Jack Michael Dixon as a policeman Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Jack Michael Dixon as a policeman - Coursework Example The misuse of personal data falls under the ambit of Data Protection Act 1984. On violation of mentioned act, the trial court awarded penalty of 500 GBP each on count-1 and count-2 along with the cost of suit amounting to 1,750 GBP. Q.2. Explain in your own words the legal issue in the case? Answer: Jack Michael Dixon was a police constable in the Nottingham police constabulary who misused personal data on the computers of the National Police. The misuse occurred in the sense that he was blamed for performing contrary to prescribed task enshrined in the relevant entry register. This invokes s5 (2) (b) (3) and (5) of Data Protection Act 1984. Accordingly he was found guilty on two counts by the trial court. For the initial offence he was convicted to an attempt and for the second time he was convicted to full offence. In each count the court of competent jurisdiction found him guilty and for each offence awarded him penalty of 500 GBP each plus cost of suit incurred thereon i.e. 1,750 GBP. Q.3. what technique of statutory interpretations, presumption and / or rule of language did Lord Goff employee in this case? Give reasons for your answer. Answer: The defendant Dixon on appeal was exonerated by the Court of Appeal. The prosecution against the judgment of the trial court files an appeal to Lordship’s House to reconsider the matter of exoneration. ... The defendant plea was that enquires made by him was legal. However, incidentally the enquired data was belonging to the Best Investigation Ltd. The trial court did not accept the plea and fined Dixon. The prosecution was of the view that displaying data on screen or make a print of it amounts to leakage the information to some other person which is in violation of section 5(2) (b).The concerned court accepted the stance of the prosecution and sentenced the said accused. Since the word ‘use’ has no specific meaning in terms of relevant act, therefore, it should be treated a commonly used word. The said word did not confine someone to perform something specific. The word used with reference to data amounts to information recorded in a computer readable format i.e. on the screen or to make a print out of it. But as per the interpretation of law, a police officer who have an access to his personal data or to the data of his chief, if knowingly / intentionally pass on the in formation to another person for an improper use liable to punish under the said Act. Q.4. To what aids to statutory interpretation did Lord Goff refer? Your answer should indicate whether such aids are â€Å"intrinsic† or â€Å"extrinsic†. Answer: In accordance with the interpretation of Lord Goff the similar principles are applicable in the disclosing of information being no specific meaning of the word ‘disclose’ available in the referred Act as in the case of defining the word ‘use’. In view the said Lord information recorded in a computer readable format cannot be disclosed or pass on to others for its use other than the prescribed purposes. However, the section 1(9) put no bar as far

Changes in Earth's Albedo Measured by Satellite (Wielicki et al, 825) Essay

Changes in Earth's Albedo Measured by Satellite (Wielicki et al, 825) - Essay Example The global albedo is found to change with changes in the cloud cover, amount of atmospheric aerosols, and forest, snow, & ice cover on the earth’s surface. The magnitude of impact on global albedo due to events caused on earth can be demonstrated by the following example – A volcanic eruption in Mount Pinatubo in June 1991 released aerosols in the stratosphere, which raised global albedo by almost 0.007 in a span of two years. A larger increase in global albedo with unknown causes was reported to occur between 2001 and 2003. In order to investigate whether any significant changes in global albedo occurred between 2001 and 2003, Wielicki et al. examined the observations made by global satellites that measured changes in the earth’s albedo (825). These observations included those made by CERES (Clouds and Earth’s Radiant Energy System) of NASA’s Terra spacecraft. The monthly anomalies in the data caused by seasonal changes were nullified and data was plotted. The data provided by CERES covers global observations for the complete solar spectrum ranging from a wavelength of 0.3 to 4 Â µm. The observations of the global data reveals a small decrease of about 0.006 in the global albedo corresponding to about 2 W m-2 decrease in the shortwave reflected flux. These results contradict with those obtained by Palle et al, who demonstrated a large increase of about 0.017 in the global albedo corresponding to an increase of about 6 W m-2 in the shortwave reflected flux. Independent observations made by two individual CERES instruments were compared. It is believed that the 1.1 W m-2 decrease in the flux observed by one of the CERES instruments could be due to exposure to ultraviolet radiation during a hemispheric scan. When taken into consideration, this further reduces the anomaly to 0.9 W m-2. Wielicki et al. further explain the effect of change in albedo on earth’s climate (825). When changes in land surface, aerosols, and fores t, snow and ice cover is the cause for change in albedo, then increasing albedo results cooling of the earth and decreasing albedo results in warming. These changes on earth’s surface significantly influence the amount of reflected solar radiation but have comparatively minor effects on the emitted thermal infrared radiation that results in cooling. Wielicki et al. contend that if observations made by Palle et al. were correct, then there would have been global cooling double of what had been observed in the Pinatubo eruption. However, such a global cooling was not observed. Furthermore, Wielicki et al. explain another possibility that the earth’s total ocean heat storage could witness a significant reduction. It is estimated that between 2000 to 2002, the ocean heat storage has experienced an increase of 0.7 W m-2. In order to account for the global changes in reflected solar flux, the flux in ocean heat storage was scaled to global surface area from an ocean-only are a utilized by Willis et al (Wielicki et al. 825). According to Wielicki et al, if changes in global albedo were occurring, then there would be a decrease of 0.7 Â ± 0.8 W m-2 in the reflected flux. This is found to be consistent with the observations made by CERES. Until now, only the effects of change in albedo have been discussed. Cloud changes may also be affecting both the earth’s albedo and its thermal infrared cooling, and may also be a cause for albedo changes that do not

Formulating A Research Problem Management Essay

Formulating A Research Problem Management Essay This section of the report is devoted to delivering a complete account and description of how the whole research was carried out, encapsulating the process involved along the way. Nevertheless, this section is pertinent in order to establish the credibility of the research by revealing the knowledge and mastery of the methodology utilized in the research (Clare and Hamilton 2003). Thus, according to Clare and Hamilton (2003) methodology comprises discussion of the research design, which includes strategies for carrying out the study, the participants engaged, how they were chosen and ethical concerns. Moreover, it contains the information of what data were gathered and how the data were sort out, evaluated and accomplished. Thus, methodology of a study represents how the researcher reports the problem and answers the attendant questions (Taylor and Bodgan 1998). Nonetheless, the research study adopted here is categorized as a descriptive study as it endeavours to pronounce analytically a condition, problem, occurrences, or make available information about the situation of a community or looks into attitudes towards an issue (Kumar 2011). However, describing the research process in the following stages allows the systematic unfolding of the study so that judgements could be made as to the credibility of the research. 3.1 FORMULATING A RESEARCH PROBLEM Formulating a research problem is the initial and most relevant stage in the research development as it constitutes a possibly problematic work (Kumar 2011). Besides, it does not basically involve selecting a topic, but approaching it purposefully (May 2003). Subsequently, it actually reveals what is intended to be investigated in a comprehensive and explicit manner since the entire research process is greatly influenced by the approach involved in formulating a research problem. Consequently, this problem can arise in a number of ways such as- by finding an unanswered theoretical problem, by detecting an empirical inconsistency, or by merely looking into how some supposedly understood part of social involvement or organization actually works (May 2003). However, in this present research relevant literatures that dwell upon how change is managed in project-based organization were reviewed as it is evident in the previous section emphasizing particularly on construction organization, which is a key example of a project-based organization (Bresnen 1990). Nevertheless, the rigorous and careful review of these relevant literatures unfolds a common feature amongst themselves which led to the formulating of a research problem represented in the form of a research question, which is How can change be managed effectively in a project-based organization to align with its organizational strategy, goals and objectives?. Moreover, the core function of formulating this research problem is to make a decision on what is to be investigated. Hence, the research problem is assessed taking into consideration the availability of financial resources, time, expertise and possession of knowledge in the field of study (Kumar 2011). According to Kumar (2011 pp.47), in the course of selecting a research problem, a list of factors are considered to make sure the study is practicable and motivation maintained throughout the period of the research. These factors include: Interest: Since a research attempt normally consumes time, consists of difficult task and probably faced with unanticipated issues, a great deal of interest in the research problem is necessary to stay motivated and devote substantial time and energy till the end of the research process. Magnitude: Reviewing several relevant literature helps in building up the knowledge base about the research process, however in the context of this research, possessing a vast knowledge about how change is managed in project-based organization enables the picturing of process involved in reaching the end of the anticipated study. Subsequently, the research problem is narrowed down to what is practicable, precise and clear. Hence, effective utilization of time and resources is considered when choosing a research problem. Measurement of Concepts: In formulating the research problem, the concept employed is ensured to be clear about its indicators and measurements. Nonetheless, in the research, factors such as communication, motivation, managerial support and culture are utilized in describing the concept of how change can be managed in project-based organizations. Thus, this does not hinder the development of other measurement procedure as the study evolves (Kumar 2011). Moreover, information in this research is acquired by the measurement and analysis of the variables; hence they are dependent on the purpose of the study. Level of expertise: A particular level of expertise is required for the proposed study, though added knowledge could be achieved from other literature sources and in the course of carrying out the investigation itself. Relevance: The selected research problem is of great significance as it contributes to the present body of knowledge. Hence, it is useful and its relevance keeps the interest of the study focussed. Availability of data: This is also considered in the formulating of the research problem since the availability of sufficient data from secondary sources enhances the drawing of insights that would be an immense influence in the execution of the research process, thus serving as a guideline for the current study. Ethical issues: In the quest of carrying out a research the target population may be unfavourably affected by the investigation either directly or indirectly. Nevertheless, how ethical issues affect the sample size and how ethical issues can be overcome is considered in the formulating of the research problem. 3.2 DESIGNING A RESEARCH STRATEGY A successful research requires a design in which its constituents function harmoniously together, upholding efficiency and effective working in the course of a research process (Maxwell 2005), thus a faulty or inconsistent design leads to a poor setup or eventually failure. Nonetheless, different conceptions of design is being utilized in several studies, some present the design as a simple sequence of steps or task involved in carrying out a study, while some shares the opinion that a research design should consist of circular and recursive stages (Marshall and Rossman 1999). However, the common features that exist amongst these conceptions of design is that they all contain the basic sequence of stages from the formulating of a research problem to the conclusion or establishment of theories. Subsequently, the research design adopted in this current study is reflective in nature and it operates through every phase of the task. Thus, this is typical of a qualitative study where all the activities such data collection and analysis, development and modification of theory, going into detail and changing of the research questions, and detecting and addressing validity threats are generally occurring in a simultaneous pattern, each inducing all of the others (Maxwell 2005). As a result, the design of this research in question is a continuing practice that involves re-examining the different components of the design and assessing their implications on the success of the overall research. Consequently, in the pursuit to carry out this current research, key components of a qualitative research design according to Maxwell (2005) are considered as follows; Goals: This study is carried out to develop an improved way of managing change in project-based organizations as new practices are implemented in the organization. Hence, the research looks into the issue of social human and organizational behaviour in project-based organization towards the adoption of new practices and maintenance of the existing ones. However, this research is actually embarked upon to understand the complexity of project-based organization and how its decentralized nature affects the spread of new ideas. Conceptual Framework: The conceptual framework utilized in the current research is based on the combination of the theoretical foundation of both Kotters (1995) eight-steps and Aiken and Kellers (2009) nine-insights. Nevertheless, these theoretical foundations were chosen in the sense that it creates analytical viewpoint of the relationship existing among the factors such as communication, motivation, managerial support and culture that have been acknowledged as relevant to the research problem (Sekaran 2003) according to the first chapter of the report. Moreover, the theoretical foundation flows rationally from the documentation of preceding research in the area of the research problem as seen in the literature review section. However, by incorporating personal views based on the insights drawn from other publications or research report, taking into considerations the scope of a construction firm in the context of a project-based organization, a scientific basis is developed for inv estigating the research problem (Sekaran 2003). Consequently, the theoretical framework as seen in Table 1 deliberates on the interrelationships in the midst of the variables which is seen as factors that is fundamental to the underlying forces of the condition being studied. Research Questions: The research question in this study is embedded in terms of the conceptual framework to which the theoretical foundation adopted is strongly reinforced (Wengraf 2001). However, in formulating the research question, due consideration is given so as to establish a relationship between the theoretical foundation and the empirical findings it seeks to reveal. Thus, the central research question developed in the quest of this study is How can change be managed effectively in a project-based organization to align with its organizational strategy, goals and objectives?. As a result, four theory questions are designed to broaden the scope of the central research question, besides, these theory questions are not interview questions, they govern the production of the interview questions, thus formulated in the theory language of the research community, while the interview questions are formulated in the language of the interviewees (Wengraf 2001). A sample of these question s is evident in Appendix 1. Furthermore, these central research, theory and interview questions collectively pose questions that the study is meant to answer. Methods: The method of research applied in this study is qualitative, which constitutes interview studies utilizing open-ended interview questions to investigate the research problem, thus follow a more deductive approach (May 2003). Nevertheless, the research adopts a structured approach in the sense that all the components of the research process such as the objectives, design, sample, interview questions are predetermined. However, the structured approach is more suitable since it define the extent of the issue or phenomenon (Kumar 2011), which is How can change be managed effectively in a project-based organization to align with its organizational strategy, goals and objectives?. In the quest to achieve easy access to the prospective interviewees, letters were written to different construction firms in the U.K. Nonetheless, these letters were put forward to them via email and posting. A sample of this letter is seen in Appendix 4. Consequently, after the efforts through the email and posting proved abortive, several phone calls served as an alternative means of contacting the interviewees and confirming the receipt of the despatched letters. Subsequently, a breakthrough was achieved when a senior manager of a construction firm agreed to grant the permission for the interview. As a result of the latter, the interview was held via the telephone at different periods due to the busy schedules and availability of the interviewees. However, substantial data were gathered and transcribed as seen in Appendix 2 and 3, thus serving as a source of information utilized in the development of the primary field framework as evident in Table 1 and the analysis of the researc h outcome in the subsequent chapter. However, this research being theoretically devoted selected a carefully targeted sample that is well positioned to light up the issue under investigation (May 2003), thus the sampling strategy adopted made available a competent way to get answers to enormous questions utilizing relatively small population. Subsequently, to achieve the practicability of this study a construction firm is chosen as a key example of a project-based organization in the U.K (Bresnen 1990) and described by Lindkvist (2004) as being a radical project-based organization. Nevertheless, the interview is based upon the implementation of Visual planning tool, which is a new project management tool utilized by the construction firm based in the U.K and involved in various construction projects. The senior manager, who is responsible for the implementation of the VP aided in facilitating the interview, hence avoiding the issue of obtaining fabricated answers from the interviewees. In the context of this investigati on, a construction firm form the basis from which the sample is drawn (Clark et al 2000). In the light of the above, this research utilizes a non-probability sampling known as convenience sampling (Clark et al 2000). Moreover, in the context of this research, convenience sampling is not a sample in the sense that the selection is done based on the distribution of several characteristic (Clark et al 2000), rather the sample is chosen because they share certain very clearly defined core characteristics as seen in the case of the senior manager and two site managers chosen for the purpose of this research. Thus, the sample is selected based on the variation in significant factors under investigation (May 2003). Consequently, the success of the interview study is highly dependent on the aforementioned assembling of theoretically grounded questions and accessible interview schedules. Thus, the interviewees who offered to contribute intimate information about their lives and time were given a clear, comprehensive and reassuring guide throughout the process of interviewing (May 2003). However, these interview questions were sent to the interviewees via email prior to the main interviewing to serve as a guide during the interview sections. In the analytic process adopted in this study, the extant conceptual framework developed from the data gathered in the course of qualitative interview, and as evident in Table 1 suggests a set of predetermined categories (Symon and Cassell 1998). Thus, these set of predetermined categories are as follows; Communication Motivation Managerial Support and; Culture. However, the extant conceptual framework based upon the theoretical foundation of Kotters (1995) eight-steps and Aiken and Kellers (2009) nine-insights reveals the emerging factors embedded in the aforementioned categories. Hence, the interrelationship among the variable that are fundamental to the changing aspects of the condition being examined (Sekaran 2003), which entail how change is managed in a construction firm will be discussed in the fourth chapter, where the outcome of the research will be analysed. Validity: Subsequently, the theoretical framework developed from the data gathered during the qualitative interview conducted could offer a conceptual foundation to proceed with a further research and also gives rise to testable theory that can be developed to examine whether the conclusion reached or theory formulated in this research is valid or not (Sekaran 2003). Thus, a quantitative method based upon the extant theoretical framework is recommended for further research. 3.3 ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS Fundamental ethical issues were considered in the course of this research. However, the confidentiality and anonymity of the interviewees highlighted in the letters distributed is carried over into the writing-up of the reports. Thus, the identities of the interviewees are represented in a disguised form, while the information and data gathered is reported anonymously (Clark et al 2000). Nevertheless, the construction firm under investigation point out that the privacy and confidentiality of their business secrets and practices be protected by avoiding the recording of the conversation via the telephone and present them with an evidence of the research findings in a short report, thus ascertaining the relevance of the research to the construction firm in question (Symon and Cassell). On the other hand, promises of anonymity such as that present in the letter despatched, permitted the interviewees to express more reality about their view concerning the attendant question put forward t o them (Symon and Cassell 1988). Moreover, the interview ends normally as the interviewees complete their responses, besides the interview was conducted at different times due to busy schedules and availability of the interviewees. Hereafter, commendation is put forward to the interviewees for the time and energy contributed to the interview. In the light of the above, this section reveals how the entire research is carried out and why the methods employed were adopted, thus making sense of the research credibility by demonstrating the understanding of the methodology utilized in the study. Consequently, it highlights the ethical concerns arising from the research and how they were addressed. Hence, lay emphasis on what data were collected and how they were handled, evaluated and accomplished, which will be discussed in the subsequent chapter.

Tsunami :: essays research papers

I think that every author has a purpose and reason behind there writing. Most of it was to make aware of the catastrophe, damage and affect that the tsunami and earthquake had on the nations that it hit. Also some of the information in the articles was to make aware of the efforts other nations were doing to help those affected. Other articles explained the origin of such catastrophes. For example, one article explains how many years of built up strain on 2 faults in the, what is known as the Sumatra Subduction Zone, suddenly slipped past each other creating an earthquake. From which the Tsunamis that hit the many nations across the Indian Ocean were originated.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My reaction to the articles and its findings were first how some authors think as to what they want to communicate. While the majority of authors focused on the damage the tsunami and earthquake caused and the death tolls there were some that focused on the origin of such events and predictions of when another one can happen and where. Others focused on actual interviewing of people affected and storytelling like writing of the events that the person saw and thought of at the time it happened. The articles really have not changed my views in anyway of the topic. I was very aware of the damages an earthquake can cause and how a tremor in the ocean can develop a tsunami. I was aware that one in our coast can happen from reading many books of history of tsunami’s and earthquakes. Actually before I graduated high school I wanted to study seismology and be a seismologist.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I really can’t compare any experience iv had with the one in Asia. I did however experience an earthquake back in 1989. The Loma Prieta earthquake of 6.9 magnitude, that hit the bay area affected many lives including mine. I lived smack in the middle of the bay area at that time. My mom and dad both worked in Oakland and had to cross the two story Cypress freeway that collapsed. That day my mom was scheduled to work and did not go because she decided she had too many things to take care of. Usually around the time the quake took place she would be crossing that exact freeway that collapsed. Just to know or think that my mom could have been one of the victims trapped under

Theodore Adorno’s notions of ‘standardisation’ and ‘pseudo-individualism’ might be applied to contemporary pop music

Basing your discussion on an analysis of at least 2 contemporary artists or bands, consider the ways that Theodore Adorno's notions of ‘standardisation' and ‘pseudo-individualism' might be applied to contemporary pop music. Do you see any problems or shortcomings from this approach? Popular Culture has enticed much research; with the increase of media studies there are a number of minds picking apart what they see. With icons filing up and saturating mediums such as television, magazines, radio stations to name a few, the celebrity filled industry is undoubtedly causing a stir amongst the masses. Theodore Adorno (1903-69) emigrated to England in 1934 to escape Nazism. He lived in the United States of America for 10 years, (1938-48) before returning to Frankfurt, where he was a member at the ‘Frankfurt Institute of Social Research'. Theodore Adorno was a key figure in the study of popular music and had intrinsic Marxist view on the capital nature of society. Adorno believed that the culture industry â€Å"is the central agency in contemporary capitalism for the production and satisfaction of false needs†. (Adorno, T and Horkheimer, M. 1977, p349). He argues that popular music is a mass-produced and shallow standardised part of the culture industry. This would suggest that all aspects of popular music including types of songs, song lyrics and parts of songs e.g. chorus, are all standardised. (Longhurst, B. 1995, p5). Popular music is therefore divided into particular categories or genres of music such as rock, pop, rap, heavy metal and reggae etc, however according to Adorno, all popular music is standardised consisting of verse, chorus, bridge, that are interchangeable from one song to another. The effects of standardisation are often hidden by what the industry calls pseudo-individualisation. These are incidental differences, also known as ‘frills' that are put within a song to disguise that it sounds the same. Adorno distinguishes sharply between pop music and serious music between high culture and low cultures. Serious music, which he regards as classical, Beethoven or Mozart for example, plays to the pleasures of the imagination offering an engagement with the world, as it should be. Especially due to this separation his theories were often attacked for being elitist. The comparison of pop music and serious music was a main topic for him. Adorno describes individuals who enjoy popular music â€Å"corrupt by immersion and open to the domination of industrialised capitalist systems.† (Longhurst, B. 1995, p8). This view accounts for the emotional needs that popular music may fulfil as ‘false and immature, rather than deep and/or penetrating. â€Å"Adorno continued to equate the form with Tin Pan Alley and jazz orientated variations of it, ignoring the rise of rock and roll in the early 1950's. This undermined his critique and resulted in his views generally being strongly rejected by more contemporary rock analysts.† (Shuker, R. 1994; 23). Adorno claims that Popular music is churned into a production line where everything sounds similar, it's an industry that exploits us for profit and social control, to accept certain conditions about the world in which we live through a capitalist society. It would be fair to say that to some extent this is true. We do live in a capitalist society and in the music industry the process of absorption is achieved by capitalism through advertising and marketing of a product with a pop star or pop band. Everything about them becomes a commodity, their clothes, image, likes and dislikes etc, transcends its immediate functional use to become a key symbol of a whole lifestyle. The argument implies that the rise of the popular music to mass status is a consequence of the symbolic strategies invested in it rather than the actual quality of the music. This essentially means that although the products of the culture industry are alike in most cases, some ‘individuality' is consciously added to make it different from the rest even though essentially it is the same product. This is pseudo individualism. Adorno uses the Hollywood star system as an example, â€Å"the more dehumanised its method of operation and content, the more diligently and successfully the culture industry propagates supposedly great personalities, and operates with heart throbs.† (Adorn, T. 1991, p87). A modern day example can be seen in boy bands such as ‘Westlife', ‘Nsync', ‘Backstreet boys' and the most recent ‘One true voice' derived from ‘Popstars the rivals', a spin of show produced originally as ‘Popstars' in January 2001. Although the music is very similar in structure, tonality and content, the customer can choose between several versions of these boy bands. It could be suggested, â€Å"the culture industry produces culture, which the masses consume unthinkingly and are thus confirmed as unthinking. It is a culture which produces satisfaction in the here and now, depoliticising the working class, limiting its horizon to political and economic goals that can be achieved within the oppressive and exploitive framework of capitalist society†. (Storey, J. 1998 p188). The audience, through a selection process selected the new boy band, One True Voice over a number of weeks. A group of 5 males aged between 17 and 22, they do fit into a typical boy band category. They released a Christmas song called ‘Sacred Trust' which is actually a cover version of another male group the ‘Bee Gees'. Adorno would claim that we as masses consume everything the business churns out and on a personal level I would agree as this appears to be both standardised and contains pseudo individualism as it is sung by a new group with added frills however this has been apparent in popular music for generations and manufactured groups will continue to use this method in order to generate more sales. We live in a consumerist society where these manufactured groups are providing a service for their audience. A major critique of this is that Adorno does not look at the emotional response of the audience and how standardisation is also a form of pleasure. By this it mea ns that standardisation is a form of security for the audience and this predictability is often welcoming. Adorno and other writers of the Frankfurt school, especially Herbert Marcuse (1898-1978) sees the process of the culture industry as a means of capitalist society to stabilize itself. Theodore Adorno claimed that popular music operates as a tool of social ‘cement'. Although his writings was published in 1941, his accounts on popular music does not account for the complexities of recent popular music and popular culture. He is heavily criticised due to his unchanging elitist views and it would be fair to say that popular music is not as monolithic as Adorno claims. The perspectives offer a relevant but quite pessimistic and what can be considered as narrow minded views of popular music. They have offered foundations for interpretation and understanding of music however many theories since have built on how audiences' contextualise and use the products of mass culture rather than what the culture industry does to the audience. Antonio Gramsci's (1891-1937) work on Hegemony opened many doors for thought, including ideas that ‘members of society negotiate with the products of the culture'. (Fiske, J. 1992, p309). Hegemony helps identify that popular culture is not simply imposed on the subordinates by the bourgeoisie and that people are not simply â€Å"passive and helpless mass incapable of discrimination and thus at the economic, cultural and political mercy of the barons of the industry†. (Fiske, J. 1987, p309) Fiske suggests that audiences draw contrasting ideas from different text. Madonna is a fine example where pleasure of the audience is in the â€Å"power of a severely suboridatly subculture to make their own statements and own meaning†. (Fiske, J. 1987, p233) These theories have their strengths and differences in helping unpack the tapestry of music. One element they all share is the acknowledgement that pop music has important social effects. Who are the main consumers of popular music? Youth are highest consuming marketing within pop music accounting for the highest percent of single sales. Bradley (1992) accounted the significance with youths and music as reaction to post war teenager with an increase in disposable income and new position in society. James Coleman (1961) highlighted the separateness of youth culture from adult society and its closeness to the market through consumption of popular music. Consumption has been linked to youth culture as far back as the 50's, where growing western markets created specific products and goods for the teenager. (Wulff, H. and Taliai, A. 1995). An example of success in popular music is Madonna. She is a key figure in the pop industry as a pioneer for breaking conventions within gender and sexuality, and has been around for 3 decades, now in her 50's still appealing to the youth, However much debate on Madonna has taken place focusing on her image rather than her music. She has been perceived as ‘the lowest form of irresponsible culture a social disease' and ‘an inauthentic product of the culture industry who was involved of the exploitation of others of the gain of that industry'. (Bryman, A. 2001). In relation to Adorno he may have perceived Madonna to be a cultural product, taking pseudo individualism to an extreme, which in turn made her very popular. Madonna moves from various genres of music and blends them together; she had a hit record with ‘Don't cry for me Argentina' a more operatic song very different to what is considered mainstream music. I feel that Adorno would have critiqued this as popular classical as she took something that can be considered elitist and brought it into popular culture. This view is contrasted with her comparison as an ‘organic feminist who ‘allows girls to see that the meaning of feminine sexuality can be in their control, can be made in their interests, and that their subjectivity's are not necessarily totally determined by the dominant patriarchy'. (McClary, S. 1991.) McClary in her analysis of Madonna has found her to be exceptional as a musician who has endured maintained an incredible amount of power as a successful female artist over three decades. A simple look at her back catalogue and it is apparent that she uses sexual power as a commodity alike many women throughout western history. Including seventeenth century composer Barbara Strozzie, who was one of a few women who broke through the elite circle of classical music, by posing bare breasted for publicity. It would be very interesting to know what Adorno would account for that. (Rosand, E. 1986). Madonna however ‘brings hypocrisy to the surface and problematizes it'. With publications of her book, sex and video discourses like ‘in Bed with Madonna' She takes a key role in the aggressor sexually. She connects the notions of power and sex and projects it back outwards into the main stream hands on hips Gautier bust pointy and proud. Her intentions never simplistic, it is possible her representations aim to detach stigmas and notions of taboo to certain sexual matters. ‘This may lead to greater tolerance for those engaged in these ‘perverted' practices' and a layered stream of meanings dipictable from her messages. Irony has been depicted as a key strategy in her possible master plan. In ‘Like a Virgin' her little girl voice and play with signs of famous temptresses, her pouts, her coquettish nature and using ‘†traditional music signs of childish vulnerability projecting her knowledge that this is what patriarchy expects of her and also her awareness that this fantasy is ludicrous†. (McClary,S. 1991, p153). A principal factor in the understanding of Madonna messages is the language of cultural experiences and perceptions that she speaks to her audience with. Madonna gives her audience standardisation in the sense that some of her music can be chopped and changed however she also gives her audience challenging and contrasting views about being a woman in today's society, that could be argued against Adorno as being engaging, testing and also plays to the pleasures of the imagination offering engagement to the world as it is now. Her audience within popular music are aimed specifically at the mass (for financial and wider broadcast of her messages) and ‘as evidence in that she plays for the lowest common denominator-that she prostitutes her art an extension of her self'. Prostitution is a service never the less, and it evident that she uses her role to play with traditional boundaries and identities. Madonna uses the tool of fantasy a mode typical of the culture industry, however she here compliance to the powers stop, as she twist notions within them. Her fantasies have been seen as ambiguous and unsuccessful for men and she has been compared to a genuine ‘Boy Toy' as male interpretations and reactions to a majority are often that of anxiety and unease rather than appease. (Rolling stone 508 March 28th 1989). On the other hand, the power of Madonna is undoubtedly clear, her vast empire of her Production Company, her own music label and a net value of 600 Million speaks volumes about her nature as a business women as well as an artist and social figure. It is fair to say that that although popular music in today's generation can be considered as standardized, and to a great extent, manufactured music will always be so, Adorno's views are out of date and biased as he had a very low opinion of popular music. Being a musician himself, his opinions were based on his own assumptions of high and low culture and although he did make some substantial claims about standardization and pseudo individualization, popular music today has more important factors to be dealt with such as the messages it is portraying. One being that we do live in a consumerist society where essentially everything is a product, even classical music today, which Adorno would have considered high art is now commercialized and used as a commodity to sell through advertising. Through it all music captures a moment or feeling that Adorno does not account for. Music is another form of expressing an emotion whether it is classical or pop music and it is there for enjoyment, to provide a service and an option to listen to whatever pleases the ear.

Long Star

John Sayles’s Long Star (1996) is a movie about what Nietzsche called the tyranny of history, or, as the character of Wesley Birdsong (played by Gordon Tootoosis) suggests, about the struggle that faces those people struggling to forget an old name, literally and metaphorically, in order that they might learn a new one.   It is a film, in other words, that despite its sleepiness takes on an issue of epic importance as it explores with unflinching intelligence and open-mindedness the lines and borders that cut wide and frequently destructive paths across individual lives. On the one hand, a vibrant and richly detailed history of Frontera, Texas, a small and intensely-corrupt town that straddles the cultural, economic, and psychological border with Mexico, this film is, on the other, a profound anti-history, a dismantling of the easy binaries that we have traditionally secured at the center of a collective understanding of the past.   As the character of Otis Payne (Ron Canada) states without equivocation, this is a film that focuses on the dynamics of the border itself, of living in a world in which easy divides collapse into a kind of post-modern re-imagining of the potentialities of living a border life. As Payne suggests: â€Å"It's not like there's a line between the good people and the bad people. It is not like you're one or the other†; put simply, living on the border leaves individuals living, ultimately and passionately, in a world distanced from the easy answers, the stable questions, and the knowable, comfortable horizons of the familiar.   These are characters trapped perpetually on the liminal, on the threshold of one emotional state or another, of one epistemological condition or another, and, inevitably throughout the film, of one moral dilemma or another. The impetus for this penetrating dance along border life erupts full force for the townspeople with the unearthing of the remains of Charley Wade (Kris Kristofferson).   A symbol of the town’s racist and casually corrupt past, Wade’s decomposing body establishes a kind of trajectory for the varied border-crossings that accrete during the course of the film, most notably for the current sheriff Sam Deeds (Chris Cooper), whose own father, Buddy (Matthew McConaughey), was Wade’s premier deputy. But as Sam’s investigation begins, so, too, does his inability to dance the fine lines that he needs to in order to keep his intensely compartmentalized life (his border-less life) in tact. Even moving barely below the surface of   this historical case (buried in the past, Wade was also murdered in the past) soon opens outward to include other stories of other â€Å"pasts† that Sam cannot anticipate and, more tellingly, cannot keep from bleeding over into his current investigations, most notably the history of racial discrimination (against blacks and Hispanics, especially) that implicates all members of the town; the troubled memories that Sam still carries with him as the son of the infamous Buddy Deeds; and the emotional repercussions of his â€Å"reunion† with Pilar Cruz (Elizabeth Pena), his first love but also a love that is bordered off (or so society is led to believe) by the moral and genetic taboos placed on such relationships. Or is it?   In such a relativist borderland as Frontera, even this intense stricture can be skirted as simply, it seems, as agreeing that it doesn’t matter since no one knows.   What goes on in the past stays in the past in this case, or, put in terms with which Sayles might concur, what goes on in the present is actually an un-bordered past rising again through interpretations, tellings, and re-tellings. If the discovery of Wade’s body makes Lone Star a murder mystery, the Deeds-Cruz relationship turns this into a film that crosses borders in terms of genre as well as in terms of geography and psychology; murder blends readily with romance; the authority of the sheriff’s department crosses over with its own anti-thesis, as Buddy Deeds gradually emerges from the shadow of the past to become the prime suspect in the murder of his former boss. As the minor character Chucho Montoya (Tony Amendola) underscores in a film that challenges the very idea that any character in any story can ever be seen as minor, as much as this is a film that dances its precarious balance along its various borders, it is also a film that dismantles the very nature of border-ness.   Nowhere is this more clearly articulated than in a scene in which Montoya challenges the younger Deeds’s faithful belief in the lines that serve as the defining characteristics of borders: Chucho Montoya: You're the sheriff of Rio County, right? Un jefe mui respectado. [Drawing a line in the sand] .   Step across this line. You're not the sheriff of nothing anymore, just some tejano with a lot of questions I don't have to answer. A bird flying south, you think he sees this line? Rattlesnake? Javelina? Whatever you got. You think halfway across that line they start thinking different? Why should a man? Sheriff Sam Deeds: Your government's always been pretty happy to have that line, the question's just been where to draw it. Chucho Montoya: My government can go fuck itself, and so can yours! I'm talking about people here. Men. Borders are made by men and recognized by men, Montoya underscores, but are, in the end, unnatural constructions that serve more as barriers to a fully integrated understanding of the town and of the individuals in it.   More importantly, Montoya’s comment implies, it is our individual faithfulness in the stabilizing and restorative powers All of this flux does not mean that Lone Star meanders aimlessly or that the characters are denied always a kind of peaceful â€Å"ordering† to their lives.   The fluid editing of the film allows the various stories to flow together almost seamlessly, erasing borders between scenes, between characters, and between past and present.   As these final two bleed together, the tyranny lifts ever so slightly.   As the characters come to understand that their presents are connected by the various interconnections crisscrossing their pasts, they begin to recognize slowly that it is what they do with this knowledge in the present that means the most. Life is for the living, not the dead, and life is lived in the present not in fear of the bordered off worlds that find their footings deep in years gone.   This does not mean, by any stretch of the bordering lines, that Sayles’s film invokes a grand statement or grander meaning.   As the character known only as the Indian Shop Owner observes in a moment of profundity that resonates through the various layers of this film: â€Å"This stretch of road runs between nowhere and not much else.†Ã‚   In the end, perhaps that is all that can be hoped for as one dances along the border of his own life.