The usage of recreational drugs among American youth poses one of the biggest challenges for the country’s future. The United States, by virtue of sharing a lengthy border with neighboring Mexico, is susceptible to illegal trafficking of drugs within its jurisdiction. Moreover, over the last thirty years or so, the influx of illegal immigrants from…
People without college degrees can still chart lucrative career paths
It is usually believed that people who complete higher education earn bigger incomes than the rest. While this is generally true, it would be over-simplistic to assume that those who do not attend college would have to remain within low socio-economic demographic group. This essay will exemplify the view that many lucrative career options are…
Relationship between environmental conditions and standard of living
The relation between environment and human standard of living is an area of research that has been given inadequate attention. But there is an emerging consensus among intellectuals and research scholars that there is indeed a strong correlation between the two concepts. In other words, it is rarely a coincidence that poverty thrives in hostile…
Management Strategy: A case study of Guardian Media Group
News media institutions across the world are always pressed with the two opposing imperatives. On the one hand is the upkeep of brand value through reliable, balanced journalism. On the other hand is the pressure to achieve commercial viability. The news media in the United Kingdom is no exception to this rule. The Guardian Media…
Public health issues in Australia
The public health system in Australia is one of the best among advanced nations in the world. It is to the credit of the Australian public health system that it ranks above the U.S.A. and U.K. in terms of efficiency, competence and overall health outcomes. Yet, there have also been some lingering issues which have…
Socrates and the notion of an examined life
According to Socrates, a commitment to moral reasoning is an essential condition of a well-lived life. An individual should base his actions upon the outcomes of such internal dialogues. The exercise of self-examination and introspection as a way of arriving at moral truths is of paramount importance to Socrates. So much so that he unequivocally…
Science, the Enlightenment and Politics: Which is more important?
This essay argues that the Enlightenment is the most important concept among the three given in the title. The Age of Enlightenment was a period in early modern history when western societies, led by its intellectuals, made a marked shift from religion based authority to one of scientific reason. Prior to this period, the Church…
Lagaan (2001): A landmark Bollywood film that gracefully combines art and entertainment
The Bollywood film chosen for analysis in this essay is Lagaan, released in 2001. The film, directed by Ashutosh Gowariker stars Amir Khan and Gracy Singh in lead roles. The movie combines popular formulaic elements within the time-tested format of sports movies, making it a unique production to have come out of Bollywood in many…
Judith Jarvis Thomson’s argument for limited abortion rights
Judith Jarvis Thomson’s essay titled A Defense of Abortion serves as a polemic against some of the common objections made by pro-lifers. The first of her objections to the pro-life standpoint is regarding the status assigned to a human fetus. The pro-lifers argue that right from the moment of conception the fetus has to be…
Analysis of cinematography and mise-en-scene of a short sequence from Alfred Hitchcock’s Blackmail (1929)
Alfred Hitchcock’s movies are renowned to have their characteristic elements of suspense, drama and crime. Not least of Hitchcock’s distinctive style is the quality of cinematography and mise-en-scene. The movie Blackmail, released in 1929 is no exception to this rule. This essay will analyze the cinematographic merits of one particular segment from the movie, namely…