Skeletal, Muscular & Articular Systems

|Skeletal, Articular and Muscular Systems | |Human Anatomy & Physiology Assignment 6 | |A short study of the human bodies skeletal, muscular and joint types. | Contents Task 12 Task 23 Task 3a8 Task 3b0 Task 4a10 Task 5a10 Task 6a11 Task 6b14 References16 Pictures/Figures16 Task 1 Task 1A A patient with a bone mineral density T-score of -2. 7 would be suffering from osteoporosis. †¢ Normal BMD, T-score -1 SD> †¢ Osteopenia, T-score between -1 & -2. 5 SD>< †¢ Osteoporosis, T-score -2. SD< †¢ Severe Osteoporosis, T-score -2. 5 SD< with associated fractures. [1] Task 1B Key hormones associated with bone formation in men/women are PTH (parathyroid hormone) produced by the parathyroid glands, and Calcitonin produced by C-cells. In children, HGH is important and is most involved in epiphyseal plate activity; in adolescents the sex hormones testosterone and oestrogen play an important role in bone growth, growth hormone (HGH) is modulated by the activity of the thyroid h ormones, ensuring that the skeleton has proper proportions as it is growing.Later in adolescence, the sex hormones testosterone and oestrogen induce epiphyseal plate closure in the long bones; an excess of growth hormone during this development phase can lead to gigantism, while a deficiency of HGH and/or the thyroid hormones would produce dwarfism. Low blood levels of ionic calcium will stimulate the release of PTH; in turn stimulating osteoclasts to resorb bone and thus releasing more calcium to the blood. Osteoclasts will break down both old and new bone matrices, osteoid escapes assimilation due to its lack of calcium salts. Read Renal System Physiology PhysioexRising levels of blood calcium will end the stimulus of PTH, declining levels of PTH will reverse these effects; causing the level of blood Ca2+ to fall, calcitonin only has a negligible effect on calcium homeostasis in humans. (Marieb & Hoehn, 2010, pp. 185-86) Task 1C The major supplements used to help sufferers of osteoporosis are calcium and vitamin D, aim for at least 700mg of calcium from food/drink intake; when using calcium and vitamin D to help osteoporosis then a formulation prescribed by a doctor should be sought.Most over the counter calcium/vitamin D supplements do not contain the correct amount and ratio of calcium/vitamin D, to help treat osteoporosis a formulation containing 1. 2g of calcium and 800iu of vitamin D[2] should be taken. (NHS , 2011) Other good dietary sources of calcium are small fish (with bones – sardines/pilchards), low-fat dairy products and dark green leafy vegetables (broccoli/cabbage/okra) as are tofu (s oya) and nuts. (NHS, 2011) Good dietary sources of vitamin D include all oily fish, eggs; fortified spreads and liver.It is also important to get the appropriate amount of sunlight, as the UVB rays penetrate skin where they are converted into pre-vitamin D3 by cutaneous 7-dehydrocholesterol. Aim for at least 5-30 minutes per day of UVB during the hours of 10am to 3pm, to the legs; face; back and arms for sufficient vitamin D production; cloud cover and darker skin tones will reduce the available UVB. (USA. Gov, 2011) Task 1D High impact sports, such as running; weight training; walking; aerobic exercise and squash are all good for increasing BMD, low impact sports such as swimming and cycling have no positive effect on BMD.Exercise regimes should be undertaken at least twice per week, preferably three times p/w of 30 minutes or more, and of course should be supervised by a qualified individual. The level of intensity should be low at the start of the regimen, increasing the number o f repetitions and/or weight over time. Any BMD gains achieved would be lost if the exercise regime is stopped, and thus regular face-to-face contact is important to help foster a positive mental attitude. (Todd & Robinson, 2003)Individuals suffering from osteoporosis should be careful when undertaking vigorous high impact exercise, due to the weakness of the skeletal system; most importantly, an active lifestyle coupled with regular exercise should be followed to help combat osteoporosis in advancing years. Task 2 Task 2A – Axial Skeleton Eighty bones separated to form three regions (skull, vertebral column & thoracic cage) make up the structure of the axial skeleton. The parts of the axial skeleton form the longitudinal axis of the body, protect the brain/spinal cord and support the neck/head/trunk.The skull formed of the cranial and facial bones is an exceptionally complex bony structure; the skull serves as a compound for the frail brain, and has connection positions for t he head/neck muscles. The vertebral column comprises of 26 asymmetrical bones connected to form a curved flexible structure that supports the trunk; extending from the skull to the pelvis the vertebral column transmits weight to the lower limbs. Providing attachment points for the muscles of the neck/back and for the ribs, it also acts as protection for the spinal column.The thorax, more commonly known as the chest consists of thoracic vertebrae; ribs; sternum and costal cartilages that secure the ribs onto the sternum. Forming a protective cage around vital organs, the thorax has a rough cone shape that is quite broad; the thorax also supports the shoulder girdles; upper limbs and provides the muscles of the back/neck/shoulders and chest with connection points. (Marieb & Hoehn, 2010, pp. 199,216) Task 2A – Appendicular Skeleton The appendicular skeleton is made up of the limbs and their girdles, the appendicular skeleton is appended to the axial skeleton; hence the name appe ndicular.The upper limbs attached via a yoke like girdle (pectoral) to the trunk of the body; and the lower limbs secured by the pelvic girdle. The bones of the upper/lower limbs have different functionalities and mobility, but still have the same essential plane; that the limbs are constituted of three key divisions linked via alterable joints. The appendicular skeletal structure allows us movement such as taking a step, picking up a cup or kicking a ball. The pectoral girdle is comprised of an anterior clavicle and a posterior scapula; the shoulders formed from the associated muscles and the paired pectoral girdles.Attaching the upper limbs to the axial skeleton, the pectoral girdles also present points of attachment for muscles that are responsible for moving the upper limbs; mobility is high as these girdles are very light. The upper limbs form from 30 bones, each bone described locally as a bone of the hand, arm or forearm; the arm is considered in an anatomical sense to be the upper limb between the shoulder and elbow. The lower limbs attach to the axial skeleton via the pelvic girdle and diffuse the weight of the upper body to the lower limbs, and provide support for the pelvic visceral organs.Some of the strongest ligaments in the body attach the pelvic girdle to the axial skeleton, the pelvic girdle is very stable but lacks the mobility of the pectoral girdle; carrying the weight of the body the lower limbs are subject to astonishing forces. Compared to the bones of the upper limbs, the bones of the lower limbs are much thicker and stronger. (Marieb & Hoehn, 2010, pp. 223,233,237) Task 2b – Axial/Appendicular Attachments The thoracic cage is thinly attached to the pectoral girdle, not like the pelvic girdle that is affixed to the axial skeleton by some incredible strong ligaments, some of the strongest in the body.The sockets of the pelvic girdle are deep and cuplike, the femur head is secured firmly in place in these sockets, the pectoral gird le is far more moveable but the pelvic girdle is much more table. The shoulders are formed from the paired pectoral girdles and their associated muscles, a girdle usually refers to a belt like structure that encircles the body, however in the case of the pectoral girdles this does not satisfy the said description. The medial end of each clavicle is joined anteriorly to the sternum and the distal ends encounter the scapulae laterally.The scapulae do not perfect the girdle posteriorly, as their medial rims fail to join to each other or to the axial skeleton, however the scapulae attach to the thorax and the vertebral column via muscles that garb their exteriors. The upper limbs are attached to the axial skeleton via the pectoral girdles and also provide connection points for the upper limb muscles. The girdles are light and this allows a freedom of movement that is not accomplished elsewhere in the body, as only the clavicle fastens to the axial skeleton, this allows the scapulae to m ove easily across the thorax.The hip joint being a ball and socket joint has a good range of motion; however, the shoulder has a wider range of motion. The joints strong ligaments limit movements, but do occur in all planes. Formed from the articulation of the femurs spherical head and the greatly cupped acetabulum of the hipbone is the hip joint. A circular lip of fibrocartilage (Acetabulor labrum) enhances the depth of the acetabulum; the diameter of the labrum is smaller than the head of the femur making for a snug fit of these articular surfaces; dislocations of the hip are a rare incident.Extending from the brim of the acetabulum up to the stem of the femur, the heavy articular casing wholly surrounds the joint; there are several robust ligaments that reinforce the hip joint capsule. These ligaments include the iliofemoral ligament, an anteriorly placed v-shaped ligament, and the pubofemoral, which is a triangular condensing of the lesser fragment of the capsule, and the ischio femoral ligament that is a coiling posterior ligament. On either side of the pelvic girdle, the iliolumbar ligament connects the pelvis and vertebral columns. (Marieb & Hoehn, 2010, pp. 225-226,233,267) Ligaments of the pelvic girdle: Iliolumbar ligament ? Anterior Sacroiliac ligament ? Sacrospinus ligament ? Sacrotuberous ligament ? Pubofemoral ligament ? Iliofemoral ligament ? Ischiofemoral ligament ? Sacroiliac ligament ? Ischiofemoral ligament ? Ligamentum teres Ligaments of the thoracic girdle: ? Capsular ligament ? Coracoclavicular ligament ? Costoclavicular ligament ? Coracohumeral ligament ? Glenohumeral ligament Task 2c – Lordosis, Kyphosis, Scoliosis Cervical and lumbar secondary curvatures being convex anteriorly, are associated with a Childs development, this is a result of reshaping of the intervertebral discs and not from modification of the vertebrae.The cervical curvature being present at birth does not become distinct until 3 months when the baby will start t o raise its head, whereas the lumbar curvature will develop when the baby begins to walk. During the early childhood years the vertebral problems of scoliosis or lordosis may appear as rapid growth of the long bones stretches muscles, lordosis is most often present during preschool years but is more often than not remedied when the abdominal muscle strengthen. This firming up tilts forward the pelvis and the thorax widens, thus developing the military posture in adolescence.At the onset of old-age many parts of the skeleton are affected, principally the spine; the discs thin and loose elasticity and hydration resulting in a probable rise in disc herniation, at 55 years old it’s not uncommon to have a loss of up to several centimetres in stature. Osteoporosis can produce further shortening of the spine as can kyphosis, in the elderly this is referred to as a dowager’s hump, with age the thorax develops rigidity due to ossification of the costal cartilage, thus resulting in shallow breathing from a loss of rib cage elasticity.Abnormal spine curvatures, of which some are congenital and some resulting from muscle weakness, disease and bad posture. In the thoracic region of the spine, an abnormal lateral curvature is referred to as scoliosis (twisted disease) most often presenting during adolescence and more common in girls. Scoliosis can also be a result of muscle paralysis, unequal lower limbs (length) or severe abnormal vertebra structure, non-functioning muscles on one side of the spine will cause the muscles of the opposite side to exert an unopposed pull; forcing the spine into a misaligned position.Body braces and/or surgery are used to treat scoliosis during childhood and thus preventing a permanent deformity. Scoliosis can also cause breathing difficulties, due to the nature of the disease a compressed lung in not unusual. Kyphosis, often referred to as hunchback, is a thoracic curvature that is dorsally exaggerated; very common due to osteop orosis in elderly people and can also reflect rickets, osteomalacia or tuberculosis of the spine.An accentuated curvature of the lumbar vertebrae is called Lordosis (swayback), this too can be caused by spinal tuberculosis or osteomalacia. Lordosis can also be caused in a temporary form by carrying a heavy frontal load, a pregnant woman being one example. These individuals will usually pushback their shoulders in order to preserve their centre of gravity, this of course emphasises the lumbar arch. (Marieb & Hoehn, 2010, pp. 217,243-244) Task 3a Structural Class |Structural |Types |Type of Mobility | | |Characteristics | | | |Fibrous[3] |Articulating bones joined by |Sutures (Short Fibres) |Child/Limited | | |fibrous connective tissue. |Adult/Synarthrosis | | | |Syndesmosis (Longer Fibres) | | | | | |Amphiarthrosis/Immobile | | | |Gomphosis (Periodontal Ligament) |Immobile | |Cartilaginous[4] | |Synchondrosis (Hyaline Cartilage) |Immobile | | |Articulating bones joined by | | | | |fi brocartilage or hyaline | | | | |cartilage. | | | | | |Symphysis (Fibrocartilage) |Slight Movement | |Synovial[5] |Joint capsule containing synovial |Plane |Nonaxial | | |membrane and synovial fluid. | | | | |Hinge |Uniaxial | | | |Pivot |Atlantoaxial | | | |Condyloid |Biaxial | | | |Saddle |Biaxial | | | |Ball & Socket |Multiaxial | Task 4a |Characteristic |Skeletal |Cardiac |Smooth | | |Attached to bones, facial muscle & skin. |Walls of the heart. Single unit muscle in walls of hollow | |Location | | |visceral organs (other than the heart) & | | | | |multiunit muscle in intrinsic eye muscles, | | | | |airways & large arteries. | | |Single, very long, cylindrical, |Branching chains of cells; uni-|Single, fusiform, uninucleate; no | |Shape and appearance |multinucleate cells with obvious |or binucleate; striations. |striations. | | |striations. | | | | |Epimysium, perimysium and endomysium. |Endomysium attached to fibrous |Endomysium. |Connective Tissue components | |skeleton of hea rt. | | | |Voluntary via axon terminals of the |Involuntary, intrinsic system |Involuntary; autonomic nerves; hormones, | |Regulation of contraction |somatic nervous system. |regulation; also autonomic |local chemicals; stretch. | | | |nervous system controls; | | | | |hormones; stretch. | | | Slow to fast |Slow |Very slow | |Speed of contraction | | | | | |No |Yes |Yes, in single unit muscle | |Rhythmic contraction | | | | Task 5a The classification of muscles falls into four purposeful groups: prime movers (agonists), antagonists, synergists and fixators.A prime mover or agonist is a muscle that has the chief responsibility of producing an explicit undertaking, for instance the biceps brachii is the fleshy muscle of the anterior arm that is the agonist of elbow flexion. An antagonist is a muscle that opposes the movements of agonists, an active agonist will result in a stretched or relaxed antagonist; however, antagonists usually help to regulate movement of the agonist with a sli ght tightening to provide resistance to slow or stop movement as not to overshoot the mark. Agonists and antagonists are located opposite each other on the joint of which they act, antagonists can also work as agonists and one example of this is the biceps brachii causing flexion of the forearm that is antagonised by the triceps brachii, the agonist for forearm extension.In supplement to the agonists and antagonists, the majority of muscle movements also involve synergists, synergists work alongside agonists to add extra force to movements or they work to reduce detrimental movements that can arise when the agonists move. (Marieb & Hoehn, 2010, p. 321) Task 5b |Elbow Flexion |Elbow Extension |Pronation |Supination | |Biceps brachii (Prime mover) |Triceps brachii (Prime mover) |Pronator teres |Biceps brachii | |Brachialis (Prime mover) |Anconeus |Pronator quadratus (Prime mover) |Supinator | |Pronator teres (Weak) | Brachioradialis | Task 5c Biceps brachii, Brachialis, Brachioradiali s Task 5d Triceps brachii, Anconeus Task 5e Triceps brachii, Anconeus Task 5f Biceps brachii, Brachialis, Brachioradialis Task 6a Contraction refers to the activation of myosin cross bridges, these bridges are the force generating sites; when the tension is generated then contracting occurs through the cross bridges of the thin filaments, this force must surpass forces opposed to shortening; this then pulls filaments toward the m-line. When tension declines and the cross bridges inactivate, then contraction ends thus inducing relaxation in the muscle fibre.In the sliding filament model of contraction, thin filaments will slide past thick filaments, and as a result, the actin[6] and myosin[7] strands will overlap to a larger gradation. Relaxed muscle fibres only have thick and thin fibres overlapping at the tips of the a-bonds, stimulation of the muscles fibres by the nervous system activates the myosin heads of the thick filaments to clasp onto the myosin fastening position on the a ctin of the thin filaments, and this process begins sliding. [8] In the course of contraction, these cross bridge connections are forced/broken numerous times, the attachments act like miniscule ratchets in order to create pressure and thus impel the thin filaments further toward the sarcomeres centre.This contraction event occurs concurrently throughout all sarcomeres in a cell shortening the muscle cell, it should be noted as the thin filaments slide towards the centre; the z-disc to which they are attached to will be pulled toward the m-line. [9] In an overall look at contraction, the muscle cell contracts as do the i-bonds and the distance between consecutive z-discs is reduced and the h-zones vanish, moving the contiguous a-bonds closer together; however, they do not change in length. (Marieb & Hoehn, 2010, p. 284) Task 6b Direct Phosphorylation The demand for ATP rises as we begin vigorous exercise, within a few contractions stored ATP is consumed, creatine phosphate is then u sed to egenerate ATP and this process is ongoing while the metabolic pathways acclimatize to the bodies demand for increased ATP. Pairing CP with ADP results in an almost instantaneous energy transfer, and a phosphate group to form ATP from the CP to ADP. Two to three times as much CP as ATP is stored in muscle cells, the CP-ADP feedback is incredibly efficient and the volume of ATP in muscle cells does not change by much during the preliminary contraction phase. Maximum muscle power can be provided for 14-16 seconds using stored CP and ATP, this is roughly long enough to invigorate muscle for a 100-metre surge; this reaction is reversible and CP resources are refilled during rest periods. [10] (Marieb & Hoehn, 2010, pp. 298-99) Anaerobic PathwayMore ATP is engendered by catabolism as stored ATP and CP are expended; this catabolism of glucose is through the blood or from glycogen stored in muscle, glycolysis is the opening phase of glucose breakdown, glycolysis occurs in both the pr esence and absence of oxygen; however, it does not use oxygen and is therefore anaerobic. Glucose is destroyed to form two pyruvates during glycolysis, this releases enough energy to form some ATP (two ATP per glucose); usually, pyruvate manufactured would then enter the mitochondria and reacting with oxygen would provide even more ATP using the aerobic pathway. Vigorous muscle contraction at about 70% causes the bulging muscles to compress blood vessels, thus impairing blood flow and oxygen delivery.During these anaerobic conditions, the majority of pyruvate produced is transformed into lactic acid, this process is referred to anaerobic glycolysis. Anaerobic glycolysis yields around 5% of the ATP produced via the aerobic pathway from each glucose molecule, however it produces ATP about 2. 5 times faster than the aerobic pathway. [11] (Marieb & Hoehn, 2010, pp. 298-99) Aerobic Pathway Ninety-five percent of ATP used for muscle activity during moderate exercise and rest is produced v ia the aerobic respiration pathway. Occurring in the mitochondria, aerobic respiration requires oxygen and encompasses a series of chemical reactions. During these reactions, the links of fuel molecules are destroyed liberating energy for ATP production.Glucose is broken down utterly to yield water, CO2 and great quantities of ATP, diffusing out of muscle tissue into the blood; the lungs remove CO2. With the onset of exercise, glycogen stored in the muscles provides a large amount of the fuel, briefly, after this circulating glucose, pyruvate and free fatty acids are the main source of fuel, roughly 30 minutes after this fatty acids will be the main energy source. Aerobic glycolysis provides a great deal of ATP (32), but is slow due to its numerous steps; it also requires a constant supply of oxygen and nutrients to continue. [12] (Marieb & Hoehn, 2010, pp. 298-99) [pic] References Marieb, E. N. & Hoehn, K. , 2010. Bones and Skeletal Tissue. In A. Wagner, ed.Human Anatomy & Physiolo gy. 8th ed. San Francisco: Pearson International Ltd. pp. 185-86. Marieb, E. N. & Hoehn, K. , 2010. Bones and Skeletal tissue. In A. Wagner, ed. Human Anatomy & Physiology. 8th ed. San Francisco: Pearson International Ltd. pp. 199,216. Marieb, E. N. & Hoehn, K. , 2010. Bones and Skeletal Tissue. In A. Wagner, ed. Human Anatomy & Physiology. 8th ed. San Francisco: Pearson International Ltd. pp. 223,233,237. Marieb, E. N. & Hoehn, K. , 2010. Covering, Support and Movement of the Body. In A. Wagner, ed. Human Anatomy and Physiology. 8th ed. San Francisco: Pearson International Ltd. p. 284. Marieb, E. N. & Hoehn, K. , 2010.Covering, Support and Movement of the Body. In A. Wagner, ed. Human Anatomy & Physiology. 8th ed. San Francisco: Pearson International Ltd. pp. 225-226,233,267. Marieb, E. N. & Hoehn, K. , 2010. Muscles and Muscle Tissue. In A. Wagner, ed. Human Anatomy and Physiology. 8th ed. San Francisco: Pearson International Ltd. pp. 298-99. Marieb, E. N. & Hoehn, K. , 2010. The Muscular System. In A. Wagner, ed. Human Anatomy & Physiology. 8th ed. San Francisco: Pearson International Ltd. p. 321. Marieb, E. N. & Hoehn, K. , 2010. The Vertebral Column. In A. Wagner, ed. Human Anatomy & Physiology. 8th ed. San Francisco: Pearson International. pp. 217, 243-244. NHS , 2011.Osteoporosis – Treatment. [Online] Available at: HYPERLINK â€Å"http://www. nhs. uk/Conditions/Osteoporosis/Pages/Treatment. aspx† http://www. nhs. uk/Conditions/Osteoporosis/Pages/Treatment. aspx [Accessed 13 May 2011]. NHS, 2011. Vitamins and Minerals – Calcium. [Online] Available at: HYPERLINK â€Å"http://www. nhs. uk/Conditions/vitamins-minerals/Pages/Calcium. aspx† http://www. nhs. uk/Conditions/vitamins-minerals/Pages/Calcium. aspx [Accessed 13 May 2011]. Todd, J. A. & Robinson, R. J. , 2003. Osteoporosis and Exercise. Postgrad Medical Journal, 4(79), pp. 320-23. USA. Gov, 2011. Vitamin D. [Online] Available at: HYPERLINK â€Å"http://ods. od. nih. ov/fa ctsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/† http://ods. od. nih. gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/ [Accessed 13 May 2011]. Pictures/Figures http://samedical. blogspot. com/2010/07/contraction-of-skeletal-muscle. html (Figure 6. 1/6. 2/6. 3/6. 4/6. 5) http://i. acdn. us/image/A2868/286833/300_286833. jpg (Figure 7. 1) http://www. mindfiesta. com/images/article/Respiration_clip_image001. gif (Figure 7. 2) ———————– [1] http://www. gpnotebook. co. uk/simplepage. cfm? ID=-1979318262&linkID=32590&cook=no [2] Per day of both supplements. [3] See figure 3. 1, pictures A & B [4] See figure 3. 1, pictures C & D [5] See figure 3. 1, pictures E, I & F 6] See figure 6. 3 (Page 13) [7] See figure 6. 2 (Page 13) [8] See figure 6. 1 (Page 12) [9] See figure 6. 1 [10] See figure 7. 1 [11] See figure 7. 2 [12] See figure 7. 2 ———————– Monday, 22 April 2013 Figure 3. 1 Task 3b A. Skull (Fibrous) B. Ankle – Tibiofibular/Distal (Synovial/Fibrous) C. First rib/Sternum (Cartilaginous) Hyaline Cartilage D. Vertebrae (Cartilaginous) Fibrocartilage E. Pubis (Cartilaginous) Fibrocartilage F. Scapula/Humerus (Synovial) G. Humerus/Ulna Radius (Synovial) Hyaline cartilage H. Intercarpal (Cartilaginous) Plane joint/Nonaxial A C F G D E H B Figure 6. 1 Figure 6. 3 Figure 6. 2 Figure 7. 2 Figure 7. 1

Essay Social Media And Advertising Essay

Social media plays a significant role in ensuring that advertising is successful. Social media is made up of websites that enable users to create and share content with other users across the internet. In today’s world almost everything that takes place revolves around social media and as a result any new product, business or service being advertised is associated with social media in some way. According to some analysts, social media is â€Å"a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated content† (Kaplan, p61). With the world growing to be more technological enhanced it shows that more customers and potential customers are becoming more dependent on social media when pursuing a product or service of interest. Social media is user friendly, allows for sharing of content with a wide audience and makes it possible for relationships to develop among o ther brands. Social media is important in ensuring advertising is successful because it provides a user friendly platform that is compatible with its intended user’s ability to use it easily and successfully. Previously, mainly younger persons were the ones who used social media; however, recently older persons are being more engaged in social media because it is much easier to operate and understand now. Many persons believe that social networks are only for younger people, yet we find that everyday older people are using social media not just to keep up with family and friends but to actually communicate with organizations of interest and to engage with their customers. From an older person’s perspective, â€Å"social media allows them to have their own say and provides them with a warm welcoming feeling that they belong† (Ongeri, 1). This would therefore lead to an increase in the success received from advertising via social media because customers prefer easily accessible and user-friendly platforms; where all the required information is at hand when using the internet in search of a new product or service. Social media also plays a significant role in advertising because it allows the product or service being advertised to be shared with almost anyone who uses the internet, by sharing pages, photos and videos. Facebook is one of the most popular social networks with approximately 1.15 billion users, and this is  just one of many social networks available. Therefore, this information provides a better understanding of the scale of persons who have access to material shared via social media and helps to showcase why almost every organization enforces the use of social media when advertising a product or service. It is also beneficial because every time content is shared with others it introduces the business to a new prospective each time. This basically means that users are enabled to access the material that other users and businesses have posted online, which generates feedback that may cause users to develop different thoughts and opinions towards the business or brand. Since social media is collaborative and pretty much viral it allows the brand to build up authenticity and loyalty among customers and potential customers. This basically means that every different social network used brings a unique perspective to brands, allowing them to communicate with consumers while reinforcing the brand image. By using Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to name a few; each platform is responsible for providing the consumer with a different outlook and better perspective as to how they view the product or service being offered. This would increase the product’s reputation and sales due to the impact that social media has on advertising. Thirdly, social media plays a significant role in advertising because it allows for relationships with other brands across other social media platforms to be developed. Just as social media have transformed the way in which individuals communicate with each other, it has also transformed the way in which businesses communicate and interact with each other. Relationships are developed through good business trades and links across social networks, some businesses may prefer to deal directly with a specific supplier because of the previous experience they have received from them which they would not want to jeopardize. This link goes both ways with producers and suppliers and can lead to special deals and incentives being offered to each other based on the good business relationships that have developed. This can also filter down to the consumers and allow brands to offer incentives to their customers which would strengthen existing relationships and build new ones at the same time .It would prove to be beneficial for the product being advertised because potential customers always look for new exciting deals being offered. Overall advertising via social media is a positive for any business or firm  promoting a product or service, simply because they are more advantages than disadvantages of using social media when advertising. Social media is used to discover, interact and share new ideas across the internet; therefore once implemented these aspects all play vital roles in showing that social media plays a significant role in advertising.

October Sky Essay

Having confidence in yourself versus listening to others can be beneficial in your dreams. Homer Hickam, a 17 year old young man from Coalwood, West Virginia, struggles with his wants and everyone else’s wants. Homer is looking to achieve his personal goals of freedom, determination, and in search of confidence. Homer is looking for a better life outside of Coalwood, with the opportunity of freedom from the mining town. Homer has a hard time keeping his morals in perspective as his father discourages him to work on the rockets, making him even more determined to succeed. At the same Homer is trying to gain the confidence to follow his goals despite his father’s requests. Choice of Freedom Homer’s opportunity for freedom starts on October 4, 1957, while he sits watching the Sputnik launch into orbit from the television. As he starts his journey, he realizes that his father does not want to hear of his quest. This creates a new challenge for Homer to accomplish freedom. For example, Homer sets his goal with freedom from Coalwood. It all starts with the statement from Homer’s father, â€Å"Can’t dream your way out of Coalwood†. With this statement Homer looks at this as a challenge and starts to design and build his rocket. He starts with risking his own reputation in high school as he sits down next to Quentin. From there it starts as a journey for himself to become something more. Ms. Riley starts to see the interest Homer has with rockets and the potential. She approaches him with the idea of the County Science Fair. A promise if you win you will go onto Nationals in Indianapolis. This is his first small taste of freedom for Homer. AUK 1; first rocket begins production; this is Homer’s attempt to leave Coalwood and be somebody. The next thing Homer realizes is his father does not approve. As they get into an argument, Homer states† I’m never going down there†, referring to the coal mines. With the start of this disagreement, it encourages Homer to strive even more to gain his freedom with rebellion. Determination over Pride Homer and Quentin start to review the process of the rocket. They were recently blamed for one of their rockets going missing and creating a forest fire. After Homer reviews all concepts, he realizes there is no way that rocket could have created that fire. With that, his determination kicks in, and they prove they did not do it. With that concern behind him he then focuses back on the rockets and starts again where it all began; the basement of his home. As his father approaches him on missing work that day to prove to Mr. Turner the principal and Ms Riley they didn’t start the fire; his father wants him back in the mines. With that Homer responds â€Å"I don’t work there anymore†. He stands his ground with his father. After the fight begins between Homer and his father; Homer yells at his father with anger and determination. His pride has been left aside for this moment. â€Å"The coal mine is your life, not mine†. Homer realizes his goal and dreams are closer than he ever thought. His determination gets the best of him as Homer states he will never look back and can’t wait to leave. Once again that taste of freedom is in his reach with the determination stirring him straight ahead. Just for him to gather the strength to take on his father and say what he feels was a major accomplishment to what he wants in his life. His determination becomes stronger once his father gets shot at by a town male due to the union strikes at the mine. He does not want to stay in Coalwood as he knows in time it will dry up and the mine will shut down. Homer realizes his determination once he stays up all night finding the way to prove they didn’t set the forest fire with that rocket. His main focus is proving his father wrong; he will be somebody. People in town felt the only ones who leave are the athletic ones on scholarships. Homer is setting his determination in proving to the town they are wrong in believing in this theory. He had determination to win even when all his items were stolen at the National Convention. Confidence in Hiding Homer’s confidence is compiled as he gets the support of his father, the one person he was seeking approval from. Once Homer won the National Science Fair; his confidence was surpassed by the meeting of his icon Warren Van Braun. Then to know he had won; scouts for colleges were approaching him as he walked out with his new medal. He had proven the town wrong with achieving such a goal. Once Homer returned back to Coalwood the town greeted him and applauded him on his victory. Homer was not a jock who just received a scholarship from a college; no he was a 17 year old boy who became a man overnight. For once the attention was focused on Homer and not his brother Jim who received a scholarship for football. Homer approaches his father at the mine after he realized his dad did not welcome him home. Homer walks up to him to invite him to the last rocket shooting event; his father makes a comment to him â€Å"How was it meeting your hero? † His father did this with a snide remark almost of jealously. Homer does not stand down he approaches his father with confidence that he done the unimaginable. Homer states back to him about the qualities of being hard headed and stubborn they are very much alike. In the closing statement Homer responds with â€Å"I come to believe I got it in me to be somebody in this world†. Van Braun is not his hero, his father is the man he looks up to. â€Å"I hope to be half the man you are† Homer’s final comment as he walks away to shoot the rocket. The town gains confidence in Homer’s dream. They supported him when it came to when someone stole his items from the convention. Everyone pulled together to show their support for Homer. Mr. Ballard was the one who spent the extra time to get this piece remade to his mother stepping up to his father to end the strike to have this done. Homer saw this display of support which built his confidence even more. Keep Shooting for the Stars Freedom, determination, and confidence are what make a dream come true. Homer realized all these qualities to help him keep his focus to achieving his goal. As the town gathers for the final shooting of the rocket, Homer watches for a certain person to arrive. He sees everyone arriving; he starts to walk towards Valentine, Dorothy walks up to him and offers a date with her. Homer has gained confidence enough to see what is the most important things in his life. Valentine was one who was there for him when Dorothy rejected him for his brother all over a scholarship for football. Dorothy was only seeking an easy way out. As he starts to thank the town for all their support he pauses after he says his thank you to his mother as right then his father arrives. Homer then walks up to his father and offers him to push the rocket launch button. AS they walk towards to safe house for the rocket launching his father puts his hand on his shoulder. This was a new sign of confidence for Homer as his father approves. In the end the Rocket Boy’s all achieve greatness. The most important person is Homer; he received his scholarship then completed college. He later in life achieves the goal of becoming NASA engineer who trains the astronauts for space shuttle missions. Homer made the sentence â€Å"I come to believe I got it in me to be somebody in this world† a true statement.

Marriot International Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Marriot International - Essay Example The organizational culture is diverse because of the diverse presence of the country; the Executive heads are the same but the functional heads are according to the geographic presence. Each place has its own certain standards to meet, has its own culture and its own unique features and an international chain has to adopt them for their own acceptability. Marriot has its own cultural touch but at the same time the diverse employees is the reason for the diverse culture in the organization. The diversity has to be managed by the HR and only professional people have to be hired to ensure it is properly managed. Marriot has an effective performance Management System, the system is very formal in nature, they have proper computerized systems that links the performance of each employee on the basis of their services, the duration they provided the services, their appearance, they pronunciation and the guests feedback about their stay. Employees are given feedback every quarter, until there is some exceptional situation where employees can be given feedback on irregular intervals. There are two feedback one the head evaluates his/her team members and the other through employee

Summary for the uploaded article 5 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Summary for the uploaded 5 - Article Example It can also happen from forces outside a community through a process called change from above. Experts argue that linguistic development happens through every generation when children change certain elements of the native language to suit their present situations (William, 2007). It is believed that communities keep passing elements that maintain their language by using children as the agents of transmission. Experts also argue that poor learning skills abilities by children play a crucial role in linguistic change. Linguistic development happens in a pattern similar to the shape of a family tree. This means that the difference learning aptitude between children and adults also influences the way language is transmitted in speech and spread across a community (William, 2007). A language has numerous dialects that are often transmitted through a community. These dialects are used to represent the branches in the family tree model. Branches or dialects that are close to each other tend to have numerous similarities (William, 2007). Just like a tree, any change that is introduced in a language can spread to every branch, albeit in different degrees. This means that certain dialects of a language can fail to change following a change. Discontinuities are also a common feature in linguistic development. They involve a situation when a single dialect of a language becomes more popular, thus overpowering the rest in terms of getting an identity (William,

Edict of Milan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Edict of Milan - Essay Example So, direct or implied, the passage of the edict paved way to Art and Architecture with Christian themes. The Latin word Basilica originally referred to a public building in the center of town. The Roman Basilica, which looked like a large roofed hall, was used as a place for transacting business and other legal matters. The hall is divided by columns which made isles and arcade spaces. In these cubicles are the officials and scribes who attend to the transactions. On one or both ends of the hall is a propped up platform called an apse. This is for the seats for the magistrates. Some times, there are even seats for other people to watch the process of the legal activities. These basilicas looked like covered market places (New World Encyclopedia). This was exactly the purpose for the Basilica Porcia in Rome. After the edict, Christians, who now had a new found freedom, decided to build buildings and structures for their worship. Temples, although serves a similar purpose, does not suite the practices that are to be made. Temples for the pagan gods serves mostly as deposit boxes for treasures and figures of the gods. There is also the fact that worship practices are done outside of the temple under the open sky. Constantine I made use of the architectural concept of early Roman basilicas as a template for the grand place of worship. The new basilicas were shaped as long rectangles two stories high, with ranks of arch-headed windows one above the other. They also had a center nave with one isle at each side and an apse at one end. This apse is now known as the altar. The word Basilica had changed after the edict. It then meant as a place of Christian worship or a large church which was given a ceremonial blessing of the Pope (New World Encyclopedia). An example of this would be the Basili ca of Vitale in Italy. From then on, basilicas are no longer associated with commerce or politics but of spiritual refuge. Although the center of the city still houses the business and political district, the church is always found near. In fifteenth century Europe, the plazas of cities are considered the center and on opposite sides of the plaza are the church and the town hall. This maintains the concept of keeping the basilica at the center of the city. The edict of 313 has made a great impact in the architecture and usage of basilicas. But, at present day, both basilica formats are recognized; architectural basilicas are referred to the early Roman version where as the pos-edict basilicas are of the ecclesiastical kind. References: The Edict of Milan: Constantine Augustus and Licinius Augustus. University of Pennsylvania. Accessed: March 31, 2009. . Basilica, New World Encyclop

Journalism, Mass Media and Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Journalism, Mass Media and Communication - Essay Example The â€Å"change of scale† can be understood by the fact that a quick medium of communication can deliver more messages in a given time than a slower one. Therefore, the magnitude or the scale of communication becomes bigger when a quicker medium is introduced. A bigger scale of communications makes the scale of human affairs naturally since a quicker medium prevents waste of time which can now be used for other affairs. Telephones enable a person to communicate with a distant recipient in a very quick manner that a letter. The pace of communication has increased and the â€Å"pace† of human life has also increased. For instance, a process that can only be initiated by the approval of a certain authority can now begin as soon as the approval is made. A slower medium of communication would keep the approval in transit for a longer time and hence the initiation. A quick medium paces up the lifestyle of human beings. A new and fast medium surely brings change in the  "pattern† of human life. The availability of cell phones enables people to stay in contact with each other almost all the time. Parents feel safe to send their children to places where they would have never sent them if there were no cell phones. Similarly, the pattern of life has been molded to a great degree by the introduction of cell phones. By 2004, twenty billion were being sent worldwide every month. (Bates, 2004). The â€Å"scale, pace and pattern† are interrelated when it comes to a change in lifestyle due to quicker and more convenient mediums of communication. The above discussion accentuates the argument made by McLuhan that â€Å"The medium is the message." The content of a given message has, of course, its own importance but what usually is ignored is the impact of the medium of the message on our lives. The introduction of a new and swift medium startles us in the beginning but it incorporates itself into our lives over a long period of time. For instanc e, there was a time when cell phones were not something that everyone could afford. People used to live happily and their needs were being met when there were no cell phones. Cell phones are a very quick medium of imparting and receiving messages. They are incorporated into our lives in such a manner that we find it very difficult to spend our time outside if we have forgotten our cell phone at home. A variety of messages are delivered by this medium ranging from important messages to puns for fun but the medium is a message itself. The medium is a message that our lives are quick now and everything can be reported to anyone at any time. We have to pace ourselves to catch up with the pace of the medium and what has prompted us to do that is the medium itself. The process of dissemination of news has developed greatly. Any type of news is given to us in the quickest way possible. The content of the news is a message but the medium of news is a message too. For instance, political lea ders of the past were not required to be wary of the news media and that is probably why we only know good things about leaders who did something great. These days, the news media is quicker and effective than it ever was and political leaders have to be very careful. They have received the message that â€Å"they need to be careful† and this message is news media itself. The definition of the modern era would be incomplete without a reference to the use of the internet.

Examination of the Extent to which section 51 Companies Act 2006 has Essay

Examination of the Extent to which section 51 Companies Act 2006 has clarified the Law relating to Pre-Incorporation Contracts - Essay Example The purpose of pre-incorporation contracts is to encourage entrepreneurship and efficiency in creating simplicity and flexibility in formation and maintenance of companies. It also satisfies the need of an upcoming company to acquire rights and liabilities. This ensures that the company can start with business after incorporation. The challenge is that these companies do not have legal personality, due to their inexistence, and thus cannot make agreements. It is therefore important to evaluate the advantages and the shortcomings, and the future of the same on the role of promoters. If the Company does nothing, it is taken to have ratified to the agreement and the promoter is not be personally liable for the agreement. However, if the incorporation of the company has not been done or, after incorporation, rejects the agreement, the promoter becomes automatically liable for liabilities that may be created in the course of acting as promoter and entering into agreements. The liability i s then discharged only if the company subsequently enters into an agreement on similar terms or in exchange of, the pre-incorporation contract; or to the ends that the Board ratifies or is taken to have ratified the contract or action. The only option is then to have a promoter or agent contract in the company’s behalf. They thus incur liability for the company before incorporation. A promoter, according to the case of Twycross v Grant, 3 is one who forms a company with reference to specific projects and set it going, and take necessary steps to meet that purpose. This includes those who take the procedural steps necessary to form the company, or sets up the company’s business, but not those acting merely in professional capacity on the instructions of a promoter. They deal with formalities of registration of companies, from finding directors and shareholders to holding negotiations for business contracts for the new companies. They are also involved in the formation o f a company and are thus personally liable for the pre-incorporation contracts as neither the principle and agent relationship exists. Reason being the lack of that relationship between the agent and the principal as there is in real sense no principle. The common law puts in obstacles to those wishing to contract on behalf of such companies. This is to discourage people from signing or contracting on behalf of non-existent companies. These companies are not legal entities and thus are not permitted to perform juristic acts. According to common law, no person has the right to act as an agent of a company not yet established, in the expectation of ratification after it becomes incorporated. A company cannot then gain legal status before its existence of attaining contractual rights or sustaining contractual liabilities that exist from pre-incorporation agreements. These contracts cannot then oblige a company. The status of promoters ceases to exist after formation of the board of dir ectors. Promoters of the company may also undertake to enter into contracts on the entity’s behalf, where the company may later refute to approve or consent after incorporation. This position is important as it prevents fiduitiary promoters claiming to be acting for the company, as in the case of

Sociology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Sociology - Essay Example The research methods should be realized as means of acting on the environment and their quality can be judged by their ability to yield reliable results. The act of making observations in life is largely dependent on personal fancy, bias, ideological preferences etc. Therefore, the scientific process of building reliability and validity in life is essential and it should be based on the features of discovery and verification. Both discovery and verification are essential components of finding reliability and validity in life. Consequently, the scientific basis of sociology clearly suggests that the discovery process and the issues of verification should be given equal significance in research methods. â€Å"If priority is given to the discovery process, the issues of verification, reliability, and validity become more than technical in nature†¦ If issues of verification are placed above the discovery process, a wedge is driven between the goals and the methods of sociology.â₠¬  (Douglas, 268) In the former case, the quality of research is determined by the public elements, whereas the latter case the goals and the methods of sociology are affected. Therefore, discovery as well as verification should be given equal relevance in finding reliability and validity in life.

Business accounting - Lampeter Builder's Merchants Essay

Business accounting - Lampeter Builder's Merchants - Essay Example Vehicle running expenses 44,000 Electricity 3,000 Insurance 15,000 Stationery 2,000 208,000 Net profit 540,000 (2) Profit and Loss Statement LAMPETERS BUILDERS MANAGEMENT BALANCE SHEET AS AT MARCH 31, 2011 Amount in ? Non-Current Assets Fixed Assets (Cost) 200,000 Accumulated Depreciation (100,000) Fixed Assets (WDV) 100,000 Current Assets Trade debtors 18,000 Bank (9,000) Closing Stock 478,000 Total Assets 587,000 Current Liabilities Trade creditors 43,000 Capital 28,000 Drawings (24,000) Profit for the year 540,000 Total Equity and Capital 587,000 (3) Value Added Taxation Research The prime resource for research was the website ‘HM Revenue and Customs’ Planning and ordering What are the prevailing VAT rates in UK What rates are applicable on the business that the company is currently engaged in What are the methods and procedure of filing the VAT returns How the VAT is calculated What are the deadlines for submission of the return Presentation VAT is applicable on diff erent rate depending on the type of Goods and services offered by the company. In addition, there are some goods and services that are exempted from VAT. The VAT rates are divided into three segments Standard Rate 20 per cent Reduced Rate 5 per cent Zero Rate 0 per cent [1] Since the Company, Lampeter Builders’ Merchants is involved in the construction and material business, the following rates are applicable on the company Type of work VAT rate Construction of a new house or flat zero Converting a building into a house or flat reduced rate Renovating or altering an empty house or flat reduced rate Supplying and installing certain mobility aids for elderly people reduced rate Supplying and installing certain energy saving materials and equipment reduced rate Supplying and installing certain...VAT is applicable on different rate depending on the type of Goods and services offered by the company. In addition, there are some goods and services that are exempted from VAT. The VAT rates are divided into three segments Standard Rate 20 per cent Reduced Rate 5 per cent Zero Rate 0 per cent [1] Since the Company, Lampeter Builders’ Merchants is involved in the construction and material business, the following rates are applicable on the company At the end of every three months, the company already registered for VAT needs, to file a quarterly VAT return. The return can be filed either electronically or through paper returns. The returns, after properly completing are then sent to the following address

Bailout of Cyprus Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Bailout of Cyprus - Research Paper Example The two banks lost more than 2.3 billion Euros on Greek sovereign bond, which they asked the state to fill in their regulatory capital (Telegraph, 2012). In addition, Cyprus’ economy had been described as a â€Å"Casino economy.† In other words, the country has a banking sector much larger than the country’s gross domestic product. This has been said to be negligence in following the banking rules, making everyone else vulnerable to such economic crisis (Erlanger & Kanter, 2013). Another major problem according to Erlanger & Kanter that led to Cyprus economic crisis is the threat by Euro zone countries to confiscated significant part of the savings of Cypriot banks’ depositors. The result was that large depositors and ordinary savers in such banks were uncertain about their savings. The private sector was therefore more reluctant to steer more funding to financial institutions in trouble as in the case of Cyprus, which increased the need for the country to look for a bailout from the European Central Bank. Cyprus problems also emanated from the country’s wage bill which as analysts explain is the highest in the Eurozone, implying the country similar to Greece has a lavish life where their GDP is much less than their net expenditure. Cyprus bailout has attracted differing views from policy makers and economists. The bailout has been described as a major victory from Eurozone hardliners such as Germany. The hardliners have over the time made it clear that countries only qualify to be rescued in case they acknowledge and do penance of their past mismanagement as would be determined by their rescuers (Erlanger & Kanter, 2013). The argument is that such bailout will have a higher public support for the euro and demand for greater prudence from other countries. However, the critics of the bailout explain the entire arrangements were haphazardly carried out to an extent that it â€Å"underscored the chaotic nature of European decision making more than

How a Guitar Works Essay Example for Free

How a Guitar Works Essay A guitar can be defined as a musical instrument having â€Å"a long, fretted neck, flat wooden soundboard, ribs, and a flat back, most often with incurved sides† (Kasha, 1968) and believed to exist over 4000 years ago. The instrument was believed to be derived from the Greek instrument kithara, â€Å"a square-framed lap harp or lyre† (Guy, 2001). Today the guitar comes in many different forms but still follows the same dynamics to create beautiful melody. Music classifies a guitar as a chordophone or a string instrument. Physics describe a chordophone is any â€Å"instrument whose standing wave constraint is that at each end of the medium there must be a node† (Lapp, p. 61). A guitar has four essential components namely its hollow body, its neck, the head and its six strings. The body is the enclosed part of the guitar composed of the soundboard, a flat wooden piece that comprises the front of the body, supported by the wooden ribs and braces connected to the back board of the guitar to form the body cavity where air vibrates. The soundboard is etched with the sound hole, the hole where which the sound from the vibration travels out into the air. The bridge, which is mounted on the lower part of the soundboard, anchors each of the one ends of the six strings of the guitar. A thin piece is attached to the bridge, which is called the saddle, on which the strings rest. The guitar neck is made up of the fingerboard, the face of the neck where the fingers of the player are placed while pressing on a string. Frets, pieces the separate the fingerboard at definite intervals, are also part of the neck of the guitar. The end of the neck is made up of the nut, on which the other end of the strings rest, functioning similarly as the saddle. The head of the neck are where the ends of the string are affixed. The strings are tied onto a string post which can be freely rotated through worm gears. The tuning knobs provide for the control of the movement of the worm gears. Turning these knobs, enables the player to increase or decrease tension in the strings. The strings are the one who provides the tone that the guitar plays. Guitars have strings with different thickness for steel string guitars or densities for nylon string guitars, having its thickness or density increase gradually from top to bottom. The vibration of the strings determines the sound that the guitar plays. The vibrating strings alone are hardly audible. In order for the sound produced to be recognizable, the structure of the guitar is made as such in order to transfer the string vibrations to the plate of the soundboard through the bridge and saddle. The body then vibrates in all directions; however the ribs inside the body cavity keep the plate flat, despite these disturbances. Amplification, in the strictest definition of the word, is never the function of the guitar body. The small volume of sound produced due to string vibration is mostly due to the inefficient conversion of the energy from the plucking of the string into sound energy. The guitar body provides an efficient medium for this energy conversion due to its large surface area. The simple schematic below, cited as Fig. 1, demonstrates the transfer of energy as a guitar string is plucked. Figure 2. Energy Transfer in the Guitar Physics in Guitars Sound is any fluctuation is pressure resulting from the displacement of matter. However, what men recognize as being heard are tones, which are sounds that are repeated at a specific frequency. Humans can only recognize tones with frequencies between 20Hz and 20kHz. Musical notes, however, are collection of tones with specific frequencies that were found pleasing to one’s senses. The basic notes of the musical scale and their specific frequencies are as follows: 264Hz is middle C or middle do; 297Hz is D or re; 330Hz is E or mi; 352Hz is F or fa; 396Hz is G or so; 440Hz is A or la; 495Hz is B or ti; and 528Hz is the higher C or higher do. The masterful combination of these basic set of frequencies by musical composers enabled the conception of melodic harmony and symphony. The vibration of the strings of the guitar can be characterized as standing waves. The standing wave condition needs that the ends be terminated by a fixed node. The frequency of the vibration is determined by the length of the string and the tension experienced by the string. Therefore, in order to produce the different musical notes, the different frequencies of vibration should be achieved by the strings. The first mode of vibration or the fundamental harmonic of the string can be illustrated by the Fig. 2, where L is the length of the string and ? represents the wavelength, the length of one cycle of vibration, an upward movement and its corresponding downward movement along the string. Figure 2. Fundamental Harmonic of String (Lapp, p. 62) ? can be found to be twice of the string length, L. Since frequency is the ratio of the speed of vibration and the wavelength and the tension of the string is the product of the mass density or mass per unit length of the string and the speed of vibration, an expression of the frequency of vibration, expressed as f, in terms of the string tension, expressed as T, mass density of the string, expressed as ? , and L can be derived, thus the expression: These factors determine the frequency of the vibration, thus the tone that is played. An increase in ? and L decreases f, which results in a lower pitch. On the other hand, an increase in T, increases f, resulting in a higher pitch. The guitar provides control for all these factors. The difference in the density of the strings from top to bottom provides control for ?. The tuning knobs manage T while L is controlled by the player by pressing on the string against the fret. However, as the guitar string is struck, it does not vibrate solely on its fundamental frequency. Instead overtones are formed, which are harmonics with frequencies that are integer multiples of the fundamental frequency, which can be demonstrated by Fig. 3. These overtones provide the richness of sound, which seem to reverberate in one’s ears, instead of a flat sound of a tone with only a single harmonic. Figure 3. (from top to bottom) 1st, 2nd, and 3rd overtones (Hokin, 2001) â€Å"The guitar can be considered to be a system of coupled vibrators† (Fletcher Rossing, 1998, p. 240). Along with the vibration of the string as it is plucked, all other parts of the guitar vibrates, and with it energy is transferred through them as demonstrated in Fig. 1. A significant part of the production of tones of a guitar is the vibration of the body along with air inside its cavity. The movements and modes of vibration of the guitar body and the air inside it, in response to the string being plucked, are referred to as internal resonances, which provides for the increase in volume of the tone produced similar to hitting a snare. The frequency of thses internal resonances of the guitar body are determined by the volume of air that the body encloses and the size of the sound hole, one of which that has lowest frequency is termed as Helmholtz resonance. These modes of the vibration can be observed through the use of lasers in holographic interferograms, as exemplified by Fig. 4, wherein the vibrations are manifested as ripples in the guitar body. Figure 4. Guitar Body Resonances (Fletcher Rossing, 1998, p. 246) However, these resonances can affect the quality of the tone produced when its frequency is close to harmonics that the plucked string produces. Certain harmonics are attenuated further than usual resulting in higher or lower pitches. The appropriate placement of the ribs and braces inside the guitar body, aside from supporting the soundboard, keep these resonances at a minimum. The ribs and braces of the guitar are illustrated below. Figure 5. Bracings of a Guitar (Billington, 1999) The masterful combination of the components of a guitar through its development has enabled it to be a source of beautiful melody throughout generations. The guitar is concrete evidence how man can create harmony from chaos. References Flectcher, N. H. Rossing, T. D. (1998). The Physics of Musical Instruments. 2nd ed. New York. Springer Science+Business Media, Inc. Billington, I. (1999). The Physics of the Acoustic Guitar. Retrieved from http://ffden-2. phys. uaf. edu/211. web. stuff/billington/main. htm. University of New South Wales. Guitar Acoustics. Retrieved from http://www. phys. unsw. edu. au/music/guitar/. Hokin, S. (2002). The Physics of Everyday Stuff. Retrieved from http://www. bsharp. org/ physics/ stuff/guitar. html. Lapp, D. R. The Physics of Music and Musical Instruments. Retrieved from http://www. tufts. edu/as/wright_center/workshops/workshop_archives/physics_2003_wkshp/ book/pom_book_acrobat_7. pdf. Brain, M. How Acoustic Guitars Work. Retrieved from http://entertainment. howstuffworks. com/guitar. htm. Guy, P. (2001). A Brief History of the Guitar. Retrieved from http://www. guyguitars. com/eng/ handbook/BriefHistory. html Parkkali, R. (2006). A Well Compensated Guitar. Retrieved from http://www. newmillguitar. com/ millen2. htm

The World Of The Infant And Toddler Children And Young People Essay

The World Of The Infant And Toddler Children And Young People Essay Early childhood educators have long recognized the importance of play in infants and toddlers lives. Play is a strong feature which has meaningful learning practices. Play is embedded in and threaded throughout the New Zealand early childhood curriculum called. Te WhÄ riki: He whÄ riki matauranga mo nga mokopuna o Aotearoa Early Childhood Curriculum. This report will be discussing quality play as curriculum for infants and toddlers and will show the importance of play which supports childrens learning and development and will examine the value of play and how play promotes infants and toddlers to learn and develop. This report will also explain how Te WhÄ riki supports play as indicators of meaningful learning and together what is my role in facilitating a play-based curriculum with my beliefs and philosophy of play. Rationale Piaget describes three cognitive stages of play. He explains that in the first sensorimotor practice play, Infants and toddlers experiment with bodily sensation and motor movements with objects and people. My personal philosophy is making things interesting for the infants and toddlers I believe that pushing and grasping happens during their play times and through doing this over and over again the children learn that for example balls roll away and through this they experience the sensation and pleasures of movement and my philosophy is that play is natural and important for children. Vygotsky stated that the value of play is to promote childrens physical, cognitive, language, social, emotional development(Gonzalez-Mena, 2009, p.72). By playing with blocks and boxes children gain to master object permanence. Piaget states that retrieving hidden objects reveals that infants have begun to master object permanence, the understanding that objects continues to exist when out of sight. (B erk, 2010). According to Gonzalez-Mena (2009) a main ingredient of any infant or toddler program should be play(p.72). Play is natural for infants and toddlers and it should be an important use of their time. Piaget indicates play as the nature, built- in way to contribute children to accumulate learning experiences for their development (Dockeet Fleer, 1999). My own belief for play is giving infants and toddlers the freedom to play and extend on their interests while providing them with interesting resources to play with. Children develop eye-hand co-ordination from manipulation with toys. Vygotsky describes play is always a social experience even when they are engaged in solitary play as the children draw on themes, experiences and roles that have social originality (Berk Winsler, 1995). Play also provides rich experiences for children to develop their language, social and emotional skills (Berk Winsler, 1995). For example, when children pretend to be mothers, they become sensi tive to others needs and feelings because they get the knowledge about how their mothers care for them. Therefore they need to control their emotions to show their love and kindness to accomplish their roles. During play, all children need to use language, gestures, and symbolic objects to express their interests and feelings, like I am tired, or sit nicely on your highchair, Children may also pretend to use blocks as imaginary cakes to feed their babies. Through his play experience children learn their own capabilities and the way to understand themselves by social behavior such as sharing and taking turns, co-operating, using manners and language, emotional management, the nature of social rules and the way of making friends and feel part of a group and learn how to live and work in groups. Therefore, children improve their language communication and negotiation skills, as well as gaining the development of imagination and creation (Jalongo, 2004). I believe that even when the chi ldren disagree on who gets to be the baby, they are honing their social skills. Play is extremely beneficial and children have many opportunities to expand their own world and through play children are learning all the time. Aspect One: Group Sizing and age span during play for infants and toddlers. Larger groups tend to be over stimulating According to Gonzalez -Mena (2009), As larger groups are overly stimulating the quiet children usually get ignored and it is harder for the children to really get into their play, So a strategy that will be useful is to make sure that all children get to have their turn to play and teachers can encourage children to turn take and scaffold them during their play. Arthur, Beecher, Docket , Farmer, and Death (2007) states through scaffolding, those with expertise in a particular area ,such as parents or teachers, provide the framework of support that enables the children to try out new ideas, so as to lead them to greater understanding (p.95). Mixture of Ages As some play programs work well with a mix of ages others work well with the same age group. In this case with a mix of infants and toddlers it is best to protect the ones who cannot move around to the ones that can move. I can do this by fencing a portion of the room for the children that are immobile. It is best to not keep the children in playpens or cribs. Space for preschoolers and toddlers Children need space to move around as they need room to stretch. They need the space to interact with adults who share the floor space. Arthur et al. (2007) discusses that recent research exploring childrens social play has encompassed not only how children play with each other but also the nature and quality of social interactions, interactions among adults and children, the influence of childrens social and cultural context, and the role of popular culture in play (p.100). White, OMalley, Toso, Rockel , Stover, Ellis (2007) explains that The position of a child within a powerful social vision is articulated within Te WhÄ rikis goals: all children will grow up as confident and competent learners, healthy in mind and body, and spirit, secure in their sense of belonging and in the sense that they make a valued contribution to society (Ministry of Education,1996,p.9). As sometimes the mixture is toddlers and preschools. It is important to make sure that the toddlers are protected from the equipment they arent mature enough to play with. Aspect Two: Environments for infants and toddlers to play. Environmental factors that influence play Careful considerations need to happen when giving space for children to play as the age span and group size matters. Educators need to think about how the room is appropriate for infants and toddler for this to happen be to set the environment up and what the space needs. There should be choices that need to be encouraged. Choice depends on the philosophy of the centre and the age of the children .Culture also has an influence to the environment of play. Rogoff (2003) notes that participation and play for children is how the children change some of these routines and rituals through their participation. Through participating in play children learn the structure and cultural expectations of events. For example, participating in play conversations facilitates an awareness of the nature of conversations (such as turn taking, speaking and listening) (p.102). Setting up environments for play It is best for a caregiver to provide structure by doing this the environment gets structured to a play environment. Caregivers must set up an environment that has a good deal of undesirable behavior. For example if a child is not allowed to play in the kitchen it is a good idea to put a gate across the access. For infants and toddlers educators must make sure that everything that is in the environment to be touchable and mouth able which means that the play object is clean and safe to put in their mouths as infants and toddlers learn through mouthing. Te WhÄ riki (1996) states toddlers have access to an increasing range of playthings that can enhance both gross and fine motor skills (p.87). It is good to set up the right number of toys with providing the right number of choices and let the children find special ways to combine their toys and material. Which are soft and hard that will develop their fine and gross motor activity. Hygiene and gross motor activity for infants and toddlers. Making sure that the toys are sanitized time to time is important .Children should not be getting restricted to their natural inclinations. Ailwood (2003) describes such play as a natural, intrinsic and free, and progressivisms version of free-play. Providing gross motor activity is important inside as much as outside play. Infants and toddlers should be in an environment where they get to roll and slide and climb and also run. The area should be like a gym that is set up for active play. Aspect Three: Caregivers creating curriculum out of play for infants and toddlers. Safety as an overarching theme Setting up an environment that put safety a primary considerate is good so that the children are free to explore and discover. Te WhÄ riki (1996)states that safe things are provided to assist infants to move, for example, something to hold on to, to balance against, or to pull them up on (p.87). Caregivers encouraging interactions and then stepping back It is important to make sure that the caregivers interactions are encouraging for facilitating play for infants and toddlers. It is also important to support problem solving between children so they get to see themselves as capable children. Observing is a way to understand each individual child and each situation to promote the childrens learning. Ailwood (2003) states the process of play is characterized by play as learning which maintains is the result of the legacy of developmental psychology with its associated truths. Adult Roles in Infant-Toddler Play Caregivers can create curriculum out of play by giving the children their own freedom to play and also by helping them pursue their own special interests and adults should extend on their interests .Adults should also provide fun and colourful play resources. While children are playing it is important to encourage child to child interactions and encourage youngsters to come and learn such valuable skills and how the children can resolve conflicts. It is important to step back until needed too. A caregiver should always know when to intervene and become sensitive. Te WhÄ riki (1996) discusses toddlers are encouraged to develop skills at their own rate and to know and understand their abilities and limitations. Adults wait to let toddlers indicate that they need assistance rather than assuming that they will (p.87). Timing is crucial for infants and toddlers play .When adults step in too soon. Te WhÄ riki (1996) states that toddlers have opportunities for active exploration with the support, but not the interference e, of adults. Valuable learning can be lost but if an adult steps in soon but if it is too late there is a possibility that children can hurt each other (p.87) It is good to remember to encourage children to solve their own problems as it is a very important part of their education. But steeping back and not intervening is another adult skill that is important to practice. We should not interrupt a child who is really absorbed into their play as absorption is a quality that educators should value. Conclusion: In conclusion, play as a curriculum is the highest form of learning in early childhood education. Infants and toddlers are able to reach their deepest, wide range level of learning best through play. Play has an important function and infants and toddlers are learning all the time through their interactions with others, as well as working through the rules and values of their cultural groups. Three aspects of the above will finally draw a conclusion of the importance of play in the learning and development of supporting infants and toddlers. Play is a professionalized process and play is a freedom of expression as well as a game for life.

Environmental And European Airline Industry Analysis

Environmental And European Airline Industry Analysis History Ryanair has grown since 1985 with only 25 staff members and a single 15-seat turbo-prop commuter plane flying between Waterford and London. By 2001 there are more than 1500 employees working for Ryanair and more than 10 million passengers are carried to 56 cities in 13 European countries. Nowadays the company is named as the most popular airline on the web by Google and also passed out British Airways to become the UKs favourite airline in United Kingdom and throughout Europe. Mission and Objectives Ryanair does not publish a formal vision or mission statement. Due to the increase of passengers, the company has re-launched as a no frills airline to meet the needs of travelling at the lowest price. It aims to expand its market share, and increase more routes and destinations. Therefore it can become the 1st largest airline and maintain the position in the industry. Reasons for success The reason of Ryanair success because it implements different marketing strategy to make the company survive in the competition and to be able to gain competitive position in the airline market. For example, its no fills strategy. In order to position itself in the marketplace, Ryanair controls own its costs to offer the lowest fares possible and remain profitable. Chapter 2 Environmental European Airline Industry Analysis 2.1 The PESTEL Analysis The Political Factors The Europe Union (EU) has expanded in the past few years, and it will be a big factor affects the direction and strategy planning for Ryanair. And some countries give preferential treatment to companies from their own country, i.e., France government has the policy to support its own national carriers which affects the expansion of Ryanair. The Economic Factors The unstable fuel price is affecting the business. In the face of rising fuel, hedging on future buying of fuel to stable the cost as fuel is a major cost for every airline. Also, the depreciation of US dollars affects Ryanair because customers from United States will cut their orders as US dollars are depreciating. The Socio-cultural Factors The increasing travelling lifestyles become a factor to affect the business of Ryanair. Nowadays people are more enjoy a travelling lifestyle, i.e., graduation trips, backpack trips etc. They love to travel all around the world. Therefore, these people become the major customers for the company. The Technological Factors Technology is rapidly improving means the whole industry is changing, becoming more environmentally friendly and efficient. More effective infrastructure in the airports means that some airports can charge the airlines more for landing there. The Environmental Factors Under the new law, the airline industry has to be more environmentally friendly. Therefore the manufacturers, designers and airline companies have to combat this together to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and less harmful to the environment so its order to comply with EU regulations. The Legal Factors The whole industry is heavily regulated due to laws and they have to constantly adapt to new changes in the law, such as not allowing liquid on board. After 911, the tighten security measure has also affected the business, the government reinforce security, it increases costs, and forcing to push the airline ticket prices up. 2.2 The Five Forces Analysis Competitive Rivalry Ryanair has highly competitive rivalry because the large number of competitors and especially since the airline industry market is completely saturated. There are already many no frills airlines, i.e., easyJet, Monarch Airlines, and Air Berlin etc. If those companies decide to compete on the same basis as Ryanair, there will be a heavy pressure on prices and margins to Ryanair. Suppliers bargaining power The bargaining power of suppliers is high for Ryanair. Price of aviation fuel is directly related to the cost of oil. The costs from one supplier to the other are high because all mechanics and pilots would have to be retrained. Therefore, Boeing is the main suppliers of Ryanair. For those bigger airports where Ryanairs competitors operate, have greater bargaining power. Ryanairs policy is tried to avoid these airports and focus on the regional airports. Buyers Bargaining Power The bargaining power of buyers is medium. As customers are price sensitive to choose Ryanair, they only choose for cheapness not quality. Therefore if the prices are increased or a competitor has a lower price then they will switch to another airline. Threat of New Entrants The threat of potential entrants is low because set up an airline is high capital investment and the risk is high. Also there are some barriers to entry, such as a lot of regulation and the pressure to reduce carbon emissions. Threat of Substitutes The threat of substitutes is high because of the competition with buses, trains, cars and ferries. These can all substitute the low-cost airlines like Ryanair. 2.3 The Scenario Analysis According to the socio-cultural factors, the market is becoming more competitive because of having the emerging and developing countries, more people want flights therefore more airlines in order to accommodate this and it might decrease the profits in the market share. Furthermore, Ryanair is facing the increasing trade-union pressure in Europe. Some of the countries in Europe have formed a trade-union among each others, thus it gives the pressure for Ryanair to do business in these countries. Chapter 3 SWOT Analysis 3.1 Strengths Ryanair has developed a very well recognized brand name by leading low cost airline. It provides high seat density and high service performance: punctual, high rate of flight completion, low baggage loss, these give a good image of the companys reliability. Ryanair has first mover advantage in strong bargaining power in airport deals and reduces barriers to its entry into new markets and airports. Over 94% of all seats are sold online so the cost of distribution by using internet booking is lower than phone booking, also eliminates the need of travel agents. Furthermore, the single model of Boeing aircraft saves on training, maintenance and supervisory costs. 3.2 Weaknesses Ryanair is based on no frills strategy, it restricted expansion possibility. The long distances of its airport from city centers can become less attractive as markets mature. Over time customers may find this a big inconvenience. Besides, the morale of employee is low. The weakening employee relations are detrimental to success in any services industry. Other weakness of Ryanair is high turnaround would increase the fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions, therefore the costs will be increased. 3.3 Opportunities As the EU enlargement, there will be a lot of new destinations opened up and complete deregulation of airline industry in all EU markets. During any financial downturns, the new fleet could be leased out to undercut other sources and increase entrepreneurial activities will be a source for economy air travel. 3.4 Threats There are several threats on Ryanair. First, impending legislations for environment protection and customer compensations increase costs. Secondly, the increase in market share at the cost of network airlines could also increase airport service charges which are currently low. Then, traditional airlines are also cutting fares and costs which could affect the market share of Ryanair. Finally, additional fleets may require new terminals and secondary airports which mean Ryanair would need to bear higher cost. Chapter 4 Evaluations Recommendations 4.1 Evaluation There is a point-of-difference between Ryanair and larger airlines such as British Airways (BA). Ryanair is the Europes largest low-cost carrier and provide only basic-level service but BA is a high-class airline company which provides high perceived service, and they focus on difference position and target customers so it is quite difficult for larger airlines to imitate the strategy. More than that, Ryanairs no frill strategy is sustainable for identifying their target customers who are price-sensitive and wish to spend low price to fly safely. 4.2 Recommendations A low-cost image of Ryanair that has become its brand tag will be difficult to erase when it wishes to moves up the value chain, and the upper-middle class economy travellers may seek greater value proposition, not just for low fares. I suggest Ryanair add more routes to their already extensive network and plan for expanding operations into non-European markets in the near future. Furthermore, consolidation and integration would become necessary to grow further in maturing markets which could help Ryanair to offset pressure on its costs and fares. Reference Lists Case Study on Ryanair, the biggest low-cost European Airline (Jan, 2008) [online]Availablefrom [Accessed 21/07/10] Thomas M. Box (2005), RYANAIR (2005): SUCCESSFUL LOW COST LEADERSHIP, [online] Available from [Accessed 20/07/10] Yahoo Knowledge (2007), Assignment for strategic analysis, [online] Available from [Accessed 20/07/10]

The Ghost Story of the Banshee Essay -- Urban Legends Ghost Stories

The Tale of the Banshee On a dark and stormy night it happened. Not too far in the recent past, two teenaged girls were out camping in the woods. There, they sat in their tent while exchanging frightening ghost stories by the flickering candle-light. What began as a normal, cool, summer’s night, took an eerie turn for the worse when, in the middle of one particularly terrifying tale, an ominous howl rang out too close for comfort and a thunderous crash was heard. As they scrambled to be near each other for warmth and security against the tingling feeling arising on the backs of their necks, and the fear of their impending doom, what jumped out at them was a horrifyingly great big... just kidding. This all started with two teenaged girls telling stories one night, but it was spring, not summer, in a dorm room, not at a camp site, and completely calm, not alarming in the least. For this assignment, I chose to ask a friend to tell me a story regarding ghosts, magic, or the supernatural, and what she came up with I considered to be very helpful for this project. I collected a version of the Tale of the Banshee from my roommate here at the University of Maryland, who is also a college freshman. This young woman is a 19-year-old from Montgomery, New Jersey, with a very diverse and complex background. Her father is from Pakistan, her mother is a European-American Christian, and she herself is Muslim. What she told me was told to her by older relatives when she was just a child, and accused of â€Å"screaming like a Banshee.† The curious little girl that she was, she asked what it meant; based on the explanation she received she never wanted to scream like that again. In her retelling she presented the story with a straigh... ...fter an attack, the yowl could have been considered a warning cry. All peoples across cultures and time need things to believe in and to trust. The people of ancient Ireland chose to believe in a deceased, friendly relative to warn them of tragedy. That is a much happier belief than the evil, menacing idea of Banshees that I had prior to this assignment, so I am happy for having learned more. Works Cited Ireland Now  ©1997-2005 http://www.ireland-now.com/banshee.html Irelandseye.com and contributors  © 1999-2004 http://www.irelandseye.com/animation/explorer/banshee.html Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd Copyright  ©2000 - 2005 http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=229025 Morey, Eibhlin: Submitted on Thursday 17th of March 2005 http://www.constant-content.com/article/1788/The-Banshee/ Susan Sheppard http://magick.wirefire.com/newpage5.htm The Ghost Story of the Banshee Essay -- Urban Legends Ghost Stories The Tale of the Banshee On a dark and stormy night it happened. Not too far in the recent past, two teenaged girls were out camping in the woods. There, they sat in their tent while exchanging frightening ghost stories by the flickering candle-light. What began as a normal, cool, summer’s night, took an eerie turn for the worse when, in the middle of one particularly terrifying tale, an ominous howl rang out too close for comfort and a thunderous crash was heard. As they scrambled to be near each other for warmth and security against the tingling feeling arising on the backs of their necks, and the fear of their impending doom, what jumped out at them was a horrifyingly great big... just kidding. This all started with two teenaged girls telling stories one night, but it was spring, not summer, in a dorm room, not at a camp site, and completely calm, not alarming in the least. For this assignment, I chose to ask a friend to tell me a story regarding ghosts, magic, or the supernatural, and what she came up with I considered to be very helpful for this project. I collected a version of the Tale of the Banshee from my roommate here at the University of Maryland, who is also a college freshman. This young woman is a 19-year-old from Montgomery, New Jersey, with a very diverse and complex background. Her father is from Pakistan, her mother is a European-American Christian, and she herself is Muslim. What she told me was told to her by older relatives when she was just a child, and accused of â€Å"screaming like a Banshee.† The curious little girl that she was, she asked what it meant; based on the explanation she received she never wanted to scream like that again. In her retelling she presented the story with a straigh... ...fter an attack, the yowl could have been considered a warning cry. All peoples across cultures and time need things to believe in and to trust. The people of ancient Ireland chose to believe in a deceased, friendly relative to warn them of tragedy. That is a much happier belief than the evil, menacing idea of Banshees that I had prior to this assignment, so I am happy for having learned more. Works Cited Ireland Now  ©1997-2005 http://www.ireland-now.com/banshee.html Irelandseye.com and contributors  © 1999-2004 http://www.irelandseye.com/animation/explorer/banshee.html Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd Copyright  ©2000 - 2005 http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=229025 Morey, Eibhlin: Submitted on Thursday 17th of March 2005 http://www.constant-content.com/article/1788/The-Banshee/ Susan Sheppard http://magick.wirefire.com/newpage5.htm

Longitudes and Attitudes, by Thomas Friedman :: September 11th Essays

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Longitudes and Attitudes†, written by Thomas Friedman, is a collection of columns, broken by September 11th’s great catastrophe and including material from his diary. The book displays his outstanding strengths as a commentator along with a few weaknesses.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Longitudes and Attitudes† is a collection of his more recent columns and a diary of supporting incidents. It relates to the theme that has consumed him in his career. This theme is given point by Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the attack of 9/11.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Tom Friedman went to work as a journalist in Beirut, Lebanon soon after securing a masters degree from Oxford University in Middle Eastern Studies. Employed by United Press International in 1978, he soon transferred to the New York Times and covered the Syrian destruction of that country’s own town of Hama, the Israeli Lebanese invasion, the massacre of Palestinians in refugee camps, the evacuation of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, etc. In 1995, he became the foreign affairs columnist for the New York Times with carte blanche--unlimited travel budget and no supervision as to content. He has written two books and collected three Pulitzer Prizes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In his current job, Friedman writes a 740-word column twice a week. It appears in many of the world’s newspapers and on the Web. This latest book, Longitudes and Attitudes, is a compendium of his more recent columns and a diary of supporting incidents. The text relates to the theme that has consumed him in his career: the failure of the Arab nation to develop, democratize, and compete properly with the West. This theme is given point by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the attack of 9/11.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Friedman’s ideas are presented primarily through many columns that he had written for he New York Times. Their datelines stretch from December 15, 2000 to April 20, 2003 and from Jerusalem, Israel to Peshawar, Pakistan.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In this book, Friedman presents a coherent picture of forces in the Middle East that have led to the Israeli- Palestinian confrontation and to bin Laden and his group of terrorists. Friedman’s articles describe meetings, discussions, and arguments he had with people at all levels of society through out the Middle East. From his extensive travels and through dynamic interactions with the people he derived intense insights into how 9/11 came about, why, and what should be done about it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  His arguments and conclusions are well thought through, so much that they draw opponents to reason with him.

John Dryden: England’s Controversial and Exceptional Genius

John Dryden was England’s most outstanding and controversial writer for the later part of the seventeenth century, dominating the literary world as a skilled and versatile dramatist, a pioneer of literary criticism, and a respected writer of the Restoration period. With Dryden’s great literary and critical influence on the English society during the Restoration period he has made a name for himself, which will be studied and honored for years to come. John Dryden was born in Northamptonshire, in 1631. His parents were Erasmus Dryden and Mary Pickery. They were both from wealthy and respected families in Northamptonshire. The Drydens were known for wisdom and great tradition all over England and were well-equipped with large estates and vast lands (Ward 5). Dryden’s father, Erasmus, was a justice of the peace during the usurpation, and was the father of fourteen children; four sons, and ten daughters. The sons were John, Erasmus, Henry, and James; the daughters were Agness, Rose, Lucy, Mary, Martha, Elizabeth, Hester, Hannah, Abigail, and France (Kinsley 34). Dryden was also a religious man. He had as much faith in the Lord as he did in his pen. He belonged to the Church of England all his life until converting to Catholicism due to the change of the throne. He was baptized at All Saints Church in Aldwinule, Northamptonshire ten days after his birth (Hopkins 75). Dryden, growing into a young man, began his education in his hometown. There he took the basic classes. He furthered his education at Westminister School in London. Here, he attended school for about twelve hours a day, beginning and ending at six. At Westminister he studied history, geography, and study of the Scripture, plus all the basics. After Westminister he Cunningham 2 attended Cambridge University (Hopkins 14). While attending Cambridge University, he excelled to the top of his class and was a standout student. John Dryden was the greatest and most represented English man of letters of the last quarter of the seventeenth century. From the death of Milton in 1674 to his own in 1700, no other writer can compare with him in versatility and power (Sherwood 39). He was in fact a versatile writer, with his literary works consisted of tragedy, comedy, heroic play, opera, poetry, and satire. Although he did write most of his important original poems to serve some passing political purpose, he made them immortal by his literary genius (Miner 3). John Dryden was the type of man who was always busy with some great project. He would never put full time and concentration into his work. He would quickly finish a project, careless of perfection, and hurry off to begin another, which was not a tempting deal on either the author’s side nor the reader’s side because Dryden lived in a time where there were few well-printed works (Hopkins 1). So much of his work consisted of numerous errors, misprints, and lost pages. Several critics have attempted to revise and correct his work but usually for the worse ( Harth 3). Despite his popularity during the Restoration and even today, little is known about John Dryden except what is in his works. Because he wrote from the beginning through the end of the Restoration period, many literary scholars consider the end of the Restoration period to have occurred with Dryden’s death in 1700 (Miner 2). Surviving Dryden was his wife Lady Elizabeth and there were three sons, to whom he had always been a loving and careful father. John, his oldest son, followed his father in death only three years later in April of 1700. His wife, the â€Å"Widow of a poet,† died shortly after his death in the summer of 1714 at the age of 78 (Bredvold 314). Dryden certainly attained his goal of popularity especially after his death. He became this Cunningham 3 through his â€Å"achievements in verse translations, the first English author to depend for a livelihood directly on the reading public and opening the future of profitable careers for great novelists during the next two centuries† (Frost 17). The Restoration period was a time of great literature and outstanding writers, but, with all the talent in this century, there were also many problems. The Restoration was an angry time in literary history. Writers threw harsh blows at one another, not with fists but with paper and ink. It was an age of plots, oaths, vows and tests: they were woven into the â€Å"fabric of everyday life, and hardly a person in England escaped being touched by them† (Hammond 131). During this time he wrote about what was going on in life activities quite often in his work. At this time there was a major controversy over the conversion from Protestantism to Roman Catholicism. Dryden’s church was in a strange and uncomfortable position. Since the time of the Restoration it had been an underground organization because it was regarded as the enemy of the English monarchy. Some of the members have been accused, and others falsely accused, of setting plots against the crown (Hopkins 85). In 1663, Dryden, â€Å"under the cloud of some personal disgrace,† married Sir Robert Howard’s sister, Lady Elizabeth. The marriage provided no financial advantages or much compatibility for the couple, but Dryden did gain some social status because of her nobility. Because of his social success, Dryden was made a member of the Royal Society that same year. Since he was a non-participating member and did not pay his dues, his membership was later revoked. In 1664, he wrote a poem honoring his brother-in-law, Sir Robert Howard, with whom Dryden remained involved personally and professionally for some time. In 1668, he was Cunningham 4 named Poet Laureate and was offered a share in the Theater Royal’s profits in exchange for his plays. This is where he earned a large portion of his income, and ensured his financial stability for the next several years. However, in 1689 when William and Mary took the throne they replaced John Dryden, a Catholic; and made Thomas Shadwell, a Protestant, the new Poet Laureate (Verrall 6). John Dryden was a poet for about forty years. He was formally known as a â€Å"public poet† because a great amount of his poetry dealt with public issues (Harth 3). The explanation for Dryden’s late development as a poet was due to the simple fact that he had nothing to say. In Dryden’s poems, the descriptions he gave avoided unique, concrete details; he preferred general terms. When he described men and women, he gave his attention to moral qualities, not physical appearance. He usually glorified the lower social class and put the upper social class in a shadow (Sherwood 7). Many of Dryden’s poems were congested with printing errors and misspelled words, although, the reasons for this were not totally his fault. There was not a great printing process during this time and many careless mistakes in printing were caused by neglectful workers (Sargeant 10). John Dryden is a poet who left a firm impression of his character in this world; he is known as a public figure, respected literary critic, popular dramatist, and strong supporter of religion and politics (Salvaggio 13). Dryden’s poetry has been divided into two time periods of his career. The first was during the Restoration period and ended in 1667. He did not write another poem for fourteen years; during this time he was writing plays and critiques. The second period began during the later part of his life and ended in 1681 (Harth 3). Some of Dryden’s more popular poems â€Å"The Cock and the Fox,† â€Å"All For Love,† â€Å"Antony and Cleopatra,† â€Å"Absalom and Achitophal,† and his most famous â€Å"Mac Cunningham 5 Flecknoe. † In the poem â€Å"All For Love,† it portrays the love story between Cleopatra, the breath-taking, beautiful, Queen of the Nile and her lover Antony. He also knew that when writing this poem it would be nothing new to the poetic world (Dryden 14). â€Å"All For Love† is a pale, beautiful play. The theme â€Å"All For Love† was meant to be that â€Å"punishment inexorably follows vice and illicit love. Actually, the motivation of the play is a conflict between reason and passion, and it is this conflict that makes â€Å"All For Love† truly representative of the Restoration Period and the battle of ideas that settled beneath† (Dryden 25). The greatest of his poems was â€Å"Absalom and Achitophel. † He wrote this while he was Poet Laureate, the national poet of a country (Hopkins 5). In this poem he described a political predicament that is described by characters from the Bible. He uses a vast amount of symbolism in the story. â€Å"Absalom and Architophel† represents his lifelong affinity for seeing the present in terms of the past (Miner 15). One of his most famous poems is â€Å"Mac Flecknoe. † He destroys Thomas Shadwell by taking very crude and harsh blows on the man. However, Dryden refers to Shadwell’s appearance to only imply that he is fat: â€Å"A Ton of Man in thy Large bulk is writ, but sure tho’rt but a kildrekin of wit† (Sherwood 7). There is nobody of English criticism that is more alive, that brings readers more directly into contact with literature, than John Dryden. One can never predict what will arise with Dryden’s criticism, but it will be far more promising than any other (Mc Henry 25). John Dryden is known as â€Å"the father of English Criticism† (Osborn 136). But, other studies and opinions show that his critical writings are known to quite often derivative, self-contradictory, rambling, inexact, at times over-specialized, and at others too sweeping (Hopkins 137). Cunningham 6 Dryden’s earliest critical essay was written in 1664, about his first verse play, The Rival Ladies. From this date until his death in 1700, Dryden scarcely passed a year without writing a preface, an essay, a discourse, a literary biography or some piece of criticism (Osborn 179). His criticism has not been viewed in the correct ways in some cases. It has often been praised for its minor virtues, and too little admired for its major ones. â€Å"His criticism is great in contrast as well as in style† (Hammond 179). John Dryden’s critical qualities are handsome ones, preferable to most. He has confidence in his basic assumptions and more gracefully within his tradition. Another great strength of his, is that he plays example against theory and theory against example; Dryden also possesses many more admiring qualities (Hammond 5). As a well-respected critic as he is Dryden has a habit of telling what he is thinking at the time of composition. His prefaces and prologues have the quality of studio talk in which the artist speaks of what he has tried to do and how he has done better, or worse, than others. He gives his views at the time, he may have different views at other times that are more educated, but he gives the views which engage him at the moment (McHenry 39). Criticism of Dryden in the half-century following his death is sparse, and contributions from the major men of letters are disappointingly casual and undeveloped. However, most likely the best criticism of Dryden during the period after his demise comes from â€Å"Dennis, Congerer, and Garth. † There is passion as well as admiration in Dennis’s remarks for Dryden’s poetry (Bredvold 14). He is a critic more than a theorist, meaning he judges poetry thoughtfully by talking incomparably well about the poetry. However, he also likes to think and to speak of his thinking to explore and mediate literary principles. John Dryden wrote with ease and at times carelessly, but he knew where he stood (Hammond 1). Cunningham 7 His poetry was often seen as a pure, rich, metrical energy, and formally proper to the genre. â€Å"It is throughout its whole range, alive with a special kind of feeling† (Osborn 181). John Dryden was engaged in literary controversy his entire literary career and life. He feuded with famous writers such as Sir Robert Howard, Thomas Shadwell, Andrew Marvell, Thomas Rymar, and many others. Shadwell was the most unfortunate foe of them all. If he had never quarreled with Dryden he would not have been known today as one of the four great comic playwrights of the Restoration period (Dryden 1). Shadwell’s and Dryden’s literary quarrel developed by the means of critical comments in prologues, epilogues, prefaces, and dedications written between 1668 and 1678. Dryden’s â€Å"Mac Flecknoe† was a major issue in the dispute between Dryden and Shadwell (Dryden 4). In â€Å"Mac Flecknoe,† Shadwell’s memory is kept alive, but has also been branded forever as horrible writer and a disgrace to the history of English writers. â€Å"Mac Flecknoe† is Dryden’s most delightful poem. It reveals Dryden’s great writing talents as poet and satirist. As he accuses Shadwell of â€Å"borrowing† from other authors. He also indicted Shadwell of â€Å"consistently stealing,† but the charges were also greatly exaggerated. However, Dryden admitted that he was guilty of â€Å"borrowing† from other authors, but he also mentioned that Charles II said that he wished those incriminated for stealing would steal plays like Dryden’s (Dryden 18). At some point Shadwell had got on good terms with Dryden, good enough at least for Dryden to provide the prologue to one of Shadwell’s plays. It might have been the prologue the others, but still it served as a prologue to one of Shadwell’s. They had to have developed some sort of friendship or came to know each other. Then something happened and the time for reconciliation had passed. In the same year in which he wrote that prologue for Shadwell he also wrote â€Å"Mac Flecknoe† to put an Cunningham 8 end to the feuding, and Shadwell became the â€Å"unforgiven butt of his ridicule† (McHenry 47). Dryden was an exceptional author that just did not make as big as others. His literary reputation suffers greatly from the simple fact that not many know of him. He is the man who wrote â€Å"Absalom and Architophel,† â€Å"Mac Flecknoe,† and who precedes Pope. He wrote not only great satirical, but great love poems, great political poems, and great religious poems. Beyond those poems he wrote many great passages of poetry. He wrote an astounding amount of good poetry, probably more than any other poet in the language except Shakespeare and Milton (Hammond 67). The English author John Dryden called himself Neander, the â€Å"new man,† in his Essay of Dramatic Poesy, and implied that he was a spokesman for the concerns of his generation and the embodiment of it’s tastes. He achieved a prominence that supported his claim. Dryden excelled in comedy, heroic tragedy, verse satire, translation, and literary criticism; genres that his contemporaries and later readers have defined as representative of the Restoration period. John Dryden’s lasting legacy will be defined by his unequaled, excellent criticisms of literature and his outstanding poetry. He developed the model for modern English prose style and set the tone for 18th century English poetry. His memorable works helped influence much of the writings that come from England to this day. Translations are another major reason why people will remember Dryden. He took authors from previous eras works and interpreted them into something superior and moved them to a greatness previously believed unattainable. His considerable accomplishments assured Dryden’s place in literary history and, through their influence on such writers as Alexander Pope, determined the course of literary history for the next generation.