The Best Place to Live

Every person has their own ways of living life. When an individual starts to make decisions, the quality of life is always considered. People resides in different parts of the world and the lifestyles varies from where they came from. Determining for the best place to live could give a greater impact in one's life as there are two options that are worthwhile to consider. For any reasons, an individual can freely choose the lifestyle of either in urban and rural living providing the advantages and disadvantages from both places. Urban and Rural settlements affects the lifestyle of a person as it differs from the kind of education, employment opportunities and the environment they live in. Education plays an important role to a successful career depending to the quality of education a person can acquire to learn. In rural areas, poverty is one of the main problems that affects the educational outcome of the students. This often leads to individuals dropping out school just to support and provide for their parents and to also help them manage the household. Moreover, not many children living in less developed villages have the opportunity to study, especially in college. Countless amounts of people may not have the opportunity to have the future they dreamed of due to the fact of where they grew up or certain circumstances in their life that disabled them from their goals. Distance is another problem have to face because of the lack of transportation. Although many struggle to get to places due to lack of transportation, those who live in the rural area struggle more. A teacher also faces many challenges in rural schools. Teachers in rural areas are paid with low salaries and the lack of teachers is another huge obstacle on the way to education. Teachers are extremely important because they give the students a foundation to work from and help the students build their way up in life. So the lack of teachers would make a huge impact on the students life and future. In urban areas, by contrast, an advantage manifested by urban students usually takes place in advanced country and economy. All of the students can get access of the wealth and social opportunities that big cities can offer. Urban schools are usually larger in size and they particularly have the resources and facilities that the rural area tends to lack. Most of the schools in the cities have advanced and qualified teachers as they get ahold of continuing trainings and workshops. The range of employment options must be considered when choosing a kind of job. In Urban areas where the population is high and extremely populated, most people intend to apply for jobs where they can get a good salary. According to the research from Public Use Microdata Area (PUMA), â€Å"the most high-skilled, high paying occupations tend to cluster in urban areas. Urban centers tend to specialize in knowledge-based work with high concerns of Technicians, Engineers, Scientist and Executives, while in rural areas have larger concentration of Machinist and Makers, which generally require less skill and receive lower salaries.† (Florida 2012).In rural areas, residents do not have enough employment options due to the lack of job opportunities and most people has an inverse relationship with agriculture. In contrary, urban areas are developed in an a planned and systematic way in terms of industrialisation. A division of labor is always present in the urban settlement for job allotment and because of the great opportunities for growth and the concentration of people, urban areas are preferred for developmental programs where the business are most likely invested. Environmental conditions gives an impact on an individual's quality of life. People living in remote places is usually described as a quiet and peaceful paradise which is a perfect place to unwind and escape from hustle and bustle of the city life. Besides rural areas are less crowded because there are not many people and cars. The scenery in rural areas are beautiful and well- conserved thus the people can enjoy the nature and have a peaceful mind. In contrast with the city dwellers, who lead a hectic life and often feel annoyed due to great stress in the daily life such as traffic, dealing with higher rates of crime and paying higher taxes. With regards to the nature, the trees are cut in urban areas for construction of roads and buildings that results to the lost of agricultural lands. The pollution and the deforestation has led to environmental imbalance and health problems, which shadow the future of urban living. Urban settlements are determined by the advanced conveniences, opportunities of education, facilities for transport, and business while the rural settlements are based more on natural resources and events. For a person who plans to reside on a specific place and get the kind of dream life however, will note the contrast between the settlement options along with how it differs in the quality of education, employment options, and the environment in both rural and urban areas.

Hepatitis A power point

This virus is one of several types of hepatitis viruses that cause inflammation and affect your liver's ability to function. O'Hare most likely to contract this virus from contaminated foods or water or from close contact of someone else who is already infected. Defeatists A is primarily found in the feces of an infected person. Gyms Potts is spread from infected food workers to ready-to-eat food including deli meats. An also be spread to produce and lads and can be present in shellfish. Symptoms Most common symptoms: -nausea -vomiting -diarrhea -mild fever -headache -fatigue Cafeteria a few days, the infected person may develop jaundice. Dichotomy may be mistaken for the flu. Comes sufferers, especially children, may exhibit no symptoms at all. These symptoms typically appear two to six weeks after start of infection. Cities may return over the following 6 months. Is contracted by eating contaminated foods or by drinking contaminated water.Food Source Fruits and vegetables grown on eyelids where the water supply has been contaminated. DRaw or undercooked shellfish from contaminated waters, raw produce, contaminated drinking water, uncooked foods and cooked foods that are not reheated after contact with an infected food handler Ass prevented through proper hand washing procedures before cooking. Preventative Measures Owen traveling abroad, depending on place of travel or length of stay it is recommend to get a vaccine. Safety precaution when traveling in regions where hepatitis A outbreaks occur.Peel and wash all fruits and vegetables yourself and avoid raw or undercooked meat and fish. Apatite's A is preventable through a vaccine. It is typically given in two doses. You receive your initial vaccination than a booster follow up 6 months later. Orrin bottled water and use when brushing your teeth. No bottle water is available you must boil your water before drinking it. O There are NO treatments that will cure L]Treating the condition is based on making you feel as comfortable as possible until the infection passes. Important to get plenty of rest, especially during the initial stages of the infection.

Customer Service Supervisor Training Program Essay

KSA requirements  Ã‚   Program Objectives   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   At the program’s conclusion participants should: Knowledge   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   * be familiar with relevant university, state and federal policies, systems, procedures and regulations to ensure customer satisfaction Skill   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   * have all personal computer skills required to effectively work in the assigned work unit * be able to diffuse a variety of hostile and unpleasant customer situations * be competent in managing staff and the customer service work unit Ability * identify and adapt to different customer communication styles and cultural backgrounds and to recognize and resolve their needs      * adopt excellent time management procedures while adhering to relevant rules, processes and directives * assume effective problem solving procedures Program Agenda    Module and rationale Goals Training Methods 1. Policies and Procedures In order for a CSS to effectively operate within the work unit he/she must first be familiar and be able to work within   required polices and procedures. – understand and work within the constraints of relevant university, state and federal policies, systems, procedures and regulations 1 day workshop    PPT., individual, pair and group activities. (Participants will be provided with a folio all documentation for future reference.) 2. Personal Computer Skills In order for a CSS to effectively operate within the work unit he/she must be informed and able to use university information systems and databases, together with a number of software applications. – obtain a competent working knowledge of word processing, spreadsheets, university information systems and databases, software applications 1 day workshop    PPT, hands-on computer tuorial 4 ongoing weekly online tutorials 3. Understanding Customers and their needs Customers possess different styles of behaviour and learning how to adjust to those differing styles improves customer service and communication. – understand the process of communication and the cultural differences that prevail, develop skills in overcoming barriers to communication, understand the importance of body language in communication,  ½ day workshop PPT, individual, pair and group activities     ½ day in the work unit role plays 4. Action Leadership    To be an effective leader,   a CSS needs to develop their own leadership skills and personal authority, as well as investigate tactics for building a strong and supportive team, handle difficult problems competently, and take accountability for end results. – understand how to be an effective leader, understand how people are motivated, be better able to use the talents of individual members within the work unit, be able to develop realistic action plans 1 day workshop    PPT, individual, pair group activities Take home ‘action plan’ assignment’    5. Time Management    One of the biggest challenges a CSS has to face is managing their time.   They are often inundated with questions, queries and wants form all sides – staff, customers and management.   The ability to identify and focus their attention on the most important tasks is often the difference between a successful or unsuccessful CSS. – understand the importance of time in the role of CSS, identify priorities, allocate time between various activities, develop time schedules, deal with the unexpected .    1 day workshop    PPT, individual, pair and group activities 6. Managing Conflict and problem solving    Not all customers are easy to manage and an effective CSS must develop effective conflict management and resolution skills to ensure customer satisfaction. These skills will also carry across to conflict issues within the work unit. understand the approach to problem solving, encourage prompt problem-solving through prompt personal action, evaluate the choices and choose the optimum solutions, understand the principles of negotiation  ½ day workshop    PPT, individual, pair and group activities     ½ day in the work unit role plays       Evaluation    Participants will be given a series of scenarios, and at specific points they will be asked to indicate how they would respond. The scenarios will be realistic, using pictures, sound files, background information and video clips. In this was, a variety of behavioral measures will be gathered in a short period of time, and the process will not be dependent on the subjective judgments of examiners.

Article review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Review - Article Example The article mainly looks at the point whether the companies selling soup is really responsible for the health of children or not. The article mentions that it can also be the responsibility of the parents to protect the children from burns. Corporate Social Responsibility is a fact, and companies are responsible for the risk attached with the products they sell. According to (Baker)â€Å" My own definition is that CSR is about how companies manage the business processes to produce an overall positive impact on society†. In our case, the corporate social responsibility of the companies which provide soup is meager. As when it comes to CSR, the company looks at society rather than a segment of market. Here children who drink soup are small segment of market and article suggests that health of the child should be the responsibility of the parents rather than that of company. In case of the topics discussed in the class room, the article can be related to Risk Management planning and financial planning. Risk management planning because, the so called product soup is risky to the children and the damage to their health poses a risk to the management of the company. When a company sells hot soup they should be aware of the fact that even children are their potential customers. They should have designed soup cups which are usable by children too .Moreover , the financial planning also comes into action, in relevance with this article.Becuase, when additional soup cups are to be designed , it incurs finance , hence an organization needs to pay attention on financial planning . I liked this article in some ways because of the message it passes on to the readers. Most importantly, it addresses about health and well being of children. Children are very delicate and apart from parents, companies also need to look at their health as potential customers. As per (Zepeda)â€Å"Instant cups of soup — the kind that often come in a Styrofoam cup full of noodles â⠂¬â€ send children to the hospital every day â€Å"Then the article surrounds around the subject of Corporate Social Responsibility which can be motive to administrative heads reading this .Children are also part of the community and it is the responsibility of the soup selling companies to manufacture cups which are less risky to their health. Something which I do not like about the article is that it is really precise. There should be more explanation about the subject as it is of social value. More over the article is not holding the soup selling companies as culprit for the burning incidence of children. There is also something missing in the article like the profit motive of the companies which sell instant soups. If needed the company can launch instant soup for young children but they hesitate to do this because of the profit motive they have. In her article (Abrams) writes thatâ€Å"A profit motive demands creative destruction in pursuit of more money and an allegiance to free markets†. As a company they should do assessment of their customer market in various ways. Even children are part of their market segment and due consideration to them is essential for the company to succeed in the market for long run. So the article could include the profit motive of the soup companies and how they neglect children’s health and well being. This article is less elaborative and it talks only precisely about the noted subject of Instant soup and health risk of children. A reader expects more from an article with this kind of subject matter.

Beauty is a high valued virtue in Greek mythology Essay

Beauty is a high valued virtue in Greek mythology - Essay Example In the text, Zeus believed that Leto’s children were beautiful, a quality that made them be attractive before him (Evslin 14). Father Zeus was delighted by Leto’s children whose faces shone brightly above other children on earth. This story reveals the physical trait of beauty that the Greek held in society. In this story, the quality of beauty has not been ascribed to any moral trait, but physical traits as shown. In another story, Evslin gives an account of how Father Zues perceived beauty among the maidens. In the story of Aphrodite, Father Zeus was impressed by the beauty of Aphrodite who was regarded as the goddess of love. In the description presented in the text, all the beauty of the Aphrodite is depicted in the physical sense. Evslin gives the description of the maiden as tall and beautiful with golden hair (Evlslin 21). From Father Zeus description of Maiden—the goddess of desire, most of her beauty were reflected in the physical sense. The description of the goddess, who Father Zeus brought to Olympus does not reflect moral, but instead a physical trait. The story of Eros and Pysche, also gives a vivid illustration that the Greek regarded beauty physical and not a moral trait. Evslin gives an account of a king who had three daughters; with one being more beautiful than Aphrodite. In the story, Aphrodite was so jealous of this beautiful Lady that she was not happy with her. In fact, the story reveals that Aphrodite asked Psyche why she was â€Å"pretending to be beautiful† like her, because she thought that she was the only one endowed with beauty in the whole of Olympus (Evslin 39). The story also depicts Pysche as being beautiful because her eyes were huge and brilliant. The use of this description demonstrates that Pysche was indeed beautiful because of her physical trait, and not from a moral perspective. Without doubt,

Policy Brief Project Descriptioin ( prison and privatization) Research Paper

Policy Brief Project Descriptioin ( prison and privatization) - Research Paper Example er prison privatization are analyzed by covering sub topics on economic perspectives, which include arguments in favor and against the policy through cost factor discussion, theoretical considerations on the policy, and how prison prisons are managed. The changed policy trend includes a case brief of Florida. The process of policy making is elaborately evaluated. Analysis includes the procurement process. Role of politics is analyzed. Role of social stakeholder groups on changing values and participation of various stakeholders on the policy highlights the mood of the public and haste of the government in allowing privatization. Conclusion is derived on taking a restraint approach. The trend of prison privatization started in mid-1980s in the United States. Taking the lead from thereon, the prison privatization not only grew quite fast in the federal, state and county correctional facilities, but also captured market for other fields of the prison industry like providing financial services for the building of new prisons and the maintenance of the existing prisons. Additionally, a number of such private companies have become public limited concerns by indulging in stock trading as well. The business of prison privatization has seen relatively more growth than other services businesses. Generally, privatization of prisons is rooted in â€Å"public choice† reasoning of the socio-political environment, created from the antigovernment mood during the Reagan era. It led to policy change in the initial stages of policy formulation, and in the operations of prisons. The issue of prison privatization has aired the notion that incarceration has become a tool in the hands of politicians for formulating policies on essential minimum imprisoning for the growth of prison privatization industry (Price a& Riccucci, 2005). Analysis of the data of the 50 states indicates the role of political elements like the political environment of a state and the political party governing

Explain a company's cost of capital and how it is calculated Essay

Explain a company's cost of capital and how it is calculated - Essay Example This means that since the investor provided the capital, there is a rate of return that would be demanded by them to compensate them for the time value of their money and the risk that they have to incur in investing. For this risk, cost of capital is sometimes called as hurdle rate. And for a project to be considered approved, it must earn more than its hurdle rate. The cost of capital determines how a company can raise money through issuing bonds, borrowing or both (Invetopedia.com, 2011). Determining the cost of capital is important in capital budgeting, determination of a company’s Economic Value Added (EVA), deciding when to lease or purchase of assets and regulation of electric, gas and telephone companies. The cost of capital is specific to each particular type of capital that the company uses (Moneyterms.co.uk, 2011). It could be the cost of equity or the cost of debt or the combination of both. The cost of equity is the rate of return on equity required by a company i mplicitly estimated using valuation ratios. The differences in the cost of equity is an important component of differences in the ratings at which different companies and sectors trade. The cost of capital of a security is for the valution of the securities.

Power Point PHD Defense Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Power Point PHD Defense - Essay Example Whereas some companies have taken advantage of diversity within their organizations to experience growth, others have managed diversity poorly and so gone into administration. The core problem therefore has to do with lack of proper management of diversity in become competitive. Based on the problem identified above, the researcher conducted this study with the purpose of investigating the issue of diversity among companies in Brazil, and finding out how diversity is managed in Spanish and Brazilian companies situated in Brazil. Prompt: Whiles diversity can have several advantages such as promoting cross-functional roles, when it is not managed well it leads to a lot of negative effects. Next we shall review some of the outcomes when diversity is managed poorly. Crowder et al. (2012) defined culture disconnect as a situation where employees refuse to act and go about their roles in a manner that is in line with the organizational culture of the companies they work in. Prompt: The need to avoid such negative effect of diversity was the rationale for which this study was started. Our next slide will therefore give us more ideas on the need not to allow the effects of culture disconnect to happen. Prompt 1: According to Barinaga (2010), a the work output of employees is said to be efficient when employees are able to produce so much within a very short period of time and by the use of the most minimum resources available (Hughes et al. (2012). Where there is disconnect and every employee is pursuing their individual cultures and differences, the need to coordinate efforts to ensure such efficiency becomes hindered. Prompt 2: For employees to work and achieve the most optimal results, it is expected they will frequently consult with others within their rank and exchange ideas, knowledge, skill and competence (Taylor & Hansen, 2005). However, when diversity is not well

A report based on an international HRM case study Essay - 1

A report based on an international HRM case study - Essay Example Therefore, the senior management team has asked the human resource manager to undertake a thorough assessment of the prevailing scenario in the US as well as in the Scandinavian nations in terms of cultural values, recruitment and training along with payment and reward. Thus, the paper intends to make the required analysis along with providing the senior management a recommendation regarding the most appropriate location for establishing the manufacturing unit among the US or a Scandinavian nation. Table of Contents Executive Summary 2 Managing human resource efficiently has become a key element in the modern day business context. Organisations nowadays are providing significant consideration towards recognising the prevailing context of a foreign nation before commencing their business operations. In this context, understanding cultural aspects of a foreign country is imperative to ascertain that diversity management aspect can be maintained by the company efficiently in future. Wit h due consideration to this notion, an electronics manufacturing company has endeavoured to establish its manufacturing unit in either the United States of America or in a Scandinavian nation. ... 2 Table of Contents 3 Introduction 4 Cultural Values 5 Recruitment and Training 8 Payment and Reward 11 Recommendations and Conclusion 14 References 16 Introduction An electronics company that produces electronic goods for the mobile phone industry intends to set up a manufacturing unit either in the United States of America or in any of the Scandinavian countries. Scandinavia comprises five nations namely, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Denmark and Finland. The purpose of this report is to analyse the human resource policies and practices of these countries in order to make the due changes in the intended manufacturing unit. Recruitment and managing of local employees are among the key responsibilities bestowed upon the human resource manager of the organisation. Thus, a thorough assessment of the existing scenarios in these two societies is a pertinent initiative to proceed appropriately. The various aspects to be considered while making such analysis are the cultural values, the recruit ment and training practices of the countries, the payment and rewards system followed by the countries. Values concerning the societies and its importance among the citizens are to be evaluated critically in order to align the work culture of the planned manufacturing unit. The recruitment and training being one of the most important human resource aspects to be followed by a company, the practices pertaining to them are to be adopted by the manufacturing unit in order to run successfully and in compliance with the surrounding. The recruitment and training practices or trends followed by the business units in a country are also of great importance in order to

Alfred Stieglitz and His the Steerage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Alfred Stieglitz and His the Steerage - Essay Example he snapshots a rich color and picturesqueness, although Stieglitz said: â€Å"I do not object to retouching, dodging or accentuation as long as they do not interfere with the natural qualities of photographic technique† (cited in Whelan, 1995). This photo evolutional trend had been called â€Å"the pictorializm†. Snapshots, so much adored by the follower of this stream, were made by the hand camera or the fixed device, but in the only unrepeatable moment, and, as a result of a painstaking artistic work they were becoming the unique photo pictures, the art masterpieces. But this passion didn’t last for a long time and later it became inexplicable, why the goals posed by the pictorializm can be satisfied only by the photo technology. Alfred Stieglitz, who for nearly 15 years was organizing the exhibitions of young budding photographers and artists, at first, in the 1900-s was affected an active combination of photography and art, and later, after ten years, his gal lery began to pay more attention on the pictorial art itself. New times had come, and pictorializm as a trend became the production of sentimental pictures. So Alfred Stieglitz deeply changes his manner of taking photos. In the 1890-s he was walking the streets with his â€Å"detective† camera and making the reportage photos, not retouching or amplifying them at all. In the later years he talked about the researches of the unknown and said he was looking for the subjects for his works in the sixty yards of his house door. In those days such considerations were innovatory, that was the time of sentimental, genre, compositional and â€Å"highart† photos , criticized by Emerson, the author of the â€Å"Naturalistic photography†, but still popular in the New-York photo clubs, and these wire-drawn images were hanged... The essay "Alfred Stieglitz and his the Steerage" gives detailed information about a famous photographer and explores the story of his greatest photographs of all time. He was the first who acquainted famous by its conservative views American society with the works of such genius of that time as Picasso, Braque, Rodin, Brancusi, Matisse, Dyushan, Cezanne, Americans Max Lieberman and James McNeill. Artists and litterateurs concentrated their attention on the searches of new methods for the description of reality, and, thereby. In the first decades of 20-th century the modernism appeared as the complex of artistic trends (futurism, expressionism, cubism, constructivism, surrealism, abstract art etc.), which were advancing till the Second World War. Alfred Stieglitz is a foremen of piktorializm, the editor of an association of amateur photography enthusiasts. But when within the group the division had started, and members of the Camera Club began to oppose his restrictive editorial poli cies, Stieglitz and several of his friends-photographers ruptured with the Club and established the Photo-Secession group†. Photo portraits Made by Stieglitz were lucid and profound, capitally showing their dispositions. In the 1925 all his works were demonstrated in the gallery of Mitchell Kennerly. But the most famous his work is The Steerage. It was captured in 1907 on the lower deck of one of the largest ships in the world at that time because the snapshot had chased the lower class passenger’s area, known on most ships as the steerage.

Asthma and Common Type Essay Example for Free

Asthma and Common Type Essay I’m going to be discussing how one in 15 people has asthma, a chronic condition whose symptoms are attack of wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and coughing. There’s no cure for asthma, but most people can control the condition. As far as I remember, Asthma has been around my family for years. I have a lot of family members who suffer this, so I can relate to it. I will be focusing on what it is, warning signs, symptoms cause and the treatment that are used. Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airway in which many cells and cellular lements play a role. The inflammation causes these symptoms of the breathlessness, wheezing, chest tightness, and cough. Asthma is a condition in the airways of your lungs. it tighten your muscles surrounding your airways and there is swelling plus irritation in in the airways. This is what cause inflammation. What can trigger asthma could be your allergies, infections, tobacco smoke, weather; changes in temperature and even strong odor or fumes that come from your house. It is very important that you treat your asthma, If untreated you will have a asthma attack or may cause long term loss of lung function. That is not good. An attack is a sudden worsening of the symptoms. With an asthma attack, your airways tighten, swell up or fill with mucus. Not every person with asthma has the same symptoms of an asthma attack. You may not have all these symptoms or you may have different symptoms at different times. Your symptoms may also vary from one asthma attack to the next, being ild during one attacks and severe during another. It is important to remember that there is no cure for asthma, but it can be controlled. There many medication that help people with asthma. One main treatment to lessening the effects of asthma is use of inhalers. They are hand-held devices enable people with asthma to deliver medicine directly to their lungs anyplace, anytime, which helps opens up the airways in our lungs. This is the most common type of treatment that is used.

Translation in Advertising Essay Example for Free

Translation in Advertising Essay Modern mass media have triggered the distribution of the international advertizing activity. Nowadays, the translation of advertising has become not only necessary but also the daily phenomenon of life of the world community. Thus, the knowledge of theoretical bases of the process is not only an indispensable condition, but also the quality assurance of the translation. Like other production of the mass media – newspapers, magazines, TV programs, broadcasts, advertising is materialized in the form of the ready media text. And the concept â€Å"text† with the reference to the sphere of the mass information is used not only for a designation of an actual text verbal number, but also gets lines of dimensions and multidimensionality including such important for media production components as a visual number in its graphic or television embodiment, and also an audio number in the form of a product. Therefore, the concept â€Å"the advertising text† concerns not only a verbal number, but also includes a set of all linguistic significant components, somehow: schedules, images, sound, etc.  where the concrete set depends on a mass-media-carrier. Such interpretation of a concept ‘the advertising text’ finds the reflection in works of many English-speaking researchers, in particular, in Angela Goddars The Language Book of Advertising which writes: â€Å"The word ‘text’ here (as applied to advertising) is used in its widest sense, including visual artifacts as well as verbal language†. While translating advertising texts it is necessary to consider the purpose of the advertising message, the character of the consumer, the language qualities of the text of the original, the cultural and individual possibilities of the language in the cultural aspect of the consumer and many other things. Translation of texts in advertising can be defined as close to â€Å"adequate†. Such type of translation is caused by its practical necessity. The given approach demands good knowledge of the translator of the subject discussed in the original, the translator should understand what the author of the advertising text, i.e. communicative intention of the advertising text, wanted to say. Translation of the advertising text at change of the verbal form should be, at the same time, precisely transferred in meaning. While translating English-speaking advertising texts, in some cases Russian translators dont translate the text and give its â€Å"semantic equivalent†. For example: â€Å"What legs! Much more than legs! OMSA knows how to be admired! † (From Paris to the Find Omsa the best stockings! ); â€Å"Betcha can’t eat just one† (Zahrustish – you will not resist! ). The choice of this or that way or translating depends on a lot factors. It can be both the character of the text being translated, and the audience of the consumer of advertising production, psychological features of the translator, and his /her adherence of a certain literary tradition. For many experts in advertising activity the foreign language text serves only as a means for understanding the idea of an advertised product, the text is often written from scratch in the language of the country of the consumer, taking into account its national specificity. When the exact translation of the text represented is for any reasons undesirable, the translator uses the phrases that are approximate in meaning; the phrases should necessarily consider traditional ethnic, national and social features, stereotypes of behavior of a concrete audience at whom the product in the advertising text is directed. If the audience on whom the text of an advertised product is focused is various, translators use exclusively common lexicon that is clear to each native speaker and has wide application in a daily dialogue. If the target audience is homogeneous, translators dont use in the advertizing text the words that have certain restrictions in the use. They carefully select the words included in the advertising text with the reference to their stylistic conformity, to the chosen theme, the product and the audience. In the case when the advertising campaign is focused on the narrow homogeneous audience having its own social or professional metalanguage, the use of slangy words and words of professionalism is not forbidden to the translator, but, moreover, it is welcomed. The reference to literary, cultural and historical traditions is â€Å"the powerful weapon† for the founders of advertising. At the same time similar phenomena represent certain difficulties at interpretation and perception of the text. The use of citations, hints, deformed idioms, and also the words of another language assumes the presence of the general background knowledge of the founder of the text and its addressee. A similar phenomena gets special importance in advertising of the goods displayed in  the international market as in this case there is required some adaptation of advertising messages to the audience they are addressed; with the reference to peculiarities of the language picture of the world. Advertising texts should be characterized by clarity, brightness, laconicism, extravagance, highly professional execution, as its main objective – to draw attention, to raise interest and to stimulate sale. To achieve this purpose the composers of the advertizing text appeal to the use of various linguistic and psychological devices. Therefore, in advertising messages on the â€Å"the limited space† it is possible to observe the highest concentration of various stylistic devices. â€Å"Having the purpose of intensive concentrated influence, advertising uses a rich spectrum of expressive means at all language levels†. [1] Allegory, a metaphor, comparison, parallelism, various kinds of repetitions, alliteration, an onomatopoeia, concentration of imperative forms of a verb and connotive adjectives – all these are widely represented in advertising texts. So, for example, D. Dajer characterizes features of language of advertizing as follows: â€Å"Advertising language is of course loaded language. Its primary aim is to attract our attention and dispose us favorably towards the product or service on offer. Advertisers use language quite distinctively: there are certainly advantages in making bizarre and controversial statements in unusual ways as well as communicating with people using simple, straightforward language †¦ Catching our attention and imagination and aiding memory are perhaps the primary functions of advertising languages: usual or stylish words and short, crisp sentences are easy to repeat and remember. And our memories are also served by brand names, slogans and catch-phrases, rhythm and rhyme, alliteration, snatches of song and verse and of course endless repetition†. [3, p. 140] As one of the major components of the advertising text is the description of advertised goods or services, attributive combinations that include adverbs and adjectives bear the big functional loading. Some researchers even name the adverbs and adjectives the keywords of the advertising text and pay to them special attention. â€Å"If you listen to any commercial or glance at advertisements in magazines, you will be subjected to a liberal sprinkling of adverbs and adjectives. There are key parts of speech for advertisers. They are the trigger words because they can stimulate envy, dreams and desires by evoking looks, touch, taste, smell without actually misrepresenting a product†. Adjectives and adverbs help to create that unique tonality of an advertising appeal which allows to transfer qualities and advantages of an advertised subject. While translating into other language this circumstance should be necessarily considered: â€Å"Radiant, sensual, sophisticated, Jadore is a fragrance that celebrates the renaissance of extreme femininity and the power of spontaneous emotion with a brilliant bouquet of orchids, the velvet touch of Damascus plum and the mellowness of Amarante wood† (Shining, sensual, difficult, Jadore – aroma which celebrates the Renaissance of extreme feminity and the power of direct emotion with a brilliant bouquet of orchids, velvet contact of Damask plum, and ripeness of wood of an amaranth). [3, p. 149] In translation process of advertising texts adjectives and adverbs are used for the description of the most various properties of an advertised product – forms, the size, the quality, the cost, sensations which the given product causes. The adjectives that are most used in English-speaking advertising concern: natural, sensual, innocent, passionate, romantic, mysterious, good, better, best, free, fresh, delicious, full sure, clean, wonderful, special, fine, big, great, real, easy, bright, extra, rich, gold. Often there are the adjectives specifying the authenticity of a trade mark genuine, authentic and original. But, perhaps, the champion of frequency in English-speaking advertising there is an adjective ‘new’ he can be met practically in every second advertising text. On syntactical level it is possible to name such most significant signs of the advertising text as the frequent use of imperative forms of a verb that considerably strengthens dynamism of an advertising appeal (see, buy, fly). â€Å"They fell in love with her when she started wearing that Sexplosion perfume. That perfume really attracts boys! Buy some! † Very often in advertising texts there is a metaphor, while translating it the translator needs to show a great creative potential: â€Å"Plop plop, fizz fizz, oh what a relief it is! † (Advertizing Alka-Seltzer: â€Å"Fun without a hang-over! †); â€Å"The quicker picker-upper† (advertizing of chocolate Bounty: â€Å"Bounty. Paradise pleasure†). Or on the contrary, while translating a usual advertising slogan into Russian the translator uses a metaphor: â€Å"Mr.Clean will clean your whole house and everything thats in it† (â€Å"Mr. Proper all has washed also apartment has freshened†; â€Å"With Mr. Proper is more cheerful, houses purely twice faster! †); â€Å"If it’s gotta be clean, it’s gotta be Tide† (â€Å"Cleanliness – Tajd is pure! †). References: 1. ДÐ ¾Ã ±Ã'€Ð ¾Ã' Ã ºÃ »Ã ¾Ã ½Ã' Ã ºÃ °Ã' , Ð ¢. Г. Ð’Ð ¾Ã ¿Ã'€Ð ¾Ã' Ã'‹ Ð ¸Ã ·Ã'Æ'Ã'‡Ð µÃ ½Ã ¸Ã'  Ð ¼Ã µÃ ´Ã ¸Ã ° Ã'‚Ð µÃ ºÃ' Ã'‚Ð ¾Ã ². – ÐÅ". : ÐÅ"Ð ÃÅ¡Ã ¡ ПÃ'€Ð µÃ' Ã' . 2000. 2. Ð §Ã °Ã ³Ã °Ã ½, Ð . Г. Ð  Ã µÃ ºÃ »Ã °Ã ¼Ã ° Ð ² Ã' Ã ¾Ã'†Ð ¸Ã ¾Ã ºÃ'Æ'Ð »Ã'Å'Ã'‚Ã'Æ'Ã'€Ð ½Ã ¾Ã ¼ Ð ¿Ã'€Ð ¾Ã' Ã'‚Ã'€Ð °Ã ½Ã' Ã'‚Ð ²Ã µ: Ã'‚Ã'€Ð °Ã ´Ã ¸Ã'†Ð ¸Ã'  Ð ¸ Ã' Ã ¾Ã ²Ã'€Ð µÃ ¼Ã µÃ ½Ã ½Ã ¾Ã' Ã'‚Ã'Å' // ÐÅ"Ð °Ã'€Ð ºÃ µÃ'‚Ð ¸Ã ½Ã ³ Ð ² Ð  Ã ¾Ã' Ã' Ã ¸Ã ¸ Ð ¸ Ð ·Ã ° Ã'â‚ ¬Ã'Æ'Ð ±Ã µÃ ¶Ã ¾Ã ¼. 2000. â„â€" 2. 3. Dyer, G. Advertising as Communication. – London. 1995.

Health And Illnesses Defined By Society Sociology Essay

Health And Illnesses Defined By Society Sociology Essay Health is the general condition of a person in all aspects of life. It can be seen as the level of functional and or metabolic efficiency of an organism, often implicitly human. According to World Health Organization (WHO), health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity- (WHO 1986). It can be defined as the absence of disease, a state of health unless symptoms emerge that demonstrates a deviance from normality. Mechanic and Volkhart (1961) define illness behaviour as the way in which symptoms are perceived, evaluated and acted upon by a person who recognizes some pain, discomfort or other signs of malfunction. Coe, (1979) asserts that illness is a subjective phenomenon. Individuals perceive themselves as not feeling well and hence may deviate from usual normal behaviour. According to him, the individual may feel sick without a disease being present, (or he/she may not experience illness even though a disease is present). Two persons with the same clinical symptoms may act altogether differently in degree and kind of concern expressed, and whether and how they search for treatment Foster and Anderson (1979) posit that the state of illness comes with a time sequence. There is the beginning, an awareness of the first faint symptoms, there is a progression, the social and psychological progresses that occur, and there is a termination, through recovery or death. At many points during the course of illness, medical and social decisions must be made, roles adjusted and attitudes changed to confirm to the reality of the situations. Medical sociologist believes that illness behavior is to a large extent influenced by the individuals social class, ethnic background and culture of orientation. The definition of health and illness polarizes between those that rely upon objectives, scientific criteria at one extreme, and awareness, at the other. It has generated divergent views and understanding which is reflected in the academic debates about the nature of health and illness. Traditional Medical View The traditional medical view is that there is such a thing as a normal functioning of the body, which has a limited degree of variation. When operating within the normal boundaries of these variations, a person can be defined as healthy, and when they are outside these normal boundaries, they are ill or there organs are diseased. Health can be defined within this framework as the absence of disease. It assumes a state of health unless symptoms emerge that demonstrate a deviance from normality. The Positivist Approach The positivist approach accepts the concept of disease, but, brings out a much broader social element into the definition, suggesting that health is not just a physical state, but also a wider sense of well-being, closely linked to our social surroundings. While the Lay Models of Health perspective emerged to use the functional definition by arguing that health can be defined as the ability to perform normal daily activities (Haralambos and Holborn 2008:280-1). The functionalist approach to the sociology of health and illness derives from the work of Talcott Parsons. He explored the relationship between illness and social control. Parson (1951) put forward one of the most famous concept in the sociology of health and illness: the sick role. This is the role assumed by an individual who excuses him or her from the normal behaviour because he is sick due to injury or incapacitation. He/she then seeks compassion from colleges, friend and family members and is no longer able to carry out normal activities. The sick person has the right to be exempted from normal social obligations, such as attending employment, or fully engaging in family activities. More so, sickness is something that no person can do anything about and for which the sick should not be blamed -they therefore have the right to be looked after by others. However the obligation of the sick role entails that the sick person must accept that he/she is in a situation that is undesirable and should seek to get well a soon as possible. The sick person must seek professional help and cooperate with the medical profession to get better. To the functionalist, illness has positive adaptive function which only a critical analysis can bring out. Dysfunctionally, disease and illness are destructive of human organism attacking cells and tissues thus reducing organisms adjustment. It brings loss resources for the individual and his/her group and can engender role problems as one individual or some people are put off temporally or permanently. On manifest, illness serves to forewarn the individual about the possible collapse of his/her physical structure and to effect repair. It makes the individual, his/her group or society to mobilize for such and similar occurrence, and for the group or society to train members for multiple roles incase of incapacitation of some people. On the latent functions, illness relieves the victim of unbearable pressure, mainly from relatives and dependants. It is used to gain attention and also maybe a device to expiate sinful feelings. The Work of Foucault A Foucaultian perspective drives social constructionalism much further on, right to the heart of the natural or biological, arguing that what we know as disease are themselves fabrications of powerful discourses, rather than discoveries of truths about the body and its interaction with the social world (Bury 1986) The corpus of his major work from the 1960s to the 1980s is an attempt to write a new history of the subject as constituted through historically located disciplinary powers. Foucaults starting position is the configuration of knowledge or episteme which constitutes particular subjects during specific historical periods. For Foucault (1973) sociology was deeply implicated in the very episteme which had given rise to medicine. The discipline of medicine provided the tool whereby subjectivity could be experienced and enforced. Contemporary sociology is not against medicine or professional practice, but rather seeks to problematize the taken- for- granted categories or reality within which they operate and deploy power/knowledge. The relationship between sociology and medicine and practices has always had a major impact on the field of the sociology of health and illness. His work went further to review the changing relationship before moving on to discuss some key characteristic of a sociological account for modern medicine and the social functions of medical knowledge. Although it is inappropriate to label Foucaults work postmodern it has been an important influences upon postmodernists. Post Modernism This approach allows the analysis of the fabrication of health, illness and patient subjectivity and the effect of the inscription on the body. It is suggested that health care professionals need to be more reflexive about their own knowledge claims and to resist the discursive practices which disempower and reduce choice. There is sustained application of post-modernist ideas to the sociology of health and medicine, although there is certainly an interest among many to explore their relevance for the field. The objective of sociologists of postmodernity is to understand the nature of contemporary postmodern society. As a result of developments in medicine, the overall increase in levels of health, have created the belief that most people will live long healthy lives. There is an increasing emphasis on life planning and self-identityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.as the constraints of life-threatening diseases early death and insecurity have given way to a more predictable life course Bury (1997). The experience of chronic illness therefore threatens much of what has come to be accepted as normal in contemporary society. Bury(1982) argued that chronic illness constitutes a major disruptive force in people lives undermining the taken-for-granted assumptions they had about the world and their place in it and forcing t hem to review their lives their own bodies and their own identities. He called this process biographical disruption. Narrative reconstruction is used by people to create a sense of coherence and order-why they got the disease. Interactionist Perspective Symbolic interactionism has probably been the most influential theoretical approach in the sociology of health and illness with studies focusing on the processes involved in people arriving at the decision to seek professional help, the interaction between the ill person and the medical professional in arriving at a definition of the illness and the impact on the person of being labeled as ill. This perspective rejects the notion that illness is a direct result of some form of disease instead they perceive it as a form of social deviance. What constitutes illness is a result of social definitions. Mechanic (1968) defines illness behaviour as the way in which symptoms are perceived evaluated and acted upon by a person who recognizes some pain discomfort and other signs of organic malfunction. Feminist Approach to Health These can include liberal feminism, socialist feminism and radical feminism. Divisions are apparent in the theoretical debates on feminism within the sociology of health and illness. All of them focuses in particular on inequalities of health between male and female and has sought explanations for these differences within the different role and economic positions of men and women. It tends to sought equality of numbers of men and women in the higher status medical professions and research has been undertaken to demonstrate the smaller number of women who occupy senior medical position and also the way in which nursing is regarded as lower-status, female profession. It also points to the lack of power that women have in their relations with the medical profession and demands a greater say in womens health particularly in childbirth and conception. Soialist feminist emphasizes that it is not possible to change the role of males and females within a capitalist patriarchal society as liberal feminist seek to do. Conclusion Health and illness in contemporary societies has been subjected of discuss from centuries back. Contemporary medicine includes unofficial, unorthodox, holistic and non conventional reflects both the range of models of health which underlie these differing medicines and the ability of the more powerful biomedical profession to have them defined as somehow subservient to (complementary) or less proven (alternative than biomedicine. Although there is general acceptance of the importance of social explanation in helping to understand health and illness within sociology, there is little consensus as to the exact mechanism which links social class, gender, ethnicity, and geography to different level of health with the explanations ranging from those which stresses the wider economic structure of society, to those which stress the individual life style choice. Finally the conceptualization of health and illness in contemporary society has brought out the idea that there are areas of knowledge which are natural and can only be understood through a sociological and physiological framework.

The Flawed King in Shakespeares Henry V Essay -- Henry IV Henry V Ess

The Flawed King in Shakespeare's Henry V To turn Henry V into a play glorifying war or a play condemning war would be to presume Shakespeare's intentions too much. He does both of these and more in his recount of the historical battle of Agincourt. Although Shakespeare devotes the play to the events leading to war, he simultaneously gives us insight into the political and private life of a king. It is this unity of two distinct areas that has turned the play into a critical no man's land, "acrimoniously contested and periodically disfigured by opposing barrages of intellectual artillery" (Taylor 1). One may believe that Henry is the epitome of kingly glory, a disgrace of royalty, or think that Shakespeare himself disliked Henry and attempted to express his moral distaste subtly to his audience. No matter in which camp one rests, Henry V holds relevance for the modern stage. Despite containing contradictions, Henry is also a symbol as he is one person. This unity of person brings about the victory in the battle of Agi ncourt. The theme of unity transcends any ambiguity found in Henry's character or motives. This theme is evident in many areas of Henry V, but for the sake of this article, the importance of this theme is discussed between play and audience, and within Henry himself. This production of Henry V proposes that these two aspects be emphasized to show how Shakespeare's play has a message for modern theatergoers. The setting and age are left the same, as this adds to the validity of the play. Henry and his army are victorious at the battle of Agincourt. England and France are united, and Henry reigns supreme for the time being. An obstacle to overcome when directing Henry V is that it is affirmative l... ... and ambiguity. Shakespeare uses the ironies found in the play so that we will remember his play's limits. It cannot produce an ideal, nor can we as an audience. Works Cited Beauman, Sally, ed. The Royal Shakespeare Company's Centenary Production of Henry V. Oxford: Pergamon Press, 1976. Bloom, Harold. Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human. New York: Riverhead Books, 1998. Iser, Wolfgang. Staging Politics: The Lasting Impact of Shakespeare's Histories. New York: Columbia University Press, 1993. Shakespeare, William. "Henry V." The Norton Shakespeare: Histories. Eds. Stephen Greenblatt, Walter Cohen, Jean E. Howard, and Katherine Eisaman Maus. London: Norton, 1997. 726-795. Taylor, Gary, ed. Henry V: The Oxford Shakespeare. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1982. Traversi, D.A. An Approach to Shakespeare. Vol. 1. New York: Anchor Books, 1969.

On the Way - Fiction :: Papers

On the Way - Fiction It was a cold windy night in the mid December of 1941. The snow was falling slowly down the footpath while George was walking home. He was wearing a his big brown coat and a brown hat. George lived in a small wooden house which be built by himself in the forest. George lived alone by himself since his parents left him. He was living away from the world and he didn't know what was happening around him, and he had no idea about the fascism which was in the grip of the world. He was a grown man and he could care for himself, but the loneliness was his problem. His only friends, Mr and Mrs Muller were living a few miles away from him. One day when George was in the forest hunting for food, he heard a women's scream and horses coming to him. George jumped into the bush next to him and waited. He pointed his gun to the direction where the noise was coming from. They were getting closer. Suddenly a Jewish women passed by being chased by two military men in horses. The woman was frightened to death for her life. One of the men in horses pointed his shotgun at her and shot her in the leg. "Should I leave her die here?", said the horseman. "No, she might come back to the city again. Lets finish her here and now!", answered the other horseman and pointed his gun into her head. George was frightened and terrified, he couldn't watch a woman being murdered in front of him. He fired to one of the evil person that was aiming to the poor woman and killed him. The other horseman ran, he was afraid for loosing his life. The girl was dressed like a tramp, with long brown dirty trousers, a sweater with ripped sleeves and old dirty shoes. George went out of the bush and asked the woman: "Who are you, why are they running after you?" The woman answered, "My name is Isabel.

Jurassic Park :: Essays Papers

Jurassic Park A very wealthy man has created a technique to clone dinosaurs. He is able to do so with the left behind DNA that his genius team of scientists and experts can extract. He is able to grow the dinosaurs in labs and lock them up on an island behind electric fences. He has created a sort of theme park on the island, which is located off the west coast of Costa Rica. The island is called Isle Nublar. He plans to have the entire planet come and visit his amazing prehistoric marvels. He asks a group of scientists from several different fields to come and view the park, but something goes terribly wrong when a worker on the island decides to be a traitor and shuts down the power. The main characters in the book are: John Hammond who is a billionaire developer who has used his resources to create the dinosaur filled island known as Jurassic Park. He is an old grandfather, and he dies in the book by a dinosaur known as a Procompsognathus. Dr. Alan Grant who is a famous paleontologist who agrees to visit Jurassic Park only to find out it is the home of several Dinosaurs. Unlike the movie Dr. Grant loves kids in the book. He also had a beard. Dr. Ellie Sattler is a Paleobotinist, who is also among the first people to tour Jurassic Park. There is also Tim, who is the 11-year-old grandson of John Hammond. He is kind of geeky, into computers and loves Dinosaurs. His 7-year-old sister is Alexis. She has a tomboy attitude and loves baseball. Ian Malcom is the Mathematician that uses "Chaos Theory" to predict disastrous results. He only wears black and gray. He is presumably dead in Jurassic Park the book, but somehow he shows up in the sequel, The Lost World. Finally there is Dennis Nedry. He was the computer genius who's greed and ambition bring chaos to Jurassic Park. There are many other characters that played a big part in the book, but I thought they were the best and the plot revolved around them. The characters show the greatest difference in the movie and the book. There were many opposites in the characters and even the roles and personalities of Tim and Lex were reversed. The book starts off when some of the dinosaurs have escaped form the island.

Stevie Nicks: an Inspirational Artist

Another band Nicks Joined in high school was the Frizz Robbery Memorial Band. Frizz was given the opportunity to open for celebrity musician, Janis Joplin. Nicks recalls, muff couldn't have pried me away with a million dollar check†¦ L was absolutely glued to her. It was there that learned a lot of what I do onstage†¦ L said, ‘If ever I am a performer of any value, I want to be able to create the same kind of feeling that is going on between her and her audience† (Steve Nicks Biography). Sure enough, Nicks did accomplish what she set out to do and much more.Steve Nicks' educational career continued when she decided to enroll at San Jose State University as a speech communication major. Steve planned on becoming an English teacher but the enrollment was short-lived and she eventually dropped out of San Jose to pursue her musical aspirations In Los Angels. Steve moved to L. A. With her musical partner, Lindsey Bucking, who eventually became her romantic partner as well. Together they signed a record deal with Polygon Records and created the Bucking Nicks album. Unfortunately, the public did not respond and the duo was unable to produce a significant profit from the album. Nicks decided she would to let this setback end her musical career. Little did she know, she was about to the land the opportunity of a lifetime, My favorite part of Settee's career, her Journey with Flatfooted Mac, could not have come at a better time In Steve Nick's life. She was struggling financially and desperate to have a career breakthrough. I believe â€Å"The Chain†, by Flatfooted Mac, is without a doubt the front-runner of all the songs Steve has participated in writing.Her collaboration on this song with Lindsey Bucking, Mimic Flatfooted, Christine Mimic, and John Emcee showed Steve has the ability to work well with others. The Chain† Includes Settee's preferred Instrument, the tambourine, as well as another percussion Instrument, the drums, and a st ring instrument, the guitar. One similarity this song has with most of Settee's other songs is that it falls in the rock music genre. The upbeat and dramatic tone of this song captivates the audience from the beginning and holds their attention until the end, leaving the listener with a desire to hear more.Another one of my favorites performed by Flatfooted Mac Is the song â€Å"Ruination†, a song Steve states was written In only ten minutes, This musical creation Is about a haystack woman won Tints It very Nora to De tale down (Keller) . Settle wanted t song to be uplifting. I believe the song does have a mystical quality about it, however, not much of an uplifting one. In â€Å"Ruination†, Steve Nicks crosses over from her traditional musical genre, rock, to a separate musical genre, pop.Once again, you can clearly hear the drums, played by Mimic Flatfooted, and two guitars, one played by Lindsey Bucking and the other by John Mimic. There is another instrument that i s introduced in this song and that is the keyboard, which is played by Christine Mimic (Pillar). The combination of these musical instruments sounds beautiful, and Nicks did a remarkable Job putting this piece together. I also enjoy the song â€Å"Dreams,† which Steve Nicks wrote concerning love affairs and relationships ending. It was very personal to Steve, as she was going through this experience herself.After an eight year relationship, Steve Nicks and Lindsey Bucking had decided to go their separate ways. Although â€Å"Dreams† addresses a more difficult topic than â€Å"Ruination,† I think it has a more positive energy and uplifting beat. Steve says she likes to offer hope in her songs (Killer). Nicks chose to incorporate percussion, strings, and a keyboard instrument by using the drums, an acoustic guitar, a base guitar, and the keyboard itself. â€Å"Dreams† is yet another song in Steve Nicks' career that climbed the charts when it was released in 1977 and is still popular more than thirty years later.All the songs discussed previously have excellent music and vocals, but there is one song in which the music overshadows Settee's voice and that song is â€Å"Gypsy. † Without watching one of Flatfooted Mac's live performances, the instrument that I thought stood out was the piano. However, it is actually a guitar. This song is similar to â€Å"Ruination† in that it reflects Nicks' mystical side. The music in â€Å"Gypsy' is refreshing and relaxing. This is the type of song I would want in the background when I had friends over.It sets up a pleasant atmosphere and is delightfully entertaining. The last song I like, written by Steve Nicks that comes out before her solo career, is â€Å"Landslide†. This song is filled with overwhelming emotion and intrigue. It is about Nicks' decision to continue in her musical career when she was standing up against all odds. The guitar is the predominant instrument in this piece, and it is all the song rule needs. Steve repeats the same theme over and over again through the course of this piece. The music in â€Å"Landslide† is surprisingly simple yet very powerful.Throughout Steve Nicks solo career, I would have to say that her most popular composition was â€Å"Edge of Seventeen. † I still hear it on the radio today. Nicks wrote this song after John Lenin and an uncle she was very close to passed away. There is irony in this because â€Å"Edge of Seventeen† strikes me as particularly happy song. The cymbals are an instrument unique to this musical piece. In addition, there are three efferent types of drums being played: the snare drum and the bass drum, which are played with sticks, as well as a hand drum, which is obviously played with the hands.The piano Joins these other instruments as the song develops. â€Å"Edge of Seventeen† is a gripping and enchanting song which, not surprisingly, comes from Settee's album Encha nted. Another catchy song from Nicks' album Enchanted is â€Å"Blue Lamp. † Like many of her other pieces of work, â€Å"Blue Lamp† has a musical introduction that highlights the melody of the song. Steve Nicks stands on the genre border between rock and pop tin tons one-or-a-Kink place. In near own words, seen says tons song symbolizes â€Å"ten light that shines through the night† (Killer).Typical of Settee's character, she uses the drums and the guitar as the musical foundation for the song. If I had to choose one song that I did not like from Nicks' output, it would be â€Å"Rock a Little. † This song does not draw me in the way her others do. The tone color of the instruments sounds dull and the music is relatively boring. This is only my personal opinion, and over the course of Steve Nicks' extraordinary career, I found this piece of work to be simply ordinary. Although Steve Nicks' career began with a commercial failure, her successes as a musical artist are what she is known for.Steve Nicks has influenced a wide variety and record number of singers and songwriters including Kelly Clarion, Collie Cyclical, Madonna, the Dixie Chicks, and Vanessa Carlton. She has collaborated with many well-known artists including Tom Petty, and mentored others, such as Sherry Crow (Dunn). Her 2001 solo album, Trouble in Shanghai-La, included fellow musicians Mac Gray, Sarah McClellan, Sherry Crow, and Dixie Chick Natalie Amines. Nicks has toured all over the world from Sydney, Australia, to SST. Petersburg, Russia, and from Dublin, Ireland, to Dallas, Texas.I cannot say that one country likes her more than the other, given the fact that all the reviews describe her sold out concerts and devoted fans (Kinney). In an article from an Australian newspaper, music editor Kathy McCabe reports, â€Å"The veteran band [Flatfooted Mac] who ushered in the west-coast sound has lost none of its fire but gained the self-awareness afforded by survival in th e music business, using their legendary tensions, relationship breakdowns and drug problems to introduce so many great songs from Rumors and beyond† (McCabe).Sean Flynn, writer for the Irish Times, says, â€Å"This time around, there is no new album to plug and no new songs to roll out. Yesterdays gone, but those golden sun-drenched songs roll on forever† (Flynn). I could not have said it better myself. Steve Nicks is a legend. Her music has thrived for decades and she will go down in history as an exceptionally talented songwriter and performer. In addition to the musical imprint Steve Nicks has left on society, her humanitarian efforts have also impacted the world. She has performed at benefits for the Arizona

Corporate Social Responsibility Essay

In general, Corporate Social Responsibility can be described as an approach by which a company: * recognises that its activities have a wider impact on the society in which it operates and that developments in society in turn impact on its ability to pursue its business successfully. * actively manages the economic, social, environmental and human rights impact of its activities across the world, basing these on principles which reflect international values, reaping benefits both for its own operations and reputation as well as for the communities in which it operates. * seeks to achieve these benefits by working closely with other groups and organisations – local communities, civil society, other businesses and home and host governments. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been a critical part of the Sunway Group for the past three decades. Sunway Group company is one that instils and celebrates the culture of giving to society. The Group recognises the significance of developing and harnessing human capital excellence in driving the development and growth of the company, the community and our country. Winning the Anugerah PMCSR is a form of encouragement for The Group as it has truly brought CSR to an entirely new level. Sunway Group also has been recognised for outstanding achievements in CSR. The Sunway Group’s CSR programmes are wide-spread and aim to protect and promote human capital excellence above and beyond the company. In enhancing human capital excellence through education, if I the director of Sunway Group, I would implement the programmes which is: * Raising the level and standards of education in the country * Providing for the less fortunate members of the community. * Growing a healthy and sustainable knowledge-based workforce in Malaysia. The corporate social responsibility that Sunway Group provided are : 1) The Jeffrey Cheah Foundation The Sunway Education Trust Fund was established in March 1997 for the purpose of managing and administering surpluses from the institutions for the benefit of students be it for reinvestment into the institutions or for the disimbursement of scholarships and research grants. The Jeffrey Cheah Foundation was formed to perpetuate and crystallise the vision of a credible vehicle that will serve the cause of bringing good and quality education to the nation. Shares are transferred under the Sunway Education Trust into this Foundation where they will be held for perpetuity and can never be sold. Total profits from the Sunway University College and 70% of the profits from the Monash University Sunway Campus are ploughed back into activities to deliver higher quality education, to grow research capabilities and for the upgrading of facilities. From January to June 2010, more than RM4 million worth of scholarships were given out. 2) The Public School Adoption & Restoration Programme The Sunway Group has contributed to primary and secondary-level education schools over the last few years. Some of these projects have involved direct and active participation in restoration works, where the Group has dedicated consultancy, labour and construction resources into the refurbishment projects. In recent years, about RM3 million was contributed to schools such as SMK Bandar Sunway, SCK Chee Wen, SMK Klang Convent, the Gunung Hijau Primary School, SRK Bandar Sunway and SMJK Yuk Choy, Ipoh. To date, total contributions to public schools add up to RM10 million. 3) The Job Placement Programme Recognising that every person deserves a chance to feel a sense of belonging and purpose in society, the Sunway Group runs a Job Placement Programme endorsed by the Ministry of Education, Malaysia. Special needs students from the Sunway sponsored SMK Bandar Sunway are trained on basic work-related skills and ethics. Upon graduating, these students are presented with certificates of accomplishment to seek employment, where they are able to progress as independent members of society’s workforce. To date, the five-year old programme has helped a total of 58 special needs students. In 2010, the fifth batch of 10 students commenced their job placement at Sunway’s subsidiaries starting March 2010, and two were hired under the year’s Job Placement programme. 4) CSR Bowling Besides fostering education and life skills from an intellectual perspective, Sunway also embarks on education and skills in the physical sporting arena. This programme is for those aged between 14 and 22, and endeavours to train participants in the physical recreational sport of bowling Bowling training consists of one hour per week at the Sunway Pyramid Bowl for a total consecutive duration of 23 sessions. There are about 30 students in this programme who attended the Bowling Tournament 2010 on 21st September. To date the Sunway Group has trained about 150 special students. 5) The New Straits Times (NST) School Sponsorship Programme The programme was launched in August 2005 with the aim of bridging the urban-rural gap among the student population with regards to English language acquisition, information access and skills development. The group identified seven schools under Sunway’s CSR programme to receive complimentary copies of the NST everyday for one year commencing May 2010. The identified schools are SJK (C) Gunung Hijau, SMK Bandar Sunway, SRK Bandar Sunway, SMK Convent Klang, SRK Convent Klang, SJK (C) Chee Wen, Subang and SMK Tambun, Ipoh. Other CSR initiatives undertaken by the Sunway Group include the Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah Distinguished Speaker Series and the Sunway Medical Centre Public Health Forums. The Sunway Group reaches out to people at different levels of society through its CSR activities and aims to enhance the learning experience in the classroom and beyond. The Group hopes to improve the standard of education, quality of life and ultimately leave a positive change in turning Malays ia into a high-income nation.

Race Relations Act 1976 Essay

When studying Race and Racism in Britain the pivotal turning point of race relations is the passing of the Race Relations Act on the 22nd of November 1976. The Race Relations Act made discrimination unlawful on the grounds of race, colour, nationality and ethnicity. For me this point in history, equality of race is formally dealt with, as it is the first law introduced to ensure that racial and ethnic discrimination is forbidden in Britain. The Race Relations Act made it unlawful to discriminate against a person on racial grounds in employment, education and in the provision of goods and services. This act was only the start of eliminating racial discrimination; however it was the foundation of it all and is the reason behind such improvement in equality today. The 1976 Act was amended, not replaced, by the Race Relations Amendment Act introduced in 2000. After the 1976 Act was presented, racial discrimination did not automatically vanish, however it made it clear to the vast majority of people within Britain that discrimination has no place in society and that changes had to be made. Making discrimination unlawful within employment coincides with the Sex Discrimination Act of 1975, where by it was illegal to discriminate women in the workplace, such as, selection for a job, training, promotion, work practices or dismissal, with the only difference being based on racial terms rather than gender. This brought equality in the workplace and introduced more rights to ethnic minority groups. The Act also makes it unlawful for public bodies to discriminate while carrying out any of their duties. Public bodies are obliged to make sure their employment procedures and service delivery do not have a disproportionate impact on particular ethnic or national groups. The Act, based upon education, forbids the discrimination of ethnic minority pupils, in terms of non-admission to the school, college or university, inequality once within the school and also abuse from other pupils and teachers due to their race or nationality. In addition, discrimination in the provision of goods, services and facilities was made unlawful. It is forbidden for anyone within the industry of providing goods or services to discriminate someone on the grounds of ethnicity or nationality. Within all these fields race relations is attempted to be improved, and by doing so equality is acknowledged and ethnicity is somewhat striving to become a factor that is non-existent in society and the workplace. Race Relations simply means the relationships between individuals from different ethnic groups. Obviously the Race Relations Act was intended to put forward a new way of thinking towards various ethnic minority groups and to look at them as equals. As I said early, that the Act introduced in 1976 was the turning point, as it were, of racial discrimination, as it was the first law opposing racial discrimination. However, the number of riots protesting against racial inequality had risen after the Law was presented. The 1980’s sparked a series of riots in mainly afro-Caribbean areas, protesting against discrimination and poverty. With the spur of the riots throughout the 1980’s, it could be said that this proved that the Race Relations Act did not perform its task, which was to eliminate racial discrimination. As we know, this act was amended in 2000 to enhance the Act by ensuring there were no exceptions, such as the police, and other public bodies, who were initial exempt from the Law. On the contrary, what can be said about the riots is that the police, due to their exemption from the Act, discriminated against black people, through the ‘sus’ law and thus performing random searches on people who they believe to be suspicious. The police would stop and search people they believed to be suspicious, however the number of black individuals against white individuals was extremely disproportionate, â€Å"In the 1960s and 1970s, the way in which the ‘sus’ laws were used by police officers created widespread resentment amongst ethnic minorities, who felt they were being unfairly targeted by the police. This led to a series of civil disturbances, including the infamous Brixton riots in 1981†[1] This shows that the police took advantage of their exemption from the 1976 Relations Act Race, by looking at ethnic minorities in a much more suspicious way than white individuals, and thus discriminating them. There is further evidence to back-up this statement, with the Notting Hill riot in August 1976. With young black tempers flaring due to the ‘sus’ law by which anyone could be stopped and searched if thought to be suspicious, inevitably riots broke out, with over 100 people, police and others, being injured. In the 1970’s and the 1980’s the police were pivotal figures of racial discrimination, which is the reason for the amendment of the act in 2000. The Race Relations Act was not automatically going to create a country free of racism. It is impossible to transform a countries view on racial discrimination through one law being passed, due to the fact that racial discrimination against ethnic minorities has been apparent for centuries, with the slave trade only being abolished in August 1834, through the Slavery Abolition Act. Before the Acts were produced racism was something that occurred all the time. Nothing was thought of it, as minorities were not seen as equals, rather as second class citizens or sometimes seen not even as citizens. With the majority of the black population being enslaved for thousands of years, no one ever thought it was wrong to discriminate an individual for their ethnicity. A lot did not change, after the introduction of the Race Relations Act as discrimination was still apparent. However, what can be said about how the Act impacted on race relations is that the minority groups had a foundation to voice their views. Prior to the Act, riots were much less than in the 1980’s, which I believe is due to the Act. Riots aren’t healthy for a country; however it shows that the minorities believed that their opinions mattered, to an extent. The creation of the law proved that the Government believed the minority groups should be treated as equals, therefore, having the support of the Government. The impact of the Act was that it formally gave ethnic minorities a place in society and as equals. The minorities had the support and sympathy of the Government, which is the main body needed to live in a country. I believe that the introduction of the Race Relations Act gave ethnic minorities the belief that these initial changes made through the act, could be pushed even further, and as we know, this eventually happened through the Race Relations Amendment Act of 2000 and further amendments up until now. You cannot judge the impact of the Law immediately after it was produced, you have look at what has been achieved today. Equality is apparent, there is no visible discrimination in the workplace, such as lower pay to ethnic minorities, or lack of promotion opportunities and racism, yet still occurring, is extremely scarce compared to twenty or thirty years ago. Huge improvements have been made in the workplace and education, as well as the reduction in racial riots in Britain. With all this in mind, evidently the Race Relations Act was successful, as the task of the Law was to ensure equality in society, and to reduce racism throughout Britain. Riots were still taking place throughout the 1990’s and the start of the twenty first century, but nothing in comparison to the amount that occurred in the 1980’s. Nevertheless, the Oldham riots in May 2001 were said to be the worst racially motivated riots in Britain for fifteen years prior to the event. Particular groups involved were white and south Asian-Muslim communities following a sustained period of racial tensions and outbreaks in Oldham. The Bradford Riots were also seen as a major intense period of rioting which began on 7 July 2001. It occurred as a result of intensified tensions between the large and expanding ethnic minority communities and the city’s white majority, fuelled by confrontation between the Anti-Nazi League and the British National Party and the British National Front. Despite the improvements in racial equality and the acceptance of different ethnicities from society and the Government, there is still an organisation within Parliament, known as the British National Party, who were involved in spurring on the Bradford riots in 2001 and openly discriminate and discredit ethnic minorities. Before February 2010 only white British citizens could join the party, as they do not consider ethnic minority groups to be British and part of the country. This shows that racial discrimination is still active, not only through individual abuse, but within Parliament and from an organised political movement. With this in mind, how successful is the Race Relations Act when this country still has an openly racist party, whose policies do not include ethnic minority communities, but also aims to separate them from society? However, the party still, from being founded as a splinter group from the National Front in 1982, does not hold any seats in Parliament, proving that their support is limited and weak, thus not having much influence on politics, at this moment in time. The Race Relations Act enhanced race relations in Britain immensely, in the long term, however the 1976 act didn’t fully ensure that every aspect of racial discrimination was abolished, which was the reason the Government amended the Act in 2000, therefore it can be said that the real influence on race relations was the Race Relations Amendment Act formed in 2000, as this was the law that dealt with every factor to eliminate racial discrimination in every field of society. Ultimately the Race Relations was pivotal in improving relations between different ethnic groups, as it was the first formal law introduced by Parliament to reform the issue of racial discrimination. This gave the ethnic minorities the belief that things could be altered and improved further to ensure an equal country, free of racism, which is, to an extent, what today’s world is becoming. Relations between ethnic groups have been non-existent throughout the centuries, with racism being something that ethnic minorities had to deal with personally, without the support and sympathy of the Government. Improvements in the workplace, education and, through the Race Relations Amendment Act, the police prove that race relations have developed, along with the reduction of riots within Britain. Without the Law being introduced this country would still believe that race equality should not happen and that ethnic minorities are second class citizens. With the Government pushing forward the law to eliminate racism and build equality, the people will most of the time support their aspirations and beliefs. Obviously the Race Relations Act of 1976 was not the only factor in building race relations and equality; however it is, in my opinion, the most important, as it built a solid foundation for Britain to develop race relations on legal grounds.

WMDA

WMDA instance surveyThe architectural house, West Midlands Designers and Architects Ltd. ( WMDA ) , was a profit-making and successful concern three old ages age. A closely knit group built a friendly and harmoniousness atmosphere under the direction of Russell Quinn. There are 10 staff working for this design and architecture house. However, the market collapsed and economic system is on crisp downswing. WMDA has less work to manage. Under this circumstance, the foreman decides to happen an acceptable and just method to lay-off four staff in order that the house can go on to last in this competitory market. There are four possible methods to hold decide-making, but, which manner can be a just determination and how to make up one's mind who would be excess will be analyzed and explained below. Russell Quinn has considered four possible methods: Last in – first out ( LIFO ) ; Voluntary redundancy ; Selection on virtue ; Peer choice included. Every coin has two sides, these four methods besides have their ain strength and failing. First of all, LIFO is the easiest, simplest, traditional method. Additionally, a steady and long history company should necessitate some gifted and full of new thoughts immature employee, non all old and experience employee to pull off the house. On contrast, the freshman came to the house in a short period, therefore, the house has input less money and preparation on them. For illustration, Paul is a no experience fresher in the company and have non created some value or major part for the company. Even though the house may blow recruit and advertisement money spent earlier, it is the best manner to salvage money than lay-off an experience labour remaining in the house for several old ages. However, the house besides need to see if makes the youngest designers redundant, they may see the house has age favoritism. Another method is Voluntary redundancy. Employees own the sentiment that they have the right to take, non oblige to go forth, furthermore, they think the house esteem them in this pick. Hence, this method can let go of concern and fright of the other employee. However, this may non be a good method. First, it is non just wholly. The company normally has a predetermined program who will be laid off so that the top direction will use some method to coerce some staff, such as conversation, deduction and exert force per unit area, etc. Additionally, to a certain extent, it may be a venture for the company. Sometimes the house will lose some superb staff or some you want to go forth buttocks. In comparing, Selection on virtue is much more just. Every house wants to hold superb public presentation and value staff who has the capableness to convey benefit to the corporation. However, merely to detect one staff ‘s result can non judge it is superior or non. Working procedure may be important, for illustration, new employees have less chance and clip to make value and outstanding design, we can merely judge them harmonizing to working procedure. Last, Peer choice is non really utile. Even though the communicating and apprehension among employees are much better than director to employee, therefore, to some grades, equal assessment has valuable mention. However, under this circumstance, staff may all desire the house to utilize another method ( slash wage, take a vacation, work rotary motion, etc ) than make staff redundant. Furthermore, fondness may be when they submit names. As what has been analyzed above, merely to do usage of one method is non just and unreasonable. Integrated attack should be an appropriate manner. Virtually, the house should hold known its nonsubjective, long-run development mark good and travel over every item ( hypertext transfer protocol: //uk.askmen.com/money/career_200/248_how-to-lay-off-employees.html, accessed on Dec 20 2009 ) , public presentation assessment is a important and most utile method to mensurate staff, equal assessment besides can be valuable mention to judge staff ‘ contribution.. Some people may non be leave behind if their end are non equal to the involvement of the house. For illustration, Henry wants the company to diversify into new countries, the house is at low tide that there is non adequate money to put in another concern, which ne'er has invested before. Additionally, Hiroshi wishes Nipponese companies to put up in Britain, yet the fiscal state of affairs is non allow. In decision, the company is loath to lay-off employee. Hence, ne'er make a determination before punctilious deliberation. Harmonizing to the house ‘s monetary status and corporate involvement to do a long-run aim, so remain staff who can assist company to win the conflict. I recommend that the house should do out a theoretical account for development in future and communicate with all employee in the company often. It can assist protect against staff anxiousness and avoid staff job-hopping. Reward superior designers besides be a good manner to promote and back up the remainder of them as a consequence of morale and coherence betterment. On the other side, the house should esteem and back up the staff redundant. Recommendation missive and friendly salutation besides can be a good manner to comfort. ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www.chinahrd.net/ZHI_SK/jt_page.asp? articleid=178823, accessed on Dec 2 2009 )Reference & A ; # 65292 ;1, ZhiZhong Chen, Face Layoff Employee Correctly ( 2009 ) , hypertext transfer protocol: //www.chinahrd.net/ZHI_SK/jt_page.asp? articleid=178823 & A ; # 65292 ; accessed on Dec 2 2009 2, Dimitri A.C. Ly, hypertext transfer protocol: //uk.askmen.com/money/career_200/248_how-to-lay-off-employees.html, accessed on Dec 20 2009

Commentary for “The May Poles and Their Queen” Essay

When reading the Greek myth Orpheus, I was immediately struck by the heroism of the central character. Orpheus is the classic male hero, overcoming all obstacles to bring back his beloved Eurydice, only to be eventually thwarted by something even more powerful than his heroism: his own love. Because of the essentially classical, romanticized nature of Orpheus, I felt it would be an ideal source text for a modern-day interpretation. In order to gain a better understanding of the text, I initially adopted, in Stuart Hall’s terms, the ‘preferred’ reading; that is, how the audience are ‘meant’ to read a text, who they are expected to empathise with and what conclusions they are meant to draw. Applying Greimas’s structuralist scheme, I found it easy to identify Orpheus as the ‘subject’ or, according to Propp’s ‘spheres of influence’, the ‘hero’. Orpheus can also be identified as Propp’s ‘donor’ figure through his extraordinary skill at playing the lyre, which provides him with apparently limitless power when it comes to charming the gods of the underworld. The ‘sender’ would be Eurydice, for dying and subsequently ‘sending’ Orpheus on his quest to the underworld. The ‘villain’ could be Aristaeus for chasing Eurydice, or any of the creatures of the underworld for opposing Orpheus. Alternatively, and perhaps more interestingly, the ‘villain’ could be Orpheus’s own love, which is so strong it forces him to look back, and lose his wife forever. Eurydice can also be identified as Greimas’s ‘object’ or Propp’s ‘princess’: the ‘object’ of Orpheus’s quest, whose only ‘skill’ is to be desired by the ‘subject’, Orpheus. I also applied Tzvetan Tordorov’s theory that there is a similar narrative framework to all stories. For Todorov, a story usually begins with a state of peace and harmony, an ‘equilibrium’: Orpheus has his love, his music and is happy. This then evolves into ‘disruption’: Eurydice dies and Orpheus must journey to the underworld to bring her back. Then Orpheus attempts to repair the ‘disequilibrium’, by charming the creatures of the underworld. Next, according to Todorov, a ‘new equilibrium’ is often found. However, in Orpheus, this is not the case. Eurydice is left in the underworld and Orpheus’s head is left singing alone in the upper world, still crying out for his lost love, unable to find his ‘new equilibrium’ by being denied even unity in death. Applying these structuralist theories, I found, only served to emphasize the essentially patriarchal nature of the myth. The literary theorist Terry Eagleton talks of how â€Å"[a text’s] blindnesses, what it does not say and how it does not say it†¦ [is] maybe as important as what it articulates† (Eagleton, 1996) i.e. the ‘untold’ story, the ‘gaps’ in the original tale, can allow for additional perspectives other than the conventional, ‘preferred’ reading. In reference to Orpheus, I felt that the character of Eurydice, and her account of events, was a very important ‘blindness’, which had been largely ignored by Greek mythology. Because of this, I decided to adopt a more ‘oppositional reading’, as Hall would characterise it, and subsequently, a more ‘feminist’ approach, making Eurydice the classic hero. This opened up a variety of possibilities to me concerning the other roles. Could Orpheus (or Christian in my re-working) now become the ‘villain’, his ‘quest’, from her perspective, becoming more akin to a ‘hunting down’? The ‘object’ could now become Edie’s desire to be recognised and appreciated. Could Christian’s ‘underworld’ not be Edie’s ‘new equilibrium’? I also thought it would be interesting to strip Christian of his ‘donor’ role by making his musical talent all a faà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ade. I felt that it was a perfectly reasonable reading of the original text to believe that the reason Orpheus ‘required’ Eurydice was simply to act as his ‘muse’ and inspire him to create beautiful music. By interpreting Orpheus’ need for Eurydice on a more literal level, I could make Edie the one who was the true musician. This makes Christian’s need for her all the more desperate as, without Edie, Christian feels he can no longer be a successful musician, as is the case in the original text. I also felt that the tale of Orpheus had almost become too romanticized and was subsequently open to a parody. Consequently, I tried to create a carnivalesque interpretation, that is, exaggerate some of the key aspects of the characters until they almost become ‘grotesque’, in order to evoke humour. I decided to make my target audience aged 14-18, as I felt that they would feel comfortable with the modern-day, often egotistical, music culture, and also be open to, and appreciate, the attempt to invert the original tale’s gender stereotyping. As I wanted to create a visually dynamic as well as linguistically comical piece, I chose the genre of a television drama: a genre likely to appeal to my target audience. This also allows the piece to suddenly break out of realism in order to give the drama a distinctly surreal edge, for example, the impromptu arrival of the snake. I felt the addition of this element of ‘magical realism’ to the piece would add to the farcical nature and heighten the comedy. The opening few scenes are key to establishing the tone of the piece, and also the characters’ relationships. The opening scene of a â€Å"rock band† performing on stage is designed to grab the viewer’s attention, whilst also appealing to my target audience. Christian uses the informal register of the archetypal ‘rock star’: â€Å"We’ve been Christian and the May Poles! Goodnight!† This type of lexis has connotations of arrogance and vanity, which is designed to contrast with the stupidity of Orpheus’s kilt and also the band name ‘Christian and the May Poles’, a pun on the original ‘Maenads’. By having Edie backstage, providing the real musical talent, she initially appears a relatively oppressed, marginalised character: always forced to stay in the background: â€Å"Yeah. Well, I ain’t ‘Christian’, am I?† There is a sense that Edie has accepted the belief imposed upon her by Christian: that she is simply an accessory to his success. I gave her a distinct Northern accent in order to appear more ‘down to earth’ than her ‘rock star’ counterpart, and also to appeal more to the audience as the ‘under-dog’. Throughout, Christian is portrayed as the archetypal, vain, male ‘rock star’. I attempted to emphasize this vanity linguistically, through his self-obsessed use of language – â€Å"You’ve already got flowers. My flowers. Flowers handpicked by moi† – and also through his obsession with his eyebrows. I felt that by giving this conventionally ‘effeminate’ concern to both Christian and Al, I could further parody the ‘strong’ male stereotype associated with Greek myths. One of the key changes that I made to the original text was that in my drama, Edie runs away from Christian as opposed to â€Å"Aristaeus†. She is also willingly ‘bitten’ by the snake. By having Edie willingly leave Christian for the ‘underworld’, this is in keeping with my overall ‘feminist’ angle of approach, as it now becomes Edie’s ‘quest’ to find her role as a performer. Instead of making the characters of my ‘underworld’ subtly linked to the characters in the original myth, I decided on overstating their most obvious physical features in order to provide an out and out carnivalesque adaptation. Because of this, I decided that a theatre would be an ideal setting, and, by drawing inspiration from the character of the serpent, introduced the idea of a pantomime production of the Bible in the hope that this would generate further humour. Deliberately playing with the notion of stereotypes, that is foregrounding the whole issue, was also a comic device. Just as Christian is the ‘stereotypical rock star’, so all the characters of the underworld are stereotypical actors, as I felt this would add a new angle to these conventionally frightening characters. The use of ‘stock’ figures and the language associated with them, – such as the ‘wise’ Yorkshiremen – would also speed up audience recognition and mean the characters would not need to be individually introduced. In earlier drafts, I had attempted to give the beginning a more serious edge, in order to contrast with the absurdity of the underworld. I had incorporated monologues, in the style of Jim Cartwright’s Road, in an attempt to provide greater character insight. However, these monologues seemed to ‘jar’ with the other scenes and make the beginning appear ‘flat’, without really adding to the piece. Although they established the characters, they did so in a rather bland, pedestrian way, so these scenes were reworked. However, I still felt I had to emphasize the difference between the characters of the ‘upper world’ and those of the ‘underworld’ and one of the main ways I did this was through my choice of language. Because my chosen setting was a theatre, I wanted to give the language of the ‘underworld’ a distinct theatrical edge. One of the ways I tried to achieve this was through my use of â€Å"luvvies'† discourse, for example, the Serpent’s line â€Å"How marvellous!†, an indication of the affected register of language associated with the theatre. This inflated speech is in immediate contrast to both Christian and Edie’s more ‘down to earth’, Northern dialect and I tried to emphasize this contrast by having the two types of speech juxtaposed in order that they might ‘break against’ each other and subsequently, generate humour: â€Å"Greetings Child/Who the hell are you?† Another theatrical device which I made use of was the ‘one liner’ – a device associated with pantomime – in the hope that this would make the piece feel like a â€Å"pantomime production of Orpheus† as it were. For example the serpent’s ‘one-liner’ â€Å"I’m playing the serpent incidentally† attempts to add humour by overstatement, as I interpreted this character on a literal level and made my serpent, an actor â€Å"wearing a giant green snake costume†. This line also refers to both the pantomime production of the Bible and the original Greek myth. It will inform viewers already familiar with the myth that the ‘descent into the underworld’ is about to begin, and provide a ‘sneak preview’ into future events. The ‘wise men’, Rod, Bob and Todd were added to act as a Cerebus figure. I gave them each a pint of beer in order that they might ‘foam at the mouth’ as Cerebus was famed for doing, and made them â€Å"drunk and†¦ quite menacing† in order to, like Cerebus, be perceived as ‘vicious’. Through their physical similarity and the syntactical correspondency of their language, they are designed to appear like a ‘club-act’, finishing off each other’s sentences in an almost ‘pantomime patter’ style, in order to ‘gang up’ on Christian: â€Å"We are wise men./The wise men of Yorkshire†. I also made them speak simultaneously, in order to appear as though they are ‘one being with three heads’: â€Å"We know!† I transformed the original mythological character of Charon into another actor, Little Ron. I combined many of the traditional aspects of Charon such as the hood and cape, with sunglasses in order to contrast with Charon’s ‘blazing eyes’ motif. I also made him exceptionally short in order to dismiss any preconceptions which the audience may have of Charon being ‘spooky’ and ‘all powerful’. As opposed to Orpheus paying Charon ‘one silver coin’ to descend in the underworld, Christian instead gives Little Ron a cigarette. I felt this fitted in with my modern-day outlook and also would add a comical element by effectively having â€Å"God† smoking. One of the most dramatic changes I made to the original tale was that in my version, Edie chooses to stay in the ‘underworld’, and it is she, as opposed to Des/Hades, who sends Christian back to the ‘upper world’ with the dismissive remark â€Å"I’m an actress, Chris†. By changing the original ending, Edie has found her real existence in the underworld, and to her, it is the upper world which is full of misery. Christian, however becomes a classic picture of male melancholy: â€Å"homeless and unable to even strum his guitar.† He is an allusion to the current crisis in masculinity, a phenomenon often voiced in the media, his ‘traditional role’ as the performer taken over by his female counterpart: abandoned for â€Å"Keith Harris†. Because of this, Christian feels his masculinity has been threatened. This is then made ironic by his final effeminate cry of â€Å"My tweezers!† In the final scene, I had Edie â€Å"smiling sadistically† as she plucks her eyebrows, indicative of her mocking of Christian, a reversal of the original patriarchal tale. For whereas in the original text, it is the ‘hero’ Orpheus who ‘goes on his quest and fails’, in my transformation it is the ‘heroine’ Edie, who not only sets off on her ‘quest’ but also succeeds and ultimately, it is she who ‘comes out on top’. BIBLIOGRAPHY Philip, Neil. The Illustrated Book of Myths, (DK, 2000) Hughes, Ted. Ted Hughes’ Collected Plays for Children, (Faber, 2001) Widdicombe, Rupert. The Sunday Times, (4 September 1994, CINEMA, pages 10-11) Ross, Alison and Greatrex, Jen. A2 English Language and Literature, (Heinemann, 2001) Eagleton, Terry. Literary Theory, An Introduction (Blackwell, 1996) Machery, Pierre. A Theory of Literary Production (Routlege and Kegan Paul. 1978) Graves, Robert. The Greek Myths:1 (Penguin, 1955) Vogler, Christopher. The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers (Michael Wiese Productions, 1998) Cartwright, Jim. Road (Samuel French, 1989)