Emotions In Film Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Emotions In Film - Essay Example Orientalism, as it was known by Napoleon, was based on just such knowledge – that is knowledge about the Orient projected upon it by the Western world. This idea of the Orient, as it was expressed among the Western scholars – overrode the true Orient. Observers entering the true Orient were already convinced of what they knew regarding an unchanging and already defined system, locking everything labeled Orient into a passive, unresisting object for study. Comparable linguistics were the basis for many of these assumptions (Said, 1979). This had, and continues to have, a negative effect upon the Western world’s perception, understanding and appreciation of a multitude of cultures that were erroneously grouped into a single identity. Philosophers continue to argue that reality, as it is presented within films and on tv, is not reflective of our ‘everyday’ reality, yet their arguments are based on water as there is as yet no true definition or conceptio n of what actual reality might be. In his book â€Å"What is Philosophy?† (1960), Jose Ortega y Gasset discusses several key defining aspects of philosophy, including a discussion regarding a definition of the focus of philosophy as a science. While earlier philosophers tended to identify philosophy by the tagline ‘the study of knowledge,’ Ortega points out that nowhere in these texts do any of the philosophers who came before him work to define what the empirical concept of knowledge is and therefore reach an understanding of what is ‘everyday reality.’ Although Ortega does not necessarily phrase his point in this exact terminology, his discussions regarding the nature of knowledge, the nature of science, and the nature of reality perception as it exists within the very human context of time make it abundantly clear that Ortega at least does not feel we will ever completely understand the world around us. To begin with, Ortega brings into clarity the idea that time

Petrucio commands Essay Example for Free

Petrucio commands Essay Biancas suitors and the general people who lived in Padua spoke of her badly because of what they had heard and did not know the real person. Because of the lack of relationship with Kate that they had they would have not been able to do anything. The difference is family and friends wanted her to stop being so horrid and fiendish but hey didnt actually do anything about it. Petrucio on the other hand had tactics and wanted to tae Kate because he liked her, and they were married. The fact that someone for once was taking interest in Kate and not Bianca made Kate feel special and as if she had something or someone to change for. The fact that Kate knew someone cared started to change her thinking. Kates character is one that would play along with a game, which was trying to trick her but be able to make him think that she was being real. However by the end Kate realises she likes Petrucio and wants to be a proper wife to him, because hes the first person to have actually cared about her. She has not just given up but she has actually found someone who cares for her that she actually likes. Some would say that this theory is not true because of her behaviour toward him on their first meeting but she behaved in the same manor she does to everyone as a result of the expectations upon her.. Petrucio however responds in a way that would only cause Kate more annoyance. Petrucio does not run off and cast Kate off as a helpless cause he notices something special about her. Petrucio forces Kate to marry him but in all truthfulness Kate need not of married him as she could have just ran off, but instead it seems part of Kate wanted to marry Petrucio. Even when they are married Kate begins to listen to Petrucio more than she had done anyone else. She still argues but not in the same way. She doesnt hold up as much of a fight against Petrucio she never does even when he says they are to be married. At their own wedding reception she eventually gives in to him demanding they take their leave with minimal arguments. Even though her sister is left to show off in Kates embarrassment. Kate is treated badly on the journey, even denied food and rest but because Petrucio reckons nothing to be good enough for Kate. Again this is Petrucio showing his caring attitude. Kate argues civilly as Petrucio throws her food on the floor. Although Kate is hungry she doesnt want to show it to Petrucio. A true showing of her untouched spirit, as she begs Grumio for food, not wanting to appear weakened by the way he ahs treated her. A battle is taking place in Kates mind since they met, Kate likes Petrucio but doesnt want to give in to him. She wants to be civil and live a happy normal life but wants to do it in a way, which she still has, her pride. It is as Petrucio says to Kates family when he is forcing her into marriage, Tis bargaind twixt us twain, being alone, that she shall still be curst in company. Although at the time they had not agreed it this is secretly what Kate wants. She has to find away that she will still appear strong to her family whilst at the same time she wants to show off to them. Shes a married woman and is expected to be dignified, but then it will just appear that Petrucio was right and that he can tame anything and that he has had his way with her. Kate realises that to be happy she ahs to find a good balance between the two. She cant completely disregard the person that she is but she cant carry on the ways he is she needs to find a compromise. The first time we see her psychological game plan come into action is on the road to Padua to visit her family. Petrucio starts to speak about the sun and the moon. Instead of arguing Kate does the complete opposite of what is expected, instead of gradually changing which would indeed make her look weak she jumps from one extreme to the other and agrees with whatever Petrucio thinks. However her manor is cleverly sarcastic, Petrucio cant believe it and tests Kate once more when Vincentio appears, asking her to say hello to the lady. Kate takes part in his game and Petrucio feels confident that his tactics are working whilst Kate slowly thinks my games working. They are both playing each other at the same game. Kate eventually instead of becoming normal from being horrible goes form really nice to normal. She simply wants to show off to her parents and be happy with her marriage. Kate has to let Petrucio know now that she can be nice and will be but he has to give a little back. Whilst Petrucio think shes tamed shes not she has just learnt to find a compromise after all its what she actually wants. Kate has been badly behaved and angry simply because no one cared enough for her. Kate shows Petrucio in her speech and all her family just ho he is. People who have written it off as a piece of dramatic irony or her giving up were simply wrong and underestimating Kates intelligence and character. Her speech was to show to Petrucio thats eh will find a compromise with him and that they will be all right. When Petrucio commands Kate to come, normally Kate would have flown in up in arms shouting and creaming but instead she came because thats what no one expected she was proving them all wrong and putting them all to shame. She had the chance to show up her sister and to look better than her.

Frank Sinatra Essays -- Essays Papers

Frank Sinatra Howard Cosell, a legendary commentator, spoke words about this legendary man that more or less sums up his legendary career. He said "Frank Sinatra, who has the phrasing, who has the control, who understands the composers, who knows what losing means as so many have, who made the great comeback, who stands still, enduringly, on top of the entertainment world. Ladies and gentlemen, from here on in it's Frank Sinatra!" Frank Sinatra, the only singer in history to have hit records in five consecutive decades, led a lot more distinctive life than people were led to believe. It all began December 12, 1915, when a boy named Francis Albert Sinatra was brought into the world. He was the son of Dolly and Anthony Sinatra, a pair of Italian immigrants. He was born and raised in Hoboken, New Jersey where he spent his teenage years unloading trucks for the Jersey Observer newspaper. He then became a copy boy where he found a passion to strive for, journalism. However, the editor at the newspaper said, â€Å"copy boys don’t know enough to be reporters.† So, Sinatra went to secretarial school. He studied English, typing, and shorthand. The newspaper’s editor eventually promoted him to cub sports reporter After achieving his goal to be a journalist, Frank had another passion to strive for, singing. In his spare time, Sinatra appeared in on Major Bowes Amateur Hour, which was a popular radio talent show back in the day. Frank had never been taught to sing he taught himself. He was a natural. So the head of the Major Bowes Amateur Hour promoted Frank. For $25 a week he sang, waited tables, was the master of ceremonies, and a comedian at The Rustic Cabin. In 1939 a man by the name of Harry James discovered Frank while visiting The Rustic Cabin. He immediately signed Frank to sing for his new swing band. After touring with Harry James, Frank started to sing for with Tommy Dorsey’s Orchestra. After recording more than 90 songs with them, Frank moved on. He then moved to the popular radio show The Lucky Strike Hit Parade, where he worked as the MC. Frankie was a hit! Everyone loved him. He was the first teen model the country had ever seen. Amazingly enough, he almost caused a near riot at New York’s Paramount Theater in 1944.He then signed a contract with Columbia Records in 1943 and left in 1952. So in 1953 he signed another contrac... ... a severe tragedy, a heart attack. It was the first heart attack Frank had ever had. For the next couple years Frank had not been seen in public. In 1998, Frank was back in the news. Unfortunately, it was about Frank’s Health. Sinatra had died of a heart attack at age 82 on May 14. The nation was astounded. This was the biggest music celebrity news since TuPac’s death. News channels everywhere interrupting their broadcasts for this special bulletin. The first teen idol that the country had ever seen was dead. The most ingenious singer the country had ever seen was dead. It was the second time the music had died. His life has touched the world and has forever changed the art of singing, as we know it. Works Cited William, Dean. â€Å"Sinatra, Frank.† Internet. March 14 2000. Available WWW.http://articles.eb.com. Schoemer, Karen. â€Å"The Kid from Hoboken.† Newsweek. May 25 1998: 57. â€Å"Sinatra, Frank.† Internet. March 14 2000. Available WWW. http://search.biography.com. Wilson, Jeff. â€Å"Sinatra outspoken†. Internet. March 14 2000. Available WWW http://www.nj.com. â€Å"Sinatra, Frank†. The World Book Encyclopedia. Volume 17 S-Sn. World Book Inc. 93’.

Rock Essay -- essays research papers

The music genre of Rock, thought by some to be the devil’s music, to me is an inspiration and it helps me deal with situations going on in my life. If you listen to Rock you know what I’m saying, but by most people who do not, they are so put in there ways of believing that anybody even listening to it is a devil worshipper, or some drug addict and is out casted because of what they listen to. That is totally arrogance and I for one am really serious about music and couldn’t see living without it. First of all, all of my favorite bands do not ever comment on Satan or anything dealing with evilness in their lyrics. Secondly in modern Rock there aren’t too many drugies in the music business, if they are it’s in other genres that I don’t care to talk about. For me it’s not so much the lyrics of the song that can inspire me to do something, but also in how the guitarist hits the notes of his solo, or how the drummer leads them all in synch ronization, or merely how the bassist wails away with his bass rhythm. But in all it’s how the music is presented and played that inspires me along with millions of fans around the world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For bands like Creed, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Candlebox, Queensrà ¿che, Live, and Silverchair, to name a few, the lyrics they write, the solos they play, the riffs they come up with and the feeling they get when they see 100,000 people cheer is something unbelievable. They play music not to persuade people into their beliefs, but ...

Is Now the Time for Reparations for African Americans? Essay

Reparations for African Americans was a projected idea that would help African Americans get a form of earnings that would make up for the severe punishing and sufferings they all faced as a culture, and as slaves. Robert L. Allen and The Economist both argue on reparations for African Americans and strongly oppose based on their views. Robert L. Allen, a professor strongly believes that reparations for African Americans is necessary in order to achieve economically in society within the United States, while opposing, the staff writers of The Economist question if the reparations policy for African Americans is appropriate. The Economist argues that it is pointless for African Americans to receive reparations because of the difficulty finding the past African American victims of slavery, as well as the past racial harassment’s are no longer with today’s society, so they say. Shortly after the Civil War ended, an anti-slavery activist, Sojourner Truth organized a petition campaign for slaves. Truths’ petition campaign was primarily focused on seeking free public land for the former slaves. To support her campaign, she stated, â€Å"America owes to my people some of the dividends. She can afford to pay and she must pay. I shall make them understand that there is a debt to the Negro people which they can never repay. At least, then, they must make amends.† Unfortunately, Truths’ petition campaign was unsuccessful. Truth felt as if giving former slaves dividends would still be the fair thing to do; she wanted America to be considerate of the situation and understand that it was only right to pay back for the pain and suffering they caused African Americans and the past slaves to face for countless years. In the 1890’s, another black woman, Callie House, filed lawsuits and petitioned the Congress for reparations payments to African Americans, just as Sojourner Truth tried. Luckily, House was assisted by Frederick Douglas, but no success was awarded to African Americans. After the many failed attempts, religious leaders became involved; Bishop Henry McNeal Turner stated â€Å"We have worked, enriched the country and helped give it a standing among the powers of the earth†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Bishop Henry McNeal Turner felt that African Americans should be paid at least 40 billion dollars for the labor they put in to help enrich the country and give America standing powers among the earth. Robert L. Allen supports reparations for African Americans for this exact reason, African Americans going through consecutive problems throughout history involving the United States. Robert argues that â€Å"Reparations provide a framework for the redistribution of wealth within the existing political economy, and thereby moving towards economic equality between whites and blacks. Robert also provided information on the Republic of New Africa (RNA), which was founded in 1968. The purpose of the RNA was to establish an independent Black Republic in 5 southern states with large African American populations. The RNA shortly developed the Anti-Depression Program which called for $300 billion in reparations from the United States. The Economist oppose against reparations for African Americans. The Economist feels that if you weren’t physically active during the times of slavery, then you should not receive any benefits by getting rewards. Edward Fagan, a New York lawyer, launched a war against firms that profited from slavery. He argued that there should not be any limitations for crime against humanity. Fagan understood that by rebelling against reparations for African Americans that shareholder lawsuits, boycotts, and race riots would possibly occur. In conclusion, both Robert L. Allen and the staff writers from The Economist had influential arguments, but I would have to agree with Robert Allen’s point of view. I believe that reparations are indeed a necessity to African Americans in today’s society. Robert Allen’s arguments state that these reparations helps the world, benefiting the social and economic lives of African Americans while The Economist sees it as being something that is worthless for the society, having no effect on the African American society. The Economist thinks that reparations for African Americans are not needed anymore because everyone can help themselves. Opposing, Robert thinks that people who oppose reparations for African Americans are just ignorant because they know that it’s a positive policy they are just petrified of the fact that the outcome will really benefit many lives influentially. I agree with Robert, because he mentioned that reparations are a policy that gives equal opportunity to everyone. Equality and equivalence is an asset that improves many things; for a nation to be equal and all on one page, with the reparations of African Americans, would be astonishing. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Mary Frances Berry and John W. Blassingame, Long Memory: The Black Experience in America (New York: Oxford University Press, 1982), p. 406; Neil Irvin Painter, Sojourner Truth: A Life, A Symbol (New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1996), p.244. [ 2 ]. Quoted in Jeanette Davis-Adeshote, Black Survival in White America (Orange, NJ: Bryant and Dillon Publishers, 1995), p.87. [ 3 ]. Berry and Blassingame, Long Memory, p. 406 [ 4 ]. Ibid, p.405 [ 5 ]. Imari Abubakari Obadele I, Foundations of the Black Nation (Detroit: House of Songhay, 1975), p.68

Lead Poisoning essays

Lead Poisoning essays Lead poisoning has affected many children throughout the years. Throughout the United States there are thousands of kids that go to the hospital for lead poisoning. They get it from the paint on the houses that contain lead. About 40% of the houses that still contain lead. Therefore, paint companies were aware of all the lead in their paint and they do not do anything about it. There are many problems that lead causes, paint companies knew the damage they were making, and they should pay for all the problems that they have done. Now children are suffering the consequences of this lead poisoning. Lead poison has affected many children throughout the years. For instance, in Getting the Lead Out a 7 year old boy name Sammy weighs 37 pounds just 11 more pounds that his 3 year old brother. Sammy got this from a house that his parents had bought that contains paint with lead. Sammy was just a little kid when they moved in there, so he was crawling around and tasting anything he could, which made him how he is today. Kids that consume lead have chronic constipation, seizures, and coma. Children die every year from lead poisoning. Everything that can be done to stop this should be done. Parents should not have to worry about their little kids dying or getting many disorders from eating paint chips. Paint companies were aware of the lead in their paint since they started making it. Therefore they knew about all the hazards that it give children. Though childhood lead poisoning has decreased since the 1970 there is still about 40 percent of the homes that still contain lead. Also the paint companies advertised for the kids. They had commercials with bright colors so they would get their parents to buy it for them. Therefore because of the advertisement to the children they should have to pay. Paint companies have known of their dangers for a long time. They advertise it to little kids, which is ver...

German Keyboards

German Keyboards QWERTZ versus QWERTY Isnt the Only Problem! The topic is computer keyboards and cyber cafes overseas-especially in Austria, Germany, or Switzerland. We recently returned from several weeks in Austria and Germany. For the first time, we had an opportunity to use computers there-not my own laptop, but computers both in Internet or  cyber cafes  and at the home of friends. We have long known that foreign keyboards are different from the North American variety, but on this trip  we also learned that knowing and using are two different things. We used both Macs and PCs in the United Kingdom, Austria, and Germany. It was a rather confusing experience at times. Familiar keys were nowhere to be found or located in an entirely new place on the keyboard. Even in the U.K.  We discovered the truth about the George Bernard Shaw  adage that England and America are two countries separated by the same language. Once-familiar letters and symbols were now strangers. New keys appeared where they should not be. But that was just in Great Britain. Lets concentrate on the German-language keyboard (or actually its two varieties). A German  keyboard  has a QWERTZ layout, i.e., the Y and Z keys are reversed in comparison with the U.S.-English QWERTY layout. In addition to the normal letters of the English alphabet, German keyboards add the three umlauted vowels and the sharp-s characters of the German alphabet. The ess-tsett (ß) key is to the right of the 0 (zero) key. (But this letter is missing on a Swiss-German keyboard, since the ß is not used in the Swiss variation of German.) The u-umlaut (à ¼) key is located just to the right of the P key. The o-umlaut (à ¶) and a-umlaut () keys are on the right of the L key. This means, of course, that the symbols or letters that an American is used to finding where the umlauted letters are now, turn up somewhere else. A touch-typist is starting to go nuts now, and even a hunt-and-peck person is getting a headache. And just where the heck is that key? Email happens to depend on it rather heavily, but on the German keyboard, not only is it NOT at the top of the 2 key, it seems to have vanished entirely!-Which is pretty odd considering that the at sign even has a name in German:  der Klammeraffe(lit., clip/bracket monkey). My German friends patiently showed me how to type -and it wasnt pretty. You have to press the Alt Gr key plus Q to make appear in your document or email address. On most European-language keyboards, the right Alt key, which is just to the right of the space bar and different from the regular Alt key on the left side, acts as a Compose key, making it possible to enter many non-ASCII characters. That was on a PC. For the Macs at the  Cafe Stein in Vienna  (Whringerstr. 6-8, Tel. 43 1 319 7241), they had printed out the rather complex formula for typing and stuck it in front of each computer. All this slows you down for a while, but it soon becomes normal and life goes on. Of course, for Europeans using a North American keyboard, the problems are reversed, and they must get used to the weird U.S. English configuration. Now for some of those computer terms in German-terms that you will seldom find in most German-English dictionaries. Although computer terminology in German is often international (der Computer, der Monitor, die Diskette), other words such as  Akku  (rechargeable battery),  Festplatte(hard drive),  speichern  (save), or  Tastatur  (keyboard) are less easy to decipher.   Foreign Keyboards Internet Cafe Links Cyber Cafes - WorldwideFrom CyberCafe.com. Euro Cyber CafesAn online guide to Internet cafes in Europe. Choose a country! Cafà © EinsteinAn Internet cafe in Vienna. Computer Info Links Also, see the computer-related links under Subjects on the left of this and other pages. ComputerwocheA computer magazine in German. ct magazin fà ¼r computer-technikA computer magazine in German. ZDNet DeutschlandNews, info in the computer world (in German).

Essay on Psychology and Young People

Essay on Psychology and Young People Essay on Psychology and Young People Essay Plan Intro: In this essay I will be discussing two life stages†¦ I will be referring to the PIES that affect the development through the life stage†¦ The first life stage I will be discussing is†¦ The physical developments are†¦ Differs between male and female†¦ How nature nurture debate influences the physical development†¦ Evaluate, Positives and Negatives Impact it will have†¦ Diet can affect†¦nurture Nature, born with it genetics†¦ Argue both sides.. Nature Nurture debate.Intellectual†¦Adolescent thinking is on a higher level than that of children. Children are only able to think logically about the concrete, the here and now. Adolescents move beyond these limits. Adolescents can think in terms of what might be true, rather than just in terms of what they see is true. They are able to deal with abstractions, test hypotheses, and see infinite possibilities. Emotional†¦ shows strong feelings and intense emotions at different times. Moods might seem unpredictable. These emotional ups and downs can lead to increased conflict. Your child’s brain is still learning how to control and express emotions in a grown-up way is more sensitive to your emotions: young people get better at reading and processing other people’s emotions as they get older. While they’re developing these skills, they can sometimes misread facial expressions or body language is more self-conscious, especially about physical appearance and changes. Teenage self-esteem is often affected by appearance – or by how teenagers think they look. As they develop, children might compare their bodies with those of friends and peers goes through a ‘bulletproof’ stage of thinking and acting as if nothing bad could happen to him. Your child’s decision-making skills are still developing, and your child is still learning about the conseq uences of actions. Social†¦ searching for identity: young people are busy working out who they are and where they fit in the world. This search can be influenced by gender, peer group, cultural background and family expectations seeking more independence: this is likely to influence the decisions your child makes and the relationships your child

The Theory of Obligation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Theory of Obligation - Essay Example The religious obligations prohibit the individuals from committing sins i.e. lying, cheating, adultery, fornication, drinking and disobeying the parents, teachers, and elders at large. Similarly cultural obligations demand for observing the norms, values and traditions, prevailing in the social establishment. Consequently, theory of obligation encompasses all aspects of individual and collective human life in order to make society a peaceful place of living. Great philosopher of ancient Greece Aristotle has presented his Theory of Virtue where he submits to state that the source of all kinds of virtue and goodness is one and the same (Nicomachean Ethics, 1096a30). The notion is universally followed by the thinkers and philosophers by taking it the scale to measure the magnitude of good and positive behaviour of the people and its association with their overall attitude while entering into interaction with others. Aristotle’s mentor Plato has presented the doctrine that Almight y God is the source of all goodness and energy, from Whom all goodness arrives to illuminate the universe. Aristotelian proposition is based upon his famous doctrine of the soul, where body contains the soul, it must possess the qualities attributed to the soul. However, body is frequently stated as materialistic and unholy one in comparison to the soul, which is pure and clean. In other words, goodness of soul can be witnessed through the performances being made by the human body containing the attributes of the soul existing into the body. PART II Keeping in view the Obligation Theory as well as Aristotelian doctrine of Virtue, I will strictly observe kindness, benevolence, meekness, humility, truthfulness, equality and justice while interacting with other members of society. I will stick to these noble principles in my individual and social life. I will pay due heed to my studies, and would strive my best to obtain excellent marks in examination. Hence, I will not deceive my pare nts and teachers, who are making investment of time, and energies on my educational career. I will attend the church on every Sunday in order to pay my humblest gratitude to my Creator for His countless mercies and bounties upon me. I will try to follow the noble teachings manifestly mentioned in the Holy Scripture, which commands me to worship One God, obey my parents, be humble in prayers, respect the elders, love to the younger, exhibit honesty and integrity in transactions, to help the needy, care the neighbours, be polite to others, and refrain from adultery, fornication, lying, deceiving and breaking the Covenant to the Lord (Leviticus, 19). I will be loyal to my peers in the playground, and sincere to my organisation while entering the professional life. I will try my best to work for the good name and fame of my work place. While elaborating my political views, I will vote and support the most suitable, honest and committed candidate, and hence will never take his racial, et hnic and religious background altogether. I will visit community centres and hospitals at least once in fortnight in order to witness the problems faced by the people belonging to my community. I will spend some money on charitable issues, to provide financial and moral support to the downtrodden and needy.

PRINCESS DIANA 2nd part Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

PRINCESS DIANA 2nd part - Essay Example Also, cultural variables relevant not only to Britain but also to the entire world were reflected in her personality, also certain expectations were naturally associated with her (Mattern 2006). Also, being a courageous woman, the factor of gender also added in to maintain her leadership style per se and managed to positively affect her followers` base. The concept of gender also created chaos in her life as the conspiracy theories associated with her character were quite intense in nature. There is no second opinion on the fact that Lady Diana had quite a charisma in her character, which made her one of the most charming yet influential women in the world. The transformational phases overriding her life, and her inclination toward the ordinary lifestyle despite the royalty makes her distinct from other leaders. Leadership Member Exchange View theory implies that the leaders impact the followers via direct and indirect interactions, and the followers are influenced by the persona and beliefs of the leaders. Personal Charisma, involvement in the personal affairs of the followers, concern with the issues of the people and the understanding of the popular culture of the society are a few must-have traits possessed by the leaders portraying LMX approach (Kippenberg 2002). Lady Diana clearly possesses these traits as she had quite a charming personality and a kind heart. She was deeply concerned with those less well off in the society, and took issues pertaining in the society with dire seriousness. Her interaction patterns with the common people helped her connect well with the followers, owing to which the masses were very fond of her. Thus, she didn`t have to exercise power tactics to influence other, in fact her character was impactful enough for her followers. Similarly, Transformational Le adership style deals with the positive transformation of the followers by virtue of effective leadership,

The legalization of marijuanna Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

The legalization of marijuanna - Essay Example in regard to the crime of drug use is that it is a self abusive crime, the only victim of the commission of this crime being the person using the drug. The illegal nature of drugs creates all of the victimization associated with drug use. More specifically, marijuana has properties that have the ability to naturally support different types of illnesses. Therefore, it is ethically irresponsible for society to continue to support the criminalization of drugs, especially in the case of marijuana. Through the lens of virtue ethics, one can examine an issue in regard to moral good and moral evil (Darwall, 2003, p. 53). One of the ways in which society has collectively determined that drugs should be criminalized is through the concept that they represent a moral evil. The social point of view is that anything that threatens the perception of safety and normalcy should be criminalized in order to provide perceived protection. The problem with this point of view is that it is blind to the realities of the effects of criminalization which are creating a far more moral evil than the self abuse of drug use represents. The moral evils that are created through criminalization is that it empowers people who have constructed evil intent, most often through greed, to create collaborative efforts that are outside of the control of the state. Virtue ethics is defined by perception. An example is given by Darwall (2003), in regard to two men who can provide another with the same service or advantage, the first man doing the service because he feels it is his moral responsibility and does it through a sense of altruism, where the second man does it because it fulfills an aspect of his own greed. The discussion is centered upon which man will have the greatest amount of sentiment, in this case gratitude, from the person who receives the service. It is the perceived motivation of the person providing the service that creates the level of gratitude as a response (p. 53). The fact is,

The Al Qaeda Manual Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Al Qaeda Manual - Essay Example The manual demonstrates that Al Qaeda is more than just a religious militant terrorist group set on destroying western interests and attacking western values, it also highlights the difficult task that law enforcement is faced with in the modern war on terror. There is little doubt that the Al Qaeda manual asks its followers to be specifically anti-Western and anti-US. The manual proclaims that "Colonialism and its followers, the apostate rulers, then started to openly erect crusader centers, societies, and organizations like Masonic Lodges, Lions and Rotary clubs, and foreign schools" (Al Qaeda Manual, n.d., p.8). These are the symbols that they perceive as American. The manual further radicalizes its readers by tying these activities to religion. "The bitter situation that the nation has reached is a result of its divergence from Allah's course and his righteous law for all places and times" (Al Qaeda Manual, n.d., p.9). By casting the Western symbols as anti-Islamic they are able to exploit the centuries old religious fears and furors that have historically pitted Islam against Christianity. 1 Along with being an extremist religious organization, the manual indoctrinates the reader to the military arm of Al Qaeda. The document professes its need for illegal documents and counterfeit currency. These resources are then to be used to commit violence against the US and their interests anywhere around the world. There is no doubt about their propensity for violence when the state that their goals are "Kidnaping enemy personnel, assassinating enemy personnel as well as foreign tourists, blasting and destroying the places of amusement, the embassies and attacking vital economic centers, [and] bridges leading into and out of the cities" (Al Qaeda Manual, n.d., p.13). The manual is also quite detailed in the requirements for forged documents. It explains what type of documents are needed, how many to possess, and requires that members' documents have a picture without a beard (Al Qaeda Manual, n.d., p.23). While this non-dated document may be more difficult to implement in today 's world of heightened security, it demonstrates their organizational commitment to doing anything necessary to subvert US interests around the world. 2 There is the question as to whether or not the possession of this document could identify someone as a terrorist and subject them to arrest under the current US Law. The professing of violence against specific targets, advocating illegal activity, and the ties to an organization labeled by the State Department as a terrorist group, would place the person who posses this document at some risk of being suspected of being a terrorist. This brings into question whether I will be at risk since I have downloaded a copy to my computer and I do not have the technology to eradicate it from the disc drive. While I would like to think that justice would win out and an explanation of "used for academic purposes" would be enough, the headlines are full of the innocent people who are still in obscure prisons for terrorist activities. This could be further complicated if I was an Islamic student that was studying in America. This manual not only illustrates the depth of commitment that Al Qaeda h as to its goals, it also shows the difficulty that law enforcement has in regards to its ability to evaluate motivation, intent, and

Patholophysiology & Management of critical conditions Essay

Patholophysiology & Management of critical conditions - Essay Example pes of stroke that human beings can be affected by; Ischemic stroke is a kind of brain attack that arises when a vessel which transports blood to human brain is blocked by the blood clotting process (Richard, et al, 2009). In this case, the clot creates a barricade, blocking the routine flow of blood. This occurs in two main ways; first there can be a blood clot happening in a brain artery which happens to be very narrow, this process is referred to as â€Å"Thrombotic stroke.† Secondly, there may be a case where a clot breaks off from a completely different location. Alternatively, the blood clot can be transported to the blood vessels in the brain from a different part of the body, in both cases; the clot is a barrier blood flow in the brain. In the condition, the kind of stroke suffered from is referred to as â€Å"embolism† or â€Å"embolic stroke† Another kind of stroke happens when a weak blood vessel happens to burst up in the brain. This makes the blood to start leaking into the brain against the normal way that the brain is intended to function (Kenning, et al, 2012). In both cases, death is always knocking for the victim in case urgent effective medical care is not administered. When a person is affected by stroke, the kind of symptoms that are exhibited depends on the part of the brain that has been affected. It is possible for someone to experience the symptoms without being able to know that its stroke. People should be aware that symptoms of stroke develop unexpectedly and without due warning. For the first few days the symptoms occur on and off, making it hard for one to explain the prevailing body condition. When stroke first occurs, its symptoms are said to be very severe, however, this effects gets worse as time continues. If bleeding happens in the brain, the victim experiences headaches which start as mild but soon become severe. These headaches are prevalent when the victim is lying flat; the severity of the headaches wakes up the victim from

The Al Qaeda Manual Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Al Qaeda Manual - Essay Example The manual demonstrates that Al Qaeda is more than just a religious militant terrorist group set on destroying western interests and attacking western values, it also highlights the difficult task that law enforcement is faced with in the modern war on terror. There is little doubt that the Al Qaeda manual asks its followers to be specifically anti-Western and anti-US. The manual proclaims that "Colonialism and its followers, the apostate rulers, then started to openly erect crusader centers, societies, and organizations like Masonic Lodges, Lions and Rotary clubs, and foreign schools" (Al Qaeda Manual, n.d., p.8). These are the symbols that they perceive as American. The manual further radicalizes its readers by tying these activities to religion. "The bitter situation that the nation has reached is a result of its divergence from Allah's course and his righteous law for all places and times" (Al Qaeda Manual, n.d., p.9). By casting the Western symbols as anti-Islamic they are able to exploit the centuries old religious fears and furors that have historically pitted Islam against Christianity. 1 Along with being an extremist religious organization, the manual indoctrinates the reader to the military arm of Al Qaeda. The document professes its need for illegal documents and counterfeit currency. These resources are then to be used to commit violence against the US and their interests anywhere around the world. There is no doubt about their propensity for violence when the state that their goals are "Kidnaping enemy personnel, assassinating enemy personnel as well as foreign tourists, blasting and destroying the places of amusement, the embassies and attacking vital economic centers, [and] bridges leading into and out of the cities" (Al Qaeda Manual, n.d., p.13). The manual is also quite detailed in the requirements for forged documents. It explains what type of documents are needed, how many to possess, and requires that members' documents have a picture without a beard (Al Qaeda Manual, n.d., p.23). While this non-dated document may be more difficult to implement in today 's world of heightened security, it demonstrates their organizational commitment to doing anything necessary to subvert US interests around the world. 2 There is the question as to whether or not the possession of this document could identify someone as a terrorist and subject them to arrest under the current US Law. The professing of violence against specific targets, advocating illegal activity, and the ties to an organization labeled by the State Department as a terrorist group, would place the person who posses this document at some risk of being suspected of being a terrorist. This brings into question whether I will be at risk since I have downloaded a copy to my computer and I do not have the technology to eradicate it from the disc drive. While I would like to think that justice would win out and an explanation of "used for academic purposes" would be enough, the headlines are full of the innocent people who are still in obscure prisons for terrorist activities. This could be further complicated if I was an Islamic student that was studying in America. This manual not only illustrates the depth of commitment that Al Qaeda h as to its goals, it also shows the difficulty that law enforcement has in regards to its ability to evaluate motivation, intent, and

The Black Death and its aftermath Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Black Death and its aftermath - Essay Example The religious view argued that the "Black Death" was created by the Jews so that they could eliminate all the Christians from this world. They believed that the Jews had poisoned all the wells and springs. Therefore, they persecuted the Jews demanding them to confess their evil schemes. Many of the Jews confessed that they obtained this lethal poison from a foreign land but it was done without the knowledge of the Jewish community. Many communities had to pray hard for rain so that their people could have pure water to drink and cook. Some of the regions that were severely affected by this disease believed that God would want the Jews to be punished for this act. So they began to burn the Jews for poisoning all the wells and springs. As a result of the torture, many Jews were adopted to the Christian faith through baptism in order to avoid undeserved punishment 2 (Horrox, 1994). The religious view also argued that the plague was a punishment from God. They believed that the human race deserved to be punished because of their disobedience to God. People lived lifestyles that were sinful, unrighteous and not pleasing to him. Because of this, God had to demonstrate his sovereign power by allowing humanity to suffer. People could be cured from this disease but in order to be healed they had to humble themselves and totally submit to His authority. In comparison, the practitioners from Egyptian and Mesopotamian nations had 'medicine' to make peace with the gods. They believed that performing certain rituals and incantations before the sick person would cause him to be delivered from the demon spirit, for they all believed that diseases were caused by demons 3 (Horrox, 1994; & Longrigg, 1998). The medical theory presented two main explanations on the plague. Firstly, they believed that the cause of 'Black Death' was associated with "miasma" which means "bad air". They said that when a person inhales 'bad air' it goes directly into their lungs before it gets transmitted into their blood stream. Therefore, it starts to affect the patient's body by generating various symptoms such as headaches, coughing up blood, and a rain increase in the pulse rate. 2 The disease also would spread quickly into the air when the afflicted patient exhaled. This medical theory supported the fact that the air was not the main cause of the plague; instead, the plague was a direct result of the pollution or bacteria in the air that which was the cause for the disease. So when a normal individual contracted the disease through an afflicted person, they were both required to immediately leave the town before they passed it on to more people4 (Horrox, 1994). The medical theory also claimed that the plague was caused by an imbalance in the individuals' diet. For instance, individuals with inadequate nourishment were more vulnerable to the plague than people with malnutrition. People who consume an adequate amount of water were less susceptible to the disease. This indicated that the socioeconomic status was a significant factor in determining the rate at which the disease spread. Therefore, people from low class families were mainly blamed for the elevation of 'Black Death'. The medical view

Eusebius Pamphili Essay Example for Free

Eusebius Pamphili Essay Eusebius Pamphili, also called Eusebius of Caesarea, is one of the key figures ever documented in the field of church history writing/narration. He took into account essential happenings about a specific event and made accounts for people of great importance in the christian realm. Eusebius was exposed to events and he himself was an eyewitness of some martyrdom in several occasions like what happened in the persecution of Christianity in the time of the many Roman emperors. He was famous for his two historical works: â€Å"Chronicle† and â€Å"Church History†. He also wrote several books which served as references by many people like the â€Å"Apology for Origen†, â€Å"Praeparatio de Evangelica† (Preparation for the Gospel), â€Å"Demostratio Evangelica† (Proof of the Gospel), and other scholarly works that possesses historical values in itself. He appended supplements on the work, â€Å"On the Theology of the Church† to preserve the Nicene doctrine of the Logos against Athanasius principles. But perhaps another historical mark for Eusebius was his detailed accounts in the lives of the martyrs of the Palestine, Origen, and others. He also claimed that he witnessed persecutions in Egypt and Tyre. Furthermore, his prominent works in heresy hunting was also successful, an attribute only a few individual have during his time. His works, being focused in several Christian doctrines and teachings, is what makes it valuable for Christians today. This does not necessarily mean all his teachings were of absolute truth, but the fact that his works can be studied either to resolve or abhor the philosophy which depends on the bias and principle of the reader. Claiming that he had opportunities to witness such brutality made to the early Christians, it is therefore valuable to read his accounts for the readers to assess his claims as well as to consider his claims or despise the same. 1 The focal point of his work is to narrate in a very explicit way possible what transpired during that specific event based on Eusebius accounts and other writings. Taking into account what happened during the persecution experienced by Christians during that period by the authorities is also one of the main points of his writing. The so-called â€Å"Martyrs of Christ† were also mentioned in the book including the method of execution applied unto them. Having burned live, fed into wild beasts, and other mutilation process were clearly stated in the book. Moreover, he made a careful manifestation on the essential parts of the book by giving commentaries which had disputable issues involved. He also expressed contrasts in the claims of Eusebius by including accounts from other manuscripts as well, and stating its case in contrary to Eusebius claims. One clear example would be on the issue of the questionable escape by Eusebius from the persecution while the rest of his company suffered. Eusebius claimed that he escaped through the help of his friends from the authority. However, he was accused by others that he denied the faith, the main reason why he escaped from the prison. Another excerpt from the book would be the concern on his teachings regarding the basic Christian doctrine as again being challenged by other Christians. The contents of the book tackle on numerous historical accounts which are very important in studying the church history. Eusebius accounts, as well as others’ writings must be acknowledged by those who ventures into the history of the early Christians. Describing explicitly the tortures experienced by early Christians, the author carried out the gravity of the said affliction. These reasons, the author believed were some of the factors why the book had to be furnished. Critical commentaries were in scripted by the writer of the book. He clearly included both sides of the issues whenever there are conflicting sides arguing for a specific event stated. Credibility of the author depends on where he got the details included in his writing, as well as on how he presented those data he gathered. Since these issues were clearly evident in the writing of this manuscript, one can say that the author’s credibility should not be in question. There are other writers who did a great job expounding the history of the church. They also claimed reliable sources as to where they acquired the details of their writings. They presented their commentaries with objectivity, making them a likely author. These descriptions cited were also integrated in the works of the author mentioned in this entire assessment. Readers of this generation would be having a clear insight on the topics included in the manuscript made by the author. They can either approve or detest some of the details written but this writing would surely provide them a good reference in studying church history. They can also witness the author’s independent view on certain issues in the history of the church. Aside from all of these, this book should also be treated as a supplement on the topic of persecutions of the early Christians and the other details in a particular regime of past Roman emperors. The substance of a manuscript depends on several factors which includes its intrinsic importance and on how appropriate the book is in its field. This work made a great contribution in narrating events which focused on the writings of Eusebius. Stating all the ideas and principles incorporated in this writing, there is no way that this manuscript be given less importance, particularly in the grounds of studying the history of Christianity. From narrating the life of Eusebius, his circumstances, his accounts on the persecution of Christians and other relevant accounts made this book commendable.

The Opera Singer As An Actor Music Essay

The Opera Singer As An Actor Music Essay In this dissertation emphasis will be placed on the marriage of three concepts namely: good voice singing technique, musicality and acting for opera (building the character) in the training of a successful opera singer hereafter referred to as the singer-actor. The purpose of the study was to explore and describe the essential skills that needed to be acquired by the modern opera singer. The rationale therefore, is to provide guidelines for the minimum requirements for the training of the opera singer as singer-actor. Taking into consideration the demands on opera singers when taking part in an opera, the study was guided by the following question: How does the knowledge of good voice (a sound singing technique), musicality and building a character role benefit the opera singers performance? Evolving from the main research question, the following sub questions were formulated: What is a good voice within classical voice training methods? How can musicality contribute to an opera singers performance? What are the demands to build a character role? General and specific aims: The general aim of this study was to determine how the knowledge of a good voice, musicality and building a character role, benefit the opera singers performance. Specific aims: The specific aims of this study are: to define a good voice To define musicality to determine how building a character role contribute to an opera singers performance. Due to the limited nature of this study, only a literature study will be done. As an extension of this study, the researcher would follow an interpretivist paradigm with a qualitative approach which strives to comprehend the important skills an opera singer should have according to contemporary South African opera singers and their view of the importance of acting ability for successful opera. The study will be conceptualised in terms of and based on the following frameworks: The voice Musicality Acting ability Relationship between music and text For opera to retain its artistic relevance to, and impact on, the fabric of arts and culture, it can be argued that there are three fundamental elements to the performance of opera which need to be addressed, and which require academic input (herformulering), discipline regarding musicality as well as focussed tuition and practise (sweeping statement. Wie se so?). In a world of ever-increasing media coverage of artistic and musical artists and events, together with an ever-increasing sophistication of a wider audience, it is becoming increasingly challenging for the artist, and in particular, the opera singer, to be successful in his career. Key to this challenge is that the opera singer is left with no choice other than to develop skills beyond the purely technical expertise. It is imperative that, in order to be extraordinary and thereby successful, the opera singer has to master three co-functioning disciplines, namely the good voice, musicianship and acting ability (sit bronne in). Singers tend to take acting classes separate from their vocal training in order to improve their acting skills. However, they mostly discover that taking classes in spoken drama and dialogue helps up to a certain point, but when going back to singing opera, the acting strategies learnt in the drama class do not always migrate to the performance of the aria (cf. Bean: 2007:167). This lack of transition is a result of the unique relationship between the music and the stage character in opera, which is not taken into account in the training of purely spoken (non-musical) drama. Thus, the one aspect that separates the acting of a spoken drama from that of opera is the music that is performed by instruments and the human voice. (Bron) (Prof. Jak: kommentaar is dat dit self evident is, of vroeà «r genoem moet word). The argument specific to this dissertation is that the preparation and development of the opera singer (or singer-actor) has to facilitate three equally important, inter-linked and overlapping platforms of the Good Voice (singing technique), the discipline of musicianship and The Ability to Act (building the character). ( dink dit is aan die begin gesà ª) In order to deliver a masterful opera performance, the singer actor needs to depict a character successfully. The opera singer needs to be a singer-actor who has mastered the following three pillars (Good Voice, Musicianship and Acting Ability) of the craft and art of Opera Performance. Each of these pillars deserves equal attention with particular reference to the input, mentoring/development and training curriculum of the opera singer (Bron) Further to the intention of the dissertation, it will be important that there are appropriate and comprehensive definitions of these three equally important elements that are based on the relevant literature and which build on the existing body of knowledge in this field. Specifically, this study will integrate the definitions of A Good Voice, Musicianship and Acting Ability in terms applicable to the Singer-Actors optimal performance of Opera. Furthermore, in this dissertation emphasis will be placed on singing techniques, the elements of musicianship, and various relevant acting strategies in the training of a successful opera singer. This dissertation will also include the identification of relevant areas of scholarly attention and future academic research that will add to the existing body of knowledge in this arena. An in-depth literature study of relevant and contemporary sources on these topics have been done to guide the research. Method of research The following methods of research were used to answer the research questions: Consulting of the following databases: JSTOR, Google Scholar, Periodical archive online and IIMP; Literature study Interpretation of information and conclusions A study of Largo al factotum from Puccinis Il Barbiere di Seviglia on the basis of the score and recordings, in order to ensure a common understanding of how the study could apply to the aria Before the conceptualized terms will be discussed, a concept clarification of the relevant issues at hand, will be provided. 1.1 Concept clarification The Good Voice / The self-amplified singing voice The good voice can be defined as the ability of the opera singer to project the voice in a way that its heard over and above the full orchestra accompanying the singers. This view correlates with the description of Gilfrey (2007:1) who describes the voice as a classical technique, a manner of singing that projects the voice over a large orchestra in a large theatre. Four elements are essential to produce a sound, namely a vibrating object, a power source to make the object vibrate, a medium through which the vibrations are transmitted and apparatus to receive the vibrations (McKinney,1999:20). The self-amplified singing voice as described by Gilfrey (2007:1) is the single most important element of opera; the one that distinguishes opera not only from spoken drama, but also from rock and pop music, from jazz and from musical theatre (as it is performed today). Optimal Acoustic Output Acoustic output refers to the optimal projection of the voice to enhance the correct and optimal usage of the voice as an instrument. According to Titze (2002: 367 376) mean glottal airflow (or, alternatively, glottal resistance) has been a target for optimising vocal output power in voice therapy and singing training. Glottal airflow refers to the space between the vocal cords (the fleshly parts of the air passage inside the throat) which produce the sound of the voice by fast or slow moments, in which this space is repeatedly opened and closed (Longman, 1980:484). Generator / Breath Management / Breath Breathing is a natural process which begins at birth an ends with death. This is a natural process for which no training is acquired. The rate of breathing is governed by the bodys need for oxygen and needs no conscious controls. The essential difference between breathing to live and breathing to sing, lies in the amount of conscious control exerted (McKinney, 1994: 46). In other words, the breathing process is a spontaneous event for the normal person, but a skill that needs to be mastered by the opera singer to optimise breath control and support for the voice. Vibrator The word vibration of the voice refers to The function of the vibrator is to set the column of still air in the throat and also that in the windpipe in vibration. The vibratory element of the larynx consists of a highly skilful compromise on the part of nature which enable the opera singer to phonate without interfering with the breathing capacity (Kelsey, 1950: 66). This vibration is a function of the larynx; a device similar to the diaphragm of a sound-system speaker, is the anatomical device through which the sound is created while simultaneously allowing the singer to continue breathing through the same gap (or slit) by which the airflow is controlled. This control is the output of extensive skill learning, disciplined practise and deliberate conscious control (Kelsey, 1950: 66-67). Structure and Function Resonator / Supraglottic Activity The word resonator refers to an apparatus for increasing the resonance of sound (Longman, 1980:942). For the purpose of this study, the word resonance can be defined as secondary vibrations produced by sound waves from another vibrating body (Lessac, 1997:13). He also distinguishes between two types of resonance, namely direct or enforsed resonance and indirect or sympathetic resonance. Direct resonance occurs when a vibrating body is placed in direct physical contact with another substance. For the opera singer direct resonance could be the sound resonating with the outer surfaces of your teeth. Indirect resonance occurs when the sound waves of a vibrating body set up vibrations in a substance some distance away. Sympathetic resonance occurs as the vocal sound waves, travelling through air space from the vocal folds, make contact with the hard pallet and then with the nasal bone (Lessac, 1997:13). The ability to resonate can therefore be described as the amplifying of the human voic e. This amplifying can be divided into three sections, including the air contained in the lungs and windpipe, the air contained in the throat and, that contained in the suprapalatal cavity. Each of these can be seen an air-conditioner. Classical Technique (sit nog iets in of haal uit, PL) In popular usage, art or serious music as opposed popular music The Harvard Concise Dictionary of Music and Musicians. CHAPTER 2: The Good Voice in Classical Singing Before the good voice can be discussed, the anatomy of voice production needs to be clarified in short. Lessac (1997:14) defines the term voice box of human sound box as the cavity or enclosure where the tone is strengthened, amplified and enriched by resonance and wave reflection. According to Lessac, the voice box comprise two areas: a major adjustable area right above the larynx and the oral cavity and nondadjastable area in the pharynx, the nose, the forehead and adjacent structures. This soundbox can be describe as the singing meganism of which all the parts interdependent of each other, eah of which plays a crucial role in producing the good voice. The good voice as defined in par 1.1 takes years of concentrated training. This focus on singing technique is the primary focus of most singers studies (Gilfrey, 2007:1). A whole voice approach is beneficial for both singer and actor; however actor training programs dont include singing, and vice versa. Acting is becoming increasingly important for the opera singer, but is seldom supported by the prerequisites of theatre voice and movement (Melton Tom, 2003:135). Sà ª nog iets oor hoekom training belangrik is. Singing is both a science and an art. Most teachers have at least some appreciation for a scientific singing method and those who dont often claim to have discovered some long-lost piece of wisdom. This wisdom is generally already incorporated in the teachings of a well-trained singer. There are some fads that come and go but a singer with good technique and access to his or her emotions will please any audience and have a much broader career with greater longevity (Brown, 2004: 97-104). Technique is central to singing opera, but singing is also an art form, and no art form can be realised by the use of technique alone. Merging voice technique, musicality and emotion through competent acting skill is something that must be taught from the very beginning of the Opera Singers development of his/her career. This is because, when occupied in the emotion of the moment, the good voice will acquire nuances that are quintessentially important to conveying the emotional elements of the opera and will thus elevate the singer to a higher level of performance and riveting engagement with the audience. Gebruik onderstaande as daar nog inligting daaroor is, anders voeg saam, PL Every aspect of the voice, used directly of indirectly affects the whole mechanism. For example alignment and breathing are integrally connected to the performers range, resonance and articulation. For this reason, some of the relevant aspects affecting the good voice, will be discussed below. 2.1 Vowel modification Vowel Modification and Primal Sound Christy (1961) means that an important criteria for good singing habits is the homogenic shaping of vowels, in other words, they should sound as if they fit together, the vowels must be consistent with each other. Many professional singers never master the art of even vocal production. This can be ascribed to vocal coaches not fully grasping the concept of vowel placement. When this concept is fully understood it is impossible for a singer to not produce vowels freely and comfortably. In the first volume Christy states that once a single vowel is mastered the singer must focus on uniting the remaining vowels in accordance with that of the first. He means that the different vowels should attain a similar sound without losing its distinctive character. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦this is another way of saying vowels have to be equalized by having a common, fundamental tonal characteristic. The fundamental tone of the human voice is the huh sound. According to Christy this sound should be considered the basic reference to vowel placing because the uh sound is the most natural sound that can be produced, as the pharynx is relaxed and in its natural position. Oren C. Brown concurs with Christy, but describes the uh sound as the primal sound: Primal sounds are involuntary. They are the sounds you were born with. In Beijing , Basel or Boston, a babys cry at birth is his primal sound. In 1963, Peter F. Oswald mad a phonetic analysis of the babys cry. He labeled the initial sound as a schwa [Éâ„ ¢], (uh as in about), which linked the cry to a babys first word, mama [mÉâ„ ¢mÉâ„ ¢]. Mama is the first word spoken by babies throughout the whole world. In Korea the word is ama, with the vowel preceding the consonant. (Brown 1998) p. 1 The sound identified by both Brown and Christy can therefore be described as the primal- or natural relaxed sound. As practical advice Brown suggest testing the sound through a range of exploratory exercises: making the huh sound in a short repetitive sequence (as if laughing), or a long relaxed sustained huh (like a sigh). He also suggests sliding the huh up and down the vocal range noting that the sound becomes lighter in the higher range and darker in the lower range. He means that this is natural and advises the singer to note his or her voices natural inclinations. Judith Litante also mentions in Natural Approach to Singing (p32) that the vowels used in Italian forms a basis for the study of vowels in singing. She believes that they are pure. The reason for this is that Italian vowels are a compact basis for both English and other non Latin based languages. In English one finds many diphthongs. She means that employing these pure vowels or primal sound, as previously mentioned would eliminate the distorted pronunciation of diphthongs; for example extending the last syllable when singing say, it becomes sayee or kind becomes kieend. When the vowels are aligned and the vocal structures are in a natural posision, these kinds of distortion is eradicated. 2.2 Breath management Breathing techniques need to be considered holistically and consciously controlled until it becomes an unconscious competence. Sufficient and natural supply of air is needed for voice production. A good posture is an essential part of breathing and should be developed to support the opera singer in his breath management (Brown, 2004:17). This view is supported by Mckinney (1994:46-64) who state that there is a direct and positive correlation between correct posture (diaphragm control, and muscular movements of the chest, back and abdomen) and effective breathing in singing. According to McKinney (1994:48) breathing has four stages, namely a breathing-in period (inhalation), a setting-up-controls period (suspension), a controlled-exhalation period (phonation) and a recovery period. These stages should be repeated till the opera singer has the ability to go through the stages unconsciously. This process can be compared to the person who learns to drive a motorcar and has to concentrate on each step till he gets the ability to perform all the steps automatically. For the opera singer this refers to preparing to breathe, preparing for the phrase, physically singing the phrase and recovering in order for the process to repeat. 2.3 The vibrator 2.4 The resonator 2.5 The articulator Classical Opera training and singing versus Singing pop or secular music The single most important element of opera, the one that distinguishes opera not only from spoken drama, but also from rock and pop music, from jazz and from musical theatre (as it is performed today), is the self-amplified singing voice. This is a voice produced with a classical technique, a manner of singing that projects the voice over a large orchestra in a large theatre. The learning of the singing technique this voice requires, takes years of concentrated training. This focus on singing technique is the primary focus of most singers studies. CHAPTER 3: Musicianship How the Classical Singer Accesses Demonstrates Musicianship To acquire musicianship a high level of artistic interpretation of songs and knowledge of repertoire is required through years of training. One can not over emphasize the importance of musicianship. It is simply not suffice for a musician to have a musical ear, theoretical and musical knowledge, play an instrument or respond emotionally to music. The artist must be a musician i.e. a singer (Christy Vol 1: 7). According to Miller (Principles of singing p1) a singer can acquire musicianship through classes, studying an instrument (ex. Piano), performing in choirs or through private study and the self-exploration of music. Even though a singer that has exceptional vocal talent, he should receive professional music training and the participation in solo or choral ensembles especially in the first year of study. Many vocal teachers might disagree with this statementà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ A singer with a natural talent and an ear for music must be able to imitate sounds and pitches and not just h ear this internally, for example; in a singing lesson the student listens to the vocal teacher and then imitates the vocal sound of the teacher. The same principle applies with rhythm. A sound inner sense of rhythm will contribute to the holistic musicianship of the singer. Besides musicianship, there is also the interpretation of music. According to Christy (1961: Vol 2:110) Interpretation is the emotional and artistic portrayal; the summation of all music. According to Christy (1961:Vol2:110) Musicianship is the science of music and interpretation . A good singer should be familiar with all styles of music and song literature. The singer must be trained in a style and in the interpretation of songs in a particular style. A song has a style that must be established and followed through to the end. It is possible for a singer to become comfortable with a particular style that he can do well in, but he will not realise that what he steers clear of could be very valuable for his musical development. Therefore the teacher should analyse, guide and discuss the songs with the singer, in order to identify the accompanying details of expression. (Christy 1961:Vol2:110-111). The basis of musicianship include the abilities to read and interpret rhythms and intervals, playing the piano accompaniments, acquiring knowledge of the basics of theory and harmony, music and musicians in terms of vocal and instrumental style, schools and song literature. (Christy 1961:Vol1:7) According to Christy 1961:Vol:109, (quoting Curt Atler in the art of accompanying and coaching: 1965: 219) interpretation may be defined as the singers act of expressing and communicating meaning, mood and epic, a comedy, or just an expression set to music all in capsule form. To interpret music is to express or reproduce it intrinsically by the singer, in the score. Due to the limitations in music notation, it is the responsibility of the singer to interpret and express the fine distinction between tonal colour, tempo and intensity of the composers interpretation. The expression can be found in the text and in the setting. According to Christy 1961:Vol2:112, when the same song is sung by two sensitive artists, it is highly unlikely that the general style, tone, colour and mood will be markedly different; however, dynamics, tempo, word accentuation, and innumerable details often are. Thus, the keys must be studied by the singer in order to express and keep the interpretation on trac k. The two requirements for interpretation include the fidelity to the composers intent and that it must contain an essentially creative element of the interpreters own making, illuminating the subject with fresh light. (Christy 1961:Vol1:190). Furthermore, the expression must be honest, sincere, simple and direct, which means that nothing must be added or placed over the music that will distract attention from the work itself. Also, the singer must reproduce the music with insight, imagination and vitality in his own unique way it must not be copied from others. Interpretation has four main factors including appropriate and fervent mood or emotion, eloquent diction, adequate technique and a natural, sincere stage presence. (Christy 1961:Vol1:190). EMBELLISHMENTS Embellishments comprise of, but are not limited to the appoggiatura, acciaccatura, mordent, gruppetto or turn, trill and the portamento. These are techniques that are of vital importance in the interpretation of music. In the appoggiatura, the singer usually has to apply his own taste due to its indeterminate value. There are some accented notes in a melody that form the bass of the intervals since they lean on the next note to which they descend. The appoggiatura was used by singers long before it was written down, because of the enjoyable sound and is often absent in the score. (Shakespeare: 115). The acciaccatura and mordent is different from the appoggiatura as it is written with a stroke through the stem and tail. This does not have an affect on the value of the next note but it is sung much quicker. The acciaccatura is usually a small note where as the appoggiatura is written as a whole note. (Shakespeare: 115). The gruppetto or turn is a group of three or four notes. If the higher interval is a tone, the lower tone is a semitone and if both intervals are semitones it is known as a chromatic turn. (Shakespeare: 115). Sung in rapid alternation with the note of the scale above it, the trill is an embellishment that has a principle note that belongs to the harmony of the composition. A trill is usually finished with a turn. (Shakespeare: 115). The portamento carries the voice from one interval to the next, then passing lightly through the intervening tones. It also indicates a phrase and the Legato rendering of a passage. (Behnke: The technique of singing: 99) Legato Slur Intonation Colour in the voice timbre (emotion) Following the conductor Discuss the concept of DISCIPLINE Technical aspects According to Hayward (see 1994:205) style can be interpreted in many different ways. Interpretation can be defined as communicating understanding. Interpretation can best be expressed in a persons own language according to James Nolan in his book Interpretation, Techniques and exercises. Expression and conveying of meaning, feeling and idea through sound can be defined as interpretation (Christy 1967:109). CHAPTER 4: Acting Within the South African context, this integration of The Good Voice, Musicianship and Acting is deficient. There are various reasons for this lack of attention given to the development of acting skills with singer-actors. One is that there are not many qualified tutors in South African institutions that combine the field of acting and musical performance. Another reason is the absence of appropriate development programs and relevant material in curriculums. As a result, there is less interest from students to pursue a career as a singer-actor. In support of this argument, Knobel and Steinert (2002:155) claim that the acting teacher should be just as important to you as your singing teacher and can be of great help to you throughout your singing career. Interestingly enough, contrary to this understanding are the arguments of authors such as Bean, Goldovsky and Balk, who posit that acting classes à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ are very often of little benefit to the singing actor Bean (2007:167). These two opposing views illustrate that there are no consensus among academics about the importance of acting skills (al dan nie) of the opera singer. This statement is underpinned by the neglect of some higher education institutions offering voice training, where little or no training in acting is provided. In the quotation below, Bandelj truly captures the spontaneous physiological, psychological and emotional reactions which authentic acting can bring about in the actors performance. When a singer acts and sings in a mechanical way, it often comes across as disjointed or in some cases ridiculous. It is the emotion that breathes life into the song and makes it relevant, connecting with the audience and transcending facial contortions (Bandelj, 2003:393-394). To avoid that, an actor should utilise the all the involuntary muscle contractions that emotions evoke in the body, either by recalling their own past experiences or imagining themselves personally going through what the character is experiencing. This makes the whole action more believable. Gilfrey, Bonavia agrees that the ability to act, though considerably under-estimated, is not the only or the most necessary qualification for the operatic stage. Acting in opera is a comparatively modern accomplishment (Bonavia, 1915:79). This observation, by Bonavia, pays homage to the deeply rooted tradition of well-respected opera singers being famous for their magnificence of voice; but of their skill in acting there is hardly any mention to be found anywhere (Bonavia, 1915:79). ( Dink hier aan enige ou opera wat opgevoer is en waar daar slegs aandag aan die sang gegee is) Ultimately, Bonavia contradicts (to some extent) the previous argument by identifying an exception. That is Chaliapin who, according to Bonavia, provides the audience with ever-changing shades of facial expression à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ the whole character left vividly impressed à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Chaliapin is the ideal actor (Bonavia, 1915:80). In terms of the attempts made at acting within the Opera world, there is a history and tradition of operatic gesture and the surprising persistence of melodramatic effects and gestural overstatement (Smart, 2004:26). While this is certainly applicable to the Nineteenth Century, we need to be cognisant of how this tradition of gestural overstatement may be (erroneously) assumed to be the only acting required of the singer actor in the twenty-first Century. That is, even in the times of Verdi, the role of gesture à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (grew) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ as formal conventions loosened (Smart, 2004:136). The appropriate question therefore is, to what extent have formal conventions loosened further, particularly in a world hallmarked by electronic media and social networking? As indicated in the introduction, Television and DVDs, have provided unrestricted access to Opera to an ever-increasing sophisticated and demanding audience in the entertainment space. This view is further reinforced by the writing of RePass (1953:10-18) who states that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦(PL). Building the Character The creation of a character role by the singer-actor is the basis and starting-point of the combination of singing and acting. While it cannot be doubted that an excellent singing technique à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (viz., The Good Voice and Musicianship) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ is essential to the success of any opera singer, other skills required for a convincing performance, among them acting, are often given less attention by singers and their teachers (Gilfrey, 2007:1). Innate talent is not the sole factor as the ability of a singer-actor to create a character role is severely impacted by the cultural beliefs of what acting is and also how it is measured. When keeping this in mind it becomes evident that the creation of a character, especially in the case of singer-actors, are based on the teachings of Konstantin Stanislavsky better known as the method acting technique. The method acting technique is an approach that the Russian actor developed to whose approach stresses the internal preparation of actors (Bandelj, 2003:393). This focus differs from that of the other schools of acting namely The English School of Acting, The Bertold Brechts epic theatre and Japanese Noh Drama. The interaction experienced by the singer-actors on stage and the director with the constant feedback assures a more lifelike portrayal. The fundamental driver of method acting is the wish to reproduce reality. All (acted) behaviours and interactions need to be seen to be psychologically, emotionally and socially authentic and plausible, while concurrently acting as an integrating mechanism to the plot and to the other cast members. Drawing on his/her own experiences and observations the actor needs to appear spontaneous while using objects in both a symbolic (or metaphorical way) and a literal way (Bandelj, 2003:393). This, and the additional use of props to facilitate the portrayal of the situation, are all tied together by the passion of the actor and the pursuit of truth as art imitates life or indeed verisimilitude (Bandelj, 2003:394). The quality of the voice has much more to do with the correct training and technique, rather than the singers natural endowment, especially later in life as the singer ages. *The W questions to build a character role (also mentioned in the PowerPoint) Who? What? Where? When? Why? And HOW? Contributing Elements to Building a

Samoan Language :: essays research papers fc

Samoan is a rich language that remains the principal language of the people of Samoa. The Samoan language is exquisite and quite easy to learn and is similar to other languages in the pacific region. â€Å"Samoan is a branch of the Austronesian Language, formerly called Malayo-Polynesian language, one of the word’s largest language families, both in terms of numbers of languages-more than 700-and geographic spread-covering islands and some mainland areas from Madagascar in the west to Easter Island and Hawaii in the east† (Amerika Samoa). â€Å"The Austronesian language is divided into two branches: Formosan, the languages spoken by about 200,000 people in Taiwan; and Malayo-Polynesian, comprising the rest of the language in the Austronesian family† (Encarta Online). As a student finishing up his 2nd year of the Hawaiian Language, I was amazed to find several words in Pouliuli having the same meaning in Hawaiian. Therefore, this report will focus on the Samoan l anguage; it’s rules, pronunciation, and the similarities and differences between the Samoan language and the Hawaiian language. The Samoan language cannot be considered as strong language, and few letters of the alphabet are put to use. â€Å"D and B are never used; H, R, and K are of rare occurrence, which are found in words that have been introduced. All words have a vowel termination, and their etymological forms are constructed by the employment of particles attached to the roots, thereby forming agglutinative or polysynthetic words. The Samoan language is comprised of only fourteen letters-five vowels, A, E, I, O, U, and nine consonants, F, G, L, M, N, P, S, T, V, --H, K, and R only occurring in words of foreign origin† (Neffgen 3). The Samoan language now contains many introduced words, which have been distorted by added vowels or substituted consonants, in order for native speakers to articulate them. Samoan vowels have long and short versions. The language is generally pronounced as in romantic languages such as Spanish and Italian. In print the long vowel sound is represented by the presence of a dash or macron over the vowel. Here is a chart on how to pronounce each vowel. Vowel  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Long  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Short A  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bath  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  But E  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Eh  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bet I  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Feet  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bit O  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Raw  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gone U  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pool  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pew Source: Samoan Sensation â€Å"Samoan consonants are pronounced the same as in English, with the exception of G, which sounds like the NG as in song† (Samoan Sensation). The Hawaiian language and Samoan language are quite similar because they both come from the same language family.

Quality Education Endangered :: School Learning Essays

Quality Education Endangered Education today is leaving students ignorant while overworking them to the point that they have little free time to relax and have fun. Teachers are not teaching their students some of the basic knowledge of the subjects and instead are assigning considerable amounts of homework to the students in an attempt to educate them through repetition. I do believe that homework is necessary to reinforce lessons, but the massive amount we are receiving is going too far, especially considering students are still graduating without the education they need to continue to a higher level of schooling. In actuality the lesson they are receiving is how to handle being overworked. If a student joins even one activity or takes on a part time job, their lives become a balancing act. Time becomes priceless and must be used wisely in order to come out on top of it all. With the amount of effort a students puts into their education in grade school they should at least being getting enough out of it to smo othly move on to their next step in life. America is the home of famous colleges like Harvard and yet American college students have to work extra hard to get a good educational experience. College freshman in California are a perfect example of this. "Between 70 and 90 percent of all students entering the California State University system have to take some form of remedial course work in basic subjects like English and math" (Jennings 305). These students are starting out their college years behind where they are supposed to be so they will have enough knowledge of basic courses to be able to succeed in college level classes. In essence, students are paying money and spending extra time to learn exactly what they are supposed to have already learned from their public education. Everyone knows how hard it is to get out of a four year college in four years today and remedial course are a source of the blame. IUP, for example, has a full course list for the students to complete to get their degree with minimal free elective c redits to accommodate the extra classes. Remedial classes also take up the space designed to allow for a minor if the students should desire to receive the extra education. It is no wonder that so many students are now be referred to as super seniors.

Does Your Mother Tongue Shape How You Think?

In the article â€Å"Does your mother tongue shape how you think† Guy Deutscher argues that our mother tongue does indeed shape our experiences of the world. However, it does not do so as Benjamin Lee Whorf’s theory suggests but rather because of what our mother tongue habitually obliges us to think. Guy Deutscher takes a claim made by Benjamin Lee Whorf, a chemical engineer, who essentially stated that our native language constrains our mind and we are unable to grasp concepts that are not given words to in our language.He said that when a language does not have a particular word for a concept, the concept itself cannot be understood by the speaker. Deutscher argues that Whorf did not have any evidence to substantiate this theory and that his claim is wrong on many levels. He gives an example that although there isn’t an English word for Schadenfreude in German; it does not mean that an English speaker is unable to comprehend the concept of pleasure in someone e lse’s misery.Whorf’s theory was â€Å"an alluring idea about language’s power over the mind, and his stirring prose seduced a whole generation into believing that our mother tongue restricts what we are able to think. † Yet, due to the lack of evidence to back up his claim the theory crash landed. This is where Deutscher presents his argument that our mother tongue can influence and affect what it habitually obliges us to think about. He does so by presenting differences from language to language and explains the many tests that were conducted in recent years to back up his theory. i] Duetscher considers many different languages and compares the differences; such as in English we don’t have to say the gender of the person we are speaking about but in French and German we would be compelled to inform the listeners of the gender. However, in English we must speak of the timing of the event such as past, present or future but in Chinese there is one v erb that represents the concept of time. When a language routinely obliges you to specify certain types of information, this makes people stay more attentive to the details.But the little details can change from language to language and a major example is inanimate objects having a gender. There were various experiments done in recent years with German and Spanish speakers. The test was to see how each person responded to an object. When asked about a bridge the German speaker believed it to be feminine and the Spanish speaker believed it to be masculine. Another test had French and Spanish speakers asked to assign human voices to objects in cartoons.When a fork was shown, the French speakers chose a woman’s voice but the Spanish speakers chose a man’s voice. This is due to how some languages have related many inanimate nouns with gender; which Deutscher believes does affect how people see different things in the world and how it will shape their experience of life. De utscher uses the Australian aboriginal tongue, Guugu Yimithirr, as a great example to back up his theory because they use cardinal direction which allows them to see and speak of the world in a different way than English speakers or egocentric coordinate speakers.While arguing his point he uses a good example of how these two languages can differ and shape your experience of the world with something as simple as the way you view a hotel. â€Å"One way of understanding this is to imagine that you are traveling with a speaker of such a language and staying in a large chain-style hotel, with corridor upon corridor of identical-looking doors. Your friend is staying in the room opposite yours, and when you go into his room, you’ll see an exact replica of yours†¦But when your friend comes into your room, he will see something quite different from this, because everything is reversed north-side-south.In his room the bed was in the north, while in yours it is in the south; the telephone that in his room was in the west is now in the east, and so on. So while you will see and remember the same room twice, a speaker of a geographic language will see and remember two different rooms†. Deutscher uses this to simplify that our mother tongue does indeed shape our experiences of the world but not in the extreme sense of a â€Å"Prison House† as Benjamin Lee Whorf’s theory suggests.Deutscher concludes that the impact of our mother tongue goes far beyond what has been experimentally demonstrated and is believed to have impacted beliefs, values and ideologies. With all this being said, Deutscher believes that the biggest step we can take toward understanding one another is the simplest step to take; which is to stop pretending we all think the same. ———————– [i] http://aafreenafzal. blogspot. com/2012/10/analysis-does-your-language-shape-how. html

Radio Shack Report

Executive Summary RadioShack Corporation is a popular electronic store within the United States of America. Within this report an assessment of RadioShack Corporation performance in the years 2004 to 2006 will be provided. This assessment looks on: * Changes in Chief Executive Officer (CEO) * The results of the changes in the CEO * The financial performance of RadioShack in the specified period * Managerial problems facing RadioShack in the specified period. From this report we hope to give a concise representation of what happened in RadioShack in the years2004-2006.As a group of consultants we aim to identify problems facing the company. Along with this we will provide solutions and recommendations to these problems based on our assessment. Introduction: Radio Shack is a consumer electronics goods and services retailer that operates about 4400 stores across the United States, Puerto Rico and the U. S. Virgin Islands. Additionally, the company also operates about 800 non-branded kio sks (small booths) from which wireless handsets and accessories are sold. The firm’s headquarters is located in Fort Worth, Texas and as of 2006, there were approximately 40000 workers employed to the company.The case presented to the group highlights the problems faced by Radio Shack which started in the year 2004. The instability in the position of CEO and executive management of the firm, financial troubles, disgruntled employees and poor communication skills have been identified as the main problems which sought to wreak havoc throughout the firm. As consultants hired by the Radio Shack Company, our main objective would be to state, with clear reasoning, the core problems affecting the company, as well their appropriate solutions.In addition we would aim to devise suitable plans which would aid the company in moving forward. Along with this we will present recommendations which would foster better development and growth within the firm for the future. Background: Within t he years 2004-2006, RadioShack had undergone instability in upper management and poor financial performance. One reason for such instability is caused by the frequent changes in CEO’s. Over the period, three persons had the role as CEO. The first, Leonard Roberts left the position to join the board of members at RadioShack.The second, David Edmondson left due to his fake qualifications. The third was, Julian Day, who was employed by the Board of Members and the Executives to turn the company around (University of Nortedame, 2007). It is not beneficial to a company to have a critical position such as the CEO changed so frequently. Each person set different goals and have different ways of achieving them. Therefore, whenever there is a change in CEO the goals of the business change too. Hence, the company is affected as it has to stop and change its path whenever a new CEO takes over.This ultimately affects the immediate performance of the business. With the frequent change in CEO’s employees may become lazy in completing the task they were given. They may also become confused in regards to what to do. Others may even stop doing the task once they are informed that the CEO will be changed. Thus, this reduces the overall productivity of workers. Consumers too will be affected as their needs and wants are not being satisfied efficiently due to changes in the company. As a result, the company is now seen as inefficient as they fail to satisfy customer needs.The company is further affected as employees will have to be paid although the company is not earning. Poor communication skill is another issue which is a result from instability in upper management. Workers were unaware of the decisions to cut staff until after a press release. It was the managers at RadioShack that informed their team of the reduction and the medium that will be used (Joyce, 2006). As a result, employees questioned the company policies and began losing confidence in them.Also ma ny felt disrespected based on the medium used inform them of job cuts (Joyce, 2006). Discussion: Between the years 2004 – 2006, Radio Shack had a fully grown problem tree. This conclusion was made after carefully analyzing, deliberating and discussing the case at hand within the group. A number of issues were defined and can be characterized in the following groups: Leaves Inability to Motivate Employees Financial Instability Branches Poor Internal Control Poor Internal communication Bad Business Ethics Root Dysfunctional / Incompetent Top ManagementThese issues will be discussed in this section in the order in which they are defined. Leaves i. Financial Instability * RadioShack Corporation in comparison to its competitors is underperforming (University of Nortedame, 2007). Their net income is significantly low and lags behind competitors. * RadioShack saw stock prices closing at relatively low trading prices. ii. Inability to Motivate Employees Radio Shack lost the confidenc e of its workforce following a sudden press release made by Day. He announced the company’s action plan in moving forward to recovery.This action plan included firing hundreds of employees as a means to decrease expenses and improve its long-term competitive position in the market place (Poole, 2007). Branches iii. Poor Internal Control Radio Shack had undergone numerous executive changes. The most significant being the changes of CEO’s in a two year period. The one which stands out was that of David Edmonson who left the position after admitting he lied on his resume about two academic degrees which he did not have (University of Nortedame, 2007).This is a major issue as measures should have been in place to check all persons qualifications before hiring. 4. Poor Internal Communication Management had failed to inform employees that jobs were to be cut. Employees were informed internally after a sudden press release given by Julian Day in 2006. To not inform your emplo yees first of such job cut may lead to many feeling separate from the company (Poole, 2007). Also, this further affects the company performance as employees are caught up wondering if they will be fired rather than focusing on getting the job done. 5.Bad Business Ethics Most would agree that no matter the means of firing, the notion remains the same. It is best to fire someone face to face. Communication is a two way process and several instances RadioShack engaged in a one way communication process based on the approach to fire employees (Gaertner-Johnston, 2006) . Clearly Radio Shack ignored this and as a result they had disgruntled employees. The way in which the letter was written also shows poor business ethics. In Business School it is taught that when delivering bad news, the bad news should not be delivered first.RadioShack ignored this and gave the employees a concise email informing them that they were no longer needed. Root 6. Dysfunctional / Incompetent Top Management Th e core cause of all of Radio Shack’s problems was the inability of their top management team to effectively do their job. Had they been overseeing more efficiently by the Board of Members and executives these branches and leaves could have been avoided. Radio Shack had left the corporation solely in the hands of Julian Day. As a newly appointed executive, he was left totally in charge of the company’s turnaround plan.The board of directors and executives confidence may have been justified based on Julian day previous work. Nonetheless, they had failed to exercise their authority in incorporating the company values, claims and policies with Julian Day’s creative genius and business operating skills. Conclusion: In evaluating this case and highlighting the many issues, it is fair to say that RadioShack Corporation is not in a very secure financial position. This statement is made on the basis that they suffered from problems which include: †¢Inability to moti vate employees Financial instability †¢Poor internal control †¢Poor internal communication †¢Bad business ethics †¢Dysfunctional/ incompetent top management Improvements are therefore needed in these areas of the company if it is to survive and grow. In order to do this, RadioShack Corporation must first find solutions to their core problems. The core problems were identified to be poor internal communication, bad business ethics and dysfunctional/ incompetent top management. These problems are the root causes which all the other problems stemmed from.This case analysis basically provided justified issues that were evaluated and discussed as it relates to RadioShack Corporation. Recommendations: In order to alleviate some of these problems faced by RadioShack Corporation, the group of consultants generated some recommendations. Based on the findings in this case, it is recommended that: †¢In trying to rebuild a company that is in great financial depression, the manager should review all aspects of the business and work along with the current staff, rather than deciding to cut staff as the first objective.The management team at RadioShack Corporation should focus on their internal performance first in order to increase profitability and revive the finances of the business. †¢Another recommendation is that the board members should exercise their authority by ensuring that Julian Day ideas were ethical and stuck to the policies of the company when making major decisions. Bibliography: University of Nortedame. (2007). RadioShack Corporation: You’ve Got Mail. Mondoza College of Business. Joyce, A. (2007).Fired Via E-Mail And Other Tales Of Poor Exits. Retrieved November 8, 2012, from http://www. washingtonpost. com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/09/AR2006090900103. html Poole, L. (2007). RadioShack lays off employees via e-mail. Retrieved November 8, 2012, from http://usatoday30. usatoday. com/tech/news/2006-08-30-radioshack-ema il-layoffs_x. htm Gaertner-Johnston, L. (2006). Fired by Email. Retrieved November 9th, from http://www. businesswritingblog. com/business_writing/2006/09/fired_by_email. ht