A Game of Thrones Chapter Twenty

Eddard Eddard Stark rode through the towering bronze doors of the Red Keep sore, tired, hungry, and irritable. He was still ahorse, dreaming of a long hot soak, a roast fowl, and a featherbed, when the king's steward told him that Grand Maester Pycelle had convened an urgent meeting of the small council. The honor of the Hand's presence was requested as soon as it was convenient. â€Å"It will be convenient on the morrow,† Ned snapped as he dismounted. The steward bowed very low. â€Å"I shall give the councillors your regrets, my lord.† â€Å"No, damn it,† Ned said. It would not do to offend the council before he had even begun. â€Å"I will see them. Pray give me a few moments to change into something more presentable.† â€Å"Yes, my lord,† the steward said. â€Å"We have given you Lord Arryn's former chambers in the Tower of the Hand, if it please you. I shall have your things taken there.† â€Å"My thanks,† Ned said as he ripped off his riding gloves and tucked them into his belt. The rest of his household was coming through the gate behind him. Ned saw Vayon Poole, his own steward, and called out. â€Å"It seems the council has urgent need of me. See that my daughters find their bedchambers, and tell Jory to keep them there. Arya is not to go exploring.† Poole bowed. Ned turned back to the royal steward. â€Å"My wagons are still straggling through the city. I shall need appropriate garments.† â€Å"It will be my great pleasure,† the steward said. And so Ned had come striding into the council chambers, bone-tired and dressed in borrowed clothing, to find four members of the small council waiting for him. The chamber was richly furnished. Myrish carpets covered the floor instead of rushes, and in one corner a hundred fabulous beasts cavorted in bright paints on a carved screen from the Summer Isles. The walls were hung with tapestries from Norvos and Qohor and Lys, and a pair of Valyrian sphinxes flanked the door, eyes of polished garnet smoldering in black marble faces. The councillor Ned liked least, the eunuch Varys, accosted him the moment he entered. â€Å"Lord Stark, I was grievous sad to hear about your troubles on the kingsroad. We have all been visiting the sept to light candles for Prince Joffrey. I pray for his recovery.† His hand left powder stains on Ned's sleeve, and he smelled as foul and sweet as flowers on a grave. â€Å"Your gods have heard you,† Ned replied, cool yet polite. â€Å"The prince grows stronger every day.† He disentangled himself from the eunuch's grip and crossed the room to where Lord Renly stood by the screen, talking quietly with a short man who could only be Littlefinger. Renly had been a boy of eight when Robert won the throne, but he had grown into a man so like his brother that Ned found it disconcerting. Whenever he saw him, it was as if the years had slipped away and Robert stood before him, fresh from his victory on the Trident. â€Å"I see you have arrived safely, Lord Stark,† Renly said. â€Å"And you as well,† Ned replied. â€Å"You must forgive me, but sometimes you look the very image of your brother Robert.† â€Å"A poor copy,† Renly said with a shrug. â€Å"Though much better dressed,† Littlefinger quipped. â€Å"Lord Renly spends more on clothing than half the ladies of the court.† It was true enough. Lord Renly was in dark green velvet, with a dozen golden stags embroidered on his doublet. A cloth-of-gold half cape was draped casually across one shoulder, fastened with an emerald brooch. â€Å"There are worse crimes,† Renly said with a laugh. â€Å"The way you dress, for one.† Littlefinger ignored the jibe. He eyed Ned with a smile on his lips that bordered on insolence. â€Å"I have hoped to meet you for some years, Lord Stark. No doubt Lady Catelyn has mentioned me to you.† â€Å"She has,† Ned replied with a chill in his voice. The sly arrogance of the comment rankled him. â€Å"I understand you knew my brother Brandon as well.† Renly Baratheon laughed. Varys shuffled over to listen. â€Å"Rather too well,† Littlefinger said. â€Å"I still carry a token of his esteem. Did Brandon speak of me too?† â€Å"Often, and with some heat,† Ned said, hoping that would end it. He had no patience with this game they played, this dueling with words. â€Å"I should have thought that heat ill suits you Starks,† Littlefinger said. â€Å"Here in the south, they say you are all made of ice, and melt when you ride below the Neck.† â€Å"I do not plan on melting soon, Lord Baelish. You may count on it.† Ned moved to the council table and said, â€Å"Maester Pycelle, I trust you are well.† The Grand Maester smiled gently from his tall chair at the foot of the table. â€Å"Well enough for a man of my years, my lord,† he replied, â€Å"yet I do tire easily, I fear.† Wispy strands of white hair fringed the broad bald dome of his forehead above a kindly face. His maester's collar was no simple metal choker such as Luwin wore, but two dozen heavy chains wound together into a ponderous metal necklace that covered him from throat to breast. The links were forged of every metal known to man: black iron and red gold, bright copper and dull lead, steel and tin and pale silver, brass and bronze and platinum. Garnets and amethysts and black pearls adorned the metalwork, and here and there an emerald or ruby. â€Å"Perhaps we might begin soon,† the Grand Maester said, hands knitting together atop his broad stomach. â€Å"I fear I shall fall asleep if we wait much longer.† â€Å"As you will.† The king's seat sat empty at the head of the table, the crowned stag of Baratheon embroidered in gold thread on its pillows. Ned took the chair beside it, as the right hand of his king. â€Å"My lords,† he said formally, â€Å"I am sorry to have kept you waiting.† â€Å"You are the King's Hand,† Varys said. â€Å"We serve at your pleasure, Lord Stark.† As the others took their accustomed seats, it struck Eddard Stark forcefully that he did not belong here, in this room, with these men. He remembered what Robert had told him in the crypts below Winterfell. I am surrounded by flatterers and fools, the king had insisted. Ned looked down the council table and wondered which were the flatterers and which the fools. He thought he knew already. â€Å"We are but five,† he pointed out. â€Å"Lord Stannis took himself to Dragonstone not long after the king went north,† Varys said, â€Å"and our gallant Ser Barristan no doubt rides beside the king as he makes his way through the city, as befits the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard.† â€Å"Perhaps we had best wait for Ser Barristan and the king to join us,† Ned suggested. Renly Baratheon laughed aloud. â€Å"If we wait for my brother to grace us with his royal presence, it could be a long sit.† â€Å"Our good King Robert has many cares,† Varys said. â€Å"He entrusts some small matters to us, to lighten his load.† â€Å"What Lord Varys means is that all this business of coin and crops and justice bores my royal brother to tears,† Lord Renly said, â€Å"so it falls to us to govern the realm. He does send us a command from time to time.† He drew a tightly rolled paper from his sleeve and laid it on the table. â€Å"This morning he commanded me to ride ahead with all haste and ask Grand Maester Pycelle to convene this council at once. He has an urgent task for us.† Littlefinger smiled and handed the paper to Ned. It bore the royal seal. Ned broke the wax with his thumb and flattened the letter to consider the king's urgent command, reading the words with mounting disbelief. Was there no end to Robert's folly? And to do this in his name, that was salt in the wound. â€Å"Gods be good,† he swore. â€Å"What Lord Eddard means to say,† Lord Renly announced, â€Å"is that His Grace instructs us to stage a great tournament in honor of his appointment as the Hand of the King.† â€Å"How much?† asked Littlefinger, mildly. Ned read the answer off the letter. â€Å"Forty thousand golden dragons to the champion. Twenty thousand to the man who comes second, another twenty to the winner of the melee, and ten thousand to the victor of the archery competition.† â€Å"Ninety thousand gold pieces,† Littlefinger sighed. â€Å"And we must not neglect the other costs. Robert will want a prodigious feast. That means cooks, carpenters, serving girls, singers, jugglers, fools . . . â€Å" â€Å"Fools we have in plenty,† Lord Renly said. Grand Maester Pycelle looked to Littlefinger and asked, â€Å"Will the treasury bear the expense?† â€Å"What treasury is that?† Littlefinger replied with a twist of his mouth. â€Å"Spare me the foolishness, Maester. You know as well as I that the treasury has been empty for years. I shall have to borrow the money. No doubt the Lannisters will be accommodating. We owe Lord Tywin some three million dragons at present, what matter another hundred thousand?† Ned was stunned. â€Å"Are you claiming that the Crown is three million gold pieces in debt?† â€Å"The Crown is more than six million gold pieces in debt, Lord Stark. The Lannisters are the biggest part of it, but we have also borrowed from Lord Tyrell, the Iron Bank of Braavos, and several Tyroshi trading cartels. Of late I've had to turn to the Faith. The High Septon haggles worse than a Dornish fishmonger.† Ned was aghast. â€Å"Aerys Targaryen left a treasury flowing with gold. How could you let this happen?† Littlefinger gave a shrug. â€Å"The master of coin finds the money. The king and the Hand spend it.† â€Å"I will not believe that Jon Arryn allowed Robert to beggar the realm,† Ned said hotly. Grand Maester Pycelle shook his great bald head, his chains clinking softly. â€Å"Lord Arryn was a prudent man, but I fear that His Grace does not always listen to wise counsel.† â€Å"My royal brother loves tournaments and feasts,† Renly Baratheon said, â€Å"and he loathes what he calls ‘counting coppers.' â€Å" â€Å"I will speak with His Grace,† Ned said. â€Å"This tourney is an extravagance the realm cannot afford.† â€Å"Speak to him as you will,† Lord Renly said, â€Å"we had still best make our plans.† â€Å"Another day,† Ned said. Perhaps too sharply, from the looks they gave him. He would have to remember that he was no longer in Winterfell, where only the king stood higher; here, he was but first among equals. â€Å"Forgive me, my lords,† he said in a softer tone. â€Å"I am tired. Let us call a halt for today and resume when we are fresher.† He did not ask for their consent, but stood abruptly, nodded at them all, and made for the door. Outside, wagons and riders were still pouring through the castle gates, and the yard was a chaos of mud and horseflesh and shouting men. The king had not yet arrived, he was told. Since the ugliness on the Trident, the Starks and their household had ridden well ahead of the main column, the better to separate themselves from the Lannisters and the growing tension. Robert had hardly been seen; the talk was he was traveling in the huge wheelhouse, drunk as often as not. If so, he might be hours behind, but he would still be here too soon for Ned's liking. He had only to look at Sansa's face to feel the rage twisting inside him once again. The last fortnight of their journey had been a misery. Sansa blamed Arya and told her that it should have been Nymeria who died. And Arya was lost after she heard what had happened to her butcher's boy. Sansa cried herself to sleep, Arya brooded silently all day long, and Eddard Stark dreamed of a frozen hell reserved for the Starks of Winterfell. He crossed the outer yard, passed under a portcullis into the inner bailey, and was walking toward what he thought was the Tower of the Hand when Littlefinger appeared in front of him. â€Å"You're going the wrong way, Stark. Come with me.† Hesitantly, Ned followed. Littlefinger led him into a tower, down a stair, across a small sunken courtyard, and along a deserted corridor where empty suits of armor stood sentinel along the walls. They were relics of the Targaryens, black steel with dragon scales cresting their helms, now dusty and forgotten. â€Å"This is not the way to my chambers,† Ned said. â€Å"Did I say it was? I'm leading you to the dungeons to slit your throat and seal your corpse up behind a wall,† Littlefinger replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. â€Å"We have no time for this, Stark. Your wife awaits.† â€Å"What game are you playing, Littlefinger? Catelyn is at Winterfell, hundreds of leagues from here.† â€Å"Oh?† Littlefinger's grey-green eyes glittered with amusement. â€Å"Then it appears someone has managed an astonishing impersonation. For the last time, come. Or don't come, and I'll keep her for myself.† He hurried down the steps. Ned followed him warily, wondering if this day would ever end. He had no taste for these intrigues, but he was beginning to realize that they were meat and mead to a man like Littlefinger. At the foot of the steps was a heavy door of oak and iron. Petyr Baelish lifted the crossbar and gestured Ned through. They stepped out into the ruddy glow of dusk, on a rocky bluff high above the river. â€Å"We're outside the castle,† Ned said. â€Å"You are a hard man to fool, Stark,† Littlefinger said with a smirk. â€Å"Was it the sun that gave it away, or the sky? Follow me. There are niches cut in the rock. Try not to fall to your death, Catelyn would never understand.† With that, he was over the side of the cliff, descending as quick as a monkey. Ned studied the rocky face of the bluff for a moment, then followed more slowly. The niches were there, as Littlefinger had promised, shallow cuts that would be invisible from below, unless you knew just where to look for them. The river was a long, dizzying distance below. Ned kept his face pressed to the rock and tried not to look down any more often than he had to. When at last he reached the bottom, a narrow, muddy trail along the water's edge, Littlefinger was lazing against a rock and eating an apple. He was almost down to the core. â€Å"You are growing old and slow, Stark,† he said, flipping the apple casually into the rushing water. â€Å"No matter, we ride the rest of the way.† He had two horses waiting. Ned mounted up and trotted behind him, down the trail and into the city. Finally Baelish drew rein in front of a ramshackle building, three stories, timbered, its windows bright with lamplight in the gathering dusk. The sounds of music and raucous laughter drifted out and floated over the water. Beside the door swung an ornate oil lamp on a heavy chain, with a globe of leaded red glass. Ned Stark dismounted in a fury. â€Å"A brothel,† he said as he seized Littlefinger by the shoulder and spun him around. â€Å"You've brought me all this way to take me to a brothel.† â€Å"Your wife is inside,† Littlefinger said. It was the final insult. â€Å"Brandon was too kind to you,† Ned said as he slammed the small man back against a wall and shoved his dagger up under the little pointed chin beard. â€Å"My lord, no,† an urgent voice called out. â€Å"He speaks the truth.† There were footsteps behind him. Ned spun, knife in hand, as an old white-haired man hurried toward them. He was dressed in brown roughspun, and the soft flesh under his chin wobbled as he ran. â€Å"This is no business of yours,† Ned began; then, suddenly, the recognition came. He lowered the dagger, astonished. â€Å"Ser Rodrik?† Rodrik Cassel nodded. â€Å"Your lady awaits you upstairs.† Ned was lost. â€Å"Catelyn is truly here? This is not some strange jape of Littlefinger's?† He sheathed his blade. â€Å"Would that it were, Stark,† Littlefinger said. â€Å"Follow me, and try to look a shade more lecherous and a shade less like the King's Hand. It would not do to have you recognized. Perhaps you could fondle a breast or two, just in passing.† They went inside, through a crowded common room where a fat woman was singing bawdy songs while pretty young girls in linen shifts and wisps of colored silk pressed themselves against their lovers and dandled on their laps. No one paid Ned the least bit of attention. Ser Rodrik waited below while Littlefinger led him up to the third floor, along a corridor, and through a door. Inside, Catelyn was waiting. She cried out when she saw him, ran to him, and embraced him fiercely. â€Å"My lady,† Ned whispered in wonderment. â€Å"Oh, very good,† said Littlefinger, closing the door. â€Å"You recognized her.† â€Å"I feared you'd never come, my lord,† she whispered against his chest. â€Å"Petyr has been bringing me reports. He told me of your troubles with Arya and the young prince. How are my girls?† â€Å"Both in mourning, and full of anger,† he told her. â€Å"Cat, I do not understand. What are you doing in King's Landing? What's happened?† Ned asked his wife. â€Å"Is it Bran? Is he . . . â€Å"Dead was the word that came to his lips, but he could not say it. â€Å"It is Bran, but not as you think,† Catelyn said. Ned was lost. â€Å"Then how? Why are you here, my love? What is this place?† â€Å"Just what it appears,† Littlefinger said, easing himself onto a window seat. â€Å"A brothel. Can you think of a less likely place to find a Catelyn Tully?† He smiled. â€Å"As it chances, I own this particular establishment, so arrangements were easily made. I am most anxious to keep the Lannisters from learning that Cat is here in King's Landing.† â€Å"Why?† Ned asked. He saw her hands then, the awkward way she held them, the raw red scars, the stiffness of the last two fingers on her left. â€Å"You've been hurt.† He took her hands in his own, turned them over. â€Å"Gods. Those are deep cuts . . . a gash from a sword or . . . how did this happen, my lady?† Catelyn slid a dagger out from under her cloak and placed it in his hand. â€Å"This blade was sent to open Bran's throat and spill his life's blood.† Ned's head jerked up. â€Å"But . . . who . . . why would . . . â€Å" She put a finger to his lips. â€Å"Let me tell it all, my love. It will go faster that way. Listen.† So he listened, and she told it all, from the fire in the library tower to Varys and the guardsmen and Littlefinger. And when she was done, Eddard Stark sat dazed beside the table, the dagger in his hand. Bran's wolf had saved the boy's life, he thought dully. What was it that Jon had said when they found the pups in the snow? Your children were meant to have these pups, my lord. And he had killed Sansa's, and for what? Was it guilt he was feeling? Or fear? If the gods had sent these wolves, what folly had he done? Painfully, Ned forced his thoughts back to the dagger and what it meant. â€Å"The Imp's dagger,† he repeated. It made no sense. His hand curled around the smooth dragonbone hilt, and he slammed the blade into the table, felt it bite into the wood. It stood mocking him. â€Å"Why should Tyrion Lannister want Bran dead? The boy has never done him harm.† â€Å"Do you Starks have nought but snow between your ears?† Littlefinger asked. â€Å"The Imp would never have acted alone.† Ned rose and paced the length of the room. â€Å"If the queen had a role in this or, gods forbid, the king himself . . . no, I will not believe that.† Yet even as he said the words, he remembered that chill morning on the barrowlands, and Robert's talk of sending hired knives after the Targaryen princess. He remembered Rhaegar's infant son, the red ruin of his skull, and the way the king had turned away, as he had turned away in Darry's audience hall not so long ago. He could still hear Sansa pleading, as Lyanna had pleaded once. â€Å"Most likely the king did not know,† Littlefinger said. â€Å"It would not be the first time. Our good Robert is practiced at closing his eyes to things he would rather not see.† Ned had no reply for that. The face of the butcher's boy swam up before his eyes, cloven almost in two, and afterward the king had said not a word. His head was pounding. Littlefinger sauntered over to the table, wrenched the knife from the wood. â€Å"The accusation is treason either way. Accuse the king and you will dance with Ilyn Payne before the words are out of your mouth. The queen . . . if you can find proof, and if you can make Robert listen, then perhaps . . . â€Å" â€Å"We have proof,† Ned said. â€Å"We have the dagger.† â€Å"This?† Littlefinger flipped the knife casually end over end. â€Å"A sweet piece of steel, but it cuts two ways, my lord. The Imp will no doubt swear the blade was lost or stolen while he was at Winterfell, and with his hireling dead, who is there to give him the lie?† He tossed the knife lightly to Ned. â€Å"My counsel is to drop that in the river and forget that it was ever forged.† Ned regarded him coldly. â€Å"Lord Baelish, I am a Stark of Winterfell. My son lies crippled, perhaps dying. He would be dead, and Catelyn with him, but for a wolf pup we found in the snow. If you truly believe I could forget that, you are as big a fool now as when you took up sword against my brother.† â€Å"A fool I may be, Stark . . . yet I'm still here, while your brother has been moldering in his frozen grave for some fourteen years now. If you are so eager to molder beside him, far be it from me to dissuade you, but I would rather not be included in the party, thank you very much.† â€Å"You would be the last man I would willingly include in any party, Lord Baelish.† â€Å"You wound me deeply.† Littlefinger placed a hand over his heart. â€Å"For my part, I always found you Starks a tiresome lot, but Cat seems to have become attached to you, for reasons I cannot comprehend. I shall try to keep you alive for her sake. A fool's task, admittedly, but I could never refuse your wife anything.† â€Å"I told Petyr our suspicions about Jon Arryn's death,† Catelyn said. â€Å"He has promised to help you find the truth.† That was not news that Eddard Stark welcomed, but it was true enough that they needed help, and Littlefinger had been almost a brother to Cat once. It would not be the first time that Ned had been forced to make common cause with a man he despised. â€Å"Very well,† he said, thrusting the dagger into his belt. â€Å"You spoke of Varys. Does the eunuch know all of it?† â€Å"Not from my lips,† Catelyn said. â€Å"You did not wed a fool, Eddard Stark. But Varys has ways of learning things that no man could know. He has some dark art, Ned, I swear it.† â€Å"He has spies, that is well known,† Ned said, dismissive. â€Å"It is more than that,† Catelyn insisted. â€Å"Ser Rodrik spoke to Ser Aron Santagar in all secrecy, yet somehow the Spider knew of their conversation. I fear that man.† Littlefinger smiled. â€Å"Leave Lord Varys to me, sweet lady. If you will permit me a small obscenity—and where better for it—I hold the man's balls in the palm of my hand.† He cupped his fingers, smiling. â€Å"Or would, if he were a man, or had any balls. You see, if the pie is opened, the birds begin to sing, and Varys would not like that. Were I you, I would worry more about the Lannisters and less about the eunuch.† Ned did not need Littlefinger to tell him that. He was thinking back to the day Arya had been found, to the look on the queen's face when she said, We have a wolf, so soft and quiet. He was thinking of the boy Mycah, of Jon Arryn's sudden death, of Bran's fall, of old mad Aerys Targaryen dying on the floor of his throne room while his life's blood dried on a golden blade. â€Å"My lady,† he said, turning to Catelyn, â€Å"there is nothing more you can do here. I want you to return to Winterfell at once. If there was one assassin, there could be others. Whoever ordered Bran's death will learn soon enough that the boy still lives.† â€Å"I had hoped to see the girls . . . † Catelyn said. â€Å"That would be most unwise,† Littlefinger put in. â€Å"The Red Keep is full of curious eyes, and children talk.† â€Å"He speaks truly, my love,† Ned told her. He embraced her. â€Å"Take Ser Rodrik and ride for Winterfell. I will watch over the girls. Go home to our sons and keep them safe.† â€Å"As you say, my lord.† Catelyn lifted her face, and Ned kissed her. Her maimed fingers clutched against his back with a desperate strength, as if to hold him safe forever in the shelter of her arms. â€Å"Would the lord and lady like the use of a bedchamber?† asked Littlefinger. â€Å"I should warn you, Stark, we usually charge for that sort of thing around here.† â€Å"A moment alone, that's all I ask,† Catelyn said. â€Å"Very well.† Littlefinger strolled to the door. â€Å"Don't be too long. It is past time the Hand and I returned to the castle, before our absence is noted.† Catelyn went to him and took his hands in her own. â€Å"I will not forget the help you gave me, Petyr. When your men came for me, I did not know whether they were taking me to a friend or an enemy. I have found you more than a friend. I have found a brother I'd thought lost.† Petyr Baelish smiled. â€Å"I am desperately sentimental, sweet lady. Best not tell anyone. I have spent years convincing the court that I am wicked and cruel, and I should hate to see all that hard work go for naught.† Ned believed not a word of that, but he kept his voice polite as he said, â€Å"You have my thanks as well, Lord Baelish.† â€Å"Oh, now there's a treasure,† Littlefinger said, exiting. When the door had closed behind him, Ned turned back to his wife. â€Å"Once you are home, send word to Helman Tallhart and Galbart Glover under my seal. They are to raise a hundred bowmen each and fortify Moat Cailin. Two hundred determined archers can hold the Neck against an army. Instruct Lord Manderly that he is to strengthen and repair all his defenses at WhiteHarbor, and see that they are well manned. And from this day on, I want a careful watch kept over Theon Greyjoy. If there is war, we shall have sore need of his father's fleet.† â€Å"War?† The fear was plain on Catelyn's face. â€Å"It will not come to that,† Ned promised her, praying it was true. He took her in his arms again. â€Å"The Lannisters are merciless in the face of weakness, as Aerys Targaryen learned to his sorrow, but they would not dare attack the north without all the power of the realm behind them, and that they shall not have. I must play out this fool's masquerade as if nothing is amiss. Remember why I came here, my love. If I find proof that the Lannisters murdered Jon Arryn . . . â€Å" He felt Catelyn tremble in his arms. Her scarred hands clung to him. â€Å"If,† she said, â€Å"what then, my love?† That was the most dangerous part, Ned knew. â€Å"All justice flows from the king,† he told her. â€Å"When I know the truth, I must go to Robert.† And pray that he is the man I think he is, he finished silently, and not the man I fear he has become.

Advertising works Essay

For this assignment we are dealing with a type of media study, which involves the features of advertising. For this assignment, we have to write a detailed and comparative review comparing the two adverts for a student studying how advertising works. We have been given a copy of an advert, which is trying to sell Kellogg’s Special ‘k’. The assignment states that we must discuss the similarities and differences between the Kellogg’s advert and an advert of our own. During the lesson we discussed the features of the Kellogg’s assignment and how different parts of the advert such as colour and font size and use of images to coax the readers to buy the product. I have structured this project in a way that shows the features of the Kellogg’s advert, then my own advert and finally the identification of the differences and similarities between the two. Kellogg’s Advert  Here I will construct a detailed analysis of the advert and the uses of its features and effects on the viewer or reader.  At first glance we can see that the advert is situated in a magazine and is spread across two A4 sheets. We have two images on the left and another on the right, followed by a paragraph of text to the right of the advert. The first image is of a women of quite a young age say around 28-32 sitting in her morning clothes on a stool holding a bowl. This is the largest of the images on the page so it is the first thing that the eye will see as the reader turns the page and sees this advert. This may well point out the age group of the audience that the advert is aimed at, woman of age between 25 and 35 who tend nowadays to take their self-appearance very seriously and the advert will use this against them to sell the cereal. The image is in colour and the woman is good looking and has perfect bodily features for example her teeth are straight and brilliant white and she is slim and is dressed as an average person would look in the morning. The editor of this advert has set the image like this for quite a few reasons The image is in colour which adds a bright and happy feeling to the advert  The woman is good looking and slim this would make the reader envy the woman but also feel happy for her, and will push the reader to find the source of the woman’s perfect features.  She is the largest image of the advert this may show that the advert is mainly aimed at woman.  And finally the woman is wearing very casual clothes and looks like she has just woken up and is eating breakfast, which presumably is the cereal the advert intends to sell. This makes the reader feel accessible to the product in other words because the lady looks like an average person, the reader will not be put off and, maybe think that this product is only for â€Å"the beautiful people†. Next on the advert is an image of a man, considerably smaller than that of the woman but this man has a tough look on his face is very well built, the man is shown with no top on emphasising his toned physique. At first glance the image doest â€Å"say† to much to the reader in terms of what that stands for, but once again related to the above point these fairly mysterious features entice the reader to read on just a little further just to find out what the images relate to. The last two images are of a spoon full of special K flakes, which is situated to the right of the advert midst all the text. This is very revealing as once you see this picture you begin to understand what the advert is describing, and the final image is of the front cover of a box of special K this small but significant image sticks in the readers mind very cleverly, as it is the last thing the person will read on the advert it will hopefully stick in their mind so that the next time they go shopping lets say they walk through the cereal isle and then as they go past the box it will instantly remind them of that advert they saw in that magazine, then once their minds start thinking and reminiscing on what they read, they will remember the pretty woman and the good looking man and this will all add up to finally convincing the reader to buy it and this is the long term result the owners of Special K are looking for. Following on from the subject of images we then smoothly come into the part about â€Å"Text/Lexis†. Playing probably one of the most important roles of the entire advert, catchy one liners and titles and also thought provoking paragraphs assist the images in selling the product. We have four main sections of text on the entire page; we have one main heading a quote and two paragraphs of writing. First up is the title, which is situated bang in the middle of the page and reads â€Å"Stay Special†. Now there are quite a few analytical comments to make about this title, this particular title contains a considerable amount of potential which I am going to slowly explain. At first glance the reader will pick up on the size of the font and the colour, one word is black the other red, the text is big and bold and straight to the point just what is needed to get the message across quickly and efficiently, the word â€Å"stay† is printed in black and has been placed, on top of another background image of a fridge, but do not be fooled, that image is not there for no reason the handle of the fridge † coincidently runs underneath the word â€Å"stay† doubling as an underlining effect, very clever! The word â€Å"special† in red, this is a colour coordinating effect that makes the reader believe that by eating this cereal you will stay special. What it is referring to is the image of the woman, special is merely referring to the woman’s physical appearance, she is fit in good shape and has good looks, all the components needed for the specified audience of this advert, women who are on the search for a man, (this is where the picture of the man will kick in) also very cleverly constructed is the positioning of the title, although to the casual reader it may seem like a bad printing job, but the word special has been purposely positioned to lie across both sides of the advert, this very effective technique acts as a bridge for the readers eyes leading them onto the next page of the advert to read for more, the readers are oblivious to this but find themselves already reading the next page, the word special has been carefully selected, as it coincides with the name of the product â€Å"SPECIAL K†, which has been colour coordinated to match the colour of the name of the box. So on reading that title the reader is lead straight onto the next piece of text, the quote.

Judaism, Christianity, Islam Essay

The three oldest religions are Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Judaism is a one of the oldest religions known to people. Judaism is a monotheistic religion, which means that Jewish people pray to only one g-d. There weren’t too many religions like this when it originated which made Judaism very unique at the time. Moses was one of the most famous Jewish prophets. He led the Jewish people out of slavery, led them to Mount Sinai and received the Ten Commandments, a set of rules that people even today still follow. The Jews have many customs and traditions. Among them are circumcision, bar or bat mitzvah, special rituals and prayers to be said during a wedding and during death and mourning. Circumcision is the removal of the foreskin of the penis. The rite of circumcision is one of the most ancient practices of Judaism. Circumcision is done because of a Commandment by God to Abraham as it is written in the Torah and as a sign of commitment of Jewish people. The Torah is Judaism’s most important text. It contains the Five Books of Moses and is the source of the Ten Commandments. Bar or Bat mitzvah’ is when a child reaches the age of maturity, 13 for boys, and 12 for girls, and is ready to become an adult their community. At that age, a child becomes responsible for his actions and is obligated to observe the commandments. This ceremony is incorporated into an ordinary Sabbath service. During a Jewish wedding, the bride and groom get married under a special cloth called a â€Å"chuppah† or special canopy. Another tradition that is followed during a Jewish wedding is the breaking of a small glass at the end of the ceremony. This is to symbolize that even though this is a happy event, people should still remember the hardships that were faced before the Jewish people got to that place in time. During death and mourning, a Jewish family will sit â€Å"shiva† which is sitting in mourning for seven days after the death of a loved one. Some other customs are wearing a kippah on the head in a synagogue or wearing a tallit, a prayer shawl, while praying. Christianity is one of the world’s major monotheistic religions. Christianity takes the beliefs and practices very seriously. The central figure in Christianity is Jesus Christ. As the Son of God, he came to earth to teach about love and fellowship. He represents the person that all Christians must strive to be. Christians believe that he is the only one that ever lived on earth that can be called perfect from all worldly sins. The important thing to understand was that Jesus was God. He was here on earth to teach of God’s plan for all of humanity and to save the people of the world from their transgressions. In Christianity, God is almighty and rules over all of heaven and earth. He is the one that created the earth and one day will cast judgment over the entire earth. Christians understand that through Jesus Christ, people can be saved from this judgment. By believing that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior, the Spirit of God is exists in all believers, and that God is almighty in power. A person can be saved from this judgment. Christians believe in heaven and hell. Heaven is the place where believers would enjoy the presence of God and other believers and freedom from suffering and sin. Hell is where unbelievers and sinners are punished for their sins committed during the course of their lives. Baptism is one of the most important sacraments in Christianity. It involves application of or immersion in water, a blessing, and the pronouncement, â€Å"I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. † Most Christian churches baptize both infants and adults, but some believe that baptism is only rightly performed on adults. Views of baptism vary, but common views of the rituals include: it grants or symbolizes salvation, commemorates Christ’s death and resurrection, fulfills the command of Jesus to baptize, cleanses away sins, confers grace, and publicly expresses one’s faith. Christianity also teaches about the importance of attending Holy Mass. It’s important for Christians to keep their Sabbath according to the commandments. It is observed on the seventh day which usually falls on a Sunday or Saturday and is considered a weekly day of rest from work. The day is spent fasting and praying and attending Holy Mass. At Mass, followers are taught about the teachings in the bible through scripture readings. The celebration of Mass would conclude with the sharing of communion. Communion represents the Passover that Jesus celebrated with his twelve disciples on the eve of His death. It is an integral part of Christian worship. It causes Christians to remember the Lord’s death and resurrection and to look for His glorious return in the future. Holidays, feasts and fasts are a significant part of Christian religious practice. The feast days celebrate joyous and sorrowful historical events such as the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, while the fast days provide a special opportunity to focus on self-reflection, self-discipline and repentance. Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Lent starts on Ash Wednesday and it runs for forty days. During the forty days Christians fast and pray which represents the forty days Jesus spent in the wilderness fasting and praying. Lent is followed by Easter which represents the return of Jesus from the wilderness. Easter starts from Palm Sunday. His death and resurrection is observed during Easter. Special Services are kept in the church during this week and ends with Easter Sunday, the day that Jesus rose from the dead. Islam is a simple and practical religion. It has established, clear, and easily understandable beliefs and laws that any follower or student of the religion can easily understand. Islam affirms belief in a decent, civilized society. Islam also does not demand impossible goodness of its followers, but it recognizes that all human beings make mistakes and sin. No one is exempt. Islam preaches peace, mercy, justice, tolerance, equality, love, truth, forgiveness, patience, morality, sincerity and righteousness. Islam is the religion that preaches the Oneness of God, the Oneness of mankind and the Oneness of the Message. Muslims believe that there is only one supreme God, Allah. In Islam to believe in Allah is not only to believe in Allah’s existence but also to believe in all Allah’s attributions, to worship Allah alone, and to obey all Allah’s commands. Islam teaches about the five pillars: Shahada, Salah, Seyam, Zakat and Hajj. Shahada is the verbal commitment and pledge that there is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. It is the duty of every Muslim, male and female, after reaching the age of puberty, to perform five Salats or prayers at specific times during the day and night. These five specific times are: – Dawn, Noon, Afternoon, Sunset, and Night. A ritual called Wudu, which is the cleaning several parts of the body with water, is a prerequisite to Salat. Fasting during the month of Ramadan, the ninth month of the lunar calendar, is from sun up to sun down only and is an obligation on every healthy adult Muslim, male or female. Fasting is total abstinence from eating, drinking, smoking, gum chewing, intimate relations, and taking anything into the body. If a person is ill and needs to take medication, he/she cannot fast. Fasting is also a time to discipline one’s self from bad behaviors, such as; arguing and saying mean things. Those who are ill or unable to fast for health or reasons of age are exempt from fasting. However, they should feel the poor one meal for every day they miss of fasting. Women who are pregnant, menstruating, or nursing, or any who are traveling, are also exempt from fasting. However, when their situation changes, they make up the days of fasting or feed the poor one meal for each day of fasting they missed. Zakat is an annual obligatory charity on every Muslim, male or female, who possesses over the last year money or property that exceeds their minimum needs. The requirement is 2. 5% of one’s excess wealth. The performance of the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia is required once in a lifetime of every Muslim, if financially able, as well as physically able. Hajj begins every year during the month of Dul Hejja. Dul Hejja is the 12th month of the Islamic calendar year. The Hajj is a spiritual journey where a Muslim forgets all worldly things and devotes his/her attention and time to Allah alone. Islam looks at the woman as an equal, mature and capable partner of a man, without whom a family cannot exist and teaches that men and women are all the creation of Allah, existing on a level of equal worth and value. In some societies women are treated according to ancestral customs and tribal tradition, but in Islam they are treated with full respect and honor. Islam preserves women’s honor and dignity, and requires that she must be treated with respect and honor. Her femininity should not be exploited in any way, rather she is to be regarded and treated as human individual whose sexuality does not enter into her relationship with any person other than her husband. In Islam marriage cannot take place unless the female freely agrees to it and a dowry is given to her. Islam puts priorities for the husbands and wives. The responsibility for providing for the family is on the husband, while the responsibility to care for the house and raising the children is on the wife. These are the main priorities, but cooperation between the husband and the wife is required and highly recommended.

No topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 8

No topic - Essay Example The leucocytes involved in inflammatory response are basophils, eosinophils, neutrophils and macrophages along with tissue cells called mast cell. The damaged tissues release chemicals like histamine, kinins and prostaglandins that cause widening of blood vessels and increase in blood flow to site of injury. These chemicals initiate the white blood cells or leukocytes to migrate to injured site that is known as chemotaxis. The inflammatory response can be triggered by exogenous or endogenous agents like complement found in the plasma helps in releasing bradykinin and fibrinopeptides that helps antibodies to fight against the foreign substances. Two types of white blood cells are visible near the injured site, neutrophils are first found that help in avoiding the harmful bacteria from spreading while microphages are seen later to help clearing the damaged area of bacteria or dead cells thereby generating new tissue that reside until the injury is healed completely. 3. Proliferation takes up to four weeks or more depending on the severity of injury, in cases of severe injury the area affected may compose of specific tissue cells and other tissue known as granulation tissue which forms the scar tissue if not removed thereby decreasing the functional ability of tissue. 4. The new cells spread in the injured area try to produce a functioning tissue that might take months or years to develop with proper functioning. Stretching is helpful in strengthening the new tissue during remodeling. Organelles are bodies present in the cytoplasm that tend to serve various metabolic activities within the cells while lysosomes are sac like compartments that contain several enzymes helpful in breaking down harmful cell products, waste materials, cell debris and foreign substances in a phagocytic cell example macrophages and neutrophils. Stroma is the supporting framework of an organ composed of

International Supply Chain Management (Sourcing Strategies) Essay

International Supply Chain Management (Sourcing Strategies) - Essay Example As a result of near-shoring activities, enhancement of cultural affinity takes place which acts as a boon to the modern businesses with respect to their value chain activities. The cultural affinity being developed provides strong prospect for the long-term relationship development among the various entities of the supply chain. As a result of this, the supply functions of the companies enhance up to a considerable extent. Finally, it is worthy to mention that the new approach of near-shoring as a sourcing strategy offers cost advantages to the companies. The proximity of time zone allows the companies to reduce the extra amount of work required to match with the time of the entity in other ends of the supply chain. The cultural affinity leads to reduced amount of time spend upon the cycles required for reaching a consensus (Neoris Practical Visionaries, 2010). However, the activities within near-shoring strategy for sourcing are not without risk associated with it. Although it is be tter to go for near-shoring than off-shoring as according to the contemporary managers, near-shoring cannot lead the companies towards achievement of goal when applied alone. A combination of off-shoring, onsite and near-shoring would provide better result than being used alone. Thus, instead of determining the advantage of near-shoring over off-shoring, it would be beneficial for the contemporary mangers to identify the most effective combination through which goals can be achieved (Bell, 2005). On-Shoring Along with near-shoring, on-shoring has also been evolving as an innovative concept in the businesses where efficient supervision of supply... This essay stresses that the opportunity cost associated with outsourcing at times triggers the interest among the companies to remain preset to this process. This is because through outsourcing the production units can derive the advantage of lower production costs in the developing nations of the world which would not be possible with the process of in-sourcing. Another noticeable disadvantage of in-sourcing is that the focus of the company gets deviated from its core competencies because of in-sourcing. In-sourcing might bring about the necessity of concentrating upon certain activities like that of IT in which the company is not expert at. In such a situation, the time, the efforts and the resources that will be spend over activities other than the core activities would be considered as extra amount of cost This paper makes a conclusion that development of various combinations of the modern sourcing strategies would be essential. The companies can then adopt various means of assessing each of the combinations in a critical way. The combination that anticipates the most effective output for the companies should be selected. These actions of the companies in relation to the adoption of one best sourcing strategy are helpful for both the short-term as well as the long-term prospects of the companies. This is because effectiveness of the sourcing strategies leads towards enhanced competency of the supply functions of the companies which is a competitive aspect in the context of the modern businesses.

Word Cinema and Global media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Word Cinema and Global media - Essay Example Most of these foreign films are from Hollywood but there are some other regional variations as well. Overall the Egyptian film industry has had a large and dominating role to play in the regional film industry even though it has had to see ups and downs. This paper will attempt to analyze the various contours of production, distribution and exhibition of Egyptian and foreign films within the Egyptian cinematic domains. A brief history of the Egyptian cinematic tradition will be traced first so that the current standing is reflected more clearly. Egyptian cinema has had a long tradition that is comparable to other Third World cinematic traditions such as those in India, Brazil and Mexico. Silent films were already being made in Egypt around 1896 though these were not full length feature films. Egyptian cinema was prolific from the start especially after the introduction of sound to films. It is estimated that only between 1930 and 1936 the Egyptian film industry was able to contribute some forty films that were produced by small production studios (Darwish, 1998). The rise of Egyptian cinema in its earliest years led to its early independence during the colonization period. The subsequent independence of Egyptian cinema made it appear as a threat to the colonists such as the French in neighboring Morocco. The extent of the trouble was such that the French established a new department of African problems that was solely responsible for creating production in Morocco to counter the influence of Egyptian cinema. Following independence in the wake of the Second World War and the subsequent revolution in 1952, the Egyptian cinematic tradition assumed political dimensions. Film producers, directors and critics alike shared a common zeal to inject political problems into the cinema to make people more aware (Schochat, 1983). The prolific decades of the

Dq3-Sheila Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Dq3-Sheila - Essay Example One major setback is of the great extent of information asymmetry involved as it is evident that various departments are involved leading to a varied opinion amongst each and every one of them (Pot, 2011). Taking the case of two standard departments in most organizations that are, the human resource and finance department. The human resource deals with many of the issues relating to the employees of an organization or company such as the management of benefits and new staff recruitment and may also team up with the management to reach a common goal. Whereas the finance department deals with organizing the financial and accounting affairs of the organization, for example, the proper presentation and preparation of reports. Having these two distinct units be aligned to a similar goal impedes the whole process thus negatively affecting the business intelligence foundations for use at the departmental level. The departmental effort for aligning goals can also affect positively the business intelligence for use at the corporate level (Schneider, 2013). This can be explained by the fact that, an organization operates as one whole unit. Through the system, information is enabled to all departments that allowed easier coordination of work within the organization. From the intelligence, leaders will make decisions that are aligned with the primary goals and objectives and recognize the efforts of all departments. As they operate with similar missions, the system performance becomes efficient, and goal accomplishment is made possible. Business intelligence can be briefly described as the strategies an organization adopts to achieve its purposes. In addition, the business intelligence, due to goal alignment can be affected by inhibiting the whole and could be more efficient information from being operational due to goals being set by top management, or the relevant

Breeding Thoroughbred Racing Horses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Breeding Thoroughbred Racing Horses - Essay Example They are also frequently cross-bred with other breeds to generate new breeds or to develop new ones, and have been important in the conception of many significant breeds, for example the Quarter Horse, the Standardbred, the Anglo-Arabian, and a variety of Warmblood breeds. Thoroughbred racehorses act with highest force, which has given rise to high percentage of mishaps and other health troubles. Racing has been established to have a higher casualty rate than all other human and animal games. As well, Thoroughbreds are inclined to other health problems that include bleeding from the lungs, low fertility, unusually small hearts and a small hoof to body mass ratio. There are a number of theories for the causes behind the occurrence of accidents and health complications in the Thoroughbred breed, and study continues into how to decrease the fatality rate and nurse those animals that are wounded. The archetypal Thoroughbred spans between 15.2-17.0 hands high. They are mainly reddish-brown, brown, chestnut, black, or gray (Patten, 191-195). A fewer familiar colors consists of roan and palomino. Although white is uncommon, however is a standard color distinct from gray. The face and lower legs may be stained with white (Bongianni, 1987); even though white will commonly not displayed on the body. Skin patterns that have more than one color on the body, such as Pinto or Appaloosa, are not present in the Thoroughbred (Glyn, 50). Excellent Thoroughbreds have a well-chiseled head on a long neck, high withers, a deep chest, a short back, good depth of rear legs, a slim body, and long legs (Bongianni, 1987; Montgomery, 338-354). Thoroughbreds are grouped among the fiery breeds, which are animals raised for quickness and rapidity and are normally regarded as brave and gallant (Henry 60, 66). Selective Breeding Theory It is advocated that the speed is improved in an already quick animal by raising muscle mass, a variety of selective breeding that has fashioned animals intended to win horse races (Kluger, 2006). Hence, the contemporary Thoroughbred moves quicker than its skeletal composition can bear (Finley, 1993). Consequently, all aggressive contemporary Thoroughbreds are strongly dominant however osteologically weak animals, notably more so than any fossil or living, found in the natural habitat. A top-down observation of skeletal muscle is contractile tissue of the body and is issued from the mesodermal layer of nascent germ cells. Selective breeding in domestic animals is the method of developing a sophisticated breed in the fullness of time. Horse-racing is an equestrian sport pursuit which has been accomplished over the centuries; the chariot races of Roman times were an early example. Crossbreeding Thoroughbreds are often crossed with other horses to produce new breeds or develop existing ones. They have been prominent on many new breeds, for example the American Quarter Horse, the Standardbred, and perhaps the Morgan, a breed that continued to impact many of the gaited breeds in North America. Other familiar crosses with the Thoroughbred consist of crossbreeding with

Effective Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Effective Management - Essay Example In this essay, the most important characteristics of an effective manager are discussed. According to Whetton and Cameron, (2005) the most important personal; qualities essential for a manager are the awareness of one's own self, ability to manage stress and ability to solve problems analytically and creatively. First and foremost quality that builds clarity in the thought process is the self awareness. Cox(1994) in his work mentions that, self awareness is very essential to have a concept of self regard and worthiness to define the persons' emotional intelligence . More awareness of the person's personal values gives direction when decisions have to be made. When a person is aware of the inner self, then they can appreciate the differences between individuals when working in a group. An effective manager feels comfortable in welcoming different viewpoints and can create a shared sense of commitment in a team. The next personal quality that is very essential is the person's anility to manage stress constructively. The manager may have this ability by nature or should acquire this ability to manage stress. Stress cannot be avoided in today's competitive business environment. But the manager should not let the stress to hamper the judgments made. Effective management of stress can be achieved though time management, team building and work redesign. Managing the stress is very essential to develop resilience in the individual who can steer the organization through the odds to success. The other personal skill that has to be possessed by a manager is the ability to solve problems analytically and creatively. A manager should be able to think beyond the traditional boundaries of thought. If the manager has the ability to do so, he can create alternative solutions which are far beyond the traditional options available. He should be able to combine unrelated alternatives to create an alternative solution for a problem which can create a platform for innovation. Interpersonal skills Managers are supposed to have a range of interpersonal skills like coaching, counseling, offering supportive communication, exercising influence, motivating others and managing conflicts. Of all these interpersonal skills the ability to offer supportive communication is very essential. According to Losada and Heaphy(2004), supportive communication is the communication that seeks to preserve a positive relationship between the communications while still addressing the problem at hand. It allows you to provide negative feedback or to resolve a difficult issue with another person and as a result can strengthen the relationship. Next important aspect of interpersonal skill is the leadership skill. Leadership expert McFadden(2007) comments that, "the leader should have passion for the people which means that the leader regards the people more than himself. In order to fulfill this requirement, the success of the leader will be heavily contingent upon whether he has accomplished the first "P" - passion for purpose". A leader of any group is like the leader of an expedition; people are trusting in his guidance because they believe that his expertise is the result of him having already made

Pain Management and Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Pain Management and Assessment - Essay Example Also, a brief idea of how the cost of elderly career affects the realm of healthcare is mentioned to give credence to the fact that incurred costs often play a role in the type of treatment that the elderly patients receive and in what they receive in the assessment and management of their pain. Also, there are concerns about the social psychological and environmental needs of the elderly as well. All of these pertinent issues are discussed so that a better enlightenment can be illustrated in what exactly caring for the elderly patient entails in a nursing practice, specifically within a medically facilitated environment. The conclusion demonstrates that despite the fact that care of the elderly can be more complex and costly they are entitled to the same rights as any other patient and deserve to have effective and appropriate pain management given to them to provide them with the best quality care and comfort level possible. This is the goal of any nurse in the medical field in regards to any and all patients which the finality of this literature defines. Pain is something that is experienced by every human being regardless of their age, gender, or economic status. The theory in behind pain is more than one; in fact there are three theorizations to provide a medical definition of pain. However, pain is normally described as an unfavorable experience that creates an extensive emotional and disabling influence on an individual, especially within the elderly population. The three theories of pain are the Specificity theory, Pattern theory, and Gate theory (Adams & Bromley 1998). It is the Gate Theory that is commonly used in medical terminology to discuss the pain levels of the elderly. This is because this theory focuses on many past experiences that older people have had while receiving medical care and of which dictates how they will perceive their ability to tolerate pain during their treatment. For instance, it is

FDA Authorization for the Next Generation Sequencer Essay

FDA Authorization for the Next Generation Sequencer - Essay Example It is apparent that different people respond differently to different drugs, and the use of genome sequencing will not only reveal the nature and susceptibility of illnesses, but it will also provide physicians with the specific prescriptions required (Collins & Hamburg, 2013). This technology could be used to develop the most appropriate treatment combinations for different patients suffering from cancer. With genomic sequencing, it is possible for doctors to identify the nature of cancer and predict its spreading patterns; hence, the new system will be instrumental in helping doctors deal with different forms of cancer more appropriately (Collins & Hamburg, 2013). The authorization of marketing for the genomic sequencer is a step closer to developing clinical care that is individually oriented. It is; however, clear that some issues like the absence of legal and regulatory policies for the new system will arise (Collins & Hamburg, 2013). There are signs that the authorities are com mitted to developing the most conducive policies to enable the effective and ethical application of the genomic sequencer. The use of the genomics sequencing technology has the potential to attract ethical issues like insurance companies being acquainted with genomic information about their clients, which could cause the development of exempted services that might be discriminating (Collins & Hamburg, 2013). Access to genomic information by physicians may also lead to substandard applications of the system. It is required that the development of accurate genomic information must be attained through thorough processes that may require recurrent experimentation (Collins & Hamburg, 2013). The FDA is collaborating with the National Institute for Standards and Technology to design the required interpretive material for physicians.  

Fetal Genetic Disorders Lead to Abortion Essay Example for Free

Fetal Genetic Disorders Lead to Abortion Essay When a woman first finds out that they are pregnant many factors of worry are present. One is particular is the worry of a genital defect. As women age their percentile chance of having a baby with a genital defect changes drastically. Common genetic disorders are trisomy 13, Patau syndrome, trisomy 18, Edward’s syndrome, and trisomy 21, Down syndrome. Although these can be treatable if a baby lives to adult age they will have a long list of medical problems to live with. Genital defects in babies is directly linked to the rate at which abortions occur. Although it may be easier to abort a baby with a genital defect it is still as wrong no matter what the circumstances. In order for someone to fully understand what having a baby with a specific genital disorder would be like, they must first understand the effects and symptoms of these disorders. When a baby is formed they have 46 chromosomes, 23 from their mom, and 23 from their dad. When nondisjunction occurs, no full separation of a chromosome pair is when genital disorders become present. Nondisjunction of two chromosomes 18 during the formation of an egg or sperm is by far the most common cause of Edwards syndrome. † (Gale Encyclopedia of Genetic Disorders) The interesting thing is that nothing before or during pregnancy causes this and nothing can be done to prevent it. The only well supported factor is that as the mother’s age increases there is a larger chance for complications. â€Å"Unlike Down syndrome, the developmental issues caused by Trisomy 18 are associated with medical complications that are more potentially life-threatening in the early months and years of life. (Trisomy 18 Foundation) Because of this 50% of babies with Trisomy 18 taken to term will be stillborn. (Trisomy 18 Foundation) Though there have been rare cases of people living to adulthood with this disease, they face life threatening complications that will be present until the day they die. Abortion has been present since the early 1800s and is still a major issue today. The most well known case dealing with abortion is that of Roe vs. Wade. In this case Wade was fighting against Roe by saying that if they rule abortion unconstitutional they â€Å"improperly invade a right said to be ossessed by a pregnant women, to choose to terminate her pregnancy. †(Herring 86) The final ruling on this case was that women should have the legal rights to her body and should be able to choose whether or not they will terminate their pregnancy. Several factors determine why a mother would choose an abortion. Single parenthood, not enough income, just doesnt want the baby, and/or medical issues. But one of the more rising issues is the fact that women will abort babies when they get a bad diagnosis. If their baby is going to be mentally retarded then why have it, the easier thing would be to just get rid of it. This has been the growing choice among mothers these days, especially the younger ones. By age 32 a women is 67% likely to have a baby with a genital defect, and is therefore 45% more likely to have an abortion. (Herring 193) The rising controversy of abortion can be directly linked to the diagnosis of fetal genetics disorders. If a woman receives the diagnosis that her baby will be born with Down syndrome and a series of other health issues then why give birth? If the baby is not going to be perfect then there are several women out there that feel the baby has no worth living. Every fetus becomes present at conception and deserves to live whether or not they have a genital defect. Most defects are treatable today and even the ones that are not if the baby is going to die anyway then why not let it die on it’s own terms, instead of terminating it. This is the argument that has been present since the early 1800s. In Roe vs. Wade the Supreme Court ruled that they did not have the right to tell a woman what to do with her body. But murder is a capital crime as well. So the real debate should not be that abortion is legal, the real issue should be whether or not abortion is seen as murder. Webster’s dictionary defines murder as the unlawful premeditated killing of a human being by another and also defines abortion as the deliberate termination of a human pregnancy. But when is a baby considered a human? When they are conceived, or when they are born? It would be considered murder if someone killed a baby after they were born, so why is it not considered murder if someone kills a baby before they are born. This is the true underlying issue of abortion. If the legal system can realize their gaps in their logic then maybe they can figure out that murder is murder no matter how big or how small a human is. Everyone has different morals and beliefs on what they think is right or wrong. But know matter what their moral or spiritual background n one can deny a human being life. So whatever the reason for abortion there need only be one reason against abortion. It is killing plain and simple. If killing is illegal then so is abortion.

Military Culture: A Dynamic Phenomenon

Military Culture: A Dynamic Phenomenon Military culture is a dynamic phenomenon which undergoes evolution in consonance with changing environments. Effects of changes may not be sudden or abrupt but over a period of time; however the variations in environment have potential to alter the entire character of an army. Sequel to this, organizational changes have direct bearing on military culture, as they define the lifestyle of a military outfit. These changes coupled with increased requirements of specialized outfits due to intrinsic geographical diversity have catalyzed cultural shifts in our military. These smaller and particular set ups have actually created/likely to lead to a no of variant or sub-cultures in the army. This sub-cultural shift if not controlled and channelized may result into serious mutations from our very strong, seasoned and well evolved military values as well as culture. In view of above, carryout an in depth study of change in the culture of Pakistan Army attributable to organizational changes as well as concept of specialized outfits with a view to suggest remedial measures to offset any ill-tendencies / disadvantages. . ABSTRACT Culture is diverse in nature. It exists everywhere on this earth. Pakistan is has a rich Culture which is a blend of various cultures that existed in the sub ­continent during the pre-partition era. Our psycho-social and socio-economic environment has deteriorated over the past decades. The employment of units in Sub Conventional Warfare in the last decade and due to Indians Pro Active Operations Strategy has affected the military culture in Pakistan Army. The military culture whether it is affected by the organizational changes and establishing of the satellite cantonments or not is a question that has been discussed in this paper. The social and cultural problems like reduced ethical values, increased careerism, individualism etc has greatly influenced the military lifestyle. The military culture which had very strong values, customs and traditions is undergoing a process of degradation. More so the media and general awareness has also played a major role in giving rise to materi alistic approach among the officers and soldiers alike. This study has highlighted the reasons for the degeneration of military culture and also gives certain recommendations which can reduce the level of deterioration and revive the lost traditions which are a hallmark of our Military Culture. TABLE OF CONTENTS S/No Title Page Preliminaries 1 Theme ii 2 Abstract iii 3 Table of Contents iv Part-I 4 a. Basic definitions and historical perspective 2 b. Roots of Military Culture of Sub Continent 10 c. Part-Il 5 a. Organizational / role changes over past 16 decade in Pakistan Army b. Strengths of Military Culture 17 c. Deformation in Military Culture due to Changes 19 in organization and Role Part-Ill 6 Effects of socio-cultural disorder on Pakistan Army 23 Part-IV 7 Recommendations 27 8 Bibliography 33 EFFECTS OF ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGES AND CREATION OF SPECIALIZED UNITS ON MILITARY CULTURE An Army without culture is dull witted army, and a dull witted army cannot defeat the enemy Moa Tse Tung Introduction 1. Cultural and social changes have been a dominant part of the evolution of mankind. Culture is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, customs, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society  [1]  . Military society is a unique and distinct entity with its own sub-culture. This form of culture provides an environment under which leadership and management are exercised in the armed forces. Military culture is often determined and modified by the nature of the society of its origin. Although the elements of the military culture like training, discipline, codes, conditioning etceteras play a pivotal role to bring about changes in the cultural traits of military personnel, the cultural traits of the society remains its very foundation. 2. For a military outfit it is extremely important to have a team equipped with an enriched military culture which can deliver in the hour of need. What makes a soldier fight? In some cases it is the motivation based on ideology, in others it may be materialistic motives. It takes a wide span of time to inculcate all those attributes which a soldier needs to withstand challenges in the combat. This is a whole time commitment where one spends more time in dealing with professional choirs than with normal society. History is witness to the fact that military culture has played a key role in the final outcome of many battles. Culture is a barometer of societys health. An eroded culture will be a reflection of the illness of a society and vice versa. 3. After 9/11, not only affected the society of our country but also transformed the military culture of Pakistan Army a lot. The Sub Conventional Wars in Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Swat and areas of Balochistan resulted in formation of new specialized outfits with specific tasks. Indians Pro Active Strategy has also resulted in the organizational changes as well in the form of establishment of new satellite stations/ cantonments. These organizational changes has affected the military culture in Pakistan Army prevailing a decade ago resulting in the deformation of already established military customs, traditions and culture. There is a dire need to identify the deformation that has taken place and the effort that is required to remove/ correct them. Aim 4. To carry out an in depth study of changes in Pakistan Army culture in historic perspective, current changes in the culture attributable to organizational / specialized outfit related transformations, with a view to suggesting remedial measures to offset the deformation in the military culture. PART-I BASIC DEFINITIONS AND HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE Basic Definitions 5. In order to undertake the study it is imperative to understand the following basic concepts so as to build a sound base for the analysis. a. Society. The English word society emerged in the 15th century and is derived from the French word societe. The French word, in turn, had its origin in the Latin word societas, which means a friendly association with others, from socius meaning companion, associate, and comrade or business partner. The Latin word is probably related to the verb sequi, to follow, and thus originally may have meant follower  [2]  . In political science, the term is often used to mean the totality of human relationships, generally in contrast to the State, i.e., the apparatus of rule or government within a territory. In the social sciences such as sociology, society has been used to mean a group of people that form a semi-closed social system, in which most interactions are with other individuals belonging to the group. Societies may also be organized according to their political structure. In order of increasing size and complexity, there are bands, tribes, chiefdoms, and state societies. These s tructures may have varying degrees of political power, depending on the cultural geographical and historical environments that these societies must contend with. Thus, a more isolated society with the same level of technology and culture as other societies is more likely to survive than one in closer proximity to others that may encroach on their resources. A society that is unable to offer an effective response to other societies it competes with will usually be subsumed into the culture of the competing society. b. Ethos. Ethos, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is defined as the characteristic spirit, prevalent tone of sentiment, of a people or community; the genius of an institution or system, although it originally has its roots in the Greek word etho or to be accustomed to  [3]  . In a place where one might gather often, the opportunity for developing communal values indefinitely arises. These types of values are those which are established in the meaning of ethos. Therefore, to be a good example of ethos, one most portray the types of traits that are most valued within a society which sometimes differs for every society. For example, those virtues as related to Athens would be justice, courage, temperance, magnificence, magnanimity, liberality, gentleness, prudence, and wisdom.  [4]   c. Culture. Culture is defined as the sum of symbols, ideas, forms of expression, and material products associated with a social system. It is a dynamic medium through which societies create a collective way of life reflected in such things as beliefs, values, music, literature, art, dance, science, religious ritual, and technology. In this sense, it is literally the source from which we create most of what we experience as reality, and as such its place in human life is enormously important  [5]  . Culture is the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief and behavior. Culture thus consists of language, ideas, beliefs, customs, taboos, codes, institution, tools, techniques, work of art, rituals, ceremonies, and other related components. Some researchers say that culture is concerned with the state of mind, spirit and civilization. Even human society also enjoys its own particular culture, or socio- ­culture system which overlaps with other systems. Variations among socio-cu ltural system are attributed to physical habits and stretches to the range of possibilities. Culture is inherent in various areas of activity, such as language, rituals and customs. The attitude, values, ideals and beliefs of individuals are greatly influenced by the culture in which they live. Precisely, culture is the sum total of the ways of life of people in a particular society. Culture is the key to understanding a group, has a lot of practical value to a sociologist. If we know the culture and its implication for man or group of men, we can predict certain part of their behavior, and explain most of its part actions. Following aspects of culture are vital  [6]  . (1) Culture is a continuously changing process. It adapts itself to new situation and environment though it is not observed since the changing process is quite slow apparently but has deep under currents. (2) Whenever culture of a society is dilated upon, the instance of that society is not protected. d. Mores. Mores are norms that reflect deeply held cultural ideals about how people should behave. Mores make more important distinctions, such as those between good and evil, virtuous and sinful, laudable and repugnant. A societys mores define standards of behaviour that are more serious and punishment for their violation tends to be both more certain and more severe. Mores extend beyond the rightness or wrongness of certain acts to the most profound ideas about life in a society is supposed to be about  [7]  . e. Military Culture. The military society is a unique and a distinct entity with its own sub culture. This form of culture provides an environment under which leadership and management are exercised in the armed forces. Military culture is often determined and modified by the nature of the society and of its origin, although, the elements of culture like training, discipline ,codes, conditioning etc play a significant role to bring about changes in the cultural traits of military personnel, nevertheless, the cultural traits of the entire society remains as the foundation. Since differences or changes in cultural traits are brought about by these elements, they become factors of consideration, particularly in crisis or battle situation. The performance and conduct of soldiers in crisis and battle are the sum total of cultural traits they have imbibed over a period. Military culture is generally based on ideals of honour, sacrifice and discipline, thereby appearing different from the t raditional value system of any society. The extent of attainment of these ideals; account for the professional rating of the military. This consequently differentiates a professional army from a non ­professional one. Pakistan Army evolved along with the history of the nation itself and has experienced modifications of its military culture at various critical times. The different stages that the army experienced has helped to modify its culture to what it is today exercising both positive and negative trends on its professionalism. Historical Perspective 6. Genesis of Military Culture in a Global Perspective. Military culture can be traced back to the genesis of human society itself. The interesting phenomenon is that despite the wide diversity of the worlds cultural scene, military culture all over, has the same basic ingredients and therefore cannot be isolated drastically from the national culture. Military culture breeds respect, honour and regard for fellow soldiers. Its builds a positive culture in which its members live. It is the mainstay of any successful military organization  [8]  . Military culture, apart from geographical influences, also has deep historical roots in the genesis of the particular army as well. The armies raised by the colonial powers retain the imprints of colonial occupation in their overall outlook. As humans developed their dwellings into communal groups and the network of tribal society began spreading, so did the profession of arms. Initially all members of the clan were supposed to take up arms whenever circumstances necessitated acquiring or retaining. As civilization grew larger, different people took to different walks of life. This was the origin of professionals. In order to understand the genesis of military culture in its broader perspective, Ancient civilizations of Egypt and Greece will be mention here:- a. Military Culture of Ancient Egypt. Egypt is known as a land of ancient wisdom  [9]  . By the 1468 BC, small groups of people started settling down along the banks of the Nile. These settlements became small villages and in time the headman of one village grew stronger and more powerful than his neighbours. Finally his descendants became rulers were known as Pharaohs and there subjects worshiped them as gods  [10]  . The first Pharaoh to rule the Kingdom of upper and lower Nile was Menes, but Hyksos was the first ruler who organized the army and gave birth to the ancient military culture of Egypt. The Hyksos dynasty were driven out by Ahmes in 1567 BC, and from his time onwards, the practice of methods of war became an essential part of the Pharaohs training curriculum. The cities needed dedicated people to defend them and the state needed a powerful army to implement its policies within and without. The Army was the only tangible instrument of power, so great care was take n to indoctrinate its members in a way that that believed in the divinity of the monarch. The important components were: ­- (1) Chivalry. (2) Courage. (3) Honour. (4) Duty. (5) Patriotism. (6) Sense of Sacrifice. (7) Fidelity. (8) Unquestioned Obedience. (9) Divinity of the Cause. b. Military Culture of the Greeks. Greeks are a part of our mental furniture, our cultural baggage. Alternatively, they are the rock on which the painfully constructed edifices of our experiences actually rest  [11]  . But which Greeks are they, precisely, whom we should look back to, to trace the genesis of military culture? Alexander, the greatest flag bearer of Greek Culture, was not a Greek but a Macedonian. Nevertheless, Greeks were a warrior people. War, as Heraclites of Ephesus put it round about 500 BC, is the king and father of all things and all men, some he makes free some slaves. War in ancient Greece, defined the political rights and responsibilities of citizens and colonies, as well as providing a peculiarly demanding test of brute physique and mental strength. It drew the line between the free and the unfree both within the Greek world and between the Greeks and the surrounding barbarian or non-Greek cultures. Apart from their cardinal values of their military cult ure, the Greeks had moral opposition to militarism that sets classical Greek military culture apart from that of the peoples, ancient or modern, making it ancestral in particular to Western military culture  [12]  . ROOTS OF MILITARY CULTURE OF SUB CONTINENT 7. The Indus Valley civilization and culture emerged in about 2500 B.C. Later in 3rd century BC, King Ashoka gave a concept of highly trained and professional Army to the subcontinent. Military culture based on Ashokas values of bravery and wisdom, flourished in the land for the centuries to come. Early Muslim Conquests and Our Military Culture (1) In early 8th century, Muhammad Bin Qasim defeated Raja Dahirs army at Hyderabad. This exposed people of Subcontinent to the Islamic military culture based on brotherhood, bravery, justice, equality, honour and sacrifice. (2) The next major exposure to our military culture was of Muslim sultanate which was established in Delhi by early 13th century. In 16th century the Mongols, who were the decedents of Genghis Khan swept over the mountain passes from Central Asia came to this region. Now, besides the balanced culture of Islam, the harsh culture of YASA (the constitution of the Genghis Khan), the cast-ridden culture of Hinduism and soft culture of Buddhists and Confucius got induced into the military culture of Subcontinent. The British Colonial Era (1) The next cultural big bang occurred due to the arrival of British on the scene. The British restructured and reorganized the local forces. British Raj influenced various facets of our military culture like customs, institutions, and ceremonies. (2) In British Indian Army, religious tendencies were not advocated; rather British officers laid emphasis on loyalty, duty and regimentation. They presented new ideas like mess culture and the creation of rank of Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO). They also created phenomenal training institutions like Military College Jhelum and Command and Staff College Quetta. So our military culture till independence was a cluttered culture of various civilizations and did not have a single theme to be pursued. Transition Period (1947 1953). 1947 brought new dreams, new hopes and new challenges for the new army. That was the right time to identify our true military culture and shun all unwanted elements. But unfortunately that could not happen because at the time of independence Pakistan Armed Forces were deficient of officers. The shortage of officers, forced Pakistan Armed Forces to retain almost 500 British officers on contract at senior command and staff appointments, who maintained status quo. Therefore, Pakistan Armed Forces could not find their cultural identity in its new composite entity. Disengagement of the residual British officers in 1953 was the beginning of the development of a new military culture. Consolidation Era (1953 1971). This phase witnessed political instability and the appointment of General Ayub Khan as the Commander-In-Chief. This era brought the idea of Martial Law in the Pakistan Armed Forces. Present shortcomings in our present military culture, due to interactions with the civilians, have their roots embedded in the time frame of consolidation era i.e. from 1953 to 1971. Another important happening in this time frame was the realization that we should give away the British traditions and in this search of our identity and national pride, the pride in affiliation with the British Crown was disowned by symbolic removal of the word Royal that preceded all unit designations. This era also saw 1965 War. The armed forces enjoyed an intimate backing from the civilian masses and the war made soldiers as national heroes. e. Period From 1971 1977 (1) This era witnessed the darkest turn in our National history. Nation faced a political defeat in a military arena. (2) On the contrary, the strength of the Armed Forces was not decreased and the Government maintained a strong and efficient military. Our culture did not change much in this period but the masses and the Armed Forces started feeling the requirement of integrating the Islamic values into their daily lives. f. Period From 1977 1988 (1) This era again brought the Armed Forces to the center stage of national politics. In this phase, religion remained central to General Zias philosophy. Changes such as comprehensive ban on drinking were implemented. A cultural shift from a westernized life style to a more Islamic life style started to begin. (2) Military co-operation with other countries improved. It was estimated that about 30,000 Pakistani troops were stationed in 24 different countries in 1983. This brought a wave of prosperity among the officers and men. There was a swift shift of culture in this time frame from western style to core oriental and Islamic way of military life style. This was the era whose impressions can still be found in our present military culture. Period From 1988 1999. This era was characterized by democratic rule and political instability. In a span of seven years, four governments were changed. Due to self interest of various political parties, the political atmosphere remained charged. In spite of tall claims, the economic state depleted and foreign investment decreased due to rampant corruption, deteriorating law and order and political instability. During this decade, both India and Pakistan became overtly nuclear. This gave a temporary boost to National spirit and the public sentiments aroused. This was immediately followed by the Kargil Campaign. Our culture, however, did not change much during this decade. Period From 1999 to 2007 (1) General Pervaiz Musharaf took over as Chief Executive after military coup. Qualified / suitable Retired military / civilians were appointed as heads of prime organizations which gave an economic boost to these organizations. This era also attracted foreign investment, offered better job opportunities and increase in foreign exchange reserves. Some of its achievements were:- (a) WAPDA was saved by the Army from total disaster. (b) Pakistan Railways was rescued and it started giving profit. (c) Steel Mill also started giving profit. (d) Media became independent and a lot of private channels were opened. (2) The events of 9 / 11 changed the complexion of international environment and perception of our people. Government decided to become an ally of NATO forces on Global War on Terror (GWOT). Effects of this strategic shift can be seen even today. In later stage of his reign General Musharraf lost his pride as a leader which had direct influence on the image of the Army. This era can conveniently be termed as one man show. The episode of Dr Abdul Qadir Khan, assassination of Akbar Bugti, Lal Masjid operation and removal of Chief Justice, holding of President office being in uniform and emergency declared on 3rd Nov 2010 were some of the controversial decisions resulted in the decline of Musharafs era. i. 2008 till todate (1) Army pulled out from all political institutions. Elections were held and Political Government was set in. Inefficient people with accelerated promotions got appointed as heads of prime institutions. At occasions, National and Provincial Assemblies gave a picture of fish market. The institution which had the public mandate lost its value, resultantly all organization from transport (PIA and railways) to energy sectors are on verge of collapse. Corruption, lawlessness, injustice, worst energy short fall, unabated inflation and price-hike have further compounded the situation in the country. There seems to be no strategy to give relief to the commoners. Uncontrolled and un-steered media became a monster. Instead of providing strength to the society it started to bash various organizations with Army as no exception. Presently, talk shows have become famous for blame game and use of un-parliamentary language. Some of the under mentioned incidents clearly show planned Army bashing by m edia and politicians:- (a) 2nd May incident. (b) Memogate scandal. (c) Salala post incident. (d) North Atlantic Treaty Organization supplies issue. (2) However, during this period Army totally remained focused on military affairs and improved its image. Professionalism came back and training took the center stage. Some of the highlights of this period are appended below:- Army level war games (AzmeNau series). Year of soldier with introduction of Base line menu. Pay package was considerably increased. Introduction of Yum e Shuhada including Shuhada package. Year of training focusing back to basics. Army level study periods. Incentive of free uniform and plots for JCOs / soldiers. Revision of policies. Improvement in Information Technology environment (inclusion of Office Automated System). Success of Military Operation in Swat. Management of Internally displaced personnel (IDPs). Introduction of combat dress. Enhanced accountability. PART II Organizational / Role Changes over Past Decade in Pakistan Army 8. Organizational Changes. After the incident of 9/11 and the following Global War on Terrorism brought not only changes to the Pakistani Society but also had definite changes onto the military culture of Pakistan Army. It changed the outlook of almost entire army as to how it looked before its commitment in the Sub Conventional Warfares operations. It definitely had some positive aspects to its credit but as far as military culture is concerned it brought some drastic unwanted changes and deformation. The organizational changes that took place during this decade were:- a. Commitment of Army in civilian affairs to include monitoring of various state run institutions which were decaying due to inefficiency, which included:- (1) WAPDA. (2) Government educational institute. (3) Hospitals. (4) Census. (5) Elections. (6) Railways. (7) Pakistan Steels and others. b. Pakistan Army moved to the lawless Federally Administered Tribal Area along the Durand line after the invasion of Afghanistan by United States of America. Pakistan Army moved to these areas for the first time after the independence. The units and formations those were deployed have a changed role not previously practiced or known to them. They were not properly trained for this type of warfare. These units had to undergo changes not only in their role but also in their military culture due to the changed environment. These changes in the military cultures were demand of the situation and time. With the passage of time these unwanted deformation in the military customs and cultures came with these changes in the organization and roles of the units and formations of army. 9. Evolution of Special Units/Outfits. The last decade saw changes in terms of evolution of specialized outfit and units. The raising of these units, outfits and organizations vastly improve the combat potential of the Pakistan Army. The evolution and raising of these new units and outfits was the need of the hour. These specialized units were trained; equipped and stationed at special locations in consonance with their operational roles. The examples in case are Light Commando Battalions and Units of Army Strategic Force Command. Due to their peculiar roles and task, these units were cut off from the routine life of a cantonment; adversely affecting the military culture of these outfits. 10. Establishments of Satellite Station/Cantonments. In the last one decade, Indian Army has been evaluating and practicing its Pro Active Operations Strategy. This strategy has serious consequences for Pakistan Army resulting in the construction and establishments of new forward cantonments/satellite stations. Pakistan Armys response to Indians Pro Active Operations Strategy is New Concept of War Fighting. This entailed moving of troops to forward locations during the peace time. This factor has further put troops and officers away from the main cantonments and away from the military cultures. This also includes affecting the training and grooming of all ranks. 11. Strengths of Military Culture. Pakistan Armed Forces enjoys the reputation of being a professional combat force capable of taking on any operational task. This has been proved time and again by our troops engaged in the nation building, United Nations peace keeping missions and during war with India. Some of the strengths of our military culture are:- a. Symbol of National Unity. Ever since its emergence, military has maintained its nationalistic ethos despite various cultural, ethnic, religious rifts gripping Pakistani society. The military has a stature of being above these, thus acting as a unifying force for the country. The role it played in subduing the anti national forces has earned them the respect and are being viewed as the Symbol of National Unity. b. Strength of Institution. The institution of armed forces is constituted on strong ideological foundations of defense of the motherland from internal and external threats. c. National Army. Military culture has an inherent flexibility of warmly accepting all individuals without any discrimination of caste, creed or colour. A large number of Balochi Youth has been inducted in all arms and services of Pakistan Army not only to bring them in mainstream but also to make Pakistan Army as true National Army. It approves healthy competition of achieving professional excellence and rightful doings. d. Religious Values. The recruitment of armed forces is carried out on voluntary basis. Because of the inherent religious strength of our society the desire for martyrdom has always been the prime facet of our military culture. e. Fair System. Military has a s

Popular Music Styles Influence On Musical Theatre Film Studies Essay

Popular Music Styles Influence On Musical Theatre Film Studies Essay The term Contemporary when applied to Musical Theatre is slightly misleading, seeing as the term can be applied to any art-form, when something new and different, something that pushes the boundaries of whats familiar, becomes the current vogue. The desire to create something new and to explore fresh pastures within a particular art-form is not a recent development, and can often be achieved society. In fact contemporary could cover the last 50 years in musical theatre as defined by its being influenced by popular music styles (and the number of revivals), ranging from Motown, Rock Country (The Wiz, Hair, Tommy) to Pop, Bollywood Jazz (Rent, Aida, Bombay Dreams). The successes of hit movie inspired musical comedies such as The Full Monty, The Producers, Thoroughly Modern Millie and Hairspray, have also seen audiences re-embrace a genre which towards the end of the last century was critically observed as being in decline. Whilst not specifically trending away from the successful, ep ic musical styles of Les Miserables, Miss Saigon and Phantom of the Opera, not the conceptual styles of, for example, Cats or Jerry Springer: The Opera, there was a breath of fresh air with productions such as Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita and Chess, while in the U.S.A, Sondheim continued to meld book, text and song in the various guises of Sweeney Todd, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, Assassins and DickTracy. Lets also not forget that Disney has been successfully transferred to the stage, e.g. The Lion King Beauty and the Beast. There are four main constituents of Musical Theatre, namely, Narrative, Dialogue, Songs Physicality, and in the last decade or so, there have been many examples, where experimentation within each of these four elements has led to unusually themed, bolder and sometimes more extreme storylines. Musically, you will find todays influences stray from accepted standards by making use of a more complex variety of instruments and melodies to back up the actors dialogue. Look to recent successes such as Avenue Q; Billy Elliot; Dirty rotten Scoundrels; Hairspray; The Full Monty; Parade; Spamalot; We Will Rock You and Wicked, to name but a few. However, change has not been restricted to what appears on stage in the performance, but has also occurred pre-production, in the concept, the strategy and planning stages of bringing an idea to fruition. Production teams, involved in major projects, and aiming for a Broadway or West End run, will look for substantial alliances through investment and corporate sponsorship, often requiring thousands and in some cases millions of dollars pounds-worth of funding. High-net worth investors (very often those with a passion for the genre), frequently referred to as business angels, have also been a significant growth factor so far this century. Many seasoned investors look for diversity in their portfolio, and without question there has been new investment in the Arts, with the UKs City investors having invested in a broad range of theatrical productions of which, musical theatre has been one major benefactor. It wasnt too long ago that encouraged y a strong rise in West End audiences, the atrical investment appeared less high risk than ever before. Figures in recent years had shown a rise this century, in attendances of 2-3% whilst box office receipts were up 3-4%. Even now, while its undoubtedly a more difficult time for the Arts, with the recession biting hard everywhere and the entertainment business seen as an easy target for expenditure cuts, it also holds true that good and enriching entertainment is for most people a satisfactory diversion from the problems of everyday life, and maybe for that reason alone it is worth the investment. Of course, its not quite that simple, with U.S. reports of only 20% of the shows produced on Broadway recouping their investment. That actually is no more risky than investing in any innovative start-up company, and there is the upside potential of course, with a very real possibility of absolutely huge rewards. Just consider those shrewd investors who funded such rewarding shows (performance finance wise) as Cats, Les Miserables , Mamma Mia, Avenue Q, We Will Rock You, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Billy Elliot and Wicked. Originally capitalized at $3.5 million, Avenue Q (2003) opened on Broadway to positive critical and audience response, before transferring uptown following a successful run at Off-Broadways Vineyard Theatre. What especially pleased the production team was that despite the time of year, it being the middle of the summer, they were able to introduce something quite unique to a new audience and not only please them but actively build and grow a much larger fan-base than had been thought possible with such an innovative product. Not only that, but the show managed to recoup its outlay within a sensational 10 months according to producer Jeffrey Seller. Inspired by the well-known American TV puppet series of Sesame Street, Avenue Q brought an entirely new concept of acting, dancing and singing through puppet characters, to the modern stage. It has been described as a coming-of-age story, which highlights the issues weve all had to face when entering adulthood. Whereas Sesame Street retains that more simplistic and happy-go-lucky view of a childs world through childlike eyes, Avenue Q characters are young adults, searching for their purpose in life and facing all the anxieties and problems of growing up in a modern society whose values have noticeably changed over the preceding decade. Another crucial factor in this production is the use of puppet characters (worked by humans) interacting alongside human characters as if they were of human-like intelligence. All the characters face real adult-themed problems which most of us will recognize, but probably consider much more relevant to todays stressful lifestyle as opposed to that of ours, 10-20 years ago; they all swear and curse; there is puppet nudity and puppet sex; with sub-plots of racism, pornography and homosexuality noticeable throughout the entire play. Adding to the dissident theme, Avenue Qs musicality is an unexpected mish mash of foot-tapping, bouncy, cheerful songs that have a childlike quality to them, but are in fact, a little near-the-knuckle, quite vulgar, but ever-so-clever comical comment contained within a tuneful setting. Such tongue-in-cheek, but obviously hilarious grown-ups songs like Everyones a little bit racist, The internet is for porn and You can be as loud as the hell you want when youre making love introduce the audience to the wickedly, warped world of Avenue Q. Its hip, current and very, very funny, meshing 70s style pop lyrics to the modern day characterization, and in doing so gives added depth to Qs funnier moment. Take the song The more you ruv someone, which on the face of it sounds more like a Sesame Street style song, but with the penning of more upbeat and modern lyrics by Joe Raposo, fits snugly into the more contemporary style of Q. At the other end of the scale, but of equal importance, is that off the main drag, the tendency has been to produce smaller, less expensive musicals, with fewer cast members or where sometimes the players take on more than one role, keeping costs efficient and all the more likely to produce a small profit, which in some areas of theatre, is a success in itself. Fundamental changes, both artistically and commercially, have occurred in public taste and the arts must adapt to these changes but also follow the money, and by doing so, survive and thrive. Yet despite all the current financial gloom, musical theatre continues to play a major role in the financial economics of theatrical cities, given what theatregoers spend at hotels, restaurants and stores, before even sitting down in their expensive seats to watch the show. It has actually been estimated that musicals may account for as much as 90% of theatre revenues. Although some critics have argued that this has tended to make mainstream Musical Theatre more of a tourist attraction, rather than an outlet for creative talent, another noticeable trend of the past few years has seen past success stories revisited and updated for the modern audience. Trusting to previous success underpinning the market, together with the inherent promise of built-in audiences, there have been several revivals of well-trodden and recognisable fare, such as Grease (last revived in 2007) or other proven material, particularly from successful films, such as Billy Elliot (stage version 2005) or from acknowledged literature such as Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire. Wicked the Musical (2003), thought of as the prequel t the Wizard of Oz, is loosely based on Maguires novel (it also references several events form the 1939 film), and tells the story of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, and her troubled relationship with Glind a, the Good Witch of the North. Their friendship/enmity is brought into focus through their very different persona and opinions (Elphaba, born green and later a political rebel, has to contend with being an outsider in society, while Glinda, being blonde, receives all the accolades and benefits befitting her status) and as a theme, is continued throughout, especially via their competition over the same love-interest, namely Fiyero. The story examines the undercurrent of political intrigue, for example, How did Oz becomes such a confused and degenerate state?, It also examines the main characters reactions to the Wizards corrupt government, before finally highlighting Elphabas very public fall from grace. As previously indicated, many contemporary musicals attempt to tell a story through the musicality, making the song choice and lyrical content, highly important to the plot and to the attention of the audience. Indeed, Wicked uses its musicality as a means to communicate some of the deeper issues it brings up. The opening song, No one mourns the wicked, is absolutely integral to the plot, dramatically celebrating the death of Elphaba, and developing the ongoing theme of the play, that Things are not always what they seem, which the audience recognise and appreciate come the final curtain. It is also here that the story unfolds, flashing back to when Glinda recounts the circumstances of Elphabas birth and their time together at Shiz University. Early on there is a moment when Elphaba appears for the first time, when glinda and her white friends are all together, and Elphaba enters, green-skinned and obviously different. They all stop and stare at her for what seems ages, and suddenly we have that Black person in the South moment. Its a big moment, and although unexpected, it sets the tone of the show with its profound statement of a divisive code where race, colour social standing differences, despite our technical advancements, unfortunately still pervade society. When Elphabas power is pointed out as a potential ticket to see the Wizard himself, she sings The Wizard and I, hinting at her desire to be accepted, and be viewed as girl who wants to be seen for her soul, not for her colour. If the Wizard believes in her, then so must everyone else. Another big number, Something Bad (is happening in Oz) provides a political vehicle hinting at the nature of the Animal oppression, highlighting the interacting between the goat and Elphaba, both of whom are at the fringe of Oz society. The songs continue to relate to the story, and we see the Wizard falsely trying to gain Elphabas friendship with A sentimental man and Wonderful. Elphabas path is a difficult one, undeservedly ostracized by the citizens of Oz through March of the Witch Hunters, she finally gets to reflect on her relationship and mutual love of Glinda with For Good, before the mournful tones of the finale and a return to present day show us that all things are not what they seem. Ultimate ly it comes down to the choices of the two lead characters, but with their destinies fulfilled, also reveals that almost nothing in Oz is what it seems, with those considered to be good, having just possibly wicked tendencies, and perhaps more than a hint of some good in those deemed wicked. Yet another trend has been that of creating a storyline with the bare minimum of a plot, to fit a collection of songs that have already been hits. Following the success of Buddy The Buddy Holly Story, from 1989, there have been several successful Jukebox Musicals, as theyve come to be called, particularly We Will Rock You, which has enjoyed considerable success since it opened in 2002. Somewhat more plot-driven than its predecessors, a science fiction tale part inspired by the film The Matrix and in part a tribute to the band, rock group Queen. It is not in fact a biography of the bands history, but a cleverly conceived story, drawing on the content of some of Queens classic hits to provide the characters and plot to a futuristic landscape that to some degree has been shaped by modern society. The story begins 300 years in the future, with Earth renamed Planet Mall and with global corporations controlling and influencing the thoughts and opinions of the populace. The children and yo uth of this time have no effective minds of their own, for example, wearing the same clothes, listening to the same music and having the same thoughts and feelings. Rock music is unknown, but the hero and main protagonist Galileo, who hears odd words and rhythms in his head, refuses to conform, and sets about trying to change the World and being back real music. Galileo aided by Scaramouch (both are central characters of arguably Queens most successful song, Bohemian Rhapsody) fight against the machine that is conformity. They rally against oppression and along the way meet up with the Bohemians, a group of like-minded young people trying to reintroduce the art of playing musical instruments previously banned by the authorities. In their joint quests, they come up against the Killer Queen (a character derived from yet another great Queen song of the same name), the ruler of the Globalsoft Corporation under whose dominance the planet has been for many years. Both groups of youngsters are eventually able to celebrate the reason rock bands first came together, which was for love apparently, by singing yet another great Queen hit, Crazy Little Thing Called Love. The writers weave many of the bands hit songs into the storyline, and also reference many other popular songs of that time through an ever evolving dialogue. For example, several Beatles, Bowie and Rolling Stones hits have been included at different times, in different productions and in different locations to maintain freshness to each show. Quite a few musicals have also looked to the more epic or extravagant production as seen pree-2000 (for example, the 1980s success of Phantom of the Opera), by introducing stage musical adaptations such as The Lord of the Rings in 2007, billed as the biggest stage production in musical theatre history but despite its grandeur, yet to reap reasonable profits. Another less noticeable trend, particularly on Broadway, has been to present musicals uninterrupted by an intermission, with short running times of less than two hours. Although not strictly Musical Theatre, its interesting to note that another popular trend has been towards TV and Film musicals of a more diverse nature than the offerings of the Hollywood Musicals of the mid-20th century. Since the success of Evita in 1996, this new genre of musical has become an industry standard with further notable contributions such as, Moulin Rouge (2001), Chicago (2002), Phantom of the Opera (2004), Sweeney Todd (2007) and possibly the best of all, Mamma Mia (2008). Made for TV musical shows (particularly in the U.S.) have also proved extremely popular, as noted by recent successful transitions to the small screen for adaptations of South Pacific (2001), and The Music Man (2003) to name but a couple. Some TV shows have even gone so far as to having set episodes produced as a musical, e.g. Ally McBeal and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. There are even musicals being made for the internet now! Its probably fair to say, that the biggest trend of the last ten years, is that our latest generation of youngsters have developed an extreme fascination with Musical theatre. The accessibility of smaller, more provincial stages throughout the UK, the larger number of successful graduates in the general performing arts arena, and certainly for those prepared to work hard enough, the joy of performance, is encouraging a revival of dramatic song and, more interesting perhaps, its being performed with unbelievable quality. Its probably also true that the advent of Lloyd-Webber-driven reality television shows, which have thrown scores of potential Marias and Josephs into our living rooms has meant that people no longer need to remortgage their house, to sample what to some is still a once-a-year special trip to the theatre for their entertainment. There are already websites dedicated to 21st century Musical theatre, and we are only just finishing the first decade. The list of shows is surprisingly long. Despite the end of Cats, a major player in the triumphant story that is Musical theatre, a string of new, successful musicals has emerged, with Avenue Q, Wicked and We Will Rock You, to the forefront of them. They are every bit as popular as Lloyd Webbers classics and show that the future of Musical Theatre is in accomplished hands. All three storylines have veered away from the traditional, pre 21st century conception of family based, popcorn style musicals that everyone can sing along to, but may have no substantial plot. Todays writers look for more absorbing and controversial subject matter, as well as designing new works, will often look to contemporise significant event. Young performers are writing their own musicals, living and breathing the experience. Musical Theatre never went away, maybe just hibernated for a short time at the end of the last century, and is now being taken seriously as never before, becoming increasingly more popular, having thrown off the mantle of uncu ltured chart music as a preferred entertainment, and quite possibly the jewel in the crown of the entertainment industry. Modernist writers and producers have successfully drawn on the history of Musical theatre as a spectacle, and created stunning new attractions for larger contemporary audiences brought up on the traditions of jazz, funk, blues, swing, country and rock, producing such memorable global phenomenons, several as previously mentioned, including Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera, Rent, The Lion King, Mamma Mia and The Producers. Taking elements of literature, opera, film and theatre and fusing this variety of styles and genres, compliments the current vogue of contemporary audiences wishing to embrace several types of culture. These plays are fine examples of what modern day audiences want to experience, covering the social and economic diversity of everyday life, but mingled with history, politics and war. In summary, contemporary musical theatre this decade is much broader in musical and vocal styles, and overall carries a stronger plot-line. The production can cover any genre from comedy to tragedy, and include real life, modern and often argumentative issues. The harmonies tend to mirror whats current in the musical world but not totally to the avoidance of previous styles. With the new breed of musical actors, emphasis has been placed on development of text and characters with the singing style more about understanding the context rather that the tone. Songs are readily influenced by new vogues, especially rap, fusion and rock, as well as classical. Investment and making a profit are now more essential to the core than ever, and the shows creators will consider whatever ways there are to increase the revenue, from writing songs that can be released as singles or albums, to endorsing the shows credibility by getting celebrities to appear in key roles. Vaudeville and post war Hollywo od styled productions were fine for then, but modern audiences demand something more for their expensively purchased stalls or circle seats.