By Dylan Freestone Dubai’s Burj Khalifa currently stands as the world’s tallest building at 828 metres tall, which is roughly three times the size of the Eiffel tower. Its design saw many breakthroughs in architectural engineering allowing it to withstand extremes of heat, wind and sandstorms and soar to such a height that it is possible to watch the sun set twice if one takes the rapid elevators to the top. Unfortunately there is a darker side to this record-breaking skyscraper. During its 6 year construction, only one death was officially reported, when a man fell in 2007. However, a Human Rights Watch study concluded that there were many deaths which were omitted relating to “heat exhaustion, overwork and suicide.” Furthermore, 95% of the workforce in the United Arab Emirates are migrants who are exploited and many of the workers involved in the Burj Khalifa earned the equivalent of under $10 a day. The Human Rights Watch report made reference to a psychiatrist in Dubai...
One of the greatest conservation triumphs of the era is an upturn in African elephant populations in several countries. Kenya in particular has seen its elephant population more than double over the last 30 years . After facing heavy threats to the species globally from poaching and habitat lost from human development, conservation scientists are jumping for joy as efforts to increase populations have proved successful in many regions. There are 3 main species of elephants , most people are familiar with the African and Asian elephant, but the former can actually be split into two genetically different types: the African bush elephant and the smaller African forest elephant. As a keystone species elephants are a vital part of their natural ecosystems. Many plant species depend on forest dwelling elephants to spread their seeds through their digestive system. They also act as gardeners for forest regions, uprooting trees with their trunks and leaving micro ponds with their footstep...
Alex Titcombe - Guest Writer A criticism often aimed at celebrated comedian and filmmaker Charlie Chaplin is that whilst the substance of his films display genius through his comic timing, physicality and ability to have his comedy succinctly reflect on societal matters, his films are sparse in terms of cinematic style. This notion is articulated by Sklar, who determines that ‘[Chaplin] seemed content with simplicity in the exterior elements of cinematic style in order to keep the viewer’s focus on the complex nature of his own comic persona’ (1994, 114). Whilst it is undeniable that the substance of Chaplin’s films reflect a cinema which prefers to let the spectacle of his comedy play out with little camera tricks or edits, arguably this does not mean a lack of cinematic style. Instead his films possess a cinematic style which focuses on a purposeful choice of shots that aids the mise-en-scène, and, in his later films, a unique use of sound and dialogue which suggests a clear critic...
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