Marketing Draft: Les Mills Essay

Introduction: The Olympian â€Å"Les Mills† first opened the gym in 1968 and has been expanding its branches ever since including its Wellington branch in 1982, the gym I am focusing on (Les Mills, n.d). Les Mills is a one-stop comprehensive and full service gym located in Wellington. It offers facilities assisting in attaining active and healthy lifestyles through its extensive services. Mission Statement: Les Mills is a business providing a service with the goal of helping its consumers lead healthy and active lifestyles in central locations in Wellington. Market Analysis: Market Environment: The market is a considerable size in Wellington. Gyms like Jetts and City Fitness are key contributors to that size. Gyms vary in size and what they offer, they may be gender exclusive gyms, small stand alone gyms, large chain gyms, outdoor based training, and so on. Trends in the market consist of; attentive staff with relevant qualifications and a range of services within the gym (personal training, classes, good equipment). Customers within the market are in the â€Å"age of obesity† and generally concerned with â€Å"weight loss, muscle toning cardiovascular fitness, stress management and injury prevention/rehabilitation,† (The New Zealand Institute of Health and Fitness (March 2009). External Environment: Les Mills has many competitors as all gyms offer many of the same things. However all differ in internal features to set themselves apart from their competitors to target certain markets. Les Mills competitors are gyms like Jetts and City Fitness, and extend beyond gyms alone but also businesses which offer fitness, health and weight loss services, such as paddleboarding companies, Bikram Yoga and Jenny Craig. Internal Environment: Les Mills offers a strong motivational culture, this is important in gyms, to motivate their costumer in achieving their goals. Les  Mills staff are all well trained, personable people who create a motivational culture within the gym. They also offer the facility of personal training, Les Mills also offers a very wide range of equipment and workout machinery, as well as running classes. Competitive analysis: The gym market is an oligopoly-structured market. It consists of many small and large gyms. Gyms generally charge similar amounts for their services but price competition and calling can occur to gain customers over their competitors. Jetts and City Fitness charge less for memberships, however they attrac3t mostly to students or adults with lower incomes as they charge a more affordable fee. MACRO Environment analysis: Economic: Sociocultural Technological Gyms, like majority of businesses were and are affected by the post 2007 recession, which changed consumer-spending patterns. Les Mills had to factor that into its membership cost and how to market itself. Demographics impact Les Mills. Its locations need to be close to their target market. It seats customers who have disposable income to spend on membership costs. Due to the age of obesity there is increasing importance on fitness and health. This is predicted to become more trend in the future. Technological Environment: The Internet has changed the face and conduct of business. Les Mills has adapted to this by creating a website. The technological environment is not highly influential as they are a location-based service, but it is important in terms of communicating with their customers. TOWS: (Heinz Weihrich (n.d).) Threats: Opportunities: Economic struggle/recession: The 2007 economic recession lead to a decrease in its customers. Prior to the crash they had more disposable income. New Entrants: New entrants with innovative ideas extending beyond Les Mills  services is a threat to membership levels, and impact upon profit. Expanding target market: Les Mills could branch out to consumers who otherwise workout in the outdoors. Introducing Nutrition as a core aspect of the services offered. This would give it a competitive edge against competitors, as well as competing against weight loss competitors such as Jenny Craig. Strengths: Weaknesses: Good reputation: Les Mills is a well known, reputable and trusted. It has been operating since 1968. This allows for word of mouth among consumers. Innovative culture: Les Mils innovative marketing ideas such as, popular fitness classes and 24-hour services has set them apart from competitors and allowing them to charge more for memberships. Location: They are locate near customers generally working in corporate fields who can afford to pay higher subscriptions for convenience in city centers. Cost of running services: The classes Les Mills run are costly, as they need to supply the facilities, equipment, and trainers to run them. (Heinz Weihrich (n.d).) Target Market: Les Mills Target Market consists primarily of those in established jobs who have the additional disposable income to spend on a gym membership, typically priced higher than most other gyms. Recommendations: Les Mills could increase its membership levels by attracting a wider base of consumers, perhaps those whose interests lie in fitness but don’t like always being confined to a gym, who enjoy getting outdoors. A marketing idea that introduces a weekly activity such as Standup Paddle Boarding sessions where they take groups of people out on the water each week. The advantage of this is that it attracts customers interested in trying something new, as well as ones who have experience in it. It also strengthens their sense of community and culture in the gym because paddle boarding as a team is a social way to exercise, as opposed to running on a treadmill for example. Reference List: Heinz Weihrich (n.d). The TOWS Matrix— A Tool For Situational Analysis. Retrieved from http://www.usfca.edu/fac_staff/weihrichh/docs/tows.pdf MPlans (n.d) Health Fitness Marketing Plan. Retrieved from http://www.mplans.com/health_fitness_marketing_plan/situation_analysis_fc.php Andrew Weber.(n.d) Fitness Industry Analysis 2014 – Cost & Trends. Retrieved from https://www.franchisehelp.com/industry-reports/fitness-industry-report/ The New Zealand Institute of Health and Fitness. (May 2009). A profile on the New Zealand fitness industry (article). Retrieved From http://www.nzihf.co.nz/media-resources-1/articles/a-profile-of-the-new-zealand-fitness-industry Les Mills (n.d) Welcome to Les Mills. Retrieved from http://www.lesmills.co.nz/join-us/?club=1836&plan=fbabd202-741e-df11-9eaa-0050568522bb,c3280ab8-741e-df11-9eaa-0050568522bb

Abnormal psychology/depression Essay

Serotonin – A neurotransmitter involved in mood, sleep, appetite, and impulsive and aggressive behaviour. Definitions taken from www. allpsyc. com/dictionary If a person’s serotonin is too low it then results in depression. All three neurotransmitters must work together on an even level in order for the brain to function properly. It has been proven through autopsy results that low serotonin is apparent in a depressed person. However, this does not prove weather depression causes the serotonin level to drop or if low serotonin causes depression. Sigmund Freud described depression as a human response to loss. The psychodynamic approach to depression explains that the feelings of an adult reflect on the experiences of a child. If for example a child suffers the loss of their mother during childhood, this results in adult depression. Freud also argued that depression relates to early relationships with parents. Hostile feelings towards the parents are redirected towards the self resulting in hatred of the self. Feelings of depression can arise from lack of affection and love during childhood. Trauma of a child re-emerges in adulthood in the form of depression. According to Freud, the conscious and unconscious parts of the mind can come into conflict with one another, producing phenomena called repression (a state where you are unaware of having certain troubling motives, wishes or desires but they influence you negatively just the same). In general, psychodynamic theories suggest that a person must successfully resolve early developmental conflict in order to overcome repression and achieve mental health. Mental illness, on the other hand, is a failure to resolve these conflicts. Abraham in 1911 suggested that depression was the result of the anger felt towards a rejected loved one. The psychodynamic approach to depression is supported by the point that childhood loss predicts later vulnerability to depression. A cognitive approach to depression, suggest that depression is a state of mind. A person becomes depressed because of the way they think and feel. Cognitive – behaviour theory is different to that of Seligman and Abramson’s ‘hopelessness theory’ which suggests that people learn from childhood that they are powerless to control what becomes of them, as a result adults become passive and helpless. Beck in 1991 developed the cognitive – behavioural theory of depression. He argued that depression stems from negative thinking. â€Å"Depressed people suffer from a cognitive triad of negative beliefs about themselves, their future and their past experiences. † Giles B (2002:108) A cognitive triad of negative thinking: A negative view of the self A negative view of the world A negative view of the future Beck suggested that people who are prone to depression have developed a ‘self-critical’ and negative way of thinking and feeling towards themselves. Beck believes that negative thinking starts in childhood and is a result of been brought up by critical negative parents with whom the child identifies. Beck suggested that as a result of these early experiences the child develops into adulthood with a negative self schema. Both cognitive and psychodynamic approaches to depression suggest the childhood experience is the route of depression. Freud’s theory suggests that depression is a result of the loss of a mother or perhaps a negative upbringing, Beck suggested almost the same as he suggested that a negative family encourages a person to become depressed. Both theories’ hold the majority of responsibility on the upbringing of a child. However, if this as the case, all children in negative households would then become depressed. Freud’s research on depression was limited due to the year of study. At the time in history it was the norm for a family to be cared for by the mother. This is not always the case in today’s society, given this would children having suffered the loss of a father also suffer depression in adulthood. Biological theories do appear to have an influence on depression. Twin studies and family studies do demonstrate likelihood that depression is genetic. However, genes alone do not cause depression; if this was the case then every child born into a depressive family would there for become depressed. This suggests that depression does have a link with genetics but it also needs other aspects to initiate depression. Beck’s theory of depression has it’s strengths as it is supported by a large amount of research indicating that depression is in fact influenced by negative thinking. However, is negative thinking the cause of depression or is it depression that causes a person to think negatively? If depression causes a person to think negatively is it then that depression is a result of chemical conflict? Serotonin levels must remain on an even level to enable a person’s mood to stay stable. Serotonin levels drop in that of a depressed person. Yet it is unknown whether a low serotonin level causes depression or weather depression causes a low serotonin level. It remains unknown weather depression is in fact a result of biological factors or psychological factors. Each person suffers from depression in their own way. There is evidence to suggest that depression runs in families, but a family free from depression can have a depressed person amongst them. A happy family home, with two loving parents can also have a depressed child. In conclusion to this assignment, what causes depression? Given the research , evidence and the limitations of the theories surrounding depression it becomes fair to say that depression holds many reasons and is not only influenced by one factor and can in fact be a result of many. BIBLOGRAPHY M Birchwood & C Jackson (2001) CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY modular course schizophrenia East Sussex Psychology Press M Cardwell et al (2001) PSYCHOLOGY for A2 Level Hammersmith HarperCollins Publishers Limited J Cullberg (2006) PSYCHOSES An integrated perspective London Routledge C Frith & E Johnstone (2003) SCHIZOPHRENIA a very short introduction London Oxford University Press B Giles (2002) ABNORMAL PSYCHOLGY Rochester Grange Books plc R Gross (2001) PSYCHOLOGY The science of mind and behaviour London Hodder and Stoughton. S Moore (2002) SOCIAL WELFARE ALIVE third edition Cheltenham Nelson Thornes Ltd www. abnormalpsy. org/disorderlinks/depression 20/03/2008 www. bbc. co. uk/health/conditions/depression1. shtml 20/03/2008 www. bupa. co. uk/ 20/03/2008 www. clinical-depression. co. uk 22/03/2008 www. depressionalliance. org 22/03/2008 www. depression-therapist. co. uk 20/03/2008 www. fightingdepression. co. uk 20/03/2008 www. mind. org. uk 22/03/2008 www. mentalhealth. org. uk 22/03/2008 www. mentalhealthproject. com/ 20/03/2008 www.nhsdirect. nhs. uk/article 20/03/2008 www. overcomedepression. co. uk 22/03/2008. REFERENCE M Cardwell et al (2001) PSYCHOLOGY for A2 Level Hammersmith HarperCollins Publishers Limited J Cullberg (2006) PSYCHOSES An integrated perspective London Routledge B Giles (2002) ABNORMAL PSYCHOLGY Rochester Grange Books plc www. abnormalpsy. org/disorderlinks/depression 20/03/2008 www. bbc. co. uk/health/conditions/depression1. shtml 20/03/2008 www. fightingdepression. co. uk 20/03/2008 www. nhsdirect. nhs. uk/article 20/03/2008.

Manager Leadship Styles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Manager Leadship Styles - Essay Example Distortions such as stereotypes can negatively impact a person’s perception of a leader. The values of the employees affect the corporate culture of the enterprise. Leaders are people that must demonstrate good values and complete dedication towards the company. The shared system of values, shared action and beliefs that develops within an organization through the passage to is referred to as its corporate culture. The leader of a company influences the culture of the firm. The attitudes of the employees must be evaluated by the leader in order to create ways to influence their behavior. The leadership of a manager is important because the style that the leader chooses must be effective at influencing the group. Three leadership styles that can use by managers are transactional, transformational, and charismatic leadership. A charismatic leadership style involves leader-follower exchanges necessary for achieving routine performance agreed upon between the leader and the follow er (Schermerhorn, et al., 2003). Transactional leadership is a leadership style that is well suited for application in the healthcare field. In hospital setting nurses and other workers need precise instruction from their superiors on what to do. The work of workers in the healthcare field is extremely because it can save lives.

Effective Leadership Practices Project Research Paper

Effective Leadership Practices Project - Research Paper Example Martin Luther King Jr. remained much focused upon maintaining equality in the society or any business or operational environment. As per the viewpoint of the leaders, every individual need to be persistent towards accomplishing its predetermined goals and has to work under any circumstance. It has been apparently observed that every follower of Martin Luther King Jr. used to trust him for his immense concentration about the aforesaid important aspects. The followers knew that their leader will be succeeding to stop the significant concern of segregation and discrimination by a considerable level. Thus, it can be stated because of his trustworthy and other qualities, the leader became quite successful to win the hearts of many followers (Carson, 1987). Provide a Background, Including the Context of the Leader's Environment and the Culture of the Organization and Society In the context of leader’s environment and the culture of the organization and the society, Martin Luther Kin g Jr. created a history by making deliberate efforts towards abolishing the significant concern of racial segregation along with racial discrimination. Major intellectual, political, cultural and developments of the 20th century was greatly influenced and reflected by the leadership qualities which possessed by Martin Luther King Jr. ... Research and Education Institute, n.d.). What Is Your Chosen Leader's Definition Of Leadership? As per the definition of leadership which stated by the Martin Luther King Jr., it can be revealed that through the conduct of appropriate leadership qualities, a leader can influence its followers at large. According to the chosen leader i.e. Martin Luther King Jr., leadership was defined as the practice of developing as well as preserving the capacity of the procedures influencing the society (Carson, 1987). How Does Your Chosen Leader Demonstrate The Five Practices Of Exemplary Leadership? The famous speech of Martin Luther King Jr. i.e. â€Å"I have a dream† genuinely touches the hearts of millions of its followers. The leader revealed that any goal can be achieved by performing hard work, persistence, bravery and trustworthiness (Carson, 1987). In this way, the leader demonstrated the five practices of exemplary leadership. How Does Your Chosen Leader Model The Way? In the peri od of mid 1990, Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the strongest leaders of America who used to follow top down and compassionate leadership style that helped him to change the civil rights of the nation at large. In this similar concern, the leader modeled the way by instigating a shared visualization, encouraging individuals, challenging an operational process and facilitating other persons to work (Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute, n.d.). How Does Your Chosen Leader Inspire A Shared Vision? Enabling a share vision actually denotes that an individual envisions future by imagining, determining existing possibilities and enabling others to achieve a common objective. In this regard, the leader followed the non violent strategy

Art of Benin Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Art of Benin - Essay Example This was also accompanied by increased interest in African people and their cultures. Africans were therefore described as savages and as people who openly practiced witchcraft. For instance, ‘The Golgotha, Benin’ is a portrait produce in the London News paper that describe Benin as a cannibalistic place with brutal practices. Prior to the emergence of the British, they were backward and less civilized. However, things changed once the British brought sanity to the place. The Benin great arts like the bronze sculptures brought forth a debate on the notion of inferiority of the African race. Experts formulated theories and explanations to downplay their doubters. For instance, Justus Brinekmann argued that the beautiful sculptures were as a result of interaction between Benin and ancient civilizations like the Egyptians or the Portuguese (pg.52). Henry Ling Roth who once insinuated that the bronze artifacts had European influence retracted his statements and conceded that the artifacts predated back before the Portuguese arrival. Failure to prove African inferiority, experts in British museums had to come up with reasonable explanations in order to maintain scientific superiority over other Europeans nations especially Germany. Ethnographic experts argued that indeed the artifacts were African; however, they dated them to coincide with the arrival of the Portuguese into their land. The evidence they brought forth was the absence of skilled artisans at the time. Therefore, after the Portuguese had gone, Africans re-evolved back to savages and degenerates. The concept of African inferiority art was further instilled into the global art form by the avant-garde artisans who were very popular in the early 1900s. They affirmed what the Europeans believed/or thought to be true of a simple and timeless art, that was free from ‘civilizing decorum’ (pg. 63). Ironically, these avant-garde artisans derived their inspirations from the same art

The West Side Story Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The West Side Story - Essay Example But for everything to be alright, there was a very high price to pay, and that is Tony’s death. The West Side Story was a musical that borrowed the concept of Romeo and Juliet. It had the same plot line. There were lovers who wanted to be together despite their differences. They succeeded only to fail in living together since they died together. Of course the stories wouldn’t be that much similar or else it won’t be successful anymore. The West Side Story was a story of two rival gangs, same as Romeo and Juliet’s two rival families. It was set in Manhattan, New York. During the time the story was finalized, gang violence was rampant. It was very timely and it intrigued the public because it had a relevant social issue. The West Side Story was not just a tragedy because of the dark mood and depressing final act that it had. It was also a story about how triumph can have a very high price. In this case, it was death. With Tony’s death, the rival gangs joined together realizing what hate and anger can do to them. When Maria declared that â€Å"all of (them) killed him, not with bullets or guns, but with hate. (And now she) can kill too because now (she) has hate,† it made them realize the alarming situation of how every one of them can die because of their hatred towards each other. And this hatred is not even something that has enough bearing. They were just fighting because they had different racial backgrounds. They have different beliefs and perspectives. The hatred was passed on from one generation to another. When Anita tried to send Tony a message, she was almost raped by the Tony’s group. She was treated with disrespect and because of this, she sent out a distorted message. Instead of warning them that Chino is looking to kill Tony with a gun, she blurted out that Maria was killed by Chino in a fit of jealousy and rage. And this caused Tony to seek out Chino and his death. Anita was touched by hatred because of what was done to her. Something that could have been prevented if only she was treated with respect. But as Tony felt that it will be alright in the end, it did become alright. When the members of both gangs joined together to carry Tony’s body, it symbolizes intersecting of racial differences to repent and have peace with each other. This plot line is still powerful even up to these times. This is a story about racial differences. It tells us what biases and prejudice can do to us. It is still a significant social issue until today. It is still a challenge for some people to accept another race as part of a group or a team. Gangs are street groups. They are created to protect their territories, places where they grew up, places where they are comfortable with. Of course, as any other person, if your personal space is threatened, you fight for you. This is the same for gangs. They fight for their space. They believe that only one group can stay in one place. But because p eople cannot compromise and because hatred is set so deep in their hearts, people die. The characters in the story signify the different personas that are involved in street gangs. There are the leaders, their successors, the followers and their women. The women are not muses of the gangs. They are not direct members of the gang. They are only associated with the gang members by blood or by relationship. They may be a sister, cousin or girlfriend. But even if they are not members of the gang, they still get involved in whatever conflicts there are between the gangs. Since they are associated with the members by blood or relationship, it is believed that their loyalty will be with their own. As Chino said to Maria when her brother was killed by Tony, she should â€Å"stick with (her) own kind.† That was the thought process of someone whose racial belief is

Maximum height of a projectile motion Lab Report

Maximum height of a projectile motion - Lab Report Example Since the gravitational pull acts downwards (vertical sense) then the horizontal and vertical components can be treated separately. Thus, the maximum height traveled by the body upwards can be calculated (Warren 73). For instance, a cannon shoots a ten kilograms cannon balls straight upwards, with a muzzle velocity of say 860 m/s, and then ignoring air resistance the maximum height attained by the cannon balls can be found. Taking the initial velocity in the vertical direction of the cannon ball to be vi and bearing in mind that the acceleration due to gravity is acting in the opposite direction (downwards). At the point when the cannonball attains the maximum height, it has zero velocity thus vf = 0. At this point, the ball starts to accelerate downwards. The equation below is used to calculate the cannon’s highest point that it reaches before it starts falling downwards (Warren 72). Thus, the ball will go up to thirty-eight kilometers or approximately twenty-four miles (Serway, Jewett and Peroomian 20). Theoretically, the ball should come back and attain the velocity same as the launching velocity as it falls at the same point of launching, that is 860 m/s. At each angle of elevation, the initial velocities were noted (McGinnis 73). The same procedure was repeated for the ball with a mass of 5.50 grams. The results were tabulated in a table as shown below: The result of the heights corresponding to every velocity was obtained, and curves were drawn for every mass. The results were as shown below. The table shows the results obtained for the ball of mass 9.5 g. The data obtained for the two balls was tabulated, and the maximum height reached by the ball at each launch relative to the angle of elevation was found (Breithaupt 26). The maximum height was determined using the formulae in the equation (7). H max = †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. (7). Each ball was launched at its time, and the muzzle velocities were maintained

Management and Leadership development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Management and Leadership development - Essay Example Based upon the overall theories defined in part 1, this part will define and provide practical application of the same. There has been a consistent increase in the way technology is changing over the period of time. The changing nature of technology also changes the overall consumer preferences and choices as customers are given more and more choices as technology improves over the period of time. In such a scenario, a company likes Orange UK which operates in the telecommunication industry needs to continuously focus upon the leadership which can easily visualize such future scenarios and prepare the firm for the future.( Avolio, 2011) Leadership management therefore holds significant importance for Orange to continue to dominate the market and remain as one of the leading telecommunication services providers in the country.( Bernel, 2009) Leadership is considered as one of the ways through which management and staff can effectively communicate with each other.( Arendt et al., 2005). Orange is basically an owned company by the French Telecom which remained a government owned entity for longer period of time. It is still owned by the Government of France as the majority shareholder however, it is operating like a private corporation. Over the period of time, overall management structure changed in UK with different leadership and management structures put in place. This may result into the development of leadership at the individual business unit level.( Kelly-Hiedenthal , 2004) It is important to note that Orange changed the overall structure of its Board and management in 2008 making it more adaptive to the customer changes. The more important and significant leadership management issue therefore pertains to the inability of Orange UK to actually design an overall structure which suits the changing customer needs.( Brooks,2012).   Telecommunication industry has

Microeconomics Current events Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Microeconomics Current events - Assignment Example The decline in Colombian coffee production can be well grasped from the statistics that in the year 2006 the country produced more than 12 million pound bags of coffee and was optimistic to take this number to more than 17 million by 2014. However the catastrophe that has been illustrated so far has restricted the Colombian coffee production at nine million pounds bags in the year 2010. This displays a decline instead of much expected rise. Research has been going on to form a suitable Arabic coffee variant with indigenous qualities of Colombia that would be more resistant to pests and would be able to flourish even amidst heavy rain, however the final outcome is yet to be found. Courting this deadline in supply on one hand and rise in global demand for coffee on the other; price of the same is on a rise. The retail price of coffee coming from famous brands has risen by 25% and the figure in futures market is even higher at 85%. The consequences for the Colombian coffee and the eventual impact on global coffee market from the same are following a simple logic. First of all global warming and erratic climatic condition are mostly due to anthropocentric activities over hundred of years; especially after the industrial revolution. Secondly the decline in supply and rise in demand for the coffee (following an improvement of economic status of the population of the countries like India and China) has quite obviously resulted in a price rise in short run (excess demand). Again the scenario hovering global warming and the global climatic condition does not seem too bright in future; hence little hope is there that the production of coffee will be blessed with environmental favour once again in near future resulting in higher supply for the same.

Is Europe an optimum currency area Literature review

Is Europe an optimum currency area - Literature review Example This phenomenon has allowed for a vantage point to the economists from where they can try understanding the possible problems and difficulties associated with economic integration. The objective of this literature review is to understand the criteria essential to the achievement of Optimum Currency Areas in the light of the existing academic sources and theories. This literature review also intends to understand whether the European Economic and Monetary Union are gradually shifting towards an Optimum Currency Area position. It is Robert Mundell who is attributed to be the pioneer of the theory of Optimum Currency Area. Vasiliauskaite and Vitakauskas (2007) have successfully identified certain criteria delineated by Mundell to be necessary for the existence of a viable currency union. As per Mundell, for a region to move towards an Optimum Currency Position, the labour mobility is a necessary and pivotal requirement (Vasiliauskaite & Vitakauskas 2007). The labour mobility in this con text includes the physical ability and possibility on the part of the labour in a region to move from the depressed areas to the propitious ones. This mobility criterion also entails an absence of the cultural and political barriers to labour mobility and the existence of viable institutional mechanisms to facilitate mobility of labour (Vasiliauskaite & Vitakauskas 2007). Besides, According to Mundell, the monetary union in a region required an integration of the financial markets of the member nations accompanied by a total flexibility of prices and wages across the region (Vasiliauskaite & Vitakauskas 2007). Also, Mundell tagged to these criteria the need for a regional political integration making way for the fiscal transfer mechanisms for the redistribution of capital around an Optimum Currency Area (Vasiliauskaite & Vitakauskas 2007). Besides, it is also imperative that most of the nations in an Optimum Currency Area have diversified economies and similar business cycles (Vasil iauskaite & Vitakauskas 2007). Vasiliauskaite and Vitakauskas (2007) have concluded after an elaborate analysis of the existing data that though the European Economic and Monetary Union does qualify many of the criteria considered by Mundell to be essential for the creation of an Optimum Currency Area, the labour mobility in the European Union is much constrained as compared to USA. In Europe there exist many cultural and economic barriers that hamper the hassle free mobility of labour. Also the European Union, unlike America, cannot rely on Fiscal Federalism to iron out the regional economic disturbances (Vasiliauskaite & Vitakauskas 2007). In his seminal work in the context of the Optimum Currency Areas that is A Theory of Optimum Currency Areas (1961), Mundell discernibly appears to adhere to a Keynesian mindset. According to Mundell, in order to mitigate the shocks occurring in the private sector, whether originating from the supply side or demand side, the countries could resor t to the manipulation of national fiscal and monetary policies (1961). This nascent theory of Mundell was essentially based on stationary expectations pertaining to exchange rates, price levels and interest rates. The earlier Mundell was conclusively all for the Keynesian fine tuning of national fiscal and monetary policies, shielded by a floating exchange rate (1961). Mundell held that the diversified econ

Analysis of Language, Rhetoric, and Politics in George Orwell’s 1984 Essay Example for Free

Analysis of Language, Rhetoric, and Politics in George Orwell’s 1984 Essay This statement coming from the novel entitled Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell contains different meanings depending on its context and rationality. The phrase â€Å"war is peace† can be define as a prediction or conclusion that peace is always a result of war. When there is war, there would be peace, which is not always true depends on the situation. The phrase â€Å"freedom is slavery† can be said that even if you are free, there are influences, consequences, and contributors that would continue the act of slavery and people would still suffer from these cases. Because when we say freedom, there would be a form of governance and democracy but as long as authority exists, slavery would still become part of freedom. The phrase â€Å"ignorance is strength† can be true sometimes. If you are ignorant, you are more capable of acting without losing anything because you do not know something. Ignorance can be said as an escape to do everything without knowing anything – just to be free. However, why do these phrases were stated if they could actually say what is true and correct without any vague, ambiguous, and doublespeak words or languages. Use of languages can be vague and ambiguous depending on the person who used it, on the context he is relating with, the people he is talking to and the meaning of those words itself. Most often, we use words that are light but critical in order to make our audience or the person we are talking with will be less burdened by the whole situation. We use fuzzy, confusing and light words to exemplify the meaning of what we need to say in accordance to their feelings. One of the practical or simplest examples is the words or languages in business. A corporation needs to reduce its employees due to company problems, but rather than using honest words – they utilized technical words in order to make their employees understand the situations (not the real reason) with no hard feelings or at least minimal objection coming from the employees. One company denied it was laying off 500 people. We dont characterize it as a layoff, said the corporate spin doctor. Were managing our staff resources. Sometimes you manage them up, and sometimes you manage them down. Firing workers is such big business that there are companies whose business is helping other companies fire workers by providing termination and outplacement consulting for corporations involved in reduction activities. But dont worry, if youre managed down, the Outplacement Consultant will help you with re-employment engineering. (Lutz, 1996) Because of these scenarios, people became clueless rather than being educated that are actually needed in every aspect of human life. In order to become productive, we need to be sophisticated by the fact that we need to understand things that are connected to our jobs, sociological interaction, or even personal maters. However, there are instances when these aspects of understanding and education could not be obtained because people behind those conflicts and problems are apprehended by their actions. Therefore, it is a form of stealing – stealing our learning, knowledge, and privilege to recognize sensitive matters. That is why people having these issues are playing-safe to acquire less refusal or conflicts in the future but the consequences will be more problematic. Then, a question will rise towards these issues as it become more active during these times. The question will be what are the grounds of these people to state ambiguous, vague, and doublespeak that are more conflicting rather than honest thoughts? I guess, the reason why these things happened is that people are inherently liar in different forms and grounds as also based on the article of Stephanie Ericsson entitled, The Ways We Lie. Why do they need to do these? It is because they need to compel people that there is no problem or everything is all right to extent of lying just to make things better. We lie. We all do. We minimize, we avoid confrontation, we spare people’s feelings, we conveniently forget, we keep secrets, we justify lying to the big- guy situations. (Ericsson, 1992) This statement shows that we all lie in different situations especially when it is needed or sometimes we used words that are less offensive to minimize the reaction of our audience or who we are talking with. In this case, as connected to the phrases above, use of doublespeak, vague, or ambiguous words are already part of our sociological interaction. We are doing this in order to make the people less objective to the whole situation. However, we cannot deny the fact that it will soon emerged into a conflicting issues that needs to be done in accordance to the law. Coming from the novel Nineteen Eighty-four by Orwell the statement â€Å"robbing its citizens of their capacity for critical thought and reasonable, authentic self-expression† is true not only from the past but also in the present and will still exists in the future. It is a fear we too, in our modern society, must share, or argue that his fear is exaggerated or even unfounded. Because of the cases that were explained above, people could not be able to express themselves because hey are becoming ignorant to what is true and right. I can say that it is better to recognize the truth despite of the failure that it may cause rather than doing some actions and hoping that there would be a brighter future but actually, there would be no solution to the problem is more miserable. Our political, social, economic, and even personal aspects of living are full of doublespeak words and languages. This is because we are not always open to reality and truth for we do not want to be rejected, obligated, and failure. Most often, we keep on hiding from our blankets to escape from the certainty of everything. That is why, in order to minimize these cases, people are already doing lesser projections to reduce absurd feelings that may cause tension and despair. However, does political aspect needs these cases to magnify the burdens of the future. Logically, we know that political cases and aspects should be honest when it comes to its decision, preferences, and problems because its citizens are the primary affected from all of it. Nevertheless, this is not the situation today. There are some situations or maybe almost problematic situations that are hidden from the knowledge of the people for it will bring terrible conflict to the country. If the government could not control the situation and people knew about it, the president or the leader will explain but it will use doublespeak words or languages to make the people more comfortable and to lessen their fright, but up to what extent? Things like these happened after the September 11, 2001 attack in New York. The president claim that the country is already safe from terror attacks but he did not state any problem after the terror attack. He used doublespeak words to make its people less frightened from the whole situation but he did not say anything about the defenseless cases and problem within the white house that the terrorists already warned them but they did not pay attention to it. In this case, they did not want to be blamed so they made some segues and focused on the future having no further justifications of the past and the present. In our time, it is broadly true that political writing is bad writing. Where it is not true, it will generally be found that the writer is some kind of rebel, expressing his private opinions and not a party line. Orthodoxy, of whatever color, seems to demand a lifeless, imitative style. The political dialects to be found in pamphlets, leading articles, manifestoes, White papers and the speeches of undersecretaries do, of course, vary from party to party, but they are all alike in that one almost never finds in them a fresh, vivid, homemade turn of speech. As a whole, Orwell’s novel is a revelation of the past situations that still exists today. Language is not a problem but the people who used the language based on their intentions and desire. If they choose not to be obligated and responsible to the problem, they will use doublespeak words, but if we think of it, who will be responsible for all of those problems if no one is honest about everything? Is it the future generation, or our ancestors?

Michelangelo Antonioni and Women in Film

Michelangelo Antonioni and Women in Film Michelangelo Antonioni was an Italian film director, he was born In Ferrara, northern Italy, 1929. With Fellini he belongs to a so called provincial wave of Italian neorealist filmmakers,  not so distant from the metropolitan colleagues De Sica, Rossellini and Visconti. (Chatman 1985, Tinazzi 1994) While not initially fully appreciated by the tradition audience for his excessive intellectualism and pessimism. ( Crowther 1960, Hawkins 1960, Barthes 1994) Today, Antonioni is regarded one of the most influential personalities in Cinema. (Grenier 1960, Manceaux 1960, Fink 1935, Chatman 1989, Koehler 2015) His most remarkable works concern the sense of anguish and fragility of the modern society. (Di Carlo 1964, Lucantonio 2011) The characters belong to the idle rich society of the Italian post war, their boredom and sense of ennui robbed them of their ability to express their feelings and reduced them to speak in a feeble manner in attempt to conceal their sense of futility.(Chatman 1985, Pomerance 2011) Women, play leading roles Antonioni emphases womens ability to be more honest with human relations. A capacity virtually lost by intellectual men who are unable to supply any sort of sensitiveness. Not given by their inability to provide an alternative to boredom,  but by their complete unresponsiveness.(Pomerance 2011) Alberto Moravia in his Boredom (1960) wrote: Boredom is not the opposite of amusementboredom to me consists in a kind of insufficiency, or inadequacy, or lack of reality. it originates in a sense of the absurdity of a reality which is unable, to convince me of its own effective existence To modern man, the means to restore a link with reality is given by sexuality, however, if sexuality provides only a physical relief Eros is sick Antonioni (1962) says It is a symptom of the emotional sickness of our time [] man is unease, something is bothering him. And whenever something bothers him, man reacts, but he reacts badly, only on erotic impulse, and he is unhappy. Embodying many of the philosophical concerns associated with European existentialists Antonioni exposed the existential dilemma of modern man.(Barthes 1994, Darke 1995, Giannetti 1999, Holden 2006, Tomasulo 2008, Bortolini 2011) Antonioni dehumanized his characters of their personality and used them as devices to show the high psychological complexity of the unstable neurotic personalities of our time. (Lunn 1982, Melzer 2010) Melancholia, incommunicability, emptiness, alienation. All elements that characterize a life lacking in purpose and a general sense of spiritual vacuity Themes that are well represented in LAvventura (1959) and Il Deserto Rosso (1960). (Hoberman 2006) Lavventura, set amongst the remote Sicilian seashore, sees the search for a missing person Anna, disappeared during a boat trip. Sandro, her fiancà ©e, and Claudia, her best friend, start a search in a vain attempt to find her during which become attracted to each other and the search for Anna turns into a desire to not finding her anymore. Il Deserto Rosso, set in the overly industrialized outskirt of Ravenna, sees Giuliana, a neurotic woman, in the desperate attempt to keep a link with reality. Her troubled personality is split between a worried mother for her son Valerio, who fakes to be paralyzed at one point and adulterousness with a Corrado, a business associate of his neglectful husband, Ugo. Claudia and Giuliana seek for utopian ideals into dystopian worlds. From a side the sentimental ideal of Claudia: morally discomforted by choosing between finding her lost companion or keeping the shallow affair with Sandro. And on the other the existential ideal of Giuliana: in the desperate attempt to survive her depression in a sort of Darwinist mechanism of natural selection (Melzer 2010) To the neurotic personality everything appears absurd in life: family, work or even driving a car. Giuliana is a paradigmatic example of it. Jean Paul Sartre (1989) would say she lives in bad faith Living in bad faith means living not authentically, convincing oneself that there are no alternatives and pretending that something out there has meaning. Indeed, she bought a shop in Via Dante Alighieri, but she does not know what to do with it or she escapes by fantasizing about azure lagoons and warm beaches. (Salinari 1960) Giuliana is not frightened by modernity, she is not in tune with the industrialized world that oppresses her stimulus. Giuliana adjusted to this world, and learnt how to circulate in it and even though everyone around her accepted it, she refuses to respond to it Neurosis is the inability to tolerate ambiguity Freud stated (1977) The agonizing malaise of Giuliana, is given by her inability to tolerate a world that does not support her ideals and obliged her to accept her faith In contrast Ugo and Corrado have embraced the spirit of the XIX Century The industrial progress proceeds by neglecting the family bond or slowly crumbling it. Corrado has the spirit of the traveller and sees objects through the landscape in motion. For Corrado it means where to go, what to buy, who to hire, it is all about progress. For Giuliana it means where to stay, who to make boundaries with She needs to see things for their presence and perspective In LAvventura Claudias desire to find Anna is sincere. In spite of Sandro that has no real desire to find her. He would rather leave the mystery unsolved and move on. The characters vagabondage plays as an ephemeral mechanism of self relief to avoid further anxiety or sense of guilt by not even try (Chatman 1989) Both couples communicate through a sense of mutual pity. They try to explain their problems in virtually psychotic terms, though they fail to communicate to each other as they struggle to communicate with themselves first. They suffer from existential anxiety they are in desperate need to fulfil their sterile lives but, they dont know how. As much as Sandro and Corrado try to be supportive they at the end surrender to sexual temptation. Their emotive instinct degraded in consequence of repression and has been endlessly replaced by substitute-objects. (Chatman 1985) Corrado and Sandro are emblematic examples of the Freudian dyad of the modern manwhere the only two concerns of life are work and sex. Their sexual fulfilment is unsatisfactory and guilt ridden, eroticism is used as an anodyne to their moral dilemma and an outlet for frustration. (OLesser 1964) For modernists, sex is a contest and they would swap their beloved to the same extent they would accept or decline a work offer The room where they just spent hours talking about eroticism has no less meaning for them than for us, it can be taken apart to feed the fire as effortlessly as they can meet in there for a party. (Pomerance 2011) The dystopian realities depicted by Antonioni are environments that prevent emotions to flourish and the characters seem almost affected by a shapeless pain that withers their response to emotions. (Chatman1985) Anomie As called by the French sociologist Emile Durkheim(Slattery 2003) He described it as a malaise of the individual which absence of values and associated feelings of alienation lead him to a general sense of purposelessness in life. A concept that Albert Camus perfectly summed in the opening of his The Stranger (1942) Anomie is common in those societies that have gone through a period of significant economic changes and no exception is the post war Italy of the miracolo italiano Industrialization led men to bring together all their knowledge and strength into a sort of Nietzschean superhuman creation where the efficient modern man now, extension of the machine, seems to be at one with life but not less alienated, just unaware of his own condition. Modernity promoted an ideological discrepancy The ever-increasing split between moral man and scientific man [leads to the prevalence of eroticism as] a symptom of the emotional sickness of our time Antonioni (1962) said Modern man does not have the moral tools to match his technological skills and he is incapable to set authentic relationships with either his surrounding or fellows. It is true that Antonioni translated through abstract images the Marxist theory of alienation in order to explain the sense of frustration and rejection of todays society. Nevertheless, it is too simplistic to say that Antonioni is condemning modernity to have created such an unhuman world where the individual is led to neurosis Antonioni (Brunette 1998) intended to translate the poetry of the world where even factories can be beautiful The complexity of lines, shapes and colours merge into a steampunk dichotomy of functional beauty The sublime beauty of such brutalistic architectures matches what George Orwell wrote in The Road to Wigan Pier (1937): All round was the lunar landscape of slag-heaps [] you could see the factory chimneys sending out their plumes of smoke. The canal path was a mixture of cinders, frozen mud []and pools of stagnant water []It seemed a world from which vegetation had been banished[].   But even Wigan is beautiful [].I do not believe that there is anything inherently and unavoidably ugly about industrialism. A factory or even a gasworks is not obliged of its own nature to be ugly, any more than a palace or a dog-kennel or a cathedral. Of all the contributions Antonioni gave to cinema the most important relies in his ability to correlate character to environment. (Tassone 2002, Antonioni 2007) Antonioni was a long-time student of architecture and all his filmssince his early documentaries of Gente del Po (1947) and Nettezza Urbana (1948) show a keen interest in public and private spaces. (Di Carlo 2002) The social and economic changes of post war Italy led to his attentionthe relation existing between place and individual. Movies like LAvventura would be unconceivable without its images of ordinary Sicilian life. Antonioni shows the complex transformation of modernity through modernist aesthetics and uses the socio political situation of Italy as device to show the self awareness of the film. (Reyner 2013) Explanatory dialogues are minimized and architecture, whether natural or artificial, gains its own narrative autonomy. The use of pre diegetic and post diegetic shots also known as temps mort enhances the simulacral quality of the topographics that through their contemplation reveal their implicit meaning. (Chatman 1978, Lefebvre 2006, Bruno 1997, Reyner 2013) The sublime, merciless and bare beauty of inimical Lisca Bianca. The omnipotence and cosmic indifference of cold and distant industrialized Ravenna. The haptical influence of such places on the plight of the characters resonates with strong expressive analogy. (Cuccu 1973, Antonioni 2007) Dialogue and architecture play as co-metonyms, they not only symbolize modernity but they are crude examples of it. The buildings reflect the characters psyche by association. At the beginning of Lavventura Anna speaks to her dad, she is identified through the noisy new building, and similarly her father is matched with the magnificent dome in the distance. The uncanny battlefield of industrial wastage and the jet of steam and flames act as Giulianas repressed inner force which neurosis synthesized in self destructive attitude. (Bruno 1997) The inhospitable rock of the Aeolian Islands stresses the strangeness of the characters to this environment. The haunting silence of Noto resonates with an existential sense of non-belonging. The Euclidean geometry and surface of modern materials dwarfs our characters. Modernity is reflected by the solid appearance of these facilities. And if the sense of security should be provided by their appearance What security does modernity provide if it only causes unease? A place built by man that rejects man. The space lost its true very own essence to be dwelled. This place has become absurd: stripped out of its functionality there is nothing left but a mere cluster of stones and concrete. The camera movement is perversely spectral and fascinating. The city has become a rational entity. A hostile alien force that seems to reject the characters. A composition that evokes De Chiricos metaphysical period. (Antonioni 1961) Even though De Chiricos paintings suggest that this now inhabited town, once occupied, will be dwelled again, in Lavventura the town seems as it has never been lived. As if a premonition warned the Sicilians to have nothing to do with it. (Costa 2002, Tassone 2002) Finally the epilogue of Lavventura reaches the climax in the evolution of the couple in crisis. The composition is emblematic, split in between a void and a fill. The far sight of a volcano island and an empty wall. The will to forgive and the inability to reason own existence. This frame shows all the uncertainty and suspension upon which the movie ends. Antonioni does not reveal in these places cataclysmic sceneries. He rather makes a commentary on the personal problems that bad building and misused spaces created and are afflicting modern man. The macabre visions of environmental exploitation and building speculation revealed the collapse of safety of our surrounding and have become concrete manifestation of the emotional sickness of our time When Lavventura was published it was said of giallo alla rovescia, or noir in reverse. (Cuccu 1973) While De Sica would have uncovered the drama of these individualsAntonioni instead uses his exceptional dispassionate photography to dedrammatize the events. (Cuccu 1973) This is why it no longer seems to me important to make a film about a man who has had his bicycle stolenit is important to see what there is in the mind and in the heart of this man how he has adapted himself, what remains in him of his past experiences.(Bondanella 1943) This does not mean his movies are not dramatic, but on the counterpart the events do not follow a conventional chain of causalities. The common cinematic technique of resolution suggests that Anna will eventually be found and Giuliana will recover. Antonioni does not offer any solution to act on the present. (Nowell-Smith 1995) Using ellipses the temporality of the events is preserved and their reality enhanced however, the events are not strictly related by a cause-effect succession but rather linked by contingency. As matter of fact we are not given any further information when Giulianas depression started or when Anna decided to leave to never come back again. Each event is no less accidental and casual than the others. As casual as the disappearing of Anna and the complete abandon by Claudia and Sandro that revealed at the end a cold and unforgiving disappearing of a disappearance. We are not given to know what has been of Anna or whether Claudias hand resting on Sandros head in the most delicate of all acceptances means she forgave Sandro or if she was consenting him. We cant be sure about Giuliana either, whether she recovered from her depression or if she adapted to the modern world as explains to Valerio how birds adapted to that poisonous environment. (Chatman 1985) The events we expect to happen never happen. The title shows its ambiguity as it works symbolically and not visually. The Red Desert, the desert of the alienated things, the aridity of the human emotions. The adventure, the journey Anna undertakes swimming overboard, the sentimental adventure of Sandro and Claudia. And even the intentions behind the films are ambiguous: We cant really tell if Lavventura and Il Deserto Rosso are about moral decay or an outcry about the effects of technology on the humans sensitiveness. Whether the inhabited rock of a Sicilian island or the outskirt of an industrialized city, Antonioni was capable to film modernity through the bare appearance of things. (Gilman 1962) Although, it is difficult to tell what Antonionis movies are about, Antonioni himself after a visit to Mark Rothkosaid: Your paintings are like my films-theyre about nothingwith precision. (Gilman 1962) Antonioni was a poet of the form and the meaning of his works comes from the interaction between suggestive architectures and the ambiguity of the human emotions. He depicted a utopian desire to regain a sense of human connection with the environment. His shots offer nothing more and nothing less than the sheer wonder of existence. BIBLIOGRAPHY AND FURTHER READINGS Antonioni, M., 1961. Fare un film per me à ¨ vivere. Scritti sul cinema. Ed. 2009. Venice: Marsilio Editore, 43. Antonioni, M., 1962.A talk with Michelangelo Antonioni. Film Culture, 24 (1962): 51. Antonioni, M., 2007. The Architecture of Vision: Writings and Interview on Cinema. Chicago: University of Chicago Barthes, R., 1994. Caro Antonioni. In: Barthes, R. Ed. 1997. Sul cinema. Genoa: Il Nuovo Melangolo, 172-173. Bondanella, P., 1943. Italian Cinema: From Neorealism to the Present. Ed. 1984. New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co, 108. Bortolini, F., 2011. Forme dellesperienza e del linguaggio. Camus, Sartre, Bergman, Antonioni. Milan: Unicopli. Bruno, G., 1997. Site-seeing: architecture and the moving image. Wide Angle, 19 (4), 8-24. Brunette, P., 1998. The films of Michelangelo Antonioni. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 96. Camus, A., 1942. The Stranger. New York: Vintage Books. Chatman, S. 1989. LAvventura. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press. Chatman, S., 1985. Antonioni, or the surface of the world. London: University of California Press. Costa, A., 2002. Il cinema e le arti visive. Torino: Einaudi. Crowther, B., 1961. Italian Film Wins Cannes Top Prize. The New York Times [online], 5 April 1961. Avilable from: http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9400e0db133de733a25756c0a9629c946091d6cf [Accessed 21 October 2016]. Cuccu, L., 1973. La visione come problema: Forme e svolgimento del cinema di Antonioni. Rome: Bulzoni. Darke, C., 1995. Lavventura. Sight and Sound, 5 (12), 55. Di Carlo, C., 1964. Michelangelo Antonioni. In: Fink, G., ed. 1983. Michelangelo Antonioni, identificazione di un autore: gli anni della formazione e la critica su Antonioni. Parma: Pratiche Editrice, 74-75. Di Carlo, C., 2002. Il cinema di Michelangelo Antonioni. Milan: Il Castoro. Fink, G., 1983. Michelangelo Antonioni, identificazione di un autore: gli anni della formazione e la critica su Antonioni. Parma: Pratiche Editrice, 103. Freud, S., 1977. Inhibitions, Symptoms, and Anxiety. New York: Norton Company. Gente del Po, 1947. [film, DVD]. Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni. Italy: Artisti Associati ICET. Giannetti, D., 1999. Invito al cinema di Antonioni. Milan: Ugo Mursia Editore. Gilman, R., 1962. On Antonioni. Theatre Arts, 46 (1962), 7. Grenier, C., 1960. Reflections on the Parisian Screen Scene. New York Times, 20 November 1960. Hawkins, R. F., Focus on an Unimpressive Cannes Film Fete. The New York Times, 29 May 1960. Hoberman J., 2006. Seeing and Nothingness: A Must-see Retrospective Celebrates the Works of a Modernist Master. Village Voice [online], 30 May 2006. Available from: http://www.villagevoice.com/film/seeing-and-nothingness-6418576[Accessed 30 October 2016]. Holden, S., 2006. Antonionis Nothingness and beauty. The New York Times [online], 04 June 2006, Available from: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/04/movies/04hold.html[Accessed 28 October 2016]. Il deserto rosso, 1964. [film, DVD]. Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni. Italy, France: Film Duemila. Koehler, R., 2015. Great wide open: LAvventura. Sight and Sound [online], 20 April 2015,Available from: http://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/sight-sound-magazine/features/greatest-films-all-time/great-wide-open-l-avventura[Accessed 3 November 2016]. Lavventura, 1959. [film, DVD].Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni. Italy, France: Cino del Duca. Lefebvre, M., 2006. Landscape and Film. London: Routledge. Lucantonio, G., 2011. Lavventura > Michelangelo Antonioni. Rapporto Confidenziale [online], 07 January 2011, Available from: http://www.rapportoconfidenziale.org/?p=11578[Accessed 5 November 2016]. Manceaux, M., 1960. An Interview with Antonioni.   Sight and Sound 30 (1) 5-8. Melzer, Z., 2010. Michelangelo Antonioni and the Reality of the Modern. Offscreen. [online], 14 (4). Moravia, A., 1960. Boredom. Milan: Valentino Bompiani Co, 5. N.U -Nettezza urbana, 1948. [film, DVD]. Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni. Italy: Artisti Associati ICET. Nowell-Smith, G., 1995. Antonioni: Before and After. Sight and Sound, 12 (December 1995) 16-21. OLesser, S., 1964. Lavventura: a closer look.Yale review,54 (1964) 45. Orwell, G., 1937. The Road to Wigan Pier. Ed. 2011. London: Penguin Books. Pasolini, P. P., 1976. The Cinema of Poetry. In: Nichols, B., ed. 1976. Movie and Methods.Vol.1. Berkeley: University of California Press, 542-558. Pomerance, M., 2011. Michelangelo Red Antonioni Blue: Eight Reflections on Cinema. London: University of California Press. Reyner, J., 2013. Film Landscapes : Cinema, Environment and Visual Culture. New Castle Upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing. Salinari, C., 1980. Miti E Coscienza del Decadentismo Italiano. Milan: Feltrinelli. Sartre, J. P., 1989. Being and Nothingness: an essay on phenomenological ontology. London: Routledge. Slattery, M., 2003. Key ideas in Sociology. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes Ltd. Tassone, A., 2002. I film di Michelangelo Antonioni: un poeta della visione. Ed. 2007. Rome: Gremese Editore. Tinazzi, G., 1994. Michelangelo Antonioni. Edition: 2002. Milan: Il Castoro. Tomasulo, F., 2008. Life is inconclusive: a conversation with Michelangelo Antonioni. In: Cardullo, B., ed. 2008. Michelangelo Antonioni: Interviews. Jackson: university Press of Mississippi, 162-168.

N-myristoylation: An Overview

N-myristoylation: An Overview N-myristoylation Protein N-myristoylation is the covalent attachment of myristate, a 14-carbon fatty acid, onto the N-terminal glycine residues of protein substrates. It is transferred co- or post-translationally to a subset of proteins from a thioester form, myristoyl-CoA, catalyzed by N-myristoyl transferases (NMTs). (insert genes expressing nmt1 and nmt2, NMT recognizes a general consensus sequence for myristoylation (Gly-X-X-X-(Ser/Thr/Cys)) containing a N-terminal glycine, 3 other amino acids and a serine, threonine or a cysteine in the fifth position.) While this process is often observed co-translationally on nascent shorter protein substrates, post-translation myristoylation ensues during apoptosis on N-terminal glycine residue exposed after caspase cleavage of protein substrates.1 An increase in proteins hydrophobicity conferred by this modification allows for weak protein-lipid and protein-protein interactions, as well as for membrane targeting and function of proteins involved in signal tr ansduction cascades.2 NMTs served as therapeutic targets owing to their importance for the survival of human pathogens and their association with carcinogenesis.1 To globally profile NMT protein substrates, chemical proteomic approaches have been employed where small tags on fatty acids such as an alkyne (YnMyr) or azide (AzMyr) (Fig. X) were developed to probe myristoylated proteins via metabolic labeling.3,4 This probe was successfully used in a high-confidence profiling of the co-translational myristoylome in human and zebra fish.5 Although YnMyr remains to be the probe of choice owing to its minimal background labeling6, it was demonstrated to label proteins with other known lipid-modifications such as NÃŽÂ µ-myristoyl,7 S-palmitoyl8 and GPI-anchors9-compromising its specificity towards labeling of N-terminal myristoylated proteins. To circumvent the challenge of identifying the true NMT substrates, Tate et al. used an integrated chemical biology approach where selective inhibition of NMT with smal l-molecule inhibitors combined with YnMyr labeling and quantitative proteomics allowed for profiling of more than 30 known and novel protein candidates for N-myristoylation in blood-stage malaria parasite.9 (describe that the presence of inhibitor abolished the labeling of the true substrates, which should not be enriched in control samples) This technology was also applied to globally profile the N-myristoylome of other human pathogens such as in  Leishmania donovani,10 Trypanosoma brucei,11and recently Trypanosoma cruzi.12Theprofiling of a large set of N-myristoylated proteins with diverse cellular functions unravels the significance of this lipid modification in these parasites. Furthermore, this also validates NMT as a viable drug target in attenuating the virulence of these pathogens. Extending the same approach to HeLa cancer cells enabled the identification of more than 100 of both co- and post-translationally modified N-myristoylated proteins, majority of which were identi fied at endogenous levels for the first time.13 Indeed, this robust technique proved to be powerful in discriminating on-target proteins from off-targets in a proteome-wide analysis, resulting in the discovery of novel NMT protein substrates at high confidence. Although promising, the method described where NMT inhibitors were used may not be applicable to more complex systems where cell viability may be compromised, e.g. in the context of viral and bacterial infection. An alternative targeted approach tosimplify data analysis of enriched proteins employs isolating those that bear the N-terminal glycine requirement for N-myristoylation. This enabled the profiling of downregulated host N-myristoylated proteins upon infection with herpes simplex virus (HSV)14, as well as novel fatty-acylated proteins encoded by HSV. This same approach provided a more defined picture of the demyristoylating function of the bacterial effector IpaJ upon host cell invasion of Shigella flexneri, which was determined to contribute to its virulence.15   Palmitoylation Proteins S-palmitoylation is the attachment of a 16-carbon long fatty acid (as palmitate-CoA) to cysteine residues, which was first discovered by radiolabeling of virus-infected cells with [3H]palmitate.16 The formation of the thioester linkage is mediated by a family of protein acyl transferases (PATs) that bear a conserved Asp-His -His-Cys catalytic motif (DHHC-PATs), which can be removed by hydrolysis aided by acyl protein thioesterases (APTs).17 Owing to the reversibility of this modification, S-palmitoylation of proteins was thought to be dynamically regulated ,whereby a subset of proteins are transiently palmitoylated in a certain time point/cellular activity. (insert something) S-palmitoylation has been demonstrated to be an essential mechanism for protein stability, activity, and proper cellular localization.18 Recent advances in identifying palmitoylated proteins revealed not only its key role in regulatory mechanisms but as well as in host invasion and virulence of pathogen s. Large-scale proteomic profiling of S-palmitoylated proteins using metabolic labeling has been heavily dependent on employing the alkyne analogue of palmitic acid, 17-ODYA (Fig. X). This commercially available chemical reporter is suitable for these analyses as it has shown better specificity and has minimal background in labeling proteins that are ought to be acylated by shorter fatty alkyl chains.6 The subsequent click reaction with fluorophore- or biotin-azide then allows for in-gel fluorescence monitoring and biotin-pulldown strategy prior to LC-MS proteomic analysis of labeled proteins, respectively. In these studies, hundreds of palmitoylated proteins were identified with a wide range of functions, highlighting the importance of S-palmitoylation in a plethora of cellular mechanisms and pathways. For instance, the first report on using such strategy applied to mammalian cells identified around 125 candidate S-palmitoylated proteins at high confidence, including G proteins, recept ors and uncharacterized hydrolases.19 Using the same strategy in dendritic immune cells (DC2.4) identified more than 150 predicted S-palmitoylated proteins and revealed that palmitoylation of interferon-induced transmembrane protein 3 (IFITM3)20 and Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2)21 is essential for their antiviral activity. A more recent study on Cryptococcus neoformans revealed that a single PAT, Pfa4, palmitoylates the fungal proteins required for parasite integrity and virulence-palmitoylating 72 proteins identified in a global-scale approach.22 A more quantitative approach to measure levels of palmitoylated proteins combines metabolic labeling with 17-ODYA and Stable Isotope Labeling with amino acids in Cultured Cells (SILAC). In virus-infected RPE-1 epithelial cells, selective repression was observed for host S-palmitoylated proteins, including interferon signaling regulators and members of the tetraspanin family.14 A novel set of HSV-encoded proteins palmitoylated by the host machinery were selectively and significantly identified, further suggesting that HSV exploits the palmitoylation pathway which contributes to its virulence. As palmitoylation is a reversible process, the dynamic cycling of palmitoylated proteins in mouse T-cell hybridoma cells was investigated using this quantitative approach in combination with a pulse-chase technique.23 Through the use of a serine lipase-inhibitor as the chase, palmitoylated proteins that undergo fast turnovers were distinguished from those that are stably modified. This indicates that a subset of this dynamic palmitoylation event is regulated by serine hydrolases, validating the fundamental regulatory mechanism of depalmitoylation for proteins with rapid turnovers. It is important to note that in this study, only the insoluble protein fractions were analyzed, as the soluble proteins were not amenable to metabolic probe incorporation.19 Given the dynamic nature of palmitoylation, the metabolic labeling strategy would allow labeling of only those that are palmitoylated at the time of probe treatment and were stably modified. An older approach, coined as acyl-biotin exchange (ABE), has the potential to capture the full complement of palmitoylated proteins. In this multistep procedure, the protein lysates are treated with hydroxylamine to selectively cleave the thioester bonds, followed by disulfide capture with thiol-containing biotin analogue, and subsequently enriched through a pulldown technique prior to LC-MS analysis. ABE was first utilized in tandem with semi-quantitative MudPit analysis on profiling the palmitome of Saccharomyces cerivisae.24 The 12 known and 35 new palmitoylated proteins identified presented the first evidence on the diverse specificities of PATs. The ABE method was further employed in profiling the palmitoylome in rat neurons,25 human T cells,26 and recently in poplar tree cells,27 establishi ng its applicability to a wide range of biological systems. Both ABE and metabolic labeling approaches combined with SILAC revealed their large complementarity in profiling S-palmitoylated proteins in Plasmodium falciparum.28 A total of more than 400 palmitoylated proteins were identified where 202 proteins were enriched in both methods. As expected, metabolic labeling identified a lesser number of proteins, reflecting the less complexity in this approach. A pulse-chase labeling using ABE in a quantitative approach with 2-BMP as the parasite PAT inhibitor revealed the identification of a range of stably and dynamically palmitoylated proteins. Indeed, this study demonstrated the importance of palmitoylation in multiple parasite-specific processes, specifically in drug resistance, asexual stage development, host cell invasion, and protein export. Both methods were also employed in investigating the dysregulation of palmitoylation in breast cancer cells by inducing Snail-overexpression- an event correlated with chemoresistance and metastasis.29 Results showed that some proteins were differentially expressed regardless of differential palmitoylation. Thus, Snail-overexpression compromises the dynamic palmitoylation of some proteins that may be involved in pathways that contribute to malignancy. Albeit most proteins are S -palmitoylated in their cysteine residues, others were reported to be O-palmitoylated30 and N-palmitoylated17, which are also labeled by 17-ODYA. To distinguish S-palmitoylated proteins from these other forms in Toxoplasma gondii, a method similar to ABE was employed which also takes advantage of the labilityof thioester bonds to hydrolysis.31 In this approach, the metabolic incorporation of 17-ODYA and enrichment is followed by hydroxylamine cleavage to profile S-palmitoylated proteins. This confirmed 282 hydroxylamine-sensitive proteins from 501 putative palmitoylated proteins enriched from the initial 17-ODYA labeling. This also revealed and validated that palmitoylation of AMA1, a protein essential for host-cell invasion, is not required on invasion but increases microneme secretion. Taken together, these studies presented underscore the utility of large-scale S-palmitome profiling in understanding the biological importance of this lipid modification. Applying these techniques to future palmitome analysis would further discover potentially novel protein functions and cellular mechanisms across different biological systems. Wright, M. H., Heal, W. P., Mann, D. J. Tate, E. W. Protein myristoylation in health and disease. J. Chem. Biol. 3, 19-35 (2010). Farazi, T. A., Waksman, G. Gordon, J. I. The Biology and Enzymology of ProteinN-Myristoylation . J. Biol. Chem. 276 , 39501-39504 (2001). Heal, W. P., Wickramasinghe, S. R., Leatherbarrow, R. J. Tate, E. W. N-Myristoyl transferase-mediated protein labellingin vivo. Org. Biomol. Chem. 6, 2308-2315 (2008). Heal, W. P., Wright, M. H., Thinon, E. Tate, E. W. Multifunctional protein labeling via enzymatic N-terminal tagging and elaboration by click chemistry. Nat. Protoc. 7,105-117 (2012). Broncel, M. et al. Myristoylation profiling in human cells and zebrafish. Data Br. 4, 379-383 (2015). Charron, G. et al. Robust Fluorescent Detection of Protein Fatty-Acylation with Chemical Reporters. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 131, 4967-4975 (2009). Liu, Z. et al. Integrative Chemical Biology Approaches for Identification and Characterization of Erasers for Fatty-Acid-Acylated Lysine Residues within Proteins. Angew. Chemie Int. Ed. 54, 1149-1152 (2015). Wilson, J. P., Raghavan, A. S., Yang, Y.-Y., Charron, G. Hang, H. C. Proteomic Analysis of Fatty-acylated Proteins in Mammalian Cells with Chemical Reporters Reveals S-Acylation of Histone H3 Variants. Mol. Cell. Proteomics 10, M110.001198 (2011). Wright, M. H. et al. Validation of N-myristoyltransferase as an antimalarial drug target using an integrated chemical biology approach. Nat Chem 6, 112-121 (2014). Wright, M. H. et al. Global Analysis of Protein N-Myristoylation and Exploration of N-Myristoyltransferase as a Drug Target in the Neglected Human Pathogen Leishmania donovani. Chem. Biol. 22, 342-354 (2015). Wright, M. H., Paape, D., Price, H. P., Smith, D. F. Tate, E. W. Global Profiling and Inhibition of Protein Lipidation in Vector and Host Stages of the Sleeping Sickness Parasite Trypanosoma brucei. ACS Infect. Dis. 2, 427-441 (2016). Roberts, A. J. Fairlamb, A. H. The N-myristoylome of Trypanosoma cruzi. Sci. Rep. 6,31078 (2016). Thinon, E. et al. Global profiling of co- and post-translationally N-myristoylated proteomes in human cells. Nat Commun 5, (2014). Serwa, R. A., Abaitua, F., Krause, E., Tate, E. W. OHare, P. Systems Analysis of Protein Fatty Acylation in Herpes Simplex Virus-Infected Cells Using Chemical Proteomics. Chem. Biol. 22, 1008-1017 (2015). Burnaevskiy, N., Peng, T., Reddick, L. E., Hang, H. C. Alto, N. M. Myristoylome profiling reveals a concerted mechanism of ARF GTPase deacylation by the bacterial protease IpaJ. Mol. Cell 58, 110-122 (2015). Schmidt, M. F. G. Schlesinger, M. J. Fatty acid binding to vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein: a new type of post-translational modification of the viral glycoprotein. Cell 17, 813-819 (1979). Linder, M. E. Deschenes, R. J. Palmitoylation: policing protein stability and traffic. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 8, 74-84 (2007). Smotrys, J. E. Linder, M. E. Palmitoylation of Intracellular Signaling Proteins: Regulation and Function. Annu. Rev. Biochem. 73, 559-587 (2004). Martin, B. R. Cravatt, B. F. Large-scale profiling of protein palmitoylation in mammalian cells. Nat Meth 6, 135-138 (2009). Yount, J. S. et al. Palmitoylome profiling reveals S-palmitoylation-dependent antiviral activity of IFITM3. Nat Chem Biol 6, 610-614 (2010). Chesarino, N. M. et al. Chemoproteomics reveals Toll-like receptor fatty acylation. BMC Biol. 12,91 (2014). Santiago-Tirado, F. H., Peng, T., Yang, M., Hang, H. C. Doering, T. L. A Single Protein S-acyl Transferase Acts through Diverse Substrates to Determine Cryptococcal Morphology, Stress Tolerance, and Pathogenic Outcome. PLoS Pathog. 11,e1004908 (2015). Martin, B. R., Wang, C., Adibekian, A., Tully, S. E. Cravatt, B. F. Global profiling of dynamic protein palmitoylation. Nat Meth 9, 84-89 (2012). Roth, A. F. et al. Global Analysis of Protein Palmitoylation in Yeast. Cell 125, 1003- 1013 (2006). Kang, R. et al. Neural palmitoyl-proteomics reveals dynamic synaptic palmitoylation. Nature 456, 904-909 (2008). Morrison, E. et al. Quantitative analysis of the human T cell palmitome. Sci. Rep. 5, 11598 (2015). Srivastava, V., Weber, J. R., Malm, E., Fouke, B. W. Bulone, V. Proteomic Analysis of a Poplar Cell Suspension Culture Suggests a Major Role of Protein S-Acylation in Diverse Cellular Processes. Front. Plant Sci. 7, 477 (2016). Jones, M. L., Collins, M. O., Goulding, D., Choudhary, J. S. Rayner, J. C. Analysis of Protein Palmitoylation Reveals a Pervasive Role in Plasmodium Development and Pathogenesis. Cell Host Microbe 12, 246-258 (2012). Hernandez, J. L. et al. Correlated S-palmitoylation profiling of Snail-induced epithelial to mesenchymal transition. Mol. Biosyst. 12, 1799-1808 (2016). Zou, C. et al. Acyl-CoA:Lysophosphatidylcholine Acyltransferase I (Lpcat1) Catalyzes Histone Protein O-Palmitoylation to Regulate mRNA Synthesis. J. Biol. Chem. 286 ,28019-28025 (2011). Foe, I. T. et al. Global analysis of palmitoylated proteins in Toxoplasma gondii. Cell Host Microbe 18,501-511 (2015).

Let Gays Marry and Leave Marriage Alone Essay -- Andrew Sullivan Willi

I will summarize some of the key points from the essay, Let Gays Marry, by Andrew Sullivan, and the essay, Leave Marriage Alone, by William Bennett. Some of these main points are taken from mutual beliefs of both authors and others are derived from the opposing opinions of the two. The first summary of Andrew Sullivan’s essay is a reflection of Andrew Sullivan’s stance of the issue. The original essay was in favor of allowing same sex marriage in America. My summary will dictate some of the arguments that I found to be the most persuasive and important to Sullivan’s case. The second summary is of Bennett’s essay, Leave Marriage Alone. I will, again, try to point out the most influential pieces of argument in the essay. Finally, I hope to synthesize these two essays, and expose some of the similarities and arguments between the two. In the synthesis, I hope to provide an incite into some of the basic ideals presented from both sides of the issue. Andrew Sullivan states his thesis in the first paragraph of his essay entitled, Let Gays Marry. â€Å"They are citizens, entitled, like everyone else, to equal protection -no special rights, but simple equality†(25). Sullivan is referring to a supreme court declaration, stating that homosexuals are no longer separate from the general public in America. The decision states that gay and lesbian couples have the same rights as every other American citizen. With the new openness to the gay and lesbian lifestyle, there is no longer a need for homosexuals to feel like a separate entity from society. Based on this idea, advocates of gay and lesbian marriage are campaigning towards the right of same sex unions, recognized by law. Andrew Sullivan argues that many homosexuals... ...des of this argument. Bennett and Sullivan both face the same fears and obstacles in their beliefs. Allowing same sex couples to marry would broaden the definition of marriage, and aid in the gaining of equality for the homosexual community in America. They are both in opposition to each other, but they both agree that America is a diverse and tolerant nation. Neither of them deny that in America everyone has rights and there exist certain, respected, and revered institutions. Bennett and Sullivan are concerned with the result of giving up a traditional way of looking at such an institution as marriage, against the right to this institution for every person in America. Works Cited Let Gays Marry, by Andrew Sullivan http://faculty.mc3.edu/barmstro/sullivan.html Leave Marriage Alone, by William Bennett http://faculty.mc3.edu/barmstro/sullivan.html

Breast Cancer Susceptibility Genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 Essay -- Breast Can

Breast cancer is the most common cancer that affects women in the United States. There are at least two majors genes (BRCA1 and BRCA2) that when they mutate can cause breast cancer. These genes can be passed from parent to child, increasing the risk of developing cancer in those child that have parent carrying these genes. BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are located on chromosome 17 and chromosome 13 respectively. There is a 90% chance of developing breast cancer for a woman that has these mutated genes. In contrast, men carrying BRCA1 have no risk to develop breast cancer, but those carrying BRCA2 genes have high risk. It is important to note that mutations in these genes can be passed on to children by either parent. A man with a mutation is just as likely to pass this gene to his children as a woman with a mutation. Hereditary cancer occurs at young age, for instance a woman in her 20's with breast cancer is more likely to have hereditary type of cancer that a woman in her 50's. (http:www.f amilycancer.org/FamHist.stm) BRCA1 and BRCA2 are tumor suppressor genes, these genes also called "Anti- Oncogenes" which normally are involved in regulating cell growth, the proteins inhibit the proliferation of cell, which is crucial for the normal cell development and differentiation. (Britanica on line). Since the discovery of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 in 1994 and 1995 about 80% of the women who inherit mutated forms of these genes will develop breast cancer in their lifetime, usually at relatively early age and woman with BRCA1 mutations have a high risk of developing ovarian cancer as well. Kudson in 1971 proposed a two-mutation theory of cancer causation. His theory stated that all cancer are of two kind, hereditary and sporadic In the case of... .... Hereditary breast cancer. European Journal of Cancer Care. 5, 13-20 3.-Social and Ethical issues of breast cancer gene testing. Obtain from http://www.ncgr.org/gpi/odyssey/BCAN2/gtest.html 10/29/98 4.-Kinzler, Kenneth W., and Vogelstein, Bert. 1997. Breast cancer susceptibility genes BRCA1 and BRCA2. Nature. V. 386. 761-763. 5.-Marx, Jean. 1997. Possible function found for breast cancer genes. Science vol.276. 531- 532. 6.-McCain, L., and Dilligham, C., 1997. Genetics Mutation Associated with Breast Cancer . Obtain from http://www.ncgr.org/gpi/odyssey/BCAN2/genrisk.html 10/12/98 7.-Tumor suppressor gene" Obtain from http://www.eb.com:180> 10/19/98, search word: tumor suppressor gene. 8.-Breast and/or ovarian cancer risk in Jewish women: Role of the 185delAG and other mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. http://www.givf.com/brca1.html 10/12/98.

Evaluating a Health Promotion Website Essay -- Health Care, Nursing

Introduction This assignment intends to review the concept of nursing shift handover. Nursing handover can be defined as an important time to exchange information pertinent to the continued care of their patients (Pothier, Monteiro, Nooktlar et al. 2005). Methods of handover are varied, ranging from taped, verbal, by the bedside or with typed sheets. In 2010 there were 352,104 registered nurses, midwives and health visitors working in the NHS (RCN, 2011). All of these will partake in a handover of information on a regular basis, in hospitals this handover takes place at least twice day. In 2009/2010 there was 16,806,200 hospital stays in NHS hospitals (IC NHS, 2011). Information about their care would have been exchanged at shift changes, with the quality of each handover ensuring relevant care. Consequently, we can see that handovers effects thousands of nursing staff together with the thousands of patients in the hospital setting. The Health & Safety Executive (1996) stated that handover has several requisites, in particularly that communication between shifts should be accurate and without misunderstandings. The need to improve handovers is international recognized along with the obstacles that need to be overcome. Solutions need to address the healthcare professionals resistance to change, while understanding their time pressures. Additionally, issues relating to staffing levels, language differences and lack of research (WHO, 2007)need to be taken into account. According to Prouse (1995 cited by Carayon,) the cost of a handover in an UK hospice was approximately  £80, (with inflation  £125 (This is Money, 2011)). Additionally, Burke (1999) suggested using taped handovers saves a ward  £16,000 per annum, which may... ...400 results when refined with quantitative or qualitative keywords. Lastly, CINAHL produced best results when using a basic search with 'nursing handover' used, resulting in 23 articles. Each database requires different techniques, sometimes narrowing or opening the search parameters. Parameter of date and location were employed. Consequently, papers needed form 2001 onwards, original research and from the UK, thus avoiding cultural discrepancies and ensuring applicable to practice. Additionally, they needed to be hospital based and preferably in a ward setting. The qualitative paper selected was 'A qualitative study of shift handover practice and function' (Kerr, 2001) and the quantitative paper was 'A Pilot study to show the loss of important data in nursing handover'(Pothier D., Monteiro P., Nooktlar M. et al., 2005). These will now be critiqued in turn.

Hildegard of Bingen Life and Music Essay

Hildegard was born in 1098 to a noble German family at Bermersheim, south of Mainz. According to Hildegard’s biography, her parents offered her as the youngest often children to God as a tithe. Hildegard of Bingen was born in 1098 on her parent’s estate near Alzey in Rhenish Hesse. She was the tenth and last child of the noble couple Hildebert and Mechtild of Bermersheim. Seven of her brothers and sisters are known by name. In 1106, when she was eight years old, her parents consecrated her to God, entrusting her to Jutta of Spanheim, who was living as a hermit at the Benedictine monastery at Disibodenbeg. The monk Volmar, who became Hildegard’s personal friend and amanuensis, saw to her later education. Between 1112 and 1115, Hildegard professed her vows as a Benedictine nun. â€Å"As Jutta’s spiritual flume grew, a religious community for women led by the recluse was established; upon Jutta’s death in 1136, Hildegard was elected head of the community† . In 1141, at the age of forty-two years and seven months, Hildegard heard a voice from heaven that directed her to record the visions she had experienced since early childhood. At first reluctant, Hildegard finally acquiesced to the bidding of the Living Light . â€Å"As her writings became well known, Hildegard developed a reputation as a prophetess and healer. However, her prophetic ability did not manifest itself in predictions of the future but rather in an understanding and interpretation of contemporary events† . Five years later, in 1141, through an especially brilliant vision, she received the divine command to write down her visions. Just as on previous occasions. she resisted, became ill, and recovered only when she began to record her visions. Her hesitation was rooted in her strong critical views of charlatans. Pope Eugenius III. aware of the written account and on the recommendation of Bernard of Claivaux, read the first part of her Scivias before the Synod of Trier (1147—49). At the same time, he sent a papal commission to Disibodenberg to study the authenticity of Hildegard’s visions. When he became certain of her genuineness, the Pope gave the Church’s approval in a letter and encouraged Hildegard to continue her writing. In addition to her spiritual duties, Hildegard was engaged in the secular events of her day. She corresponded with temporal and religious Ieaders, providing advice and urging reform. Although Frederick I Barbarossa had invited her to his imperial palace at Ingeiheim, Hildegard later admonished the emperor because of his support of three anti-popes. Nonetheless, she obtained letters of protection from Frederick that saved the Rupertsberg community when fighting broke out between imperial troops and those loyal to the Pope. Hildegard undertook three preaching tours between 1158 and 1163 and a final one in 1170—1171; her travels took her to cathedral cries and monastic communities along the Upper and Lower Rhine as well as to more distant venues like Wikrzburg and Bamberg. The purpose of the tours was to promote monastic and clerical reform and to combat heretical sects, in particular the Cathars. As the Benedictine abbess’s reputation grew, the Rupertsberg communitv flourished. With the increased number of residents, a second community to accommodate young women of a less noble background was established in 1165 across the Rhine River near Eibingen. Because Hildegard intervened to bury a man who purportedly had died excommunicated, the Eibingen and Ruperrsberg communities were placed under interdict in 1178, unable to hear Mass, receive the Eucharist, or sing the Divine Office. The matter was resolved and the interdict lifted just six months before the abbess’s death on September 17, 1179 . From 1112 to 1182, Hildegard went through a life of nunnery and composers. At first, her piece has been directed towards the religious angles of Benedictines, mainly sung, and utilized in churches to which she had served. However, by 1182, the trigger of her success in the field of music has soared massively through her several compositions that proved of value. The fame of her scores had eventually reached and influence the current time; however, questions lie, such as how did her fame started? How and what are the influences provided by her compositions? Lastly, how was this look upon during her times as well as the present musical field?

300 Word Essay about Emerson Essay

Emerson’s assertion â€Å" every young man [ or women ] is born with some determination in his [ or her ] nature, and is a potential genius† is very powerful and I agree. At a young age most children fantasies about what they wish to become. For example I wanted to be a surgeon when I was younger. Over time the interest in becoming a surgeon faded away because I started to know more about the many things you can study and do for the rest of your life. Having a huge goal when I was little influenced and made me think twice as I grew. Did I really want to become a surgeon and possible save lives, or study material remains of past human life and activities? The point is having a goal since I was little makes me push myself more because I know I want to be more than a high school graduate. See more: The stages of consumer buying decision process essay I have my own determination because I know I’m the one that needs to work for myself to become as successful as I wish and I want to be good and passionate about something. My parents are fond of me and they really support my decisions, they really want me to be better than them and they give me the best they can to achieve what I want. My parents are my support. For that same reason I agree with Emerson. We all want to do something for someone to either prove them wrong or make them proud. This could be yourself. What we are passionate about is different but we all have something to look forward to. It all really depends when we find what we are passionate and determined about. Our determination about things become intensified and much clearer as we grow up and they may change.

After the Order of Melchizedek

Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies Theological Seminary â€Å"After the Order of Melchizedek† A Term Paper Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Course: THST 619 Doctrine of the Sanctuary by Ralph D Bock October 2009 Table of Contents CHAPTER 11 INTRODUCTION1 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY4 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY4 DELIMITATION5 METHODOLOGY5 CHAPTER 27 TYPOLOGY OF JESUS AND MELCHIZEDEK7 WHAT IS TYPOLOGY? 7 WHO IS MELCHIZEDEK? 8 AFTER THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK10 CHAPTER 316 SUMMARY, FINDINGS AND CONCLUSION16 BIBLIOGRAPHY19 CHAPTER 1INTRODUCTION WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THE PHRASE â€Å"AFTER THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK? † PSALM 110 SPEAKS ABOUT A PERSON WHO IS A KING AND A PRIEST, BUT IN THE HISTORY OF ISRAEL THERE WAS NEVER SUCH A KING. IT COULD BE THAT THE PSALM SPEAKS ABOUT A FUTURE KING-PRIEST. IT IS OBVIOUS THAT IT DEALS NOT WITH A HISTORICAL KING, BUT WITH THE MESSIAH. [1] The prediction of Jesus’ priestho od according to the order of Melchizedek indicated that the Aaronic priesthood was transitory (Heb 7 verses 11–14), and imperfect—that is, salvation from sin—was not possible through the Aaronic priesthood.This meant that God intended to change the priestly law, making it possible for one who was not a descendant of Aaron to become a High Priest. Once the new High Priest after the order of Melchizedek arrived, the typical priesthood would end (verses 15–19). Christ became priest, not on the basis of genealogical ties, but by a divine declaration. His priesthood is permanent because His life is indestructible. [2] This is called in biblical theology typology. Whether or not typology can legitimately be embraced in the interpretation of certain messianic prophecies is by far the most controversial question.One area of OT typology was that of typical individuals who served as prototypes both of other individuals within the OT and of Christ; in addition, the Melchizedek of Genesis 14:18-20 served as an individual type of the Messiah within the OT, as evinced in Psalm 110:4; and that the author of the Book of Hebrews utilized the Melchizedekian typology already employed within the OT canon to further his arguments for the supremacy of the priesthood of Jesus to that of the Levites. [3] Matthew Henry and et al. reference to Hebrew 7. that Melchizedek met Abraham returning from the rescue of Lot, Melchizedek’s name, â€Å"King of Righteousness,† doubtless suitable to his character, marked him as a type of the Messiah and his kingdom. The name of his city signified â€Å"Peace;† and as King of Peace he typified Christ, the Prince of Peace, the great Reconciler of God and man. Nothing is recorded as to the beginning or end of his life; thus he typically resembled the Son of God, whose existence is from everlasting to everlasting, who had no one that was before Him, and will have no one come after Him, in His priesthood.E very part of Scripture honors the great King of Righteousness and Peace, our glorious High Priest and Savior; and the more we examine it, the more we shall be convinced, that the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. [4] There are strong parallels between Melchizedek and Jesus: both are the Sons of God, priest of the Order of Melchizedek, King of Righteous, King of Peace, appointed by God, eternal priesthood, and preexistent. Statement of the Problem The problem this paper espouses is embodied in the questions: What was so special about the order of Melchizedek?Why would God juxtapose the order of Melchizedek to that of Jesus if there where no credence to it? Significance of the study The study is significant because it will explore the intertextual study of Melchizedek in relation to Jesus Christ. The study is vital because it will contribute to the knowledge of bringing to focus the importance of Jesus’ priesthood as superior and more elevating and able to meet the needs of God’s people during the closing days of earth’s history. Purpose of the StudyThe main thrust of this paper is to provide a clearer view of the superior and excellent perception of Jesus’ priesthood as efficacious enough for the people of God. In reality, Jesus Christ is the only true priestly mediator between God and the human race. The priesthoods of Aaron and Melchizedek serve only as role models of Christ’s effective ministry. â€Å"For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, the testimony to which was borne at the proper time† (1 Tim. 2:5,6). [5] DelimitationThe paper will be delimited to the few pericopes about Melchizedek in Genesis 14, Psalm 110 and the letter to the Hebrews chapter 7. Methodology This is a qualitative research that describes Melchizedek and Jesus’ priesthood from Jewish and Christian sources. Chapter 1 is a description of th e introduction that includes the significance of study, purpose and the delimitation of the research. Chapter 2 contains the literature review that extrapolates sources from Jewish, Christian, and non-Christian literature to expound on Melchizedek and Jesus’ priesthood as relevant to the plan of salvation.Chapter 3 is the conclusion with the focus on the summary and findings of the research work. Chapter 2 TYPOLOGY OF JESUS AND MELCHIZEDEK WHAT IS TYPOLOGY? Exactly what is a type? Theologically speaking, a type may be defined as â€Å"a figure or ensample of something future and more or less prophetic, called the ‘Antitype’†. [6] Muenscher says a type is â€Å"the preordained representative relation which certain persons, events, and institutions of the Old Testament bear to corresponding persons, events, and institutions in the New†. 7] Wick Broomall has a concise statement that is helpful: â€Å"A type is a shadow cast on the pages of the Old Tes tament history by a truth whose full embodiment or antitype is found in the New Testament revelation†. [8] We would, in summary, suggest the following definition, which we paraphrase from Terry: A type is a real, exalted happening in history which was divinely ordained by the omniscient God to be a prophetic picture of the good things which he purposed to bring to fruition in Christ Jesus.Who is Melchizedek? The identification of Melchizedek has been highly debated in the history of the church. Jewish tradition has identified Melchizedek with Shem, the son of Noah who, after the chronology in Genesis, survived the flood and lived at a time when Abraham was alive and was his contemporary for a hundred years. Christian tradition has proposed different interpretations to identify who Melchizedek was. Origen said that Melchizedek was an angel. Others have proposed that he was the Holy Spirit in human form.Many Christians, ancient and contemporary, have said that this is a classica l example of a Christophany in the Old Testament, that is, Melchizedek was Jesus Christ himself, who appeared to Abraham in human form. The concept of Christophany should be rejected because it contradicts the statement in the book of Hebrews that Jesus was designated a Priest after the order of Melchizedek. If Melchizedek was Christ then how could Christ himself become a Priest in the likeness of Melchizedek? [9] Ellen White wrote in the Review and Herald that it was Christ that spoke through Melchizedek, the priest of the Most High God.Melchizedek was not Christ, but he was the voice of God in the world, the representative of the Father. And all through the generations of the past, Christ has spoken; Christ has led His people, and has been the light of the world. [10] Another view is that Melchizedek was a type of Christ. The typological interpretation suggests that the priesthood of Melchizedek was a type of Christ’s priesthood. As Melchizedek was a priest of the Most High God, so was Jesus. As Melchizedek was a king, so was Jesus. Both Melchizedek and Jesus were royal priests.In the persons of Melchizedek and Jesus the offices of priest and king were combined. For this paper we are going to focus on the view that Melchizedek was a type of Jesus. After The Order of Melchizedek The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek (Ps 110,4). Unlike the ordinary priests, for whom it was possible to be of priestly descent and yet not actually function as priests (cf. Deut 18,6-8; Lev 21,17-23), the priesthood of Jesus priest was sworn unto Him by God Himself to be after the order of Melchizedek.He was not of any priestly descent inasmuch as he was not of the tribe of Levi, nor was he a priest in the sense of someone who was actually employed as a sanctuary attendant and was carrying out sanctuary duties on a day-to-day basis. However, his priesthood was more permanent and enduring than that of any othe r priest, since whether or not he was functioning in the sanctuary and ‘doing the job’ of priest, he was by definition a mediator between people and deity for the rest of his life. [11] Christ was a priest of God after the â€Å"order of Melchizedek† (Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 5:6,10; 6:20; 7:11,17).The word â€Å"order† (taxis) signifies an â€Å"arrangement. † In this connection, it means â€Å"of similar arrangement,† i. e. , the nature of, or â€Å"just like Melchizedek†. The meaning is this: in some sense the kingly-priesthood of Jesus would be similar in nature to that of Melchizedek. Note the reference to Psalm 110:4 above, and observe that Christ made the application of this Psalm to Himself in Matthew 22:43-45[12] It was not that Melchizedek was â€Å"without father, without mother† literally, or that he had no genealogical background.No, the truth being conveyed was this. Whereas the Aaronic priesthood resulted from being a part of a family line, i. e. , the descendants of Aaron, Moses’ brother, the priesthood of Melchizedek was bestowed directly by God. And it was precisely in this manner that the Lord Jesus was appointed as our High Priest; he did not inherit it by means of a physical lineage (cf. Hebrews 7:14). [13] In the Letter to the Hebrews, the author uses the figure of Melchizedek in his reflection on the salvation-historical significance of Jesus' life.Although there are probably original elements to his use of Melchizedek, much of what he affirms about Melchizedek is parallel or similar to what is found in Jesus. The author uses the view that his readers had about Melchizedek for the purpose of proving the superiority of Jesus' High Priesthood to that of Aaron and his descendents. His goal is to demonstrate that Christ's death brings the Levitical sacrificial system to an end. The figure of Melchizedek sees the unification of king and high priest into one individual. These two office s were separated in the Mosaic covenant and also later in the Davidic covenant.Moses led the people whereas Aaron his brother founded a high-priestly order; later, when God swore to David that he would establish his dynasty forever, the high priesthood belonged to the family of Zadok, who was a priest (from the line of Aaron). Melchizedek, in the author's view, prefigures the unification of two offices in one person, which should come to pass in the â€Å"last days. † To be a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek is to be both king and priest. And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham. 0 For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchizedek met him. Abraham, the father of the Levites and the nation of Israel, paid tithes to Melchizedek and because of that, through Abraham, Levi also paid tithes to Melchizedek, so to speak. In doing so, not only was Melchizedek greater than Abraham, but greater than Levi and the priestho od that bore his name. If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, for under it the people received the law, what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchizedek, and not be called after the order of Aaron?The writer, having established the superiority of the priestly ministry of Melchizedek over the Levitical priesthood, now shows the superiority of the priestly ministry of Christ Jesus over both. Perfection, as we have seen in this paper, refers to salvation. Perfection is the New Testament sacrifice; it is salvation through the sacrifice of Christ, and the completeness of His entire work for the believer. In addition if the Levitical priesthood and the Mosaic Law could bring a person into salvation, reconciliation and access to God, then there was no need for another priest to come after the order of Melchizedek.The fact that there was one who came after the order of Melchizedek proved the failure of the Levitical priesthood and the Mosaic Law to provide a complete and comprehensive salvation that only Christ, our great High Priest, provides. It means that Christ was not a High Priest, as in Aaronic and the Levitical order (according to the law of Moses). The High Priesthood of Jesus Christ is of a higher order! Christ was and is a High Priest as Melchizedek; and not as Aaron or Levi. Note the following: 1. Melchizedek's position as High Priest was not dependent on ancestry†¦ either was Christ's. (7:14). 2. Melchizedek was not in a succession of many priests†¦ neither is Christ. (7:3). 3. Melchizedek's priesthood was higher than and separate from the Levitical order†¦ so is Christ's. (7:4-7). ? 4. Melchizedek was priest and king†¦ so is Christ! (See Zech. 6:9-15). 5. Melchizedek received tribute from Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation; this shows the superiority of Melchizedek's priesthood above the Levitical (which came out of the loins of Abraham). {See Gen. 14:18-20 with Heb. 7 :4}[14]. Chapter 3 SUMMARY, CONCLUSION, AND RECOMMENDATIONTHIS CHAPTER DISCUSSES THE SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATION FOR FUTURE RESEARCH. Summary The replacing of the old priesthood with the eternal priesthood of Christ also meant a replacement of the Old Covenant with the New Covenant, which was required. All of this was set up, executed and revealed by God, for the purpose of convincing the Jews – their old Levitical priesthood was now history. And it means that we have a High Priest and access to God! â€Å"For such a high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens.Who needed not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people; for this he did once, when he offered up himself. † (Heb. 7:26-27). â€Å"Wherefore, he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever lived to make intercession for them,† (Heb. 7:25). Conclusion A careful reading of Hebrews 7 provides a lens for understanding the rest of the letter. Christ’s priesthood, its efficacy and our response, is the main theme of the letter, and this is expounded carefully in chap. 7, via the vehicle of Melchizedek.In the form of true Hebrew poetics, repetitions of references to Melchizedek lead the reader on a hermeneutical journey. However, also in good Hebrew form, what is left unsaid explicitly also colors the reading and understanding and makes the possibilities for interpretation even richer. [15] Recommendations After a careful analysis of the juxtaposition position of the Melchizedek’s priesthood and Priesthood of Christ, this paper proposes the following recommendation for further research: In examining the priesthood of Christ, does grace have any antecedents?What has Christ to offer up for the perfection of His Priesthood in heaven? Does Christ Priesthood offer any hope of salvation to the sinner? Bibliography BIRD, CHAD L. 2000. â€Å"TYPOLOGICAL INTERPRETATION WITHIN THE OLD TESTAMENT: MELCHIZEDEKIAN TYPOLOGY. † CONCORDIA JOURNAL 26. Booij, Thijs. â€Å"Psalm 110: â€Å"rule in the midst of your foes! † Vetus testamentum 41, no. 4 October 1991. Broomall, Wick. 1960. Baker Dictionary of Theology. Everett F. Harrison, Geoffrey W. Bromiley, and Carl F. H. Henry, eds. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker. Bullinger, E. W. 1968. Figures of Speech Used in the Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker. Coleran, James E. The sacrifice of Melchisedech. † Theological Studies 1, no. 1 February 1940. Danker, et al. , Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, Chicago: University of Chicago, 2000. Dunnill John, Covenant and sacrifice in the Letter to the Hebrews. SNTS 75; Cambridge, CUP, 1992. Edwardson, C â€Å"Bible facts concerning the Sanctuary and the Judgement†, Maplewood Press. Fitzmyer, Joseph A. â€Å"Now this Melchizedek† (Heb 7:1). † Catholic Biblical Quarterly 25, no. 3,July 1963. Gane, Roy â€Å"Altar Call† Daidem, 1999. Kobelski, P J. â€Å"The Melchizedek tradition. † Journal of Biblical Literature 96, no. 4 December 1977. Lefler, Nathan. The Melchizedek traditions in the Letter to the Hebrews: reading through the eyes of an inspired Jewish-Christian author. † Pro Ecclesia 16, no. 1,2007. Mariottini Claude, A Priest after the order of Melchizedek, Professor of Old Testament, Northern Baptist Seminary. Mason, Eric Farrel. â€Å"Hebrews 7:3 and the relationship between Melchizedek and Jesus. † Biblical Research 50 2005. Neyrey, Jerome H. â€Å"Without beginning of days or end of life† Hebrews 7:3 : topos for a true deity. † Catholic Biblical Quarterly 53, no. 3 July 1991. Paul, M J. â€Å"The order of Melchizedek Ps 110:4 and Heb 7:3. † Westminster Theological Journal 49, no. Spr 1987. Petuchowski, Jakob Josef. â€Å"The controversial figure of Melchizedek. † Hebrew Union College Annual 28, 1957. Review and Harold, Feb. 18, 1890. Rooke, D. W. , Kingship as Priesthood: The Relationship between the High Priesthood and the Monarchy, King and Messiah in Israel and the Ancient Near East. JSOTSS 270; Sheffield 1998. Songer, Harold S. â€Å"A superior priesthood : Hebrews 4:14-7:27. † Review & Expositor 82, no. 3 Sum 1985. Terry, M. S. 1890. Biblical Hermeneutics. New York, NY: Eaton & Mains. Thompson, James W. â€Å"Conceptual background and purpose of the Midrash in Hebrews 7. † Novum testamentum 19, no. July 1977. Walter R. Roehrs, â€Å"The Typological Use of the Old Testament in the New Testament,† Concordia Journal 10,1984: 204-216; William J. Hassold, â€Å"Rectilinear or Typological Interpretation of Messianic Prophecy? † Concordia Theological Monthly 38,1967. Warren E. Berkley, http://www. bible. ca/ef/expository-Hebrews-7. htm Were, Louis F. â€Å"The blotting out of sins† ————à ¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€œ [1] Paul, M J. â€Å"The order of Melchizedek (Ps 110:4 and Heb 7:3). â€Å"Westminster Theological Journal 49, no. 1 (Spring 1987): 195-211. [2]Raoul. Dederen, vol. 12, Handbook of Seventh-Day Adventist Theology, (electronic ed. Logos Library System; Commentary Reference Series Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 2001, c2000), 390. [3]Bird, Chad L. 2000. â€Å"Typological Interpretation Within the Old Testament: Melchizedekian Typology† Concordia Journal 26, no. 1: 36-52. [4]Matthew Henry and Thomas Scott, Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary, (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, 1997), Heb 7:1. [5]Dederen, Raoul, vol. 12, Handbook of Seventh-Day Adventist Theology, (electronic ed. , Logos Library System; Commentary Reference Series Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 2001, c2000), 390. [6] Bullinger, E.W. 1968. Figures of Speech Used in the Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker. [7] Terry, M. S. 1890. Biblical Hermeneutics. New York, NY: Eaton & Mains. [8] Broomall, Wick. 1960. Baker Dictionary of Theology. Everett F. Harrison, Geoffrey W. Bromiley, and Carl F. H. Henry, eds. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker. [9] Mariottini Claude, A Priest after the order of Melchizedek, Professor of Old Testament, Northern Baptist Seminary. [10] Review and Harold, Feb. 18, 1890. [11] D. W. ROOKE, Kingship as Priesthood: The Relationship between the High Priesthood and the Monarchy, King and Messiah in Israel and the Ancient Near East.JSOTSS 270; Sheffield 1998. [12] Danker, et al. , Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament,[pic] Chicago: University of Chicago, 2000, 989. [13] D. W. ROOKE, Kingship as Priesthood: The Relationship between the High Priesthood and the Monarchy, King and Messiah in Israel and the Ancient Near East. JSOTSS 270; Sheffield 1998. [14] Warren E. Berkley http://www. bible. ca/ef/expository-hebrews-7. htm [15] John Dunnill, Covenant and sacrifice in the Letter to the Hebrews. SNT S 75; Cambridge, CUP, 1992,