling of the war time workplace to be reused for peacetime work, reconstruction of the war torn areas of Europe and in Japan, the demand held in check for so long after the Great Depression and the restraints bought on by the war, and the new found competitive situation that it has found with Communist states (CAW). The War had asked from the citizens a great amount of sacrifice, these sacrifices led to the demand for the upgrading for the peoples living conditions, equity and concerns for their security concerns (CAW). These concessions were won over by the labor movement from very jittery corporations (CAW). But how does this relate to the downturn of the Golden Era? After The Golden Era, what happened? The concessions that the workers had gained from the corporations had produced a contradiction for them (CAW). In the case of Japan and Europe, after they had reconstructed from the destruction of the war and had strengthened their economies, was building a contradictory effect for the corporations (CAW). Once the economies were put back on line, the competition of the industrialized countries again began once again on the uptake (CAW). This upswing of the economies of capitalist industries put some amount of pressure on the companies profits (CAW). The companies in turn tried all efforts to put up a hedge around their profits (CAW), which companies then transferred these pressures from competition on the workers themselves (CAW). Since the workers felt secure and bold enough to challenge any initiative to be pressured in the workplace, the companies transformed these workers from mainly being employees to consumers, increasing their prices to keep their profit margins (CAW). The workers, feeling the pinch of the higher prices, asked the companies for the increases in their wages to match the increases that the companies imposed (CAW). This initiated the cycle of price escalation (CAW). The price increases had a negative impact on the global competitiveness of the corporations (CAW). As a result of such developments, inflationary pressures set in (CAW). The companies had to find ways to stay viable while contending with the workers, who were becoming hindrances to the company in terms of supervision over the workplace. As such, the companies had to choose, between the companies insatiable drive for profit and the needs of the society and the workers, the workers and society lost (CAW). Here is the start of the end of the Golden Era, where the share of the wealth began to be hoarded, rather than shared. Works Cited Adelamn, Irma. The genesis of the current global system. http://are. berkeley. edu/~adelman/KEYNOTE. html van Ark, Bart. Accumulation, productivity and technology: measurement and analysis of long term economic growth. http://wzus. ask. com/r? t=pd=uss=ac=al=diro=0sv=0a30050bip=3d1c9a 4aid=A85DDAB8DCDAC466AE1809C654D7BF3Fq=%60Golden+Era%60%2C +from+1950- 1973p=2qs=0ac=24g=38d1%feF2ARgR3en=teio=6ep=eo=b=algb c=br=tp=dec=10pt=http%3A%2F%2Fccso. eldoc. ub. rug. nl%2FFILES%2Froot %2F1999%2F199908%2F199908. pdfex=tsrc%3Dtxtxurl=u=http://ccso. eldoc. u b. rug. nl/FILES/root/1999/199908/199908. pdf Bartley, Robert L. The future of economic freedom. 2000 October 16. http://www. heritage. org/Research/TradeandForeignAid/wm383. cfm Ben-Ami, Daniel. Ferraris for all. 2007 January 27. http://www. danielbenami. com/2007_01_01_ferrarisforall_archive. html Canadian Auto Workers. From False solutions to growing protest: recapturing the agenda. http://www. caw. ca/whatwedo/bargaining/cbpac/96highlights/96cawconvention1. asp Crotty, James. Trading state-led for market led stagnation: from the golden age to global neoliberalism. http://www. people. umass. edu/crotty/dymski-isn-ford. pdf Davis, Bob Wessel, David. The Golden Age: the rise of the American middle class. http://www-rohan. sdsu. edu/~rbutler/prosperity2. htm Eichengreen, Barry. The European Economy since 1945. The New York Times 2007 March 25. http://www. nytimes. com/2007/03/25/books/chapters/0325-1st- eich. html? pagewanted=all Monthly Review. Notes from the Editors. Monthly Review 2007 Septem

Evolution of the Office Worker Role

Evolution of the Office Worker Role Office is the place where people carry out the daily work of their businesses. All the work is done by the support of management policies and co-ordinate the role of various department and sections. Office is the most important part of the organization. Because office provides the base to the organization. It is where all the administrative work of the organization carried out. Employees can meet face to face, so they can enjoy professional and social interactions during their work. To do their work requires suitable environment and sophisticated technologies. Now in modern world due to the rapid growth of technologies significantly effected on office work place. As computers replace the typewriter, servers replaced the bulk files, punching machine/card machine replaces the huge register, email and voice mail eliminates stackable inbox and telephone massage slips and many more. In other word we can say that the technological inventions bring the evolution to the role of office workers. roles of office workers An over view of the past The locally oriented American economy of the early 1800s did not need offices as we know them today. Business was run then much as it had been run for half a millennium. Goods were made, transported, and sold. With the help of a few clerks, merchants ran their small companies as family businesses. (education, 1998) .As the article says in past days the organizations are too small and very difficult to maintain the administrative works. Because of the equipments and technologies used in those days. In those days office environment is not so flexible as today. Because in early days office means a secretary and a clerk. They will carry out their work in a small room. They will do all the works by hand. Eg: writing letters and documents through hand, keeping financial records in huge log books, to keep all business records in huge files. 2.2 factors enforcing to evolution In early 1800s the time offices were born they use very limited equipments and technologies in their work. They use typewriters as main equipment in office to carry out the administrative works like preparing documents and letters. But this type writer brings a lot more easer to do the work in the organizations and government offices. Because it is more suitable way to type a long business document rather than physically writing though the hands. Most of the organization started using it when the concept of scientific management developed in the 1880s. During these days most the clerical works are engaged with typewriters. And they are specialized in typing trough typewriters. Telephone brings an evolution to the way of communication. Since the telephone was first demonstrated in 1876, it has evolved into a vital communications tool, providing the gateway to the world of computer technology and information exchange. (education, office equipment, 1998). Business organization started using telephones to contact with their suppliers. It found more suitable way to send message than sending messages through hand or in mail. Facsimile or fax machine was invented in 1842. It sends a photocopy to another fax machine through telephone cable. It is highly used before email was invented 1843 to 1990. But in this present day also fax machine is use by some organizations. Computer is the most important equipment in the office today. It is hard to imagine conducting business without computers. Each day, millions of people working in offices and homes around the world depend on computer technology to do their jobs efficiently and economically. (office equipment, 1998). In each and every office environment we can see patterns of computers in all departments. But why? It has a valued reason because in present information age all the work office workers in every department is engaged with computer and computer softwares. And mostly all the modern technologies used in offices are under computer control. Eg: account department use special software to carry out their work, punching machine used in offices to mark the r egister of employs is linked with computers in hr department. Computer play biggest role in evolution of office work. When the internet and World Wide Web burst upon American since in the early 1990s, this new form of digital telecommunication forced me to rethink the relationship of information technologies to organization. (Foutain). Internet brings office work more easily done effectively. As it help to find more information about the business environment and competitors. And it helps to communicate throughout the world more easily and fastly at cheaper price. World Wide Web or internet is using in every organization today. Through web pages people can share the information to world. And anyone who wants to advertise the product can advertise through web pages. An email is web based mails through that allows sending files or message to anyone around the world from computer which is connected to the internet. Now in this present day most of the organizations depend on email to communicate with suppliers, customers and between departments. Punching machines is used in offices to maintain the registers of workers in office. Every worker need to place his or her fingerprint on that machine when he or she arrives to the office. So the machine will report to the hr departments computer through sophisticated software so hr people can recognize who are late to the office and who is not coming to office. Then hr manager can talk with employs who are repeating the same mistake. Due to the invention of punching machine it create a lot easier to human resource department. Because it eliminates the huge register which is manage physically by hand. In most offices of the 1990s, personal computers are linked to one other through internaland often externalnetworks. This networking allows employees to gather information from a vast array of outside sources (particularly the World Wide Web) and to share it quickly with their colleagues, outside business partners, and customers. (education, computer networks, 1998). Intranet or computer network in office is very common technology used in big organizations as to communicate between various departments. It is a privacy network which other outside users cant enter. It brings an easy and comfortable method of communication to the office workers. Global Vs local Globally most of the organizations are adept to new technologies and changes in their office environment as well as to the work. There are using the modern technologies to increase the work speed and to increase their productivity. Some international manufacturing companies have stated doing their own researches through research and development department by using modern technologies to invent new ways of production and new technologies. Nowadays the office environment also has been changed from privet cabins to the open floor in order to create a better environment where all the workers can enjoy social and professional interaction. As well as they can share ideas and knowledge. So it helps to new inventions and new ideas. Because of open office environment seems more equality as managers and CEOs are working with their staffs. So it helps managers to supervise and coordinate the works of staffs. The 1990s workplace has become lean and mean, opting for smaller and less private space s and more powerful, versatile technology. The walls are tumbling down: Managers and even some CEOs who once presided over their employees in large, private, wood-paneled offices have moved onto the floor, joining their subordinates in a maze of cubicles meant to foster equality, increased communication, and teamwork. (education, offices today, 1998). Due to the evolution of office work Maldivian organizations also have been started using the modern sophisticated technologies. In order to find the easiest ways to the workers, and increase their productivity. Most of the privet offices are using latest technologies like punching machines as a register and CCTV cameras as security systems and much modern softwares to do the administrative works. The new government of Maldives is also implementing modern technologies to the government offices. And the president also advising to use modern sophisticated technologies which are more environments friendly. conclusion Technologies will change as the world is going on at the same time the role of office workers will change and it will be much more easily in future than technologies which we are experiencing today. When we are talking about the modern technologies mean time we have to think about changes and new ways to do works. In other words we can say try to innovate our selfs. We have to get experience from old technologies and try to develop new ones.

Admissions Essay: Facing Tragedy -- Medicine College Admissions Essays

Admissions Essay: Facing Tragedy    On January 26th, 2001 a major earthquake rocked the state with a measured severity of 6.9 on the Richter scale. During my travels throughout the state of Gujarat, I witnessed the after effects of the earthquake. In addition, I worked as a volunteer at Ahemedabad's Civil Hospital, which was the main hospital used to treat that city's earthquake victims.    Although reports have previously indicated that nearly 35,000 people perished in the natural disaster, the final state reported numbers were 20,083 casualties and 166,836 injured. The largest damage was in the Kutch region of Gujarat, which is mostly desert. I spent the majority of my summer in Svarastra, a region including cities affected such as Ahemedabad, Rajkot, and Jamnagar. There were 370,000 homes destroyed and a total of 1,020,000 homes damaged. Some of the largest casualties came from the nearly 20 high-rise apartment complexes in... ...here has been extensive recovery on all fronts. It was wonderful to help out at Ahemedabad's Civil Hospital and BJ medical college. I also enjoyed spending time at M.P. Shah medical college and the Guru Gobind Singh Hospital in Jamnagar. This overseas experience gave me the chance to truly volunteer where help was needed most, and as I begin my studies at Oxford in a few weeks, the realization that public service is never done will continue to grow in my conscience.   

Of Mice and Men Essay

The action comes full circle as George destroys Lennie at the end of the novel. Steinbeck purposely wrote the novel so that it could be turned into a play. Each chapter starts with the description of a scene; the characters come in, speak and then go off as they would in a play. The story is set in 1930’s America. It was written in 1937. America and Particularly California was the land of opportunity. It was believed that any person could make their fortune and achieve success by working hard. This was called ‘The American Dream’ and is what Lennie, George and later on in the film Candy hoped to achieve. This was the America that Steinbeck knew of and experienced this kind of life, because he was alive at this time. ‘The American Dream’ was destroyed by the depression of the 1930’s. The Wall Street Crash in 1929 when the stock markets collapsed triggered this and thousands of people lost everything they had. Hardly anyone could find work easily and many people were driven to become workers travelling from place to place not getting much money, like George and Lennie. Other problems of that time were that farming was easier, they used combine harvesters and other machinery, and so fewer men were needed to do the same jobs. Poor farming methods of that time meant that thousands of acres of farmland dried up rapidly, and became dry deserts. The landscape in the new film reflects the reality of the landscape more clearly and the viewers understood what it was like by watching it. There have been three film versions of the novel ‘Of Mice and Men’. Now I will compare the two film versions. Both versions are very effective and brilliant techniques have been used. The older version was made for television, it is episodic, and the new one is in film version. The new film contains well-known actors. Gary Sinise and John Malkovich, this makes more people want to watch it. In the new film we see no action until the titles have finished, which is more effective. In the opening of the new film the camera crosscuts between long shots and close-ups during the chase to highlight the danger. They focus on George and Lennie a bit more than they do with other characters at the beginning. I think they do this so the viewers realise who the main characters are and can get to know them. There are close-ups in Aunt Clara’s house. Lennie is given a big piece of pie and George gets a small piece. Lennie is shown as being a big kid. In the 1992 version there close-up shots of the men’s faces on the train, we see their relief of escaping. They are safe. You hear the sound of the train as the white writing comes down over the black screen. This is very effective and makes you want to keep watching. The train scene is not actually used in the text. The director has added this to make his film more interesting and effective. The lighting in both versions of the novel were quite natural, no use of fake lighting. The director does this to make it more realistic. In the new version of the film the scene changing is very effective. The music in the opening of the old version is varied; it is played on a flute to give a pleasant and optimistic feeling. It becomes intense as the action picks up. This is to reflect the danger and the fear of Lennie and George as they are running. George doesn’t want to take care of Lennie anymore and he plans to leave him. When he does this the music becomes quieter. It reflects what’s happening in the plot. In the 1992 film version the music is more dramatic. It keeps you in suspense and is more atmospheric. It starts with piano music and then the sound of the train comes in. They do this to make the opening more effective and attention grabbing. The costumes are more or less the same in both versions of the film. They are ragged and dirty. George and Lennie have cravats tied around their necks, and hats. When George and Lennie go to visit Aunt Clara in the old version of the film, Lennie repeats George when presented to Aunt Clara. â€Å"Yes mam†. The director has added this scene into the old version. In the novel the only time she appears is in Lennie’s imagination. This scene has been included to put Lennie into context; it gives him a background, and shows that he has always been looked after and that the people who know him still treat him like a baby. It also serves to highlight Lennie’s reliance on George. As an audience we feel really sorry for Lennie when George tricked him to try and free himself from responsibility of looking out for Lennie. Lennie is more childish in the new film. You feel more sympathy for him in the old version. In the 1981 version of the film Curley’s wife is portrayed as a bit of a tart, her dressed are tight fitting and she wears lots of makeup. In the scene when she is murdered, she is wearing a tight fitting, black knee length dress with a flower on it. Black represents experience. She has bright red shoes and red earrings. The description of her in the novel is more or less the same as the way she is presented in the films. In the newer version she is wearing a white dress. This represents innocence. She speaks quietly and is quite flirtatious; she is attentive when Lennie is speaking to her. When Lennie murders her, she screams a lot and is more dramatic in the new film. This draws attention to the viewer and gives a slight chill. The men are outside playing their game, they are so near, yet they don’t hear her screaming or come to help. It makes it more sinister. When Lennie and Curley’s wife are talking in the old film, Lennie doesn’t listen to her much and interrupts, but in the newer version he sits and looks like he understands and he listens to her carefully. This makes the audience feel sorry for Lennie in a way because he acts like a big baby. He interrupts and talks about his things and doesn’t listen to what Curley’s wife is saying. Also, it gives a slight chill because one minute Lennie is being nice to Curley’s wife and the next, he kills her. Curley’s wife becomes very flirtatious and asks Lennie to stroke her hair. This all leads to the murder. He enjoys this and she looks like she enjoys it. She is more excited in the newer version, there is heavy breathing and she shows that she likes it a lot. Lennie stares at her a lot and there are lots of close-ups of this. In the older version when Lennie kills her, you see the close-up of his hand over her mouth. The camera switches from a low angle shot of her feet to a close up of her face where we see the fear in her eyes and then the camera goes back to her feet where one of her shoes fall off. This is very effective because we see just enough of her eyes to see how scared she is. Then there is the very sad and final indignity where she loses her shoe in death and she has been so proud of her appearance. Then the episode ends to create suspense. The newer version is much closer to the novel. There are only long and mid-shots of Lennie holding her enough to break her neck. There is quiet music up until Lennie starts becoming fierce. The music is more dramatic and brings an atmosphere. The volume increases to show that it’s important. It keeps the audience hooked. In the older version there is slow haunting music when she dies. This makes it creepy for the viewer.

How to Make Ice Spikes in Your Freezer

How to Make Ice Spikes in Your Freezer Ice spikes are tubes or spikes of ice that shoot up or off at an angle from a container of frozen water, such as a bird bath or bucket in the winter. The spikes resemble an inverted icicle. Ice spikes form rarely in nature, but you can make them in your own freezer quite simply and reliably. Heres what you do. Ice Spike Materials distilled waterice cube trayfrost-free freezer (ordinary home freezer) Its important to use distilled or reverse osmosis purified water. Ordinary tap water or mineral water contain dissolved substances that may prevent the water from forming spikes or reduce the number of spikes that are formed. You can substitute a bowl or cup for the ice cube tray. Plastic ice cube trays are nice because they contain several small compartments, meaning you have a quick freeze time and several chances for spikes. Make Ice Spikes Its easy! Simply pour the distilled water into the ice cube tray, set the tray in your freezer, and wait. You can expect about half of the ice cubes to contain ice spikes. An ordinary ice cube tray freezes in about 1-1/2 to 2 hours. The spikes degrade and soften over time since most home freezers are frost-free and will blow warmer air over the spikes. How It Works Pure water supercools, which means it remains liquid past the ordinary freezing point. When it starts to freeze at this lower temperature, it solidifies very rapidly. The freezing process starts at the edges of the container because the nicks, scratches, and imperfections allow for nucleation of the ice crystals. Freezing continues until there is only a hole near the middle of the container, which contains liquid water. Ice is less dense than liquid water, so some of the crystals float to the top and are pushed out, forming a spike. The spike grows until the water is frozen. There are two reasons why ordinary tap water or mineral water are less likely to form ice spikes. The first reason is that this water tends to freeze at its regular freezing point. This is a much slower process than freezing from the supercooled state, so solidification is more likely to be homogeneous or occur throughout the ice cube all at once. If there isnt a hole in the ice, the ice spike cant grow. The other reason is that contaminants or impurities in the water become concentrated in the liquid as the water freezes. Researchers believe solids become concentrated at the growing tip of an ice spike and inhibit further growth. Learn More How To Supercool WaterMake Hot Ice or Supercooled Sodium AcetateWhy Ice Floats