Regular Assignment

One of his duties is to serve as the coach for runners who hope to complete the New York City Marathon. He himself has won several marathons and ultra-marathons runner race. Thus he is more acquainted about the roles and responsibilities of coach for the marathon runners. After the introduction of David, case study drives us through understandings of how the complete training period of 16 weeks is carried out by athletes and runners. Initial 8 weeks he found it easy to train the runners.He was pleased looking the progress of the runners and had little difficulty in his role as coach. Some questions started to come in his mind regarding how to help his runners to achieve their goal. His issues of concern seemed quite different from those that he had expected to hear from other runners he previously trained for Marathons. Thus he divided runners and their concerns Into following three different groups. The first group comprised of all basic questions with newly joined runners who never had previous experiences.They kept on asking basic questions such as what to eat a day before marathon race, how much to drink and what kind of shoes to wear. The second group comprised of runners who had previously ran for marathons but were concerned about the effects of Davit's raining on their running, wanted to know the running mileage related to their possible marathon finish time. In addition their concern was to know whether consuming carbon-loading would improve their performances during the marathon.The third group comprised of seasoned runners who mostly finished marathon in top 10 of their respective divisions. These group too had some concerns related to feeling flat and acted a bit moody and down about training. The most important concern they carried was whether Davit's coaching would help them in other races besides the New York City Marathon. Hint David should use the following leadership strategy to train/coach his runners. The first group needs David to make sure that the runners will be motivated if they feel competent.Runners kept on asking questions such as what to eat a day before marathon race, how much to drink and what kind of shoes to wear. I think He needs to motivate the runners, make a diet plan and answer their questions they have. But he should also take a note that not to instruct all of the runners in a single group. Based on runners abilities he should have different training sessions. Because may be the beginners (group ) would keep asking basic questions like which shoes to wear, what to eat in a session which might not be interest to groups 3.For them it would lead to boredom sessions of training and might remove interest from attending further sessions and from Marathon race too. So he should take note of all runners and based on knowledge should keep training. He could have taken information session where all questions and issues are addressed. The second group was concerned about the effects of Davit's training on thei r running mileage related to their possible marathon finish time and forts reward they would get in return after the marathon race.Running a marathon is a huge deal and if people are nervous or unsure they will ask a ton of questions. I think he should explain them the benefits they would get with the training. In addition he as a coach needs to be there for them and coach them to the finish line. He should reduce everyone's stress when most seems nervous. Reassure the second group that they are doing great. The third group concern was not focused on current marathon race as objective by his training, but wanted to know if the payoff for their work valuable.David can motivate each of these groups by tending to the group's needs. Answer the beginners' group questions, make a diet plan. A final criticism that can be made of path- goal theory concerns a practical outcome of the theory. Path-goal theory suggests that it is important for leaders to provide coaching, guidance, and directi on for subordinates, to help subordinates define and clarify goals, and to help subordinates around obstacles as they attempt to reach their goals. In effect, this approach treats leadership as a one way event. The leader affects the subordinate.

Miley Cyrus

I guess you are wrote some news about you don’t have to talk about. You have to go on the middle of the way. Yours writer wrote about full of lie or humiliating things about Miley Cyrus. I get so angry about it because she can do every thing she wants. I’m not a Miley fan or something like that but the news is very bad for her. She has a family too like us. If you want to make a news about Miley Cyrus or someone else you have to talk right and don’t judge people what they are doing. That’s why I’m writing this letter to you.First of all, the editor is so mean about Miley’s choice this is her choice you shouldn’t make a comment about it. If there is some problems about her life her father or mother will get a protection about the her problem Secondly, Your news have to be more serious and objective but you are doing the all stupid and idiot, news. I just wanted that from you is just take your business. You don’t have to talk bad thing to get an attention. You just can make of high quality news Thirdly, you can make more visible news like videos or photos.I don’t want to read the same things please make a difference in the magazine news. All these things considered, I feel I need to be compensated. In addition, I demand that you improve the news at your website or shut it down because of the silly and unnecessary news. If you do not do either of these, I will report it to the authorities myself. Please contact me at the address above or the following email address: [email  protected] com I would love to hear from you as soon as possible. I want to read more good and valuable news. Take care, writer

Across the Universe †All you need is love Essay

â€Å"Across the Universe† is a musical film based on 34 compositions by the legendary rock’n’roll quartet – the Beatles. The movie is called after the same name song of the band, â€Å"Across the Universe†, which was released in 1969 and later as one of tracks of a charity album â€Å"No One is Going to Change Our World† at the label â€Å"Apple†. The plot has nothing to do with the Beatles’ members life. However the pictured in the movie events represent many characteristics of their era being set in the 60’s and revolve around the songs which match up a lot of great scenes. All main characters bear the names derived from its original lyrics: dwarfed in life Lucy (â€Å"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds†), ambitious Jude (â€Å"Hey Jude†), an amateur singer Sadie (â€Å"Sexy Sadie†), a good-for-nothing Max (â€Å"Maxwell’s Silver Hammer†), Prudence (â€Å"Dear Prudence†) etc. The first 45 minutes is hyper and let us meet the characters. It doesn’t really rely on plot, like most musicals, it relies more on character development. Jude moves to the USA in purpose to find his father. On arrival he accidentally meets Max who becomes his friend in a short time. Together the boys go to New York where they are joined by Max’s sister Lucy (she has just lost her boyfriend killed on the battlefield). They quickly find out that the dream of living independently and enjoying their lives as an adults has its own difficulties. The second act is different: Vietnam War, psychedelic trips caused by taking LSD, free love flavoured with rock’n’roll – that is the very scenery of the romantic and at the same time tragic storyline. In the third act we actually get to see the characters solve their problems, it deals a lot more with our feelings towards music and war. Across the Universe† is actually much different from most musicals. Where most musicals rely on either joy, emotion, or war, it relies on all three. There are some moments where you actually feel like you want to get up and dance. The music here is absolutely amazing. No seriously. It’s amazing. The cast members (and read how I say cast members and not vocalists) sang all of these songs and did such a great job that if I even had a choice, I would actually had to say that some of their versions of songs were better than the actual Beatles. Speaking about the strongest moments I would distinguish one perfect example of telling a story through the song that has profound significance to me and too intense for words – the scene where Jude paints a tore and nailed to the canvas bleeding strawberry during â€Å"Strawberry Fields Forever† being sang. The berry as a symbol of love, streams of blood as a symbol of war and death, flashing faces of the characters in the background and paint-made blood all over the screen – it’s all in red, the color of lust and destruction. While watching the movie I felt different emotions: laughter, happiness, excitement but also sadness, fear and anger. What I’ve got from â€Å"Across the Universe† is more than a film, it is an experience in itself. It could be any kind of experience — a fun and very different experience, or a deeply emotional and sensual experience. For me, it was more of the second. When â€Å"Hey Jude† played near end of the movie I had run out of tears. It felt like I knew all the characters forever but when the two hours and ten minutes were over I was dying to see more. I am actually planning on seeing this again and again.

Family Medical Leave Act Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Family Medical Leave Act - Essay Example Abuse of Family Medical Leave Act has in turn resulted to morale problems in work places particularly among employees who are called to pick up the tasks of the absent employees. Negative effects of Family Medical Leave Act on employers Workplaces are significant places to study how institutions shape the way Family Medical Leave Act operates in practice (Galinski et al, 2005). Family Medical Leave Act is cited as an external factor that affects employee availability in any organization. Though the Family Medical Leave Act’s aim is upbeat and constructive for most occasions, many organizations’ management trust that it presents an employee with a chance to stay out of their places of work if they have low interest in the job (Burtless, 1995). According to a research done on 36 organizations, it was apparent that Family Medical Leave Act affects employee availability. Ten of the organizations expressed extreme concern with the Family Medical Leave Act impacts, terming th e act a nightmare (Galinsky et al. 2005). Needless to say, this act does not permit managers to punish the employees through relegations or corrective actions. Organizations account that the players have leant how to play the game well. Most of the organizations have claimed that employee unions coach their members to file under Family Medical Leave Act when taking leave to shun nonattendances that may amount to termination of employment or demotion (Burtless, 1995). Most organizations have no dilemma with the act’s stipulations for workers to be given leave to attend to ill relative or a new born child, or to recuperate from a verifiably somber health condition. The primary point of disputation is with the Family Medical Leave Act stipulation that allows workers to be granted irregular leave due to severe illness. The aggravation comes from attempting to apprehend the delineation of severe health condition. Burtless (1995) denotes that it is challenging to verify the effects of particular illnesses such as headaches, gout, aggravation and soft tissue injuries. For this reason, most of the doctors do not decline signing the Family Medical Leave paper for fear of being sued by the worker. In reference to the United States Labor Department, a severe illness refers to a health condition or injury that involves inpatient medical attention or ongoing medical treatment (Irwin & Ralph, 1993). Most of the employers find it challenging in determining a qualifying serious health problem for the worker or worker’s next of kin. Some of the illnesses are difficult to track, and employers must resolve whether to award Family Medical Leave Act’s benefits to workers who report the inception of signs. Though, in some occasions employees abuse Family Medical Leave Act’s benefits, the employer may face federal investigations for failing to grant the worker leave (Armour, 2005). Research has shown that Family Medical Leave Act affects business performa nce and productivity (Burtless, 1995). Most of the employees take leave and thus lead to low labor input that in turn leads to declined productivity. Employers find it challenging in tracking worker’s leave period while getting Family Medical Leave Act’s benefits. Arguably, if the worker takes scheduled leave under the act, there is no minimum leave period needed, thus making it challenging to follow

Black Religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Black Religion - Essay Example Other essays were written specifically for this book. The various chapters thus bring together reflections on the Peoples Temple that span a twenty-five year time period. Contributors include African-American Studies specialists such as Milmon Harrison and Mary Sawyer as well as Religious Studies faculty including C. Eric Lincoln, Lawrence Mamiya, and Anthony Pinn. The book also includes chapters by Black pastors such as Muhammed Isaiah Kenyatta andj. Alfred Smith, Jr. Most of the writers attempt to revise the often-accepted view that the Peoples Temple was controlled by Jim Jones and other European-American leaders who exerted extensive charismatic control over a generally compliant and/or brainwashed African-American majority. This black majority (representing 67% of the population, for example, at Jonestown) was comprised of people who came predominately from the working classes of the southern United States and included twice as many women as men. The Peoples Temple was a racially mixed and substantially black religious society within which—the writers contend—African-Americans had tremendous influence. The editors contend that this influence has been downplayed by most academics who have written about the Peoples Temple, largely because scholars tend to identify the Peoples Temple as a "New Religious Movement" and to operate within the theoretical framework within which such groups are customarily analyzed. The writers do acknowledge that most leaders of the Peoples Temple at the highest levels were European-American. But they do not believe that this phenomenon automatically disempowered African-American members. In the Guyana outpost, for example, many of the key leadership positions were held by African-Americans. More importantly, many of the contributors to this volume believe that it is absolutely necessary to evaluate Jones as a church leader from the perspective of the African-American religious community. The editors, for example, note that Jones and the Peoples Temple "emulated Black Church culture in style and form and, to some extent, in substance" (Janzen 294-297). As Rebecca Moore writes in a chapter entitled "Demographics and the Black Religious Culture," we don't have to go to the jungle to see a similar dynamic between pastor and people, preacher and congregation. The isolation in Guyana prevented critical reflection on the process of audience corruption; nonetheless the pattern of congregational elevation of the pastor, the cult of personality)' . . . continues to exist in the twenty-first century' in black churches in the San Francisco Bay Area, and indeed in many churches throughout the nation. (Chapman N4C450) African American culture and idiosyncratic understandings of the Christian faith-as well as distinctive worship practices-influenced not only Jones himself but the entire Peoples Temple movement, from the roles played by ministers and other church personnel to an emphasis on social justice and humanitarian efforts-^what Lincoln and Mamiya describe as "this-worldly activism" (Battle 391-393). It is suggested that charismatic expressions of the faith, in particular, show a strong African-American influence on the Peoples Temple. Smith goes so far as to suggest that the Peoples Temple presented a prophetic critique of Bay Area African-American Christianity in general. He notes that "the 1970s were a dark age for the Black Church in San Francisco. Most churches had become little more than social clubs, where chicken dinners and raffle dockets were the only activities on the agenda" (Baker-Fletcher B353). Harrison writes that "Jones learned to speak the symbolic and religious language of black Americans quite

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 7

Marketing - Essay Example For this reason, brands must select celebrity endorsements very carefully because the expense needed for celebrity endorsement is large yet there are many risks involved simply due to the fact that a brand cannot control a celebrity's actions in either their professional or personal lives. For brands that are looking to be successful, the easiest way to do this is by associating the brand with a celebrity that already has success. The hope is that consumers will associate the success of the celebrity with the brand they are supporting. The reality is that this is very often not the case, yet it is human nature to link one success with another. The trick that marketers have is trying to convince the target market that the celebrity really does support the brand and stands for the values of the brand. Celebrity often have their own fan bases, usually in the entertainment and sporting industries, so a key reason why marketers want to use celebrities to endorse a product is to have acces s to these loyal groups of fans. Some high-profile companies are willing to spend millions of dollars in order to attract celebrities that are well-known. One such example occurred in January of 2013 when Nike signed world number one golfer Rory McIlroy to be its major celebrity icon. Although the terms of the deal were never released, many insiders to the deal estimate that McIlroy will make $100 million over the next five years or up to $250 million over 10 years (Crouse 2013). While this may seem like crazy money, Nike is betting on the fact that McIlroy will remain a force in the golfing world for some time yet. Because of his relatively young age, 23, he has the potential to dominate the golfing world over the next decade. When McIlroy steps up for the winning putt at some of golf's major events, Nike wants the world to see McIlroy with his Nike cap on, the Nike swoosh on his shirt, and the Nike golf club that he is using. However, if a celebrity does something that brings sham e to a brand, then it may have a long-term effect on the brand. Just recently, the well-known Paralympian Oscar Pistorius shot dead his girlfriend in his South African home. Although the details of his actions are still to be determined in a court of law, some of Pistorius' main sponsors were quick to distance themselves from the controversy (Davis 2013). One popular new ad was a Nike ad in which Pistorius starred in. The tagline of the ad was that Pistorius was "the bullet in the chamber" (Davis 2013). The ad was quickly pulled by Nike when it realized how ironic this advertisement was considering the circumstances. Celebrity endorsements will continue to be lucrative for brands that are looking to increase their reach to consumers, but there are also some downsides involved if that celebrity falls from the public eye. If celebrities are used to help market products and services, then a brand needs to be very selective and only select celebrities that stand for the values of the br and. Bibliography Crouse, Karen. "McIlroy's Well-Remunerated Risk." NYTimes.com. Jan. 14, 2013. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/15/sports/golf/rory-mcilroy-announces-deal- with-nike-golf.html?_r=0 (accessed Feb. 20, 2013). Davis, Rebecca. "Oscar Pistorius dropped by sponsors." The Guardian. Feb. 20, 2013.

Seniors and aging Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Seniors and aging - Essay Example There are difficulties seen in the abilities to cope with â€Å"the complex and socially angiogenic world†. These difficulties would increase the dependence of the seniors on psycho-therapeutic support (Mermet, 2005). I agree with author and recommend this to others. The article is significant in that it provides information on the increase in the proportion of seniors in society, their needs and desires, and the possibility of their inability to cope with the world that is become more complex. Hence the likelihood of the requirement of enhanced psycho-therapeutic support for the seniors. It is for these reasons that this article has been included. In the United States of America, the seniors form the segment of population having the highest risk for suicides. This becomes clear from the figures provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the year 2004. The average suicide rate in the U.S. is eleven for every hundred thousand people, but rises to fourteen per hundred thousand people in the age group of sixty-five and older. Expert opinion suggests that seniors are less likely to seek help and their suicide attempts are more likely to lead to death. Hence there is the need to extend help to the elderly. In spite of all this information the response of society shows lack of concern and the willingness to a lot finances. Ten states have introduced laws in 2006 to curb suicides among children and young adults. Yet, only two states have passed legislation addressing the issue of suicides among senior citizens. This means that the elderly have fewer treatment options for their depressed state than the younger citi zens. This article is thought provoking and recommended for reading. Mermet (2005) has suggested that the complexities of the modern world are likely to increase the requirement of psycho-therapeutic support for the seniors, and this article clearly indicates the need for this enhanced support. The significance of this article lies

Pollution in the UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Pollution in the UK - Essay Example This paper efficaciously delineates the issues concerned with the pollution in the United Kingdom, along with the problems encountered by the councils to combat them. Moreover, this paper talks about pertinent measures to be undertaken by the authorities of UK in order to transform the society in to a healthy and sustainable place to reside. The Department of Environment, Transport and other Regions states that clean air is a fundamental component of a good eminence of life and people have the authority to expect that the air they take in will not be harmful to them (Report, 2000). Post the haze issue of the mid-twentieth century, the British government has put in tremendous effort in to the management of air quality, which has resulted in substantial reduction of pollution in the UK, in comparison to other countries of the world. Nevertheless, there is still a lot of work to be done so as to uphold and improvise the quality of air. According to the ENDS Report, one of the key steps forward in the enhancement of the quality of air, thereby, reducing pollution was the Environment Act which introduced an incorporated structure with regards to the handling of national as well as local air pollution having its basal on the health-based norms (ENDS Report, 1997). Moreover, it also marked the budge of a source-centralized app roach to the one which concentrated on the reduction of exposure. As a point in fact, the central role was handed over to the local authorities and they were expected to forecast whether pollution would possibly tend to transcend the air quality norms by the year 2005, thereby, outlining the strategies to lessen the concentrations in chief places. According to Xing, it is a hard fact to study that time is running out for the local authorities to keep up with the objectives of pollution under the regime of Local Air Quality Management or LAQM (Xing, 2004). There are only a handful of councils with top pollution grades which have generated action strategies to address the problems of reduction of pollution. Other than the councils which face the difficulties of attaining the objectives on time, there are various councils of smaller conurbations which also require an appreciable exercise of the air quality management in order to preserve the health of environment and people. As a resul t, the upshot of this research would provide us with a good example to manage the intricacies and facilitate the smaller cities to learn from various experiences as well. Problems faced by Councils in managing Pollution The influence of urban areas on the environment is quite substantial for the reason that

Health Safety and Security Practices Assignment

Health Safety and Security Practices - Assignment Example Belonging is all about having a relationship that is secure or having a connection with the customers, as well as the working staffs. In a salon, having the security of belonging is important in maintaining a good relationship with other people in the working environment. It is also important in boosting individuals self-esteem making one has the courage to do his or her job perfectly. Therefore, in any working environment, the sole priority of the leader is to encourage and ensure that all the working staffs develop a sense of security to avoid any misunderstanding and quarrels. Additionally, one should ensure that the client belongings are safe and secure. Prior to hanging any coats, counterchecking the pockets remain vital, remove all the important items and keep them in a safe place. In a salon, there are different types of solid as well as liquid wastes that require safe disposal. By disposing of the materials safely, the environment will be protected from causing any potential harm. In disposing of the materials, salon policies for hazardous wastes and management must be followed correctly. All the sharp materials in the salon such as needles and pins should be safely be disposed of in sharp boxes. The dilute chemicals should be disposed of in running water. The single used items such as gloves should be disposed of in peddle bins. Finally, the materials that can be recycled are put in recycled empties for decontamination and drying. Before an emergency occurs, ensure that the emergency equipment is in place and working. The first aid box should contain all the needed materials that will be used in an event of an emergency. The fire extinguishers should be in a strategic location where it can be accessed and in a working condition. In a case of an emergency, call the ambulance and the fire extinguishers. Inform all the people to go to fire assembly points.

Biological Module Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Biological Module - Essay Example The relationship lead to the permanent association and integration leading to eventual evolution of eukaryotes. Membranes that may be double or single layered line cell organelles. The Mitochondria, chloroplast and the nucleus (not strictly an organelle) have double layered membranes, while the Lysosomes, Golgi apparati, vacuoles and so on have a single membrane. The Ribosomes are non-membranous structures. The structural representation in the fluid mosaic model of the plasma membrane is universal in all living cells (plants & animals) and consists of two layers of phospholipids (lipids attached to a phosphate unit, proteins that dynamically move about the membrane and a small amount of glycoproteins (glucose bonded to proteins). The lipid molecules are "amphiphilic," having a hydrophilic (water loving) portion facing outside and a hydrophobic (water shunning) lipid portion turned inside. (Campbells' Biology Chapter 8; Dalton.M Chapter2/membrane/html.) Primarily, there are10 different types of lipids reported in cell membranes with different types of cells/organelles having differing percentage of each lipid, protein, and carbohydrate. They are: (1)Cholesterol, (2)Glycolipids, (3) Phosphatidylcholine, (4)Sphingomyelin, (5)Phosphatidylethnolamine, (6)Phosphatydilinositol, (7)Phosphatidylserine, (8) Phosphatidylglycerol, (9)Diphosphatidylglycerol (Cardiolipin), (10)Phosphatidic acid (Dalton.M Chapter2/membrane/html). Proteins in the cell membrane may have limited movement (being bound to the cell's exoskeleton or other membrane structures) or move freely if unbound (Campbells' Biology Chapter 8; Cellmembranes.html 10 Aug. 2003) . These proteins could be in the hydrophobic (integral proteins) or in the hydrophilic (peripheral proteins) regions. The proteins vary in structure and function but have distinct directional orientation (Campbells' Biology Chapter 8). Differential permeability The membranes are responsible for maintaining an almost constant cell or organelle environment. For instance the pH with the Lysosome is maintained at 5. This has been made possible by the selective permeability of the membrane that allows ready entry of glucose, amino acids and lipids and prevents the exit of metabolic intermediates while allowing external passage of wastes. The membranes' hydrophobic portions are typically impermeable to water-soluble materials like glucose, amino

Nursing Conflict Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Nursing Conflict Management - Essay Example The article entitled â€Å"A literature review of conflict communication causes, costs,The article entitled â€Å"A literature review of conflict communication causes, costs,benefits and interventions in nursing† written by Brinkert (2010) which was published in the Journal of Nursing Management proffered pertinent   issues relative to presenting a review of related literature on the subject of conflict communication. The article was replete with presenting relevant issues about conflict in the nursing profession. Since the author presented a literature review, he used authoritative secondary sources of previous studies and researches that discussed the causes, costs of unmanaged conflict, the benefits of normal conflict communication, as well as the identified strategies which were deemed most effective in addressing conflicts encountered by nurses. One of the most relevant findings was stated as â€Å"while conflict cannot be entirely eliminated from nursing, particular sources of destructive conflict may be decreased or eliminated† (Brinkert, 2010, p. 151). Likewise, the author revealed that conflict communication is a facet in the nursing profession that remains underdeveloped. The content is highly beneficial to nurse managers in terms of its extensive and comprehensive content that included determining the origin, nature, causes, costs and other interventions and strategies that would be helpful in resolving conflict within the nursing profession.

Van Helsing Dramatic Monologue Essay Example for Free

Van Helsing Dramatic Monologue Essay From the very moment I entered into this dreadful business, I have never felt such a pure rush of despair and anguish as I feel now. Not when the poor dear Miss Lucy passed away and became one of his, Draculas, fiends, did I feel that all luck had deserted us. All that we have done so far in our efforts to protect Madam Mina has been but a useless attempt to save her soul. I shall never forget what has happened. It is as if the very image of that that vile creature bending over our dearest lady has scorched my eyes and left its repulsive mark. I cannot help but think we could have done more. I know the others are looking to me for an answer, a plan and I feel their hopes resting heavily on my shoulders. I must not crack or back down I am far too deep in this now. When we barged down the door together last night I think we all knew, in our heart of hearts, what we were about to behold. I fell into the dear Ladys room on my hands and knees, after bursting through the doorway. My heart failed once more when I saw the man no, the fiend! with poor Jonathons wife in his cold hands! How I felt the rage rise up inside of me at the sight of that monster holding Mrs. Harker, her night dress torn and bloody, her face and mouth dirtied with his unclean blood! The vile scar on his forehead sent shivers through all of us, for then we knew it was truly him, the count, and then he turned and gave us such a devilish glare, sharp white teeth stained by our dear Minas own blood! I can only thank the Lord that we were armed with our sacred emblems, or the damage done last night could have been far worse.

History Of Aromatherapy Health And Social Care Essay

History Of Aromatherapy Health And Social Care Essay Ever since I can remember, I have been fascinated with the sense of smell and identifying the ways that aromas are so influential on a persons memories, thoughts and emotions. I decided to do my Independent Study on the history and practice of aromatherapy because I have always been drawn to it, and I hope to be able to offer others a chance to learn about it by developing a course that can be offered at the Firefly Academy. Using essential oils in my everyday life has given me many benefits. I can customize linen and room sprays according to the season, or the emotional atmosphere I want to create. It is simple to create salves for bug bites or muscle strain that are completely natural and work as well as store-bought items. I can use essential oils just like herbs to dress candles, add to talisman or amulet bags, or purify ritual space in my magickal practice. The only limit on the uses of essential oils is my own creativity. What Do The Terms Aromatherapy and Essential Oil Mean? To begin with, we need to define the terms aromatherapy and essential oil: Â · Aromatherapy is the art and science of enhancing health and well being with essential oils. (Aura Cacia, a leading advocate and manufacturer of high quality essential oils) [1] Â · Essential oils are the volatile essences extracted from plant materials for the purpose of affecting ones health, mood or environment. The Use of Scent Throughout Human History We dont need to have a degree in chemical engineering or physiology to understand how essential oils can affect us, or to enjoy them by adding scent to our everyday lives. Its something human beings have been doing throughout thousands of years of history. The use of ointments, powders, waters, oils and incense has been documented as part of worship, medicine and culture throughout many early civilizations. From Egypt and Persia, to India and China, trade routes flourished as the rich and powerful demanded steady supplies of aromatic salves for use as medicine, resins and incense to please the gods, and fragrant powders or perfumes to scent the skin [2] . Although no one can prove exactly when essential oils were first distilled from plants, the Persian Avicenna (980-1037 C.E.) is generally given credit as the first. Avicenna was a philosopher and physician, and he used essential oils extensively in his practice. [3] In more modern times, the scientific revolution in the 19th century led to the identification and isolation of many essential oils and active plant compounds. These discoveries soon led scientists to develop synthetic substances that could be produced cheaply and in mass quantities. This made it possible (economically feasible) to add artificial scent to products that were widely available to the public. Some of these products were soap, shampoo, beverages, and perfumes. The term aromatherapy was coined in the early 20th century by Rene-Maurice Gattefosse, a French scientist. [4] He developed an intense interest in the healing properties of essential oils after his personal experience with lavender essential oil. His family owned a perfumery business and he worked in the laboratory. One day, an explosion occurred and Rene-Maurice badly burned his hands. The closest thing around to use to quench the heat of the burns was a large container of lavender essential oil. He healed very quickly from his burns and was left without any scarring. There are many notables in the development of modern aromatherapy. Two of the most well-known are: Dr. Jean Valnet [5] , a surgeon in World War II who began using essential oils on the battlefield after reading of Gattefossess work; and Robert Tisserand who is credited with being one of the first to bring widespread education about aromatherapy to the English-speaking world. Where Do Essential Oils Come From Most essential oils are used today as flavorings for foods and beverages, or as fragrance for perfumes, body care and cleaning products. Only a small percentage of all essential oils produced are used in practical aromatherapy. Each essential oil is comprised of a unique combination of volatile, aromatic chemicals. Most essential oils contain over one hundred different chemicals. Thousands of different aroma chemicals have been discovered in plants by scientists so far [6] . The combination of these chemicals is what gives an essential oil its fragrance and also makes it effective to use. Many things can contribute to the amount and variation of each chemical constituent in an essential oil. Things such as climate, soil quality, growing conditions, or harvesting methods can have a big effect on the quality of the essential oil that ends up in a bottle on the shelf of your local health food store. The various aspects work together to create each oils signature fragrance and physical properties. Essential oils can come from all parts of the plant including, leaves, flowers, roots, seeds or fruit. Some examples of essential oils that come from different parts of a plant are: leaf-Peppermint, flowers-Rose, roots-Angelica, seeds-Black Pepper, fruit (rind)-Orange. Unlike using fresh or dried herbs, to use an essential oil we must first to get it out of the plant. Try sniffing a fresh peppermint or thyme leaf. There will be very little scent. Now, rub the herb between your fingers and sniff again. By crushing the cell walls of the leaf, the essential oil is released. This is one way to extract the essential oil but not very efficient! And although there are many ways of extracting an essential oil from plants, there are three main methods used by most manufacturers today. Steam distillation is an ancient process. The basic process remains unchanged from that used centuries ago. The majority of essential oils are distilled this way. Fresh plant material is stacked on racks set above boiling water. The steam causes the cell walls of the plant material to break down and release the essential oil. After passing through a condenser, the essential oil can be separated from the water by skimming it off the top. Expression is a mechanical method pressing the essential oil out of the plant. Usually this method is used for getting essential oils out of the peels of citrus fruits such as oranges, limes, or lemons. Citrus oils are fragile and the fresh fruit aroma is lost if the peels are steam distilled. Enfleurage (Absolutes and Concretes) is the process used to extract essential oils from plants that are extremely delicate or have a low quantity of oil per plant. Some examples of oils that are made as absolutes are rose, jasmine or violet. These essential oils tend to be very expensive because they are labor intensive to create and it takes a tremendous amount of plant material to make a small amount of essential oil. In the past, layers of flowers were covered in rendered animal fat or a hydrocarbon solvent. As the fat became saturated with the scent, the spent flowers were removed and replaced with fresh. This process makes a waxy substance called a concrete. To further refine the mixture, the fat was mixed with alcohol to separate the essential oil from the fat. This produces an absolute from the concrete. This is the liquid product that contains the essential oil. How Do We Interpret Scent and How Does Scent Affect Us Most of us can think of examples of how scent has influenced our memory. One example might be that the smell of cinnamon evokes the memory of sitting in your grandmothers kitchen as she made cinnamon rolls 20 years after her passing. Another might be the automatic grimace that comes to your face at remembering the smell of the skunk that sprayed the dog last year. These are just a couple examples that show how scent becomes wired into our memories. Once scent molecules are breathed into the nose, they bind with receptors that send impulses to the olfactory bulbs that sit at the base of the brain. The olfactory bulbs interpret the scent message and send it on to the limbic system. The limbic system is part of the oldest part of our brain. It controls the functions that are necessary for our very survival such as the sex drive, hunger, thirst or need for sleep. This area is close to the hippocampus, where feelings and emotions originate, and long-term memory is stored [7] . It is easy to see why scents can affect us so strongly when we see how closely the sense of smell is related to our memory and survival instincts. We can apply this to our everyday lives when we extrapolate that our highest thought processes which include language, mathematics or abstract thinking can be affected by aromatherapy since the areas that process fragrance information and memory are so closely linked. By using an essential oil (such as Rosemary which is used for mental challenges) while studying, this scent becomes imprinted in the brain along with the information being studied. By sniffing the same oil later, like right before an exam, we can take advantage of this linking to have better recall. In Victorian times, scented stationary was popular for love letters. Maybe the writers hoped the sweet scent of perfume would cause ones beloved to think fondly of the writer. We can use aromatherapy in so many ways to make our lives healthier and happier. We can use it to help us not only with physical applications, but also to improve our mental and emotional health. And if you have had any experience in magick or spell casting, you can begin to see the implications immediately! How To Choose An Essential Oil When choosing oils for use in aromatherapy, it is vital to make sure that you are purchasing an essential oil. Essential oils are extracted from plants that grew in nature. They are not created in a laboratory. It is important to choose oils that have been extracted from the appropriate part of the plant, and using the correct method of extraction. On the other hand, aroma oils, fragrance oils, or nature identical oils have been created in a lab or altered in a way that does not include all the components of the pure essential oil. They are not interchangeable with essential oils! These other types of oils have their uses, but it not in the practice of aromatherapy. An example of this is peppermint oil used by the food industry. Manufacturers will sometimes redistill the peppermint essential oil to remove the grassy notes and amplify the minty notes. This is done for a purer peppermint flavor in your toothpaste. Essential oils can be chosen for their physical, emotional, or spiritual properties. You may choose an oil to relieve a physical symptom, to help deal with stress or to purify your ritual space. Some oils with be effective for all these areas. Frankincense was used in ancient times to fumigate (purify) churches and temples. Not only was this effective against disease agents such as plague, but it also brought people to a meditative state, and calmed the emotions. Many people use Frankincense for the same purposes today. Most books have charts showing the properties associated with each essential oil. It is a good idea to get a couple books that list a variety of information the oils. It is important to know physical properties, such as whether the oil you are choosing might be antibacterial, stimulant or sedative. It is also useful to know what effects the oil might have on the mind or emotions. If choosing an oil to use for magickal purposes, the correspondences listed for the herb will be the same as for the oil. Once several oils have been identified for the required purpose, the best way to choose the appropriate oil is to take a whiff and see which one pleases you the most. The imprint of scent is so individualized that even if all the books say that oil A is the absolute best choice for headaches, if the individual doesnt find the scent pleasing, or has a negative memory of the aroma, it will not have the desired effect. Always choose essential oils based on your personal preference. Essential oils are very versatile in their abilities to nurture, heal, support and rejuvenate our bodies, minds and spirits. They are easily absorbed into the body through the skin, by inhalation, or ingestion. But just because they are natural substances and have been used for centuries does not mean that they are without some risk. It is very important to use safety precautions when working with essential oils. Many essential oils often share a lot of the same chemical components. Sometimes knowing which chemicals are present in an essential oil will give you a good idea how that oil might be used. One example is eucalyptol. Oils, such as eucalyptus and tea tree, that contain this chemical are helpful in relieving chest congestion. Another example is the neurotoxin, thujone. This chemical can be extremely dangerous. Oils with a low content of thujone, such as yarrow or sage, should be used with caution and not used on a continual basis. Other oils, such as mugwort or wormwood, (does absinthe ring a bell?) should not be used at all. Skin irritation can be common if using essential oils without diluting them with a vegetable oil. These dilution oils are called carrier oils. Most vegetable oils can be used as carrier oils. If using essential oils on the elderly or young children, they should be diluted even more. Some essential oils can cause sensitivity to sunlight, as well. Pregnant women, and those with other health conditions such as epilepsy or diabetes, should take extra precautions in choosing essential oils. And unless properly trained, no one should ingest essential oils! Always research the essential oils you use to make sure you are following the proper safety protocols. There are usually warnings listed on the bottle and most stores have pamphlets or brochures that will list safety precautions. It is well worth the time spent reading about potential problems or doing a skin-patch test (to test for allergic reactions) to avoid the pain and hassle of a bad reaction. How To Apply Essential Oils There are many different ways that essential oils (EOs) can enter the body. Inhalation through the nose is one of the best known. Absorption through the skin is another popular method. Less common ways include oral, vaginal or rectal application. Although ingestion of essential oils is more common in Europe, never ingest them without the advice of a trained professional. Most cases of poisoning have occurred after people ingested too high a dose. Ingesting just one or two teaspoons of concentrated essential oil can be enough to cause injury or death [8] . Inhalation is one of the easiest ways to use essential oils. Oils can be inhaled directly from the bottle, a drop or two placed on a tissue or light bulb, or a few drops added to a bowl of hot water or to the well of a pillar candle. A couple drops can be added to a dryer sheet and a whole load of sheets will be redolent with aroma. Diffusers are another popular way to disperse essential oils into the air. There are many types of diffusers available. Some use a fan to move air through a paper filter on which youve placed a few drops of oil. Others use a nebulizer to vaporize the oil into a fine mist. And still another type uses ultrasonic technology to release the oil within a fine mist of water. There are many way to apply essential oils to the skin and it is an effective way to incorporate them into your body. Essential oils can be added to bathwater or to massage oil. It is also easy to add essential oils to any unscented shampoo, lotion or body wash product to create your own custom blends. General dilution rates for healthy adults are 10-20 drops essential oil in a bath tub of warm water or 10-15 drops per ounce of carrier oil. Use half or less of these rates for children or the elderly. Essential Oil Quality It is worth discussing essential oil quality and how to choose the correct oil for the purpose for which you wish to use it. It is vital to make sure the essential oil youre using is produced from the proper part of the plant, extracted using the most efficient process, is harvested at the correct time, and contains all the active ingredients that make the oil effective. There should be no artificial components added. Choosing well-known suppliers and brands makes it easier to feel confident that the oils you buy. Firstly, make sure the label says that it is 100% pure essential oil. To work as intended, the oil must be pure. As mentioned earlier in this essay, fragrance or aroma oils made from synthetic ingredients are not interchangeable with essential oils. An exception to this statement would be when purchasing extremely expensive oils such as Neroli, Rose or Jasmine that are 100% pure essential oils that have been diluted in a carrier oil to make it more affordable. The carrier oil will be listed on the ingredients panel. If you only need a drop of two of rose oil for your Valentines Day sachet, you might decide that the 5ml bottle of diluted Rose Otto for $20 is a better choice than the 2ml bottle of 100% pure Rose Otto for $130. However, if you are making an anti-aging face cream you might want the real deal to increase the amount of active ingredients to make your cream more effective. Secondly, make sure you know the Latin name of the oil you want. This way you know that you are buying the correct product. There are several types of Lavender essential oil on the market. One is extracted from the flowers of Lavandula augustifolia and is noted for its relaxing and calming properties. Another is extracted from the stems, leaves and flowers of Lavandula latifolia (called Spike Lavender) and is useful to repel insects and to help with cold symptoms. Each has different properties. The FDA requires that all manufacturers list the botanical names on the labels. Thirdly, realize that it takes varying amounts of plant material and labor to produce each type of essential oil. If you are buying a brand of essential oils that has the same price on all oils, you are probably getting a low-quality, extremely diluted, or blatantly synthetic product. It can take over 2000 pounds of rose blossoms to produce one pound of essential oil, but perhaps around 50 pounds of Eucalyptus to produce one pound of essential oil. It is obvious just from this one statistic that rose oil is going to a lot more expensive than eucalyptus. Just like in other real-life situations, if it seems too good to be true it probably is. Where We Go From Here This essay is the basis I am using to develop a course on Aromatherapy for The Firefly Academy. I hope to have it in included alongside the courses developed on Kitchen Herbology and Magickal Herbalism. The course will build on the information presented in this essay, introduce in-depth lessons on the fourteen most popular and affordable essential oils, provide information on making essential oil blends, and showcase easy recipes to begin using aromatherapy to improve the quality of ones life. There will be a project requiring students to make at least one recipe and describe their experiences using the blend in a short essay. A short, multiple choice quiz will be offered at the end of the course. Below is the proposed outline of the course: Lesson 1-What is Aromatherapy? What is an Essential Oil? Lesson 2-Why Does Aromatherapy Work? Lesson 3-Quality, Resources and Choosing Oils Lesson 4-How to Use Essential Oils in Your Life Lesson 5- Essential Oil Profiles Part 1 (Lavender, Tea Tree, Peppermint, Eucalyptus, Patchouli, German Chamomile, Clary Sage) Lesson 6- Essential Oil Profiles Part 2 (Lemon, Geranium, Sweet Orange, Bergamot, Ylang Ylang, Rosemary, Sandalwood) Lesson 7-Blending, Carrier Oils, Fun Formulas Lesson 8-Essay, Quiz, Where Do We Go From Here? Aromatherapy is a natural, effective way to improve many areas of our lives. It is not hard to learn and does not require an enormous expenditure of money. Essential oils are a good value as each one can be used for many different purposes and they take up little space in a cabinet or medicine chest. My life has been enriched in countless ways by learning and using aromatherapy. I am fascinated by the ease in which I can ease the sting of a bug bite. I am rewarded with a good nights sleep when I place a few drops of my Sweet Dreams blend on my pillow. My spiritual practices are enhanced by diffusing Frankincense and Myrrh on my altar to create sacred space. I will never regret the time and resources I have devoted to learning how to put the benefits of aromatherapy to use in my life. Sources http://www.auracacia.com http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/avicenna.htm http://www.aromaweb.com/articles/history.asp http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limbic_system http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15895251 Nyam News , December Volumes 1 2, Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute, 2005 The Practice of Aromatherapy, Jean Valnet, MD, Healing Arts Press, 1980 The Complete Book of Essential Oils Aromatherapy, Valerie Ann Worwood, New World Library, 1991 Aromatherapy: An A-Z: The Most Comprehensive Guide to Aromatherapy Ever Published, Patricia Davis, Random House, 2005 The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Essential Oils , Julia Lawless, Element Books Ltd, 1995 The Aromatherapy Deck, Frontier Natural Products Co-op, 2007 Certificate course on Aromatherapy, The American College of Healthcare Sciences (formerly Australasian College) Aura Cacia Retailers Aromatherapy Course, Aura Cacia Company Footnotes: [1] www.auracacia.com [2] The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Essential Oils, Julia Lawless, Element Books Ltd, 1995 [3] http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/avicenna.htm [4] http://www.aromaweb.com/articles/history.asp [5] The Practice of Aromatherapy by Jean Valnet, MD [6] Nyam News, December Volumes 1 2, Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute, 2005 [7] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limbic_system [8] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15895251 Top of Form Bottom of Form

Spanish Cinema During The Dictatorship

Spanish Cinema During The Dictatorship Spanish cinema was highly affected by the effects of the civil war; private investment in the production of commercial films fell drastically. The country was divided in two areas which were facing the effects of having military forces. This situation was reflected specially in the movie industry because at the time no-one wanted to invest in any new projects. Nevertheless, movie theatres in the whole country were doing extremely well all through the war; they were screening local productions as for example, Florià ¡n Reys clichà ©d Morena Clara (1936) and also, they were importing popular American productions. The Republican, who had the control over the principal centres of urban movie-making, gave authorization for the production of more than 200 films during the conflict. However, at the beginning of 1938 it started to be perceived that the Republican government was going to be defeated and therefore several members of the film industry started to organize their departure; most of them were Republican supporters. The directors Luis Alcoriza, Luis Buà ±uel, Carlos Velo, etc; also many actors as for example, Josà © Luis Baviera, Margarita Xirgu, Ana Marà ­a Custodio, Alberto Closes, Rosita Dà ­az Gimeno, Carmen Amaya; accompanied by a huge group of technicians such as the editor Josà © Caà ±izares, the camera operator Josà © Marà ­a Beltrà ¡n and the majority of the team members who were in charge of Andrà © Malrauxs Lespoir: Sierra de Teruel, migrated from Spain to countries such as: France, Argentina and Mexico. These were countries in which Spanish speakers had the opportunity to continue their work in the film industry. The director Buà ±uel was the perfect example of someone that was able to adapt to a life forced out of Spain. After he was exiled in 1946 he decided to go to Mexico and in 1949 became a Mexican citizen. However a large list of film makers who had started their careers under the Republicans and were sympathizers of the democratic government stayed at Francos side for example, Juan de Orduà ±a, Antonio del Amo, Benito Perojo, Florià ¡n Rey, Edgar Neville, Eduardo Garcà ­a Maroto, Rafael Gil, etc. The civil war finally ended on April 1939; afterwards Spain assumed a military dictatorship with General Franco in command. Obviously, the new management of the Spanish cinema industry during the dictatorship had a very negative repercussion on the film industry and could only lead to the best opportunity for those who were in the power to commit several crimes such as fraud, patronage, use of favours etc. It is important to highlight the fact that in 1940 three main official regulations were established and then submitted leading to the Spanish film industry to suffer the side effects of these intransigent regulations for many years. These regulations were: Compulsory dubbing Official state newsreel Film censorship Spanish Cinema during the dictatorship: Film Censorship Film censorship had been presented to Spain when the country was still facing the civil war in 1938; then in 1939 during the dictatorship of Franco it was stipulated all through the nation. During this period all film scripts had to endure a pre-censorship, shooting scripts had to be approved and Spanish films were required to have an exhibition licence, changes to image and sound tracks, cuts in completed movies were as well imposed and there was authorization of dubbing and subtitling. Film censorship was characterised for its inefficiency, for not being consistent when making decisions, and also for being arbitrary in its choices. Nevertheless it is difficult to establish if censorship caused the same impact on Spanish cinema as compulsory dubbing. Compulsory dubbing into Spanish and the taxation of all films that were imported from foreign countries were introduced by the industry and commerce ministry in April 1941. These two measures are normally seen as a consequence of Axis satisfactory results during the Second World War. However it seems to have more connection with Francos constant attempts to Hispanicize Spanish culture. At this time over 50% of the public couldnt read or write and most of Spain only spoke Spanish and didnt speak any other language and therefore Spanish film viewers soon got used to watching foreign films in dubbed Spanish. The film industry quickly realised that they could produce more profit from dubbed films than from using subtitles in films; as a result it was easier for censors to manipulate soundtracks and images. Nevertheless, compulsory dubbing drastically affected the country; economically and industrially. It caused a great damage to Spanish film productions; the main reason was that Foreign and Spanish films were in a position of equal accessibility to Spanish audiences and thus distributors and exhibitors abandoned essential elements in the effort to defeat international competition. Furthermore, the importation of international productions for distribution and even for exhibition was determined by the concession of import licences to national film producers. These licenses were given by official organisations to national film makers depending on the ideology of their productions. It was typical that the producers who supported Francos regime who behaved in a moderate and morally acceptable way would obtain three or five import permits. However, there were some films for example; El davo (1944) directed by Rafael Gil and El escà ¡ndalo (1943) directed by Josà © Luis Sà ¡enz de Heredia that won fifteen licences. Then these were sold for a lot of money, normally through the illicit black market, mainly to distributors from America who were based in Spain. The Spanish audience seemed to prefer foreign productions and therefore producers became very rich from selling import permits. This was also true for the distributers and exhibitors who also became very wealthy from screening foreign movies. As a consequence of this, for about ten years, the Spanish film industry was only used as a simply way of making very good profits from selling import licences. Spanish industry started suffering the consequences of a new law: compulsory official newsreels commonly recognised as NODO which was presented in December 1942 and had to be screened in all cinemas in Spain. This was basically political publication; propaganda used by the regime that had as its main purpose to influence Spanish people by the use of inaccurate information. NO-DO which is the acronym for Noticieros y Documentales Cinematograficos was used instead of the Italian and the German newsreels in cinemas in Spain and was compulsory until 1976. Unluckily, the mandatory introduction of NO-DO newsreels in Spain efficiently excluded a large number of younger national film-makers from presenting their work to the public such as, animation, documentaries or shorts and this certainly discouraged others to study in these areas. To lessen the gravity of the disastrous effects of the NO-DO policy, the regime presented a list of new protectionist measures that benefited the Spanish film industry. The following are some of these measures: Revised classification schemes, screen quotas (initially one week of Spanish film for every six of a foreign film). Official loans with which to finance up to 40 per cent of a film budget. Official prize of 400.000 pesetas. National interest awards for deserving films. Until about 1945, the regime of General Franco had its favourite film genres, especially one called cine de cruzada or films inspired by war, which also commemorated the Franco regimes victories in the civil war, disapproved the defeated Republican and celebrated the power of the armed forces, the religious, and colonialist values of the new people who ruled the country by that time. These films included: Escuadrilla (1941), Boda en el infierno (1942) and Los à ºltimos de Filipinas (1945), all directed by Antonio Romà ¡n.  ¡Harka! (1941) directed by Carlos Arà ©valo, El crucero Baleares (1941) directed by Enrique del campo and Juan de Orduà ±as  ¡A mà ­ legià ³n! (1942). There was especially one film called Raza (The Race) (1942) directed by Josà © Luis Sà ¡enz de Heredia which was without doubt one of the more significant films for the genre. Towards the end of 1940 and As the nation came to terms with the dramatic repercussions of the bloody civil war that had just ended, and while the rest of Europe engaged in its own devastating conflict, Franco found the time to write a brief novella entitled Raza. Published under the pseudonym Jaime de Andrade, Raza was structured like a screenplay and clearly intended to be made into a film; a semi autobiographical film, reflecting aspects of Francos real life. In 1945 with the foreseen defeat of the Axis, the descent in influence of Falange (Political organisation) and the ideology adopted by Franco of National Catholicism, the principles of the cine de cruzada was transformed into different nationalist genres. These also contained the period drama, the folkloric comedy, the historical movie, and the religious film. Comedies seemed to be preferred by the box office, the reason being this genre of film was the most popular and therefore the most profitable; especially films directed by Edgar Neville, Rafael Gil and Josà © Luis Sà ¡enz de Heredia who produced many clichà ©d, bullfighting films and folkloric musicals. These types of films were characterised for their poor quality and being cheerful in nature and having low production values. However, these films were produced for easy viewing; also, audience had the opportunity to participate. These were vehicles which were created around the best singers of that time, for example, Juanita Reina, Carmen Sevilla, Lola Florez, Paquita Rico, Currito de la Cruz, and Conchita Piquer as in Florià ¡n Rey La Dolores (1940). Yet in a time in which international isolation and repression for its fascist supporters was very common, the regime encouraged film producers to use the great national symbols of old and resist using anti-Spanish symbols in a serie s of bulky over produced biopics, commemorating distinguished Catholic heroines as in Juan de Orduà ±a Locura de Amor (Love Crazy) (1950) and La Leona de Castilla (The Lioness of Castille) (1951), and Reina Santa (1947) a film about a virtuous Spanish princess who becomes the Queen of Portugal directed by Rafael Gil. Along with these theatrical and historical films, we also see a strong Catholicism and missionary colonialism theme running through the cinema at this time, such as Misià ³n blanca (1946) directed by Juan de Orduà ±a, and then there were the prototypes for the sentimental, religious dramas of the early 1950s with films like Balarrasa (Reckless) (1951), A mans harrowing experience in war which turns him to God for salvation and he becomes a Priest) directed by Josà © Antonio Nieves Conde. It is worth mentioning that the same Falangist director, Josà © Antonio Nieves Conde, directed Surcos (Furrows) (1951), dealing with the fatal repercussions of leaving the old country and implications of migrating to the city. This film seemed to symbolise the realist cinema which was more relative to daily life in Spain and to the Spanish people, issues of lower orders, and presenting social problems that were entirely absent from Spanish cinema screens. Surcos was also the cause of strong disagreements between Falangism and conventional Catholicism because in 1951 Josà © Marà ­a Garcà ­a Escudero who was the General Director of Cinema at the time, denied to give the national interest award to Juan de Orduà ±as Alba de America (Dawn of America) (1951) as he preferred Surcos instead. As a consequence of this, Escudero had to leave his position as General Director of Cinema and Orduà ±as historical epic was awarded instead. This was an indication of the regime position towards f ilm makers who had the courage to defy the regime baring the less appealing, problematic side of social issues in Francos dictatorship. Realism had gradually returned into Spain through the weird example of Italian neo-realism and soviet cinema at the end the 1940s, it had sneaked into university film programmes. These types of films found great acceptance among some disillusioned Falangist film makers in the new, official film school, which was created by the regime and founded in 1947. Originally, the regime permitted the establishment of the Instituto de Investigaciones y experiencias cinematogrà ¡ficas (Institute for Film Research and Experiment) by means of forcing control on professional access to the film industry. In 1962 its name was changed to Escuela Oficial de Cine (Official Film School) and represented its programme on the curriculum for the Italian Centro Sperimentale in Rome. The IIEC was known for its lack of good teaching standards, and poor resources. However, the IIEC acquired 109 students just in the first year of its foundation; many of these pupils played important roles in the film industry movements in the 1950s and events which were organized to manifest cultural and also political opposition to Francos regime. Spanish Cinema during the dictatorship: Neo-Realism (1952-1961) Neo-Realist ideology started to be more obvious throughout the film industry in Spain almost immediately, not only in films by the young upcoming directors but also in those by followers of Franco such as Josà © Antonio Nieves Conde, who with his controversial film Surcos, let Spaniards see some of the unpleasant aspects of urban life. Luis Garcà ­a Berlanga and Juan Antonio Bardem were two disillusioned Falangists who studied at IIEC, they both were very important individuals in the attempt to renew Spanish cinema. These two men worked together with their own production company called UNINCI and in 1951 made Esa Pareja Feliz (That Happy Couple) (1953). The story was based on dreams of the working class about the improvement of the economy with parodies of CIFESAs (Compaà ±Ãƒ ­a Industrial Film Espaà ±ol S.A.) epic cinema and also the escapism of romantic comedies from Hollywood. Berlanga and Bardem proceeded with the same satirical style in the respected Spanish parody Bienvenido Mister Marshall (Welcome Mr. Marshall!) (1953).This production had a very critical edge and for that reason it obtained a very positive international recognition. Nevertheless, it was publicly and officially disapproved in Spain. Although the critics of his movies were softened by the parody and comic tone, Berlanga frequently had cens orship and poor distribution issues. Juan Antonio Bardem was part of the illegal Communist Party and also one of the organizers of the Salamanca Film Conference in 1955. His career in the film industry in the 50s and 60s was interrupted with periods of imprisonment due to his political actions against the regime. Among his works were Cà ³micos (Actors) (1953) and Muerte de un ciclista (Death of a Cyclist) (1955) in which Bardem emphasises in a critical perception of the bourgeoisie in Spain and showed some short images of people living in extreme poverty in Spain, this film gave Bardem substantial international recognition (Winner of the 1955 FIPRESCI Prize at the Cannes Film Festival). The introduction of new ideas from international lands caused great fervour and strong feelings of change among filmmakers and the general public alike. Public discussions were due for the first time in Spains old University City Salamanca lead by Basilio Martà ­n Patino and sponsored by the Universities film club, the first National cinematographic conversations called the attention of professionals in the Spanish film industry, scholars, critics and writers who were there to represent a vast range of ideologies, these conversations took place between 14th and 19th of May in 1955. There was an opened document declaring the meeting which was signed by directors such as Bardem, Patino, Muà ±oz Suay, etc; these recognised personalities of the film industry along with many others discussing a number of topics, for example the censorship criteria, film distribution, and protection quotas. They also mentioned that it was crucial to include a member of the film industry in the censorship team and wanted that point to be considered. The discussions in Salamanca caused a minimum reaction for which many of their supporters thought the talks had been a failure. The fascist government opposition said the talks were an opportunity given to the regime by a bourgeois organization to sharpen its manipulation by the use of censorship criteria. Conservatives said the talks were proof that communist were infiltrating; some other people said that the discussions were clear evidence that the film industry in Spain was in its infancy, but for others of its history and maturity. Nevertheless it is important to say that the talks had helped the awareness of Spanish cinema on a national level and due to some insecurity in the government eleven months after the Salamancan talks the general director of film and theatre was substituted by Josà © Muà ±oz Fontà ¡n (Whose career would later be destroyed by Buà ±uels controversial Viridiana (1961)). The most obvious evidence of official reactions was that the film industry was in c omplete silence following the talks and the Franco Government quietly turned its back. Although censorship had caused an artistic void in Spain, the new emerging and inspiring ideas being introduced into Spain had created new blood with young home grown directors such as pioneers Luis Garcia Berlanga and Juan Antonio Bardem (Who both helped to create la està ©tica franquista, a film style which ironically defined Spanish film during Francos reign). Spanish Cinema during the dictatorship: New Spanish Cinema (1962-1968) Spain made its first attempt to be part of the European common market in 1962; the country wanted to prove that Spain was not the fascist, retrograde it used to be; Spain was going through a new phase of liberalization. The moderate Garcà ­a Escudero who was dismissed 10 years before for supporting the film Surcos was brought back to accompany the director of cinematographic and theatre position. Garcia participated in the discussions in Salamanca and was aware of the disappointment and frustrations of those people who were attempting to make films during the dictatorship of General Franco and therefore when the repression caused by the use of censorship temporally down the pressure on the film industry in 1962, Josà © Marà ­a Garcà ­a Escuderos started to revise the points discussed in Salamanca which after seven years had not been even considered. One of the hardest aims for Garcà ­a Escudero to achieve was to update the censorship system. In this attempt he was attacked by constant criticism, especially by members of the church and the right wing who accused him of being a repulsive freak of a promoter. Forth revised codes were stipulated in 1963, which were strongly attacked with the only purpose of bringing back many of the strictly controlled measures. Although several of the new film makers were clearly part of the opposition, the dictatorship found the way to silence their voices. Josà © Garcà ­a Escudero did not find enough political support to cause any serious alteration to the censorship system; however, in 1962 he managed to create a new category for special interest films. This category was very significant for new professional film makers from The Escuela Oficial de Cinematografà ­a (EOC), to work in a film industry in which they had never been allowed to be involved in unless they were only apprentices. As a consequence of the special interest category a new genre in the film industry appeared. This new genre was films that showed the problems of Spain, especially with criticism towards the social situation of the country, for the first time realistic narratives of Spain were screened in cinemas along the country. This type of cinema was called by critic Juan Francisco de Lasa as New Spanish Cinema. The new cinema in Spain was known for its use of metaphor showing social criticism which was prominent in the 1950s especially by directors Luis Garcà ­a Berlanga and Juan Antonio Bardem who were well respected at the time and classed as the best of their era and genre. Nevertheless new directors focused more on the 1890s literary generation. Spanish writers like the likes of Antonio Machado, Miguel de Unamuno and Pà ­o Baroja were attempting to find answers to national issues in its literary, historical and also geographical past, the new directors in the 1960s were more interested in analyzing and criticizing social traditions in Spain in an attempt to form an image of Spain in which the country is seen for what it really is, instead of for what it was in the past or people thought it would be in the future. Despite the special category which allowed new Spanish productions to work as films of special interest, young Spanish film makers were still being attacked by censorship, as seen in Miguel Picazos La tia Tula (1964), that had a cut of over four minutes and then there was the confiscation of certain scenes from Carlos Sauras Llanto por un bandido (1964) which were eventually destroyed by the censors. Manuel Summers Juguetes rotos (1964) recalls the heroics of a boxer, a bullfighter, and a soccer player, showing the contrast between the opportunities of youth and the loneliness of advancing age still had its problems with the censors with the director receiving a long list of prohibited shots, including the following. A child begging A group of girls in bikinis Dialogue saying Cualquier Espaà ±ol puede ser torero (Any Spaniard can be a bullfighter) These frequent restrictions caused an enormous frustration among many promising film makers. When the regime realised that the new Spanish cinema was being used in opposition, the government designed a system which allowed control over film distribution, making sure that these films were seen only by a chosen few; new Spanish films were screened exclusively in a system of art theatres for a very small educated audience. The arte y ensayo system started in January 1967 with the following restrictions: 380 theatres Only in urban areas (cities of over 500,000 inhabitants) Cannot seat more than 500 (By law) The distributors at first thought it was great to be able to offer films shown for the first time in Spain but because the audiences were small, exhibitors advertised promising them fruto prohibido (films prohibited or censored elsewhere). While this was correct, most of the public had misinterpreted it and would come looking for lewd material. Most previously censored films were not necessarily sexually explicit, censored more for political or social reasons such as Jean-Godards A bout de soufflà © (1960), Luis Buà ±uels Exterminating Angel (1962) and Ingmar Bergmans Persona (1966). The public became totally disillusioned and because of the years of censorship was completely unprepared for the new developments in films. By 1972 the art theatre ceased because it proved to an unsuccessful experiment. The special theatres were created not so much for the benefit of the Spanish film industry but so that foreign tourists in Spain could see movies in their native language. The New Spani sh Cinema was being exhibited mostly in the art theatres but after a mere five years, Spains New Cinema did not have an audience in its own country and they were all abolished. The whole movement had attracted nothing but problems from the start due to the total lack of film culture in Spain. Directors of New Spanish Cinema created films which felt out of date to the foreign audiences. Basilio Martà ­n Patinos Nueve cartes a Berta (1966) was entered into Cannes by Josà © Marà ­a Garcà ­a Escudero but straight away rejected; Patinos honest and naive film felt dated to an international audience with their advanced understanding of cinema. To be fair to Garcà ­a Escudero he had accomplished a lot between 1962 and 1966, over forty new directors had made their first film. This wasnt enough for him to keep his position of director general of Cinematografia y Teatro, and he was dismissed for the second time in his career. There were two reasons given, the first was economic; the secon d was for The Primeras Jornadas Internacionales de Escuelas de Cinematografà ­a (First International Film Schools Discussions) and his lack of control over a new and important presence in the Spanish film world, a group of students and young directors who were presided over by the respected film critic Ramà ³n Gubern and in part by director Joaquim Jordà   who is quoted saying: Today is impossible to speak freely of reality in Spain, so we are trying to describe its imaginary life* This group organized the only public discussion of film in Spain for the last twelve years. These discussions were held between 1st and 6th of October 1967 in the Catalan beach town of Sitges. Attended by students, critics and young filmmakers, the Sitges conference provided a unique space for anti-Franco protesters, revolutionaries and supporters of experimental film. The Catalonian film director, Jordà   presented a manifesto for the Barcelona School that became widely known as the Sitges Manifesto. This manifesto provided a clear focus for debates on questions of film principles and political ideals, as well as new ideas for production and exhibition of work outside Francos restrictive regime. Jordà  s drafted the manifesto with a Marxist tone and could not be further from the New Spanish Cinema if it tried, with demands to end all censorship and state subsidies of any kind. Furthermore it called for the replacement of the Sindicato Nacional de Espectà ¡culo (State Entertainmen t Union) which would be able to supervise the production, distribution and exhibition of film. The Sitges manifesto rejected any possibility of working with the system and would only agree to a film industry totally independent of the state. By the time the Franco regime noticed what was going on in Sitges the conference was coming to a close. Nevertheless police interrupted the end of the event and arrested participants. Jordà   sought refuge in Rome and classes were briefly suspended at the National Film School. Garcà ­a Escudero was finally dismissed in November 1967. After the regimes reaction to the conference in Sitges, the Spanish film directors union (Agrupacià ³n Sindical de Directores-Realizadores Espaà ±oles de Cinematografà ­a (ASDREC)) was planning to continue the debates at their own convention, scheduled on the 23rd of November in 1969. A group of professional directors proposed that they carry out a study of the main problems of Spanish film and publish the find ings. Some of these findings, including eliminating film censorship, had been taken from Sitges. Officially the ASDREC convention was prohibited due to its controversial tone, but this didnt stop them. After many preliminary talks between directors discussing the topics most relevant to the industry, the main meeting was eventually held in March 1970. * Higginbotham, V. (1988). Spanish Film Under Franco. Texas: University of Texas Press. p66 Spanish Cinema during the dictatorship: The decade of Francos death (1969-1975) With the demise of Garcà ­a Escudero and the New Spanish Cinema and the breakup of School of Barcelona with its avant garde views, Spanish movie screens were full of foreign Spy movies and spaghetti westerns. The decade of Francos death (November 20th 1975) had started badly for Spanish film, with huge debts for the industry and the best of its new films were hardly shown on Spanish cinemas screens. 20 percent of world cinema had been banned in Spain since the Civil War and by the 1970s it had risen to over 50 percent of films made abroad that couldnt be seen on Spanish screens. If most of the worlds greatest films couldnt be seen in Spain, at least it wasnt being so strong on letting them be filmed there, even if it brought controversy. One of the most important (and controversial) events for Spanish film during the later years of Francos reign was Buà ±uel being granted permission to film Tristana (1970) in 1969. Tristana, definitely one of Buà ±uels finest, is a great example o f why his films, although banned and not well known to the Spanish people, were considered by Spanish Directors in the know as National treasures. In total contrast to most of the Spanish films made during the dictatorship, Buà ±uels vision of Spain seemed and felt more authentic. With the use of real people where possible as in Viridiana (1961) where he selected a group of beggars straight from the streets of Toledo and Madrid, and then there is the title character from Nazarin (1959) who is a typical anarchistic Spanish clergyman (many were murdered on the suspicion of being Communist sympathizers during the Civil War). Buà ±uels return to Spain was also the start of a new era in Spanish film, in the next five years leading up to Francos death there were some great films to come out of Spain. Carlos Saura (after Buà ±uel is Spains most important director during the post-war era) managed to create some great films even though his films were criticized by both right and left wing equally. He had the power to irritate and inherited Buà ±uels ability to cause trouble and whose films also managed to disturb the uneasy calm of the Franco camp. Films included Los golfos (1959), Ana y los lobos (1972), La prima Angelica (1973) and Cria cuervos (1975) the title in Spanish stems from the phrase Raise ravens and theyll pluck out your eyes and the equivalent phrase in English would be you reap what you sow. Filmed the year before Francos death, it makes clear how the regime, through an out of date religious education, making certain that the young do not grow into cuervos (ravens) and rebel the fascist myth. Last but definitely not least is the most highly acclaimed film in the history of Spanish cinema, El espà ­ritu de la colmena (Spirit of the Beehive) (1973) one of the most beautiful and poetic films ever filmed, a film which has been haunting audiences both Spanish and abroad since it first premiered in Madrid in October 1973. A young Victor Erice (he was 33 years old when he directed his master piece, 3 years younger than Orson Welles when he directed Citizen Kane (1941)) was in search of new myths and turned to classic horror films for inspiration and he found Frankensteins monster to represent Spain and its problems. After seeing James Whales Frankenstein (1931) for the first time, seven year old Ana becomes fascinated with the monster, she becomes obsessed with finding him, and transfers this onto a wounded army deserter, who she is convinced is the monster. As a metaphor for Spain, the monster is a ghoulish collage of a man, a monstrous figure constructed by the sinister creat or, Dr. Henry Frankenstein. Even the Doctors name sounds very much like Franco. With its reference to the myth of Frankenstein, Erice found an uncanny metaphor for Francos Spain. The monster was reborn and had no memory like a new born baby, he has no moral sense and so can behave kindly, then kill (by accident or otherwise). Frankensteins monster being a literary myth himself suitably represents the final result of the so called Franco myth. Chapter Three Spanish Cinema back to Democracy General Franco died on the 20th November 1975, and with his death died 46 years repression, a new phase of history was about to be born in Spain. It was the time for freedom which would give strength and new backbone to the Spanish cinema. It was as if Spain finally had democracy, liberalism, explicitness and experimentation all at once. Directors were now creating without the pressure of all those previous prohibitions. Franco before he died had designated as his successor Juan Carlos of Bourbon, who was the grandson of the last king of Spain. For the first time in over 40 years, a free election took place on June 15, 1977 and

Free News in a Linked World Essay -- Internet Web Media Papers

Free News in a Linked World We usually classify communication media in three categories: published media, broadcast media and what Chris Chesher calls â€Å"invocational media†.1 The published media include newspapers, magazines and books. Radio and television are broadcast media — I would add speech as a nontechnological broadcast medium also. Invocational media represent communication tools used on interactive and networked digital computers.2 News delivery is present on every communication medium. I will look at the difference in value of the content between the media. And I will explain how the World Wide Web — as a new invocational medium — will bring back a public discourse based on logic and reason. And how it will re-democratize the libertarian press. Comparative Descriptions In published media — the oldest technological news distribution method — news is provided on a physical support on which alphabetical characters and images are printed. The support — a newspaper for example — must be distributed, and the user must acquire it. There is a sense of possession, of ownership evoked by the object. The content is made of texts, photographs and illustrations. It is self contained and can be consulted anywhere, at any time and in any way. Broadcast media are part of late nineteenth and twentieth century’s technological innovation. The technology behind broadcast news is based on linear streams of communicative content emitted from a base and transmitted through different means — copper cable or wave for example. To be able to view or hear the news, the user must acquire a receiving machine. Content is sent in real time and has no physical representation. News can be transmitted as it happens, but the user must be avai... ...a.org 14. From rabble.ca [www.rabble.ca] References Chesher, Chris â€Å"Why the Digital Computer is Dead† ctheory.net 04-04-2002 http://ctheory.net/text_file.asp?pick=334 Howe, Denis editor, Free On-line Dictionary of Computing http://www.foldoc.org/ Mann, Steve eyetap.org http://www.eyetap.org Mann, Steve with Hal Niedzviecki, Cyborg: Digital Destiny and Human Possibility in the Age of the Wearable Computer Double Day Canada, 2001 Markoff, John â€Å"Chapter 23 The Scribe† in John Brockman, Digerati http://www.edge.org/digerati/markoff/markoff_chapter.html Negroponte, Nicholas Being Digital Vintage Books, 1996 Postman, Neal Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business Penguin Books, 1986 Sormany, Pierre Le mà ©tier de journaliste: Guide des outils et des pratiques du journalisme au Quà ©bec Borà ©al, 1990

Race: Biological or Cultural? :: essays research papers

Through research of DNA samples, scientists have been able to declare that race is not biologically constructed due to the similarities between human genes. Nevertheless, in reality, people still emphasized on biological aspects such as skin color, or hair texture to categorize others into different races. This in turn, denied the true identity of race, which it is culturally constructed. Ethnicity, by definition is also culturally constructed, therefore it greatly resemble race. There is no real clear line to distinct the two. According to Nicholson, encounters between explorers, such as Christopher Columbus and Henry Hudson, and Native Americans were always friendly. There was no â€Å"expression of hostility based on physical appearance† (Nicholson 15) between the two groups. When there was any hostility, it was not based on physical appearance, but rather more of culture practices or values. Cannibalism, for example, â€Å"seems to take place without any regard to race, creed, or religion.† In another case, Nicholson mentions that during the Crusade, about ten thousands Jews were massacred by Crusaders. It â€Å"was a religious slaughter without racial implications.† (Nicholson 26) Through these examples, we can see that Nicholson suggested that race is not scientifically valid because people did not judge others based on physical appearances, but the notion of race is mainly described by one’s skin color or hair texture. Nicholson’s arguments coincided with modern scientific views, which conclude that race doesn’t exist, due to the fact that DNA inside people with different skin color and hair texture is 99.9 percent similar. Therefore, the notion that race is biologically constructed in invalid. Social reality of race simply refers to the fact that people still believed that races are based on physical traits such as skin color or hair texture to judge others. However, what they are doing is stereotyping which lead to discrimination and racism. Also, their actions denied the fact race is culturally constructed, meaning people have different customs, religions, and values from culture to culture. The patterns of biological variation among humans are extremely complex and constantly changing. All of us could be classified into a number of different "races", depending on what genetic traits are emphasized. For example, if you divide people up on the basis of stature or blood types, the geographic groupings are clearly different from those defined on the basis of skin color. Focusing on such deceptive distinguishing traits as skin color, body shape, and hair texture causes us to magnify differences and ignore similarities between people.

The Big Bang(personal Account) (tragedy) :: essays research papers

The Big Bang   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My lesson about playing with fire was a hard one learned. That one summer day so long ago was one of the longest days in my life. The morning was a normal one. The afternoon was when things started to heat up. That night was one I thought would never end.That morning was one just like any other summer day. The sun was bright and warm. We also had family in from Colorado. My Aunt and Uncle were there with my two cousins. They were planning on staying with us the entire summer. My parents had just installed a 4 1/2 foot above ground swimming pool for all of us to enjoy that summer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  That afternoon every body was up and busy doing their own things. My brother and I were out in the neighborhood playing with our friends. When we came home for lunch my dad asked us to unload his truck and put everything in the shed. My parents, aunt and uncle were leaving to go out for the evening. They were leaving us in the care of my cousins who are several years older than us. After we had lunch and my parents had left, my brother and I started to unload the truck. I grabbed the first load and headed for the shed. I was in the shed putting things away for about ten minutes. My brother was still not back there with another load. I went around the front of the house looking for him when I saw a flash. As I reached the driveway I saw my brother just as he was throwing another match on the driveway. When the match hit the concrete a flare of fire leaped up about five foot and was gone just as fast as it appeared. I immediately forgot about unloading the truck and joined my brother. He explained to me how it worked. He handed me a five-pound can of gunpowder and told me to pour a small pile out on the driveway. After I did and back away he tore out another match from the pack, struck it and threw it on the pile of powder. Again the flash leaped from the driveway. We continued this way, with me pouring and him throwing the match, until we were down to the second to last match. We had to figure out a way to continue before we were out of matches. The Big Bang(personal Account) (tragedy) :: essays research papers The Big Bang   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My lesson about playing with fire was a hard one learned. That one summer day so long ago was one of the longest days in my life. The morning was a normal one. The afternoon was when things started to heat up. That night was one I thought would never end.That morning was one just like any other summer day. The sun was bright and warm. We also had family in from Colorado. My Aunt and Uncle were there with my two cousins. They were planning on staying with us the entire summer. My parents had just installed a 4 1/2 foot above ground swimming pool for all of us to enjoy that summer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  That afternoon every body was up and busy doing their own things. My brother and I were out in the neighborhood playing with our friends. When we came home for lunch my dad asked us to unload his truck and put everything in the shed. My parents, aunt and uncle were leaving to go out for the evening. They were leaving us in the care of my cousins who are several years older than us. After we had lunch and my parents had left, my brother and I started to unload the truck. I grabbed the first load and headed for the shed. I was in the shed putting things away for about ten minutes. My brother was still not back there with another load. I went around the front of the house looking for him when I saw a flash. As I reached the driveway I saw my brother just as he was throwing another match on the driveway. When the match hit the concrete a flare of fire leaped up about five foot and was gone just as fast as it appeared. I immediately forgot about unloading the truck and joined my brother. He explained to me how it worked. He handed me a five-pound can of gunpowder and told me to pour a small pile out on the driveway. After I did and back away he tore out another match from the pack, struck it and threw it on the pile of powder. Again the flash leaped from the driveway. We continued this way, with me pouring and him throwing the match, until we were down to the second to last match. We had to figure out a way to continue before we were out of matches.

Scm in Petroleum Industry

International Journal of Global Logistics & Supply Chain Management. Vol. 1, No. 2, 1 November 2006, 90 – 97. Supply Chain Management in the Petroleum Industry: Challenges and Opportunities RAED HUSSAIN Department of Quantitative Methods & Information Systems, Kuwait University, Kuwait TIRAVAT ASSAVAPOKEE Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Houston, Texas, U. S. A. BASHEER KHUMAWALA Department of Decision and Information Sciences, University of Houston, Texas, U.S. A. Supply chain management in the petroleum industry contains various challenges, specifically in the logistics area, that are not present in most other industries. These logistical challenges are a major influence on the cost of oil and its derivatives. However, opportunities for cost savings in logistics still do exist. Giant oil and petrochemical companies are undertaking a â€Å"swap† practice that saves companies millions of dollars.The objective of this paper is to shed some light on the supply chain challenges and opportunities in the petroleum industry and on swap practices that have long been employed by petroleum industry’s giants around the world, such as BP, BASF, Honeywell, Nova, and much more, yet have long been ignored in the operations management literature. Keywords: Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Petroleum Industry, The Swap Practice 1.Introduction The steadily increasing global demand for oil and its derivatives such as petrochemicals has enabled companies providing these products to reach more customers and increase their market share and profitability. This boom in global demand along with the ease of international trade and the inflexibility1 involved in the petroleum industry’s supply chain has made its management more complex and more challenging (Coia, 1999; Morton, 2003). Despite the importance of supply chain management and its growing complexity, the petroleum industry is still in the development stage of efficiently managin g their supply chains.In fact, according to Steve Welsh, a managing director of the College of Petroleum and Energy Studies at the University of Oxford, the oil and petrochemical industry’s insight into the supply chain is still in its infancy (Schwartz, 2000). However, even with the inflexibility and complexity involved in the industry’s supply chain, there is a lot of room for improvement and cost reduction, specifically in its logistics area. Werner Paratorius, president of BASF’s petrochemicals division said â€Å"Supply chain management is the backbone of a business where logistics costs can be greater than manufacturing costs† (Whitfield, 2004, p. R12).By the end of 2004, world-wide demand for oil reached 75 million barrels per day and has been projected to increase at a rate of 2 percent per year over the next ten years. For example, China’s demand for energy alone is expected to grow at a rate of 4. 5 percent per year for the next five year s and reach four million barrels by 2010. However, due to recent political unrest in the Middle East, which is the largest oil producing region, sustainable oil supply has become highly unpredictable. Oil and petrochemicals companies are forced to maintain higher safety stocks and search for alternative sources of supplies (Ikram, 2004).Inflexibility in the supply chain is the constraints involved along the chain, such as long lead-times, manufacturing capacity, and limited means of transportation, that are hard to change. 1 Commodities such as oil, gas, and petrochemicals require specific modes of transportation such as pipelines, vessels or tankers, and railroads. These commodities are produced in specific and limited regions of the world, yet they are demanded all over the globe since they represent an essential source of energy and raw material for a large number of other industries.Several weeks lead-time from the shipping point to the final customers’ location is very c ommon in this type of industry. For example, it takes five weeks for the Persian Gulf’s oil to make its way to the United States and up to another three weeks for it to be processed and delivered (Schwartz, 2000). Opening new production sites or distribution centers closer to dispersed customers is one way to reduce the lead time and transportation costs. However, the acquisition of such facilities in the oil and petrochemical industries, if feasible, is typically very costly and often results in higher inventory and operating costs (Hebert, 2004).Red Cavaney, president of the American Petroleum Institute, said â€Å"Most companies are unlikely to undertake the significant investment needed to even begin the process† (Hebert, 2004) These factors are pushing oil and petrochemicals companies to either absorb the increase in costs or pass the costs on to customers who are already facing increasing prices. Companies therefore have recognized that improved supply chain effi ciencies represent a huge area for cost savings, specifically in the logistics area; they are estimated to be an average between 10 and 20 percent of revenues (Hamilton, 2003).Also, companies believe that the supply chain in which they participate as customers and suppliers is what creates competition rather than individual companies (Whitfield, 2004; Lange, 2004; Morton, 2003; Bianchi, 2003; Collins, 1999; Coia, 1999). Despite the importance of the petroleum industry in our daily life and the operational challenges it involves, unfortunately the topic has received very little attention in operations and supply chain management literature. The objective of this paper, therefore, is to shed some light on challenges and opportunities in the petroleum industry’s supply chain management.Our discussion will focus on a practice that has been saving companies millions of dollars but has long escaped the attention it deserves from academia. The practice is referred to as systematic c ooperative reciprocal barter (also called â€Å"swaps†) (Haberman, 2002). 2. Supply Chain Management in the Petroleum Industry Before getting into any further discussion of supply chain management in the petroleum industry, it is important to first clarify the industry background and its production process. A brief explanation is available in the appendix. The supply chain of the petroleum industry is extremely complex compared to other industries.It is divided into two different, yet closely related, major segments: the upstream and downstream supply chains. The upstream supply chain involves the acquisition of crude oil, which is the specialty of the oil companies. The upstream process includes the exploration, forecasting, production, and logistics management of delivering crude oil from remotely located oil wells to refineries. The downstream supply chain starts at the refinery, where the crude oil is manufactured into the consumable products that are the specialty of ref ineries and petrochemical companies.The downstream supply chain involves the process of forecasting, production, and the logistics management of delivering the crude oil derivatives to customers around the globe. Challenges and opportunities exist now in both the upstream and downstream supply chains. 3. Challenges in the Supply Chain 3. 1. Logistical Challenges The logistics network in the petroleum industry is highly inflexible, which arises from the production capabilities of crude oil suppliers, long transportation lead times, and the limitations of modes of transportation.Every point in the network, therefore, represents a major challenge (Jenkins and Wright. 1998). The oil and petrochemical industries are global in nature. As a result, these commodities and products are transferred between locations that are—in many cases—continents apart. The long distance between supply chain partners and slow modes of transportation induce not only high transportation costs an d in-transit inventory, but also high inventory carrying costs in terms of safety stocks at the final customer location.The great distances between supply chain partners present a high variability of transportation times that can hurt suppliers in terms of service levels and final customers in terms of safety stock costs. Moreover, the transportation process is carried out either by ships, trucks, pipelines, or railroads. In many instances, a shipment has to exploit multiple transportation modes before reaching the final customer’s location. â€Å"Very few industries 91 deal with that kind of complexity in shipping,† said Doug Houseman, a senior manager at the consulting firm Accenture (Morton, 2003, p. 1). Such constraints on transportation modes in this type of industry induce long lead times from the shipping point to the final customers’ location compared to other industries. Hence, considering the amount of inflexibility involved, meeting the broadening pro spect of oil demand and its derivates while maintaining high service-levels and efficiency is a major challenge in the petroleum industry. 3. 2. Other Challenges The logistics function is only one of many areas that affect supply chain performance in the petroleum industry.Integrated process management, information systems and information sharing, organizational restructuring, and cultural reorientation are as equally important (Ikram, 2004). The need for integrated processes all the way from procurement of raw materials to the delivery of the final product is crucial for a company’s success. â€Å"Manufacturing efficiency alone does not ensure a competitive advantage anymore,† said Paratorius, president of BASF’s petrochemicals division (Whitfield, 2004, p. R12). The industry lags behind in using integrated planning across the supply chain.This type of disintegration in the supply chain can increase the cost of acquiring crude oil, which will eventually affect gas prices for consumers (Coia, 1999). Also, due to the globalization of the petroleum industry supply chain, sophisticated information technology is essential for smooth information flow considering the complexity of the logistics network in such an industry. Companies’ relationships in supply chain networks are directly related to the effective use of information technology (Guimaraes, Cook, and Natarajan, 2002).A data flow diagram (DFD) was developed by Hull in 2001 to improve supply chain information flow reliability of the Alaskan North Slope Oil supply chain. The study showed that using the DFD helped to realize the importance of the relationship between scheduling and dispatching (synchronization). By using the DFD to examine the information flow, overall supply chain efficiency was improved and distortion,2 which is greatly related to supply chain structure, was greatly reduced.Moreover, the generic DFD developed offers a template for modeling any supply chain or logi stics activity, whether it is a push, pull, or a hybrid push/pull system (Hull, 2001). Sophisticated information technology is also essential for petroleum industries due to security needs. Petroleum companies ship a great deal of hazardous products, and supply chain partners (suppliers and customers) must be aware of the locations of each shipment at any point in time. According to Houseman at Accenture, chemical companies are considering wireless technology to track their shipments (Morton, 2003).Another challenge in the petroleum industry supply chain is the attitude and anxiety regarding collaboration and information sharing between supply chain partners. While collaboration and information sharing represent a crucial factor for supply chain efficiency, â€Å"companies in the petroleum industry are sometimes cautious when it comes to sharing their demand/costs information,† said Salah Al-Kharraz, a supply chain director at Equate Petrochemicals (Personal Communication, 23 December 2004). This type of parsimony regarding collaboration and sharing demand/costs information can waste opportunities for costs saving.Improved supply chain efficiency in the petroleum industry, therefore, needs a new philosophy in collaboration, even if this means working with competitors. â€Å"Collaboration, information sharing, and asset optimization require the greatest mind change because chemical producers and LSPs would have to work with their competitors, as well as with other operators in the supply chain,† said Phil Browitt, CEO of AGILITY, a logistics firm (Young, 2005, p. 10). The acquisition of sophisticated information technology, although necessary, can only do so much if it is not supported by a cultural change.The next section will discuss an opportunity, specifically a practice that has been saving companies millions of dollars in the petroleum industry’s supply chain, yet has not received the attention it deserves in academia. 4. Opportunitie s in the Supply Chain and Swap Practices In an effort to manage their supply chain and reduce costs, oil and petrochemical companies are outsourcing3 their logistics4 functions. As the trend in outsourcing has grown, these companies have become increasinglyDistortion in Hull’s paper is the â€Å"bullwhip effect† established by the well-known beer game developed by Sterman (1989) and Senge (1990). 3 Outsourcing takes place when an organization transfers the ownership of a business process to a supplier. 92 2 reliant on the services of third-party5 logistics companies for managing their supply chains (Collins, 1999). Companies in the petroleum industry, however, took the outsourcing idea one step further and found that one way of outsourcing their logistics functions is to ally and collaborate with competitors.This form of collaboration is referred to as a systematic cooperative reciprocal barter (also called â€Å"swaps† or â€Å"exchanges†) of supplies, a ssets, market share, or even the entire business among competitors (O’Dwyer, 1988; Robert, 1995; Gain, 1997; Alperowicz, 2001; Sim, 2002). However, despite the significant advantages this practice has generated for companies, a defined model for making such decisions does not exist. The subject has barely received any attention in the operations management literature.Currently, no specific method has been adopted to determine when companies should attempt to make swap decisions. An interview with supply chain directors in two international petrochemical companies that have been involved in swapping with their competitors for the past few years revealed that the only methods used are judgmental6 methods and spreadsheets. Although judgmental approaches may improve accuracy in many decision-making problems, they should not be the only methods employed. The use of only such approaches cannot guarantee an optimal solution. 4. 1.The Swap Practice In a commodity-type industry such a s oil and petrochemicals, the source of the commodity is often of no interest to the final customer as long as the commodity adheres to its required specifications and the delivery of that commodity is made by the promised due date. Therefore, competing oil and petrochemical companies form supply chain alliances when delivering commodities to customers in order to reduce transportation and inventory costs and improve customer service. In return, cost savings for transportation in the overall supply chain are shared among participating companies.This form of collaboration is referred to as shipment swapping. This kind of collaboration with competitors creates a shared solution to common supply chain obstacles and is predicted to be the â€Å"Next Big Thing† (Morton, 2003). The swapping technique is currently applied by oil and petrochemical companies around the world in all of its different forms: asset swapping, business swapping, and shipment swapping. However, because of th e absence of any general analytical discussion of swap practices in the literature, we first provide examples from the oil and petrochemicals industry for each form of swap practice being used.This is done to illustrate the advantages of collaboration among competitors. Due to brevity, only the more recent examples of such practices are discussed here. 4. 2. Asset Swapping In 2001, BP became the largest olefins producer in Germany after an asset swap with E. ON, a German utility company. Following the deal, BP took over Veba Oel, E. ON’s oil, refining, and petrochemicals business, and E. ON bought BP’s 25 percent stake in Ruhrgas, Germany’s largest gas distributor. The deal gave BP 2. 1 million tons of ethylene7 capacity in Germany, which is about 40 percent of the country’s total, and ave E. ON control of one of the largest gas distribution networks in Germany (Milmo, 2001). In 2003, BASF, a leading German chemical company, and Honeywell signed a long-te rm deal under which BASF will supply Honeywell with nylon chips and Honeywell will supply BASF with specialty nylon and nylon co-polymers8. Since Honeywell has a strong presence in electrical and tooling applications and BASF is strong in the automotive sector, the deal has benefited both companies in their business specialties. For example, in 2003 the deal raised BASF’s market share in nylon from 9 percent to 35 percent and gaveLogistics is the process of planning, implementing, and controlling the efficient, cost-effective flow and storage of raw material, in-process inventory, finished goods, and related information from point of origin to point of consumption to conform to customer requirements (Council of Logistics Management, 1998, p. 2). 5 Third-party logistics is the use of an outside company to perform all or part of the firm’s materials management and product distribution function. 6 A judgmental method is the use of people’s opinions when making deci sions. 7 Ethylene is a colorless gas at room temperature.At very low temperatures, it is a liquid. It is used as a refrigerant and in welding and cutting metals. It is also used to manufacture ethylene oxide, mustard gas, and other organics and to accelerate the ripening of fruits. 8 When a polymer chain-like molecule is made by linking only one type of small molecule together, it is called a homopolymer. When two different types of molecules are joined in the same polymer chain, it is called a co-polymer. 93 4 Honeywell the chance to concentrate on carpet, apparel, and fabrics for automotive upholstery. Honeywell plans to eventually sell the nylon business (Sim, 2003).More recently, the Kuwait Petroleum Company (KPC) and the Iraqi Oil Institute (SOMO) signed a comprehensive memorandum of understanding related to exchanges of shipments of Kuwaiti benzene and diesel with Iraqi natural gas. The swap will be implemented in two phases. Thirty-five million cubic feet of Iraqi natural gas will be supplied daily to Kuwait for about one year at an estimated cost of U. S. $24 million during the first phase. Then, 165 million cubic feet of natural gas will be supplied daily to Kuwait for about two years at an estimated cost of U. S. 700 million dollars during the second phase. Meanwhile, Kuwait will supply Iraq with oil derivatives, benzene, and diesel, ranging from two to three million liters of benzene and 1. 3 to 1. 5 million liters of diesel daily (Alshalan, 2004). The outcome of this agreement is expected to significantly benefit both countries. Kuwait produces a relatively modest volume of natural gas (around 293 billion cubic feet––Bcf––in 2002), the vast majority of which is â€Å"associated gas. †9 Prior to the 1990-1991 Gulf War, Kuwait received significant volumes of natural gas from Iraq.The gas came from Iraq’s southern Rumaila field through a 40-inch, 100-mile, 300 Mmcf/d pipeline to Kuwait’s central manifol d at Ahmadi. The gas was used for the production of petrochemicals, electricity, and water through desalination processes. With such uses of natural gas, the Kuwaiti-Iraqi swapping deal could free up a substantial amount of oil to Kuwait, possibly 100,000 barrels per day (bbl/d) for export by 2006, which is presently used for similar purposes. For example, 65,000 bbl/d of fuel oil is currently used to generate electric power in Kuwait.Throughout most of the 1990s, Iraq generally did not have access to the latest state-of-the-art oil industry technology. Saybolt International reported that Iraq oil companies, NOC and SOC, were able to increase their oil production through the use of short-term techniques not generally considered acceptable in the oil industry (i. e. , â€Å"water flooding,† the injection of refined oil products into crude reservoirs). In addition, a U. N. report in June 2001 stated that Iraqi oil production capacity would fall sharply unless technical and infr astructure problems were addressed.Moreover, Iraq’s southern oil industry was decimated in the 1990-1991 Gulf War, with production capacity falling to 75,000 bbl/d in mid-1991. The Gulf War resulted in the destruction of (a) gathering centers and compression/degassing stations at Rumaila; (b) storage facilities, including the 1. 6 million bbl/d (nameplate capacity) Mina al-Bakr/Basra export terminal; and (c) pumping stations along the 1. 4 million bbl/d (pre-war capacity) Iraqi Strategic (North-South) Pipeline. Seven other sizable fields remain damaged or partially mothballed.These include Zubair, Luhais, Suba, Buzurgan, Abu Ghirab, and Fauqi. Generally speaking, oil field development plans were put on hold following Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, with Iraqi efforts focused on maintaining production at existing fields. At the present time, problems with Iraq’s refineries––stemming largely from post-war looting and sabotage in addition to power outagesà ¢â‚¬â€œÃ¢â‚¬â€œcontinue to force the country to import gasoline, diesel, liquid petroleum gas (LPG), and other refined products from neighboring countries (Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey).As of October 2004, Oil Minister Ghadban said that Iraqi gasoline imports were running around 40,000 bbl/d (mainly by truck), costing the country U. S. $60 million per month in direct costs. This does not include the additional cost of steep government subsidies on the consumer price of gasoline, which runs around 10 cents per gallon. It is estimated that overall direct and indirect oil subsidies cost Iraq U. S. $8 billion per year, with no indication as to when this problem might be resolved (Country Analysis Brief, March 2004).As a result, both countries are expected to benefit from the swapping agreement; Iraq will secure current and future needs of oil, benzene, and diesel and Kuwait will use the natural gas for the production of petrochemicals, electricity, and water while freeing up a substantial amount of oil for exportation. 4. 3. Swapping Businesses In 1997, PPG Industries, a specialty chemical company, exchanged its surfactants10 business for BASF’s packaging coatings business. This swap resulted in the growth of PPG’s portfolio and led to the expansion of geographic opportunities for the coating business.Moreover, this swap enabled PPG to become one of the world’s largest suppliers of package coating for food, aerosols, and other container and packaging applications. On the other hand, this business swap made it possible for BASF to expand its surfactants offerings for the food, personal care, and coatings industries (Gain, 1997). 9 10 Associated gas is found and produced in conjunction with oil. Surfactants are also known as wetting agents and may be liquids or powders. Surfactants are used in aqueous cleaners to provide detergency, emulsification, and wetting action. 4 Similarly, BP swapped its polyethylene glycol11 (PEG) ether brake fluid business for the butyl glycol ether12 (BGE) solvents operation belonging to Clariant, a Swiss specialty chemical company. However, this swapping deal was restricted only to the exchange of customer lists and contracts. No manufacturing units, staff, or cash transfer between the two companies took place. Clariant discontinued production of BGE at Gendorf, Germany, and BP discontinued manufacturing brake fluids at Lavera.The deal broadened the range of products that Clariant supplied to the automotive industry and enabled BP to better utilize the Lavera BGE plant (Alperowicz, 2001). 4. 4. Swapping Shipments During 2000, a swapping arrangement of liquid natural gas took place among Spain, Algeria, and Trinidad. Spain’s Gas Natural became the first European LNG buyer to resell LNG to the U. S. market. This gas had been sold to Gas Natural by Atlantic LNG of Trinidad. At the same time, Algerian LNG dedicated to the United States was delivered to Spain, reducing shipping cha rges for all parties.In 2001, these swaps developed into a more permanent arrangement with the signing of a contract between Sonatrach of Algeria, Gas Natural of Spain, Tractebel LNG North America in the United States, and Distrigas of Belgium. Companies with interests on both sides of the Atlantic gained an advantage over others, enabling them to react faster to any market opportunity (Gandolphe, 2002). Moreover, Nova Chemicals, a Canadian chemical company, and BASF entered a swap deal for styrene13 in which Nova supplied BASF in North America and BASF supplied Nova in Europe.This agreement provided each company with a stable supply of styrene without committing either one to significant investments. The deal also gave each company a low-cost styrene position for their PS (Sim, 2002). Another swap example is between world-class Indian polymer manufacturers Haldia Petrochemicals Ltd. (HPL) and GAIL Ltd. , India’s principal gas transmission and marketing company. The two compa nies entered into a product swapping and sharing arrangement that forced other polymer sellers in eastern and northern India to retreat from the market.Under this swapping agreement, both companies gained substantial savings on freight costs. Gail supplied HPL’s customers in northern India from its plant in Uttar Pradesh, and HPL served Gail’s customers in eastern and southeastern Asia by supplying them from the Haldia plant (Saha, 2003). 5. Conclusion More efficient and cost effective supply chain practices in the petroleum industry represent important factors for maintaining continuous supplies of crude oil, the reduction of lead times, and lowering of production and distribution costs.Due to the inflexibility involved in the petroleum industry’s supply chain network, logistics represent a great challenge. However, it is only one of several challenging factors. Integrated process management, information systems and information sharing, organizational restructu ring, and cultural reorientation are equally important. Despite the great challenges in the petroleum industry’s supply chain, opportunities for improvements and cost savings do exist along the supply chain. One major area for improvement and cost savings lies in the logistics function.Companies in the petroleum industry have become increasingly reliant on the services of third-party logistics companies to manage their supply chains. Companies in the petroleum industry took the outsourcing idea a step further to collaborate with competitors and found shared solutions to their supply chain challenges. This form of collaboration is referred to as a systematic cooperative reciprocal barter, or swaps. Collaboration among competing companies in the form of swaps is a practice that can offer companies huge savings and introduce new opportunities.However, despite its wide use and benefits, especially in the oil and petrochemical industries, the subject has not received the attention it deserves in the operations management literature. Currently, judgmental methods and the aid of spreadsheets are the only approaches utilized when attempting swap decisions. Although great savings are realized by companies using swap practices, the 11 Polyethylene glycol is a non-toxic chemical used in a variety of products such as skin creams, toothpaste, shampoos, etc. 12 Butyl glycol ether is a widely-used solvent for many applications. 3 Styrene is a chemical molecule used in polystyrene manufacturing, the rubber industry, and the reinforced plastic industry. 95 approaches used for making such decisions cannot guarantee an optimal solution, and hence, opportunities to utilize the full capability of swap practices are not fully exploited. Therefore, the next step would be the utilization of management science techniques, presumably mathematical/simulations models. These methods will significantly enhance the capability of such forms of collaboration and will represent valuable tools for practitioners to use. . Appendix: Production Process and Industry Background Crude oil and natural gas are the raw materials of the petroleum industry. They are used for the production of petrochemicals and other oil derivatives. After the production of crude oil is complete from oil reserves located deep underground or in sea beds, the crude oil undergoes a distillation14 process. As a result of the distillation process, various fractions of the crude oil are produced, such as fuel gas, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), kerosene, and naphtha. 5 The output of the distillation process is then provided to refineries as feedstocks. These feedstocks are first processed through cracking16 operations before they are supplied to petrochemical plants. Once the cracking process is complete, companies are able to obtain new products that serve as the building blocks of the petrochemical industry, such as olefins (i. e. , mainly ethylene, propylene, and the so-called Carbon (C) derivat ives, including butadiene) and aromatics, which include benzene, toluene, and the xylenes.After the cracking process, petrochemical products such as ethylene, propylene, butadiene, benzene, toluene, and the xylenes are then used at petrochemical plants to produce even more specialized products, such as plastics, soaps and detergents, healthcare products (such as aspirin), synthetic fibers for clothes and furniture, rubbers, paints, and insulating materials. References Alperowicz, N. (2001, August 29 – September 5). BP swap business with Clariant. Chemical Week, 163, 33. Alshalan, M. (2004, December 15). Iraqi gas to Kuwait and Kuwaiti benzene to Iraq. Alwatan, 10368/4814 – Year 43.Bianchi, M. (2003). Getting to the route. 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