The history of soap operas Essay Example for Free

The history of soap operas Essay Media informs our lives everyday it is a big part in all our life, people watch TV programmes and take it as a new life style or religion, like pop idol and the world cup they generate discussion. Soap Operas use a lot of stereo and TV devices to get the message across to people e. g. if a character makes a joke then they will use a stereo device called canned laughter (audience laughing). Soap Operas usually depend on strong or true story lines. Soaps like Coronation St use around 14 writers on the scripts, also when they write a script there are normally 3 story line writer programme historians, they also try to make sure things like characters family details are consist. In this essay I will be writing about the history of soap operas. Soaps started in America, they use to take their names from the American radios. Companies who made soap powders originally sponsored them. Today they prefer to call soap operas serial dramas. Producers thought that calling serial dramas, soap operas gave them a negative reputation in that they do not sound like serious dramas. Coronation St was first shown in December 1960. In the beginning a pilot of 13 episodes was made by Granada television at that time it was a fairly new TV production company. These TV programs were only shown in the north-west England on Monday and Friday evenings. In May 1961 Coronation St taken by the network, which meant it, was shown all over national television. On Friday evenings in the early days transmission was live. Therefore if actors got their line wrong or they forgot it they had no second chance. The Monday soap episode was screened straight after the live transmission. After that the TV programmes was an instant successes to television, the two episodes that were on a week quickly became one of the most popular TV programmes on the ITV network. This was despite the fact that many critics thought that a story based in everyday northern working class lives, might be too depressing for public. Characteristics of the Street An example of a genre known as a kitchen sink drama is Coronation St, it is normally shown four times a week. A kitchen sink drama is a film or a play with a domestic setting, which is mainly about the lives of ordinary people. During the 1960s many of the films and plays made by the British cinema industry took ordinary working class life as their theme or script. For example, a kind of loving Saturday nights and on Sunday mornings, Billy Lair and the sporting fun life where films that were set in the popular northern towns, which featured and played lives of ordinary people Many people feel that the real attraction of life on the street is that it is character based, this means it mainly relies on strong and confident characters, whom the audience can identify or recognise, than on dealing with issues. This is fairly true about female characters. Since Tony Warren created the series, it has traditionally been centred or focused on women to be strong and out going, forceful personalities. Coronation St is the worlds longest running television drama serial. It also transmitted in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other parts of Europe, however it is a world away from US soaps such as Days Of Our Lives and Bold and The Beautiful. The soap was written from characters view point rather than taken by other soaps Harry Elton producer told Tony Warren to write about something he knew and understood and Tony Warren was given 24 hours to come up with something that would take Britain by storm and it was the first episode of Coronation Street. Coronation St went into production with twelve episodes then thirteen, if the programme was not a success the street would be bulldozed. After the great success of Coronation St other soaps were created but the second most popular soap was Eastenders. People think that Eastenders deals with more serial drama life wife beating, drugs prostitution and sex. Eastenders was created in the 1980s. Conclusion Eastenders and Coronation Street have been a great success in Europe and other countries in the world, characters have become famous and a household name although not famous in every country who do not get presented these soaps. This brings my essay to a conclusion and I have discovered that media is a big part in peoples lives, media is a piece of history and the future.

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MEDICAL HISTORY/BACKGROUND Concussions are probably one of the most known injuries to the brain right now, especially when it comes to sports. The life-long question has yet to be answered on how to truly cure concussions. Whether its sports, war explosions, or just falling off a ladder concussions are bound to happen to anybody and likely in one’s lifetime. Although most brain trauma is just mild and not very serious (Mayo Clinic, 2011). As far as determining if one has a concussion it can sometimes be very difficult. The symptoms between concussions and Post-Concussion Syndrome (PCS) can be very similar and can be hard to outline. This can be a nuisance later on if symptoms persist to determine on the treatment type (Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 2013). SYMPTOMS There are many symptoms of a concussion, but none are that profound. Symptoms can a lot of times not be immediate if conscious. Usually victims are not unconscious. Symptoms can last for days and even months (Mayo Clinic, 2011). There are three general areas that concussions can fall under: physical, cognitive (brain function), and psychological or emotion (Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 2013). Some symptoms include; headache, confusion, dizziness, amnesia, ringing in the ears, nausea, fatigue, and slurred speech. These are most but there are still plenty of symptoms still out there and more to be discovered (Mayo Clinic, 2011). This paper is mostly going to focus on the cognitive symptoms and how they affect patients. Victims of a concussion usually see all categories of symptoms but one sever category that a concussion can affect a person is cognitively. Cognitively means it deals with the brains functions and how trauma can affect its functions dai... ...the person gets a lot of rest and takes care of his body, then they should recover in not time, a few months top. Again it also varies based on the severity of the injury (Mayo Clinic, 2011). Now, the glutathione that had just been recently discovered to neutralize the brain cell killing molecules has not been tested on humans yet. It has been tested on rat’s and the deceased human’s brains. After applying the glutathione directly onto the skull after the injury it reduced the cell death to 67 percent, 50 percent three hours after the injury, which is a great thing that they are able to still treat even if they don’t diagnose a concussion at first (Roth, 2013). Yeah this isn’t a huge break-through considering that they haven’t tried it on humans, but it is a very big step to finding a way to effectively repair the brain after a concussion and even a possible cure.

Envirofit Company Essay

1. It is appropriate to consider Envirofit to be a social enterprise because their main focus is innovation, risk taking, and large-scale transformation to solve social problems. Envirofit is doing so by bringing sustainable clean energy solution to solve health and energy challenges on a global level at the lowest possible cost. They are combining resources while exploring and exploiting opportunities to create social value by stimulating social change or meeting social needs. They are meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet that need. In this case the need is clean air. Envirofit’s approach to shared value is to make a difference by focusing on energy and pollution reduction, and health and economic improvement. They wanted to create and economical value and also create value for society by addressing its needs and challenges. Envirofit hoped to reduce pollution by developing commercializing a retrofit kit that dramatic ally reduced emissions in dirty two-stroke carbureted motorcycle engines. Their approach was to transform their business thinking, recognizing societal weaknesses and create a way of solving both. The social problem Envirofit is attempting to solve is air pollution while increasing the income of the drivers through increased fuel mileage. Envirofit offer it’s investors a good reputation and a triple bottom line by giving them the chance to go beyond the traditional measures of profit but also include environmental and social dimensions. They would be more focused on profits, people, and the planet instead of just profits. 2. The Envirofit’s two stroke motorcycle engine conversion kit described as being targeted at the â€Å"base of the pyramid† because the taxi drivers are considered micro-entrepreneurs; using the small amount of money they earn to support their families. They typically earn $3-$5 per day after all their expenses. These drivers are in the largest and poorest socioeconomic group. The impact this has on Envirofit’s business model is that it would be challenging to find ways so that the drivers can purchase the kit at a reasonable price. It would be challenging to come up with a business model that would meet their triple bottom line objectives, allow for scalability, and provide the ability to raise start-up capital. The factors that they need to take into consideration include: the market, the customer, and the competition. 3. One of the biggest obstacles to be overcome would be  developing a business model that would enable them to sell to customers in base of the pyramid markets and meet their triple bottom line objectives. Finding a way that motorcycle drivers could afford the projected price of the kit ($220), which is a significant money to the drivers because they make less than five dollars a day, little money saved, and little access to commercial credit. They would also need to learn the market, manufacturing, finance, regulatory, and cultural issues that the venture would face. Another obstacle is to provide a kit that would be commercially available, durable, and reliable. It also needs to have less power draw on the motorcycle and easy and inexpensive to install. 4. If I was offered the opportunity to join the venture as one of its key members, I would evaluate the long term impact of the venture. If it’s something that has the potential to make significant changes in the environment especially in third-world countries, I would definitely accept the offer. From what I read, it all sounds like a great plan but it needs lots of work and effort and I would definitely make the sacrifice because I think it would pay off in the long run. 5. I would look for start-up capital among the members of the ventures before looking anywhere else. It is very important for the members to invest first that way they can show potential investors that they are serious about their venture. I would also turn to nonprofit organizations and large corporations that are interested in making profits as well as helping the environment.

Yaxchilan - Classic Maya City-State in Mexico

Yaxchilà ¡n is a Classic period Maya site located on the riverbank of the Usamacinta river that borders the two modern countries of Guatemala and Mexico. The site lies within a horseshoe meander on the Mexican side of the river and today the site can only be reached by boat. Yaxchilà ¡n was founded in the 5th century AD and reached its maximum splendor in the 8th century AD. Famous for its more than 130 stone monuments, among which include carved lintels and stelae depicting images of royal life, the site also represents one of the most elegant examples of classic Maya architecture. Yaxchiln and Piedras Negras There are many extant and legible inscriptions in Maya hieroglyphs at Yaxchilan, which provide us a nearly unique glimpse into the political history of Maya city-states. At Yaxchilan, for most Late Classic rulers we have dates associated with their births, accessions, battles, and ceremonial activities, as well as their ancestors, descendants, and other kinsmen and companions. Those inscriptions also allude to an ongoing conflict with its neighbor Piedras Negra, located on the Guatemalan side of the Usumacinta, 40 kilometers (25 miles) upriver from Yaxchilan. Charles Gordon and colleagues from the Proyecto Paisaje Piedras Negras-Yaxchilan have combined archaeological data with information from the inscriptions at both Yaxchilan and Piedras Negras, compiling a political history of the intertwined and competing Maya city-states. Early Classic 350-600 AD: Both communities began as small cities during the Early Classic in the 5th and 6th centuries AD, when their royal dynasties were established. As early as the 5th century, a neutral zone existed between Piedras Negras and Yaxchilan that was not controlled by either polity; and warfare was limited to a few, unusual episodes of direct conflict.Late Classic 600-810 AD: During the Late Classic, the neutral zone was repopulated and transformed into a contested frontier. Warfare was most frequent in the 8th century AD  and involved the governors of secondary and tertiary centers loyal to each combatant.Between the 7th and 8th centuries AD, Yaxchilà ¡n gained power and independence under the rulers Itzamnaaj B’alam II and his son Bird Jaguar IV. Those rulers extended their dominion over other nearby sites and started an ambitious construction program that included most of what is visible on at Yaxchilan today. At about 808, Piedras Negras lost its ruler t o Yaxchilan; but that victory was brief.Terminal Classic 810-950 AD: By 810, both polities were in decline and by AD 930, the region was essentially depopulated. Site Layout Visitors arriving at Yaxchilà ¡n for the first time will be mesmerized by the tortuous, dark passageway known as â€Å"the Labyrinth† leading into the main plaza, framed by some of the most important buildings of the site. Yaxchilà ¡n is made up of three major complexes: the Central Acropolis, the South Acropolis, and the West Acropolis. The site is built over a high terrace facing the Usumacinta river on the north and extending beyond there into the hills of the Maya lowlands. Main Buildings The heart of Yaxchilan is called the Central Acropolis, which overlooks the main plaza. Here the main buildings are several temples, two ballcourts, and one of the two hieroglyphic stairways. Located in the central acropolis, Structure 33 represents the apex of Yaxchilà ¡n architecture and its Classic development. The temple was probably constructed by the ruler Bird Jaguar IV or dedicated to him by his son. The temple, a large room with three doorways decorated with stucco motifs, overlooks the main plaza and stands on an excellent observation point for the river. The real masterpiece of this building is its nearly intact roof, with a high crest or roof comb, a frieze, and niches. The second hieroglyphic stairway leads to the front of this structure. Temple 44 is the main building of the West Acropolis. It was constructed by Itzamnaaj B’alam II around 730 AD to commemorate his military victories. It is decorated with stone panels depicting his war captives. Temple 23 and its Lintels Temple 23  is located on the southern side of the main plaza of Yaxchilan, and it was built about AD 726 and dedicated by the ruler Itzamnaaj B’alam III (also known as Shield Jaguar the Great) [ruled 681-742 AD] to his principal wife Lady K’abal Xook. The single-room structure has three doorways each bearing carved lintels, known as Lintels 24, 25, and 26. A lintel is the load-bearing stone at the top of a doorway, and its massive size and location led the Maya (and other civilizations) to use it as a place to exhibit their skill at decorative carving. Temple 23s lintels were rediscovered in 1886 by the British explorer Alfred Maudslay, who had the lintels cut out of the temple and sent to the British Museum where they are now located. These three pieces are almost unanimously considered among the finest stone reliefs of the entire Maya region. Recent excavations by the Mexican archaeologist Roberto Garcia Moll identified two burials under the temple floor: one of an aged woman, accompanied by a rich offering; and the second of an old man, accompanied by an even richer one. These are believed to be Itzamnaaj Balam III and one of his other wives; Lady Xooks tomb is thought to be in the adjacent Temple 24, because it features an inscription recording the queens death in AD 749. Lintel 24 Lintel 24 is the easternmost of three door lintels above the doorways in Temple 23, and it features a scene of the Maya bloodletting ritual performed by Lady Xook, which took place, according to the accompanying hieroglyphic text, in October of 709 AD. The king Itzamnaaj Balam III is holding a torch above his queen who is kneeling in front of him, suggesting that the ritual is taking place at night or in a dark, secluded room of the temple. Lady Xook is passing a rope through her tongue, after having pierced it with a stingray spine, and her blood is dripping onto bark paper in a basket. The textiles, headdresses and royal accessories are extremely elegant, suggesting the high status of the personages. The finely carved stone relief emphasizes the elegance of the woven cape worn by the queen. The king wears a pendant around his neck portraying the sun god and a severed head, probably of a war captive, adorns his headdress. Archaeological Investigations Yaxchilà ¡n was rediscovered by explorers in the 19th century. The famous English and French explorers Alfred Maudslay and Desirà © Charnay visited the ruins of Yaxchilan at the same time and reported their findings to different institutions. Maudslay also made the fist map of the site. Other important explorers and, later on, archaeologists that worked at Yaxchilà ¡n were Tebert Maler, Ian Graham, Sylvanus Morely, and, recently, Roberto Garcia Moll. In the 1930s, Tatiana Proskouriakoff studied the epigraphy of Yaxchilan, and on that basis built a history of the site, including a sequence of the rulers, still relied on today. Sources Edited and updated by K. Kris Hirst Golden C, and Scherer A. 2013. Territory, trust, growth, and collapse in Classic period Maya kingdoms. Current Anthropology 54(4):397-435.Golden C, Scherer AK, Muà ±oz AR, and Vasquez R. 2008. Piedras Negras and Yaxchilan: Divergent Political Trajectories in Adjacent Maya Polities. Latin American Antiquity 19(3):249-274.Golden CW, Scherer AK, and Muà ±oz AR. 2005. Exploring the Piedras Negras—Yaxchilan Border Zone: Archaeological Investigations in the Sierra del Lacandon, 2004. Mexicon 27(1):11-16.Josserand JK. 2007. The Missing Heir at Yaxchilà ¡n: Literary Analysis of a Maya Historical Puzzle. Latin American Antiquity 18(3):295-312.Miller M, and Martin S. 2004. Courtly Art of the Ancient Maya. Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco and Thames and Hudson.ONeil ME. 2011. Object, memory, and materiality at Yaxchilan: The reset lintels of Structures 12 and 22. Ancient Mesoamerica 22(02):245-269.Simon, M, and Grube N. 2000, Chronicle of the Maya Kings and Queens: Deciphering the Dy nasties of the Ancient Maya. Thames Hudson, London and New York.Tate C. 1992, Yaxchilan: The Design of a Maya Ceremonial City. University of Texas Press, Austin.