Sexuality in Mainstream Hindi Cinema

Sexuality in Mainstream Hindi Cinema Himakshi Ratti Introduction Films as medium of Mass Communication Film communication may be considered as a social process whereby a transmitted signal is received primarily through visual receptors (and, often, sound receptors) and is then treated as a message from which content or meaning is inferred. Film, as a symbolic form, is a process of communication that employs film, the medium, with its technology of optics, emulsions, and cameras, to produce a piece of celluloid with a variable-density silver nitrate surface. It is man who creates film communication. This definition suggests that a piece of film, in and of itself, is meaningless-that meaning exists only in a special social and cognitive relationship between a filmmaker and a viewer. This relationship occurs when a viewer chooses to treat a film not as mere signals triggering perceptual awareness and biological responses, but as message units that have been put together intentionally and from which meaning may be inferred. Cinema is perhaps the mainstream of all art forms, most popular and most accessible, especially in India, a country which produces most number of films in a year compared to any other country (barring Hollywood, perhaps), and a country where we have a large base of cinema-going public. Cinema, more than any other art, has the power to influence people. Therefore, it is very important to understand how the country, its people and its aspirations are represented in the cinema produced in the country. Cinema as a medium of mass communication can be seen at different levels, serving different purposes. It can be an art form, an entertainment, a social document or a social critique. Cinema can be all of these and at the same time be a means to something else – a mirror unto our lives, showing us exactly how we function as society. Mainstream Vs Alternative Cinema Mainstream films can best be defined as commercial films that are made by major entertainment studios or companies that are owned by international media conglomerates. Because of better financing, these films can afford more expensive actors, wide releases or limited releases, and are sold at popular retail stores. This has become known as the studio system. Films made by major studios or companies that are not owned by a media conglomerate but are distributed by a company owned by a media conglomerate are also considered to be mainstream and are often referred to as mainstream independent films. As a mainstream medi um (cinema needs money to be produced. Therefore, it must appeal to the mainstream audience, who will pay at the box office) cinema must, first and foremost, appeal to the mainstream audience. The definition of mainstream varies from society to society, from culture to culture. Broadly, it means representing the prevalent attitudes, values, and practices of a society or group, for example, mainstream morality. A cultural construct, when applied to art, mainstream may mean something that is available to the general public, or something that has ties to corporate or commercial entities. Sexuality in Hindi mainstream films refers to the presentation in motion pictures of sexuality or eroticism and sex acts, including love scenes. Erotic scenes have been presented in films since the silent era of cinematography. Many actors and actresses have exposed at least parts of their bodies or dressed and behaved in ways considered sexually provocative by contemporary standards at some point in their careers. Some films containing sex scenes have been criticized by religious groups or banned by Govt. or both. Sexuality in cinema has been presented in many genres of film; while in some genres sexuality is rarely depicted. Sex in films can be distinguished to a pornographic film and also from nudity in film, nudity can be presented in a sexualized context, for example nudity in naturalism would normally be regarded as non-sexual. In India, the entertainment industry is an important part of modern India and is expressive of Indian society in general. Historically Indian films have lacked the frank depiction of sex; until recently, even kissing scenes were considered taboo. On the other hand rape scenes or showing sexual assault were depicted openly. Currently some Indian states show soft core sexual scenes and nudity in films, while other areas don’t. Mainstream films are still largely catered for the masses of India, however foreign films containing sexuality are watched by Indians because of the same process of glamorization of film entertainment that occurred in Hollywood, Indian cinema, mainly Hindi-speaking Bollywood industry is also beginning to add sexual overtones. A Brief History of Bollywood Sex and Romance Bollywood classics cannot be beaten for their overt romantic tension, where intimate touching was replaced with the poetic, polite innuendo of hot rain and wet clothing. Indians are so reserved about what happens between consenting adults, considering India is the second most populous country in the world. In some ways, however, Hindi film makers have become more relaxed in their attitudes, as younger, Western-influenced generations come of age and make waves in an industry built on tradition. Previously unseen â€Å"taboos† like pre-marital sex, onscreen nudity and even wife-swapping have curiously been passed by the Central Board of Film Certification, the strict watchdog equivalent of the MPAA that has served as a censor since the early ’50s. Gathered below is a look at the landmark moments and trends that have raised eyebrows through Bollywood history. Bollywood in the 70’s and 80’s was becoming westernized. Back then the appearance of a plain white brassiere represented the forbidden nature of onscreen toplessness. An actress wearing just her over-the-shoulder boulder holder who turned out the lights, for instance, would be implying that she would soon be showing her breasts to her lover. If anyone realized the power of such clothed titillation, it was Raj Kapoor, whose films began to push the envelope late in his directorial career. His unparalleled 1973 teen romance â€Å"Bobby† made an overnight pin-up sensation of Dimple Kapadia when she appeared in a bikini, and 1978†²s â€Å"Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram† (which faced an uphill battle with the censor board, and was criticized by some as being exploitative) saw Zeenat Aman in a barely-there sari that defied physics by staying on. His final film, 1985†²s â€Å"Ram Teri Ganga Mali† caused further controversy when 16-year-old star Mandakin i appeared bathing in a waterfall, wearing only a sheer white. Today, bikini babes are far more prevalent in Bollywood culture, and 2000†²s â€Å"Hera Pheri† even depicted male sunbathers in bikinis, mistaken as girls from a distance by the film’s protagonist. Up until the ’50s, if Bollywood stars wanted to express love or even lust onscreen, clasping each other’s hands and staring longingly was about as risquà © as it got. Hugging and light face caressing became the next leap over the following three decades, but it wasn’t until the ’90s that kissing was really acknowledged, let alone done. A woman might lean in for lip service, but would shyly run away before the deal was sealed, or else the actual act would be covered by a veil in the moment before. While this, too, is changing today (superstar actor Aamir Khan even has a kissing clause put in his co-stars’ contracts; if they won’t kiss him, they can’t act opposite him), puckering up can still be contentious. Padmini Kolhapure made headlines when she merely gave Prince Charles a peck on the cheek, and after Aishwarya Rai got intimate with Hrithik Roshan in 2006†²s â€Å"Dhoom 2,† obscenity cases were filed. â€Å"Item numbers,† or highly sexualized, upbeat Bollywood songs with suggestive lyrics and choreography, began popping up in the late ’80s and especially in the ’90s. Designed to arouse, interest in the commercial films they appear in, item numbers are stand-alone showstoppers with no relevance to their movies’ plots, featuring either cameo appearances from famous stars — or more typically, â€Å"item girls.† Here, objectification should not to be confused with the sexy dancers in increasingly revealing clothing have become a little less stigmatized today, as some have used the showcase as a springboard into leading roles. Among the validated thespians, then, comes the notion of â€Å"skin show,† what India ambiguously calls any notion of actresses and even actors now, who are willing to flaunt more than what the conservative standards dictate. Dare-bare performers like Bipasha Basu in ‘Jism’ and the controversially outs poken Mallika Sherawat in ‘Murder’ have achieved notoriety for their scantily clad boundary-pushing alone. Alternative Lifestyles Bollywood plots have certainly progressed, less centered on arranged marriages and more on young urbanites dating and clubbing. But these are still baby steps compared to what has been accustomed to in Western society. India still remains closeted in changing sexual preferences. In 2003 â€Å"Kal No Naa Ho† treated homosexuality with slapstick, and the recent â€Å"Dostana† concerns two fakers in the same vein, but small strides have been made to bring sincerity and open-mindedness to the cinema. In 2005 â€Å"My Brother†¦ Nikhil† subtly brought awareness to the AIDS crisis, but it never could have existed without the hugely controversial 1996 release of Deepa Mehta’s â€Å"Fire,† the first Bollywood film to depict homosexuality. When the latter film opened, there were angry protests and widespread vandalism — movie theaters showing the film were violently stormed, with windows smashed and posters burned. While it’s hard to believ e such intolerance over so little could exist in the modern era. This too needs to be taken into consideration that â€Å"Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna† (which made waves for its dealings in adultery and divorce) and â€Å"Mixed Doubles† (about wife-swapping) were only made in 2006. REVIEW OF LITERATURE SEXUALITY IN HINDI FILMS Kaiser Family Foundation found that Bollywood films such as ‘The Dirty Picture’, ‘Murder 2’ are ahead of all in portraying sexual content on screen. The biggest worry is that the ‘Bollywood’ is considered as the mainstream Indian cinema and one of the best in the world. And when these films despite of having bold content and vulgar story make massive amount of box office collection cause more and more audience to turn towards cinema hall. Today’s film critics are also somehow responsible for this as they acclaim such new way of making Indian films representing bold topics. They appreciate the filmmakers work a lot and boost their confidence for again getting involved into such kind of projects, which the filmmakers think that they are versatile in handling those sensibly. Even the name of the film ‘The Dirty Picture’ sounds very strange and suggests that the film is on adult subject. It is really disastrous when such films ar e broadcasted on television after 2-3 months from its release so that the film gets noticeable to everyone in different classes of the society. Rise of Item songs in movies performed by leading actresses is another example of public display of sexuality.   AUDIENCE PERCEPTION ON SEXUAL CONTENT IN INDIAN CINEMA A journal of the Association for Psychological Science found that, sensation seeking did not entirely explain these effects; the researchers also speculate that adolescents learn specific behaviours from the sexual messages in movies. Many adolescents turn to movies to acquire sexual scripts that offer examples of how to behave when confronted with complicated emotional situations. Mainstream hindi cinema is most widely distributed cinema in India. Representation of sex in mainstream hindi films has veered between the sarcasm, comic and the criminal. Mainstream cinema now has adopted representation of sexuality in more realistic manner and is successful in raising, expressing and suggesting possible solutions to any problems in an effective manner. Sex in stories should be infused in such a way that the society starts accepting it. The authencity and genuinity of sex in real life should be accepted the same way in the films too. The society has grown in so many ways. Indians have embraced the western culture with open arms, but a hesitation still persists among the Indian audience such western trends i.e. sexuality in mainstream cinema. The reality quotient establishes an emotional connect with the audience. Movies containing sexual content create a negative impact on the viewers and on mass media. Still in Indian society, such obscene visuals have many ill effects on people. REASONS FOR INTRODUCTION OF SEXUALITY IN HINDI FILMS OHara said, These movies appear to fundamentally influence their personality through changes in sensation-seeking, which has far-reaching implications for all of their risk-taking behaviours, Movies get publicity out of pornographic content by showing it on screen. The media executives simply use their power to increase their ratings, popularity and to promote their movies. Portrayal of sexuality is used by film makers as a tool in order to appeal or attract maximum audience. Sexual content in films invite controversies which fetch a lot of free publicity for the film. Modern day film makers want the society to be open, frank and practical in their approach. The issues such as rapes, sexual assaults, etc. need to be addressed through mass media and create awareness amongst people. In order to give solutions and address such problems, the society needs to be comfortable with openly discussing and viewing such content. INFLUENCE OF SEXUALITY IN MAINSTREAM CINEMA Rajmeet Ghai points out that, Movies are harming our society .Gone the times when parents and elders were ready to watch the movie with their children! With the more western perspective, it is becoming seamlessly difficult for our culture to accept Hindi movies. Keeping aside the action and drama, the vulgarity depicted knows no bounds. India has always been known for its culture. However it’s rare to find movies based on any culture. Thanks to the media and the hype created of the celebrities personal lives, youngsters get influenced in the wrong way. The movies that depict extreme violence, murder cause mental harm to children. Teenagers become easy fashion victim of the skimpy dresses worn. Most of the movies show extreme drama which may hurt sentiments of people. The comedy movies, most of the times over do the humor by making a mockery of reality. Even though a majority of the movies are extremely entertaining, focus should be on culture, religion, etc. without hurting the sentiments of any community. Against Hindi movies can possibly be the best medium of entertainment. If made well, they can be easily used to educate the society on several issues. India being one of the largest movie producing country and due its wide acceptance, Hindi movies can be easily used to portray India’s art and culture. Most of the country’s population watches Hindi movies; hence it generates revenues rather than harming the society. They can be an excellent source of refreshment for stress. The movies should not always be taken seriously. It is not necessary that each Hindi movie needs to pass some message to society. Violence has existed for years now. Hence blaming the Hindi movies for depicting and encouraging violence is not fair. As a matter of fact, the movies depict that good always wins over evil. METHODOLOGY This chapter describes the methodology adopted for the study of Sexuality in mainstream Hindi Films. In the present day scenario movies and sexuality are inter-related concepts. Movies with sexual content are generally rated higher than those with no sexual content. The current study will make an effort to examine the sexual content shown in hindi films and its effects on its audience and their behavior. The two methods used are: CONTENT ANALYSIS: In this research, both a quantitative and qualitative content analysis has been done to determine the frequency of sexuality being portrayed in mainstream hindi films in the year 2013. All the hit films of 2013 have been calculated quantitatively determining the frequency and nature of instances of showing sexuality in a film. Here, unit of Analysis is any sexual gestures made in the movie. Frequency of portrayal of sex has been measured. This includes the sexual content in only mainstream hit Bollywood films. The qualitative content analysis is to do with the kind of sexual portrayal i.e. is it either to address a serious issue or is it just to titillate the audience n make money. SURVEY: This study explores the use of sexual content in mainstream movies as a communicative strategy among the audience of these movies by employing the cross-sectional survey. Sample- A non-probability sample of 100 people from the city was selected for the purpose of collecting information. Tool of Data Collection- The instrument used for data-collection in survey is a questionnaire. The questionnaire comprises of 12 questions and is designed in order to analyze the respondent’s demographics, their views on present day scenario of films carrying sexual content, their perception of the prevalence of the existing trends.

The Causes and Effects of World War I Essay -- Papers

The Causes and Effects of World War I In 1914 through 1918, the entire world was at war. Due to many small, and some great incidents, the world powers went to war. During the war there were many events that drastically affected the outcome. Some of these events were very influential. From the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand to the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, the war was shaped by events like this. On June 28, 1914, the Archduke of Austria-Hungary, Francis Ferdinand, and his wife entered their car. About five minutes later a blast rang out. A bomb had been throw in front of his car. A Serbian nationalist and member of the Black Hand, Gavrilo Princip, ran up to the car and, with two shots, killed the Archduke and his wife. When news of the murder reached Austria-Hungary, they thought that the Black Hand was in some way associated with the Serbian government. The Austria-Hungarians gave the Serbs and ultimatum. The Serbians agreed to all but one condition. This wasn't acceptable for the Austrian-Hungarians. They declared war on Serbia. The system of alliances soon took effect and had all the Allied countries declaring war on the Central Powers and vice versa. On May 7, 1915, A British ocean liner is sailing off the Irish coast. Onboard are about 1,200 people, 125 of which are Americans. They boarded despite the fact that the German government had warned Americans not to take British ships. Suddenly a torpedo hits the side of the ship. A German U-Boat, U-20, had shot at her. Within 20 minutes the British Liner was at the bottom taking over 1,000 souls. The sinking of the Lusitania was one of the major reasons the United States was drawn into World War I. It swayed American public opinion in favor of joining t... ...ed. Vladimir Lenin wanted to end the fighting so he accepted the German demands. The German demands were even harsher this time. Russia would lose Poland, the Baltic states, and recognize Finland, Ukraine, and Georgia as independent states. After the treaty was signed, Russia lost 25% percent of it's total area and population. Also, since Germany no longer had to worry about the Eastern Front they could commit more troops and weaponry to the Western Front. The five mentioned events are some of the most significant of the war. From beginning to end, the war was shaped by events like this. The Treaty of Versailles all but ended the fighting. During the course of the war over 10 million soldiers lost their lives and 20 million were wounded. As Europe was trying to rebuild, the League of Nations was created to prevent something like this from ever happening again.

Death Penalty in the Philippines Essay

1987 . But six yearsafter it has reimposed the death penalty, the Philippines has overtaken its Asian neighbors and hasthe most number of death convicts.Within less than a year, however, the military establishment was lobbying for its reimposition as ameans to combat the â€Å"intensifying† offensives of the CPP/NPA guerrillas. Gen. Fidel V. Ramos, thenChief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and later elected President of the Philippines in 1992,was among those who were strongly calling for the reintroduction of the death penalty againstrebellion, murder and drug trafficking.In mid 1987, a bill to reinstate the death penalty was submitted to Congress. Military pressure wasvery much evident in the preamble which cited the pestering insurgency as well asthe recommendations of the police and the military as compelling reasons for the reimposition ofthe death penalty. The bill cited recent right wing coup attempts as an example of the alarmingdeterioration of peace and order and argued for the death penalty both as an effective deterrentagainst heinous crimes and as a matter of simple retributive justice .When Ramos was elected as President in 1992, he declared that the reimposition of the deathpenalty would be one of his priorities. Political offenses such as rebellion were dropped from thebill. However, the list of crimes was expanded to include economic offenses such as smuggling andbribery. In December 1993, RA 7659 restoring the death penalty was signed into law. The law makersargued the deteriorating crime situation was a compeling reason for its reimposition. The mainreason given was that the death penalty is a deterrent to crime. In 1996, RA 8177 was approved,stipulating lethal injection as the method of execution. Six years after Last February 5, 1999, Leo Echegaray, a house painter, was executed for repeatedly raping hisstepdaughter. He was the first convict to be executed since the re-imposition of death penalty in1995.His execution sparked once again a heated debate between the anti and the pro-death penaltyforces in the Philippines with a huge majority of people calling for the execution of Echegaray. Thatthere was a strong clamor for the imposition of the death penalty should be viewed from the pointof view of a citizen who is desperately seeking ways to stop criminality.The Estrada administration peddled the death penalty as the antidote to crime. The reasoning wasthat if the criminals will be afraid to commit crimes if they see that the government is determinedto execute them. Oppositors maintained that the death penalty is not a deterrent and that therehave been studies already debunking the deterrence theory. Legislators and politicians refused toheed the recommendation of the Supreme Court for Congr ess to review the death penalty riding onthe popularity of the pro-death penalty sentiment Six years after its reimposition, more than 1,200 individuals have been sentenced to death andseven convicts have been executed through lethal injection. Yet today, there are no signs thatcriminality has gone down.From February 6, 1999, a day after Leo Echegaray was executed, to May 31 1999 two leadingnewspapers reported a total of 163 crimes which could be punishable by death penalty. But perhapsthe best indicator that this law is not a deterrent to criminality is the ever-increasing number ofdeath convicts.From 1994 to 1995 the number of persons on death row increased from 12 to 104. From 1995 to1996 it increased to 182. In 1997 the total death convicts was at 520 and in 1998 the inmates indeath row was at 781. As of November 1999 there are a total of 956 death convicts at the NationalBilibid Prisons and at the Correctional Institute for Women.As of December 31, 1999, based on the statistics compiled by the Episcopal Commission on PrisonerWelfare of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, there were a total of 936 convictsinterned at the National Bilibid Prisons and another 23 detained at the Correctional Institute forWo men. Of these figures, six are minors and 12 are foreigners. One of the reasons as to why human rights groups oppose the death penalty is because of theweaknesses and imperfections of the Philippine justice system. This is very much evident in thereview of death penalty cases made by the Supreme Court from 1995 to 1999. Two out of everythree death sentences handed down by the local courts were found to be erroneous by the SupremeCourt.Out of the 959 inmates the SC reviewed 175 cases involving 200 inmates from 1995 to 1999; 3cases were reviewed in 1995, 8 in 1996, 8 in 1997, 38 in 1998, 118 in 1999.Of these 175 cases, the SC affirmed with finality and first affirmation only 31% or 54 casesinvolving 60 inmates. Of these cases 24 were affirmed with finality, while the remaining 36 weregiven first affirmation.Sixty nine percent (69%) or 121 cases were either modified, acquitted or remanded for retrial.Eighty four (84) cases involving 95 inmates were modified to reclusion perpetua, 10 cases involving11 inmates were modified to indeterminate penalty , 11 cases involving 11 inmates were remanded tolower court for retrial and 16 cases involving 23 inmates were acquitted by the SC.. In a study prepared by the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG), it pointed out that the result ofthe review of cases done by the Supreme Court â€Å"point all too clearly to the imperfections,weaknesses and problems of the Philippine justice system†. Some decisions of the trial courts wereoverturned for imposing death penalty on offenses which were not subject to death penalty. Otherdecisions of the lower courts were set aside because of substantive and procedural errors duringarraignment and trial. Still others were struck down because the lower court mis-appreciatedevidences.In a survey conducted among 425 convicts in 1998, 105 or 24.7% were agricultural workers, 103were construction workers, 73 were transport workers, and 42 were in workers in sales andservices. Only 6% finished college while 32.4 % finished various levels of high school while theremaining did not go to school or have finished only elementary or vocational education It is perhaps important to point out that out of these 46 crimes punishable by death, the deathpenalty has been applied to only 17 crimes. No one has been convicted of qualified bribery, qualifiedpiracy and plunder. Interestingly also, no public official has been sentenced to death for crimesinvolving public officials.Yet, the government maintains that it is effective in combatting crime. Under the death penaltylaw, 46 crimes are considered heinous and are now subject to the death penalty. It imposes themandatory death penalty on 21 crimes while the other 25 crimes are death eligible. These arecrimes for which a range of penalties including the death penalty is imposed.Some Congressmen and Senators are proposing other lists of crimes to add to the above. Some evencontemplated lowering the age of those punishable by the death penalty to include youthfuloffenders.The death penalty is an easy way out for a government in the face of a strong outcry from thecitizenry who wanted the government to stop criminality. It is being used to create the illusion thatthe government is doing something to stop the crimes when in fact it is not.Sad though it maybe, more lives would be lost unless the death penalty in the Philippines is repealed. SANTOS A. LABANPHILIPPINE ALLIANCE OF HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATESAquino administration 1987 According to the 1987 Constitution,Art. III (Bill of Rights), Sec. 19.(1) Excessive fines shall not be imposed, nor cruel, degrading or inhuman punishment inflicted.Neither shall death penalty be imposed, unless, for compelling reasons involving heinous crimes, theCongress hereafter provides for it. Any death penalty already imposed shall be reduced toreclusion perpetua.In mid-1987, a bill to seeking to reinstate the death penalty for 15 ‘heinous crimes’ includingmurder, rebellion and the import or sale of prohibited drugs was submitted in Congress. 1988 In 1988, the military started lobbying for the imposition of the death penalty. Then Armed Forcesof the Philippines Chief General Fidel Ramos was prominent among those calling for thereintroduction of the death penalty for rebellion, murder and drug-trafficking. The militarycampaign for the restoration of the capital punishment was primarily against the CPP-NPA, whoseoffensives then included urban assassination campaigns.Anti-death penalty groups including Amnesty International opposed the bill, but the House ofRepresentatives voted for restoration by 130 votes to 25. 1989 Three similar bills were put before the Senate. After a bloody 1989 coup, President Aquinocertified as urgent one of these bills on the prompting of Ramos. The said bill again proposed deathpenalty for rebellion, as well as for sedition, subversion and insurrection. 1990 The Senate suspended the vote on death penalty for a year 1991 The Senate did not agree to move to a decision. Ramos administration A series of high profile crimes during this period, including the murder of Eileen Sarmenta andAllan Gomez, created public impression that heinous crimes were on the rise. The Ramosadministration succeeded in restoring death penalty. 1992 President Fidel Ramos during his first State of the Nation address declared that hisadministration would regard the restoration of the death penalty a legislative priority, and urgedCongress to take speedy action. 1993 Ramos signed into Republic Act 7659, the new death penalty law, on December 13, 1993. 1994 Republic Act 7659 took effect on January 1, 1994. 1996 Republic Act No. 8177, which mandates that a death sentence shall be carried out through lethalinjection, was approved on March 20, 1996. Estrada administration Seven death convicts were executed during the Estrada administration before he announced amoratorium on executions. 1999 Leo Echegaray, 38, was executed by lethal injection on February 5, 1999. He was the first to beexecuted after the Philippines restored death penalty. It was the Philippine’s first execution in 22 years. Six more men followed within the next 11 months. 2000 On March 24, 2000, Estrada imposed a de facto moratorium in observance of the Christian JubileeYear. He also granted 108 Executive Clemencies to death convicts.On December 10, 2000, Human Rights Day, Estrada announced that he would commute sentences ofall death convicts to life imprisonment. He expressed his desire to certify as urgent a bill seeking arepeal of the Death Penalty Law. Arroyo administration Please see Gloria Arroyo on death penalty–a timelineWhile the Arroyo administration has been characterized by a flip-flopping stand on death penalty,no death convict has been executed under her watch.Voting separately, the two Houses of Congress on June 6, 2006 repealed the death penalty law.Arroyo signed Republic Act 9346 on June 24, 2006. The law prohibited the imposition of the deathpenalty. History of death penalty in the Philippines The history of the death penalty was extensively discussed by the Supreme Court in People vs.Echegaray. [1] As early 1886, capital punishment had entered the Philippine legal system through theold Penal Code, which was a modified version of the Spanish Penal Code of 1870. The Revised Penal Code, which was enforced on 1 January 1932, provided for the death penalty inspecified crimes under specific circumstances. Under the Revised Penal Code, death is the penaltyfor the crimes of treason, correspondence with the enemy during times of war, qualified piracy,parricide, murder, infanticide, kidnapping, rape with homicide or with the use of deadly weapon orby two or more persons resulting in insanity, robbery with homicide, and arson resulting in death.The list of capital offenses lengthened as the legislature responded to the emergencies of thetimes.In 1941, Commonwealth Act (C.A.) No. 616 added espionage to the list. In the 1950s, at the heightof the Huk rebellion, the government enacted Republic Act (R.A.) No. 1700, otherwise known as theAnti-Subversion Law, which carried the death penalty for leaders of the rebellion. From 1971 to1972, more capital offenses were created by more laws, among them, the Anti-Hijacking Law, theDangerous Drugs Act, and the Ant i-Carnapping Law. During martial law, Presidential Decree (P.D.)No. 1866 was enacted penalizing with death, among others, crimes involving homicide committedwith an unlicensed firearm.In the aftermath of the 1986 revolution that dismantled the Marcos regime and led to thenullification of the 1973 Constitution, a new constitution was drafted and ratified. The1987Constitutionprovides in Article III, Section 19 (1) that:Excessive fines shall not be imposed, nor cruel, degrading or inhuman punishment inflicted. Neithershall death penalty be imposed, unless, for compelling reasons involving heinous crimes, the Congresshereafter provides for it. Any death penalty already imposed shall be reduced to reclusionperpetua.Congress passed Republic Act No. 7659 (entitled â€Å"An Act to Impose the Death Penalty on CertainHeinous Crimes, Amending for that Purpose the Revised Penal Code, as Amended, Other SpecialPenal Laws, and for Other Purposes†), which took effect on 31 December 1993.Constitutional challengeThis is extensively discussed in the case of People vs. Echegaray. (For editing)Abolition of death penaltyOn 24 June 2006, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed into law Republic Act No. 9346,entitled â€Å"An Act Prohibiting the Imposition of Death Penalty in the Philippines† Effectivity of the new law Section 5 of R.A. No. 9346 specifically provides that it shall take effect immediately after itspublication in two national newspapers of general circulation. This is pursuant to Article 2 oftheCivil Codewhich provides that laws shall take effect after 15 days following the completion oftheir publication either in the Official Gazette, or in a newspaper of general circulation in thePhilippines, unless it is otherwise provided.R.A. No. 9346 was published in Malaya and Manila Times, two national newspapers of generalcirculation on 29 June 2006. Accordingly, R.A. No. 9346 took effect on 30 June 2006. [2] Illustrative cases As a result of the abolition of the death penalty, existing penalties for death were reducedtoreclusion perpetua, within the possibility ofparole. Here are illustrative cases: The case of People of the Philippines vs. Quiachon [3] involves an accused who raped his 8-year olddaughter, a deaf-mute. Under Article 266-B of theRevised Penal Code, the imposable penaltyshould have been death. With the abolition of the Death Penalty, however, the penalty was reducedtoreclusion perpetua, without the possibility of parole under theIndeterminate Sentence Law. The case of People of the Philippines vs. Santos [4] involves therapeof a 5-year old child. Theaccused was meted the penalty of death because rape committed against a  ¶child below seven (7) years old · is a dastardly and repulsive crime which merits no less than the imposition of capitalpunishment under Article 266-B of theRevised Penal Code. The sentence was also reducedtoreclusion perpetua, without the possibility ofparole. The case of People vs. Salome [5] involves arapeof a 13-year old girl (who got pregnant), committedin a dwelling and with the aid of a bladed weapon. The imposable penalty should have been death,but with the abolition of the Death Penalty, theSupreme Courtreduced the penalty toreclusion perpetua, without the possibility ofparole. The case of People of the Philippines vs. Tubongbanua [6] involves the murder of a victim whosuffered 18 stab wounds which were all directed to her chest, heart and lungs. Considering theexistence of the qualifying circumstance of evident premeditation and the aggravatingcircumstances of dwelling, and taking advantage of superior strength without any mitigatingcircumstance, the proper imposable penalty would have been death. However, with the abolition ofthe death penalty law, the penalty imposed wasreclusion perpetua, without the possibility ofparole

Cement Industry Financial Analysis - 5265 Words

Table of Content Acknowledgement 2 Executive Summary 3 Ratio and other analysis of the company 6 Liquidity Ratios 7 Activity Analysis 8 Debt Analysis 10 Profitability Analysis 11 Market Analysis 14 Benchmarking of your company with industry 15 Analysis of company’s strength and weakness 15 Strengths:- 16 Weaknesses:- 16 recommendations for company 17 Realized rate of return: 18 Beta of the D.G. Khan Cement 18 Expected Return of the D.G. Khan Cement 19 Standard Deviation 20 Required rate of return (CAPM) 20 Expected Return Vs. Required Return 21 Portfolio Planning 21 Dividend growth model 24 Corporate Valuation Model 24†¦show more content†¦THE INFORMATION WHICH COMES FROM THESE ANALYSES IS BENEFICIAL IN FUTURE FOR OWNERS, INVESTORS, CREDITORS, AND ANALYSIS’S FOR SETTING STRATEGIES ACCORDINGLY. Industrial review:- THIS REPORT IS AN ANALYSIS OF 4 MAJOR CEMENT COMPANIES WHICH ARE: ⠝â€" D.G. Khan Cement Company Ltd ⠝â€" Pioneer Cement Company Ltd ⠝â€" Lucky Cement Company Ltd ⠝â€" Fauji Cement Company Ltd We have selected D.G. Khan Cement Company as our Principle Company Background:- âž ¢ D.G. KHAN CEMENT COMPANY LTD D.G. Khan Cement Company Limited is a part of Nishat group of industries. DGKC was established under the management control of State Cement Corporation of Pakistan Limited (SCCP) in 1978.it is the largest cement-manufacturing unit in Pakistan that produces the ordinary cement for local market and international market. âž ¢ Pioneer Cement Company Ltd Pioneer Cement Limited (PCL) was incorporated in Pakistan as a public company limited by shares on February 09, 1986. Its shares are quoted on all stock exchanges in Pakistan. Due to be superior quality, Pioneer Cement has on the confidence of its customer. The principle activity of the Company is manufacturing and sale of cement. | | âž ¢ Lucky Cement Company Ltd Lucky Cement Limited is a Pakistan-based company engagedShow MoreRelatedInformation Gathering for Business Analysis1121 Words   |  5 PagesInformation gathering and Accounting/Business techniques Information gathering Lucky Cement is listed on Karachi Stock exchange therefore getting information was never really a big problem. As primary data LCL’s own website http://www.lucky-cement.com was a big source of information for me, but I had to look into other secondary sources like company’s annual reports, newspaper, internet etc to make my analysis more comprehensive I used the following secondary sources to gather my information whichRead MoreCase Analysis886 Words   |  4 PagesCASE NO.1 I. PAMPANGA CEMENT CORPORATION The government had been pushing the Pampanga cement corporation to switch their product into coal. II. 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