Saturday, August 31, 2019

Themes of Modern Terrorism Bakunin’s God and the State

Mohit Mulani Prof. James Gilligan 22/12/12 â€Å"God and the State† The idea of malevolent terrorism is fundamentally rooted in an extremist interpretation of religion enabled and to a great extent encouraged by priests and political figures. To examine this closely with reference to historical situations and ideas, we can apply the notions bought forward by the Russian 19th century philosopher and nihilist Bakunin in his seminal book, â€Å"God and State. †In the book, doctinaires are critiqued quite heavily for their relentless imposition of impractical ideals upon the world. With regards to the, Bakunin states, â€Å"They are so jealous of the glory of their God and of the triumph of their idea that they have no heart left for the liberty or the dignity or even the sufferings of living men, of real men. Divine zeal, preoccupation with the idea, finally dry up the tenderest souls, the most compassionate hearts, the sources of human love. God & the State, 65)† C omparing these 19th century doctinaires with modern day terrorists we see a group of people so completely enthralled by the superiority of their belief systems that they are more than willing to compromise the lives of non-believers to ‘persuade' others. This follows in the line of a traditional process that requires the destruction and absolute overhaul of a current system and its institutions in order for a new one to establish itself and thrive.Referred to in the line, â€Å"Every development necessarily implies a negation,† the idea is the basis of aggressive and violent terrorism globally (God & the State, 9). The September 11th attacks for instance were planned to include bombings of the Pentagon and White House, both symbolic locations representing the centers of Western imperialism and sources of resentment for the jihadis. This is particularly important given how modern day authors, journalists and thinkers have emphasized the peaceful nature of Islam when inte rpreted by its scriptures. Looking at the sheer organization and potency of terrorist rganizations, it seems as though the hyper-violent aspect of this otherwise ‘peaceful' religion must have arisen from an understanding of this dogma. There must prevail the idea that without the destruction of certain reviled Western ideals, their preferred value systems cannot be secured across the world. Another aspect bought up in Bakunin's statement about doctrinaires was the erasure of love and sympathy towards the victims of terrorist acts. The perpetrators here have been blinded by the aggressive, nationalistic rivalry between ideologies towards the pain and suffering of others.In some cases, the real or imagined suffering of their own people, often at the hands of the West is used as a tool to harden their emotional facilities towards demonized groups of people. Several recruitment communications and propaganda display in explicit detail the torture practices, prison camp conditions a nd drone attacks the Western nations have inflicted upon suspected terrorists. This intensifies the unbridled hatred that ultimately fuels the metaphorical terror machine-churning out thousands of graduates armed with suicide vests and destructive ideals that they wish to impose upon the world.An important point here is that the origin of such behaviour isn't singularly caused by hate or resentment; it is rather the amalgamation of several factors including socio-political ones that in their totality create this belligerent section of the world. Bakunin speaks of, â€Å"the whole history of humanity, intellectual and moral, political and social, [being] but a reflection of its economic history (God & the State, 9). † The fiscal nature of countries and their people often have direct consequences on the views and positions adopted by them.The effect of poverty on the terrorist world-view most directly can be two fold. In the first case, people join jihadist factions for direct monetary recompense to themselves or their family; a significant factor in desperately poor nations and villages. An instance of this was seen after the Mumbai train bombings of 2008 in which the prime suspect Ajmal Kassab confessed to expecting approximately US$3,352 after succeeding in his mission. According to police sources, he was unaware of any Islamic tenets or verses from the Quran but had a virulent message to send nonetheless.The other effect of a poor economic state is an increased susceptibility to false priests and their version of religion. Lower socio-economic groups when faced with inconsequential lives resort to belief systems that give them comfort, solace and often a sense of superiority with respect to ideology held. This often translates to more suicide bombers by means of greater anticipation for the afterlife. A fair amount of terrorists that go onto perform suicide missions do so after comparing their current lives with the ones they expect to lead in heaven or jannah.They see poverty, distress, debt and suffering as something they can leave behind to reach a land of fountains, gardens, angels and virgins if they do the right thing. Here is where opportunistic priests and politicians swoop in employing, â€Å"base and criminal means †¦ to keep the nations in perpetual slavery. (God & the State, 11)† These self-proclaimed, â€Å"guardians and the fathers of the people,† clearly do not have their best interests at heart and see them rather as tools by which they can achieve their respective political and religious agendas.A preacher who sermonizes on the value of taking lives, leveling cities and particularly in Iran- the use of nuclear weapons, cannot possibly be representing to the people any interpretation of religious texts. Instead of performing his duties as the spiritual head of a community, he uses incendiary rhetoric to stir people who are repeatedly manipulated by their governments into believing serious propa ganda against Western nations. Bakunin expresses particular outrage at such figures referring to their acts as, â€Å" this crime of treason against humanity committed daily, in broad day, over the whole surface of the civilized world. This is interesting mostly because it alters our perspective on ideas of terrorism and makes us look intensely at what goes into the formation of one. As a global community, we express daily outrage when acts of terror be they car bombings, hijackings, kidnappings and murders occur. Caught up in these, it gets difficult to see the simultaneous crime being carried out throughout large tracts of the Middle East where the populace is systematically denied a real education in lieu of religious madrasas and indoctrination.Though vastly different, we can examine Bakunin's analysis of 19th century education and modern day madrasas. â€Å"Such are the absurd tales that are told and the monstrous doctrines that are taught, in the full light of the nineteenth century, in all the public schools of Europe, at the express command of the government. They call this civilizing the people! Is it not plain that all these governments are systematic poisoners, interested stupefies of the masses? † ( God ; the State, 11) There is quite certainly a reason for the establishment of such schools.We can posit that due to a certain moral vacuum, created by the influx of Western/European morality which itself was a consequence of the Scientific Revolution, there exists a motive to enforce conservative and restrictive moral systems. These motives when taken to their extreme engender resentment towards other forms of thinking and see them as counterproductive or directly hostile to their own. In the case of Islamic theology, the teachings have been co-opted by a small, but active militant and extremist sector.This group opposes in principle all people who do not share their belief systems calling them indicatively; non-believers, infidels and heretic s. Much like how in post war Europe this very moral vacuum was filled with branches of Totalitarianism and Fascism, the radical Middle East has adopted a similarly authoritarian system. This system is firstly authoritarian in the literal sense as most nations like Saudi Arabia have no free press, democratic governments or political parties. Secondly on a more abstract level, its religious tenets when exercised by extremists or the Mutaween are highly prohibitory and insular.An example of this sprung to international attention when in March of 2002, a girl's school in Mecca caught on fire. Members of the Mutaween or the religious police were on hand to prevent improperly dressed girls from leaving the burning building. As school was in session with an entirely female population, for the sake of comfort most girls had seen fit to take of their confining abayas and headdresses. When attempting to escape, According to a civil defense officer, the girls were forced to return by use of fo rce.This is one of many examples of religious confinement and how it is inherently parochial and inhibitory. The masses must indeed be stupefied, as Bakunin says if they consider it God's will that girls burn to death for not being dressed appropriately. Though applicable to a wide range of scenarios, this example gives us insight into the aggressions of terrorist groups. It is clearly not enough that they follow the rigid principles set in the scriptures and interpreted by their mullahs, virtually everyone must do so as well.Some priests go so far as to imply that forcing or â€Å"converting† non-believers to the jihad proffers to them a place in heaven. With this tendency to make the world follow the teachings of Allah, it seems natural that they would resort to the means made popular by tradition and used quite frequently in history for such purposes; violence. Bakunin reprimands this agenda harshly in a letter to S. Nechayev: â€Å"You said that all men should be such, t hat a complete renunciation of self, of all personal wishes, pleasures, feelings affections and ties, should be a normal, natural, everyday condition to everybody without exception.You wished and still with to make your own selfless cruelty, your own truly extreme fanaticism, into a rule of common life. You wish for an absurdity, an impossibility, a total negation of nature, man and society†¦ no society however perfect its discipline and however powerful its organization can conquer nature(On Violence, 9). † This is precisely what the terrorists seem intent on doing, enforcing by means of violence their way of life upon the world. The term ‘nature' is used here to reference the progress and advancement of society, morals and behaviour.The Scientific revolution occurred some 300 years ago and since then we have evolved, developing new systems of morality and using the social sciences to fill in the gaps left by religious dogma. These â€Å"science[s] of the futureâ €  like psychology and sociology are tools we use to fashion a new way of thinking and living(God ; the State, 61). Though they exist popular and normative definitions of good and evil, we have to a great extent outgrown them as new, more ethically complex situations arise and we approach them differently.Observing moral gray areas that we face everyday like bioethics in legislation for instance gives us an idea as to how we have been forced to evolve our moral ideas to keep up with out lifestyles. Though significant, bioethics is representative of a much larger and more pervasive phenomenon due to which we approach virtually all situations differently. For one, we refrain from moralizing a lot of issues that we would have historically used an ethical framework to describe. Our collective moral psychology as a whole has become more imaginative and we have a much larger scope to use morality in out lives.This broad, nonconservative approach has been interpreted as an empty, decade nt and immoral (rather ironically) philosophy that is engendered by liberal Western culture and extends through its rather large sphere of influence. This perceived emptiness or moral vacuum is then filled by priests, zealots and a restrictive culture that is almost reactionary in its principles, formed so diametrically opposed to the ones it aims to eliminate. Bakunin explains to Nechayev that regardless of a particular society's moral system, it is impossible to â€Å"conquer nature† or stop progress.This evolving of moral systems is the progress we've made in a past few centuries and various terrorist movements are largely the backlash experienced as a result of it. The abandonment of traditional value systems is understandably frightening and this very fear has been molded into a consequential, aggressive and parochial movement that uses undiscerning violence to erase centuries of moral advancement and replace it with a very specific, scripture-based morality that is reas suring in its decisiveness.Of note is the attempt made thereafter to brutally enforce this morality upon to world, to ensure that every woman, man and child follows the distinctive set of rules that govern radical Islamic morality. To see how truly regressive such a system is, we can examine the treatment of women in particular. The advance of feminism, especially at the turn of the century, led a revolution of ideas and social norms. The roles previously dictated by a predominantly patriarchal tradition changed and the restrictions placed on women were more or less eliminated.All terrorist groups share a contempt for women's rights and this can be explained by their aversion to change and the reversal of traditional roles. Though this discomfort with feminism also involves an element of insecurity as male roles in these societies are so dependent and inverse to female roles, it cannot possibly by itself cause men to go around in trucks shooting schoolgirls; that requires priestly o r political influence. What the terrorists fail to account is the nature of advancement and how it cannot be prevented from happening by beating people into submission. Everyday there is resistance in the ranks.Malala Yousafzai, an activist from Pakistan was shot on the 9th of October, 2012 while on a school-bus. This sort of advancement is likely to perpetuate itself amidst a large portion of the world and even killing everyone who noticeably advocates it will not prevent its growth. In Somalia, at the age of five, Ayaan Hirsi Ali underwent the torturous procedure of female circumcision (of genital mutilation as it is commonly and aptly called). This was one amongst several regressive traditions of her tribe and yet she emerged from the harshest of circumstances as an adamant feminist and atheist thinker. Man has emancipated himself; he has separated himself from animality and constituted himself a man; he has begun his distinctively human history and development by an act of disob edience and science-that is, by rebellion and by thought. (God & the State, 12)† Herein lies the key to our humanity, the very feature that is being suppressed by terrorists in favour of a more convenient, straightforward and primitive form of thinking. It is inherent in out nature to seek change, to ask questions and to doubt the dogmas we have been handed down.The fact that this leads to a complete social overhaul and the creation of multiple cognitive vacuums does not deter us from repeatedly being skeptical and thinking. The quote mentioned above refers to the Creation story of Genesis which showcases the act of disobedience, questioning of rules and the disastrous results that follow. At the end of it however, as humans we wouldn't have it any other way. Doubting the doctrines we were brought up with reduces the strangle-hold religion has upon out society and the amount of influence clergymen can exert.This is an important motivation for the priests of the Middle East to carry on with their rabble-rousing diatribes. Doing so can maintain the last vestiges of power they have over people who no longer believe in their divine capacity anymore. By diverting attention from the actual tenets of Islam and bringing to the forefront firebrand phrases from other scriptures to spur people on, they engage in self-preservation rather than the progress of the human race. The key to our development has always been in thought and rebellion, by preventing it combatively, the terrorists hold back the world nd regress us to an age before we challenged conventions. In another section of the letter to S. Nechayev, Bakunin refers to what he observes as, â€Å"an enormous lack of critical sense without which it is impossible to evaluate people and situations, and to reconcile means with ends. (On Violence, 9)† These shortcomings of Russian nihilistic revolutionaries are now echoed by Islamic terrorists. Despite their explicable beliefs, what is truly terrifying abo ut them is the raw violence and destruction jihadis seek to force upon the world.Their defensiveness towards tradition and resentment over past wars has been channeled into a form of nondiscriminatory havoc ceases to differentiate between military personnel and innocent citizens. This method is what is somewhat irreconcilable with the, â€Å"ends† it seeks to achieve. Though a destruction of the current system is required for any meaningful change to occur, it does not have to be gruesome and violent. It is however much harder for priests and politicians to spur their populace on towards peaceful goals than it is to make them favour blind violence.Speaking then about how to deal with an opposing civilization, Bakunin stats, â€Å"Societies which are inimical or positively harmful must be dissolved, and finally the government must be destroyed. All this cannot be achieved only by propagating the truth; cunning, diplomacy and deceit are necessary. (On Violence, 34)† Nowh ere in the aforementioned advise does he mention violence as a useful way to achieve success. This is particularly important as there hasn't as of yet been a noticeable conversion to the Islamic cause.Efficacy is a factor that the terrorists seem not to have consider seeking only to assuage their manufactured rage. â€Å"Hate, the negative side alone, does not create anything, does not even create the power necessary for destruction and thus destroys nothing. (On Violence, 29)† When four homegrown terrorists from London attacked the underground system, their primary motive was to avenge their fellow Muslims who had previously suffered as a result of actions undertaken by the Western governments.A large amount of bombings are becoming more about revenge and hatred than actually changing the status quo. This achieves nothing while a great deal is simultaneously sacrificed. Distinct from revenge, another cause for hatred is how the terrorists perceive the world. Bakunin refers t o the source of our progress as, â€Å"Satan, the eternal rebel, the first freethinker and the emancipator of worlds. He makes man ashamed of his bestial ignorance and obedience; he emancipates him, stamps upon his brow the seal of liberty and humanity, in urging him to disobey and eat of the fruit of knowledge. God & the State, 10)† It is fair to assume that they see the West and people such as Malala as Satanic and a corruptive influence. Both of these try to upend traditional thought and how we think about morality. By objecting to blind deference to a book or set of purportedly divine rules, democracies seek to alter people's moral psychology. This procedure has seen a backlash even in Western countries themselves in the form of radical Christianity. Ironically though this branch of religion despises Islam and the jihadis, it seeks to achieve incredibly similar goals.Every time a pastor in some midwestern state pushes for the inscription of the Hebrew commandments in fron t of court-houses, as a species, we take a collective step backwards into the Middle Ages where people believed in a fixed set of dogmas that seemed more interested in who they worshipped than in how they behaved. Similarly with the feminist movements, with the objectives of terrorism being so inherently misogynistic, we risk living in a world where women don't have the civil liberties we spent a good couple of centuries achieving.Though things in the past were straightforward and idealistic, they were also horrendously underdeveloped in modern concepts of liberty, freedom, thought, science and society. Reverting back to those circumstances involves necessarily having to deal with all its downfalls as well as the clarity of ethics it provides. We do not get to cherry-pick which part of the Middle Ages we'd like to being with us into this century as the terrorists have made amply clear.We will need to accept the oppression of women, religious minorities, homosexuals, transgenders and scientific thought as though we were actually living in the 16th century. This regression must be avoided at all costs. â€Å"Thus we come back to the essence of all religion–in other words, to the disparagement of humanity for the greater glory of divinity. (God & the State, 37)† With this statement Bakunin sums up the thrust of the religious terrorist movements around the world. They seek to avenge a perceived disrespect of a divine being and are willing to kill for it.Though they wouldn't do so spontaneously, this hatred ad murderous instinct has to be carefully cultivated from childhood by mullahs and other authoritative sources. These children then become people who are capable of leveling entire buildings for the glory of God whose existence they cannot be sure of and an afterlife they might never get to experience. Such is the power of, â€Å"collective insanity,† that drives a movement like this. (God & the State, 68) Since the 200,000 years we've exist ed, we've spent quite a lot of it questioning, developing and doubting.Attempts to prevent this are shameful in that they send us hurtling back hundreds of years to less enlightened times of dogma and religious persecution. We've outgrown the juvenile need for extremely strict religious guidance and have as a society agreed upon a set of common sense laws that don't vary significantly across national borders. We've developed social sciences to deal with the moral vacuum left after the removal of dogmas and are can deal with them without resorting to driving airplanes into skyscrapers.The existence of terrorism proves that for every collective step forward we take, there are elements that will be rendered irrelevant and have thus felt the need to make the loudest clamor possible. Though we cannot obviously devise a straightforward solution to a complex and varying problem, we can however seek to understand it. Bibliography Bakunin, Mikhail, â€Å"God and the State. † Dover Pub lications, Inc. , New York. 1970 Bakunin, Mikhail, â€Å"On Violence-letter to S Nechayev. † New York: Unity Press, [19–]

Friday, August 30, 2019

Describe how Arthur Miller creates Essay

â€Å"Describe how Arthur Miller creates an exciting climax for both acts of ‘A View from the Bridge'† ‘A View from the Bridge’ by Arthur Miller, is a play about obsession and betrayal. The main character, Eddie Carbone, becomes overprotective over his niece, Catherine, to the degree of infatuation. This obsession helps to cause the break down of Eddie’s marriage, as his wife, Beatrice realises the alarming nature of Eddie’s fixation. Eddie’s feelings for Catherine existed before Beatrice’s cousins, Marco and Rodolfo came, but their arrival intensifies the situation, as Eddie becomes more and more jealous of Rodolfo, and of Catherine’s love for him. This play is a tragedy and, like most tragedies, it is serious and ends with the death of the main character, Eddie. Eddie dies after betraying his wife’s cousins to the immigration bureau. As a result, Marco, who is filled with hatred and in need of justice, stabs him. Arthur Miller was a New Yorker who worked on the Brooklyn docks, for a time. His experience of the docks and of the people around them, led him to write this play, which is set there. During this coursework, my aim is to study the ends of the two acts in depth to see what techniques Miller uses to make them dramatically effective. The last scene of act one (from page 39 when Catherine puts ‘paper doll’ on the phonograph) portrays at first is one of a reasonably happy home but Arthur miller uses a combination of significant action and verbal nuances to show depth of characters and character emotions. The basic events of the scene are Rodolfo and Catherine dancing, Eddie showing Rodolfo how to box, and then Marco, challenging Eddie to lift a chair. These are three main parts of this last scene, which demonstrate symbolic changes in the character relationships, the first two build up to the final conflict between Marco and Eddie, which sets the tone for the second act. The first important section of the scene is the dancing between Rodolfo and Catherine. We see in this scene that Rodolfo feels uncomfortable because of Eddie he ‘Stiffly rises, feeling Eddie’s eyes on his back’ this shows that Rodolfo may realise how Eddie feels towards his niece, Rodolfo doesn’t want to upset him, we see the way Eddie feels about the dancing in the stage direction ‘EDDIE turns his head away. ‘ These few simple actions are very important to the play, they show Eddies feelings and the start or progression of the hatred Eddie feels towards Rodolfo and show a subtle conflict between Eddie and his niece. During we find out about a number of things in more depth, for example our understanding of the plays characters changes considerably. We find that Marco disapproves of the way Eddie is treating Rodolfo, this is quite a surprise since we, as an audience do not expect Marco who has previously been shy and quiet to make such a blatant challenge as he does in this scene. Twists and surprises in a plot tend to create suspense and tension so this is a very effective technique to use. The action in this scene Marcos action of holding up a chair triumphantly in front of Eddie is an interesting and significant action because the chair seems to be a symbolic weapon. Marco is threatening Eddie with it, this is analogous to the way he actually uses a weapon to kill Eddie in the final scene of the play. The way that Arthur Miller uses such an imposing action as lifting a chair above head height to make a defined, pointed change in Marco is effective because it is dramatic and startling in the way that it breaks from the tone of the rest of the scene. Although powerful and startling the action of lifting the chair is also subtle in that it states without using words, just how Marco feels and sets out his warning, it is succinct which is part of what makes it effective. I do not believe words would have worked as well at portraying the overall feelings, not just of Marco but also of the other characters. This is a major way that Arthur Miller creates an overall atmosphere. He uses actions that involve the audience reactions and opinions of all the characters and the aids the creation of a climax. Emotions of the audience towards characters are mixed. They may feel happy for Catherine and Rodolfo in that they have found each other and seem so happy. Some may speculate, however, about that, this relationship’s days are numbered due to Eddie’s obviously hostile feelings towards Rodolfo. They may also feel anxious as to how the conflict that has arisen between Marco and Eddie will be resolved. This emotional uncertainty is exciting and leaves the audience thinking because of the culmination of events. This last scene in act one is used very effectively by Arthur Miller to sow the seeds of events which are going to happen in the 2nd act of the play. It is only at this point in the play that we get true insight into the feelings of Marco, his stubbornness, his need to prove himself and his brother, which turn out at the end of the play to be fatally strong. It is also only now that we see any dislike of Marco from Eddie, it is this dislike and need for apology that causes the end scene to happen in such a tragic manner. The Characters in this scene are very interesting to observe on their own but it is also interesting to see how Arthur Miller has contrasted the actions of his characters in this scene. One such contrast is that between Marco and Eddie. Eddie uses Aggressive action, such as boxing to make his point whereas Marco’s subtle challenge with the chair is, non-aggressive but still makes the intended point. These contrasts between the two men’s actions are very interesting and are very effective in demonstrating the differences between their personalities; this makes it even more interesting at the very ending of the play how Marco has changed into a person willing to be violent to get revenge. This final scene leaves many questions unanswered. The conflicts between the characters in this scene could lead the audience to speculate as to how things will develop in the next act but although this scene gives the audience, some idea of how things turn out it does not tell them everything. They may ask themselves what is going to happen to Catherine and Rodolfo’s relationship since it seems plain that Eddie dislikes Rodolfo and disapproves of his relationship with his niece. And they may wonder about Beatrice and Eddie’s marriage since it appears to be weakening there is no way, however that at this point the audience realise the ending, they are left in suspense. This means that the ending of this act is all the more of a climax; the audience are left teetering on the edge of knowing more but are left to ruminate till the second act. That in itself is enough to explain the way Miller creates of a climax here. The situations that develop in this play would be difficult for anyone to deal with. Eddie finds the situation that he is in especially difficult and consequently he is seriously affected by it. In this play Eddie goes from being a popular man, respected in the community to being a man willing to betray his own family and, in the final scene one prepared to kill. Eddie started by just being over protective of Catherine, which developed into jealousy of Rodolfo because Catherine loved him and this, in turn developed into passionate hatred of both Marco and Rodolfo. Eddie hardly understands what he himself is feeling at the end of the play. These emotional changes are central to Arthur miller’s play since they help to cause the chain of events leading up to the final tragic end and are very important in creating interest and drama in the play. This is especially significant at the ends of the acts and creates a charged atmosphere. The changes in Eddie during the play also have consequences on the people around him, especially on Beatrice. Eddie spends less and less time throughout the play with Beatrice socially and more importantly, he spends less time with her intimately. There is evidence in other scenes that the sexual part of the Carbone’s marriage has already collapsed but that Beatrice desperately wants to save the marriage by sitting down and sorting things out.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Presentation and Store Design Category

About Sephora Sephora is the leading chain of perfume and cosmetic stores in France and the second in Europe. There are over 1,600 Sephora stores in 27 countries, and over 340 of those have opened in North America since the first US store opened in 1998 in New York. Sephora is the originator of the open-sell prestige cosmetics model, which affords clients the ability to test and access any product in the assortment. Across the categories of Makeup, Fragrance and Skincare, brands are presented within a unified Sephora-driven presentation format to enable cross shopping, and clients are encouraged to touch and test all products. That point of differentiation is an essential part of our retail proposition and brand essence, and has proven effective in enabling clients to explore the complete range of brand offerings by category. In complement to this interactive and unified presentation of each brand in Sephora’s product mix, clients are guided through each world’s products with anchor presentations. These presentations highlight trends, explain how to combine products to customize a makeup look or skincare regimen, and bridge into potential service consultations or class registrations with our cast of experts. While much success has come from the breadth of products offered to clients, we have also discovered that the candy-store effect can be overwhelming. Clients love the access and choice, but frequently crave guidance to hone their selections. So balancing bounty with points of access is key to navigating our stores and assortments. Sephora aims to serve as a beauty editor, offering a vast array of products, but providing a curated point of view that helps each client delve into the selection best suited for her. THE STORE DESIGN CHALLENGE Sephora has a strong market presence in Makeup, Skincare and Fragrance, but is most known in North America for its Color (the internal term for the Makeup category) shopping experience. This model defines the brand and the remainder of the store’s format. The unbridled product access, the ability to trial any product in the store, and the sense of fun and interaction remain popular and engaging for our clients. But Sephora is interested in exploring how its Color experience might evolve to better evoke trends, more deeply engage clients in meaningful product exploration, and offer a less static feel from one client’s visit to her next. This challenge is to rethink the store’s formula for Color, preserving the defining and differentiating aspects of the opensell cosmetics model, but updating its look, feel and client experience. Students are to identify what they think is essential from the current in-store model, articulate the opportunities for evolution based on the added advantage created in the client’s shopping experience and engagement with the brand, and then propose a holistic concept presenting the evolution of the total Makeup department. The updated look, feel and client experience should allow implementation across the range of existing stores. Store sizes overall range from 3,800 to 6,000 square feet on average, with Color comprising approximately half the store. Entries should include a suite of core fixtures and features, complemented by interchangeable elements, with the demonstrable ability to reconfigure into a variety of spatial conditions. The fixturing suite should be unified in language, but may articulate through a range of elements and presentation methods. Modularity is essential, as is solving for the challenges of presenting small-scaled products in an organized and inviting way. The See-Try-Buy model at the heart of the Sephora store concept must be inherent in all presentation solutions. Sephora will supply the approved corporate logo, as well as its brand mark and red Pantone match, The Flame. The Sephora name is derived from the fusion of the Greek god Sappho with the biblical figure Zipporah, and the Flame is the representation of her enduring spirit. Along with the word mark and Flame, Sephora’s black and white stripes are a globally iconic branding element, used with purpose as part of the storefront architecture. Derivations and references to these brand codes may be considered in the design of the fixturing programs, but should be treated with a level of sophistication. Sephora stores are black and white, with judicial use of red accents. Color may be introduced through graphics or visual merchandising, but all store fixture elements must adhere to this branded color palette. Complementary metal finishes are permitted, as are variations in the materiality and proportional relationship of the brand colors. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS †¢ The current fixture program is composed of two core fixtures. A â€Å"linear† – the store’s base wall unit – and a gondola – the makeup category’s base floor unit. Sephora creates these base modules, and then ndividual brands work with Sephora to customize the tray components to each season’s assortments and stories. These trays are updatable and interchangeable to any position within the linear and gondola system; this function must be preserved in the design concept. †¢ Limitations of the current fixture program include a lack of flexibility to create more varied spatial configurations and presentations, a static graphic communication system, and an overall feeling of being fixture-heavy and cumbersome. Fixtures should focus more on the product and storytelling. Objectives within each of the brand’s feature presentations include: focus and articulation of current trends and the latest product innovations; clear secondary presentations of core product groupings such as eye shadows, foundations, and lip products; a forward presentation of each product available for the client to test, backed by packaged and accessible selling stock; and additional back-stock storage in each unit. †¢ The newly proposed core fixture solution needs to provide for a base system that preserves an underlying framework to each brand’s presentation while evolving how the brands can express their trend and product stories. The overall department is punctuated by highlight areas. Here Sephora presents a curated assortment of the best of a product segment, such as mascaras, or highlights a larger trend, such as nail art. Design proposals are to reconsider how trend and highlight areas function and are integrated into the â€Å"brand library† of the overall department. These areas should be flexible for frequent updating, encourage play and trial as well as shopping and learning, and be designed to enable varied configurations over time. †¢ The total store is anchored by the â€Å"Beauty Studio,† the destination for clients to receive cast-assisted consultations. Design proposals should thoughtfully integrate the experience of experimentation and trial throughout the revamped Color experience. Clients should always feel exposed to looks, trends and product innovations, with the ability to try the products individually, in groups or with cast assistance. †¢ Sephora’s virtual presence has grown. It is the leading online beauty retailer, with a loyal following across all forms of social media. The virtual experience with the brand affects the in-store shopping experience, so students should consider digital integration across the Color experience. The area should range from 1,600 to 2,500 square feet, comprising a mixture of wall and floor fixtures. PRESENTATION REQUIREMENTS AND FORMAT †¢ Each entry should be submitted in an 8-1/2 x 14 bound booklet, not to exceed 12 pages. †¢ The design may be hand-drawn, rendered, photographic, and/or computer-generated. †¢ Students also must submit a copy of their design in PDF form at entry on a CD. A PDF version of the booklet is also required. †¢ The submission should address the general requirements above at a scale and composition determined by the student. A written concept statement limited to two paragraphs must highlight the unique fixture design, the rationale for design decisions, material selections, and the demographic for whom the design was made. GENERAL INFORMATION AND ENTRY REQUIREMENTS †¢ This competition is open to undergraduate college students only. †¢ Students may only enter ONE category; either the visual merchandising category or the store design category. †¢ The student’s name and school name is not to be visible anywhere on the presentation pages or cover. Each entry must include a printed entry form and disclaimer clipped to the back of the entry. †¢ Each entrant must complete and submit an online copy of the entry form as well. †¢ Students must also submit a copy of their entry on a CD or DVD in a PDF format with the entry. Please make sure to label the CD or DVD. †¢ Students are advised to keep a copy of their entries, as entries will not be returned. Entries must be received by 5:00 p. m. Pacific time on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2013. Sephora PAVE Entries Attn: Paul Loux & Hillary Washington 525 Market Street, 32nd Floor San Francisco, CA 94105

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Legal Advice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Legal Advice - Essay Example Apparently, Heather had complied with her duties as a commercial agent. The law mandates these agents to look after the interest of the principle and action in utmost good faith; put efforts in making negotiations and where possible concludes sales; comply with the principles instructions; and communicate with the principle on necessary information. On the other hand, the principle has the duties of informing the agents within an appropriate period on the refusal or acceptance of the procured transactions of their agents. The remunerations regulations of commercial agents stipulate that an agent is entitled to commissions accrued on transactions concluded within the confines of the period of the contract. Moreover, the agent is also entitled to transactional commissions within the period of contract of the agency especially where the agent has exclusive right to a geographical setting or particular specific clients. This above entitlement is only viable if the transaction entered int o is within the geographical area in question or the group highlighted above . The regulations on commercial agency also stipulate that the agents to commercial firms are entitled to commissions on concluded transactions even after the contract has been terminated. This regulation is conscious to the agent’s effort during the contract period and the transaction ought to have been entered into within a period that is reasonable by incorporating the terminated contract . What complicates Heather’s case is that their agreement with the company.

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Nicotinic Acetylcholine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Nicotinic Acetylcholine - Essay Example Synthesized in the endoplasmic reticulum, a fraction of the subunits of this receptor assemble into homo and hetero-pentameric complexes. The only complexes that reach the cell surface, after exiting from endoplasmic reticulum are the pentameric complexes. nAChRs have been identified as crucial elements in central nervous system functions such as consciousness, attention, and memory; and participate in numerous cerebral circuits. (Bocquet, Carvalho, Cartaud, Neyton Poupon, Taly, Grutter, Changeux, Corringer 2007) The opening of the channels of these receptors is triggered by the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Nicotine also has the same effect. A diagram of the chemical structure of acetylcholine is given below. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors are located mainly in the postsynaptic membrane under the motor nerve terminal at the neuromuscular junction. Nicotinic receptors can also be found in different synaptic locations; e.g. the muscle nicotinic receptor always functions post-synaptically. The nerve cell forms of the receptor can be found both post-synaptically (performing classical neurotransmission) and pre-synaptically (causing the release of other neurotransmitters). In contrast to the muscarinic acetylcholine receptors, Nicotinic Acetylcholine receptors do not operate with the help of a second messenger. Instead they open themselves forming an ion channel. Curare causes inhibition of these receptors. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors have a very wide distribution in the various body tissues. Nerve cell receptors are found in the central nervous system and also in the peripheral nervous system. The neuromuscular receptors, on the other hand are found in the neuromuscular junctions of somatic muscles. ... The neuromuscular receptors, on the other hand are found in the neuromuscular junctions of somatic muscles. The stimulation of these receptors causes muscular contraction.(Barrantes 1998) Structure and function of Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor protein includes one or many sites which can bind the neurotransmitter ACh and also a specific channel for cat ions which is also known as the intrinsic cationic channel. These ions can be Na+, Ca2+ or K+ and the channel is specific in nature. The process of the opening of ion channel is linked to the binding of ACh. (Maelicke 1986) Protein chemistry and sequence analysis of polypeptide has revealed a general scheme for each subunit which consists of : 1. A globular extra cellular N-terminal domain (ECD); 2. A trans-membrane domain (TMD) 3. A cytoplasmic domain There are 2 to 5 Acetylcholine binding sites on the ECD. Nicotinic receptors have many subunits and these subunits belong There are 2 to 5 Acetylcholine binding sites on the ECD. Nicotinic receptors have many subunits and these subunits fit in a multigene family (seventeen members in the human being) When many of the subunits combine they form a great numbers of receptors. Every subunit gives three parts or "loops" to the site of binding. The sites which bind ACh are located on the outer side of the subunits. And as the agonist binds, the subunits happen to be more alike to the other subunits. And the channel gets more proportioned and a hole of about 0.65nm in diameter opens up. This channel helps the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor to adhere to its role by many ways. Firstly it encloses a mechanism of gating which is closed in the inactive states of the channel but it is open in the active

Research Article Summary Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Article Summary - Research Paper Example There exist short and long term side effects of induced abortions which adversely affect teenagers reproductive health (Wang, Hertog, Meier, Lou, & Gao, 2005). Contraceptive measure is the most effective way to tackle the issue of teenage pregnancy, however very little is known about the attitudes, behavior, and knowledge related to contraception among pregnant teenagers in China. Previous studies have indicated that youths in China had sub optimal level of knowledge regarding sexual matters specifically with regard to the issue of contraception (Wang et al., 2007; Wu, Xiong, & Significance to nursing: The results of this study could be useful for improving health services for teenagers in China. Moreover, the findings will help clinicians to understand the attitude of teenagers towards contraception and thus in designing new pregnancy preventive measures. Moreover, the data collected in this study will act as secondary information for future nursing research on teenage pregnancy. Teenage pregnancy: It is defined as the pregnancy of young woman who is expecting child birth before the age of 20 irrespective of whether the woman is married or not. It is often associated with health risks to mother and baby such as high blood pressure and premature birth. This is a quantitative research in which investigator has designed questionnaire to survey 53 pregnant teenagers in China about their knowledge, attitudes, and behavior regarding contraceptives use. The representative sample was from four women and children health care hospitals in Beijing, China. The inclusion criteria were that teenagers age should be between 10 to 19 years. The survey was conducted in April 2007 to June 2007. The purpose of the study and its design was explained to selected teenagers when they reached hospitals for induced abortions. They were asked to fill the questionnaire on their consent. Two questionnaires were used in this study- The Demographic

Monday, August 26, 2019

Why do you want to study engineering Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Why do you want to study engineering - Essay Example And although after such repairs I was often soiled and not everything worked from the first try, but I liked to watch how after my intervention mechanisms ran like clockwork. Thus, I realized that I’m good with machines which I never learned before. In the 11th grade I moved to the United States. It was another step for me to reach my dream. I got there more freedom, as I had to decide everything on my own without any help from my parents and relatives. As soon as I chose my engineer career, I was looking for University that would fit me ideally. Thus, I found out that Germany is the right place for me to study. So currently I’m preparing to enter the German University. So you can see that there are several reasons why I want to study engineering. Firstly, I am really good deal with different kinds of machines and mechanisms and I like math and physics. I understand that engineers are needed to work with technique everywhere, as we cannot imagine our life without it, and I am really aspirated about helping other people in their daily life improvement. Finally, I have all the necessary skills for successful engineering career: I have technical way of thinking and well-developed spatial imagination, as well as I am able to make independent decisions and have creative in problem solving. Last but not least, I am very curious about different approaches to the engineering in Germany. I am sure this internship fits me ideally as it has a great basic which meet my specific needs – it gives an opportunity to develop my knowledge and abilities for further investigations in the field of †¦ . So this internship may make my dream come true and I will get an opportunity to change the

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Briefly discuss the functions of NAT, ICS, and WINS as well as their Essay

Briefly discuss the functions of NAT, ICS, and WINS as well as their uses - Essay Example It does the access control to resources between computers on the either sides of the firewall. NAT also conserves the number of public addresses used within an organization, considering the economic and security aspects Windows Internet Name Service (WINS) is the Microsoft’s NetBIOS name resolution service for the TCP/IP networks. WINS helps the users to access the resources with NetBIOS names in the remote network. WINS supports NetBIOS over TCP/IP (NetBT). Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) is a feature implemented in Windows Operating system to share a single Internet connection present in one computer with the other computers on the same local area network. ICS works with the help of Dynamical host control protocol of (DHCP) and network address translation (NAT).This Internet connection sharing is done by using a device with Internet access such as 3G cellular service, broadband via Ethernet, or other Internet gateway as the access point for the other devices

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 62

Marketing - Essay Example I don’t have to invest in extra effort to find out about it. I rely on the websites, forum discussions, peer reviews, sometimes word of mouth and tv. Everyone knows well in advance about an upcoming Apple product. Ans: Yes the brand meets more than 80 percent of my needs. It is the most that I can ask for in a smart phone. The sound quality is good, the connectivity is good, the apps are good, there is always room to explore more and the touch is just perfect. However, I would have preffered a better quality camera. Going by the interview, the interviewee is extremely brand loyal to Apple more than the iPhone. He does not feel like shifting to any brand. He has been completely taken over by Apple. The brand equity of Apple in the smart phone market is very strong. It pioneered the concept of touch phones and is still ruling the roost in terms of market share. Market segmentation is the process in which the market is divided and sub divided into addressable and targeted segments. They are based on various demographic and psychographic factors.Where apple is concerned, it is important to look into its product strategy to figure out its market segmentations. They don’t just build a product with every possible feature in the world. They target specific user experiences and then the product is build. So Apple has segmented itself according to the user experiences and their demands vis a vis of its customers. It developed its brand equity over time by building on the product. consider the evolution of ipod shuffle to ipod nano. Then they went to tweak the iPod Touch into an iPhone. Each of these product evolutions were successful and spoke volumes about what the company thought of its customers. Christos Fotopoulos, Athanasios Krystallis, (2003) "Quality labels as a marketing advantage: The case of the â€Å"PDO Zagora† apples in the Greek market", European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 37 Iss: 10, pp.1350 -

Friday, August 23, 2019

IMPROVING BUSINESS Performance 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

IMPROVING BUSINESS Performance 2 - Essay Example Each division is independent of the others and does have its own profit and loss account besides their own balance sheets. Each division’s balance sheet and profit and loss and account are then merged with the others to form a single balance sheet and profit and loss account for the group’s final accounts. Due to the problems brought about by some internal factors in each division, the most recent final records for the company show a turnover of 700 million pounds and a pre-tax profit of 35 million pounds. This compares dismally to the previous years when the amalgamated records were better than this (Dresner, 2008, p. 78). Pipework Plc has great potential as far as its business model is concerned compared to what the market and its competitors. Its diversity in both the drainage and boilers businesses give it an edge on the competition where most of the companies competing with it. There are several areas that this company can improve to gain even a greater edge in the three business divisions it focuses on. These improvements all aim at ensuring that the business outdoes the rest while improving its operations in the pipes and boilers businesses. Some of the areas to be improved include; The Stores Function – the stores function is one of the main areas to focus on for Pipework Plc. The fact that it has an excellent employee by the name of Wise does not make it indomitable since there are many problems associated with the division. There is the case of its budget for further training of its personnel always being rejected in favor of other divisions. There is also the stock turn on materials that is poor. If the correct methods are used, this area will have less problems and more contribution to the firm’s well being (Baxter and MacLeod, 2007, p. 74). Transport – this department has great potential if only the correct procedures are followed and the United Kingdom and European Law are followed. Drivers would be more transpar ent as to the number of hours worked and thus their correct remuneration. Engineering – this department is quite fine in its operation save for the lengthy period required to churn out a new product. If this time is reduced by half, it would match that of Pipework Plc’s main competitor and generally improve the business. Sales and Marketing – this department of the company does quite well since it has ensured a great market presence for the company though its personnel and the department’s head. It should be known though that there is need to reduce the number of days and the general amount of time used to process orders from customers. Finance and Administration – this department needs to follow the required accounting procedures and reduce the number of days taken to clear invoices to ensure a more transparent department (Andersen, 2007, p. 100). Personnel – the fact that Lynette promotes those under her division based on personal observat ions raises questions as to the validity of these promotions. Payments and rewards for staff should also be normalized to eliminate unnecessary disparities. The widespread favoritism should also be eliminated to allow for a harmonious motivation of the department and the company as a whole. PIPEWORK PLC With the correct methods in place, Pipework Plc is poised to make the most of its market presence and get better returns on its investments. As identified above, there are several

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Gathering Research Data Paper Essay Example for Free

Gathering Research Data Paper Essay Within the criminal justice system there are various types of data gathering research methods that can be utilized. The method chosen for this research paper is the email survey method. The proposed research for this paper is job satisfaction within the police field with emphasis on the patrol officers. With patrol officers being the backbone of the police departments the research should be pretty insightful. The main goal of this research is to pinpoint the patrol officers’ main dissatisfactions during their workdays. The specific interview structure that will be used is an email questionnaire survey. This type of survey will allow and hopefully enable every patrol officer to participate and it will also allow graphical results. Just about every criminal justice case begins and ends with a patrol officer. Beginning with the criminal offense report, to the arrest, and ending at the testifying in court. Although there are many various key players in most cases besides the patrol officer, it is highly unlikely that crime reduction would exist without the patrol officer. Understanding the needs of a patrol officer and what is pleasing and displeasing on the job is key to crime reduction. A happy employee does their job successfully and to the best of their ability. An unhappy patrol officer will definitely not complete tasks let alone risk their lives for another individual. The department has the responsibility to ensure that the majority of its patrol officers are satisfied with their working conditions to prevent silent strikes and to also prevent behavior manifestation. Using an email questionnaire survey would be the interview structure used to conduct the research regarding the employee satisfaction. This survey will involve the simple format of a YES or NO option only. Constructing a different variables list will enable determination of what issues the questions will be based on. This list will also ensure that main concerns and topics are covered along with not duplicating any issues. Configuring what type of  data and data analysis is needed will be the next venture followed by figuring out how to word the questionnaire. Taking into consideration patrol officer lingo and technical wording to avoid any biased or compounding variables to each question. Some examples of questions that would be asked are: 1. Do you intentionally avoid police functions when off duty? 2. Do you take a level of pride when wearing your uniform? 3. Do you take sick days when you are not ill? 4. Do you hide your profession when off duty? 5. Do you take extended training courses or classes to avoid fieldwork? 6. Do you use cellphones, tablets, or any other devices to entertain yourself while on duty? 7. Do you avoid public interaction while on duty? Using these initial questions will not only help me gather data on satisfaction but will also help me gather data on other issues as well. An example of other issues would be the topic of whether or not response time intertwines with officer satisfaction and how this affects crime statistics. This type of qualitative data gathering is a great advantage because it records attitudes, feelings, and behaviors. (Analyse This!!! Learning To Analyse Qualitative Data, (2008)). As mentioned also opens up new topic areas that were not initially considered. These initial questions are also structured or closed ended questions in which will involve the needed information. Which means the data collected from the answers won’t involve thorough answers that need to be explained. In completion of the questionnaire questions, a small group of similar respondents will take a pretest that will point out any confusion or misunderstanding of question formatting and wording. To have the best outcome of participants and to ensure the best results, compensation would be offered in the form of extra paid time. This will also ensure a more quantitative data analysis due to a larger number of people responding to the survey. Some researchers believe that rewards and/or incentives given to people who participate in surveys increases response and reliability A tailored design method or TDM will be used with this email survey question. According to Hagan ((2010)), â€Å"The â€Å"tailored design method† or TDM, â€Å"uses multiple contacts seeking response and endorsements to increase response rates† by â€Å"tailoring the survey to the  group being studied in order to foster trust, increase rewards, and decrease the cost of participation.† This phase would be to get endorsed by the patrol unions to ensure and response, respect, and acceptability of the survey in the patrol officer’s eyes. These unions were founded and organized to assist and defend patrol officers, with the backing of these unions the participation and legitimacy would be highly prosperous. In turn, the unions will be knowledgeable with the results of the survey. One of the main focuses of this survey will be that it is truly an anonymous survey, and that each individual who fills out a survey remains anonymous and has no ties or repercussions from their answers. A few approaches to this could be survey kiosks or ballet boxes. These would allow no log on requirements or have any tracks on keystrokes. It is detrimental that informed consent and confidentiality be withheld and not compromised. According to The Role Of Numeracy In Informed Consent For Surveys ((2009)), â€Å"Two key ethical issues for survey researchers are obtaining informed consent and maintaining the confidentiality of responses. Informed consent implies that two requirements have been met: (1) that research participants have been informed about the essential elements of the research, including the risks and benefits of participation, and have understood the information; and (2) that they have given their consent to participate†. If compromised the survey answers could potentially cause issues with employment or job environments. This type of outcome could cause the survey to become unreliable and null and void. References: Analyse This!!! Learning to analyse qualitative data. ((2008)). Retrieved from http://archive.learnhigher.ac.uk/analysethis/main/qualitative1.html Hagan, F. E. ((2010)). Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology (8th ed.).Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection database. The Role of Numeracy in Informed Consent for Surveys. ((2009)). Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2857726/

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Ideology of the films Essay Example for Free

Ideology of the films Essay I. Introduction Feature films such as Star Wars and The Terminator last just a couple of hours, but they take months or even years to make. Huge teams of people are involved in preparing for the action, and then capturing it on camera. Then, when the acting has finished, more hard work begins on turning the action into a film fit for cinema and TV screens. This paper studies (1) who were the first film-makers; (2) know the development of cinema worldwide; (3) be aware of the different types of modern film and; (4) figure out the film-making at present. II. Background A. The first film-makers The first people to invent equipment for making films were the Americans W. K. L. Dickson and Thomas Edison, in the early 1890s. Their apparatus consisted of a camera called the Kinetograph and a viewing box called the Kinetoscope. Only one person at a time could look into the viewing box to watch the film, which was in black and white, had no sound and lasted just a few seconds. Two French brothers called Auguste and Louis Lumiere first devised a way of projecting film images onto a large screen for an audience. The Lumiere brothers called their apparatus the Cinematographe. They carried out their first demonstration in a Paris cafe in December 1895. People were stunned to see the large, moving pictures. Other inventors immediately began creating new types of projectors and experimenting with making their own films. ? Early film-making ideas Film cameras do not record movement. The moving pictures we see on screen are actually still photographs, taken so quickly one after the other that they seem to merge. Each still photograph is called a frame. Most film cameras today take 24 frames every second, on a big reel of film that is wound steadily through the camera. The first film cameras, though, could take only 16 frames every second. The length of the film on the reel was 20 or 25 metres, which gave just about one minute of screen time. So the first films usually showed just one, short scene. For example, L’Arroseur Arrose (A Trick on the Gardener) by the Lumiere brothers, made in 1895. The first film with more than one scene was probably Come Along Do! , produced by the Robert Paul company in Britain in 1898. The company joined a scene outside an art gallery with a scene inside. A film-maker called George Melies began to produce multi-scene films, such as Cinderella (1899). Melies also experimented with interesting ways to join the scenes together. He often used equipment, such as slides and magic lanterns, to create special effects. At the turn of the century, two British film-makers working separately in Brighton came up with creative ideas for shooting the scenes themselves. George Albert Smith invented a technique for filming a scene from different camera positions. In The Little Doctors (1901), a scene showing somebody feeding medicine to a kitten is shown first from a distance, then in close-up, then from a distance again. James Williamson had a different idea—to shoot a piece of action across several scenes, instead of just one. In Stop Thief! (1901), the lead character runs out of one scene, then the film cuts to a new scene elsewhere and the lead character runs into the scene, continuing the story. An American film-maker called Edwin S. Porter used ideas like these especially effectively in a 1903 film called The Great Train Robbery. III. Discussion A. The Development of Cinema Worldwide In the early days of film-making there were no cinemas. Film-makers used specialist sales organizations to sell their films to entertainment organizers, who projected them as part of variety shows in tent theatres. From 1905 to 1908 in the United States, thousands of theatres (known as nickelodeons) were set up especially for film. Permanent film theatres were also established across Europe, and film-making became a booming business. From 1908 a leading centre for American film-making developed in an area of southern California called Hollywood. Established British and French film companies were joined by flourishing film industries all over the world. An Italian film company produced the first large-scale film in 1912. It was called Quo Vadis? , and used massive film sets and more than 5,000 actors. Film-going became so popular that from 1914 many lavish cinemas called picture palaces were created. They could seat thousands of people at a time. Film-companies began to make films that lasted for several reels instead of just one. Picture palace audiences had to wait in the middle of a film while the projectionist changed reels. Films in those days were silent, so picture palaces usually had a pianist or organist who played music to accompany the action. Film-makers also included short written sentences in the film to add to the story or explain what the actors were saying. One of the most famous silent film stars was the British actor Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977), who created the loveable character of the â€Å"little tramp† who had a funny walk. Many film companies experimented with animated drawings and models, as well as human actors. European film companies introduced the idea of making information films about events in the news, as well as films for entertainment. ? Color and Sound From the early 1900s, inventors had worked on films with colour and sound. The first breakthrough with colour came in 1908 in London, when G. A. Smith demonstrated a colour film process called Kinemacolour. However, Kinemacolour shades were based on just two colours, so films continued to be made in black and white. The first colour films to be created successfully from two colours were Toll of the Sea and The Black Pirate, shown to the public in 1922. In 1926 the American film company Warner Brothers delighted audiences with a series of short films that had sound to match the pictures. As the sound was recorded on a separate disc, the words did not always match the mouth movements of the actors. Warner Brothers’ The Jazz Singer was the first full-length talkie, in 1927. The film company Fox soon developed a more effective technique for recording the sound onto the film itself. During the 1930s, Hollywood film companies made the most of the new sound technology by making musicals with singing and dancing stars such as Shirley Temple, and Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Gangster talkies and romantic comedies were popular in the United States and Britain, although at this time the Japanese film industry was the largest producer of films in the world. In 1934, the Bombay Talkies studio was formed in India, founding one of the biggest film industries in the world. While film companies had been busy creating talkies, they had also been working on perfecting colour in films. Finally a process was developed that used three colors to create different shades, rather than just two. In 1935, the first three-strip Technicolor film was produced, Becky Sharp. From then on, moving pictures not only sounded real, they looked real too. B. Different Types of Modern Films Since the early days, many different types, or genres, of feature film have been made. These include westerns (such as The Magnificent Seven), thrillers (The Fugitive), comedies (Home Alone), action adventures (Indiana Jones), supernatural horror (Dracula), war epics (The Great Escape), romantic comedies (When Harry Met Sally). Crime and gangster films (The Godfather), films with animation (Who Framed Roger Rabbit? ), spy adventures (Mission Impossible), kung-fu extravaganzas (Enter the Dragon), science-fiction (E.T. —The Extraterrestrial) and modern musicals (Grease and Moulin Rouge). Sometimes films combine two or more genres. Some films are produced with three-dimensional technology, so that if you wear special glasses, the images on-screen appear to have more depth, just like in real life. Other films are made for IMAX cinemas. These special cinemas have giant-sized screens with sophisticated sound systems to make you feel as if you are right in the middle of the action. IV. Conclusion A. Film-making today Film-making requires different specialist staff and technical processes, depending on what the film is about. All films go through three broad stages before they are ready for an audience. During the pre-production stage all the preparations are made for filming. The producer chooses the story, raises money and employs the people who will work on the film. The scriptwriter writes the words, creating an exciting plot and interesting characters. The director decides on the overall style of the film and chooses the leading actors. The art director is in charge of designers for the film sets, costumes and makeup, and choosing locations outside the studio. Technical directors are in charge of crews who build huge film sets and arrange lighting, sound and special effects. The production manager controls the budget and makes practical arrangements for filming. During the production stage filming takes place. Stories are not usually filmed in the right order. The actors and crew film all the scenes that take place in one location before moving on to another. The director guides the creative elements of the film, from giving opinions on the story, to instructing the actors, to choosing camera angles. The director is helped by people in different departments. For instance, a continuity person makes sure that all the details are correct in scenes that are shot out of sequence (such as the actors’ clothes and length of their hair). That way, when the filmed scenes are put into the right order later, they will run together smoothly. The post-production stage happens when all the action has been filmed. An editor cuts sequences of action and joins them together, adding the sound. When the director and producer are happy with it, the finished film is then ready for distribution companies to sell to cinemas or TV companies.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Role of Disk Formatting in IT Security

Role of Disk Formatting in IT Security Jay Kybert Security is becoming increasingly more important as the internet allows for data to be shared and received instantly, this is why lots of operating systems have pre-installed security software. A utility program, like Windows Defender, provides a good level of security against potential threats from the network. Windows Defender acts as a barrier between the computer and the network its connected to. These types of security programs have user customization which allows people to allow or block access to/from the network. This is important for many people who use the internet frequently as there may be lots of viruses which the defender can block. Although, sometimes security programs can block access to data that isnt a threat but the user can manually give access. Security utility programs are needed by everyone to protect their computer from harm via networks. An image of Windows Defender can be seen below. Anti-Virus software is another security program similar to defenders that stops viruses accessing the computer. They work by scanning a database with all known signatures of viruses, these signatures are essentially their names found within their source code. The reason why anti-virus programs are updated often is because new viruses are found every day so anti-virus software needs to add this into the database so the viruses can be blocked. Polymorphic viruses can essentially hide in files and alter their code to avoid detection. Once they have passed through anti-virus detections, they can infect the computer. Heuristic settings are designed to find hidden viruses by searching the entirety of the computer for any strange data. Even though some viruses may be harmless and can simply be deleted without anything bad happening, there are lots of dangerous viruses which can cost millions to patch. One famous type of virus known as Cryptolocker is a type of ransomware. This uncommon virus can encrypt all files on the computer it infects. The user is prompted to send money to the hackers in return for a decrypting key. There are a variety of Clean-up tools either available for download or pre-installed with a computer. One of the most important clean-up tools is Disk Defragmentation. When files are deleted from a hard disk, they cant simply disappear, they are still technically there, saved onto the disk. However, the hard disk marks the location as free meaning, if other files are within the size of the deleted item, they will be written over it. However, constant installing/deleting can cause gaps on the platter; this leads to longer load times than necessary. Disk defragmenting rearranges the location of files so that there arent any spaces in-between. Because solid state drives dont rely on magnetism, they are affected from defragmentation differently. Although it does work and data can be moved around, it severely reduces the lifespan of the drive as they only have a few thousand read/write cycles. The image below shows the before and after of a disk that ran a disk defragmentation utility pro gram. The blue lines are installed data and the red lines are defragmented data. Â   Disk formatting is a technique used to completely wipe and initialise a disk, it works with both magnetic disks and solid-state disks. All installed data will be erased in the process which means it is only typically done when using the disk for another purpose or installing a new operating system. Also, disk formatting is used when adding additional storage to a computer system as all drives should be clear. While clearing the drive, the disk formatting program checks for any errors that have occurred on the drive, usually being bad sectors. The program can attempt to fix the problems but it isnt certain it will work. Disk formatting is made up for low level formatting, high level formatting and partitioning. The low level formatting focuses on the physical drive, making sure the structure of the drive is correct and ready for storage. The high level formatting part focuses on the file system management, the software that allows users to interact and manage data on the hard drive. F inally, the partitioning splits the drive into logical sections (partitions) that allow data to be stored on. The image below displays the disk management utility program which displays all drives and their partitions. The program can be opened by typing diskmgmt.msc into the run box (Windows Key + R). Furthermore, the computer can be scheduled to automatically carry out any of the functions above, whether formatting disks, defragging disks or a security scan. The schedule can be adjusted to have them carried out outside of working hours or how frequently they do them. However, if something was to go wrong, it could affect the entire system. This is where restore points can be useful. A restore point can be created which holds all current system settings at the time it is created. Therefore, if a problem was to occur, the user can simply reload the reload to the restore point. Although this can help if there was a failure, it does restore the computer to the date the restore point was made meaning there may be a loss of data. Utility programs are intended to keep the computer running healthy, this is why using utility programs frequently can lead to a better performing computer. Security programs constantly (but indirectly) help the performance of a computer. Having them installed doesnt mean that a computer will suddenly run faster or play games at a higher framerate but their job is to prevent any threats accessing the computer. If the computer doesnt have any security programs and a virus manages to gain access, this can negatively affect the computer, slowing it down by mass replicating, stealing data (keylogging) etc. Therefore, installing security software prevents possible problems that can occur via networks, giving the computer better performance than if there was no firewall/defender. Using a clean-up utility tool such as disk defragmentation can improve the performance of the computer. Although, in order to see noticeable differences, the user must have lots of data stored on the hard drive(s). After using disk defragmentation, all files are physically closer together on the platter. This means that the actuator and the read/write head have to travel less distance and check less sectors in order to find the data. This leads to programs loading up faster as they are closer together on the hard drive. This primarily affects software/programs that contain lots of data because their large file size typically results in a long loading time. Having a file like this closer to all of data on the drive means that the load times will be significantly reduced, improving the performance of the computer. Disk formatting does improve the performance of a computer similarly to disk defragmentation. If the entire drive is wiped (except for the operating system) there may be a visible increase in performance, especially if the drives had little to no free space. Having more space on the drive improves performance because files can be accessed and read/written faster because the actuator doesnt have to travel to the far parts of the platter in order to find data. Therefore, formatting a drive allows for quick loading much like disk defragmentation. Unlike disk defragmentation, formatting programs can fix any physical problems with the drive like faulty sectors. Fixing these problems may result in a little boost in performance as the fixed sector may have a faster access time than one currently read/writing to. Partitioning a hard drive may increase performance as it allows a drive to be split up into separate drives with each one hosting different data. For instance, one partition could h ave the operating system installed while another partition has documents/music etc. This increases the overall efficiency of the drive as everything is grouped together which may result in a boost in performance. Sources: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/safety/pc-security/windows-defender.aspx http://threadwheel.com/disk-defragmenter/ http://www.disk-partition.com/windows-8/format-hard-drive-windows-8.html

The Bud :: essays research papers

Government Final Exam Questions 1-12 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  List and discuss the major structure of the Constitution. (63-65) The Constitution contains about 7,000 words and is divided into three parts: the Preamble, the articles, and the amendments. The Preamble is the introduction states why the constitution was written which was to create stability and order. The Constitution contains seven divisions called articles. Each article covers a general topic. For example, Articles I, II, and III create the three branches of the national government—the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. This is the third part of the constitution consists of amendments. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  List and discuss the major principles of the Constitutions. (65-67) The Constitutions rests on six major principles of government: 1 Popular Sovereignty: This is based the concept of Popular Sovereignty which is rule by the people. 2 Federalism: Describes the basic structure of American government. 3 Separation of Powers: This consists of dividing the powers among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. 4 Checks and Balances: Each branch of government exercises some control over others. 5 Judicial Review: The power of court to declare laws and actions of local, state, or national governments invalid if they violate the Constitution. 6 Limited Government: This limits the Constitutions actions of governments by specifically listing powers it does and does not have, for example the first 10 amendments set specific limits in the areas of freedom of expression, personal security, and fair trials. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  List and briefly discuss the Amendments of the federal government, the state governments, and those shared by the federal and state governments. (95-102) 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  List and discuss the powers of the federal government, the state governments, and those shared by the federal and state governments. (95-102) 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Discuss federalism in detail. Be sure to include those who are apposed to federalism and their reasoning. (106-116) 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  List and discuss the qualifications needed to be a member of Congress, present representation from California and Kern County, term of office, and current compensation. (123-131 notes) 7.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  List and discuss those who are currently leading Congress. Be sure to include their names, position, and responsibilities.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Essay --

One could debate endlessly over the definition and what exactly Jihad is, I’m certain many have. The very basic definition of the word simply means â€Å"struggle,† not to gain money or power but merely to bring people to Islam. The common western idea - or misconception - is that Jihad is a holy war or justification for terrorism. Very rarely are there any two religious groups that will agree on the exact deeper meanings of Jihad. There are also some groups that may believe the same basic definition of Jihad, but interpret it or apply it drastically differently within their own religion. There are two better known or accepted definitions of which Muslims refer to as the â€Å"greater Jihad,† and the â€Å"lesser Jihad.† â€Å"Greater Jihad† is defined as the internal spiritual struggle of one’s self in submission to Allah, the struggle of moral reformation, and converting others to Islam; while the â€Å"lesser Jihad† is considered the external, physical endeavor of an Islamic obligation to take up arms against the nonbeliever infidels in defense of the faith against tyranny and persecution. In the Sunni’s historical belief of the â€Å"greater Jihad,† Mohammed is thought to have told his followers returning home from war that they had, â€Å"returned from the lesser jihad of struggle against non-Muslims to a greater jihad of struggle against lust,† per Menhab Khans’ article on Modern Gangha. This is believed to be the first time the â€Å"lesser jihad† and the "greater jihad" had been differentiated. According to John Heit, the â€Å"greater jihad† is also then further divided into three types of internal struggle: â€Å"One, Jihad of the Heart (the struggle for moral reformation and faith); two, Jihad of the Tongue (the struggle to proclaim God's word abroad; right ... ...hese young men found solace and inspiration in the works of the Iraqi Muslim Brother Muhammad Ahmad al-Rashid; who demonstrated a sensible mind toward political action, but also stated that jihad with the sword- the way of the true Muslim-was inevitable. Putting things into perspective, I imagined what it would be like if America was invaded by foreign forces, the government demolished, a new leadership established, and none of which agreed with my way of life. I would honestly be able to say that I would follow similar actions as the Sunni insurgents. I recently watched the modern cinematic remake â€Å"Red Dawn† where the (in the new version) North Koreans invade and effectively take over the United States, this assisted in my imagination. I would have taken up arms the same as the characters in the movie. My enemies would hear my hoarse battle cry, â€Å"WOLVERINES!†

Sunday, August 18, 2019

The Atkins Diet: A True Diet Revolution Essay -- Low Carb Diet Program

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In a society where ones’ pants size measures their self worth, it is no wonder why fad diets, have taken over in the struggle to lose weight. Over the past few decades, Hollywood has painted an unattainable image of the perfect body. Although many celebrities' physical appearance may appear healthy, the measures taken to obtain their body shape can cause numerous health risks. It seems as though, every time people turn on their television, or flip through a magazine, there is a new diet claiming to â€Å"melt away† the pounds. Many of these "miracle diets" do take off weight- temporarily. But which diets really work in the long hual?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The definition of diets is, regulated selections of foods, specially designed and prescribed for medical and/or general nutritional purposes. The purpose of diets is to promote an overall lifetime-wellness plan for good health ( Larson). Recently, there has been more interest by the public, geared towards the Revolutionary Atkins’ diet. Although the Atkins’ diet appears to be the dream diet in the battle against the bulge, it can cause serious health problems if done incorrectly ( Dr. Atkins’ 72-80).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Atkins’ diet is a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet, which has been attributed to the weight loss success of thousands. The Atkins’ diet is based on the belief, that by increasing protein and decreasing carbohydrates, the body is forced to burn stored fat. Many researchers, who study the success of diets rich in protein, believe that insulin is the hormone that makes people fat. The body is an energy machine that powers its operations mainly through the use of glucose. Glucose, which is a basic form of sugar found in the blood, is predominantly found in carbohydrates. After consuming carbohydrates, the blood-sugar levels in the body are raised. When the sugar in the blood is raised, a hormone known as insulin is secreted. The insulin then converts a portion of the glucose into glycogen, which is found in muscle tissue and the liver. If the glycogen storage areas are filled, and there is still more glucose in the blood, that the body does not ne ed, the remaining glucose is then converted into triglyceride. Triglyceride is the main chemical component of adipose tissue- otherwise known as the visible fat on the body ( Dr. Atkins’ 46-50).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  How does the Atkins’ diet differ from other diets? Why is it that, through... ...used by extra weight. Work Cited â€Å" American Kidney Fund Warns About Impact of High-protein Diets on Kidney Health.† 25 April 2002. American Kidney Fund. 10 Nov 2002. Atkins’, Robert C. Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution. New York: M. Evans Inc., 1992. Cordain, Loren. The Paleo Diet. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2002. â€Å"Doctors Weigh in on ‘ Diet War’. Cover Stories in NYT and Time Magazine: Nutrition Experts Warn Against ‘ Carbophobia’; Applaud Coverage of Vegetarianism.†Ã‚  8 July 2002. Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. 13 Nov 2002 http://www.atkinsalert.org. â€Å"Health Risks of High Protein Diets.† Atkins’ Diet Alert. 2 Aug 2002. Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. 13 Nov. 2002 http://www.atkinsalert.org. Larson, Jeffrey. â€Å" Diets.† Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine. 10 Nov. 2002. â€Å" New Studies Confirm Calorie Reduction Not Only Reason Atkins Nutritional Approach (TM) Works; Other metabolic aspects of controlled carbohydrates nutrition impact on fat loss, and reduction of heart disease risk factors.† PR Newswire. 26  Aug. 2002 http://www.findarticles.jhtml?term=The+atkins%27+diet. Williams, Sara. Personal Interview. 17 Nov. 2002.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Descriptive Essay Beach

Miranda Poole 2/3/13 English 101 Descriptive Essay The Beach: A Relaxing Wonderland It is spring break, in the middle of March, my junior year. As I cross the state line into Florida, I picture the ocean as being a place of peace and serenity. It’s my first time visiting the ocean, and all I can think about is hoping it is as beautiful as the pictures I have seen of it. As I arrive to the beach with all my friends, the eagerness of seeing this peaceful place is rising. I can’t wait to smell the fresh salty air, feel the soft sand between my toes, walk along the breezy shoreline.As we approach the beach, the first thing I notice is the sky. As I look into the cloudless, cerulean blue sky and see the flawlessness of life; in the distance, rolling clear-blue waves crash into each other with such force as that of football players. The sky is breathtaking along with the sounds of the waves and the tide washing onto the shore. The water reminds me of crystals shimmering in th e water with the sun reflecting off of it. As the sun sets, the sky turns into a pink hue with a bright orange sun going down into the horizon.We stroll on the beach, and my feet sink into the soft sand. I stroll along, and the grainy, slick, brown sugar sand pulls my bare feet under and leaves a perfect imprint. I pick up a handful and sift it from my palm slowly, feeling the grittiness of sand with each finger. The view down the beach of the white, but slightly brown sand was enough to make my knees go weak. The sand is such a sensational feeling between my toes and a beautiful view against the crystal blue water. The beach is a beautiful scene of peace and tranquility. Every moment is a different scene.As I sit in my chair I can see all the sights of summer; children building sand castles along the ocean's edge, to my right I observe an elderly couple enjoying a good book. The waves crash into one another, the breeze blowing from the tide, the smell of salty ocean, and the sticky air clinging onto my skin. Charging into the ocean with vigorous splendor and utter excitement, I insert my bare feet into the sea and am taken aback by the shocking coolness of the water. Bringing myself to a halt at mid-calf, I then trudge through the soft currents that splash upon my legs. An abundance of symbiotic, vibrantly olored, and variously sized fish swarm around my feet. Their bodies brush my leg with negligence as they strive to get from one place to another. I wish to stay here forever and realize, at this point, this is where I need to come for serenity and harmony, where all things seem perfect and care free. There is nowhere in the world quite like this, so peaceful and calm. The beach is a wonderland for all ages. Whether you want to have fun in the sun, or relax while reading a good book, the beach is the place to go. The beach is an unforgettable experience that one must witness in their lifetime.

Friday, August 16, 2019

CSR of Petron Essay

Petron Corporation (Petron) is a Philippines-based company. The Company is the refiner and marketer of petroleum products in the Philippines. As of December 31, 2010, Petron had seven subsidiaries: New Ventures Realty Corporation engaged in acquiring and developing land; Petrogen Insurance Corporation engaged in serving the insurance requirements of Petron and its allied business partners, such as contractors, suppliers and dealers; Overseas Insurance Corporation engaged in expediting the reinsurance of Petron’s insurable interests as covered by Petrogen Insurance Corporation; Petron Foundation, Inc. engaged in functioning and operating as a charitable and research foundation; Petron Freeport Corporation engaged in selling fuels, including gasoline, kerosene, diesel, lubricants and greases, as well as operate retail outlets, restaurants, and convenience stores; Petron Marketing Corporation is engaged in the fuel business, and Petron Singapore Trading Pte. Ltd. established in 2010. Petron Corporation’s over 75 years of existence in the Philippines is a further testament to its commitment to providing quality products and services. Petron’s colorful history dates back to September 7, 1933 whent he Socony Vacuum Oil Company of New York and the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey formed the Standard Vacuum Oil Company (Stanvac). The end of the venture in the early ’60s split the marketing and refining interests of the company between Esso and Mobil.In 1973, Esso sold its business to the government which became the Philippine National Oil Company orPNOC. Subsequently, Mobil also sold its share of the refinery to PNOC.The oil refining and marketing units in PNOC were eventually merged to form Petrophil, which was later renamed as Petron. As part of the government’s privatization program, PNOC sought a strategic partner that would give Petron a reliable supply of oil, plus access to state-of-the-art refining technology. The result was a partnership with the world’s largest oil producer, Saudi Aramco. On February 3, 1994, PNOC and Aramco Overseas Company BV signed a share purchase agreement thatgave both a 40% stake in Petron. The remaining 20% of Petron shares were sold to the public .In May 2008, the Ashmore Group acquired Aramco’s 40% stake in Petron. Following a mandatory tender offer, an additional 10.57% was acquired by the London-based fund. The PNOC likewise sold its share to another Ashmore subsidiary. Such divestment resulted in the Ashmore Group holding approximately 90.57 percent of the outstanding shares of the company. Mission-Vision and Values To be the leading provider of total customer solutions in the energy sector and itsderivative businesses. We will achieve thisby: Being an integral part of our customers’lives, delivering consistent customerexperience through innovative productsandservices; Developing strategic partnership inpursuit of growth and opportunity; Leveraging our refining assets to achievecompetitive advantage; Fostering an entrepreneurial culture thatencourages teamwork, innovation andexcellence; Caring for community and theenvironment; Conducting ourselves withprofessionalism, integrity and fairness; Promoting the best interest of all ourstakeholders. Leaders Behind The Success RAMON S. ANG- Filipino, 56 years old, is the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of Petron since January 8, 2009. He is also the Chairman of the Board Executive Committee and Compensation Committee. He is currently the Vice Chairman of San Miguel Corporation (SMC) and President & Chief Operating Officer of SMC, Chairman of Liberty Telecom Holdings Inc. and Vice Chairman and Director of Manila Electric Company. He also holds executive and directorship positions in various SMC subsidiaries. ERIC O. RECTO- Filipino, 46 years old, is the President/Executive Director of the company since October 7, 2008.He became a director of Petron on July 31, 2008. He is a member of the Board Executive Committee and the Nomination and Compensation Committees. He is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Eastern Telecommunications Philippines, Inc. (ETPI) and Vice Chairman& President of ISM Communications Corporation, ETPIs parent company. He is also Vice Chairman of Philweb Corporation and Alphaland Corporation. He was previously Undersecretary of the Department of Finance, in charge of both the International Finance Group and the Privatization Office. BERNARDINO R. ABES-Filipino, 79 years old, has been a non-executive Director of the company since July 2001. He is currently the Chairman of the Government Service Insurance System, following a three-year term as Chairman of the Social Security Commission. EDUARDO M. COJUANGCO, JR.- Filipino, 74, is a non- executive Director of Petron since January 8, 2009.He is also the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of San Miguel Corporation. He is also the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ginebra San Miguel Inc.; Chairman of ECJ & Sons Agricultural EnterprisesInc., Eduardo Cojuangco Jr. Foundation Inc., and San Miguel Purefoods Company Inc.. RON W. HADDOCK- American, 69 years old, is a non-executive Director since December 2, 2008. He is amember of the Audit Committee and an alternate member of the Executive Committee. He sits as theChairman of the Board of Ashmore Energy International which he has occupied since September 2006.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Sleep Terrors

Sleep terrors are commonly known by a few terms, including sleep terrors, night terrors, sleep terror disorder, and pavor nocturnus. The person having a sleep terror will awaken from a dream crying or screaming, which may last for minutes. The person is difficult to awaken and confused. There is no recollection of the dream once awake. Sometimes the person can be violent by swinging their fists or punching. This paper will look in depth at sleep terrors and give a concise review of the causes, prevalence, treatment, symptoms, and safety measures in the sleep lab when dealing with sleep terrors. Definition The definition of sleep terrors is â€Å"a sleep disorder involving abrupt awakening from sleep in a terrified state† (Kiriakopoulos, 2005, p. 1). â€Å"The cause is unknown but night terrors are commonly associated with periods of emotional tension, stress, or conflict† (Kiriakopoulos, 2005). Overview To understand sleep terrors, you first need to understand normal sleep patterns. â€Å"Normal sleep cycles involve distinct stages from light drowsiness to deep sleep† (Kiriakopoulos, 2005, p. 1). These include REM and non-REM sleep. Non-REM sleep involves four stages. The normal sleeping person will have several cycles of REM and non-REM sleep through the night. Night terrors occur during deep sleep, which occurs during stages 3 and 4 of non-REM sleep, beginning approximately 90 minutes after falling asleep (Connelly, 2003) and they generally have a duration of 10 to 20 minutes. The patient usually screams in panic, but there is no memory of what caused them to be scared. (Kiriakopoulos, 2005) Sleep terrors are like nightmares but with certain distinct differences. Nightmares normally occur during REM sleep vs. sleep terrors occurring during deep sleep. Nightmares are most common in the early morning vs. sleep terrors occurring during the first one-third of the night. The sleeper can remember the details of a nightmare vs. a sleep terror, which cannot be remembered. Sleep terrors are not normal, but â€Å"nightmares are normal on occasion, especially after frightening movies/TV shows or emotional situations† (Kiriakopoulos, 2005, p. 1). â€Å"The sleep disorder of night terrors typically occurs in children aged 3-12 years, with a peak onset in children aged 3? years† (Connelly, 2005, p. 1). Boys, girls, and children of all races are equally affected by sleep terrors. An estimated 1-6% of children experience night terrors† (Connelly, 2005,p. 1). Sleep terrors can be familiar. By adolescence, most children have outgrown sleep terrors. (Connelly, 2005) Sleep terrors can run in families. Although uncommon, adults may have sleep terrors but they are associated â€Å"with emotional tension and/or the use of alcohol† (Kiriakopoulos, 2005, p. 1). Although sleep terrors are â€Å"not directly caused by a general medical condition or substance use, including medications and drugs of abuse, these symptoms cause clinically important distress or impair work, social or personal functioning† (Narcolepsy Association UK, 2003). Diagnosis â€Å"Usually, a complete history and a physical examination are sufficient to diagnose night terrors† (Connolly, 2003, p. 6). Review of symptoms is necessary for accurate diagnosis of all sleep disorders. In many cases, considering the symptoms, no tests are necessary. (Kiriakopoulos, 2005) It is important to rule out seizure disorders and nightmares when making the differential diagnosis of sleep terror. (Narcolepsy Association UK, 2003) This may include an electroencephalogram (EEG) which measures brain activity and can rule out a seizure disorder, or a sleep study to rule out other sleep disorders. Other tests such as CT Scans and MRI’s are unnecessary. (Connelly, 2003) The cause is unknown. Sleep terrors are frequently brought on by â€Å"stress, fever, sleep deprivation, and medications that affect the central nervous system† (Connelly, 2003, p. 2). Symptoms Symptoms of sleep terrors include sudden awakening from sleep. â€Å"During each episode the patient shows evidence of marked fear and autonomic arousal, such as rapid breathing, rapid heartbeat and sweating† (Narcolepsy Association UK, 2003). When awakened from the sleep terror, the person is difficult to comfort and is unable to explain what happened or recall the dream, though they may have a sense of being frightened. â€Å"They will have no memory of the event on awakening the next day† Kiriakopoulos, 2005, p. 1). Thankfully, sleep terrors generally only occur once per night. (Narcolepsy Association UK, 2003) Treatment, Prognosis, And Prevention There is no true treatment for sleep terrors. It is important to â€Å"educate the family about the disorder and reassuring them that the episodes are not harmful† (Connelly, 2003, p. ). â€Å"Comfort and reassurance are the only treatment required† (Kiriakopoulos, 2005, p. 1). It is important for parents of children with sleep disorders to take the following precautions. â€Å"Make the child’s room safe to prevent the child from being injured during an episode, eliminate all sources of sleep disturbance, and maintaining a consistent bedtime routin e and wake-up time† (Connelly, 2003, p. 7). When medication is used, it is benzodiazepine or benadryl given just prior to or at bedtime. These medications will reduce sleep terrors. Although rare, â€Å"in severe cases, in which daily activities (for example, school performance or peer or family relations) are affected† (Connelly, 2003, p. 8), the person may require antidepressant therapy. â€Å"Minimizing stress or using coping mechanisms may reduce night terrors. The number of episodes usually decreases after age 10† (Sheth, 2005, p. 1). Most children outgrow night terrors. When this does not occur, â€Å"stress reduction and/or psychotherapy may be helpful for sleep terror in adults† (Kiriakopoulos, 2005, p. 1). â€Å"Night terrors may also be treated with hypnosis and guided imagery echniques† (Narcolepsy Association UK, 2003, p. 1). There are also support groups available. Role of the Polysomnographic Technologist The sleep technologist is responsible for the patient during the polysomnography study. The technologist needs to have reviewed the patient’s questionnaire and be prepared for the outburst and confusion that may occur during a sleep terror event. The technologist needs skills to comfort and protect the patient during a terror. The patient may be combative so the technologist would need to be able to protect the patient and any near him from hitting and punching that could occur. It would be important to be able to gently restrain them so they are both comforted and safe. Polysomnographic Record Of A 3 Year Old With Sleep Terror Disorder Summary/Conclusion Sleep terror disorder is a sleep disorder that involves waking from deep sleep in a panic. The person is difficult to arouse and confused. If they can recall any of the dream at that time, when they wake then next day, they will not remember that the terror even occurred. The disorder occurs mostly in young children before their teen years begin. Most children out grow the disorder, but some adults are affected. Diagnosis is simple, requiring few tests. Treatment is mostly supportive requiring education of the family and comfort of the individual with the sleep terror disorder. In rare cases, psychotherapy and/or counseling may be necessary if it affect the persons daily functioning and relationships. Sleep terrors are very interesting to me. I have never even known anyone with terrors, and but the prevalence is enough that most people should know someone with the disorder. Although the diagnosis is usually easy, the sleep technologist has a role in the diagnosis when more than the patient’s symptoms are needed.