Review la confidential Movie Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

La confidential - Movie Review Example The character of Dudley Smith played by James Cromwell is tough and disciplined. Being the head of the LAPD he plays a protagonist role against the ‘bad boys’ in the city and is also loyal to his collogues and the department. Bud white (Russell Crowe), a police detective who is often hard and violent to enforce justice and law. Ed Exley (Guy Pearce) a cop cum detective works strictly for the policing policies while being totally aware of the politics within the department. Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey) is the sparkling Hollywood detective serving as a technical adviser for a television series. Mickey Cohen took over the running crime scene of Los Angeles bringing down the reputation of LA police department and turning the department against him. But soon this guy is arrested while the legacy of crime scenes continues. The story revolves around three detectives; Exley, Jack and Bud white. Bud white watches a man abusing her wife. He is bought to death by Bud White. On the other hand Jack Vincennes serves as a narcotics detective and arrest two men engaged with marijuana. Exley moves to the murder investigation and Vincennes joined the Vice Squad. Bud White’s suspension is also over taken when they set out for the mission. The three now set out to stop criminals entering the LA and trying to take over Mickey Cohen’s business. The suspected criminals are taken to a remote location, beaten hard by Bud White and then forced to leave the city. The detectives now plan to find Cohen’s subordinates to trace and catch his network; this working strategy helped them while Cohen remains in the prison. There is a twist in the story with the murders at Nite Owl. Every police detective now starts to investigate about this crime scene while leaving all the other aims aside. If the killers are caught, Exley will lead the interrogations. Bud White left this

The Process And Problems Of Land Clearing Environmental Sciences Essay

The Process And Problems Of Land Clearing Environmental Sciences Essay Land clearing is an activity of chopping down trees, stumps, and other obstacles from an area as required to increase the size of the crop producing land base of an existing farm, to obtain logs or for urbanization. Australia native forests cover about 164 millions hectares which is about 21% of the continent (WWF 2007). Therefore, 50-100 plant and animal species are disappearing. Australia has the fifth rate of land clearing and clears more bush each year than poverty-stricken countries. It can be said that the number one threat to the survival of plants and animals in Australia is the large scale clearing of mature bushland. Biology A forest is an area with a high density of trees. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) defines forest as a land with trees cover the area of more than 0.5 hectare. 5 metres is the minimum height the trees should be able to reach at maturity in situ (FAO 2006). Forests are further subdivided into cultivated area and natural forests. Natural forests are forests composed mainly of original trees and not deliberately planted. The forest floor is frequently covered with decaying leaves, twigs, and other detritus where recycling occurs. Herbaceous plants such as grasses and ferns blanket the herb layer and get less. Shrub layer is categorized as woody vegetation that grows rather close to the ground. Small immature trees and trees that are shorter than the main canopy level of the tree predominant the understory of forest which give shelter for numerous animals. Canopy is where the most of the forests trees meet and form a thick layer and lastly emergents layers are trees that crown s emerge above the canopy (Klappenbach 2007). Reasons the lands are cleared Some native vegetation communities in the Southwest Australia region has been cleared, basically for food production upwards of 90%. Most landowners are economically stressed to put more land more intensively. In Tasmania, over 100000 hectares of native forest across public and land have been converted to plantation during the last 10 years (WWF 2007). Another constant pressure on Australiaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s forests is livestock grazing and also fires. The international timber trade is currently the major reason of global forest destruction that contains the highest levels of biodiversity (WWF 1997). Areas of high biodiversity is likely to contain the oldest, thus in many case the largest and most commercially valuable, trees. The global timber trade tend to get appealed to forest with high biodiversity and exploit it. The conversion of non-forest lands from forest areas for settlement and agriculture is lead by rapid population and housing area developments together with urbanizati on. More people need more timber to construct houses, malls and business centres. This takes a great loss of forest lands for harvesting forest products. Besides, road constructions through the forest make the rainforest accessible for transportation and movement of timber produced from the forest. Moreover, large hydroelectric projects have led to widespread forest loss. This is due to large areas of the forest are flooded to construct dams. Effects of land clearing One of the bad impacts of land clearing is the greenhouse effect. The burning and degeneration of cleared vegetation, and the subsequent oil emissions causcausedhe greenhouse effect. from the entire transport sector every cleared vegetation, e Australiaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s total carbon dioxide emissions produced to be and the subsequent oil emissions. over 13%. This equals to emissions from the entire transport sector in Australia. Over 5 million honeyeaters, parrots, robins and other land birds are killed every year as a result of land clearing. Nearly half mammal species, including wallabies, wombats and bandicoots, are either threatened with extinction or extinct because of land clearing. Australia has lost more mammals and plants to extinction than any other country and has more endangered animals than 98% of the worlds countries (Bush Heritage Australia 2002). A report (The University of Queensland 2007) showed that 150 years of land clearing added significantly to the drying an d warming of eastern Australia. Mean summer rainfall declined by between 4% and 12% in eastern Australia, and by 4% and 8% in southwest Western Australia. Runoff rapidly flows into rivers when forest cover is lost, thus rising river levels and subjecting downstream areas to flooding. During the dry season, such areas can likely to have long droughts that last for months which disturb river navigation, wreak destruction on crops, and disrupt industrial operations. 5.0 Solutions It would be ideal to replant the cleared lands quickly so as to avoid soil erosion and soil saliently instead of clearing large areas of land all at one time and leaving the soil open to the elements, to help maintain natural habitats. Sustainable Commercial Logging Options is an effort to control logging to ensure it is done in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way by authorising logging at a minimal rate. Government also has to stricken laws so that cutting trees in forest becomes a major crime. Besides its flow may be reversed, it will also lead to deforestation being controlled in a major way. All cities have to be managed properly, have enough green cover and new trees have to be planted where ever possible. Other solution is by establishing Good Wood. Good Wood is timber harvested from well managed forests or plantations or reused, recycled or salvaged wood. It allows consumers to continue using wood products without causing forest destruction (Greenpeace Good Wood Gui de 2009). Moreover, the development of a comprehensive, adequate and representative (CAR) system of reserves for Australias forests has been advocated by Australias National Forest Policy Statement. The aims of the national CAR reserve system are to safeguard old-growth, biodiversity, wilderness and other natural and cultural values of the forests (Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 2003). 6.0 Conclusion Land clearing can lead to the destruction of natural habitat and extinction and various climate problems. The developers have to balance out between suburbanization and environments. Everyone plays an important role on this planet to save the environment from being destroyed.

Cry, the Beloved Country, by Alan Paton :: Cry, The Beloved Country Essays

Cry The Beloved Country The quote â€Å"But there is only one thing that has power completely, and that is love. Because when a man loves he seeks no power, therefore he has power,† as stated in the book in the book Cry the Beloved Country is not a true statement. No man has absolute power over any one thing. Although people seek power in many different places, there is only one true power, and that is God. There are many different levels of power in the world, but no level has complete power over anything else. Love is a power that God has given to man, but it cannot be controlled. Man doesn’t have power over love. He can search for it in many different places, but the power he is searching for remains in God. A human has no control over their likes and dislikes. People cannot make something better or worse than it is. Love is the same. One cannot help it if they love something. People or things can touch a person’s life, and they naturally grow to or learn to love it. There are different definitions of love, but the true definition lies with God. People can spend their entire lives searching for more power. The thing that they must realize is that no amount of power will mean anything to God when it comes time for judgment. People base their lives too much on what material things they have, rather than what they have spiritually. They search for happiness in things like money and fame, but they are never fulfilled. It is impossible to find happiness in things like money and fame. No one can obtain happiness in a place where happiness cannot be found. When people start living their lives for the Lord, they will be the ones who hold the power in heaven. God has power over all things, because he created them all. People have the option of turning the power in the direction that best suits them, but God controls what will happen when one does turn the power. No man can control sickness, death, or natural disasters. The only thing that matters in man’s life is what he does for the glory of God. The most important power that man has is the power of choice. Man has the choice to follow God.

Representation of Adolescence Through Fiction

Representations of Adolescence through Fiction According to Kate Legged, an Australian Journalist, young adult novels are too dark and pessimistic, as she states in the following quote: Father bashes mother, mother abandons children†¦ Violence, drugs, suicides. The novels of some top writes of young people's fiction have never been bleaker or more explicit†¦ (Kate Legged; The Australian Magazine; 1998) ‘Tomorrow, When the War Began' by John Married and ‘Ugly by Constance Brioche both involve issues which could be considered bleak and disturbing.They tell stories of violence, one in a war situation while the other in the form of child abuse. However, young adults are represented in an optimistic light in both novels, becoming responsible and able to persist and show resilience through the circumstances they are faced with, making them able to overcome these challenges. These books promote the awareness and understanding of issues, and show that hope is what the c haracters cling to in their time of need. The main characters in both books are adolescents who develop and become stronger in their difficult situations.Constance (Clare), in ‘Ugly, writes an autobiography of her life of eating and neglect by her mother. Elli, the main character in ‘Tomorrow, When the War Began', writes a diary about guerilla warfare in an invasion where her parent's are prisoners of war. Therefore, both are put in a position of responsibility whereby they must look after themselves without parent's being there for protection. They are represented in a positive light which contrasts with their negative surroundings. ‘Ugly presents violence which is directed at Clare in the home environment.Clare suffers physical abuse (even leading to hospitalizing) and sexual harassment which re consequential of adults in the book, in particular her mother Carmen. Her treatment of my sisters was certainly very different from her treatment of me. They did not get the unkind words I got, or have their nipples pinched, and they were not beaten or punched. † (Clare; Ugly; p. 8 -9) Although Clare is unaware why she is victimized by her mother, it is possibly because she is darker skinned than the rest of the family.Carmen abuses her daughter through verbal abuse, neglect and physical harm. Her self-esteem is lowered through name calling such as the following: Lord, sweet Lord, how come she so ugly? Ugly. Ugly. If I hadn't given birth to her, sweet Lord, I would have sworn she was a fraud. Heavenly Jesus, sweet and kind, why have you given me a swine? (Carmen; Ugly; p. 52) Child abuse is intolerable in our society. As the reader sees the pain and suffering that Clare experiences, they respond to the torment by feeling sympathy towards Clare and disgust towards Carmen.So readers are positioned to admire Clare for her courageousness in persevering with life, fending for herself, her determination to become a barrister and her continual study and work ethic to achieve this goal. At the end of the book a spirited Clare visits her mother and lets her know what she thinks: You made me (Clare) hate you (Carmen), and I do. You know what? I don't think that you should ever have had children. And not that bad after all. (Clare; Ugly; p. 08) When Clare finally confronts Carmen, readers feel relief and thrilled for Clare because she has moved on from her mother's cruelty, to lead a better life and become a successful proud woman, unlike Carmen. From a horrible background, this young adult is able to achieve her lifetime goal. Unlike ‘Ugly, where personal violence is the main issue, ‘Tomorrow, When the War Began' conveys violence which is directed at the whole country in a war scenario. Elli, the protagonist, records the story of fighting the enemy for her country and family.The characters in ‘Tomorrow, When the War Began' also grow throughout the novel and become fighters for others' lives, rather than always pu tting themselves first. While ‘Ugly has one main character, ‘Tomorrow, When the War Began' features a group of seven friends, who are able to support one another throughout the war which the group discovers has broken out while they are on a camping trip. From innocence, the group is suddenly faced with a massive change in their lives: We believed we were safe. That was the big fantasy.Now we know we're not, and like you said, we'll never feel safe again, and so it's bye-bye innocence. (Elli; Tomorrow, When the War Began; p. 107) Readers can associate with these characters as they are typical Australian teenagers, which is seen through their behavior and country town in which they live. Although they are from a variety of different backgrounds, they show true Australian qualities, making them likeable to the reader as they hold the name values. The characters become more cautious and realize how important friends and family are.War has meant they are no longer innocent a nd must grow up and fend for themselves, becoming more responsible and independent with every minute, which is illustrated in this quote: We've got to stick together, that's all I know. We all drive each other crazy at times, but I don't want to end up here alone†¦ (Elli; Tomorrow, When the War Began; p. 284) These young adults (Elli, Homer, Lee, Carrie, Kevin, Robin and F') find the strength to live on while their country has been invaded ND their families captured.As with Clare, the reader is positioned to admire these characters because they show traits that most readers would can relate to and respect such as courage, commitment, independence, responsibility and family values as seen in the following quote. ‘It's our own families,' said Carrie. ‘That's what everyone's worried about, isn't it? I guess I'd fight for my country but I'm going mad wondering what's happened to my family'. (Carrie; Tomorrow, When the War Began; p. 172) One goal remains throughout which is to fight for their families and country ND their own survival.Through the representations of personal and social issues which are explored in the two books, readers are positioned to view the world as bleak and disturbing, which supports the view of young adult novels presented in Ledge's quote. However, the representations of young adults in the novels suggest that they are very capable of dealing with immense problems and overcoming them. Young adults in the novels are able to move past these issues because of their resilience and a small ray of hope in their lives, so they can continue to work towards a better life.

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner Chapters 5

â€Å"Everyone knows that old-timey vampires had to stay in coffins during the day,† I went on. â€Å"To keep out of the sun. That's common knowledge, Diego.† â€Å"You're right. Al the stories do say that.† â€Å"And what would Riley gain by locking us up in a lightproof basement – one big group coffin – al day, anyway? We just demolish the place, and he has to deal with al the fighting, and it's constant turmoil. You can't tel me he enjoys it.† Something I'd said surprised him. He sat with his mouth open for a second, then closed it. â€Å"What?† â€Å"Common knowledge,† he repeated. â€Å"What do vampires do in coffins al day?† â€Å"Er – oh yeah, they're supposed to sleep, right? But I guess they're probably just lying there bored, 'cause we don't†¦ Okay, so that part's wrong.† â€Å"Yeah. In the stories they're not just asleep, though. They're total y unconscious. They can't wake up. A human can walk right up and stake them, no problem. And that's another thing – stakes. You real y think someone could shove a piece of wood through you?† I shrugged. â€Å"I haven't real y thought about it. I mean, not a normal piece of wood, obviously. Maybe sharpened wood has some kind of†¦ I don't know. Magical properties or something.† Diego snorted. â€Å"Please.† â€Å"Wel, I don't know. I wouldn't just hold stil while some human ran at me with a filed broom handle, anyway.† Diego – stil with a sort of disgusted look on his face, as if magic were real y such a reach when you're a vampire – rol ed to his knees and started clawing into the limestone above his head. Tiny stone shards fil ed his hair, but he ignored them. â€Å"What are you doing?† â€Å"Experimenting.† He dug with both hands until he could stand upright, and then kept going. â€Å"Diego, you get to the surface, you explode. Stop it.† â€Å"I'm not trying to – ah, here we go.† There was a loud crack, and then another crack, but no light. He ducked back down to where I could see his face, with a piece of tree root in his hand, white, dead, and dry under the clumps of dirt. The edge where he'd broken it was a sharp, uneven point. He tossed it to me. â€Å"Stake me.† I tossed it back. â€Å"Whatever.† â€Å"Seriously. You know it can't hurt me.† He lobbed the wood to me; instead of catching it, I batted it back. He snagged it out of the air and groaned. â€Å"You are so†¦ superstitious!† â€Å"I am a vampire. If that doesn't prove that superstitious people are right, I don't know what does.† â€Å"Fine, I'l do it.† He held the branch away from himself dramatical y, arm extended, like it was a sword and he was about to impale himself. â€Å"C'mon,† I said uneasily. â€Å"This is sil y.† â€Å"That's my point. Here goes nothing.† He crushed the wood into his chest, right where his heart used to beat, with enough force to punch through a granite slab. I was total y frozen with panic until he laughed. â€Å"You should see your face, Bree.† He sifted the splinters of broken wood through his fingers; the shattered root fel to the floor in mangled pieces. Diego brushed at his shirt, though it was too trashed from al the swimming and digging for the attempt to do any good. We'd both have to steal more clothes the next time we got a chance. â€Å"Maybe it's different when a human does it.† â€Å"Because you felt so magical when you were human?† â€Å"I don't know, Diego,† I said, exasperated. â€Å"I didn't make up al those stories.† He nodded, suddenly more serious. â€Å"What if the stories are exactly that? Made up.† I sighed. â€Å"What difference does it make?† â€Å"Not sure. But if we're going to be smart about why we're here – why Riley brought us to her, why she's making more of us – then we have to understand as much as we possibly can.† He frowned, every trace of laughter total y gone from his face now. I just stared back at him. I didn't have any answers. His face softened just a little. â€Å"This helps a lot, you know. Talking about it. Helps me focus.† â€Å"Me, too,† I said. â€Å"I don't know why I never thought about any of this before. It seems so obvious. But working on it together†¦ I don't know. I can stay on track better.† â€Å"Exactly.† Diego smiled at me. â€Å"I'm real y glad you came out tonight.† â€Å"Don't get al gooey on me now.† â€Å"What? You don't want to be† – he widened his eyes and his voice went up an octave – â€Å"BFFs?† He laughed at the goofy expression. I rol ed my eyes, not total y sure if he was making fun of the expression or of me. â€Å"C'mon, Bree. Be my bestest bud forever. Please?† Stil teasing, but his wide smile was natural and†¦ hopeful. He held out his hand. This time I went for a real high five, not realizing until he caught my hand and held it that he'd intended anything else. It was shockingly weird to touch another person after a whole life – because the last three months were my whole life – of avoiding any kind of contact. Like touching a sparking downed power line, only to find out that it felt nice. The smile on my face felt a little lopsided. â€Å"Count me in.† â€Å"Excel ent. Our own private club.† â€Å"Very exclusive,† I agreed. He stil had my hand. Not shaking it, but not exactly holding it, either. â€Å"We need a secret handshake.† â€Å"You can be in charge of that one.† â€Å"So the super-secret best friends club is cal ed to order, al present, secret handshake to be devised at a later date,† he said. â€Å"First order of business: Riley. Clueless? Misinformed? Or lying?† His eyes were on mine as he spoke, wide and sincere. There was no change as he said Riley's name. In that instant, I was sure there was nothing to the stories about Diego and Riley. Diego had just been around more than the others, nothing more. I could trust him. â€Å"Add this to the list,† I said. â€Å"Agenda. As in, what is his?† â€Å"Bul ‘s-eye. That's exactly what we've got to find out. But first, another experiment.† â€Å"That word makes me nervous.† â€Å"Trust is an essential part of the whole secret club gig.† He stood up into the extra ceiling space he'd just carved out and started digging again. In a second, his feet were dangling while he held himself up with one hand and excavated with the other. â€Å"You better be digging for garlic,† I warned him, and backed up toward the tunnel that led to the sea. â€Å"The stories aren't real, Bree,† he cal ed to me. He pul ed himself higher into the hole he was making, and the dirt continued to rain down. He was going to fil in his hidey-hole at this rate. Or flood it with light, which would make it even more useless. I slid most of the way into the escape channel, just my fingertips and eyes above the edge. The water only came up to my hips. It would take me just the smal est fraction of a second to disappear into the darkness below. I could spend a day not breathing. I'd never been a fan of fire. This might have been because of some buried childhood memory, or maybe it was more recent. Becoming a vampire was enough fire to last me. Diego had to be close to the surface. Once again, I struggled with the idea of losing my new and only friend. â€Å"Please stop, Diego,† I whispered, knowing he would probably laugh, knowing he wouldn't listen. â€Å"Trust, Bree.† I waited, unmoving. â€Å"Almost†¦,† he muttered. â€Å"Okay.† I tensed for the light, or the spark, or the explosion, but Diego dropped back down while it was stil dark. In his hand he had a longer root, a thick snaky thing that was almost as tal as me. He gave me an I-told-you-so kind of look. â€Å"I'm not a completely reckless person,† he said. He gestured to the root with his free hand. â€Å"See – precautions.† With that, he stabbed the root upward into his new hole. There was a final avalanche of pebbles and sand as Diego dropped back onto his knees, getting out of the way. And then a beam of bril iant light – a ray about the thickness of one of Diego's arms – pierced the darkness of the cave. The light made a pil ar from the ceiling to the floor, shimmering as the drifting dirt sifted through it. I was icy-stil, gripping the ledge, ready to drop. Diego didn't jerk away or cry out in pain. There was no smel of smoke. The cave was a hundred times lighter than it had been, but it didn't seem to affect him. So maybe his story about shade trees was true. I watched him careful y as he knelt beside the pil ar of sunlight, motionless, staring. He seemed fine, but there was a slight change to his skin. A kind of movement, maybe from the settling dust, that reflected the gleam. It looked almost like he was glowing a little. Maybe it wasn't the dust, maybe it was the burning. Maybe it didn't hurt, and he'd realize it too late†¦. Seconds passed as we stared at the daylight, motionless. Then, in a move that seemed both absolutely expected and also completely unthinkable, he held out his hand, palm up, and stretched his arm toward the beam. I moved faster than I could think, which was pretty dang fast. Faster than I'd ever moved before. I tackled Diego into the back wal of the dirt-fil ed little cave before he could reach that one last inch to put his skin in the light.