Why Study Humanities - 2444 Words

I want to take this occasion to address one of the most prominent criticisms of the humanities today. I am not referring to criticism of more recent vintage, which takes to task the humanities for a supposed excess of political correctness; this complaint we can set aside as the ideologically motivated lament that it surely is. Rather, I’m speaking of the more long-standing critique that takes the humanities to task for its inconsequence, its uselessness. The presumption that underwrites this critique is simple: its claim is that we do not learn anything by attending to the objects of humanities research. These objects – a poem, a film or play, a piece of music, or what have you – do not furnish our minds with information we can use.†¦show more content†¦Even if we are not prepared to go quite so far as Plato did, and denounce the poet for actively obstructing the search for truth, we may still need to answer to the charge that the objects of humani ties research – I’ll follow Plato in taking poetry as the paradigmatic example – teach us nothing. We need to ask then: what does the poet, or what does the humanist, know? I now want to turn to two poems of the British Romantic period that offer perspectives on this very question. We will recognize that in neither case is an unequivocally affirmative answer provided to the question of what the poet knows. Indeed, both poems would seem to confirm the premises of Plato’s criticism, inasmuch as they give expression to a type of knowledge that can barely be called knowledge as such, since it remains necessarily speculative, provisional, and incomplete. As I’ve suggested, this has been the ground on which the humanities has long seemed weakest in the eyes of its critics. Whereas Plato regards this kind of poetic thinking as useless and worse, however, we find in these poems a qualified defense of not-knowing, and a concomitant claim on behalf of what the poet John Keats called â€Å"half-knowledge.† Both poems make a brief for the importance of attending to thoughts principally characterized by their incompletion and open-endedness; they embrace a kind of thinking that pointedly does not resolve into determinate knowledge. And bothShow MoreRelatedThe Humanities And Its Impact On Education Essay1750 Words   |  7 Pagesinstitutions are cutting the humanities from curricula. According to Nussbaum, our nation and those like it are economically hungry and are pushing technical careers instead. She disputes that a decrease in the humanities will cause a loss in free thinking, and therefore a loss of democracy. Her argument is based off of her theory that without the humanities, citizens become soulless, mechanical, and profit-making machines. This theory is based off the notion that the humanities are continuing to beRead MoreEssay about The Study of Anthropology and the Humanities1361 Words   |  6 Pages The humanities are a broad multidisciplinary field of study where its disciplines aren’t in just one department. Therefore, studying the humanities correlates to the study of anthropology. Simply put, anthropology is the study of humanity and the origins of human beings. Learning about the humanities can help those studying anthropology because the humanities looks into understanding and exploring the human condition. There is an idea of culture that is used to describe what humans do. AnthropologyRead MoreApplied Anthropology: Domains of Application Essay1502 Words   |  7 Pagesapproach, or any other specialized field of anthropology. All can have an effect on human culture and relationships, but all have their benefits and harms that can behoove or dismay a human individual in their field of study. The study of humanity is unfortunately as fallible as humanity itself, and to gage what applied anthropology actually is—we must understand the harms and benefits of the many different approaches. To me, applied anthropology is just the analysis of the way humans function asRead MoreThe Hippocratic Oath1099 Words   |  4 PagesWhat makes our history, religion, and our literature? What about our philosophy, science and our art? All of this is are the humanities. The humanities studies every aspect of the human experience all the way from the beginning of time. It is such an open and vast topic, that I will mostly focus on the medical part of the humanities, because that is where my field of study is. The medical field goes all the way back to the Hippocratic Oath which was written in the early 5th century BC. There wereRead MoreCriticism Of The Humanities769 Words   |  4 Pagesare many criticisms of the humanities and counter arguments against those criticisms. This response will attempt the explain value of studying the humanities, and the criticisms of humanities. According to the dictionary humanities is learning or literature concerned with human culture, especially literature, history, art, music, and philosophy. Through exploration of these subjects, we have found that humanities has played an important role in the world overall. Humanities gives us the ability to gainRead MoreWhat Are Ten Ways We Can Build Support For The Humanities?975 Words   |  4 Pagesways we can build support for the humanities? When looking at your television, computer, or any source of information you can also see what celebrities or people that have foundations for people in need. Humanitarians do so much for the world that sometimes they do not get the recognition on what they do. In the article it states ten different ways that people can do to support others in humanitarian work. Early childhood education is a good way to support humanities because as they get older they willRead MoreFour Goals of Psychology Essay793 Words   |  4 Pagespredict, and control behavior and the mental process. These goals were set to help psychologists to better understand what factors cause different types of behavior and why. In order for these goals to be successful, information must be obtained from direct observation of the patient. Do these goals help humanity? Do these goals hurt humanity? These questions will be answered in the essay below. Four Goals of Psychology The four goals of psychology are to describe, understand, predict, andRead MoreEssay On Recruiting Volunteers1649 Words   |  7 Pagesvolunteers For Macon soccer club Submitted to the faculty of: Middle Georgia State University Degree of Bachelor of Science. Submitted by Tushia Amin Date: 5th December 2017 Acknowledgment We would like to express our gratitude to habitat for humanity for their full support. The completion of this project would not have been possible without their help. We would also like to thank all of the soccer club members who impacted our project and experience. Abstract A Soccer clubs whichRead MoreSexuality : A Diverse Population Of People And Cultures1507 Words   |  7 Pageswho stray from the heteronormative ideals that society has set. Even at my college, there is a club for these individuals to unite together. I thoroughly enjoy this greater understanding I get from these sources. However, this also makes me curious why others have such negative and violent reactions to these people. It is a topic that should be explored and discussed by more of the population. Sexuality is an individual’s preference towards sexual interactions. It is an extremely controversial andRead MoreAfrica The Home Of Humanity1253 Words   |  6 PagesAfrica the Home of Humanity Human origins, evolution, and diffusion are important for understanding the history of Africa. African historians take pride in the fact that Africa is most certainly the birthplace of humanity. There is evidence showing that humanity began in Africa by remains left behind by human groups and societies. They have retrieved fossils of living organisms, and even written records, like cave drawings. Dating back millions of years ago Africa provides the best time line

Summary †Automotive Supply Synchronization Free Essays

Operations Management â€Å"Automotive Supply Chain Synchronization† Summary The article, â€Å"Automotive Supply Chain Synchronization† by Matthias Berlit, Ulrich Dorndorf, and Hans Jurgen Zimmerman, discussed the importance of logistics planning in the management of automotive supply chains, and namely the role the transport management system SynroTESS played in the optimization of supply chains for Audi and Volkswagen (VW) Mexico. The article began by explaining that the unregulated inbound, internal and outbound movements within a given automotive supply chain were not only inefficient, but also led to significant wasted time evidenced by the queuing of vehicles and the congestion that results from waiting. The authors argued that this waste of resources could be overcome by the proper synchronization of movements with the use of a computer program called SyncroTESS. We will write a custom essay sample on Summary – Automotive Supply Synchronization or any similar topic only for you Order Now SyncroTESS was developed by a German IT company called INFORM and was described as a system that â€Å"intelligently synchronizes time-critical transport operations. The system is immensely capable of optimizing operations like the allocation of material handling resources within a plant to scheduling the trucks used for internal and inter-factory movements. The authors then went on to provide two case studies in which SyncroTESS was able to successfully optimize the synchronization of auto supply chains for Audi and VW Mexico. The first case study involved the Audi Ingolstadt production facility in Germany. The Ingolstadt factory is Audi’s largest production facility and produces roughly 850 built to order cars from its assembly lines daily. As we learned from the Marshall Fisher Harvard Business Review article â€Å"What is the right supply chain for your product,† these built to order vehicles are considered an innovative product must employ a market responsive supply chain to meet it’s demand properly. In order to optimize this sort of supply chain, the SyncroTESS system manages â€Å"the internal material flow† of at least 3 days worth of stock, â€Å"optimizes the execution of 60,000 internal transport orders per day,† including â€Å"up to 3,000 stock-in and 4,000 stock-out movement per day† and â€Å"the flow and transport of materials from the parts warehouse to the assembly line. As of 2006, the SyncroTESS system has been fully integrated into Audi’s IT system and is still currently in use. In fact, SyncroTESS’s responsibilities have been expanded to include the scheduling of about 500 inbound truck movements a day. The second case study showcased the impact of t he SyncroTESS system in the optimization of controlling finished auto inventory in the yards of VW Mexico. The vehicle yards in Mexico distribute about 350,000 vehicles to dealers worldwide yearly. The inventory is specifically tailored to store 2 types of production vehicles; built to order, hence innovative products, for the European market and built to stock, otherwise known as functional products, for the Mexican and North American markets. Although VW Mexico was dealing with essentially two types of products, the fact that these products were already completed and ready for shipment, this case study focused on SyncroTESS’s ability to handle an efficient supply chain for otherwise functional products. VW Mexico successfully implemented the optimization of its supply chain by marrying the SyncroTESS transport management system with VW’s proprietary TOMCADS system. This action allowed VW to rely on a single all encompassing logistical operation system and eliminated the confusion created from the use of the 3rd party logistic providers (3PLs) of the past. SyncroTESS and TOMCADS worked in concert through a process called â€Å"intelligent yard management. VW’s TOMCADS system would inform SyncroTESS of a vehicle’s impending arrival. At that time, the car would be inspected and â€Å"in the event of any defects† the car would be â€Å"returned to production and SyncroTESS (would) re-plan the car’s route allowing for repairs. † Otherwise, the synchronization system would work to optimize the flow of the vehicle inventory from each yard in great detail; from the flow of each vehicle within specific yards, to the order in which vehicle would be l oaded as cargo to reduce wasted movement. The successful impact of the synchronization of transport management systems was made evident when Bjorn Beckmann, head of Logistics Planning group at VW Mexico, explained that, â€Å"As a result of the (now) large number of cars leaving and entering our operations, most cars do not remain longer than 1. 5 days in the yards. † This lower lead-time in delivering the finished inventory is beneficial to both responsive and efficient supply chains, satisfying the demand of both types of production vehicles. The authors would then go on to describe how SyncroTESS has evolved to nclude GPS technology to further track the movement of inventory in real time. The full integration of the logistical system has allowed VW Mexico to create a more complete picture of its inventory flow. In fact, In addition to Audi and VW, BMW and Daimler have also adopted synchronization technology to optimize the execution of their supply chain with a typical â€Å"break-even period of two years. † The conclusion drawn from the authors essentially reinforced Fisher’s stance that the implementation of the proper supply chain for a given product, despite the cost, is ultimately more beneficial to a company than focusing on cost alone. How to cite Summary – Automotive Supply Synchronization, Essay examples

Marketing Communications Plan To Launch A New Brand Marketing Essay Essay Example

Marketing Communications Plan To Launch A New Brand Marketing Essay Essay Description Hydra is to be launched as a premium trade name for still unflavoured and flavored H2O. It would be available in two sizes of 750ml and 330 milliliters each. The bigger bottle is to be made available in athleticss battalion and the smaller in a screw cap. Along with unflavoured H2O, Hydra offers four water plus spirits which are orangish n cherry, ginger n lemon, batch N herbs and merely grape. The flavored bottles would be available as Hydra! to distinguish them from unflavored. Competition ANALYSIS The bottled H2O industry is basically a portion of the soft drinks sector which besides includes carbonated drinks, still drinks, juices and other dilatable ; stand foring a entire client value worth A ; lb ; 219 billion ( Leijh, 2006 ) . The image of carbonates, the biggest participant of this sector, has been on a diminution due to turning wellness concerns and the industries accordingly try to reinvent their offerings in order to pull the consumers. Thus the traditional boundaries between carbonated drinks, H2O and juices and being dropped as newer blends hit the shelves every twenty-four hours. We will write a custom essay sample on Marketing Communications Plan To Launch A New Brand Marketing Essay specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Marketing Communications Plan To Launch A New Brand Marketing Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Marketing Communications Plan To Launch A New Brand Marketing Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The competition hence in this industry is huge and proactive. Offers in the market which provide the value of slaking thirst must be regarded as indirect competition. These will include carbonated drinks, juices, milk, energy drinks, still drinks and even sparkling H2O ; across all spirits. Some of the indirect rivals identified are Pepsi, Coca Cola, Dr. Pepper, Britvic, Cresta, Tango, Sunkist, Lucozade, Tropicana, Nesquik and Scheweppes Tonic. The direct competition comes from other bottled H2O trade names which target the same market as Hydra. These trade names provide about the same value that is, still unflavoured and flavored H2O to the same market sections. The trade names identified as direct competition for farther analysis are Vittel and Aqua Pura. The Vittel trade name belongs to the Perrier household owned by Nestle while Aqua Pura is an ain label production from Well Well. Both these trade names offer still flavored and unflavoured H2O. Market SEGMENTATION The bottled H2O market in the UK posted strong positive growing and entire value of A ; lb ; 1.4 billion in 2007 ( Data Monitor Industry Profile, 2008 ) . The volume of gross revenues has besides been invariably increasing at a compound one-year growing rate of 5.7 % from 2 billion litres in 2003 to 2.5 billion in 2007. Data proctor survey besides reveals that still unflavoured H2O consists of 48.4 % of entire gross revenues in this industry and still unflavoured consists of 12.2 % . A survey of 24000 samples by Livingstone ( 2004 ) reemphasizes the big figure of still H2O drinkers over scintillating. Figure 1 shows the laterality of still H2O in this market. Figure: Changing young person imbibing wonts Figure: Laterality of Still waterThe young person market section in this industry has besides been increasing in importance for the trade names. Livingstone ( 2004 ) charts an about 20 % addition in usage of bottled H2O in 11-19 old ages old over 1997 to 2004. This is shown in Figure 2. The communicating schemes of the trade names besides reflect reacting to this. Nestle Waters launched Vittel Red, aimed at immature work forces and adult females through an high-strung stigmatization attack ( Haymarket Publication, 2006 ) . Aqua Pura s Activa and Revive are two sub trade names aimed at aiming the young person. Salazar ( 2007 ) states how demographics affect the use of bottled H2O across UK. Women constitute the bulk of bottled H2O drinkers. Around 45 % of 18 to 34 twelvemonth old adult females and 44.6 % of 35 to 54 twelvemonth old adult females devour bottled H2O. Men s per centums of the 18 34 age groups drank 35.3 % and those in the age group from 35 to 54 consumed 34.5 % . In add -on, harmonizing to WQA studies ( cited in Salazar, 2007 ) , some 47 % of 18 to 34 twelvemonth olds do non believe that their H2O is safe ; hence 41.4 % of them consume bottled H2O on a regular basis. Target Selling In the value exchange attack to selling, Gabbott ( 2004 ) , states that the trade name should place mark sections based on the significance and viability of the merchandise for the mark. Targeting includes placing specific group of consumers with similar penchants for whom the merchandise is most meaningful and appropriate. This analysis identifies three mark sections for the bottled H2O trade names in survey. Sports Active Both Aqua Pura and Vittel have athleticss cap available and are taking patrons of featuring events. While Aqua Pura sponsors the UK Athletics and the great tally programme ; Vittel has been a patron of London endurance contest since the past 8 old ages. It would be interesting to observe that Vittel even has marathon preparation and hydration tips from adept Jamie Baird on its web site. Vittel besides launched a new drink Vittel +Energy with public presentation heightening ingredients ( refer to Figure 3 ) Travel For It Guys/Girls Livingstone ( 2004 ) identifies lifestyle and manner driven drinkers as Go-For-It mark. These are active immature males and females who are heavy cyberspace users and fast nutrient consumers. Both the trade names provide sleek bottle options for this group. To aim this group, Vittel operates as a lifestyle H2O option with high-strung stigmatization. Its David Bowie commercial was chiefly targeted at this mark group. Aqua Pura on the other manus attracts this group through its bomber trade names Activa and Revive. Figure: Vittel +energy Source: nutrient industry ( 2003 ) , ebsco publishingChildren Both the companies target kids as one of the of import mark groups. With smaller bottles available which can suit into the school tiffin boxes, to bind ups with Warner Bros and Looney Toones ; Vittel strives to make a full fledging division for kid consumers merely. Aqua Pura s Champions programme ( Aqua Pura, 2008 ) is once more a kids specific programme through which it spreads the message of mundane healthy hydration along with the aid of school instructors. Market Placement To analyze the market placement of the bottled H2O industry, it is indispensable to place the wide values that the consumer demands and the values that are provided by the bing market participants. The basic value demanded and supplied in this industry is that of slaking the thirst. As King ( 2002 ) points out, there has been a batch of weight placed on research and development to heighten this value supplied. Lots of research and selling has been focused into development of water + options from vitamins to oxygen to new spirits being introduced. As the basic value is served by all the market participants, distinction is possible merely through value add-ons and trade name development. To develop a trade name positioning map for this survey, the trade name entreaty ( premium, sophisticated urban, immature ) and the value distinction ( regular flavored ) are chosen as the properties. The positioning map therefore developed is shown as Figure 4. URBAN TESCO VOLVIC VITTEL HYDRA FLAVORED REGULAR AQUAPURA HIGHLAND Spring PERRIER Sophisticated EVIAN FIGURE 4: Market POSITIONING MAP OF LEADING Trade names Selling COMMUNICATIONS Plan Aim The aims of this program are identified below. To make trade name consciousness. The mark market has to be made cognizant of the being of the trade name. This is to be achieved through a mix of both above and below the line activities. Seventy five per centum of the mark market is to be made cognizant over the clip program. To accomplish market incursion. This is to be done through a combination of aggressive below the line and pricing schemes. Fifty per centum of the mark market is to be penetrated over the clip program. To make trade name publicity. Hydra is to be promoted sharply and to be established as an active and urban trade name of bottled H2O. Constitution of Hydra! as a unequivocal sub-brand. TIME Plan Exploratory Research 3 hebdomads Concept Development and Creative Idea 4 hebdomads Market Tests 1 hebdomad Integrated Communicationss Above-the-line Strategies 12 hebdomads Below -the-line Strategies 26 hebdomads Exploratory Research Focus group interviews to be for merchandise development and purchaser behaviour research. Concept Development and Creative Idea The trade name s communicating constructs are developed internally, media planning and budgeting is carried out. External services are hired to make communications. Market Trials Trials are carried to look into the response, cogency and effects of communications designed. Integrated Communicationss Validated communications are issued through above-the-line and below-the line. Monitor and Evaluation The feedbacks generated by the communications are to be monitored systematically. Evaluation of the program is to be done invariably and tight control is to be maintained. Target SEGMENTS The wide mark market for this trade name is everyone who wants to slake its thirst. But through the cleavage procedure, a few sections have been identified to which to which this communicating program is to be targeted. These are identified below Young urban professionals. Below 35 old ages of age, metropolis inhabitants male or female. Sports partisans. Childs from the age 8-16 Age group 16-22. Market influence leaders Through behavioural cleavage, mark sections identified include Experiences , Innovators and Early Adopters . ABOVE-THE-LINE STRATEGIES The trade name Hydra will be launched through an aggressive above-the-line communications run. A strong pull and profile scheme is to be realized through above-the-line. The advertizements to be used for the run must be foremost used to present and remember the trade name, distinguish it from the competition, inform the consumers of the values in exchange and carry their purchasing determination. Media Planning Keeping in head the immense size of mark audience and comparative concentration in certain centres, the media to be used to present the communications has been decided. It is merely after this that communications are developed to be broadcast through these beginnings. The media selected for Above-the-line communications are Television, Print, Outdoor, In Store, and Internet. Television Television is the most common medium for mass advertisement. For Hydra s launch two Television commercials are to be created. It is aimed to advance Hydra as an individualistic, conventionalized and aspirational athleticss and lifestyle trade name through these commercials. The first Television ad should kick get down the run and to be followed by other mediums. The 2nd Television ad is to be launched after two hebdomads of the first commercial. Musca volitanss to be bought include lifestyle and athleticss channels at premier clip and eventide. Print The print run for Hydra will get down at the same time with the telecasting commercial appearance. The print ads will be complementary to the message of the telecasting ads. The print media to be used is newspapers ( The Sun, Guardian ) magazines ( Men s Health, Women s Health, OK! ) and yellow journalisms ( Daily Mirror, The London paper ) . Full back page advertizements in day-to-day yellow journalisms twice a hebdomad for first four hebdomads and medium sized ads three yearss a hebdomad thenceforth, are to be placed. Medium sized advertizements in newspapers are to be placed five yearss a hebdomad for the first two hebdomads ; each twenty-four hours for a new spirit ( regular plus four ) . The explosion at the launch is to be followed by two ads a hebdomad. The magazines ad is to be accompanied with a reader competition as good. Outdoor and In Shop Banners, logo and ads are to be placed in public conveyance systems, high streets, shopping centres and inside the shop at points of sale. Internet Internet is to be really strategically used in order to pass on with the mark. The market influencers of the World Wide Web are to be targeted through community web sites, web logs, synergistic gambling and societal networking sites. The web site of Hydra is to include an synergistic game where the participant would necessitate to maintain his degree of Hydra high. The game would besides be linked to facebook as one of its applications. Video blogging and YouTube channels are besides to be used to advance the trade name. Hydra ads on the cyberspace would be seen in portals, intelligence and lifestyle sites. BELOW-THE-LINE STRATEGIES It is imperative excessively design relevant below-the-line communicating schemes for the success of the launch of Hydra. Below-the-line communications of Hydra would be a mix of pull and push schemes. These are to be carried over a period of 26 hebdomads and so reassessed. Gross saless publicity, forming and patronizing events, effectual public dealingss, effectual distribution and personal merchandising are effectual techniques used. Gross saless Promotion In the initial period of launch, gross revenues publicity activities are indispensable. The purpose of aggressive gross revenues publicity would be to do the mark market seek the merchandise. It is planned that price reduction vouchers offering 50 per centum price reduction to be accompanied in the print ads. It is besides planned to hold price reduction vouchers for every single spirit on different yearss. This would assist advance each spirit every bit. Different price reductions are besides planned for section shops and convenience shops. Besides, bulk bargains in six battalions would pull price reductions. Through gross revenues publicity, Hydra is to be pushed to the consumers. Events The profile scheme calls for patronizing events as it helps set up and prolong the trade name. It is worthwhile to patronize merely if the trade name identifies with the event. With Hydra being an active life style and athleticss trade name, sponsorships of athleticss and other events would come of course. It is planned to get down with patronizing corporate athleticss meets and travel on to patronize international featuring events and other events such as a music festival. Sponsorships and events are a portion of the pull scheme. Public Relations Effective PR has to be maintained while establishing the trade name. It would necessitate affairs with different imperativeness and intelligence bureaus. News releases for the trade name should be conspicuously featured. The influence leaders of the society demand to be targeted. Print articles sing wellness, hydration and fittingness are to be released in different publications. Personal Selling The largest purchasers of the bottled H2O industry are the departmental shops. Water is besides sold through other merchants, convenience shops, intelligence agents, tobacconists, some eating houses, booths and peddling machines. Personal merchandising is required to efficaciously make and keep strategic relationship with the channels. It is a authoritative portion of the push scheme. Although the gross revenues individual would non be selling straight to the terminal user, its occupation would be all the more of import as it would be covering in larger measures with larger parties. INTERNATIONAL LAUNCH Location After the launch of Hydra in the United Kingdom, it is to be launched in the international market every bit good. It would be done after closely supervising the public presentation of the trade name in the UK. To establish the trade name internationally, the first measure is to make up ones mind on the new market. Hydra would look to venture into different European markets maintaining in head the propinquity to the UK, geographically and culturally. It would look frontward to establish the trade name in Ireland and France foremost and so spread out to Germany, Spain and Poland. Aim After set uping the trade name in the UK, the aim of Hydra would be to reiterate its local success in the international market every bit good. In the Irish and the Gallic markets, Hydra would still be an unknown entity. Therefore the first aim is to present the trade name and create trade name consciousness. The 2nd aim is to set up Hydra and Hydra! as lifestyle trade names. Overall the aim is to culturally suit in the new market. Scheme Ireland and France have been chosen as markets for international launch because they do non differ much from the UK in footings of civilization. In footings of market cleavage, the mark sections for Hydra are the same as that in UK and so will be the placement of the trade name. Therefore it is planned to travel frontward with the same communications program tuned out with local linguistic communication.

How the word Planet is Defined

How the word Planet is Defined What is a planet?  Astronomers get this question a lot.  It seems like a simple-enough thing to ask about, but in reality  the definition of the term planet seems to be a moving target. Its also at the heart of a controversy that continues to spur debate in the astronomy community. To answer the question what is a planet? it helps to look back at the event that brought the issue to a head in 2006: the seeming demotion of Pluto  from planet to dwarf planet. Pluto: Planet or Not? In 2006, the International Astronomical Union  demoted a small ball of rock and ice out in the outer third of the outer solar system from planet status. Pluto became known as a dwarf planet.  The outcry, both from within and outside of the scientific community, was astounding and the subject is still under intense discussions today. The planetary science community, which is probably the best equipped to help define the term, was overruled by astronomers (not many of them planetary scientists) at an IAU meeting where the issue came up for discussion and a vote.   Why Define Planet At All? The argument of course, is that our current clumping of all the round, non-star, non-moon  objects in our solar system was not ideal. Clearly Mercury and Jupiter dont share much in common, yet they are classified as planets. In 2000, the New York Hayden planetarium was renovated, and one of the exhibits grouped the planets by similar features. This made them easier to study and understand. It also created a more coherent display with greater educational potential. However, it put Pluto as the odd world out.   That by itself didnt change the definition of planet, however. The idea of planet was under discussion for a long time before that. It continues to be an issue as scientists discover more and more worlds out there.   The 2006 decision by the IAU has been steeped in controversy among scientists, particularly those in planetary science who had not attended the meeting where a scant few astronomers voted on planetary status. However, beyond that gaffe, the  greater point of contention is that the definition as arrived at by the IAU committee frankly doesnt even make sense. What is the Definition of a Planet? Lets look at what the IAU thinks a planet is. There are three requirements:   a planet is a world that orbits the Sun and not another object;a planet is an object with sufficient gravity to become round;a planet is a world that has cleared its orbital path of debris. This last one was thought to be a problem for Pluto, although recent discoveries by the New Horizons spacecraft show that theres not much to clear around Pluto,  not even a ring!   One could argue that  Earth has not been able to completely clear its path of debris.  However, no one is arguing with the classification of Earth as a planet. Effectively the IAU was placing a distance cap on how far a planet can be from its host star. And this just doesnt make sense. So What Should the Definition Be? OK, so  the IAUs definition has problems, but its still clear that the definition of planet needs more thought and work. It is important to classify objects, its simply part of the scientific endeavour. Biologists classify life, while chemists classify compounds, and so on. But the means by which you classify the objects in a system needs to be cohesive and non-conditional. So what about the planets, and Pluto specifically? What if we just took the first two conditions laid forth by the IAU and let it go at that: massive enough to be round, but not so much that it ignites nuclear burning? That would leave the eight objects that we already consider planets and add in the ones that we currently call dwarf planets. It just so happens that Pluto is large enough that it formed itself into a sphere under the pressure of its own gravity.  And, this fact is at the heart of the IAUs third condition for planet-hood. But that isnt the end of the debate either, and for now, officially,  Pluto remains a dwarf planet.   Edited and updated by Carolyn Collins Petersen.

Biography of Zelda Fitzgerald, Jazz Age Icon and Author

Biography of Zelda Fitzgerald, Jazz Age Icon and Author Born Zelda Sayre, Zelda Fitzgerald (July 24, 1900  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ March 10, 1948) was an American writer and artist of the Jazz Age. Although she produced writing and art on her own, Zelda is best known in history and in popular culture for her marriage to F. Scott Fitzgerald and her tumultuous battle with mental illness. Fast Facts: Zelda Fitzgerald Known For:  Artist, author of Save Me The Waltz, and wife of author F. Scott FitzgeraldBorn:  July 24, 1900  in Montgomery, AlabamaDied:  March 10, 1948 in Asheville, North CarolinaSpouse:  F. Scott Fitzgerald (m. 1920-1940)Children:  Frances Scottie Fitzgerald Early Life The youngest of six children, Zelda was born to a prominent Southern family in Montgomery, Alabama. Her father, Anthony Sayre, was a powerful justice on the Alabama Supreme Court, but she was the darling of her mother, Minerva, who spoiled young Zelda. She was an athletic, artistic child, equally interested in her ballet lessons and in spending time outdoors. Although she was a clever student, Zelda was mostly uninterested in her studies by the time she reached high school. Beautiful, spirited, and rebellious, Zelda became the center of her young social circle. As a teenager, she already drank and smoked, and enjoyed causing minor scandals by doing things like dancing â€Å"flapper† style or swimming in a tight, flesh-toned bathing suit. Her brash, daring nature was even more shocking because women of her social status were expected to be genteel and quiet. Zelda and her friend, future Hollywood actress Tallulah Bankhead, were frequently the topic of gossip. As a girl or a teenager, Zelda began to keep diaries. These journals would later prove to be the earliest signs of her creative mind, containing much more than a rote record of her social activities. In fact, excerpts from her early journals would eventually appear in iconic works of American literature, thanks to her relationship with a soon-to-be legendary novelist: F. Scott Fitzgerald. The Fitzgeralds In the summer of 1918, Zelda first met the 22-year-old Scott when he was stationed on an Army base just outside of Montgomery. Their first meeting, at a country club dance, would later be the basis for the first meeting between Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby. Although she had several suitors at the time, Zelda quickly came to favor Scott, and they grew close over a shared worldview and their similarly creative personalities. Scott had big plans, and he shared them with Zelda, who became equal parts muse and kindred spirit. She inspired the character of Rosalind in This Side of Paradise, and the novel’s closing monologue is taken directly from her journals. Their romance was interrupted in October 1918, when he was reassigned to a base in Long Island, but the war soon ended and he returned to Alabama within a month. Scott and Zelda became deeply involved, and wrote to each other constantly after he moved to New York City in early 1919. They married in 1920, despite some objections from Zelda’s family and friends over his drink and his Episcopalian faith. That same year, This Side of Paradise was published, and the Fitzgeralds became notorious on the New York social scene, embodying the excesses and brilliance of the Jazz Age. In 1921, just before Scott’s second novel was finished, Zelda became pregnant. She gave birth to their daughter, Frances â€Å"Scottie† Fitzgerald in October 1921, but motherhood did not â€Å"tame† Zelda into a quiet domestic life. In 1922, she was pregnant again, but the pregnancy did not make it to term. Over the next couple of years, Zelda’s writing began to appear as well, mostly sharply-written short stories and magazine articles. Although she joked about her writing being â€Å"borrowed† for Scott’s novels, she did resent it too. After their co-written play The Vegetable flopped, the Fitzgeralds moved to Paris in 1924. Together in Paris The Fitzgeralds’ relationship was in a complicated state by the time they reached France. Scott was absorbed with his next novel, The Great Gatsby, and Zelda fell for a dashing young French pilot and demanded a divorce. Zelda’s demands were met with dismissal from Scott, who locked her in their house until the drama passed. In the months following, they returned mostly to normal, but in September, Zelda survived an overdose of sleeping pills; whether the overdose was intentional or not, the couple never said. Zelda was often ill around this time, and in late 1924, Zelda was unable to continue her traveling lifestyle and instead began painting. When she and Scott returned to Paris in the spring of 1925, they met Ernest Hemingway, who would become Scott’s great friend and rival. Although Zelda and Hemingway loathed each other from the start, Hemingway did introduce the couple to the rest of the Lost Generation expat community, such as Gertrude Stein. Increasing Instability Years passed, and Zelda’s instability grew – along with Scott’s. Their relationship turned volatile and more dramatic than ever, and both accused the other of affairs. Desperate for success of her own, Zelda took up the reins of her ballet studies again. She practiced intensely, sometimes for up to eight hours a day, and while she did have some talent, the physical demands (and the lack of support from Scott) proved too much for her. Even when she was offered a spot with an opera ballet company in Italy, she had to decline. Zelda was admitted to a French sanatorium in 1930 and bounced between clinics for physical and psychological treatments for around a year. When her father was dying in September 1931, the Fitzgeralds returned to Alabama; after his death, Zelda went to a hospital in Baltimore and Scott went to Hollywood. While in the hospital, however, Zelda wrote a whole novel, Save Me The Waltz. The semi-autobiographical novel was her biggest work to date, but it infuriated Scott, who had planned to use some of the same material in his work. After Scott’s forced rewrites, the novel was published, but it was a commercial and critical failure; Scott also derided it. Zelda didn’t write another novel. Decline and Death By the 1930s, Zelda was spending most of her time in and out of mental institutions. She continued to produce paintings, which were tepidly received. In 1936, when Zelda seemingly disconnected from reality, Scott sent her to another hospital, this one in North Carolina. He then proceeded to have an affair in Hollywood with columnist Sheilah Graham, bitter about how his marriage to Zelda had turned out. By 1940, though, Zelda had made enough progress to be released. She and Scott never saw each other again, but they corresponded until his sudden death in December 1940. After his death, it was Zelda who became an advocate for Scott’s unfinished novel The Last Tycoon. She was inspired and began working on another novel, but her mental health declined again and she returned to the North Carolina hospital. In 1948, a fire broke out at the hospital, and Zelda, in a locked room awaiting an electroshock therapy session, did not escape. She died at the age of 47 and was buried alongside Scott. Posthumous Discovery The Fitzgeralds had been on the decline when they died, but interest quickly revived, and they became immortalized as the icons of the Jazz Age. In 1970, historian Nancy Milford wrote a biography of Zelda that suggested she had been every bit as talented as Scott, but had been held back by him. The book became a bestseller and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and it heavily influenced future perceptions of Zelda. Save Me The Waltz subsequently saw a revival as well, with scholars analyzing it on the same level as Scott’s novels. Zelda’s collected writings, including the novel, were compiled and published in 1991, and even her paintings have been re-appraised in the modern era. Several fictional works have depicted her life, including several books and a TV series, Z: The Beginning of Everything. Although perceptions continue to evolve, the Fitzgerald legacy – of which Zelda is most definitely a huge part – has become deeply engrained in American popular culture.   Sources: Cline, Sally.  Zelda Fitzgerald: Her Voice in Paradise. Arcade Publishing, New York, 2003.Milford, Nancy. Zelda: A Biography. Harper Row, 1970.Zelazko, Alicja. Zelda Fitzgerald: American Writer and Artist. Encyclopaedia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Zelda-Fitzgerald.

Who gets what from Middle East oil Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Who gets what from Middle East oil - Essay Example Another factor affecting Middle East is petrodollar recycling. Over the years, oil prices have been going up creating a lot of revenue for OPEC countries. The importing countries such as the US, UK, China and Japan pay heavy prices for oil to fuel their economies. However, as Higgins, Klitgaard, and Lerman note, much of this revenue by Middle East countries returns to the importing countries in terms of purchases of goods and services as well as foreign assets. The high oil price paid by importers slows economic growth but the purchase of goods by exporters from importers offsets this negative growth by improving consumption and investment. Countries like the US benefit from sale of foreign assets to the exporters to finance their current account deficits. Most of the sales to exporters come from European countries due to their proximity, and less from the US. The petrodollars are also used to finance investment projects in OPEC countries. For example, Saudi Arabia engaged in a giant construction program called Petro Rabigh, which is a joint venture of the state-run oil corporation Saudi Aramco and Sumitomo Chemical of Japan. This $ 1500 billion project produces plastic and other materials for sale in and outside Saudi Arabia. Saudi Aramco ranks first among oil companies worldwide in terms of crude oil production and exports. Besides investment, revenues are also used to bail out banks facing financial crisis such as Citigroup, Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley. They are also used to develop infrastructure.

A supervisory report on a half day study session of Hypno-birthing Essay

A supervisory report on a half day study session of Hypno-birthing - Essay Example This opportunity was then transformed into a structured project that was to organise a study session for midwives on the subject. Background / context The advent of choice agenda has seen women chose hypnobirthing as a method for pain relief. Hypnobirthing is the process of hypnosis during birth as a way of managing pain and remaining calm during labour. Research on the subject has shown that babies can be delivered without drugs safely and that couples today can look forward to a beautiful, calm and serene birthing experience, where mother, baby and birthing companion combine in joyful bonding. Hypnobirthing is said to enable women to have a positive, calm more comfortable experience of childbirth. This trend is raising and it can be asserted that health professional may have less knowledge about this rising trend. The maternity services need midwives who can respond flexibly within an environment focused on women - centred care (Thomas, 2008). However, research on hypnosis and its use intrapartum is scanty. A quest in about 8 Trusts to find out if they had a guideline yielded to not. The NMC and RCM websites were searched for any position statements on the subject nil was found. A Cochrane library search (February 2011), MEDLINE, EMBASE and CINAHL realised only 1 research whose results was as follows; women taught self-hypnosis had decreased requirements for pharmacological analgesia (RR 0.53, 95% CI 0.36 to 0.79, five trials 749 women) including epidural analgesia (RR 0.30, 95% CI 0.22 to 0.40. Acupuncture and hypnosis may be beneficial for the management of pain during labour; however, the number of women studied has been small. The Trust system does not monitor the use of hypnosis as pain relief despite women using it however, acupuncture is monitored. Recently the daily telegraph (2011), reported that the National Health Service (NHS) launched an 18-month study of ‘‘hypnobirthing’’ to try to cut the use of epidurals and other pai nkillers during childbirth – six out of 10 mothers in some hospitals rely on expensive drugs and this has resurrected an old debate. Is intense pain unavoidable, or is it triggered by fear and tension? Multicentre pragmatic exploratory non-blinded randomised controlled trial (SHIP trail), at Central Lancashire University and involving more than 800 women will investigate self-hypnosis techniques for intrapartum pain management which induces a deep sense of relaxation. Interestingly, to note is the fact that NHS despite the financial difficulties it is facing (Kings Fund) is committed to the choice agenda, hypnobirthing could be one of the answers to save the NHS and to improve the lives of women and babies. According to Salvage, Health services in the UK are facing major challenges in a context of drastic public funding. Salvage (2011) wonders how the choice agenda be upheld in this turbulent times. Hypnobirthing could be an answer in reduction of intervention like use of epi dural, reduction in caesareans sections and increase in normal birth. Hence the need to understand this model as well as having agreed pathways of how it is to be managed. There is a choice: SoMs and midwives could be passive or to try to lead and influence change. Our accountability as well as our contribution as midwives is to