Thursday, December 26, 2019

Cherie Cosmetics - 1822 Words

Cherie Cosmetics Case Analysis I. Statement of the Problem How can Cherie Cosmetics improve the operations and marketing of the Elegante division? How can the communications between the operations department and Elegante division be improved for better coordination? II. Areas of Consideration Cherie Cosmetics is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the International Cherie Company of New York. The company is directed by Ralph Nolk and has four distinctive product lines each headed by a general manager. Heather King is the general manager of the Elegante Division in Toronto, Canada. Bob Shaw is the Vice President of Operations. Dennis Green, the purchasing manager of operations, is Heather King’s main contact. [pic]†¦show more content†¦Heather King doesn’t have any resources that the operations department needs, thus she doesn’t have any power to direct their actions. Heather King is making demands to Dennis Green and Sandra Mirano, but she is not their superior and they are not in the same department. Dennis Green and Sandra Mirano’s manager is Bob Shaw. An employee should only have one manager. Dennis Green’s behavior of verbally attacking Heather King is inappropriate and unprofessional given that Heather King has a higher rank, but his behavior is understandable. He may have just been acting out of frustration from having to deal with different managers. As the purchasing manager, he does have a need to feel in control of his responsibilities. Heather King had reasons to bypass Dennis Green, but by doing so, she became a threat to his territory. When people feel threatened, they can become hostile and angry. III. Alternatives and Evaluation of Alternatives Alternative 1: Heather King can bring up the issue to Ralph Nolk. As the Managing Director superior to Bob Shaw, Ralph Nolk has the formal power to influence the operations department to coordinate with Heather King. Ralph Nolk has the resources that the operations department needs, thus he has power over their actions. Ralph Nolk may decide to use his formal power to motivate and provide theShow MoreRelatedCherie Cosmetics Case1124 Words   |  5 PagesAna Patricia B. Basa Cherie Cosmetics Limited Elegante Division Problem Statement What should Heather King do in order to address the problem on launching the new product for the Elegante Division as well as address the communication problem in the company? Objectives: 1. To be able to improve production of the new product being launched by Cherie Cosmetics. 2. To be able to address the communication problem in the company. 3. To be able to improve relationships among managersRead MoreRuthless Or Progressive Animal Testing1396 Words   |  6 Pagesmedia spreading news faster than ever before, people were astonished at the animal cruelty. Olay (by Proctor Gamble) admitted to over 400,000 tests and PETA called them out on their absence on the Leaping Bunny (cruelty-free products) list. M.A.C. Cosmetics moved their chemical testing to China to avoid lawsuits in the United States, but had to move back to the States after China, the number one country ironically accused of animal mistreatment, lifted their legal requirement of only testing on animalsRead MoreAnalysis of the External Environment of Business 11419 Words   |  6 Pagescountry, region, urban or rural areas, town or city and climate may affect businesses concerned with country clothing or regional specialties, for instance. Psychographic factors such as lifestyles, values and personality can influence health or cosmetic businesses mediagraphic factors involve media habits, such as newspapers people read. Finally, behavioural characteristics, for instance the occasion of purchases, brand loyalty or attitudes towards products can affect businesses involved in greetingsRead MoreHow Does Media Affect Children11485 Words   |  46 Pageschildren and the media Key messages 3 †¢ Parents want to be taken seriously in their role by the media and not patronised or ignored †¢ There is not enough information in the media, including newspapers and magazines, on parenting and family issues †¢ Cherie Blair came top in a poll for ‘good’ parents in the media, followed by Jack Straw. Paul McCartney was the most popular unprompted nomination †¢ Parents would most like to find information and support on television, followed by magazines, newspapersRead MoreLuxury Marketing- Louis Vuitton Marketing Strategy13307 Words   |  54 PagesBlueDonna Karan Cashmere MistEstee Lauder BeautifulEstee Lauder Knowing Estee Lauder Sensuous NudeEstee Lauder Pleasures  Fendi Fan di Fendi Justin Bieber SomedayPrada Candy Taylor Swift WonderstruckThierry Mugler Angel | Dior JAdoreDior Miss Dior Chà ©rie Thierry Mugler AngelIssey Miyake LEau dIssey Dior Hypnotic Poison Guerlain ShalimarLolita Lempicka by Lolita LempickaViktoramp; Rolf FlowerbombYSL Parisienne  Rochas Eau de Rochas  Reminiscence Rem Givenchy Ange ou Dà ©monGuerlain IdyllePaco RabanneRead MoreLuxury Marketing- Louis Vuitton Marketing Strategy13318 Words   |  54 PagesBlueDonna Karan Cashmere MistEstee Lauder BeautifulEstee Lauder Knowing Estee Lauder Sensuous NudeEstee Lauder Pleasures  Fendi Fan di Fendi Justin Bieber SomedayPrada Candy Taylor Swift WonderstruckThierry Mugler Angel | Dior JAdoreDior Miss Dior Chà ©rie Thierry Mugler AngelIssey M iyake LEau dIssey Dior Hypnotic Poison Guerlain ShalimarLolita Lempicka by Lolita LempickaViktoramp; Rolf FlowerbombYSL Parisienne  Rochas Eau de Rochas  Reminiscence Rem Givenchy Ange ou Dà ©monGuerlain IdyllePaco Rabanne

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Effectiveness And Effectiveness Of Incarceration - 980 Words

Britian is now known to have record numbers in jails, which is also accurate for many other countries, such as USA, which has over two million people in prison, one and a half million serve in China and nearly one million in the Russian Federation (Newburn 2013: 706). Despite the fact that jails and conviction work differently when it comes to other countries, we can all agree on the fact that they exist namely in order to prevent crime and set justice for those who have been a victim of one as well as to avoid even more damage to the society (UK Essays 2013). Yet, there is a huge controversy whether jail is actually able to make a positive impact on the offenders in relation to their comprehension that the law must be abidden. The following essay will focus on both effectiveness and ineffectiveness of incarceration. Offenders and their criminal acts are radically different when it comes to the reason why they actually commit a particular crime. That is why, numerous rehabilitation programmes in prisons have been launched, so that they start to manage their behaviour. If we, for example, look specifically at sex offender treatment, we will notice that there have been a lot of debates about the actual reason why sex offenders are acting in such deviant way. It might be a personality disorder or the exact opposite-they are perfectly aware of what unpleasant thing they are doing (Crow, 2001). Fortunately, a substantial research demonstrates that sex offenders are less likelyShow MoreRelatedEffectiveness of Juvenile Incarceration1357 Words   |  6 PagesLacrisha Lewis Patrick Anyanetu Eng.120 11/18/10 Research Paper â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard To Find† by Flannery O’Connor who is a Southern American novelist and short story writer, O’ Connor’s career expanded in the 1950sand early 60s, a time when the South was dominated by Protestant Christians.O’Connor was born and raised a Catholic. She was a fundamentalist and aChristian moralist whose powerful apocalyptic fiction is focused in the South.Flannery O’Connor was born March 25, 1925 in SavannahRead MoreEffectiveness Of The Reduction Recidivism Rates1151 Words   |  5 PagesEffectiveness Effectiveness is the reduction in recidivism rates; more specifically, the reduction in the likelihood to be arrested for a new crime, or for committing a parole violation. Unlike research on the implementation of DRC’s, there is not a need for a more in depth look at the benefits of overcorwding jails and increasing incarceration costs. Costs, as mentioned earlier, are significantly more than the costs associated with the implementation of a DRC. In addition, the steady increase inRead MoreThe Most Articulate Hustler By Malcolm X867 Words   |  4 Pages provide personal development, transform their lives, and significantly reduce the risk from recidivism (Mastrorilli). RAND corporation – the officially authorized organization that conducted a research and a metal-analysis evaluating the effectiveness of correctional education from 1980 to 2011 shows that correctional education can help to minimize the risk of recidivism and give more potential success post-release: â€Å"On average, inmates who participated in correctional education programsRead MoreHarsher Sentencing Policies And More Punitive Laws1249 Words   |  5 Pageswho have been incarcerated in both federal and state prisons. Indeed, research has shown that harsher sentencing policies and more punitive laws have resulted in the incarceration of more than 2.3 million people in the varied jails and prisons; thereby making the United States the leader as far as incarceration is concerned. Incarceration and sentencing systems have conventionally been aimed at having varying goals including rehabilitation, incapacitation, punishment and deterrence. Recent decades haveRead MoreHow Does The Linked Learning Approach Increase The College And Career Readiness Of Hispanic And African American Males At Essay1388 Words   |  6 Pagesschools. Tia Martinez’s â€Å"School to Prison Pipeline† demonstrates how students who are not in school, not learning and eventually drop out have a higher rate of incarceration and likelihood of a poorer lifestyle. The cycle is ongoing, with many generations of African American and Latinos repeating the cycle of suspension, and incarceration (Martinez). The purpose of this study is to remove the barriers that affect males who receive an education that leave them unprepared to participate in the workforceRead MorePunishment Versus Rehabilitation1513 Words   |  7 PagesSeptember 10, 2012 John V. Baiamonte, Jr. Ph.D. Punishment vs. Rehabilitation Punishment versus Rehabilitation, there has been many debates on the effectiveness of punishment compared to the effectiveness of rehabilitation of convicted offenders in prison and under community supervision. If an individual commits a crime serious enough to warrant incarceration, then the individual is sent to prison as a form of punishment. While incarcerated the individual may have the opportunity to receive rehabilitationRead MoreEssay on Alternatives to Prison1677 Words   |  7 Pagesor release. Medium security and maximum security prisons are utilized for the offenders serving a sentenced amount of time for their offenses. Their levels of security and prison design are more intense than the minimum security prisons. The effectiveness of prisons has decreased due to progressive overcrowding, and the lack of conclusive alternatives. The need for alternatives has grown immensely over the last decade. Nonetheless, the State and Federal governments are desperate for competent, lessRead MoreThe Incarceration Of Rehabilitation Programs1319 Words   |  6 Pagesprograms or practices of rehabilitation are effective. The sources are separated into three categories: Types of Rehabilitation, Punishment vs Rehabilitation, and Prison General. Types of Rehabilitation Miceli, Victoria. Analyzing the Effectiveness of Rehabilitation Programs. Digital Commons. University of Rhode Island, 2009. Web. 20 Mar. 2017. This is a study conducted out of the University of Rhode Island analyzing the different types of rehabilitation used in prisons, and lists strengthsRead MoreMale And Female Sentencing : A Look Into Alternative Sentencing1274 Words   |  6 PagesChristian American Military University Author Note This paper was prepared for CRMJ201. Abstract With incarceration rates rising and jail and prison populations at an all-time high, alternative sentencing is being used more often with non-violent offenders. This paper looks at male and female incarceration rates, the use of alternative programs for sentencing between the two and the effectiveness of such programs. During the paper we will analyze sentencing differences between male and female offendersRead MoreCriminal Behavior And The Justice System Essay1361 Words   |  6 Pages Incarceration rates are extremely costly and the rates of incarceration are alarmingly high in the United States. Individuals engage in criminal behaviors for many reasons. Although the reasons are numerous and vary, the justice system has attempted to narrow down the causes of criminal behavior. The justice system has also put into place specialty courts that are designed to better address these particular causes of criminal behavior. The goal of these courts is to better address the individual’s

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Intermodal Freight Transport for Planning - myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about theIntermodal Freight Transport for Planning and Managing. Answer: Intermodal freight transport refers to the transportation of freight in an intermodal container, using a number of different transportation methods. The North American freight transportation industry has been set through the establishment of the national railways and land bridges (Assadipour, Ke Verma, 2015). This infrastructure is being further expanded by active promotion and help of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Globalisation is also helping this industry to gain significant momentum. Exploiting the comparative advantage, mostly in sectors of labour, information technology, telecommunication, FDI and other areas have helped North America to greatly improve their freight systems. Substantial capital investments have happened in this sector, which tremendously boosted the freight transportation system of the continent (Roso et al., 2015). Even though the capital investments have increased and infrastructure has been helped, the obvious problem remains: most of th e rail operators have reached the limit in terms of network size, land limit has been reached in most of the North American area, most notably in the United States. To overcome this problem, a more integrated system and intermodal operations are being established across the rail networks, to ensure a smoother operational outcome. Bilateral, and even trilateral, arrangements are being adopted between rail companies and shipping organisations to improve the intermodal interface. Major gateways, intersections of different rail networks and hinterlands are given the most priorities. The establishment of NAFTA brought about cross-border services, which massively helped the freight transport in North America (Roso et al., 2015). If this is to be sustained, then intermodal operations have to be given more priority and every possible tool has to be used to ensure a smooth continuality of the transport system. References Assadipour, G., Ke, G. Y., Verma, M. (2015). Planning and managing intermodal transportation of hazardous materials with capacity selection and congestion.Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review,76, 45-57. Roso, V., Russell, D., Ruamsook, K., Stefansson, G. (2015). Seaport-inland port dyad dynamics: an investigation of service provisions and intermodal transportation linkages.World Review of Intermodal Transportation Research,5(3), 263-280.

Monday, December 2, 2019

Science Exit Project free essay sample

For my science exit project I decided to do a project that revolves around bacteria. I was suggested to do a project where I get a petri dish containing my oral bacteria and see the effects of liquid on my oral bacteria. I was very curious about this topic and wanted to know how the bacteria grows so I gave it a shot. For my project, I was told to make an â€Å"if and then† hypothesis. My hypothesis was that â€Å"If I put orange juice on a petri dish containing my oral bacteria then the bacteria on the petri dish will multiply. † For this experiment, I gathered all the materials I needed in front of me. Water, orange juice, strawberry juice, petri dishes, pipette, sterile cotton swab, tape, and a plastic bag. After I got all the materials I needed, I started working on my experiment. First, I swabbed my mouth with the sterile cotton swab. We will write a custom essay sample on Science Exit Project or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page After I obtained my oral bacteria, I opened the petri dish and started swabbing the petri dish with my oral bacteria. Then I closed it and secured it with tape. I did the same for the other two petri dishes. I searched the house for a warm dark place but due to some problems the heat wasn’t working. Having nowhere else to place the petri dishes, I placed the petri dishes in the cabinet and got my fur jacket to keep the petri dishes warm. I checked the petri dishes daily. During the first three days I saw no results whatsoever. However on the fourth day I finally saw some results. On petri dish #1 there was two tiny white dots. On petri dish #2, I saw 3 tiny dots. On petri dish #3 I saw a big white dot. Each day that I noticed new observation, I would record them on my data table. The petri dishes seemed to grow at about the same rate. However, during the first week petri dish #2 seemed to grow bacteria at a faster rate than the others. Once the week was over, I grabbed my materials again. I poured the orange juice, strawberry juice and water into separate cups. I got my pipette and transported a drop of each liquid on each petri dish. I closed the petri dishes again and left them in a warm dark place. Because the smell was getting really bad I decided to put the petri dishes in a plastic bag. I left the petri dishes in a warm dark place. While I was doing my project, I realized that the petri dish containing orange juice was growing bacteria at a faster rate than the other petri dishes. The petri dish containing water was growing bacteria at the slowest rate. In conclusion, my hypothesis was correct. I put orange juice on a petri dish containing my oral bacteria causing the bacteria to multiply. I am not positively sure if orange juice can make bacteria multiply. I could have done something wrong. I went over the whole process (in my head) and thought of what could be the possible sources of error. I remembered that in the beginning of my project, I didn’t turn the petri dish upside down when I placed the petri dishes in the fridge which caused condensation to form. This could have also started the bacteria growth. I also remembered that I forgot to leave the petri dish in room temperature for an hour which could have cause a delay to the bacteria’s growth. Due to some circumstances, the heat in our house wasn’t working. That made the room temperature colder than the usual. The temperature in where bacteria grow the best is at 100 degrees. If I were to redo this experiment, I would do some things differently. I would have put the petri dish upside down to prevent condensation. I would also make sure that my house is in room temperature so the it cant affect the bacteria growth.

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Who Dies Next essays

Who Dies Next essays Every year thousands of youth die, not from cancer or car accidents but by their own hand. The American Academy of Pediatrics estimates that 500,000 youth try to kill themselves every year and over 5,000 succeed. Since 1970 teen suicide has increased 300 percent for ages 15 through 19 and 180 percent for ages 10 through 14. In one recent survey of high school students, 60 percent said they had thought about killing themselves. That is three out of every five students. 44 percent of the youth who attempt suicide overdose on some sort of drug. Where are these teenagers getting these drugs? 38 percent use fire arms. Where are they getting these guns? The 18 percent left chose Why has the youth suicide rate taken such a dramatic jump in recent years? There are several reasons of what might have caused this suicide increase, but almost every reason has to do with the lack of parental interest. Cindy Young, a local licensed professional counselor, states that over half of her youth clients that are suicidal have parents that spend no time with them. The average parent does not spent sufficient quality time with their children. Now it is more often for both mother and father to work full time, from that one factor parents deprive their children of the time they need. Another reason parents do not spend as much quality time with their children is because parents have their own interests. It may be watching television, reading, talking on the phone, working on the computer, new family members, such as a new child or spouse. Children seem to take the back burner a generous amount of the time. Another reason for the suicide increase is because many children do not meet up to their parents expectations, so in response parents put their children down, tell them they are worthless, punish them, call them names, and physically abusing them. Bec ...

Saturday, November 23, 2019

The Hunt For Red October - TC essays

The Hunt For Red October - TC essays About the authors relation to the book and the book itself: A mutiny on a Soviet destroyer stimulated Clancy to write Red October; it was an instant hit. This novel has been adapted for film, with Sean Connery as Cpt. Marko Ramius and Alec Baldwin as Jack Ryan. Red October the movie was awarded one Oscar and became a box-office hit. Settings: Washington, Moscow, North Atlantic. Time: Friday, December 3, 1984, to Monday December 20, 1984. Clancys opus is structured in the 18 days in which the whole action takes place ( For example: THE ELEVENTH DAY: Monday, 13 December). A subdivision is made by headlines which determine the current place of action ( For example: THE RED OCTOBER or CIA HEADQUARTERS). After World War two a new balance of power had been created. The two super powers who, together with their allies, had been facing each other were on the one side the United States, or simply U.S., which stood for ideas like individuality and freedom of economy, and on the other side the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the U.S.S.R., which more likely enforced the ideas of a collective, and communist ideals. This bipolar image of the world was the basis for the, so called, cold war. For about 40 years the two adversaries were to compete on most sectors of the political, and prestige, world. For example the very well known space race. The competition as far as the power and influence of the military of the two super powers is concerned has to be seen as the most important basic for Clancys novel. All around the world both sides wanted to gain more and more influence, and to build up military bases, in order to be able to monitor any of the enemys steps and to react on them as quickly as possible. Both sides kept developing new weapon systems all the time to always keep up with the other side. Primarily the main aim of both sides was to be able to launch eno...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

From civil rights to black power Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

From civil rights to black power - Essay Example Blacks, many working- and middle-class Whites themselves became angry and suspicious, charging that Blacks had already made too many gains at Whites expense. President Nixon who referred this as â€Å"the Silent Majority" of Americans who supported "law and order" and other white Americans worried about their economic prospects and their own future, law and order meant using the power of the government to keep Blacks in their place; they had already achieved too much, and now must accept their second-class status in American society.(1) From the 1970s on, conservatives, Republicans, and White Southern politicians have used code words about welfare, law and order, affirmative action, drugs and crime, teenage pregnancy, and the breakdown of the family to attract concerned Whites, who feel that Blacks are responsible for their own problems, not the government, not the of Blacks to law and order and the rights of Whites has helped shaped a White backlash against civil rights and further gains for Blacks civil rights since the 1970s. Unfortunately, this White back clash has only made young Blacks more angry, cynical, and suspicious about the government and White Society. Regarding the emergence of civil rights and black power movement we can explore a detailed study related to these occurrences. On July 26, 1948, President Harry Truman issued two executive orders, one instituted fair employment practices in the civilian agencies of the federal government; the other provided for "equality of treatment and opportunity in the armed forces without regard to race, color, religion, or national origin." This was a major victory for civil rights advocates in the quest for full citizenship.(2)Courtesy of the Chicago Daily Defender, Chicago, Illinois.)This was one beginning moment among others from which the racial sufferers gained inner strength to fight for the complete freedom. The African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968) refers to the reform movements in the United

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Essential question #4 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Essential question #4 - Assignment Example Secondly, assessment also provides a continual feedback in how the students are able to actively retrieve information to facilitate learning that is long lasting. Standardized assessments are therefore necessary because they make students develop performance related goals. As the students get assessed, they are able to get motivated by their earned grades, the rankings as well as intrinsic rewards that result from assessment. These assessments deepen the students’ memory for the assessed materials. As such it enables better performance of students. Additionally, assessment provides the students with significant challenge which makes them work harder to improve their learning as well as playing to a student’s strength. According to Shaw, (2014) when a school is said to be doing well, the following is implied: the students are gaining new levels of understanding each time. â€Å"The hope is to help students gain expertise much like musicians improve with repeated guided practice†, John Bransford. Thus students expertise can be measured and progress shown. Secondly the students are buying in on what they are instructed. As such they are gaining knowledge. â€Å"The greater understanding, is so much more enriching than having a lecture and regurgitating information.† Sandomirsky. This implies that there is increased understanding of the curriculum and as such the students are getting gainful knowledge. Eisner, (2012) outlines; A school is thus said to be doing well when they ensure accountability as well as be flexible so that it leaves no child behind in the learning process. Additionally the school needs to have a rationalized approach dependent on easily quantifiable standards. Thus the purpose of a school assessment can be understood in various levels as follows: formative assessment will enable the teachers know how the students learn best. As such ideas are

Sunday, November 17, 2019

A Guide in Analyzing Movies Essay Example for Free

A Guide in Analyzing Movies Essay Watching movies is one of the best ways to relax, enjoy, and learn. Some people watch movies for recreational purposes, while others do this to learn new ideas or things. However, as a movie progresses into its climax, one would notice that he or she is getting involved in the movie by thinking how the conflict will be resolved. After watching the movie, a reaction or feedback is drawn as one tries to communicate or narrate the story to someone who has not watched the film. Reactions are mostly about the content of the movies and little on its technical aspect. This is true especially if the movie is based on a real life story, romance, or a story of nationalistic concern. If the theme of a movie is scientific or an adaptation of a fictional novel, most audience critics the film based on the technical aspect of the production. Whether the audience is reacting positively or negatively on the content of the movie or whether the audience is critiquing the film’s technical production, he or she is already in the process of analyzing the film. There are different approaches from which to analyze a movie, and these approaches may depend on the genre of the film one had watched and wanted to analyze. Yet, in order for one to write a movie analysis, he or she must first know the different components of a film which include the theme, story, plot, characters or actors, acting, cinematography, and technical aspect such as lightning, music and sound effects, camera shots, and editing. Feedback about the film depends on the mixture of these components; such mixing is done by the film director. He or she acts as if he or she is cooking a delicacy that will be judged by his or her customer. This essay discusses the basic guideline on how to analyze a film and how meaning in the film should be interpreted. Again, this guideline may vary depending on the type of the movie one is trying to analyze. A cine-magazine, for example, contains different topics; thus, there is little unity on the scenes. Uniformity of style and treatment are not given too much consideration because cine-magazine contains different stories. The scenes in an educational film, on the other hand, have greater unity because it is normally devoted to a single subject, such as the evolution of man or the process of respiratory system. A documentary film, in contrast, goes further. It has a single subject that presents or advances an argument. Having these in mind, the critical consideration when analyzing a movie lies on the theme (message or relevance of the film), story (which include the plot, storylines and dialogues, characters, and other symbolic elements such as costume and set up), cinematography and screenplay, and technical components like music, lights, camera shots, and transitions due to editing. Analyzing the Content of a Movie In analyzing the content of a film, critics must look deeply into the movie’s theme, story, plot and storyline and dialogues. Moreover, he or she must also consider the characters and their relationship with the story and other actors, the setting where the shots took place, and the sequence of scenes. The Theme The theme is important, for this shows the relevance of the film in the current time. This also represents the purpose of the director or the goal that the film is trying to communicate to the audience. Boggs and Petrie (2008) identified some goals the movies try to convey. This includes entertaining the viewer, providing a character sketch of a renowned personality, or increasing the audiences awareness on a certain issue of nationalistic or personal concern. Meanwhile, if the movie is in abstract terms wherein the movie tends to create confusion on its theme, one may just describe or narrate the movie to someone who has not watched it, and the theme will come out. As Boggs and Petrie (2008) put it, when an audience narrates a story they have just read or watched, the tendency is that they will describe first the events that made the strongest effect or impression to them. Aside from the major theme, some movies have minor themes which are not substantive enough to be regarded as a full theme. Movie critics call this motif. Motifs are ideas or symbols which are repeated throughout the movie but are not identified as a major theme. Examples of motifs are personalized advertising, identity recognition, technology validation, and symbols which embody all-seeing beings. These are mostly evident in a company or organization-sponsored movies. In the movie â€Å"Knowing† which stars Nicholas Cage as John the Cosmology professor, the major theme is about knowing or predicting events (usually accident or tragedy) that will occur in the near future. Events are predicted through the use of a number arranged in a pattern on a written paper. After decoding this pattern, John tasked himself to solve the mystery, warn the public, and stop the predicted tragedy from taking place. Motifs seen in the film are the repeated appearance of unusual beings (aliens who look like human) and the appearance of black stones. The repetitive appearance of these two could not be regarded as a major theme such as alien invasion; instead, they serve as a clue for John to solve the mystery (Blumenthal, Tisch, Black Proyas, 2009). The Story After identifying the theme of the movie, the critic can now proceed to dissecting the story that the film is trying to narrate to the audience. A film story is composed of the plot, the characters, and the symbolic element. In analyzing a movie story, one must carefully and critically look at the storyline and dialogues that were used in the movie. Moreover, to analyze a story is to look whether the plot flows easily from one scene to another, thus making the film realistic or believable. According to Boggs and Petrie (2008), in analyzing a plot, one should explore the time element used in the movie (linear, nonlinear) and the relationship of the scenes portrayed in the climax and in the ending of the film. Are the use of time element and the scenes believable? Does the plot convey a universal truth about the world or human nature, or is it just a fantastic adaptation of truth? One should also take into account if the actors are being realistic on their actions, facial expressions, delivery of dialogue, and manner of wearing their costume. Are the characters credible in making the audience believe that they are part of the whole reality? This is important because even if the movie has a fascinating and catchy cinematography, the movie will result in a catastrophe if the dialogues are not appealing or interesting and the dialogue delivery by the actors is poor and not convincing. In the film â€Å"Knowing,† the plot was presented in a linear (time) manner in which the scenes developed from less complicated to more complex portrayal. The film was able to explain how the conflict arrived (this was narrated in the first part of the movie), and the solution to the conflict, as expected, was presented in the denouement. However, the incorporation of the alien beings in the story makes it unbelievable, and the given solution to the problem was not viable. In the film, aliens were portrayed as the savior of mankind. They are the ones predicting the occurrence of the tragedy or accident and communicating it to human beings with the use of numbers. They were also the ones to decide who will die and who will be saved to continue the race of the living (Blumenthal, Tisch, Black Proyas, 2009). On the other hand, the characters in the movie are presented effectively such that their actions and dialogues depict the theme and the story of the movie that the filmmakers are trying to relate to the audience. John is a cosmology professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His son is Caleb, a seven-year old boy with a hearing defect so he is using hearing aid. John’s wife died in a fire tragedy, which made him believe that in the randomness of the occurrence of events, meaning that there are no specific relationships of events; everything that happens is purely coincidence. He lived with this belief until the day Caleb received the letter written by Lucinda Emerly (a gifted girl who was used by aliens to predict the future) from the time capsule buried in Caleb’s school 50 years ago. This letter was composed of numbers arranged in a pattern. As John was trying to decode the numbers, he found out that the numbers represent the dates, specific locations, and number of people who died in different tragedies, but there were events that are yet to happen. This urged him to solve the mystery. In the process of unraveling the mystery behind the numbers, John sought Diana, the daughter of Lucinda. Incidentally, Abby, daughter of Diana, also happened to inherit her grandmother’s gift, and like Caleb, she can also hear the voice of the aliens who seemed to be whispering into their heads. Thus, in the movie, the portrayal of the characters was in accordance to what is needed by the prophecy. John is an intelligent professor of science and Caleb is a gifted boy, while Diana and Abby are both related to Lucinda, the one who wrote the numbers. The story of Knowing revolves around these characters each of who play a part in solving the mystery. The two men have the intelligence or information that could be helpful in solving the problem while the two ladies have the history of Lucinda (Blumenthal, Tisch, Black Proyas, 2009). The setting or background used in the film is also important to analyze. A film with a fascinating story, good characters, appealing dialogues, and uniform scenes but was shot in a location not adequate to its portrayal is a disaster. Thus, film directors are careful in choosing shot locations which would enhance not only the cinematography of the film but also the story as a whole. Scientific films mostly have research laboratories as setting; environmental films are set in forest and seas; and horror films are shot in a scary location such as a haunted house. Familiar locations could made films appear realistic and could also establish relationship with the audience. To analyze the setting, one must look at the storyline and the portrayals of actions. Lastly, symbolisms are used in the film to add depth to the story or reinforce the film’s theme. According to Boggs and Petrie (2008), symbols are repeated to emphasize the theme of the film. They could be metaphoric in nature, for their value in the story surpasses the value they normally signify. In films, actors can give specific value of an object to increase its significance to the audience. Critical reception of symbolism in movies depends on whether the symbol is novel or a cliche. In the movie â€Å"Knowing,† numbers are symbols of components (date, location, number of victims) of events that need to be interpreted by actors and the audience. Moreover, the black stones are signs where the solution for the given problem could be found. The hearing aid of Caleb malfunctions when the aliens are near him and when they are trying to communicate something. The Genre To find out whether one is doing the right thing in analyzing the film, one should take into consideration the genre of the film. Genre classification of film could be science fiction, action, comedy, horror, drama, romance, character sketch of a renowned personality, and social or political representation of an issue, among others. The recognition of a film’s genre can help the film critic to distinguish the truths presented in the movie. For film critics, a movie which has lots of symbols and metaphors, is not novel (same old stories), has no originality, and relies too much on cliches is merely a junk. It is also important to note that there are films which cannot be categorized into one particular genre. The movie â€Å"Knowing† falls under the genres science fiction, drama, and action (Blumenthal, Tisch, Black Proyas, 2009).

Friday, November 15, 2019

Thermal Energy :: essays research papers

Lab #7: Thermal Energy Heat is thermal energy being transferred from one place to another, because of temperature changes. This can take place by three processes. These three processes are known as conduction, convection, and radiation. When we place two objects with different temperatures in contact with each other, the heat from the hotter object will immediately and automatically flow to the colder object. This is known as conduction. Some objects make excellent conductors of heat while others make poor conductors of heat or excellent insulators. Silver, copper, and gold make excellent conductors of heat. Foams and plastics make good insulators of heat but make poor conductors. Last night for dinner, I made myself a grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of tomato soup. I heated the soup faster than I cooked the sandwich so I poured the hot soup into a bowl and finished cooking the sandwich. Once I was done cooking, I gabbed the soup bowl and burned my hand. The heat from the soup made the bowl hot. This is an example of conduction.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The process of conduction between a solid surface and a moving liquid or gas is called convection. The motion of the fluid may be natural or forced. If a liquid or gas is heated, its mass per unit volume generally decreases. If the liquid or gas is in a gravitational field, the hotter, lighter fluid rises while the colder, heavier fluid sinks. For example, when water in a pan is heated from below on my stove, the liquid closest to the bottom expands and its density decreases. The hot water as a result rises to the top and some of the cooler fluid descends toward the bottom, thus setting up a circulatory motion. This is also why the heating of a room by a radiator depends less on radiation than on natural convection currents, the hot air rising upward along the wall and cooler air coming back to the radiator from the side of the bottom. Because of the tendencies of hot air to rise and of cool air to sink, radiators are positioned near the floor and air-conditioning outlets near the ceiling for maximum efficiency.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Radiation is fundamentally different from both conduction and convection in that the substances exchanging heat need not be in contact with each other. All substances emit radiant energy merely by virtue of having a positive absolute temperature.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Scholarship Program At Basic Successes And Challenges Education Essay

I. Introduction1.1 Socio economic in Cambodia after 1979The civil war has jeopardized the societal and economic development of Cambodia. Most of the societal constructions and rural substructures were wholly destroyed during Khmer Rouge, particularly educational sector, which is the most of import for developing the state ( Duggan, 1996, p.363 ) . Furthermore, Socio-economic environment for most of families after Khmer Rouge was frequently really hard for directing kids to school ( Ayres, 2000, p. 156 ) . In 1994, the state had about 5.2 million people below age 15 or about 47 per centum of the entire population. The size had been little down to around 5.1 million in 2004 and its portion of the entire population had fallen to 38 per centum. These alterations in the population construction have foremost affected the demand for primary and secondary schools. Some 3.7 million – 55 per centum, of the population aged 5-24 old ages were enrolled in the formal school system in 2004 – increased from 46 per centum in 1999. Adult literacy rate, population aged 15 and over, is 60 per centum for adult females and 80 per centum for work forces. The same survey stated that 43 per centum of adult females aged 25 and over have none or merely some instruction ( non completed foremost grade ) ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www.nis.gov.kh/cambodia socio-economic study 2004 ) . Since 1980 there was a 15-year period with high birthrate and strong population addition. After 1995 there has been a rapid diminution in birthrate and mortality. Harmonizing to the population projection the Kampuchean population was predicted to be 15 million in 2010 ( National Institute of Statistics of Ministry of Planning, 2009, pp. 5 ) . â€Å" Educational disbursals per pupil for one school twelvemonth include school fees, tuition, text editions, other school supplies, gifts to instructors, and part to edifice financess. Households estimate educational disbursals to below 50,000 riels ( US $ 10 ) for pre-school and primary school pupils, for upper secondary to 393,000 riels ( merely below US $ 100 ) , for technical/vocational 1.1 million riels ( merely above US $ 250 ) , and for university 2.1 million riels ( merely above US $ 500 ) † ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www.nis.gov.kh/cambodia socio-economic study 2004 )1.2 History of Kampuchean Education after 1979Following adviser from UNICEF to supervising Cambodia instruction in 1980 identified there were chief three dimensions including crisis of qualify – deficit of qualified instructors and functionaries, crisis of orientation – a critical struggle and contradiction between the ends and construction of the system of bing educational system, and crisis of clocking – under proficient supported by Vietnamese advisers to make many things in really short period ( Ayres, 2000, p.132 ) . Another survey by CONCERN in 1991 found some challenges of instruction in that clip including unequal preparation and wage for instructors and educational functionaries, no chief text books and other stuffs to back up instruction, non adequate school edifices for pupils, and high dropout rate. Other chief job related to instruction for cardinal degree at that clip was hapless educational quality and irrelevant course of study. Other survey at provincial degree by Redd Barna besides found that low rate of attending, low accomplishment of pupils, challenges of integrate into schools for those whose are former refugees ( Ayres, 2000, pp. 156-157 ) . Even after general election in 1993 under supported by UN, quality of instruction service provided for basic instruction degrees is still in a serious status caused by the deficiency of resources, inappropriate-trained instructors, hapless managed system, about no instruction and acquisition stuffs and irresponsibleness ( World Bank, 2008, p.11 ) . Even, there have been considerable alterations late, educational system will non make an international instruction EFA ends by 2015, because the figure of â€Å" dropout and repeat † in primary school degree is still high. The â€Å" repeat rates † in primary dropped from 26.3 per centum to 10.2 per centum between 1998 and 2005. In add-on, drop-out rates in primary school is less than in secondary school ( MoEYS, 2008, p.8 ) . Recently, Cambodia has expanded national budget from 0.9 per centum in 1997 to 1.5 per centum in 2006 ( MoEYS & A ; World Bank, June 2008, p. 59 ) . Besides, the authorities has promised to increase wage for all instructors from 15 per centum to 20 per centum every twelvemonth but the exact sum is still really low in comparing to rising prices late and day-to-day disbursal ( MoEYS & A ; World Bank, June 2008, pp. 59-62 ) . Educational system in Cambodia consists of simple school ( grade 1-6 ) , junior high school ( grade 7-9 ) , senior high school ( grade 10-12 ) and university and other establishments of higher instruction. Compulsory instruction is until grade 9 ( The Council for the Development of Cambodia, 2011, p. I-2 ) . This research will concentrate on the undermentioned inquiries: Why does MoESY necessitate scholarship plan at basic instruction? What are the chief successes and challenges of execution scholarship plan at basic instruction degree? How does MoEYS implement scholarship plan at basic instruction more efficaciously?II. SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM AT BASIC EDUCATION IN CAMBODIA2.1 Overview of scholarship planKAPE: It was the first scholarship officially lunched in Cambodia since 200 and it covered 15 secondary schools in Kampong Cham state merely but it was for lone misss. The chief ground of initial this plan because merely one of five misss can intake into lower secondary schools in Kampong Cham state and as consequence in over 3,000 vulnerable misss and male childs in schools presents ( KAPE, 2008, p. 4 ) . However, misss other states were similar or more serious than state of affairs in Cambodia, it would be better if the undertaking expands to other schools and state to let other misss to acquire benefit from it and increase figure of misss to hold wide cognition and can dispute with work forces in society both public and private sectors. PAP12: Scholarships and Incentives for Equitable Access. A major constituent of this programme was a scholarship strategy for lower secondary pupils, targeted peculiarly at misss in hapless countries. The plan stared in 2003-04 ( BETT, 2004, p. 1 ) and covered to 30 scholarships each school of 215 lower secondary schools in 16 states ( Mar Bray & A ; Seng Bunly, 2005, p. 24 & A ; 72 ) . If we have a expression of entire figure of each school, which covered by this plan, it was really little in term of instruction in Cambodia right now because there about 19.5 per centum of urban people in 2009 ( Asian Development Bank ( ADB ) , Key Indicators for Asia and the Pacific 2010 ) . The coverage schools and states, and entire Numberss of scholarships each school were far off from sum of pupils in each secondary primary school even in rural and distant countries. The pupils are out of mark states were suffered from exclusion and even some schools in Phnom Penh would be covered. JFPR in concurrence with ADB: Stared in 2003-04 ( BETT, 2004, p. 1 ) and targeted 93 lower secondary schools in 21 states and provided 75 scholarships for each mark school ( Mar Bray & A ; Seng Bunly, 2005, p. 72 ) . If we have a looks sum of states were likely really wide but in term of entire targeted schools were really little coverage, therefore, it would be better if the plan could cover the schools that non covered by PAP12 to let another hapless and poorest kids to hold an chance to acquire scholarship. BETT: stared in 2003-04 ( BETT, 2004, p. 1 ) Funded by BTC and targeted 80 lower secondary schools in merely three states and provided 30 scholarships each school. It was excessively little for both coverage states or schools and even figure of scholarship for each school, therefore, it would be non most affect for overall basic instruction in Cambodia late. CESSP: This was a formal plan after integrated of chief scholarship plans for lower secondary schools in Cambodia to avoid any overlap schools or even receivers but it still covered merely 100 lower secondary schools ( including newly-established schools ) in 21 states ( BETT, 2005, about the undertaking ) . Although MoEYS found the good manner to implement scholarship plan ore effectual but it was still non good plenty because coverage schools and states still limited. In order to cognize that scholarship would be more effectual to better instruction in Cambodia, particularly at basic instruction degree, the plan should be covered all lower secondary schools at countrywide or to all hapless and the poorest kids.2.2 Successs2.2.1 School registrationCSP had a critical consequence on school registration and attending. Recipients increased 16 per centum points of registration in school, 17 per centum points increased of go toing on the twenty-four hours of the unheralded visit ; pass mo re clip in school. Based on the study stated that one out of every five receivers would non hold been in school in the absence of the plan, with on-time class patterned advance, hence, it would anticipate that every 5th receiver would hold completed one more twelvemonth of schooling than comparable non-recipients ( Deon Filmer & A ; Norbert Schady, 2009, pp. 12-17 )2.2.2 Target doneesThe plan was right emphasized household poorness and gender precedence to do certain equity of entree to basic instruction and gender instability in registration. The scholarship besides provided residence hall to research the new ways to promote pupils at high-risk to go on their survey at lower secondary school – a instance in Rattanakiri state. Furthermore, the plan achieved highly decreased drop-out rates of pupils every bit much as 60 % than general 7th class rated in comparing to non-recipients schools. However, entire sum that support by undertaking late was non plenty for each receiver ye t that some of receivers still dropped out even in period of implementing period ( William Collins, 2007, pp. 47-48 ) .2.2.3 Impact on workThe survey stated the receivers were approximately 10 per centum improbable to work for wage and the survey besides mentioned that about 37 per centum of misss and about 31 per centum of male childs who did non scholarship receivers work for wage in seven yearss before the survey was conducted. Furthermore, many scholarship receivers stayed in school longer than non-recipients ( Deon Filmer & A ; Norbert Schady, 2009, p.2 ) .2.2.4 Conditional Cash Transfers ( CCTs )The CCTs plan impacts on a assortment of results including school registration. However, positive impacts may mention to amount of hard currency transportation and this manner is set abouting by many developing states in the universe. It would besides cut down poorness or support hapless household. The same survey stated that kids who received larger transportations did better than tho se who received smaller transportations in other dimensions – even the survey found that all receivers were brought into school as a consequence of plans ( Deon Filmer & A ; Norbert Schady, 2009, pp. 12-13 )2.2.5 Impact on other kidsThere were major two groups who could hold been straight affected including siblings of scholarship receivers, and kids who did non have scholarships because their dropout mark placed them above the cut-off for eligibility. The siblings of scholarship receivers could hold benefited from the plan since each family could utilize the same benefit for other kids or other purpose. Non-recipients who were enrolled in the same schools as receivers may alter some disadvantages attitude in order to hold an chance to acquire scholarship for following academic old ages. However, the consequences suggest no such consequence: the school engagement of non-recipients is unaffected by the comparative size of the incoming cohort of scholarship pupils ( Deon Filmer & A ; Norbert Schady, 2009, p.2 )2.2.6 Monitoring and preparationIn scholarship plan of BETT was hired full clip staff improbable JFPR or CESSP, who their staff members were parttime basic. Besides, BETT coverage was smaller than either the JFPR or CESSP that allowed staff members have clip to carry on visits to many mark schools and that allowed BETT to cognize more elaborate about issues happened within receivers. Due to budget, transit and clip restraints, the undertaking truly need external aid to back up monitoring such as proficient functionaries from MoEYS, PoE and DoE but it was encountered that the relevant functionaries were improbable had full experience or skillful about that affair yet ( William Collins, 2007, pp. 53-54 ) . BETT attack of a dedicated full-time squad, with NGOs developing background, willing to utilize external NGOs aid in the preparation exercising, achieves higher quality consequences of the execution. Orientation to rear about the plan was besides benefited and positive impacted every bit good as enhance answerability of school functionaries and guarantee right policy pattern. Besides, improved communicating between parents and schools functionaries would reenforce community support for local schools ( William Collins, 2007, pp. 54 ) .2.3. Challenges2.3.1 The mathematics and vocabulary abilityThe survey was focused on the two chief parts including numeral and capacity of understanding plants through MoEYS course of study and text edition. The mark kids were both receivers and non-recipients, the consequences stated that both receivers and non-recipients are the same if those pupils entree the school regular and no absence. However, the survey besides covered to out-school kids and the determination stated that kids who had completed more schooling hold higher trial tonss – in both mathematics and vocabulary, and kids who dropped out of school before finishing 7th class may hold lower ability than those who stayed in school beyond than that class ( Deon Filmer & A ; Norbert Schady, 2009, pp. 8-10 ) .2.3.2 Coverage countriesThe overall scholarship plans implementing in Cambodia were non for countrywide yet even PAP12 – manage and implement by MoEYS, merely covered 215 lower secondary schools within 16 states merely and provided merely 30 scholarships for each mark school. Second, JFPR in concurrence with the ADB covered 93 lower secondary schools in 19 states and could merely cover 75 scholarships for each school. Third, BETT Project supported by BTC covered in 69 lower secondary schools in three states and covered merely 30 scholarships to each school ( Mar Bray & A ; Seng Bunly, 2005, pp. 71-72 and BETT, 2004 & A ; 2005, p. 2 ) . Another one by KAP E, local NGO, merely covered 21 lower secondary schools in Kampong Cham state merely ( KAPE, 2008, p. 4 )2.3.3 Target doneesThe four scholarship plans as brief description in portion of Coverage Areas ( 2.3.2 ) stated that the plan started coverage pupils at lower secondary schools in selected states and countries within Cambodia ( KAPE, 2008, p. 4 ) . Following indexs 2006-07 of MoEYS stated that net registration ratio about 92.1 per centum at primary but it was merely 33.7 per centum at secondary ( MoEYS, 2006-07, indexs 2006-07 ) , therefore, about 58.4 per centum was dropped out at that academic twelvemonth and most of drop-out would be kids from hapless and poorest families and some. BETT scholarship plan purposes at increasing passage for hapless and vulnerable kids from primary to take down secondary and advancing patterned advance through lower secondary instruction in the three targeted states. But the same study stated that the plan excluded certain classs of appliers, for illustration, kids of authorities households, who excluded by the JFPR design and initial BETT design but non excluded in the CESSP design. In the 3rd twelvemonth of BETT execution, the exclusion was dropped. The exclusion would hold two negative impacts because governmental households were non all hapless even instructors every bit many as local hapless appliers or it would be hazard to go politicized and used as an extra manner to honor authorities and party functionary at the local degree ( William Collins, 2007, p. 12 & A ; 48 ) .III. CONCLUSION AND DISCUSSIONBy and large, the scholarship plans were implemented by MoEYS and other spouses were really good for pupils at lower secondary schools across Cambodia and the plan would assist to make EFA and basic instruction policies by 2015 following the committedness of authorities and MoEYS every bit good as planetary mark. It besides allowed hapless and the poorest kids have an chance to go on their survey without give more load to their household and parents every bit good as cut down authorities load, excessively. Although execution period was normally short clip and even policies implementing of each establishment was improbable the same but the receivers could acquire profit from the plans chiefly increase registration, addition engagements, stayed longer period in schools than earlier or non-recipients. Even receivers were non better in term of mathematics and vocabulary in comparing to non-recipients, who non absence, at least the plans could maintain low-ability pupils in schools and made alter some non-recipients to take into history of acquisition and take parting in schools. The scholarship plans probably started and ended the same period and some of them were overlap mark schools and states but they had ain difference policies for execution, therefore, it was negative affect to receivers and donees every bit good as negative affect to whole plans. Furthermore, school managers, DoE, PoE, who on a regular basis involved with the plan would non be clear at all that was perchance to detain some activities, excessively or pass a tonss but got really small. In order to implement the plan more effectual, all relevant stakeholders would incorporate and portion responsible each other first and happen the common ways or seek to follow policies to be similar or the same first to guarantee receivers and relevant stakeholders would be clear and full apprehension. Besides, it would be great if all implementing establishments can split states or mark schools of coverage. The last, but non at least, all hapless and the poorest or the most of them would be covered and back up it would be better and it likely find the right ways of improve instruction in Cambodia, particularly at basic instruction degree. Statement Name: Cham Soeun Date: March 18, 2011 I prepared the undermentioned assignment by myself and merely with the aid of the literature mentioned in the mentions. I did non utilize other literature to compose my assignment. I know that plagiarism is a serious offense and I am wholly cognizant of the negative effects. Signature: Cham Soeun

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Symptoms of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Medical history has been filled with an array of diseases and illnesses, ranging from the common cold to deadly killers. Some are easily treatable and others can be terminal, but some of the worst are those that still remain without a cure; one such disease is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, is a degenerative disease affecting the human nervous system. It is a deadly disease that cripples and kills its victims due to a breakdown in the body's motor neurons. Motor neurons are nerve cells in the brainstem and spinal cord that control muscle contractions. In ALS, these neurons deteriorate to a point that all movement, including breathing, halts. Muscle weakness first develops in the muscles of body parts distant from the brain, such as the hands, and subsequently spreads through other muscle groups closer to the brain. Such early symptoms as this, however, can hardly be noticed. Early symptoms of ALS are very slight and often overlooked. They begin as simple things, such as tripping or dropping things. Twitching or cramping of muscles and abnormal fatigue of the arms and legs may soon follow, causing difficulty in daily activities, such as walking or dressing. In more advanced stages, however, shortness of breath or difficulty in breathing and swallowing ensue, until the body is completely taken over by the disease. Intellect, eye motion, bladder function, and sensation are the only abilities spared. Where and how this deadly disease originated is unknown, but it was first identified in 1869, by the noted French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot. ALS is not contagious, but research is still vague on the cause of the disease. Today, there are three recognized forms of ALS: genetic, sporadic, and Guamanian. The genetic form of ALS appears to be inherited or passed down within a family, and about ten percent of ALS patients have a family history of the disease. An abnormal gene has been located in about half these families, but the cause of the remaining half is still unknown. The next, most common form, is sporadic ALS. These patients have no family history of disease, and the cause of their coming down with ALS is a mystery. Finally, is Guamanian ALS, called this because a high percentage of cases occur in the Pacific Islands near Guam. One major reason ALS is such a frightening disease is because no cure has been established. Although no effective treatment has been developed, a number of drug trials have been conducted, and there are some devices designed to help ALS patients maintain independence as well as safety as the disease progresses. These devices include ankle or foot braces, cervical collars, and reclining chairs. Since there is no cure, however, the primary treatment is for management of symptoms. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is also a difficult disease to diagnose, primarily because no one test can definitely establish if the disease is present. A diagnosis includes most, if not all, of the following procedures: electrodiagnostic tests, blood and urinary study, thyroid and parathyroid hormone levels, spinal tap and imaging, and muscular or nerve biopsy. Most who develop ALS are between the ages of forty and seventy years of age, although cases have been reported of victims in their twenties and thirties. It was once thought to be a rare disease, but studies have shown that about 5,000 people in the United States are newly-diagnosed with ALS each year–about 13 new cases a day! It isn estimated that about 100,000 people who are apparently well in the country today will die with ALS. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is also popularly known as Lou Gehrig disease. Lou Gehrig was a famous baseball player in the 1930's for the New York Yankees. Once known as baseball's â€Å"Ironman†, Lou Gehrig was truly a sports legend. His promising career came to a screeching halt, however, when he was diagnosed with ALS. The disease not only took away his career in baseball, but his life; Lou Gehrig died at the young age of thirty-eight. In conclusion, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a deadly and frightening disease; its victims cannot be saved. Someday, hopefully, a cure will be developed, and the suffering this disease is causing will be stopped.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Henry IV - King Henry IV of England

Henry IV - King Henry IV of England Henry IV was also known as: Henry Bolingbroke, Henry of Lancaster, the Earl of Derbey (or Derby) and the Duke of Hereford. Henry IV was noted for: Usurping the English crown from Richard II, beginning the Lancastrian dynasty and planting the seeds of the Wars of the Roses. Henry also took part in a notable conspiracy against Richards closest associates earlier in his reign. Places of Residence and Influence: England Important Dates: Born: April, 1366 Succeeded to the throne: Sept. 30, 1399Died: Mar. 20, 1413 About Henry IV: King Edward III had fathered many sons; the oldest, Edward, the Black Prince, predeceased the old king, but not before he himself had a son: Richard. When Edward III died, the crown passed to Richard when he was only 10 years old. Another of the late kings sons, John of Gaunt, served as regent to young Richard. Henry was John of Gaunts son. When Gaunt left for an extended expedition to Spain in 1386, Henry, now about 20, became one of five leading opponents to the crown known as the lords appellant. Together they successfully made an appeal of treason to outlaw those closest to Richard. A political struggle ensued for about three years, at which point Richard began to regain some of his autonomy; but the return of John of Gaunt triggered a reconciliation. Henry then went crusading in Lithuania and Prussia, during which time his father died and Richard, still resentful of the appellants, seized the Lancastrian estates that were rightfully Henrys. Henry returned to England to take his lands through force of arms. Richard was in Ireland at the time, and as Henry proceeded from Yorkshire to London he attracted to his cause many powerful magnates, who were concerned that their rights of inheritance might be endangered as Henrys had. By the time Richard returned to London he had no support left, and he abdicated; Henry was subsequently declared king by Parliament. But although Henry had conducted himself fairly honorably, he was considered a usurper, and his reign was plagued with conflict and rebellion. Many of the magnates who had supported him in defeating Richard were more interested in building their own power bases than in helping the crown. In January of 1400, when Richard was still alive, Henry quashed a conspiracy of the deposed kings supporters. Later that year, Owen Glendower started a rebellion against English rule in Wales, which Henry was unable to quell with any real success (although his son Henry V had better luck). Glendower allied with the powerful Percy family, encouraging more English resistance to Henrys rule. The Welsh problem persisted even after Henrys forces killed Sir Henry Percy in battle in 1403; the French aided Welsh rebels in 1405 and 1406. And Henry also had to contend with intermittent conflict at home and border troubles with the Scots. Henrys health began to deteriorate, and he was accused of mismanaging the funds he received in the form of parliamentary grants in order to finance his military expeditions. He negotiated an alliance with the French who were waging war against the Burgundians, and it was at this tense stage in his difficult reign that he became incapacitated in late 1412, dying several months later. Henry IV Resources Henry IV on the WebMedieval Renaissance Monarchs of EnglandHundred Years War

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Show, Dont Tell The Simple Guide for Writers

Show, Dont Tell The Simple Guide for Writers Show, Dont Tell: What You Need to Know You’ve heard it a thousand times from writing mentors, and you’ll hear it a thousand times more: Show, don’t tell. But what does it mean? If you struggle with the difference between showing vs. telling, you’re not alone. Once you’ve got it, it seems simple. But until you do, this maxim causes as many questions as anything in the writing world.    Is it really that important? You bet it is. If you want your writing noticed by a publisher or an agent- and for the right reasons- it’s vital you master the art of showing. So let’s see if I can solidify the concept in your mind right here, right now. I want to supercharge your showing vs. telling radar- and make it simple. Need help fine-tuning your writing?  Click here to download my free self-editing checklist. The Difference Between Showing vs. Telling When you tell rather than show, you simply inform your reader of information rather than allowing him to deduce anything. You’re supplying information by simply stating it. You might report that a character is â€Å"tall,† or â€Å"angry,† or â€Å"cold,† or â€Å"tired.† That’s telling. Showing would paint a picture the reader could see in her mind’s eye. If your character is tall, your reader can deduce that because you mention others looking up when they talk with him. Or he has to duck to get through a door. Or when posing for a photo, he has to bend his knees to keep his head in proximity of others. Rather than telling that your character is angry, show it by describing his face flushing, his throat tightening, his voice rising, his slamming a fist on the table. When you show, you don’t have to tell. Cold? Don’t tell me; show me. Your character pulls her collar up, tightens her scarf, shoves her hands deep into her pockets, turns her face away from the biting wind. Tired? He can yawn, groan, stretch. His eyes can look puffy. His shoulders could slump. Another character might say, â€Å"Didn’t you sleep last night? You look shot.† When you show rather than tell, you make the reader part of the experience. Rather than having everything simply imparted to him, he sees it in his mind and comes to the conclusions you want. What could be better than engaging your reader- giving him an active role in the storytelling- or should I say the story-showing? Show, Dont Tell Examples Telling: When they embraced she could tell he had been smoking and was scared. Showing: When she wrapped her arms around him, the sweet staleness of tobacco enveloped her, and he was shivering. Telling: The temperature fell and the ice reflected the sun. Showing: Bills nose burned in the frigid air, and he squinted against the sun reflecting off the street. Telling: Suzie was blind. Showing: Suzie felt for the bench with a white cane. Telling: It was late fall. Showing: Leaves crunched beneath his feet. Telling: She was a plumber and asked where the bathroom was. Showing: She wore coveralls carried a plunger and metal toolbox, and wrenches of various sizes hung from a leather belt around her waist. â€Å"Point me to the head,† she said. Telling: I had a great conversation with Tim over dinner and loved hearing his stories. Showing: I barely touched my food, riveted by Tim. â€Å"Let me tell you another story,† he said. Is Telling Ever Acceptable? Yes, it’s a mistake to take show, don’t tell as inviolable. While summary narrative is largely frowned upon, sometimes it’s a prudent choice. If there’s no value to the plot/tension/conflict/character arc by showing some mundane but necessary information, telling is preferable. For instance, say you have to get your character to an important meeting and back, before the real action happens. Maybe he has to get clearance from his superiors before he can lead a secret raid. Rather than investing several pages showing every aspect of the trip from packing, dressing, getting a cab to the airport, going through security, boarding the plane, arriving at his destination- you quickly tell that this way: Three days later, after a trip to Washington to get the operation sanctioned by his superiors, Casey packed his weapons and camo clothes and set out to recruit his crew. Then you immediately return to showing mode, describing his visits to trusted compatriots and getting them on board. Why the Book Is Usually Better Than the Movie    The theater of the reader’s mind is more powerful than anything Hollywood can put on the screen. Well-written books trigger the theater of the mind and allow readers to create their own visual. Your writing can do the same if you master showing rather than telling. Need help fine-tuning your writing?  Click here to download my free self-editing checklist. Have another question about showing vs. telling? Ask me in the comments.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Personnel Planning and Recruitment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Personnel Planning and Recruitment - Essay Example In this paper, I will focus on job agencies in Canada. Their main objective is to offer a comprehensive directory of works agencies globally, spanning amount of employment specialists’ organizations. They do offer listing service that is free to each job agency and, through their sister site; StaffWanted.com. Asia Pacific Services is the job agency I have chosen to focus on. Their corporate hiring division, Robert Campbell as the head, will help individuals in getting the appropriate persons for their businesses (Mondy, Noe & Gowan, 2005). †¢ Project manager, Contract, Shipbuilder, Subic Bay, Philippines- will be responsible for studying and choosing options for handling air, refrigeration, and the HVAC systems for the following generation of cryogenic cargo carriers. The challenge is to produce systems for creating LNG cargo carriers, used to move compressed LNG from the Middle East to Thailand. †¢ International Broker-Dealer, Licensed, Contract (confidential client) the employee looks for international independent brokers-dealers who will do the job on a contractual basis from their initial office. The Asian Pacific Services would be a good source of professionals, technical, or managerial applicants since the agency offers adequate information concerning the job at hand and all the qualifications (Martin, 2009). The agency participates in advertising. Therefore, the interested persons will have or can have access to information perfectly. The Asian Pacific Services is of help since it highlights its places of expertise, this means that it perfects its job agency skills in the listed divisions. For instance, Robert Campbell who is retained recruiter offers employer-driven fee-paid finding services for customers who seek: It refers to the main origin where the job seekers will get to apply for an open or advertised position in a particular industry. For this job agency, their mode of application is through

Friday, November 1, 2019

Buddhism culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Buddhism culture - Essay Example These basic teaching of Buddha, capitulated in the Four Noble Truths or Dhamma place a great importance in looking after our body. Siddharta Gautama had realized the significance of maintaining the health and vitality of the body by going through extreme situations. As a wandering ascetic for six years, he had subjected himself to the most intense form of fasting. However, he found out that denying the body of its vital requirements was not the key to spiritual enlightenment. In the same way, he also concluded that overindulgence is not good for the body as it always lead to ill health. He therefore proposed a "middle way" and asserted to "look on the body as if it were a wound that needed to be treated daily with appropriate medicine (Flanagan 5)." The great importance placed by the Buddhist in a healthy lifestyle is evident to their adherence to a lot of health techniques. Buddhists are very particular of their diet as they are strictly vegetarians. The first lay precept in Buddhism strongly prohibits killing. As eating meat usually implies killing animals, Buddhist sects especially Mahayana strongly denounces consumption of meat. Buddhists are also known for their utilization of different meditation techniques as a "great libe

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Self Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Self Assessment - Essay Example I will try to justify that my goals, personality, and path are compatible with each other. I mentioned earlier that I want to specialize in business and finance. Hence, I think and feel that an MBA is the most logical choice. In general, I want to be rich while deepening my understanding of how money works. By the age of forty, I really desire to accumulate a net asset of at least $100,000,000 and a weekly cash flow of at least $1,000,000. I believe that knowledge of business systems and becoming a businessman will help me achieve this path to glory. Also, by having that amount of cash, I can invest large amount of money in blue-chip stocks, which I really want to do. Essentially, investing for me is like playing a computer game. An MBA, I think, will help me know the rules and determine for myself the optimal decisions to achieve such goals. Once I become successful, I hope of fulfilling my fantasy of being interviewed in CNBC and other financial networks. I concede that there are aspects of an INTJ that do not fit me, but I affirm that many do. For example, I am independent and ruthless. In dealing with people, I really push to have my way and final say on things. So, an INTJ is the closest description available for me. I also believe that an INTJ is well... - Useful. - Creativity. - Very single minded at times - this can be a weakness or a strength. - They can ignore the points of view and wishes of others. - Coherence is the master. - Cost effective. - Relationships which have psychological distance. - Often seem demanding and difficult to satisfy. - Independent. - Hypersensitive to signals of rejection. - Others receive a sense of haste. - Vulnerable in the emotional area and may make serious mistakes here. - When asked to put something together for the first time - a prototype - he is all the more happy, since he is doing that which is most worthwhile. - Abhors unsnarling messes. - Things have to make sense. - Avoids redundancy. - May have difficulty communicating the details of goals. - Prefers not to say anything twice and assumes understanding. - Serious. - NTs tend to be relatively uninterested in acquiring wealth. - NTs usually take family responsibilities seriously. - NTs tend not to "own" the behaviors or bodies of their mates. - NTs' own errors are those which are inexcusable and unforgivable. I concede that there are aspects of an INTJ that do not fit me, but I affirm that many do. For example, I am independent and ruthless. In dealing with people, I really push to have my way and final say on things. So, an INTJ is the closest description available for me. I also believe that an INTJ is well suited for a career in Business and Investments. An INTJ like me is serious. Business is serious. It has no room for people who will slack on things. An MBA, although by no means really represents all aspects of business in the classroom, is serious stuff. You cannot pass it without the necessary seriousness to study and finish all requirements, such as difficult and mind-blowing case

Monday, October 28, 2019

Trauma, sexual trauma & counselling Essay Example for Free

Trauma, sexual trauma counselling Essay †¢ A strain we feel at different times/in different situations †¢ Set of external forces impinging on the person (unemployment, crime, etc) †¢ Set of psychological physiological reactions (racing heart, sweating palms etc) †¢ Can be opportunity for growth The spark that pushes us into action †¢ The extent to which an individual experiences stress depends on the event, together with the individual’s personality ability to cope Crises †¢ A normal reaction to a difficult experience an individual has not faced before †¢ In crises a person feels Confused, overwhelmed unable to cope †¢ Can be an external event, or an internal one caused by development †¢ A turning point An opportunity to learn skills, find resources adapt Trauma Trauma Definitions †¢ â€Å"Situations in which the victim is rendered powerless and great danger is involved† â€Å"Profound deviation from normal life experience† THUS sudden, overwhelming, unanticipated, suggests threat of injury or death. experience fear, helplessness, loss of control extreme powerlessness †¢ Traumatic events extraordinary overwhelm the ordinary human adaptations to life generally involve threats to life or bodily integrity, or a close personal encounter with violence or death. †¢ Most notable characteristic: the feelings of helplessness terror that victims are left to deal with. 4 The Effects of Trauma †¢ Trauma overtaxes the ability to cope †¢ Can damage mental health †¢ Traumatised people feel act as though their nervous systems have been disconnected from the present: Persistent expectation of danger Imprint of the traumatic event that does not fade Numbing response of giving up that becomes generalised. †¢ Psychologically mentally, trauma refers to: wounding of emotions, will to live beliefs about the self the world dignity and sense of self security †¢ Impacts normal ways of thinking feeling, so previous coping mechanisms to handle stress is no longer functional. †¢ Victim feels like a thing, a vulnerable object, subject to the will of a power/force greater than themselves Different Kinds of Traumas †¢ Natural disasters(flood, fire, hurricane, etc) †¢ Man-made catastrophes(war, terrorism, bus disasters, etc) †¢ Unintentional violence(car accidents, culpable homicide) †¢ Intentional violence (forms of victimisation involving threat to life, health limb) †¢ Trauma caused by nature → Disaster Trauma caused by humans → Atrocity Direct vs Indirect Trauma †¢ Indirect trauma affects those exposed to or witnessing the traumatic event symptoms of indirect victims can be identical to those of direct victims family of the victim, those in helping profession, children in domestic violence situations †¢ Can be a victim of direct indirect trauma at the same time witnessing a rape/murder while being held hostage. Single vs Multiple Trauma †¢ Trauma can be a single event, or multiple events (being hijacked more than once) Continuous vs Complex Trauma †¢ Continuous Traumatic stress: Situations in which people are exposed to ongoing trauma Residents of areas with high levels of violent crime Repeated exposure to violent situations Develop a numbing response to additional traumatic events, making it difficult to detect they are traumatised Can seem lethargic or depressed, don’t understand what is going on so don’t seek assistance †¢ Complex Trauma: Situations in which victims experience prolonged, repeated traumatic events Usually there is a relationship between the victim offender Victim is under control of offender, and cannot escape for an extended period First trauma is unexpected, but over time the victim awaits further incidents with enormous psychological tension Eg marital rape or child sexual abuse Conclusion †¢ People respond differently One person’s â€Å"stressful event† can be another person’s â€Å"trauma† All are relative to how individuals react to situations †¢ A hypothetical continuum plots stress, crises trauma, plotting the increase in intensity †¢ In practice it can be difficult to draw distinctions, the client’s definition should always be used 1.2 DEFINING SEXUAL TRAUMA †¢ Sexual trauma is: Trauma of a sexual nature The trauma creates emotional turmoil for the survivor May impair the survivor’s functioning in certain areas (self-esteem, relationships sexuality) Problems may manifest much later, when the survivor develops understanding of the wrongness of the activities they participated in, given that participation may even have been passive. 9 1.2.1 Rape and Child Sexual Abuse †¢ 1 in 4 children in SA are sexually abused at some time †¢ Just as many boys as girls under age 10 are sexually abused †¢ 80% of offenders are well known to, and trusted by, their victims †¢ There has been a significant increase in young offenders (

Saturday, October 26, 2019

The History of the Ford Mustang :: essays research papers fc

It seems that almost everyone has a favorite Mustang. With so many different generations of the Muscle Car to choose from the list is varied. To some, a Candy Apple Red 65’ with a 289 is the best ever. Or how about a fastback with the HighPower V8 and GT package? Ever heard the rumble from a Boss 302? And yet others consider the 5.0 Liter Mustangs the best largely because of the variety of low cost add-on parts available. These cars are inexpensive to buy and modify. And then there is the Cobras no matter what year or body style the Cobras come of the factory line ready to go â€Å"Run’em†. In the early 60s’ the only American sports car was the Corvette at a price to costly for many young Americans. The Thunderbird was basically a luxury car at the time. As a result Imported sports cars were selling well. Within a few years the post-war baby boomers would be buying their first car. The Mustang II concept car generated allot of excitement and led directly to the first Mustang less than a year later. Ford was unaware how popular the car would be. They announced when the first television commercial would be shown and many Americans tuned in to see it. The next day, the first day of availability, Ford sold 22,000 mustangs. The 19641/2, as it was later called, was available in only two models: the coupe and convertible. Both models featured a lengthened hood and shortened rear deck, chrome wrap-around bumpers, chrome grille with a running horse, and full wheel covers. Both models were available with a 170 cid, 101 horsepower, 6 cylinder engine, a 260-2V, 164 horsepower V-8, a 289-4V, 210 horsepower V-8 and, starting in June, a fire breathing, 4 barrel, solid lifter, 271 horsepower, 289 cid V-8 engine. The buyer had a choice of a 3 speed, 4 speed or automatic transmission, and a variety of rear end gear ratios. The interior featured "wall-to-wall" carpeting, front bucket seats or an optional front bench seat, rear bench seat, a sports car style steering wheel, floor mounted shifter, and full headliner (Kowalke). There were a total of 121,538 Mustangs produced during the 6412 model run (Mustang) . 1965 brought few changes for the Mustang. The biggest change was the availability of a new fastback model, which was to become the basis for Carroll Shelby's G.T. 350. The 120 horsepower, 200 cid 6 cylinder engine replaced the 170 cid 6 cylinder, the 289-2V, 200 horsepower V-8 replaced the 260-2V, the 289-4V was upgraded to 225 horsepower, and the 289-4V hi-po remained unchanged

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Music of Mexico and Central America Essay

Musical expressions in Central America and Mexico are very diverse. Types of music in this geographic region have similarities with other types of Latin American music but have their distinctive differences. For instance, the marimba of Guatemala cannot be compared to a charcarera melody from Argentine. Also, it is quite easy to mariachi for merengue and vice versa if one doesn’t know the subtle differences between the two genres. The wide variety of instruments, the varied aspects of texts, poetic structures, languages, and dance rhythms in the music of Central America and Mexico prove the richness of these regions’ culture (Campbell et al.  9). Music tends to reflect the cultural values, behaviors, and surroundings of a given geographic region and its people. For this reason, musical traditions in Central America and Mexico have grown very diverse through centuries. Descendants of Native Americans, Africans, and Europeans who settled in Central America, Mexico, and the entire Latin America retained many features of their musical roots and creative various blends of Latin American music. Latin American songs touch on various themes. Mexico, and countries in Central America such as Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua have many love songs that are passionately sung by people, often with lyrics expressing loneliness, longing, and unconditional love. Aside from love songs, music in the Latin American region also have themes of current events and history, such as the nueva cancion of Chile and corridor of Mexico. Some songs also try to establish a connection between the singer and the supernatural, such as the songs that Chilean female shaman singers sing or the dances and chants that believers of Afro-Brazilian bahia perform. These types of songs are quite different from other musical traditions in the rest of the world but they are quite typical in Latin America. In addition, Mexico and Central American countries also have a huge collection of children’s songs, tribute songs, and songs of the seasons. Instruments used in the music of Central America and Mexico usually involve the guitar. The instrument is quite prominent in most Latin American cultures, especially those influenced by Hispanic traditions. Artists from Mexico and other Latin American countries like Brazil, and Venezuela usually make use of the maracas, clave, and guiro to produce the effect they want. Drums are also very important in the music of the region and various types of drums are used for different genres. Melodies are usually composed of notes in the minor key and rhythms which are crosses of threes and twos. Native Americans are known to produce pentatonic melodies while people of African descent frequently employ syncopation in their musical styles. Perhaps the best known feature of Mexican and Central American music is its ability to make people dance. It’s easy to dance to Latin American music, whether alone or in synch with partners (Campbell et al. 9). Over the years, radio, film, and television have popularized Mexican music to higher levels. Listeners worldwide are able to recognize Mexican music although they sometimes confuse it with other types of music from the Latin American region. The icon of Mexican music is the mariachi – a Mexican musician wearing a charo costume (Hutchinson 1192). Mariachis are known all over the world to transmit the meaning of being a Mexican. This musical group can sing anything, from ballads to songs about the revolution, from songs describing bar scenes to odes to regions and towns. Mariachis are also popular for their uniforms called charros. A charro consists of a bolero-type jacket, tight pants with a belt of intricately woven design, and a wide-brimmed hat filled with ribbons, chains, and silver buttons. This unique Mariachi costume is very similar to the simpler costumes that cowboys wear. Aside from the costume, Mariachis and cowboys also have origins in the same place, which is in Jalisco and other neighboring states (Kermecker 49). A mariachi band usually consists of three or four guitarists. Bands would usually play together for townspeople at gazebos or â€Å"quioscos† in the Main Square or â€Å"zocalo. † Today in Mexico, up to eighteen mariachi musicians can organize in a main square and play any song that the townspeople want to hear. Aside from the guitar, mariachis use instruments such as vihuelas (smaller guitars with five strings), guitarrones (six-string vihuelas with big bellies), violins, harps, and trumpets for the energetic accents of Mexican songs. The term â€Å"mariachi† could have originated from the French word â€Å"mariage,† which would make sense since mariachis usually play at weddings. However, experts today insist that mariachis have existed long before the French came to Mexico. The name might have originated from the Mexican word â€Å"mariachi† which refers to a small platform for musicians and dancing couples. Mariachis can be found all over Mexico, but especially in places such as Garribaldi in Mexico City and in Guadalajara, in the Plaza de Los Mariachis located at the intersection of Independencia Sur and Mina. Visitors at these places can pay mariachis to play them any Mexican song they want (Kernecker 49). Mariachis can employ other Latin American musical instruments to play their songs. They can use the the marimba, a hugely popular musical instrument in Central and South America. Marimbas are xylophones that consist of several wooden plates of different sizes and thickness. Modern versions of the instrument have hardwood bars of uniform thickness and tubular metal resonators that encompass six to seven octaves. Two to five players would play these xylophones with warm, mellow tones (Apel 505). Central America is a geographic region that is located in the southernmost part of the North American continent connecting South America to the southeast. A large part of Central America rests above the Caribbean Plate, making the region geologically active and the site of relatively frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Cities in Central American countries have been destroyed by earthquakes before, such as Managua, capital of Nicaragua and El Salvador. However, the volcanic lava from eruptions has made the region agriculturally fertile, enabling it to sustain huge populations of people. While modern Latin American music is recognizable throughout Central America, indigenous music in the region have received the least exposure among other types of music in the Western Hemisphere. For instance, Garifuna music from the Garifuna people of Belize, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Guatemala has quite a limited audience. Instruments used in this type of music include tree â€Å"garaon† or drums: the primera which improvises the segunda which produces counter rhythms, and the tercera which takes care of bass lines. Two wires are stretched over the tops of the drums to generate the buzzing sound that is typical of West African music. Other instruments used in Garifuna music are guitars, claves, shakers, scrapers, and bottle percussions (Nidel 291). In terms of modern music, one popular genre is Punta rock which is a dance music similar to Trinidadian Soca. The standard ensemble to play Punta rock includes instruments such as synthesizers, brass, electric bass, and keyboards. The song â€Å"La Punta† of the Punta rock genre became popular in Honduras during the 1980s (Nidel 291). People in Central America absolutely love listening to the marimba. In Guatemala, the xylophone used is considered the national instrument. Marimbas of all sizes and styles are made in the country. Some models are designed to be played by a single player while others are so big that seven people are needed to play them. Musical genres like the meringue and other dance compositions usually rely on the xylophone to produce the bass rhythms (Apel 505). During the later parts of the 20th century, marimba in Mexico became popular in the southernmost state of Chiapas. The instrument is also played in neighboring states of Tabasco, Oaxaca, Veracruz, and in the nation’s capital. Mariachis and other musical groups playing marimba are scattered all throughout the country but they are especially concentrated in Mexico City and Chiapas. In terms of performance, multiple players playing marimbas are more common in Mexico than single players. In Mexico today, marimba music is mostly a regional phenomenon. It is associated with the southern part of the country and is often placed in the same category as popular music genres like jarocho from Veracruz, mariachi from Jalisco, and norteno from northern Mexico (Beck 9). In the state of Veracruz, street musicians called â€Å"ambulantes† typically play marimba for people. These musicians would perform and compete with each other for twenty-four hours a day in the streets and in buildings. The type of marimba in this seaport city is known for its sharp-edged and heavily syncopated style. The unique characteristics of marimba in Veracruz indicate its Afro-Cuban influences (Beck 224). Mexican music is primarily of Hispanic flavor because of the imposition of European musical culture on the natives by Spanish conquistadors. In Mexico today, nobody knows what real pre-Columbian music sounds like. Even the type of music that natives play in Indian communities is noticeably influenced by the Spanish. African slaves though tempered this music by adding their own style to it. Mexicans are proud of these traditional musical genres, although many of them now listen to Western rock and pop (Hutchinson 1192). There are many popular genres of Mexican music that are meant for singing instead of dancing. One is the corrido, a narrative form of music that’s derived from old Spanish ballads. The genre spread throughout the country as armies of the revolution roamed across the land. Corrido has since become a popular mode of expression for regular citizens and artists. Another genre is called cancion which means â€Å"song,† literally. Cancion highlights the romantic and sentimental aspects of Mexicans, and is therefore naturally languid and slow. An example of cancion is â€Å"Las Mananitas,† which is usually sung to serenade people on their birthdays. Finally, there’s the ranchera genre which is a mix of Mexican country and Western styles. The genre was originally associated with the cattle men from the Bajio region. Ranchera featured prominently in many Mexican films from the 1930s to the 1940s and consequently became known all over Latin America as the typical music of Mexico (Hutchinson 1192). The Mexican Film and recording industry are powerful forces throughout the entire Latin American region. They helped several Mexican artists to become household names, drawing fans and profit to the industry. Some of the most popular Mexican artists include Pendro Infante, Pedro Vargas, Miguel Aceves Mejia, Jorge Negrete, and the Trio Los Panchos. Songwriters and composers can also gain popularity in Mexico, such as Agustin Lara who is a prolific composer of romantic â€Å"boleros,† which are Latin dance types of music However, despite the popularity of these artists, mariachis are still the most popular musical groups in the country (Hutchinson 1192). Musica tejana, Texas-Mexican music or simply Tex-Mex has attained a huge following all over Mexico, Central America, and the whole Latin American region today. The genre contains influences from various musical styles, such as bolero, ranchera, and cumbia. It is very flexible and can even draw beats from other genres such as reggae, country, rap, pop, and disco. Musica tejana is also known as â€Å"tejano† music in Mexico, Texas, and other parts of the United States (San Miguel 3). The term â€Å"tejano† may also refer to people of Mexican descent who live in Texas. Musica tejana has been created by Tejanos to reflect the sensibilities of their fellow Tejanos and Mexicans. Tejanos started demanding that traditional Mexican music meet their sensibilities as early as 1920s. Early in the twentieth century, much of musica tejana was formed by accordion sounds. After World War II, Tejano musicians tried to adapt elements of Mexican music to their musical style. Artists incorporated female duet and vocal singing into musica tejana, which was previously instrumental in nature. They also continued to use the bajo sexton and accordion to produce their music. Saxophones, and trumpets later known as â€Å"los pitos† or horn section, were also employed to create musica tejana. During the second half of the century, Tejanos continued to adapt Mexican music by using instruments such as guitars, keyboards, organs, and brass instruments (San Miguel 7). Tejanos have lived alongside Anglos for a long time and conflicts between the two races are discernible in the musica tejana that evolved from this relationship. Corridos expressed the historical conflict between Mexicans and Anglos in South Texas during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. According to experts, old corridos were basically narrative ballads that told the adventures of a hero and were sung to simple tunes. In many ways, singing corridos was a symbolic means to fight the dominant Anglo culture. An example of this type of corridor is â€Å"The Corrido of Gregorio Cortez,† a narrative ballad that tells the story of a hero who single-handedly fought the law of the Anglos and won (San Miguel 8). Traditional Mexican songs like canciones reflected the changes that occurred and the attributes that were retained by Tejanos in the state. Canciones are composed of various types of songs, including: corridos, canciones romanticas, canciones rancheras, and canciones tipcas. The corridor and cancion tipica dominated vocal music by Tejasnos throughout most of the nineteenth century. During the late nineteenth century, the cancion romantica started to emerge and compete with other types of cancion. In the twentieth century however, the cancion ranchera attained a huge following, which made it the dominant type of song among Mexicans in Texas and for those who lived near the border (San Miguel 8). Aside from musica tejana, there are many other musical genres that has gained wide popularity in Central America. One is cumbia, a Colombian style of folk dance music that’s considered to represent Colombian culture, like Vallenato. Cumbia is especially popular in Panama, another country in Central America. The region is mostly inhabited by mestizos who are people of European, African, and indigenous descent. The culture of the Azuero region located in the west of the country has come to dominate Panama. The country’s preference for music such as cumbia is very similar to the musical preferences of its neighboring country, Colombia. The most significant native instrument in Panama is the mejorama, a guitar with five strings, which looks quite similar with the Venezuelan cuatro. The mejorama are often used by musicians in the country to play songs termed â€Å"torrentes. † The most recognized Panamanian musician in the world is Ruben Blades who became a star in the Fania stable of New York musicians. Blades started his career with doo-woop but branched off to different musical styles later (Nidel 291). While it is true that music is the universal language, the music of Mexico and Central America is still very unique in their own social and historical contexts. The mariachi of Mexico reflects the energetic Mexican people and their passionate tendencies. Dances with fast beats illustrate the festivity of Mexican culture while slow and languid songs show the longing of Mexicans for intangible things such as love, honor, and the past. Whether it’s marimba, corridor, cancion or ranchera, Mexican music stands out as among the best and most colorful types of music in the world. Central America also has a rich collection of Latin American music, such as musica tejana, bolero, and cumbia. Each country in this region has a different past that is reflected in their preferred musical styles. As each style crosses and mixes with each other, the music of Central America is bound to get richer in the future. Through modern forms of communication and broadcast such as the Internet, Latin American music in Central America may gather more followers in regions far away from it. The various kinds of Mexican and Central American music all have their own flavors and they must be preserved for generations to come. They contain the spirit of the Latin American culture and must therefore be listened to by new generations of Latinos and other artists and ordinary people outside of the region. Works Cited Apel, Willi. Harvard Dictionary of Music. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1969. Beck, John. Encyclopedia of Percussion. London: Taylor & Francis, 1995. Campbell, Patricia Shehan et al. Songs of Latin America: from the Field to the Classroom. Van Nuys: Alfred Publishing, 2001. Hutchinson, Peter. Central America & Mexico 2004. Bath: Footprint Travel Guides, 2003. Kernecker, Herb. When in Mexico, Do as the Mexicans Do: The Clued-in Guide to Mexican Life, Language, and Culture. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Professional, 2005. Nidel, Richard. World Music: the Basics. New York: Routledge, 2005. San Miguel, Guadalupe. Tejano Proud: Tex-Mex Music in the Twentieth Century. College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 2002.