Biography of Luigi Galvani, Electrophysiology Pioneer

Biography of Luigi Galvani, Electrophysiology Pioneer Luigi Galvani (September 9, 1737–December 4, 1798) was an  Italian physician who demonstrated what we now understand to be the electrical basis of nerve impulses. In 1780, he accidentally made frog muscles twitch by jolting them with a spark from an electrostatic machine. He went on to develop a theory of animal electricity. Fast Facts: Luigi Galvani Known For:  Demonstrating the electrical basis of nerve impulsesAlso Known As:  Aloysius GalvanusBorn:  September 9, 1737 in Bologna,  Papal StatesParents: Domenico Galvani  and  Barbara Caterina Galvani  Died:  December 4, 1798 in Bologna, Papal StatesEducation: University of Bologna, Bologna, Papal StatesPublished Works: De viribus electricitatis in motu musculari commentarius (Commentary on the Effect of Electricity on Muscular Motion)Spouse: Lucia Galeazzi Galvani  Notable Quote: I was fired with incredible zeal and desire of having the same experience, and of bringing to light whatever might be concealed in the phenomenon. Therefore I myself also applied the point of a scalpel to one or other crural nerve at a time when one or other of those who were present elicited a spark. The phenomenon always occurred in the same manner: violent contraction in individual muscles of the limbs, just as if the prepared animal had been seized with tetanus, were induced at the same moment of time in which sparks were discharged. Early Life and Education Luigi Galvani was born in Bologna, Italy, on September 9, 1737. As a young man he wished to take religious vows, but his parents persuaded him to go to university instead. He studied at the University of Bologna, where he earned his degree in medicine and philosophy in 1759. Work and Research After graduation, he supplemented his own research and practice as an honorary lecturer at the university. His earliest published papers covered a wide range of topics, from the anatomy of bones to the urinary tracts of birds. By the end of the 1760s, Galvani had married Lucia Galeazzi, the daughter of a former professor. They had no children. Galvani became a professor of anatomy and surgery at the university, taking the position of his father-in-law after he died. In the 1770s, Galvani’s focus shifted from anatomy to the relationship between electricity and life. Great Discovery As with many scientific discoveries, a colorful story is told about the accidental revelation of bioelectricity. According to Galvani himself, one day he observed his assistant using a scalpel on a nerve in a frog’s leg. When a nearby electric generator created a spark, the frog’s leg twitched. This observation prompted Galvani to develop his famous experiment. He spent years testing his hypothesis- that electricity can enter a nerve and force a contraction- with a variety of metals. Animal Electricity Later, Galvani was able to cause muscular contraction without a source of electrostatic charge by touching the frog’s nerve with different metals. After further experimenting with natural (i.e., lightning) and artificial (i.e., friction) electricity, he concluded that animal tissue contained its own innate vital force, which he termed animal electricity. He believed animal electricity to be a third form of electricity- a view that wasn’t altogether uncommon in the 18th century. While these findings were revelatory, astonishing many in the scientific community at the time, it took a contemporary of Galvani’s, Alessandro Volta, to fine-tune the meaning of Galvani’s discoveries. Voltas Response A professor of physics, Volta was among the first to mount a serious response to Galvani’s experiments. Volta proved that the electricity did not emerge from the animal tissue itself, but from the effect produced by the contact of two different metals in a moist environment (a human tongue, for instance). Ironically, our current understanding shows that both scientists were right. Galvani would attempt to respond to Volta’s conclusions by doggedly defending his theory of animal electricity, but the onset of personal tragedies (his wife died in 1790) and the political momentum of the French Revolution prevented him from pursuing his response. Later Life and Death Napoleon’s troops occupied Northern Italy (including Bologna) and in 1797 academics were required to take an oath of allegiance to the republic declared by Napoleon. Galvani refused and was forced to leave his position. Without income, Galvani moved back to his childhood home. He died there on December 4, 1798, in relative obscurity. Legacy Galvani’s influence lives on, not only in the discoveries that his work inspired- like Volta’s eventual development of the electric battery- but in a wealth of scientific terminology as well. A galvanometer is an instrument used to detect electric current. Galvanic corrosion, meanwhile, is an accelerated electrochemical corrosion that occurs when dissimilar metals are placed in electrical contact. Lastly, the term galvanism is used in biology to signify any muscular contraction stimulated by an electrical current. In physics and chemistry, galvanism is the induction of electrical current from a chemical reaction. Galvani has a surprising role in literary history as well. His experiments on frogs evoked a haunting sense of reawakening in the way they motivated movement in a dead animal. Galvanis observations served as a noted inspiration for Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Sources Dibner, Bern.  Galvani-Volta: A Controversy That Led to the Discovery of Useful Electricity. Burndy Library, 1952.Commentary On The Effect Of Electricity On Muscular MotionFull text of .â€Å"Luigi Galvani.†Ã‚  MagLab.

War of the First Coalition in 1790s France

War of the First Coalition in 1790s France The French Revolution led to much of Europe going to war in the mid-1790s. Some belligerents wanted to put Louis XVI back on a throne, many had other agendas like gaining territory or, in the case of some in France, creating a French Republic. A coalition of European powers formed to fight France, but this ‘First Coalition’ was just one of seven which would be needed to bring peace to the majority of Europe. The early phase of that mammoth conflict, the war of the First Coalition, is also known as the French Revolutionary Wars, and they are often overlooked by the arrival of a certain Napoleon Bonaparte, who transformed them into his conflict. The Start of the French Revolutionary Wars By 1791 the French Revolution had transformed France and worked to tear down the powers of the old, nationally absolutist, regime. King Louis XVI was reduced to a form of house arrest. Part of his court hoped that a foreign, royalist army would march into France and restore the king, who had asked for help from abroad. But for many months the other states of Europe refused to help. Austria, Prussia, Russia and the Ottoman Empires had been involved in a series of power struggles in Eastern Europe and had been less worried about the French king than their own jostling for positions until Poland, stuck in the middle, followed France by declaring a new constitution. Austria now tried to form an alliance that would threaten France into submission and stops the eastern rivals from fighting. France and the revolution had thus been sheltered while it progressed but became a useful distraction with land which could be taken. On August 2nd, 1791 the King of Prussia and the Holy Roman Emperor seemed to declare an interest in war when they issued the Declaration of Pillnitz. However, Pillnitz was designed to frighten the French revolutionaries and support the French who supported the king, not start a war. Indeed, the text of the declaration was worded to make war, in theory, impossible. But the emigres, agitating for war, and the revolutionaries, who were both paranoid, took it the wrong way. An official Austro-Prussian alliance was only concluded in February 1792. The other Great Powers were now looking at French hungrily, but this did not automatically mean war. However the emigres - people who had fled France - were promising to return with foreign armies to restore the king, and while Austria turned them down, German princes humored them, upsetting the French and provoking a call for action. There were forces in France (the Girondins or Brissotins) who wanted to take pre-emptive action, hoping that war would enable them to oust the king and declare a republic: the king’s failure to surrender to constitutional monarchy left the door open for him to be replaced. Some monarchists supported the call for war in the hope foreign armies would march in and restore their king. (One opponent of the war was called Robespierre.) On April 20th France’s National Assembly declared war on Austria after the Emperor helpfully tried another careful threat. The result was Europe reacting and the formation of the First Coalition, which was first between Austria and Prussia but was then joined by Britain and Spain. It would take seven coalitions to permanently end the wars now started. The First Coalition was aimed less at ending the revolution and more on gaining territory, and the French less as exporting revolution than getting a republic. The Fall of the King The revolution had wrought havoc on the French forces, as many of the officers had fled the country. The French force was thus an amalgam of the remaining royal army, the patriotic rush of new men, and conscripts. When the Army of the North clashed with the Austrians at Lille they were easily defeated and it cost the French a commander, as Rochambeau quit in protest at the problems he faced. He fared better than General Dillon, who was lynched by his own men. Rochambeau was replaced by the French hero of the American Revolutionary War, Lafayette, but as violence erupted in Paris, he debated whether to march on it and install a new order and when the army wasn’t keen he fled to Austria. France organized four armies to form a defensive cordon. By mid-August, the main coalition army was invading mainland France. Led by Prussia’s Duke of Brunswick it had 80,000 men drawn from central Europe, it took fortresses such as Verdun and closed on Paris. The Army of the Centre seemed like little opposition, and there was a terror in Paris. This was largely due to the fear the Prussian army would flatten Paris and slaughter the residents, a fear caused largely by Brunswick’s promise to do just that if the king or his family were harmed or insulted. Unfortunately, Paris had done exactly that: the crowd had killed their way to the king and taken him prisoner and now feared retribution. Massive paranoia and a fear of traitors also fuelled the panic. It caused a massacre in the prisons and over a thousand dead. The Army of the North, now under Dumouriez had been focusing on Belgium, but marched down to aid the Centre and defend the Argonne; they were pushed back. The Prussian king (also present) gave orders and entered into a battle with the French at Valmy on September 20th, 1792. The French won, Brunswick being unable to commit his army against a larger and well defended French position and so fell back. A determined French effort might have shattered Brunswick, but none came; even so, he withdrew, and the hopes of the French monarchy went with him. A republic was established, in large part due to the war. The rest of the year saw a mixture of French successes and failures, but the revolutionary armies took Nice, Savoy, the Rhineland and in October, under Demouriez, Brussels, and Antwerp after swamping the Austrians at Jemappes. However, Valmy was the victory that would inspire French resolve over the next years. The coalition had moved half-heartedly, and the French had survived. This success left the government to hurriedly come up with some war aims: the so-called ‘Natural Frontiers’ and the idea of freeing oppressed peoples were adopted. This caused further alarm in the international world. 1793 France began 1793 in a belligerent mood, executing their old king and declaring war on Britain, Spain, Russia, the Holy Roman Empire, most of Italy and The United Provinces, despite roughly 75% of their commissioned officers having left the army. The influx of tens of thousands of passionate volunteers helped strengthen the remains of the royal army. However, the Holy Roman Empire decided to go on the offensive and France was now outnumbered; conscription followed, and areas of France rebelled as a result. Prince Frederick of Saxe-Coburg led the Austrians and Dumouriez rushed down from the Austrian Netherlands to fight but was defeated. Dumouriez knew he’d be accused of treason and had had enough, so he asked his army to march on Paris and when they refused fled to the coalition. The next General up - Dampierre - was killed in battle and the next - Custine - was defeated by the enemy and guillotined by the French. All along the borders coalition forces were closing in - f rom Spain, through the Rhineland. The British managed to occupy Toulon when it rebelled, seizing the Mediterranean fleet. France’s government now declared a ‘Levà ©e en Masse’, which basically mobilized/conscripted all adult males for the defense of the nation. There was uproar, rebellion and a flood of manpower, but both the Committee of Public Safety and the France they ruled had the resources to equip this army, the organization to run it, new tactics to make it effective, and it worked. It also started the first Total War and began the Terror. Now France had 500,000 soldiers in four main forces. Carnot, the Committee of Public Safety man behind the reforms was called the ‘organiser of Victory’ for his success, and he may have prioritized an attack in the north. Houchard was now commanding the Army of the North, and he used a mixture of old regime professionalism with sheer weight of conscript numbers, together with coalition mistakes which divided their forces and gave inadequate support, to force the coalition back, but he also fell to French guillotines after accusations doubting his effort: he was accused of not follow up victory quick enough. Jourdan was the next man up. He relieved the siege of Maubeuge and won the battle of Wattignies in October 1793, while Toulon was liberated thanks, in part, to an artillery officer called Napoleon Bonaparte. The rebel army in the Vendà ©e was broken, and the frontiers generally forced back east. By the end of the year the provinces were broken, Flanders cleared, France expanding, and Alsace liberated. The French army was proving fast, flexible, well supported and able to absorb more losses than the enemy, and could thus fight more often. 1794 In 1794 France reorganized armies and moved commanders about, but the successes kept coming. Victories at Tourcoing, Tournai, and Hooglede occurred before Jourdan once more took control, and the French were finally able to successfully cross the Sambre after many attempts, beating Austria at Fleurus, and by the end of June had thrown the allies out of Belgium and the Dutch Republic, taking Antwerp and Brussels. Centuries of Austrian involved in the region had been halted. Spanish forces were repelled and parts of Catalonia taken, the Rhineland was also taken, and the borders of France were now safe; parts of Genoa were now also French. The French soldiers were constantly boosted by patriotic propaganda and a huge number of texts sent out to them. France was still producing more soldiers and more equipment than its rivals, but they also executed 67 generals that year. However, the revolutionary government didn’t dare disband the armies and let these soldiers flood back into France to destabilize the nation, and neither could the faltering French finances support the armies on French soil. The solution was to carry the war abroad, ostensibly to safeguard the revolution, but also to get the glory and booty the government needed for support: the motives behind the French actions had already changed before Napoleon arrived. However, the success in 1794 had been partly due to war breaking out again in the east, as Austria, Prussia, and Russia sliced up a Poland fighting to survive; it lost and was taken off the map. Poland had in many ways helped France by distracting and dividing the coalition, and Prussia scaled -down war efforts in the west, happy with gains in the east. Meanwhile, Britain was sucking up French colonies, the French navy is unable to work at sea with a devastated officer corps. 1795 France was now able to capture more of the northwest coastline, and conquered and changed Holland into the new Batavian Republic (and took its fleet). Prussia, satisfied with Polish land, gave up and came to terms, as did a number of other nations, until only Austria and Britain remained at war with France. Landings designed to aid French rebels - such as at Quiberon - failed, and Jourdan’s attempts to invade Germany were frustrated, in no small part to a French commander following others and fleeing to the Austrians. At the end of the year, the government in France changed to the Directory and a new constitution. This government gave the executive - Five Directors - too little power over war, and they had to manage a legislature which continually preached spreading the revolution by force. While the Directors were, in many ways, keen on the war, their options were limited, and their control over their generals questionable. They planned a two front campaign: attack Britai n through Ireland, and Austria on land. A storm stopped the former, while the Franco-Austrian war in Germany went back and forth. 1796 The French forces were now split largely between operations in Italy and Germany, all aimed at Austria, the only major enemy left on the mainland. The Directory hoped Italy would provide plunder and land to be exchanged for territory in Germany, where Jourdan and Moreau (who both had priority) were fighting a new enemy commander: Archduke Charles of Austria; he had 90,000 men. The French force was disadvantaged as they lacked cash and supplies, and the target region had suffered several years of depredation by the armies. Jourdan and Moreau advanced into Germany, at which point Charles tried to force them apart before the Austrians united and attacked. Charles managed to defeat Jourdan first at Amberg in late August and again at Wà ¼rzberg in early September, and the French agreed an armistice having been pushed back to the Rhone. Moreau decided to follow suit. Charles’ campaign was marked by sending his surgeon over to assist a famed and injured French General. In Italy, Napoleon Bonaparte was given the command. He stormed through the region, winning battle after battle against armies who divided their forces. 1797 Napoleon secured control of northern Italy and fought his way close enough to Austria’s capital of Vienna to make them come to terms. Meanwhile, in Germany, without Archduke Charles - who had been sent to face Napoleon - the Austrians were pushed back by French forces before Napoleon had forced the peace in the south. Napoleon dictated the peace himself, and the Treaty of Campo Formio expanded the boundaries of France (they kept Belgium) and created new states (Lombardy joined the new Cisalpine Republic) and left the Rhineland for a conference to decide. Napoleon was now the most famous general in Europe. The only major French setback was a naval battle at Cape St. Vincent, where one Captain Horatio Nelson assisted a British victory over French and allied ships, which were notionally readying for an invasion of Britain. With Russia far away and pleading financial weakness, only Britain remained both at war and close to France.

Evolution of Policing through the 20th century Research Paper

Evolution of Policing through the 20th century - Research Paper Example This paper will discuss the various changes that have occurred in the policing process. The paper will also discuss the intelligence based policing that has been adopted and which has transformed the policing process. The intelligence based policing makes use of information gathered and analyzed in an attempt to reduce crime. The paper will also suggest an effective policing strategy. The process of policing and law enforcement has evolved over time to the present state where the law enforcement agencies and departments are trained and highly specialized to enable them to face various problems and situations. The evolution of policing has seen the interaction between the community and the police and law enforcement agencies undergo major transformations (Palmiotto, 2011). Traditionally, the law enforcement and policing was modeled on the England system of policing. The law enforcement agencies had the mission of controlling and preventing crime and adopted a strategy that allowed preventive patrol. In the policing process, there was an emphasis on the protection of the individual’s liberty, which could effectively limit police authority. The policing process has however undergone some major changes in the process to evolve to meet the needs of the community (Skogan & Kathleen, 1997). The evolution of policing beyond the boundaries of the country has also been taking place at a rapid pace. There have been rapid expansions in the process of international policing as the world continues to open its borders and threats of terrorism continue to affect more countries. In the 20th century, there has been the advancement of international institutions that deal with the deployment d international forces (Skogan & Kathleen 1997). Such international agencies include NATO and the United Nations. The police forces in different countries have evolved to the point where they have structures in place to enable exchange of information for

ConocoPhillips Internal Business Analysis Essay

ConocoPhillips Internal Business Analysis - Essay Example ConocoPhillips Corporation was founded in 1875 as Continental Oil and Transportation Co. which at that time was one of the first Petroleum makers (ConocoPhillips, 2007). The company has grown a lot in 132 years and in 2006 it had annual sales of over $188 billion, operates in over 40 countries and employees nearly 38,000 people. It is a publicly traded fortune 500 company that has achieved tremendous growth during the 21st century. Its main line of business includes petroleum production and refining, natural gas, chemicals and plastics. The company is recognized worldwide for its technological expertise, deepwater exploration and production, reservoir management and exploitation, 3D seismic technology, high-grade petroleum coke upgrading and sulfur removal (ConocoPhillips, 2007). The company has a very strong crude oil, natural gases and liquid gases operation. It is its strongest line of business. In 2006 the company produced 976,000 barrel of crude oil per day (DB), 4.97 billion cubic feet of gas per day (BCFC), and 136,000 DB of gas liquids daily (Annual Report, 2007). The company has a competitive advantage in this market because they control all sides of the supply chain. They explore, produce, refine, distribute and market the product. They have great logistics which is helped by its physical presence in 40 nations. They own 69.5 million net developed and underdeveloped acres of land in 23 countries for production and exploration purposes (Annual Report, 2007). ConocoPhillips Corporation extended its market share in the natural gases market by acquiring Burlington Resources. The move was also extremely beneficial because it allowed the company to gain access to life-long reserve of natural gases in the North American market. The company has some weakness and faces certain threats related to industry conditions. As a publicly traded company ConocoPhillips Corporation has lost access to direct foreign investments funds

Implementing ERP Solution Projects in SMBs Essay Example for Free

Implementing ERP Solution Projects in SMBs Essay Managing and developing intellectual capital in many of today’s organizations is becoming the greatest asset. Different firms of different sizes operating in different sectors are seeking a way of performing this task effectively and efficiently. Among the different tools under considerations, many consider Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software packages essential tools to effectively manage, retain and share knowledge among stakeholders at all echelons. ERP implementation causes changes to the receiving organization given its comprehensiveness and integrity. As a result challenges which results into additional risks and realization of new opportunities arise and proper action must be taken to avert or reinforce the challenge for better results. ERP solution system is as an opportunity for business entities whether small or large to use software applications that are specifically designed to upgrade the various business functions and attain the best business practices (Markus and Tanis, 2000, Marnewick and Labuschagne, 2005). Effective implementation of ERP software applications ensures that the major functional parts of a business enterprise are linked together in a common amalgamated software system (Sandoe et al, 2001, Rao 2000). This process makes it possible for the business activities to be instigated more efficiently and cooperation among the workers becomes more effective through the interactive information system. The process of implementing ERP in Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs) is beset with extra challenges and opportunities due to their specialty. The SMBs have limited financial and human resources, limited experience in project management and sometimes limited managerial competencies which determines the agility of their operations. Problem Statement Implementing ERP, projects require specialized application because they affect the receiving organization to different degrees. In implementing an ERP, solution divisions and departments within an organization have to be integrated into a single business platform, which affects the business model and the organization culture (Markus and Tanis, 2000). This makes the project risky and intricate. Due to global business factors, economic expansion and IT revolution ERP solutions are becoming a requirement for business success. SMBs being key players in the economic activity are not left out in this competition. However, the process and success stories of ERP solutions in SMBs is lacking as past studies mainly focused on the large scale enterprises ERP solution process and application. In addition, the present trend of ERP solution project implementation by SMBs in the diverse business sectors and industries calls for the exploration of the opportunities and challenges of Implementing ERP Solution Projects in SMBs to pave way for the identification of ways of avoiding or minimizing losses in the implementation process (Soh et al, 2000). SMBs organization structures and organizational cultures are not all well defined. This coupled with the rigidity of the organization structure and culture present serious challenges to the implementation of ERP projects in SMBs. Additionally ERP projects are more successful in easy to change and agile organizations. However, unlike in large companies, the senior management team of the SMBs is normally part of the daily business operations and lacks in-depth knowledge and skills necessary to have organized long-term plans for the business and even the adoption of ERP solution projects. Similarly low capital base and lack of properly trained personnel have remained a major setback in the running of the functions of SMBs. This problem is compounded by lack of sufficient funds to sustain training and engage quality consultants in such trainings. According to Sandoe et al (2001) many SMBs lack dedicated IT staff able to perform the risk management function exposing major business operations to unnecessary risks. Likewise, within internal functions of a SMB, organizational changes that would give room for adoption of technology are limited due to lack of unused resources. The impact of unsuccessful implementation of ERP solution to a SMB are said to be greater to the entire operations of the business enterprise while the success of wisely implemented ERP system will have a whole organizational positive impact (Rao 2000).

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Photographers probably take more pictures of people than any other subject. Whether you prefer carefully posed (and composed) photos or more of a candid style, there are a variety of lenses in the Canon EF system that can produce excellent results. Traditionally, photographers have relied upon moderate telephotos for portraits, lenses such as the 85mm f/1.8 USM or 100mm f/2.0 USM. These lenses allow you to back off a little bit from your subject, and still produce frame-filling shots while minimizing the amount of background distractions. Furthermore, they're extremely sharp and fast — ideal for low-light conditions. Zoom lenses such as the 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 USM, which include these focal lengths, work well in situations where you have a bit more available light. In situations where you want to interact with and control your subject, and minimize the effect of your background, short-to-moderate telephoto lenses may be the ideal choice. Longer telephoto lenses may be preferable if you are outdoors and can stand farther back from your subject, and are the lenses of choice if you prefer a candid approach. Zooms like the 75-300mm f/4-5.6 (especially the IS version, with its Image Stabilization that permits sharp hand-held shots in lower light levels), or the professional L-series 70-200mm zooms, are versatile choices that allow you to back off and also tend to throw backgrounds out of focus — a useful technique that pros have used to concentrate upon the subject. Fixed focal length telephotos, like the superb 135mm f/2.0L, 200mm f/2.8L, or 300mm f/4L IS, combine these benefits with outstanding sharpness and autofocus speed. Don't forget that sometimes including more background in a photo to lend a sense of "place" and tell the viewer something about the subject can be extremely effective. Wide-angle lenses, often ignored for portraits, can be an excellent way to communicate this if you're willing to move in relatively close to your subject.

American Beauty Film Critique Essay

There are few films that achieve the high level of quality exhibited by that of the 1990 beautiful tragedy, American Beauty. The film is a true masterpiece in both content and how this content is delivered to the viewers. It excels at being an enlightening and relevant drama about American life, and never fails to keep the audience entertained by providing many instances of well-placed humor. Every scene is filmed including metaphoric elements that not only show great stylistic and aesthetics, but also create a mood and feeling for the theme of the movie. American Beauty, directed by Sam Mendes, is a film that is set in suburban America, in a normal neighbourhood, following the everyday life of the central protagonist, Lester Burnham, who is living the typical ‘American Dream’. He appears to have a great job, big house, loving wife and daughter and even a white picket fence. However, all is not as it seems as appearance can often be deceiving; if we just â€Å"look closer†, we as audience members soon see that he realises both his wife, over bearing and controlling Carolyn and jaded teenage daughter, Jane think that, in the words of Jane, he is â€Å"this gigantic loser† and they’re right. The character of Lester is initially portrayed as a depressed, sad and lonely forty-year-old man, deprived of freedom and struggling to find anything worth living for. However as the film progresses Lester’s persona as a character is dramatically developed with the introduction of an equally intriguing character, Angela Hayes. Everything changes for Lester the night he is forced by his wife to his daughters school to see her perform as a cheerleader. There on the floor, engrossed in a pompon routin, parading and dancing around the court, he sees his ‘angel’: Angela his daughter’s high-school classmate. Angela fulfills the stereotypical idea of what beauty physical beauty is. She is thin, blonde, big blue-eyed and immediately catches Lester’s attention; Angela is not Lester’s highway to bliss, but she is at least a catalyst for his freedom (Ebert, 1999). His thoughts, and the dissatisfaction they stimulate, blast him free from years of emotional torture and bring him right back to his youth. It is from this moment on that Lester transforms into a spontaneous hormone-driven teenage boy, who smokes marihuana, works out, and uits his job all in order to impress his Angel-a. American Beauty uses Angela as the image of Lester’s broader want; that being his underlying desire for freedom and evidentially beauty. However, she symbolizes the potential underlying superficiality of physical beauty that is slowly revealed towards the end of the film. The film portrays many of the hidden problems within the white picket fence American dream along with addressing the problems many Americans have with feeling free and accepting their own identity. The film shows the vastly different worlds that people can live in whilst still living on the same street, and the disorder and frenzy that lies veiled in a society that we all try to portray as being as perfect as possible. In doing so, American Beauty reveals that the only way to calm the chaos is to find beauty in everything. To â€Å"look closer† is a must for truly understanding and identifying with the continuous bombardment of symbolism that is constantly being illustrated in this film. American Beauty portrays such themes as the falseness in lust, power and appearance and that we need to remind our selves â€Å"†¦of all the beauty there is in the world†, as beauty is a matter of opinion. Beauty however, is the most significant and explored theme in American Beauty. Another prevailing theme is the notion of the characters journey and transformation throughout the film. Lester’s journey can almost be compared to one from childhood from adulthood, figuratively speaking as evidentially, he steps into a mature, paternal phase where he takes responsibility and finds meaning in life, as an adult. Many techniques were used to portray these themes and influence audiences opinions of characters and events, including film techniques of cinematography, soundtrack as well as such visual techniques of symbolism, colour and contrast and both aesthetic and stylistic elements. American Beauty is a complex film that relies so heavily on mis-en-scene and cinematography to portray its message. In particular this is showcased during one scene that truly puts the ‘American Beauty’ into perspective; the opening scene or as it is often referred to as, the â€Å"High Point Scene†. The film explores the concepts of what true beauty really is and as suggested in the title of the film, the American Dream and how far this ‘dream’ really goes and what it actually means; this is explored further from the films tagline â€Å"look closer†; to think about perceived desire and to analyze more what these wants are. Through the exploration of the opening scene and a study of how the cinematography, mise en scene and sound foreshadows plot points in the rest of the film, the underlying messages and symbolism will be uncovered. The movie opens with a grainy shot of Jane Burnham reclining on a bed, complaining about her father. The scene begins with what is referred to as a flash forward, in cinematic terms. The line â€Å"Someone really should just put him out of his misery† is a hint towards the mid life crisis that the father Lester is currently going through and the ways in which she is aware of the pain he is dealing with, not knowing what he truly wants. Through the mise en scene and cinematography displayed throughout the scene, the audience is enabled to receive a glimpse into the events that have just occurred. Through the use of a lesser quality picture, shaky footage and dimmed lighting the audience is able to identify with the fact that the imagery being presented has that of a ‘home movie’ feel. The utilization of ‘raw footage’ within this drama genre of film gives the audience a sense of reality towards the character, hence making the dialogue seem more legitimate and believable. The addition of a pause into the characters dialogue helps to support and express the sense of ‘reality’ further, as it is as if she is really thinking about what she is saying. The rather ambiguous approach to the delivering of the line â€Å"You want me to kill him for you? † helps to draw attention to Jane’s reaction as apposed to the interviewers own intensions. This poses both Jane Burnham, the daughter and the unidentified interviewer as suspects to her father’s upcoming murder. However the abstruse approach from the interviewer combined with the daughters reply is foreshadowing what is to come later in the film, as each character related to the father is set up to be the possible murderer of his death. By using the body language as a primary tool for communication, the reply of â€Å"Yeah, would you† to the previous statement, suggests that she is almost daring the interviewer to kill him. This is expressed through the dominant changing of levels when she sits up, almost creating a shift in power, and looks down and straight into the camera, but at the same time also insinuates some sarcasm on her part. The audience learns in the very first lines of the movie that Jane’s dad, Lester, is not the father that she wants. The opening credits roll, and the shot switches to an aerial view of a neighborhood. The exact location is not specified, and that is very intentional. It is important that this not be a critique of a specific area, but of American culture as a whole. The scene begins with an aerial shot of a suburb, with Lester Burnham introducing the audience to his life and informing them that â€Å"In less than a year, I’ll be dead,† and â€Å"in a way, I’m dead already. † This dialogue is heightened through the following shots of Lester lying alone on a bed in a very dull coloured room, thus signifying the meaninglessness life in which he is leading. The utilization of an aerial shot here creates the idea that the world is looking down on him. The dominant use of bright lighting also indicates that it is the morning, however through the use of shadowing casted over Lester, it expressed to the audience that he is still in ‘the dark’; he is yet to be enlightened. Visual techniques are a constant feature in American Beauty, including the use of colour, contrast and symbolism. The primary recurring prop that is introduced at the beginning of the film is a rose, in which the audience first sees in a close up before Lester’s wife Carolyn Burnham picks it up. The first shot of the rose seems out of place, beginning with the flower filling the frame and then moving down to focus on the thorns before Carolyn’s clippers cut it. The rose symbolizes the impotence of not only the love life between Lester and Carolyn but the idea of the American Dream. This shot not only draws attention to the rose as a recurring object in the film, but it also serves as a metaphor for the Burnhams: on the outside they appear perfect, like the flower, but underneath they are rotten and broken (represented by the thorns). In this shot the character of Carolyn is also introduced and is instantly perceived as a cold, workaholic who is obsessive about how they (the family) is presented. This portrayal is demonstrated through the line â€Å"See the way the handle on those pruning shears matches her gardening clogs? That’s not an accident†, thus showing the audience what level she will go to, to maintain order and control. What is also noticeable about this shot is the mise en scene, in particular the red roses, white picket fences and the blue painting on the house. These colours in specific represent the American flag and therefore the American dream. These objects are most perceived to be included within the American dream as well as stereotypical figure of Carolyn, the suburban housewife. This ideology however, creates contrast with the cinematography. Many scenes are metaphoric in how they are shot, and what is in the frame symbolizes a higher, deeper meaning. This is demonstrated when, Lester looking out the window of his house at his wife, and the blinds on the window represent jail cell bars. Even the blocks of text on his computer screen at work, (shown later in the film) represent jail cell bars. Lester is â€Å"in jail† because his life at this point is so empty and missing substance. This cinematography technique often used in film nior is utilized to convey the emotions of disassociation and distance which in this case, is the way in which Lester feels towards his wife; he is no longer associated with her. American Beauty† is more than a biting satire on suburban life. This somewhat contrived story is meant to be an allegory. Alan Ball’s richly textured screenplay, brilliantly executed stylistic and aesthetic elements such as cinematography, mise en scene and symbols are effectively demonstrated throughout this masterpiece of a film. Every single shot is so carefully taken and layered with such vast significance that it is a marvel to behold. â€Å"Look closer,† the film’s tag line tells us. Look closer at the beautiful things we yearn for and spend our life chasing. There isn’t a single example of a film done better. Not only is the content top-notch, but the technical aspects of the movie are excellent as well. American Beauty truly demonstrates the power of film.

My Inspiration

All throughout life, we come across people who, in the course of our mingling with them, become an inspiration to us because of different reasons. He or she could be a parent, relative, a friend, a neighbor, teacher, or anybody who we deal with on a daily basis. In my case, the person who serves as my inspiration is my next door neighbor. My parents are both very busy working in order to provide our family's daily needs. So raising me was a bit of a predicament for them. As luck would have it, we have a next door neighbor who is a motherly soul. She came forward and volunteered to keep an eye on me while my parents were at work. She does not have any children of her own and as far back as I could remember, spends most of her time in her home tending to her garden. She is like a second mother to me.   My parents were so glad to leave me with her because she made sure to instill discipline and values in the child left in her care. She says that I am the child she never had. She is proud of me just like my parents are. I am so close to her that sometimes, my mom gets jealous because I ask our neighbor for her opinion on anything I want to do. What my parents do not know is that this neighbor of ours was there for me at a very trying time in my life. When I was being bullied and failing my subjects in school. She helped me realize my potential as a student and learn to respect myself as a human being. Since I would come over to her house directly after school, she spent her afternoons tutoring me and helping me with my other schoolwork. Even when I was at my dumbest and when my parents had given up on me learning the task at hand, she always supported me and told me that I could do it. I just needed to figure out how I could accomplish things in a way that made me comfortable. Each time, I would amaze my parents because of what I was able to accomplish. My life is going great right now. I like the person I have grown up to be and I know that I can accomplish more, as I grow older. All of this is because of the unconditional, inspirational support my next door neighbor gave and continues to give me.    My Inspiration All throughout life, we come across people who, in the course of our mingling with them, become an inspiration to us because of different reasons. He or she could be a parent, relative, a friend, a neighbor, teacher, or anybody who we deal with on a daily basis. In my case, the person who serves as my inspiration is my next door neighbor. My parents are both very busy working in order to provide our family's daily needs. So raising me was a bit of a predicament for them. As luck would have it, we have a next door neighbor who is a motherly soul. She came forward and volunteered to keep an eye on me while my parents were at work. She does not have any children of her own and as far back as I could remember, spends most of her time in her home tending to her garden. She is like a second mother to me.   My parents were so glad to leave me with her because she made sure to instill discipline and values in the child left in her care. She says that I am the child she never had. She is proud of me just like my parents are. I am so close to her that sometimes, my mom gets jealous because I ask our neighbor for her opinion on anything I want to do. What my parents do not know is that this neighbor of ours was there for me at a very trying time in my life. When I was being bullied and failing my subjects in school. She helped me realize my potential as a student and learn to respect myself as a human being. Since I would come over to her house directly after school, she spent her afternoons tutoring me and helping me with my other schoolwork. Even when I was at my dumbest and when my parents had given up on me learning the task at hand, she always supported me and told me that I could do it. I just needed to figure out how I could accomplish things in a way that made me comfortable. Each time, I would amaze my parents because of what I was able to accomplish. My life is going great right now. I like the person I have grown up to be and I know that I can accomplish more, as I grow older. All of this is because of the unconditional, inspirational support my next door neighbor gave and continues to give me.   

Free Essays on Writing Experience

together. I mean speaking the language was one thing but writing it for some reason seems to be difficult for me. I don’t really remember much of that part of my life, but I do know it happened. I am extremely glad that I was able... Free Essays on Writing Experience Free Essays on Writing Experience It all happened in 1993, I was 11 years old and in the sixth grade. Back then I remember it being so much easier to write. My teacher Mr. Ingham was one of those grouchy mad at the world kind of people. I wasn’t really too concerned with that except he used to give us extremely difficult homework. I remember he made the entire class by the mini version of Webster’s Dictionary. He was very tough when it came to teaching; his main objective was that his class learned as many elaborate words as possible. Although it did not seem fare at the time, I now thank him everyday. I remember there was this one time he made us keep a journal during the entire period of the semester on that one play by Shakespeare, â€Å"The taming of the Shrew†. I think that that was when I first realized the extent and full potential of my vocabulary, that was also when I got into writing. Although I had been writing little reports here and there, I had not realized what a gift it was to be able to put words together and write a sentence let alone an essay. Sometimes I wish it could go back to just tracing letters in the recycled big sheets of paper like when I was in first grade, but then I usually snap out of it because back then I was told what to write. Now I love to just sit and free write. My experience in Mr. Ingham’s class was that of a dramatic one. Back then I just thought he was incredibly mean and bitter, now I know he just happened to have the same interest in the English language and its fascination, just like me. My mother once told me how proud she was of me because I overcame my problem with grasping the English language. It wasn’t like I did not understand English. I simply just had problems putting words together. I mean speaking the language was one thing but writing it for some reason seems to be difficult for me. I don’t really remember much of that part of my life, but I do know it happened. I am extremely glad that I was able...

Biography of Charles Vane, English Pirate

Biography of Charles Vane, English Pirate Charles Vane (c. 680–1721) was an English pirate active during the Golden Age of Piracy, roughly from 1700 to 1725. Vane distinguished himself by his unrepentant attitude toward piracy and his cruelty to those he captured. Although his primary hunting grounds were the Caribbean, he ranged from the Bahamas north along the East Coast of North America as far as New York. He was known as a skilled navigator and combat tactician, but he often alienated his crews. After being abandoned by his last crew, he was arrested, tried, convicted, and hanged in 1721. Start of a Career Very little is known about Vanes early life, including his parents, his birthplace, and any formal education he acquired. He arrived in Port Royal, Jamaica, sometime during the War of Spanish Succession (1701–1714), and in 1716 he began serving under the infamous pirate Henry Jennings, based in Nassau, Bahamas. In late July 1715, a Spanish treasure fleet was hit by a hurricane off the coast of Florida, dumping tons of Spanish gold and silver not far from shore. As the surviving Spanish sailors salvaged what they could, pirates made a beeline for the wreck site. Jennings, with Vane on board, was one of the first to reach the site. His buccaneers raided the Spanish camp on shore, making off with some 87,000 British pounds in gold and silver. Rejection of a Pardon In 1718, King George I of England issued a blanket pardon for all pirates who wished to return to an honest life. Many accepted, including Jennings. Vane, however, scoffed at the notion of retirement and soon became the leader of those in Jennings crew who refused the pardon. Vane and several other pirates outfitted a small sloop, the Lark, for service as a pirate vessel. On Feb. 23, 1718, the royal Frigate HMS Phoenix arrived in Nassau, part of an attempt to convince the remaining pirates to surrender. Vane and his men were captured  but were released as a goodwill gesture. Within a couple weeks, Vane and some of his die-hard companions were ready to resume piracy. Soon he had 40 of Nassaus worst cutthroats, including seasoned buccaneer Edward England and Calico Jack Rackham, who later became a notorious pirate captain. Reign of Terror By April 1718, Vane had a handful of small ships and was ready for action. He captured 12 merchant ships that month. He and his men treated captured sailors and merchants cruelly, whether they surrendered or fought. One sailor was bound hand and foot and tied to the top of the bowsprit; the pirates threatened to shoot him if he didnt reveal where the treasure on board was located. Fear of Vane drove commerce in the area to a halt. His hunting grounds eventually ranged from the Bahamas along the East Coast of North America as far north as New York. Vane knew that Woodes Rogers, the new British governor of the Bahamas, would be arriving soon. Deciding that his position in Nassau was too weak, he set out to capture a larger pirate ship. He soon took a 20-gun French ship and made it his flagship. In June and July of 1718, he seized many more small merchant vessels, more than enough to keep his men happy. He triumphantly re-entered Nassau, essentially taking over the town. Bold Escape On July 24, 1718, as Vane and his men prepared to set off again, a Royal Navy frigate sailed into the harbor with the new governor. Vane controlled the harbor and its small fort, which flew a pirate flag. He welcomed the governor by firing immediately on the Royal Navy fleet and then sending a letter to Rogers demanding that he be allowed to dispose of his plundered goods before accepting the kings pardon. As night fell, Vane knew his situation had deteriorated, so he set fire to his flagship and sent it toward the navy ships, hoping to destroy them in a massive explosion. The British fleet hurriedly cut its anchor lines and got away. Vane and his men escaped. Meeting With Blackbeard Vane continued pirating with some success, but he still dreamed of the days when Nassau was under his control. He headed to North Carolina, where Edward Blackbeard Teach had gone semi-legitimate. The two pirate crews partied for a week in October 1718 on the shores of Ocracoke Island. Vane hoped to convince his old friend to join in an attack on Nassau, but Blackbeard declined, having too much to lose. Deposed by His Crew On Nov. 23, Vane ordered an attack on a frigate that turned out to be a French Navy warship. Outgunned, Vane broke off the fight and fled, though his crew, led by the reckless Calico Jack, wanted to stay and fight to take the French ship. The next day, the crew deposed Vane as captain and elected Calico Jack instead. Vane and 15 others were given a small sloop, and the two pirate crews went their separate ways. Capture Vane and his small band managed to capture a few more ships and by December they had five. They headed for the Bay Islands of Honduras, but a massive hurricane soon scattered their ships. Vanes sloop was destroyed and most of his men drowned; he was left shipwrecked on a small island. After a few miserable months, a British ship arrived. Vane tried to join the crew under a false name, but he was recognized by the captain of the second vessel that met the British ship. Vane was placed in chains and taken to Spanish Town, Jamaica, where he was imprisoned. Death and Legacy Vane was tried for piracy on March 22, 1721. The outcome was in little doubt, as a long line of witnesses testified against him, including many of his victims. He was hanged on March 29, 1721, at Gallows Point in Port Royal. His body was hung from a gibbet near the entrance to the harbor as a warning to other pirates. Vane is remembered today as one of the most unrepentant pirates of all time. His greatest impact may have been his steadfast refusal to accept a pardon, giving other like-minded pirates a leader to rally around. His hanging and the subsequent display of his body may have contributed to the hoped-for effect: The Golden Age of Piracy came to an end not long after his demise. Sources Defoe, Daniel (Capt. Charles Johnson). A General History of the Pyrates. Dover Publications, 1999.Konstam, Angus. The World Atlas of Pirates. Lyons Press, 2009.Rediker, Marcus. Villains of All Nations: Atlantic Pirates in the Golden Age. Beacon Press, 2004.Woodard, Colin. The Republic of Pirates: Being the True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and the Man Who Brought Them Down. Mariner Books, 2008.Famous Pirates: Charles Vane. Thewayofthepirates.com.

Examine the Rivarly among existing competitors and the threat of Essay

Examine the Rivarly among existing competitors and the threat of substitute product in low cost airline industry in Europe - Essay Example Therefore, there should be checks and balances put in place to control the competitiveness among industries of low cost airline in Europe (Airlines Industry Profile: Europe, 2014, p. 4). This paper examines the rivalry among the competitors and the effect this has on the profit potential. Moreover, it also unravels the threats of substitute of a product in low cost airline industry in Europe. As asserted by Cameron and Quinn (2011, p. 2), airline industry has changed largely due to deregulation act of airline that occurred in America. These effects of deregulation act that occurred in America extended to the entire world. The results of liberalization of airline industry resulted in the emergence of low cost airline. The act helped in abandoning the status quo of restrictive pricing model that inhibited the growth of airline industry. Deregulation act helped in removing the state control over airline routes and it promoted the entrance of other airlines into the market (Airlines Industry Profile: Europe, 2014, p. 9). Therefore, the act exposed the airline industry to competitive market forces that have resulted to rivalry among different firms. Nonetheless, the passenger’s fares decreased in a number of market because of the growth of competition in the industry. The competition came because of new entrance of airline of low cost into the market (Airlines Industry Profile: United Kingdom 2014, p.8). The strategy of low cost airline have been so appealing especially to traditional airlines and this led to Southwest airline being the pioneer to introduce low fares airline for short routes. In Europe, deregulation act helped in emergence of the first European low cost airline after which, rivalry competition have dominated the market due to high number of low cost airlines. Low cost airlines have lower cost compared to the cost of their competitors. The