Igor Stravinsky Essay Example for Free

Igor Stravinsky Essay Igor Stravinsky was among the most influential and versatile composers of the last century. His overwhelming commitment to music and remarkable musical career, â€Å"†¦which spanned the convulsive final years of the Imperial Russia and the social ferment of 1960s America, served to establish Stravinsky not only as the most celebrated composer of his time, but also as one of the defining forces of twentieth-century culture† (Wenborn, 1999, p. 10). Born in 1882 to the family of Fyodor Stravinsky, a famous Russian actor and opera singer, Stravinsky grew up in the atmosphere of conservatism and discipline. As his father was a member of Russian cultural elite and had close personal relationships with Turgenev, Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov and other talented artists of that epoch, the young Stravinsky and his siblings were surrounded with the music of the most progressive Russian composers, such as Borodin, Glinka, Mussorgsky and Dargomizhsky, since their early childhood. When he was 9, the young Stravinsky started his piano lessons followed by studying harmony, music theory and composition. However, his enthusiasm for developing a career in music was somewhat frustrated by the parents who insisted on Stravinsky’s becoming a lawyer. In 1901 he entered the University of St. Petersburg to study law. A year later, Stravinsky took an opportunity to present his compositions to Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov, a leading Russian composer of those times, who lately became Stravinsky’s spiritual parent. Rimsky played an important role in musical development of Stravinsky, and till his death in 1908, he was influencing Stravinsky’s creative style. In 1907, inspired by the works of Rimsky, Stravinsky wrote First Symphony in E Flat Major which was dominated by nationalistic motifs. Along with other compositions (such as Fireworks and The Faun and the Shepherdess), the Symphony attracted the attention of Sergei Diaghilev, a Russian ballet impresario who worked for the Ballets Russes in France. On his request, Stravinsky created his first ballets: The Firebird (1910), Petroushka (1911) and The Rite of Spring (1913). The Russian period in the career evolution of Stravinsky can be characterized by a tendency to use ritual personages, motifs and harmonic formulas of Russian folklore, blended with a lot of dissonances and irregular rhythms. Those years were very important for the formation of musical aesthetics of Stravinsky, which can be defined by vivid imagination and various semantic elements, rhythmic freedom, abundance of variations and ostinati, etc. The next, neoclassic period started in the early 1920s, when Stravinsky moved to France. Together with his wife Ekaterina and their four children, Stravinsky settled down in Nice. He continued composing and traveling with the Ballets Russes, looking for new ideas and themes for his works. In this period, Stravinsky was under the influence of French impressionism of the eighteenth century. In his masterpieces, the composer used to refer to various stylistic models: he mastered the styles of the European baroque (Oedipus Rex, 1927), the techniques of old polyphony (the Symphony of Psalms, 1930), and so on. During the 1930s, Stravinsky’s success as a composer was boosted by his increasing popularity as a brilliant pianist and conductor of his own compositions. In 1934 he became a citizen of France, and a year later he had a series of great performances in the United States crowned by a remarkable concert in the Metropolitan Opera in New York, where Stravinsky conducted his newly created ballet The Card Party. The late 1930s were darkened for Stravinsky by the loss of his wife, mother and elder daughter who died of tuberculosis one after another. In 1939 he moved to the U. S. together with his mistress Vera de Bosset, a dancer at the Ballets Russes. Stravinsky’s compositions of the 1940s (including the Symphony in Three Movements (1945), the Ebony Concerto (1946) and other works) can be characterized by a great stylistic diversity. However, his ballet Orpheus completed in 1947 marked the composer’s return to neoclassical traditions. The opera The Rakes Progress (1951), created in collaboration with W. H. Auden and C. Kallman, is considered to be the apex of Stravinsky’s neoclassical period. The libretto was based on a series of engravings of William Hogarth. Musical context of the opera is based on classic harmonies and a wide palette of tone colors, enriched with surprising rhythmic changes and dissonances. The premiere of the opera took place at the famous La Venice in Italy, and in 1997 this opera was restaged by the Metropolitan Opera. In the early 1950s, being under the influence of such artists as A.  Schoenberg and R. Craft, Stravinsky embarked on using the techniques of Serialism in his compositions. During this final period of his career, the composer was experimenting with the twelve-tone methods (dodecaphony) developed by Schoenberg, as well as working on a great number of songs, cantatas and other small chamber works and pieces of vocal music. Many important compositions of this period are dominated by biblical motifs (Canticum Sacrum (1955), A Sermon, a Narrative, and a Prayer (1961), Abraham and Isaac (1963), etc. ) During the last decade of his life, Stravinsky continued performing and conducting his pieces in the most prestigious concert halls of the U. S. and Europe. He visited the Soviet Union and developed friendly relationships with Soviet leader Nikita Krushchev. Stravinsky was a devoted Orthodox Christian and a great father for his children. The composer died in 1971 and was buried on the cemetery of San Michele, next to the grave of his close friend, Sergei Diaghilev. For his achievements and musical innovations, in 1987 Stravinsky was granted the Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement (posthumously). Despite great stylistic contrasts, all the works of Stravinsky retain a certain distinctive identity rooted in his Russian origin and the tendency to use his trademark musical elements (such as ostinati, off-rhythms, etc. ) in the majority of his compositions. Stravinsky was a person of an inexhaustible enthusiasm and eagerness to explore new musical horizons and styles. He was a composer of a phenomenal talent and matchless creative originality, who â€Å"†¦revitalized the rhythms of European music and achieved entirely new sonorities and blends of orchestral colors† (Columbia Encyclopedia, 2007, p. 46141)

The factory system on the rise of labor movements in the period before the Civil War Essay Example for Free

The factory system on the rise of labor movements in the period before the Civil War Essay The factory system that developed in the early nineteenth century utilized new complex technology to manufacture consumer items on a large scale.   These products, traditionally produced by families in their homes or by small shops in a â€Å"cottage industry,† could now, by means of the machines and assembly lines of the factory system, be turned out of large facilities in standardized qualities, and by a mass of workers in tremendous volumes. These workers were pulled away from their farms and homes in the countryside to be housed together and to labor side by side in the factory shops.    In these conditions the workers could be organized, supervised, trained, and managed efficiently. As a result of these machines and organizing methods, the cost of the finished consumer products fell dramatically, driving small shops and craftsmen out of business.   Intense competition developed between competing factories and their owners, and this led to the ruthless exploitation of labor, including the abuse of women and children, the working of long hours without rest, and meager wages, as the primary ways of cutting costs and increasing competitive advantage. The factory system allowed for the accumulation of enormous profits to the owners, but the workers grew increasingly weary of these oppressions and so they began to organize themselves into unions for collective actions and collective bargaining, to develop and consume anti-capitalist philosophies such as those taught by socialists and communists, and to go on strikes.   In the beginning, governments in Europe and the U.S. generally sided with the factory owners and helped to suppress worker strikes, but workers continued over time to resist, to organize themselves, and to agitate for change. 1)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Chief Justice John Marshall emphasized that the Constitution gave Congress the power to make all â€Å"necessary and proper laws† needed to carry out its delegated powers. How did the necessary and proper clause apply to the case of McCulloch v. Maryland? What was the impact of this clause on the scope of federal power? In 1817 a dispute arose between the Maryland Legislature and the Second Bank of the United States.   The Bank, without charter of the legislature, began operations in Baltimore, and set about competing with other duly-authorized banks.   In response, â€Å"on February 11, 1818, the General Assembly of Maryland passed an act entitled, an act to impose a tax on all banks, or branches thereof, in the State of Maryland, not chartered by the legislature. James McCulloch, head of the Baltimore Branch of the Second Bank of the United States, refused to pay the tax.   Maryland sought collection, and asserted that the Constitution of the United States gave no specific authorization for the Federal Government to charter a bank, and in court, Maryland won the case.   The Bank appealed to the Supreme Court, where Chief Justice Marshall overturned the decision and forever altered to nature and expression of federal power. Marshall cited the â€Å"necessary and proper clause† of the Constitution, asserting that this empowered Congress to employ any means necessary to achieve any objectives that are not specifically forbidden by the Constitution.   He said â€Å"let the end be legitimate, let it be within the scope of the constitution, and all means which are appropriate, which are plainly adapted to that end, which are not prohibited, but consist with the letter and spirit of the constitution, are constitutional.† The Federal Government has since employed this precedent repeatedly to justify ordinary and controversial legislation and centralization of authority, to the extent that the several States retain exclusive jurisdiction over practically nothing.

Neo Realism In Italian Cinema

Neo Realism In Italian Cinema In complete contrast to the Fascist cinema it superseded, Neo-Realism was committed to representing life as it is lived. With this in mind, analyse the reasons why Neo-Realism as a movement lasted only ten years. Please refer to at least two films. In contrast to the Fascist cinema that it superseded, Neo-Realism was committed to representing life as it is lived; its films are therefore characterised by narratives set amongst Italys poorest, examining the difficult economic and moral conditions experienced during World War Two and in the post-war years. The movement has therefore been labelled a moral and aesthetic cinema (lecture, Heath-Williams, A., 2009). This essay will discuss and examine the reasons why Italian Neo-Realism lasted just ten years, between 1942 and 1952 (Cook, P., 2007: 233). It will focus briefly on Fascist cinema and then examine Neo-Realism and some of its key films, notably those by Rossellini, De Sica and Visconti, and the subsequent moves by these directors away from Neo-Realism to more individual projects. It will then assess the variety of state and Church constraints imposed on Neo-Realism during its ten years, and will discuss changes in the tastes of contemporary audiences, to determine whether it was these changes that ultimately sounded the death-knell for the movement. Italian film production was virtually non-existent after World War One and cinemas were forced to show only foreign films, which was intolerable for the Fascist regime (filmreference.com, 2010). Following intervention by Mussolinis government the industry slowly revived throughout the 1930s, creating an Italian, rather than a specifically Fascist cinema (Cook, P., 2007: 233). Fascist filmmakers did make some films that have been rightly dismissed as propaganda, such as the short newsreels that were made to educate not entertain the public. However, of the seven hundred or so films produced by them, most were not actually propaganda films, but rather were entertaining, patriotic epics, such as Red Passport (dir. Brignone, 1935), which highlights an Italian peasants love for his country, as he returned home from abroad and fought and died for Italy in The Great War (Bondanella, P., 2009: 49). In complete contrast, the same film industry also produced White Telephone films a derogatory name coined by the Italian public (allmovie.com, 2010). These films are big-budget melodramatic productions frequently set in grand hotels, fancy nightclubs or on luxurious ocean-liners, with each film featuring a distinctive white telephone, which was viewed as a symbol of middle-class bourgeois wealth. They portray a false view of Italian life, as the existence led by most Italians was the exact opposite of that being shown onscreen. Indeed, within these films, the simple protagonists always found a simplistic resolution to their equally simplistic and insipid dilemmas (greencine.com, 2010), which was wholly unreflective of Italys reality. These films were intended to distract the Italian public from that reality and to recreate the box office success of the popular Hollywood narratives of the 1930s. Mussolini also encouraged the filming of grand, historical epics that were intended to ma ke Italians proud of their Roman history (greencine.com, 2010) again, another distraction from contemporary problems. Whilst Fascist cinema tended to produce decadent white telephone films, there were calls for filmmakers to develop a film realism that was authentically Italian (filmreference.com, 2010). With the outbreak of war in 1939 and the increasing breakdown of Italian society, a number of screenwriters also began to call for a cinema that resembled the Verismo or reality of 19th century Italian literature (Bordwell, D., Thompson, K., 2008: 459). Italian directors and writers were also influenced by French films of the 1930s and by Calligraphist films of the early 1940s, which were heavily reliant on the finest of detail (Bondanella, P., 2009: 52, 53). This use of fine detail and mise-en-scene would become a major aspect of the Neo-Realist movement. Although philosophical ideas formed the basis of the Neo-Realist movement, the main aim and true goal of the movement was to express societys issues in an entirely new and innovative way. Accordingly, Neo-Realist films may be seen as something o f a reaction against the white telephone dramas and superficial Hollywood imports of the 1930s (cinema-scope.com, 2010). Neo-Realism was therefore a rejection of Fascism and fantasy (criterion.com, 2007) but its realism was also born from absolute necessity. Indeed, the reasons for shooting on location and over-dubbing dialogue were purely practical, as Romes Cinecitta studios were heavily bombed by Allied forces and could not be utilised and sound equipment was of poor quality and in short supply (Bordwell, D., Thompson, K., 2008: 459). However, the use of exterior locations rather than studio sets lends the films a great deal of authenticity, because they show the actual physical destruction of the Italian landscape. This destruction as shown in various scenes of bombed-out shells of buildings throughout Rome, Open City (dir. Rossellini, 1945), and Germany, Year Zero (dir. Rossellini, 1947) could not easily be recreated in the studio. Similarly, in Obsession (dir. Visconti, 1943) the director uses the natural degradation of a typical farming community to set his film, and this too is difficult to re create in the studio. Filmmakers were also allowed much more freedom on location with sound and dialogue because everything could be carefully re-recorded later in the studio (Bordwell, D., Thompson, K., 2008: 459). This is evident in the scene from Obsession where the characters are walking back from a singing contest and are filmed chatting together from some distance away; their conversation is obviously over-dubbed, as it could not be recorded naturally during filming with the poor sound equipment available. The use of conversational speech and non-literary dialogue also lends Neo-Realist films an authentic air because it makes characters more realistic, to which audiences can relate. Neo-Realist filmmakers also use many non-professional actors for supporting roles, which adds realism and depth to their characters. Professional actors usually portray the principle characters but sometimes non-professionals are also utilised. The reason for the use of amateurs is because many professional actors perished during the Allied bombings or were exterminated by the Nazis (lecture, Heath-Williams, A., 2009). The use of non-professionals in principle roles gives the films added realism, especially in critical scenes. For example, when Vittorio De Sica was casting actors to play the main character in his iconic film Bicycle Thieves (dir. De Sica, 1948) he chose an ordinary factory worker to play him because, according to De Sica, everything about him was perfect (Bordwell, D., Thompson, K., 2008: 460) for the working class character he had envisioned. A professional actor would simply not have had the life experiences to draw upon to accurately portray him. Neo-Realist films are divided into two distinct categories, that is, Ideology and Style (facstaff.gpc.edu, 2010). Ideologically, Neo-Realist films portray Italy with a new, revitalised democratic spirit, strongly emphasising the value of ordinary, working class people. The films also show a compassionate viewpoint and refused to make superficial moral judgements (lecture, Heath-Williams, A., 2009). Many films are pre-occupied with Italys Fascist past and others deal with the difficult economic and moral conditions faced by Italians throughout the war and during its aftermath. There is one particular scene in Rome, Open City where a mob raids a bakery, stealing everything, including the weighing scales, which perfectly portrays the fear and desperation prevalent in contemporary Rome. Neo-Realist films also have a tendency to emphasise strong emotions rather than abstract ideas to convey their ideas, thereby inviting audiences to empathise with the plots and characters, whose experienc es mirror their own. Stylistically, Neo-Realist films avoid neatly plotted stories in favour of a loose and episodic structure, whilst mixing in a documentary-like visual style (facstaff.gpc.edu, 2010). Obsession is a prime example of the use of this loose structure, with the plot revealing itself like the chapters of a book. Its documentary-like style is shown through its use of real-time long shots, which convey the natural coming-and-goings of the characters, capturing life as it happens. This is perfectly illustrated by the infamous scene in Obsession where Giovanna eats a bowl of pasta and falls asleep at the table in her ramshackle kitchen, which confirms her exhaustion and carefully matches film-time with real-time. It is this style that gives Neo-Realist films their unique perspective, because real life is loose and episodic, it is not neatly plotted or clearly defined, sometimes literally nothing happens as in the pasta eating scene and it often ends unhappily or uncertainly. One of the first directors to focus the attention of international film critics onto Neo-Realism was Roberto Rossellini, a close friend of Mussolinis son, Vittorio. Despite his Fascist background, one of the most notable examples of Neo-Realism can be found in Rossellinis highly acclaimed film, Rome, Open City (lecture, Heath-Williams, A., 2009). The film is centred on the unlikely collaboration between Catholics and Communists fighting the Nazi occupation of Rome, shortly before the Americans liberated the city. Some footage was allegedly shot during the Nazi occupation and subsequent retreat out of Rome because of its accurate portrayal of society at the time. Indeed, Rossellini wanted to convey the cruel atmosphere that existed during the Nazi occupation, and the scene wherein Romes socio-political reality is vividly demonstrated, is when Pina is mercilessly gunned down by German soldiers as she chases the vehicle that takes her lover, Francesco, away. Perhaps, more importantly, f or a director with links to Mussolinis regime, the film with Romes resistance movement at its core has a very real anti-Fascist message. The box-office success of Rome, Open City hinted that a film revolution (ccat.sas.upenn.edu, 1996) was underway, and Rossellini remains true to Neo-Realism in his next two films, Paisan (dir. Rossellini, 1946) and Germany, Year Zero. Paisan is another example of Neo-Realisms use of an episodic structure, as its six sections loosely capturing the Allied defeat of Italy are edited together by authentic newsreel footage. The film further revolutionised filmmaking when Rossellini chose much of his cast from people who simply gathered around when his film crew set up in a town square (ccat.sas.upenn.edu, 1996). His next film, Germany, Year Zero, is set in the ruins of Berlin and shows a German viewpoint of the war and its aftermath. This film, however, was criticised by some Marxist Neo-Realists, who sensed something of a moralistic, less objective tone in this work and a distinct change of direction from Rome, Open City (archive.sensesofcinema.com). Indeed, Rossellini establishes his m oral perspective at the outset of the film when a brief written quotation and accompanying voice-over, appears to suggest that a society that strays from a decent, moral and religious path will undoubtedly plunge into chaos (Bondanella, P., 2009: 80). This is a damning indictment of Germany and its recent experiences under Hitler, but it strays a long way from Neo-Realism and its supposed reluctance to make moral judgements of this nature. Rossellini seems to suggest that German society may have broken down irretrievably because of Hitler, as Germany, Year Zero is full of relentless, bleak imagery, which illustrates its downfall, such as in the scene where desperate Berliners are reduced to eating a horse that has died in the street because they are starving (Bondanella, P., 2009: 81). In contrast, Rome, Open City differs in that Rossellini shows some vestige of hope for Italy, most notably in the scene where a group of young children even though they witness the execution of Don Pietro still find the courage to return to Rome and continue their resistance efforts. However, Rossellinis change of direction is more apparent in his films of the late 1940s and early 1950s as he moves from attempts to capture social realism to the investigation of more complex issues, such as marriage, emotional alienation, and personal despair (Bondanella, P., 2009: 130). Indeed, Rossellinis exploration of these subjects requires the exp ertise of professional actors rather than the gritty amateurs who worked on his Neo-Realist films, which is perhaps his most blatant change of style. Whilst Rossellini brought Neo-Realism to international attention, it was Vittorio De Sica who maintained its impetus (facstaff.gpc.edu, 2010). De Sica was an established film and theatre actor when he turned to filmmaking in 1939, but his films lacked any renown until he began to examine the harsh realities faced by Italians during the war (starpulse.com, 2010). Elements of Neo-Realism can therefore be found in The Children Are Watching Us (dir. De Sica, 1942) with its simple plot, social problems and use of children in key roles. However, it was during the post-war era that De Sica became one of the key figures of Neo-Realism with such classics as Shoeshine (dir. De Sica, 1946) a tragic account of the lives of two children during Americas occupation of Italy and Bicycle Thieves (biography.com, 2010). The latter is undoubtedly his greatest film and, in true Neo-Realist style, is acted mostly by non-professionals, is shot on location and deals with various social issues, including t he impact of long-term unemployment and familial relationships, in this case, between father and son. Shot on the streets of Rome, the films protagonist is Antonio, who finally secures work putting up film posters, but to keep the job he has to have his own bicycle; Antonio and his wife are therefore forced to pawn their bed sheets to secure one. The scene in the pawnshop is poignant, as the shop is overflowing with household goods that have been exchanged for money or alternative goods, which highlights Italys desperate poverty. However, the bike is stolen and the film deals with Antonio and his sons attempts to recover it (facstaff.gpc.edu, 2010). Antonio ultimately steals someone elses bicycle and is apprehended by angry locals, becoming the very person that drove him to where he is now a bicycle thief! There are clearly depths to which even desperate Italians must not descend. Bicycle Thieves successfully highlights Italys bleak situation during the post-war years, and it is this accurate, heartbreaking portrayal that makes it such an achievement. The film is not, however, witho ut controversy, as it exposes societys problems but does not offer solutions to them. Certainly Bicycle Thieves does not have a satisfying happy ending, so perhaps De Sica simply intends that society find its own solutions to the problems he reveals in Bicycle Thieves. His next Neo-Realist production was Miracle In Milan (dir. De Sica, 1951) a comic parable about the clash between Milans rich and poor followed a year later by Umberto D. (dir. De Sica, 1952), which is now accepted as a film masterpiece. However, Umberto D. was a contemporary box-office disaster (starpulse.com), as Italian audiences appeared to prefer Hollywood escapism to De Sicas themes of loneliness, poverty, suffering and the plight of the elderly in society. De Sica was therefore forced to return to more lightweight and commercial films, such as It Happened In The Park (dir. De Sica, 1953). When subsequent films also failed commercially, De Sicas career as a director stalled and, struggling to secure funding for further projects, he returned to acting and did not direct again until 1960 (starpulse.com). Neo-Realists struggled to find funding because the Italian film industry was effectively under state control by the early 1950s (Bordwell, D., Thompson, K., 2008: 460). Indeed, Giulio Andreotti, the Under-secretary of Public Entertainment, introduced a law that limited foreign imports and provided loans for domestic film production, as long as these films were not overtly critical of post-war Italy (Bondanella, P., 2009: 112). Unfortunately, Neo-Realist films clearly fell outside this strict funding criterion. A government committee was actually established to read prospective film scripts and to deny finance to openly political productions (matthewhunt.com). The Catholic Church also began to censor films according to their suitability for screening in its parish cinemas, which had been opened to combat the supposed menace of immorality and Communism as portrayed in Cinema Paradiso (dir. Tornatore, 1989) many years later. And, in 1949, the Vatican actually excommunicated Communist v oters, sympathizers, and their allies (Bondanella, P., 2009: 112), which made producing and watching Neo-Realism films extremely risky in an era when any form of social criticism seemingly equalled Communism. Similarly, as economic prosperity returned to post-war Italy, Neo-Realist films no longer felt as relevant and they started to become obsolete. Italians had recently lived through a very dark time in their history and did not appear to want it continually replayed on the big screen. Perhaps the realism of these films was just a little too accurate and a reminder of times sooner forgotten. Consequently, many Italians turned to the glamorous escapism of imported Hollywood productions and whilst Rome, Open City was the highest grossing domestic film of 1945 (cinema-scope.com, 2010) by 1952 Umberto D. was the aforementioned disaster at the Italian box-office. Indeed, historians date the end of the Neo-Realist movement with the public attacks onà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Umberto D. (Bordwell, D., Thompson, K., 2008: 461). The Neo-Realist movement therefore had to adapt and a modicum of escapist comedy was introduced to dilute the realism and make the films more socially acceptable. The resulting new film style is known as Pink Neo-Realism (matthewhunt.com) that eventually gave way to the distinctive Comedia AllItaliana (matthewhunt.com). The Neo-Realism movement was therefore effectively at an end. During the occupation years the message of the Neo-Realist movement led to a social revolution amongst Italys people and government. However, as Italys post-war resurgence gained strength this message faded, as audiences preferred to forget issues like mass unemployment, extreme poverty, social decay and politics. Realism therefore became the antithesis of social change and filmmakers and audiences ironically gravitated towards the types of films made by the Fascist cinema popular taste had come full circle. With hindsight, however, it is apparent that no other film movement has achieved such an accurate portrayal of real life and won such recognition as the Italian Neo-Realist movement. Its impact on contemporary filmmaking was enormous, establishing the reputations of its key directors and offering audiences some of the outstanding films of the post-war era. And while Italian Neo-Realism lasted just ten brief years, its influence was felt immediately amongst filmmakers of the 1950 s (Bordwell, D., Thompson, K., 2008: 461), and it is still felt amongst filmmakers of today. Bibliography Bondanella, P., 2009, A HeatHistory of Italian Cinema, New York: The Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd. Bondanella, P., 2007, Italian Cinema: From Neorealism To The Present, 3rd edition, New York: The Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd. Bordwell, D., Thompson, K., 2008, Film Art: An Introduction, 8th edition, New York: McGraw-Hill. Cook, P., 2007, The Cinema Book, 3rd edition, London: Palgrave Macmillan. Heath-Williams, A. (2009) Introduction to Italian Neorealism, FV2S13 [Lecture] Italian Cinema, Bridgend College, School of Creative Arts, Seminar Room, Queens Road Campus, 24th September. Heath-Williams, A. (2009) Neorealism: Wartime Resistance, FV2S13 [Lecture] Italian Cinema, Bridgend College, School of Creative Arts, Seminar Room, Queens Road Campus, 8th October. Web Resources Allmovie.com (2010) History of Italian Cinema [online] Available from: http://www.allmovie.com/essays/Italian-cinema-41 [23/06/10] Senses of Cinema (2010) Roberto Rossellini [online] Available from: http://archive.sesnseofcinema.com/contents/directors/02/rossellini.html [25/06/10] Film Drama (2009) Rome, Open City (Roma, Citta Aperta) [online] Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/cinema/features/rome-open-city.shtml [23/06/10] Biography.com (2010) Vittorio de Sica Biography [online] Available from: http://www.biography.com/articles/Vittorio-de-Sica-9272724 [25/06/10] University of Pennsylvania (1996) The Cinema Under Mussolini [online] Available from: http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/italians/resources/Amiciprize/1996/mussolini.html [23/06/10] Cinema Scope (2010) Rome, Open City: Neorealism Wasnt Built in a Day [online] Available from: http://www.cinema-scope.com/cs24/spo_kaltsounakis_rome.htm [23/06/10] Criterion Collection Online Cinematheque (2007) Bicycle Thieves: A Passionate Commitment to the Real By Godfrey Cheshire [online] Available from: http://www.criterion.com/current/posts/467 [23/06/10] Facstaff.gcp.edu (2010) Film 1301, Notes 10, Italian Neorealism [online] Available from: http://facstaff.gcp.edu/njriggs/film1301/notes10.htm [3/07/10] Filmcritic.com (2007) Bicycle Thieves [online] Available from: http://www.filmcritic.com/reviews/1948/bicycle-thieves/ [23/06/10] Filmreference.com (2010) Cinema Under Fascism: The Advent of Sound and The Increase of National Production [online] Available from: http://www.filmreference.com/Independent-Film-Road-Movies/Italy-CINEMA-UNDER-FASCISM-THE-ADVENTOF-SOUND-AND-THE-INCREASE-OF-NATIONAL-PRODUCTION.html [23/06/10] Filmreference.com (2010) Historical Origins Of Italian Neorealism [online] Available from: http://filmreference.com/encyclopedia/Independent-Film-Road-Movies/Neorealism.html [23/06/10] Greencine.com (2010) Italian Neo-Realism by Megan Ratner [online] Available from: http://greencine.com/static/primers/neorealism1.jsp [24/6/10] Matthewhunt.com (2010) Neo-Realism [online] Available from: http://www.matthewhunt.com/cinema/worldcinema.html [30/06/10] The New York Times (2009) Open City (1945) [online] Available from: http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/36504/Open-City/overview [23/06/10] Starpulse.com (2010) Vittorio de Sica Biography [online] Available from: http://starpulse.com/Actors/De_Sica,_Vittorio/Biography [25/06/10]

Millenium Bug :: essays research papers

The year 2000 is practically around the corner, promising a new era of greatness and wonder . . . as long as you don't own a computer or work with one. The year 2000 is bringing a Pandora's Box of gifts to the computer world, and the latch is slowly coming undone. The year 2000 bug is not really a "bug" or "virus," but is more a computer industry mistake. Many of the PC's, mainframes, and software out there are not designed or programmed to compute a future year ending in double zeros. This is going to be a costly "fix" for the industry to absorb. In fact, Mike Elgan who is the editor of Windows Magazine, says " . . . the problem could cost businesses a total of $600 billion to remedy." (p. 1)The fallacy that mainframes were the only machines to be affected was short lived as industry realized that 60 to 80 million home and small business users doing math or accounting etc. on Windows 3.1 or older software, are just as susceptible to this "bug." Can this be repaired in time? For some, it is already too late. A system that is devised to cut an annual federal deficit to 0 by the year 2002 is already in "hot water." Data will become erroneous as the numbers "just don't add up" anymore. Some PC owners can upgrade their computer's BIOS (or complete operating system) and upgrade the OS (operating system) to Windows 95, this will set them up for another 99 years. Older software however, may very well have to be replaced or at the very least, upgraded.The year 2000 has become a two-fold problem. One is the inability of the computer to adapt to the MM/DD/YY issue, while the second problem is the reluctance to which we seem to be willing to address the impact it will have. Most IS (information system) people are either unconcerned or unprepared. Let me give you a "short take" on the problem we all are facing. To save storage space and perhaps reduce the amount of keystrokes necessary in order to enter the year to date-most IS groups have allocated two digits to represent the year. For example, "1996" is stored as "96" in data files and "2000" will be stored as "00." These two-digit dates will be on millions of files used as input for millions of applications.

Serious Trauma :: Narrative Memoir Essays

Serious Trauma On a boring Wednesday afternoon, I sat in a brightly lit CPR classroom listening to the instructor drone on and on. I began to wonder if I would ever actually need to use these skills. I highly doubted it. The past two years I have worked at the "little-kid-infested" North Fork Swimming Pool, where there have been absolutely no emergencies. A bloody nose or a stubbed toe here or there but never any serious traumas. These skills that I thought were so useless were put to the test on a chilly Tuesday night in March. The evening started out normal enough, tennis practice and little bit of sparring in Tang So Doo class. That night the instrumental solo and ensemble contest was being held at HHS. Even though I am not a member of the band, I was asked to help out. I was involved in a saxophone quartet with Nolan Cmerek, Mandy Bever and Haley Benson. The four of us warmed up together and patiently waited for our time to come. Distracting us from the complete boredom we were experiencing, a few boys who had watched Louise and I spar in Tang So Doo, engaged in a dunking contest in the gym. The object of this game, as made by Gates and Tyler Shaklee, the "basketball stars", was to run, jump on a plyo box, and dunk the ball in the basketball hoop, suspended from the gym ceiling. This was amusing to us, the spectators. One particular spectator thought he would join in the fun. The third contestant, Jim Pratt, made his first attempt but lost his grip and fell onto the gym floor on his stomach knocking the air out of him. He got up holding his stomach, gasping for air, and laughing at himself at the same time. The small crowd joined in laughing with him. Nobody wants to try, fail and just quit, so naturally, Jim wanted to try again. Many of the cautious few in the audience expressed their doubts as to whether he should try it again. Jim, having the competitive nature I am sure that all teenage boys possess, attempted to dunk the round orange ball one more time. His second attempt was again a failure but of a different and more serious type. The momentum of Jim’s feet kept going as he grasped the rim. This motion swung him upside down forcing him to lose his grip and fall ten very long feet.

Essay --

Reading response Price gouging is increasing the price of a product during crisis or disaster. The price is increased due to temporal increase in demand while supply remains constrained. In many jurisdictions, price gauging is widely considered as immoral and is illegal. However, from a market point of view, price gouging is a correct outcome of an efficient market. As shown above, crisis increases demand for the product leading to a shortage. Supply does not change. Equilibrium price now shifts to the right and increases. The market is now ready and willing to pay for the product or service at a higher price. Upon seeing long of people waiting for the product, sellers either hike the price or bring in more supplies if it were possible. If more suppliers are brought, equilibrium price goes back to normal. If supply cannot be increased, sellers increase the price of the product or service. In an efficient market, price increase brought about by a crisis of otherwise is natural. Due to surge in demand, people cannot get the same product at the original price during shortage. Without an increase in the price, the shortage will become worse as sellers will not have the incentive to avail more products in the market. A Price increase gives sellers an incentive to provide more of a product in the product and price goes down to an economically efficient price. Because price gouging is banned in most jurisdictions, rationing the product is done through bribing and first-come-first-served basis. Price gouging is opposed because in a crisis, supply in the short run is perfectly inelastic as shown below. In a hurricane, the infrastructure may be destroyed making impossible to get new supplies. Increased the price during this pe... ...e. A price gouger needs to charge more in order to avail the product or service. In the case of Raleigh, the roads to the town were not accessible due to fallen trees and rocks. An entrepreneur would need to cut the trees and remove the rocks in order to take the product there. People who do that need compensation for all the trouble they take to bring products to the market. The youths who brought ice to Raleigh town had to cut down trees in order to access town. Instead of selling ice as the â€Å"right price† of less than 2 dollars, the youths charged more than 8 dollars. The price provided just there right compensation for all their efforts. Banning price gouging led to serious suffering of the people because the little food left went bad causing even more losses. For a few dollars for the price of ice, Raleigh residents could have saved millions worth of food.

Relationships between Satisfaction with Life Essay

   Abstract   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Satisfaction with life is a concept highly valued in today’s society. In an effort to understand mechanisms behind the life satisfaction, present study investigated the relationships between social network size, optimism and conscientiousness and the outcome variable, satisfaction with life. The four variables were measured through the use of a survey. Participants were students from California State University, Fullerton. A correlational analysis of the data showed a significant positive relationship between optimism, and conscientiousness and satisfaction with life. It was also found that individuals with large social network size were more satisfied than those with small social network size. These findings imply that improving levels of optimism and conscientiousness and increasing one’s social network can insure greater life satisfaction. Relationships between Satisfaction with Life, Social Network Size, Optimism, and Conscientiousness   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Satisfaction with life is most often one of the greatest concerns of an individual’s life. There is a general belief that an inability to achieve satisfaction with one’s life indicates an unsuccessful life. Because of this socially generated drive for satisfaction with life, one is made to wonder. What factors are related to the experience of life satisfaction? What variables are good predictors of life satisfaction?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One suspected variable that would act as a good predictor of satisfaction with life is social network size. A social network refers to an individual’s link or relationship with other individuals. This link can cause certain social behavior to be explained (Mitchell, 1969). Quinn, Gavigan, and Franklin (1980) defined social networks to be the social units an individual is placed in contact with. Quinn et al. (1980) studied the effects of social network interaction on life satisfaction in older adults. The findings indicated that social network interaction was not a good predictor of satisfaction with life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another study conducted by Bowling,   Farquhar, ands Browne (1991) indicated that social network size is a poor indicator of life satisfaction. The study involved the participation of two types of individuals – those who lived in rural neighborhoods and those who lived in urban neighborhoods. Bowling et al. (1991) noted larger reported social network sizes for individuals in the urban areas as opposed to those in the rural areas. Despite this difference in reported social network sizes, life satisfaction between the two groups was not found to be different. This may, however, have been a result of difference in the levels of interaction available to individuals residing in the two areas. The insignificant findings may have been a result of the inherent differences between neighborhoods and therefore not representative of the social network size of a given individual.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Optimism is a second variable deemed to be related to feelings of satisfaction with life. A greater sense of optimism allows one to maintain an outlook on life that allows for the consideration of the world as a generally positive place. Research exploring the life satisfaction felt by retired physicians showed that greater optimism resulted in a greater satisfaction with their life. (Austrom, Perkins, Damush, and Hendrie, 2003) In retired individuals, especially, optimism may be an essential variable for achieving life satisfaction as it may also be a coping mechanism to the sudden change in lifestyle for the said individuals. The retired physicians felt that the greatest challenge going against their satisfaction with life was in the loss of their professional roles, thus, optimism might have served as a form of mediation between the two stages of the transition. Having a positive outlook on the way their lives was going allowed these physicians to better accept the end of their professional careers and to look forward to the beginning of their retired life. The probable importance of optimism as a mediator was also evidenced by the fact that in the same study by Austrom et al. (2003) it was found that optimism didn’t play as significant a role in determining life satisfaction when it came to the physician’s wives. This may have been due to the fact that they did not need to maintain a positive outlook to boost a sudden change in life roles.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Optimism and not pessimism, which involves having a negative outlook on life, is found to be a greater predictor of life satisfaction. This was specifically found by a study conducted by Chang & Sanna (2003). Thus in the present study, only the variable of optimism will be taken into consideration and not its counterpart, pessimism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another variable that may show a relationship with an individual’s satisfaction with life is the personality trait of conscientiousness. Conscientiousness has been investigated by many researchers in terms of how well it predicts an individual’s life satisfaction. This trait refers to an individual’s tendency to be organized, diligent and reliable in their behavior. (Chapman, Duberstein, and Lyness, 2007) Conscientiousness may have a role to play in satisfaction because conscientious individuals are able to have more mature defenses and are also able to have a quality of life that is considered by most to be above par as they are able to have more responsibility and control over their health, their social interactions, and their general well-being (Chapman et al, 2007). It may well be that the same link can be found between conscientiousness and life satisfaction. If higher levels of conscientiousness indicate higher quality of life, it may also indicate greater degree of satisfaction with life as a result of the same mechanisms.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A study by Lounsbury, Saudarga, Gibson, and Leong (2005) examined just this relationship. Through an inspection of the personality characteristics accounted for in the Big Five, it was found that conscientiousness along with extroversion, agreeableness, neuroticism, and openness to experience account for 45% of total perceived life satisfaction. Is conscientiousness, then, as a variable independent of the other personality traits in the Big Five, significantly related to satisfaction with life?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The present study aims to investigate the relationships that exist between satisfaction with life and the three variables stated above: social network size, optimism, and conscientiousness. Based on the empirical evidence provided by past literature, it is predicted that satisfaction with life will be significantly correlated to optimism and conscientiousness. A greater level of optimism and conscientiousness in an individual will indicate a greater satisfaction with life. Also, social network size is hypothesized to have no significant difference on satisfaction with life. The last hypothesis is based on the findings of past literature. However, due to the questionable nature of past studies and how these measured social network against life satisfaction, the present study’s hypothesis may turn out to be negated. It is hypothesized, then, that the variables of optimism and conscientiousness will have a significant and direct relationship with satisfaction with life while that of social network size will have no significant difference on satisfaction with life. Methodology Participants   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The participants of the study totaled 91 students, 23 (25.3%) of whom were male and 68(74.7%) of whom were female. (See Table 1 in Appendix for tabulated figures) All the participants were enrolled in Research Method in Psychology classes at the California State University, Fullerton. The ethnicity break down of the participants is the following: African American – 1.1%, Asian (Pacific Islander) – 3.3%, Caucasian – 49.5%, Hispanic – 27.5%, Middle Eastern – 2.2%, Southeast Asian – 2.2%, multiethnic – 11%. 3.3% of the participants reported to having other types of ethnicity.   (See Table 2 in Appendix for tabulated figures) The range in ages of the participants was from 19 years to 46 years. The mean age was 23 years old. (See Table 3 in Appendix for tabulated figures) None of the participants received incentive for their participation. There were no extra credits or monetary compensations given in exchange for their contribution to the study. Materials or Measures   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS; Watson, Clark, & Tellegen, 1988). The PANAS measures trait negative affect or the affective well being of the participants. It is composed of a 10-item scale designed to measure typical experiences of negative affect. Participants are able to rate the extent to which they experience certain mood states such as distressed, upset, scared, and irritable. They are able to do this through the indicators of a 5-point scale (very slightly or not at all, a little, moderately, quite a bit, extremely). The participants were asked to indicate to what extent they felt each feeling or emotion listed during the past two weeks from the time of the survey.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS; Diener, Emmons, Larsen & Griffin, 1985) The SWLS is a global measure for subjective well-being and life satisfaction. Diener et al (1985) defined life satisfaction as a conscious cognitive judgment life. This entails an individual’s comparison of their own life experiences with a self-set standard. The scale is composed of 5 items and utilizes a 7-point Likert-type scale (1-strongly disagree to 7-strongly agree).   The items of the test included statements such as â€Å"The conditions of my life are excellent† and â€Å"If I could live my life over, I would change almost nothing.† Possible total scores range from 5 to 35. A resulting score ranging from 5 to 19 signifies dissatisfaction while scores between 21-31 signify satisfaction.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Life Orientation Test (LOT-R; Scheier, Carver, & Bridges, 1994) The LOT-R measures generalized optimism. The test is made up of 10 items. Participants will indicate the extent to which they agree with the 10 statements in the test through a 5-point Likert-type scale (0-strongly disagree to 4-strongly agree). The statements involved sentiments like â€Å"in uncertain times, I usually expect the best†. A participant can achieve a score from 0 to 24 with a higher score indicating greater levels of optimism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Big Five Inventory (BFI; John, Donahue, & Kentle, 1994) The BFI was used to assess the personalities of the participants with regards to the five aspects included in the big five namely extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness to experience. The BFI consists of 44 items that ask the participants to rank themselves on a 5-point Likert-type scale (1-disagree strongly to 5-agree strongly). The 44 items deal with different types of behavior related to the Big Five. For the present study, the BFI will be used to measure the variable of conscientiousness. BFI items related to conscientiousness included â€Å"perseveres until the task is finished†, â€Å"is a reliable worker†, and â€Å"does things efficiently†. Lubben Social Network Scale (LSNS-6; Lubben &Gironda, 2003) The LSNS-6 is a test of a set of questions establishing ties with relatives and ties with non-relatives. Examples of these questions include â€Å"How many relatives do you see or hear from at least once a month?† and â€Å"How many friends do you see or hear from at least once a month? The participant chooses one of the options available for each question. These answers have corresponding points. Total scores of the participants may range from 0 to 30. A higher score indicates a higher level of social network. For this research, the LSNS-6 was used to measure social network size. A high score in the LSNS-6 was taken to signify a larger social network size while a low score meant a smaller social network size. Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES; Rosenberg, 1989) The RSES measures global self-esteem. The test is composed of 10 items. Responses are given on a 5-point Likert-type scale (1-strongly disagree to 5-strongly agree). A sample question is â€Å"At times I feel like I am no good at all.† Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS; Lyubominsky, and Lepper , 1999) The SHS measures global subjective happiness. The test consists of four items. Responses are given on a 7-point Likert-type scale (1-7). A sample question is â€Å"Some people are generally very happy. They enjoy life regardless of what is going on, getting the most out of everything. To what extent does this characterization describe you?† Gratitude Questionnaire (GQ; McCullough, Emmons, and Tsang, 2002) The gratitude questionnaire is a self-report test measuring global gratitude. The test consists of six items. Responses are given on a 7-point Likert-type scale (1-stronlgy disagree to 7-strongly agree). A sample item is â€Å"If I had to list everything that I was grateful for, it would be a very long list.† Tendency to Forgive Scale (TTF; Brown, 2002) The TTF is a test measuring global forgiveness tendencies. The test consists of four items. Responses are given on a 7-point Likert-type scale (1-strongly disagree to 7-strongly agree). A sample item is â€Å"I tend to get over it quickly when someone hurts my feelings.† Procedure Questionnaires were handed out to all participants in their respective classrooms of Research Method in Psychology at the California State University, Fullerton. Participants were given instructions as a group and were told that participation in this study would be anonymous. It was also stated that they may voluntarily choose to participate and could withdraw at anytime. The whole session took about 15-30 minutes. Participants were provided informed consent prior to the administration of the test and were debriefed after they finished. Results The results showed that individuals’ with a smaller social network size (mean=4.10) were significantly less satisfied compared to those with life larger social network size (mean=5.05; t(89)= -3.79, p.001). There was a noted positive correlation between optimism and satisfaction with life (r = 0.543, p = 0.01). A positive correlation was also found between conscientiousness and satisfaction with life (r = 0.222, p = 0.05) Discussion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The main purpose of this research was to establish whether a relationship existed between satisfaction with life and optimism, and satisfaction with life and conscientiousness. Another purpose was to establish whether social network size made a difference to satisfaction with life. The original hypothesis of the study stated that a significant positive relationship would be found between satisfaction with life and optimism as well as between satisfaction with life and conscientiousness. It was also hypothesized that social network size would not have a significant difference on satisfaction with life. The hypotheses of the present study were based on the findings of past researches. (Quinn et al, 1980; Bowling et al, 1991; Austrom et al, 2003; Chang and Sanna, 2003; Chapman et al, 2007; Lounsbury et al, 2005) The results of the current study show that there is a significantly positive relationship between satisfaction with life and two variables it was compared against, namely, optimism and conscientiousness. Results also showed a significant difference with social network size and satisfaction with life. The initial hypotheses for optimism and conscientiousness were supported. The hypothesis regarding social network size, however, was rejected by the statistical results. The findings on optimism and conscientiousness validate past research findings. These showed that greater optimism in life contributed to greater satisfaction with life (Austrom et al., 2003). Optimism was also found to be a good predictor of life satisfaction (Chang and Sanna, 2003). Past findings established conscientiousness to be a contributing factor to life satisfaction (Lounsbury et al, 2005) as well as a variable directly related to higher quality of life ratings (Chapman et al., 2007). The findings on social network size, on the other hand, disagree with past research findings where social network interaction was not found to be related to life satisfaction (Quinn et al., 1980) and where the size of the individual’s social network was determined to be a bad predictor of life satisfaction (Bowling et al., 1991). Optimism may be able to affect life satisfaction positively due to the fact that a positive outlook on life can also cause a better assessment of past experiences not just of present circumstances. If one is able to achieve a better disposition towards life, the tendency to overlook the negativity that will detract from satisfaction felt towards life will be greater. This shows that the statistical significance of optimism (r=0.543, p=0.01) with satisfaction with life is warranted. Conscientiousness, on the other hand, was also positively correlated to (r=0.035, p=0.05) with satisfaction with life. This may be due to the fact that conscientiousness indicates a better ability to handle life experiences. Conscientiousness, as defined in the Big Five Inventory (Donahue et al., 2001), entails caution, dependability, organization and responsibility. These characteristics when applied to the everyday behavior and experiences of an individual are most likely to indicate an individual who achieves success. People who are more cautious, more dependable, more organized, and more responsible are the ones who are achievers in human society. It may be that the success and achievement linked with conscientious people is also the link that sustains their satisfaction with life. This is not to say that individuals deemed to have low conscientiousness are not likely to feel satisfaction with life. The findings only suggest that a high level of conscientiousness predicts life satisfaction to great extent. The discussion of how social network size is related to satisfaction with life should be done with care. The fact that previous research found no significant difference between social network and life satisfaction may have been due to the inadequacy of measurement with the past research. Quinn et al. (1980), for example, concentrated on the interaction that occurred in social network and not size. This meant that Quinn et al. (1980) focused on the quality of the individual’s social network and not on the quantity. Bowling et al. (1991), on the other hand, compared two different localities and this is what might have caused the inconsistencies in their findings concerning social network size and life satisfaction. Inherent characteristics of urban and rural locations could have played into action and caused the insignificant findings. For the present study, however, the significant difference between social network size and life satisfaction makes sense especially because social network size is also an indicator of an individual’s degree of social interaction as well as sources of social support; both of which are essential in an individual’s development. The findings of this study are limited because of the small sample size used. A bigger sample that is more representative of the general population should be used in future research. In addition, only a few variables concerning satisfaction with life were investigated. Future research should incorporate more variables that may affect life satisfaction into the study. The variables of social support, social interaction, and pessimism are a few of the factors that should be investigated. The significant relationship between social network size and life satisfaction should also be validated by future studies as the results in this study are not in agreement with previous works. The implications of the study are far-reaching. Establishing the relationships existing between life satisfaction, optimism, and conscientiousness allows different clinicians and practitioners in the healthcare system a chance to improve their handling of clients with low satisfaction with life. This may most likely involve older adults. Because satisfaction with life in itself is a concept that health-care workers find hard to deal with, finding other personality traits and variables that are related to it enables these workers an alternative in aiding these types of patients. Increasing optimism and improving conscientiousness in an individual can help to increase their satisfaction with life. In addition, increasing the size of the client’s social network will improve their satisfaction with life. The present study’s findings can also be expanded to teachers in the field of education. Satisfaction of their students can be increased by allowing them to feel more optimistic about their activities also by guiding them to be more conscientious in their behavior. Also, increasing opportunities for students to enlarge their social networks can also help these students improve their feelings of satisfaction with life. References Austrom, M.G., Perkins, A. J., Damush, T. M., & Hendrie, H. C. (2003). Predictors of life satisfaction in retired physicians and spouses. Social Psychiatry & Psychiatric Epidemiology, 38, 134-141 Bowling, A., Farquhar, M., & Browne, P. (1991). Life satisfaction and associations with social network and support variables in three samples of elderly people. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 6, 549-566 Brown, R. (2003). Measuring individual differences in the tendency to forgive: construct validity and links with depression. Society forPersonality and Social Psychology, 29, 759-771 Chang,  E.C., & Sanna, L. J.  (2003). Optimism, accumulated life stress, and psychological and physical adjustment: is it always adaptive to expect the best?  Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology,  22,  97-115. Chapman, B., Duberstein, P., & Lyness, J. M. (2007). Personality traits, education, and health-related quality of life among older adult primary care patients. Journals of Gerontology: series B psychological sciences and social sciences, 62B, 343-352 Diener, E., Emmons, R., Larsen, R. J., & Griffin, S. (1985). The Satisfaction With Life Scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49, 71-75. John, O. P., Donahue, E. M., & Kentle, R. (1991). The â€Å"Big Five† Inventory – Versions 4a and 54.   Technical Report, Institute of Personality Assessment and Research, Berkeley, CA: University of California, Berkeley. Lounsbury, J. W., Saudarga, R. A., Gibson, L. W., & Leong, F. T. (2005). An investigation of broad and narrow personality traits in relation to general and domain specific live satisfaction of college students. Research in Higher Education,46, 707-729 Lubben, J. E., & Gironda, M. W. (2003a). Centrality of social ties to the health and well-being of older adults. In B. Berkman & L. K. Harooytan (Eds.), Social work and health care in an aging world (pp. 319-350). New York: Springer Lyubomirsky, S., & Lepper, H. S.  (1999). A measure of subjective happiness: Preliminary reliability and construct validation.  Social Indicators Research,  46,  137-155. Mancini, J. A., Quinn, W., Gavigan, M. A., & Franklin, H. (1980). Social network interaction among older adults: implications for life satisfaction. Human Relations, 33, 543-554 McCullough, M. E., Emmons, R. A., & Tsang, J. (2002). The grateful disposition: A conceptual and empirical topography. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82, 112-127. Mitchell, J. C. (1969) The concept and use of social networks. In Social Networks in Urban Situations: Analysis of Personal Relationships in Central African Towns Ed. J.C. Mitchell. Manchester: Manchester University Press Rosenberg, Morris. (1989). Society and the adolescent self-image. Revised edition. Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press. Scheier, M. F., Carver, C. S., & Bridges, M. W. (1994). Distinguishing optimism from neuroticism (and trait anxiety, self-mastery, and self-esteem): A reevaluation of the Life Orientation Test. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67, 1063-1078. Watson, D., Clark, L. A., & Tellegen, A. (1988). Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: The PANAS scales. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54,1063-1070.