Western Ghats

Biodiversity conservation and sustainability are the two major challenges on a global scale in all ecosystems and communities around the world. Multiple factors affect these two in complex ways, and both the areas are often identified as ‘wicked’ problems in ecology. As such, both the topics can be approached by fieldwork, tracking the underlying connections that affect the quality of human life and provide evidence-based feedback on policy matters. In my research statement, I provide an outline of my work in both biodiversity and sustainability areas. For my dissertation in ecology, I studied the biodiversity and dynamics of the understorey community in Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR) in the Western Ghats, Tamil Nadu in India. KMTR is located in a biodiversity hotspot in Agastyamalai range and is home to a large number of…

more diverse culture within Mesopotamia. Without the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, Mesopotamia could not have existed, however the chaos of the floods put a strain on the civilization. Another civilization that was also impacted due to geography is the early civilization of India. India began as a large island which has now merged with Asia forming the Tibetan Plateau. India has the Himalayan Mountains to the North as well as the Ganges and Indus rivers. The Himalayans were almost impassable,…

Victoriais Australia's second smallest state, but when it comes to activities and attractions, it has lot to offer. The state has good road connections for driving holidays and offers breathtaking mountain vistas, secluded and peaceful beaches and dramatically rugged rocky coastlines. Its coastline which borders on Bass Straitis a rugged coastline but includes many wide sandy beaches and three large, almost fully enclosed harbours. It has a massive land area that offers a variety of sights,…

Bending Bodhi Yoga Studio, located at Franklin Plaza in downtown Dover, newly opened in October of 2015. The three co-founders, Heather Campbell- Hussey, Lydia Garnhart, and Nancy Garnhart have dedicated the new organization to teaching children and adults to feel empowered, confident, and at peace through the eight limbs of yoga. They offer drop in classes for people of all skill levels, including brand new beginners. The staff is passionate about Yoga and the positive benefits it can have on…

Western’s a genre with a purpose For almost as long as the medium of filmmaking has existed so too has the Western first showcased in Edwin S. Porter film The Great Train Robbery. Though overall a simple film in retrospect the way in which it pushed the medium forward was revolutionary in containing a narrative. Cowboys are the initial American heroes of filmmaking which all others pull from; Westerns as a male focused genre the central genre trope of masculinity have been constructed on a…

The following essay will compare the cinematic language of the two Western classics Stagecoach (John Ford, 1939) and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Sergio Leone, 1966) while analyzing the claim that both film respectably are pioneers of the Western genre during their times proven on the basis of their original work in editing and narrative, and its influence on other filmmakers. After a brief summary of both movies, I will continue with the analysis of both, in particular with the formal…

The brothers Joel and Ethan Coen and Wes Anderson are known for their distinctive visual and thematic styles of film making. Although their respective films The Big Lebowski and The Royal Tenenbaums both have a unique style all their own they do share a theme. This shared narrative motif is a nostalgic yearning for, or perhaps even obsession, with the past. In The Big Lebowski this obsession with the past can be seen at the very beginning of the film as we follow a tumbling tumbleweed, an iconic…

Western Film “For over forty years, from 1926 to 1967, Hollywood produced more Westerns than any other kind of film” (pg.243). The western film I chose was one of Sergio Leone’s famous trilogies, which included A Fistful of Dollars, For A Few Dollars More, and The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. These are known as Spaghetti Westerns. The film The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly takes place during the American Civil War and follows three men on the hunt for Confederate gold. Many westerns focus…

The Searchers is a “classic” western. It tells the story of Ethan Edwards who is accompanied by his nephew Martin Pawley and their five-year-long search to find his niece after she is captured and her family killed by the Comanche Indians. Little Big Man is a “revisionist” western. It tells the story of Jack Crabbe, a 121-year-old man asked to tell his story about his life, which includes being captured and raised by the Indians and living in a white society with a variety of jobs leading him to…

coming from the back or the side of the main characters” (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2014, section 6.4). Ultimately, the type of lighting has assessed the impact of high contrast and very deep shadows in many of the indoor/outdoor scenes to establish the western theme. ◦What are the benefits of the style of lighting used? The benefits of the lighting style used to enhance the hardness of life on the Western frontier, therefore, giving the movie viewers a real sense of the western time and its…