a critique of two concerts essays

a critique of two concerts essays Music is one of the most unique performing arts due to the way it has evolved. Styles and melodies considered unfit in one era are displayed prominently in another. The two concerts previewed in this report have two different and distinct techniques. The first performance that I attended was a symphonic concert playing a mix of contemporary and early 20th century works at Carnegie Hall. The second performance was an organ recital highlighted by the by the live performance of Bach's most well known pieces. Hopefully this term paper will objectively and subjectively critique and compare the two performances. An orchestra is a collection of a variety of instruments usually consisting of brass, woodwinds, strings and percussion sections. In the concert at Carnegie Hall, the music was abundant in tone color and a variety of pitches and moods. While the Bach music played by the organist could only demonstrate one type of sound, the multitude of instruments at the conductor's disposal can flood the listener with a variety of sound. The key pieces of music performed were "Music for Violin and Orchestra" by Maazal and "Symphony No. 1 in D major" by Mahler. Maazals piece pits the virtuoso, Maazal, against the entire orchestra. It seems to be a sophisticated concerto with the violinist and the orchestra dueling with each other. Unlike Baroque music, the mood changes constantly, at one moments the violin conveys a tranquil image only to be shattered by the dissonance created by the orchestra. While Toccata and Fugue in D minor is a piece of absolute music, Maazal's music is program music. The ma in theme is sort of a violinist's journey and struggle with the much more powerful monster-like orchestra. Objectively, the odd notes from the percussion coupled with the frequent use of low tone color instruments (e.g. bassoon, bass) created tension. The trills provided by the virtuoso and the strings section displayed a tension reserved onl...

Electricity Production and Consumption in the US

Electricity Production and Consumption in the US Electricity production in the US consumes over 40% of the total energy produced within the continent. Given the high percentage of energy consumption in electricity, the concept forms a significant segment of consumers’ environmental footprint. Fossils fuels such as coal, natural gas, and oil are the key generators of electricity in the US.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Electricity Production and Consumption in the US specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More According to Environmental Impact Assessment’s data of 2011, coal contributes 42.3%, as natural gas contributes 24.7% of US total electricity generation. In the same year, 4 trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity came from coal, and 42% of the US population consumed this portion (Batagol). The United States produced 1,094.3 million short tons of coal from the 25 coalmine states. Wyoming, which is in the Western Coal Region, produces the largest amount of coal in the US followed by West Virginia. Comparatively, electricity production and consumption in the US using steam engines has been on the rising trend given that the 3,856 billion Kilowatt-hours (kWh) in 2011 is 13 times higher than the consumption in 1950. Major mining zones in the US include the Western Coal Region, the Appalachian Coal Region, and the Interior Coal Region, which agree that production and conversion of coal to useful energy is relatively cheaper than other forms of energy. Nuclear energy has also dominated electricity generation with 19.3%. Uranium, U-235, is available in the mines of western United States. There are 65 power plants in the US; they are located in 31 states. The three populous states of New York, Texas and California have been using more of the one-fifth US electricity that Nuclear Plants have been producing yearly since 1990. Currently, development in power plants saw the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission accepts the building and operation of u nits 3 and 4 of the Vogtle plant, which may start operating in 2016. In 2002, US commercial reactors sites stored 51,002 short tons, and an estimate value reported 12.2 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) as the amount of electricity that a single power plant can generate.Advertising Looking for essay on environmental studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In terms of production, nuclear reactors do not emit harmful products like CO2 and SO2; however, the process of manufacturing large amounts of metals and concrete as well as mining and refining uranium ore require large amount of energy (Batagol). Since radioactive materials are harmful to human health, those handling uranium are prone to infections. People have to adhere strictly to disposal regulations given that the elements always remain active for several years. Apt safety measures should be in place to control nuclear reaction in the reactor in order to avert inci dences like the 1986 Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine and the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan. Although this source of energy has harmful effects, it is highly likely that it will continue growing to eliminate coal as the main source of energy production given its eco-friendly nature. Besides, countries are moving towards using eco-friendly processes in order to avert the climate change menace. The changing climate implies that most countries will divert to eco-friendly sources to produce electricity, and nuclear energy is capable of producing large quantity of electricity. Renewable energy sources like geothermal, solar, wood, water, and organic wastes produced 12% of US’s electricity in 2012. Hydropower has been the major producer of electricity among the renewable electricity generators. Since coal is the main electricity producer, it has great chances of growth albeit the effects that it posses to the environment. China tops in usage of renewable energy followe d closely by the United States; the US still uses more of coal than the renewable energy due to the higher cost of constructing and operating renewable energy power plants than coal and natural gas plants. Besides, the geographical remoteness of the renewable energy sources also implicates extra costs, as the process requires constructing transmission lines to metropolitan areas from remote regions. Even though there are high possibilities of growth for coal as a key energy producer in the US, it faces criticism from environmental agencies given its negative impact on the state of the environment and human health.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Electricity Production and Consumption in the US specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More For instance, emissions from burning coal such as CO2, SO2, mercury, and particulates cause acidic rain and smog, which are harmful to the environment and cause respiratory complications (Davis and Keegan). This is a great contrary to nuclear energy as it is environmentally friendly in terms of emissions. Construction of nuclear power plants can have temporary or permanent effects on the environment. For instance, the construction equipment emits pollutants into air, land, and water since they occupy space in these areas. With the construction occupying spaces, it does away with any future use of the land for production purposes. Apart from construction effects, license renewal for nuclear plants may necessitate use of extra pieces of land for removing old components and staging new components. Such operations may expose workers to radiation, which are hazardous health effects. Therefore, plants must adhere to the allowable radioactive exposure so that the source does not become harmful to the human health and the environment. Uranium being a radioactive element can increase cancer incidences, that is, if limits of radon 226RN and 222Rn- concentration surpass the permissi ble limit (El-Hinnawi par 6). In addition, during mining, exposure to dust and radiation can result in respiratory diseases and cancerous growths in the body. Wind erosion can blow piles of mills into rivers, thus causing leaching. The toxic nature of fluorine and hydrogen fluoride that produces uranium hexafluoride poses serious health threats. Workers should protect themselves from the highly corrosive UF6 in order to avoid dangerous exposures. In operating nuclear plants, the fuel element retains most of the radioactive products, and the liquid and gas waste-processing system removes the radioactive releases. Comparably, gaseous emissions from nuclear reactors are negligible to fossil-fuel-operated plants. However, the plant releases a lot of heat during operation, and directs them to the cooling water. Accidents are possible with the operation of a nuclear reactor; however, necessary safety practices and devices have been integrated into the reactor to protect workers and the pu blic incase of malfunctions (Davis and Keegan). In case of chemical leakage to the environment, radioactive elements can cause adverse effects on fauna and flora.Advertising Looking for essay on environmental studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More For instance, in the Fukushima disaster, radioactive elements caused mass water and soil pollution to the extent that the locals had to stop using water from taps and certain products. A nuclear plant requires stringent procedures and monitoring during construction and operation since it uses extremely harmful chemicals that can stay long in a human’s body and the environment. Radioactive elements reduce soil fertility thereby killing plants growth. Nuclear energy is an extremely delicate source of energy, as it requires a complex safety system and highly skilled personnel in order to operate at cost-effective terms. The high demand for electricity world over and constant advocation for a clean environment by many organizations make nuclear energy to be a preferred choice to coal. The Clean Energy Standard Act of 2012 advocates the use of energy sources that do not produce greenhouse gases (El-Hinnawi par. 4). Clearly, this makes coal lose preference to nuclear energy, as it limits global warming. Since the nuclear energy industry has been able to account for all its wastes, it remains a vibrant and best option in for the current world, which struggles to prevent adverse effects to the environment. Batagol, Cheryl. Clean Energy | US EPA. US Environmental Protection Agency. N.p., n.d. Web. Davis, Dave, and Michael J Keegan. Nonrenewable Energy Sources. U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). N.p., n.d. Web. El-Hinnawi, Essam E. Review of the Environmental Impact of Nuclear Energy. International Atomic Energy Agency. N.p., n.d. Web.

Impacts of College Freshmen Dropout Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Impacts of College Freshmen Dropout - Essay Example Graduation rates have become an important feature in the landscape of college reforms and within the larger world of educational policy. For decades, getting more students into college has been the top priority of America's higher education leaders. But Studies conducted over the past several years have repeatedly demonstrated that far fewer American students are completing high school with diplomas. A growing consensus has emerged that only about seven in 10 students are actually successfully finishing high school. Graduation rates are even lower among certain student populations, particularly racial and ethnic minorities and males. 57 percent of White students finish their degree, compared with 44 percent of Hispanics and 39 percent of Blacks (federal figures 2008). A quarter of schools have graduation gaps between Whites and Blacks of 20 points or more. (Education Trust 2004) In the first half of the 20th century, growth in high school graduation was the driving force behind increased college enrolments. The decline in high school graduation since 1970 (for cohorts born after 1950) has flattened college attendance and completion rates as well as growth in the skill level of the U.S. workforce. The origins of this dropout problem have yet to be fully investigated. The main purpose of this study is to conduct a research and understand what people think are the impacts of college freshmen dropouts on our educational system, on our economy and on our society. This report takes a descriptive approach to the issue of college completion, specifically, examining graduation rates in the U.S, the increase in college dropout rates and its reasons. The graduation rates are considerably lower in the nation's largest cities than they are in the average urban locale. Further, extreme disparities emerge in a number of the country's largest metropolitan areas. The increases in college dropout rates are very atrocious for us as a nation. Background In the '60s we saw college dropout rates of one in five. In the '90s this increased to one in three. Thirty percent of the college students leave in the first year (Department of Education 2000-2006). The number of college freshman dropouts is typically cited between 1 in 4 and 1 in 5, with some sources positing arguments that nearly half of all college students fail to graduate. The U.S only earns 17 degrees for every 100 students enrolled, which places it 16th internationally. Surveys of high school students show no lack of interest for a college degree, in fact 95% of high school students when asked about college indicated a very strong desire to complete a degree program. On the average, 1 in 4 students drop out of college their freshman year. The exact number varies widely from 1 or 2 percent at top 4 year private institutions to 50 or 60 percent at others. 2 year institutions have the worst drop out rates. For a few, it is a mismatch (the wrong location, too much snow, difficul t roommates, difficulty being away from home, culture clash, or change in career goals). For many others, it is a lack of preparation. Nearly half of entering college freshmen surveyed lack confidence in their math and science skills. 33% say they have

A literature review paper on adoloscent suicide. The paper needs to Essay

A literature review paper on adoloscent suicide. The paper needs to have an argument that perfectionism is the primary factor and then there needs to be an arg - Essay Example rticle written by Fleischmann, Bertolote, Belfer & Beautrais, 2005 they reexamined past research that showed the presence and distribution of mental disorders in cases of completed suicide among young people worldwide. A second research study was investigated that performed longitudinal studies to see if traits in adolescents and adults were similar to one another pertaining to suicidal behavior. The research was completed in a five-year span. In the research study performed by Goldston, A third research study by Douglas, Belfrage, Edens, Herbozo & Poythres (2006) was completed to investigate if specific behavioral aspects of psychopath, such as interpersonal-affective, manipulative ness and lack of remorse, are related to suicidal behavior. Adolescent Suicide has been an increasing health problem throughout the world. In many countries, suicide rates have been gradually increasing. Since the 1950s, adolescent suicide has tripled. Multiple factors seem to be related to self-harm in adolescents. Some examples include depression, hopelessness, psychological pain, aggression, and anxiety. In this paper, the task of finding common personality traits is investigated. It is hypothesized that there are certain personality characteristics in adolescents that are contributing factors when the adolescents attempt to self-harm or commit suicide. The following three research studies attempt to illustrate and support this hypothesis. In a research article written by Fleischmann, Bertolote, Belfer & Beautrais, 2005 they reexamined past research that showed the presence and distribution of mental disorders in cases of completed suicide among young people worldwide. The authors studied information received from the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision or the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, from 1982 to 2001. The authors reviewed 894 cases and found that 88.6% of the subjects had a

Analysis of State of Massachusetts on North American Free Trade Essay

Analysis of State of Massachusetts on North American Free Trade Agreement - Essay Example The support for NAFTA trade pact was not universally agreed throughout the USA (Earl, 192). As a matter of fact, it is one of the most controversial issues that have survived over the two decades. This is owing to the economic impacts that it has created in the country, where some $ billion worth of businesses are predicted to have shifted to either Canada or Mexico, while over 1 million jobs are also predicted to have been lost, since the signing and commencement of the implementation of the NAFTA trade pact in 1993 (Mishel and Teixeira, 7). The northern districts and the central districts of the USA were particularly opposed to this implementation, owing to the fact that they formed the bulk of the manufacturing zone in the country, and thus feared the loss of jobs and manufacturing business to either Mexico or Canada (Glick, 198). On the other hand, the southern states and part of the northern states, especially those on the borders were supportive of the implementation of the NAF TA trade pact. Thus, the vote on the North American Free Trade Agreement was an almost evenly divisive issue for Democrats senators during the vote in 1993, where 27 democrat senators voted for the NAFTA implementation, while 28 of the Democrat senators voted against its implementation (Earle, 193). The most notable occurrence, however, is that both the Democrat senators from the State of Massachusetts voted for the implementation of the NAFTA trade agreement, despite the issue being highly divisive.   At the time of signing this agreement, President Clinton ratified it while still being opposed by 60% of his Democrat counterparts in the legislature, meaning that he got more support from the Republicans than the Democrats, which is a highly unusual scenario (Rosenbaum, n.p.). This simply serves to indicate two major points.  Ã‚     

Manchester United SWOT Analysis

Manchester United SWOT Analysis It has been argued that Manchester United is one of the best football clubs in the world, who has more than a hundred years history and lots of funs all over the world. According to Benson (2008), since Manchester United was founded in 1878, it has won many final of league champions in the Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League. Same as other successful organization, the Manchester United has a good manage team, effective operation and a very strong financial support. Manchester United is not a Plc. Since it was bought by the Glazer family, it is now a private limited company and became the Manchester United Ltd. This report is going to analysis Manchester United Ltd by applying SWOT and PEST analysis. SWOT Analysis (S)trengths Manchester United has the strongest and most valuable brand of any football club, and arguably non national sports club, in the world (Brand Finance, 2009, p. 19). This allows the company to generate massive revenues from commercial sponsorship deals and the sale of merchandise around the world. This brand strength is reflected in the clubs estimated 330 million fans worldwide, which represents around 5% of the worlds population. The level of loyalty engendered by most football clubs implies that this level of support is unlikely to fade in the short term, with only a prolonged period of underperformance on the field causing Manchester Uniteds brand strength to decline. The companys other main strengths are its strong squad playing squad and large stadium. The playing squad has won the Premier League trophy three years in a row, won the 2008 Champions League, and as of the 16th March 2010 is at the top of the Premier League and in the Champions League quarter finals in spite of losing arguably its best player in Cristiano Ronaldo. This shows the strength of the squad and its ability to move forward and continue to bring success and attract revenue (Samuel, 2010). The clubs stadium, Old Trafford, is the largest club stadium in the country, with a capacity of almost 76,000, allowing the club to generate significant match day revenues from ticket sales and refreshments (Premier League, 2009, p. 27). (W)eaknesses The clubs main weakness is its high level of debt. The club has two main sources of debt:  £507 million of bonds at interest rates of around 9%, incurring interest costs of around  £45 million per year, and  £202 of payment in kind loans, with interest rates of 14.25%, which compound onto the capital value of the loans each year (Ducker and Power, 2010). The  £45 million interest payments on the bonds represent almost 50% of the clubs  £91 million cash profit (BBC Sport, 2010), giving an interest cover ratio of just over 2, which indicates the clubs debts are taking up a significant amount of its profits. Indeed, much of the clubs strengths are arguably being countered by this weakness. In addition to this, Manchester Uniteds status as a football club creates a large potential for its revenue to fluctuate sharply based on its on-pitch performances. For example, in the 2008-09 season Manchester United earned 37.8 million Euros from its participation in the Champions League, when it reached the final (euFootball.biz, 2009). If the club fails to match this achievement in future seasons, its revenues will fall. Due to the difficulties in progressing this far in such a major competition, it becomes difficult for the company to project revenues in the future, potentially causing liquidity problems. (O)pportunities The main future opportunity for the club is its ability to obtain greater revenue from its global fan base. The club currently has 330 million fans, and revenue of 327 million Euros per annum, most of which is probably generated within the UK and Europe, from match day and broadcasting revenues (Deloitte, 2010). If the company can obtain just one extra Euro per fan per year, then it could double its revenues and massively increase its profits. The high level of unexploited fans also allows the club to develop its commercial revenue streams, such as sponsorships and partnerships. A recent example of this was the partnership deal signed with Telekom Malysia (Hashim, 2010). If this deal could be replicated in other attractive markets, Manchester United could see another major growth in revenue. (T)hreats There are two main threats to Manchester United. The first is that the interest rates on the payment in kind loans are high and can rise further in the future. This could cause the company to incur significantly higher debt levels in future. Indeed, if the company fails to pay off any of these loans, then by their maturity date they will be valued at over half a billion pounds, effectively doubling the companys total level of debt (Ducker and Power, 2010). This threat is also strongly linked to fan protests against the current owners and the level of debt (BBC, 2010). Whilst these protests have not yet had a notable impact on the clubs financial situation, if the level of debt becomes a greater burden they may lead to fan boycotts, causing reducing revenues and increasing the threat from debt. The other main threat is the pending retirement of manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who is now 68 (Ferguson, 2000, p. 12). Ferguson has managed United for almost 25 years, and has led them to over 30 trophies in this time (ManUtd.com, 2010). Given the importance of continued on-field success to Manchester Uniteds financial situation, it is clear that the company must put a strong succession plan in place to ensure performances and financial results do not suffer when Ferguson decides to retire. PEST (P)olitical The main political factors affecting Manchester United are the English Football Association and the European and global equivalents: UEFA and FIFA. These bodies are responsible for determining how all football clubs can operate, in terms of transferring and signing players and carrying out their on-pitch activities. For Manchester United, of particular concern are proposals concerning the level of debt that clubs are allowed to carry, and the need to balance their books and break even on their football activities (UEFA, 2010). This is of concern because Manchester Uniteds high level of debt could well cause the club to encounter short term financial difficulties in the near future, which could lead to sanctions from UEFA, further increasing the scale and duration of any financial difficulties. (E)conomic As with any business, Manchester Uniteds revenues are likely to be affected by the prevailing economic conditions. In particular, as watching football matches and following football teams is expensive and not necessary for peoples continued economic wellbeing, one might expect that football clubs such as Manchester United would suffer in periods of economic decline. However, in spite of the major economic recession that recently affected the UK, Manchester United has continued to grow its revenues, which reached record levels last year (BBC Sport, 2010). Indeed, had the pound sterling not fallen significantly against the Euro, Manchester United would have had the highest revenue of any football club in Europe in the year to 30th June 2009 (Deloitte, 2010). This of course reveals another important economic factor for Manchester United to consider: given the pounds current weakness against the Euro, buying players will be more difficult as clubs in the Eurozone will have more purchasin g power on the global transfer markets. (S)ocial The main social factor affecting Manchester United is the continued desire for people to watch football, both as a form of entertainment and as a social activity. Whilst previous periods such as the 1980s were affected by football hooliganism, in recent years football has experienced a boom in social interest, leading to large numbers of people becoming fans. This is of benefit to Manchester United who, with the largest fan base and most valuable brand in the world (Brand Finance, 2009), can expect to obtain the lions share of new fans. (T)echnological The main technological factor affecting Manchester United is the rise in the internet and other broadcasting channels. This allows the company to reach a wider range of fans across a wider range of channels, and hence obtain more money from the various global fans who do not live within range of traditional distribution networks or cannot access match broadcasts on their local television networks. Conclusion To conclude, even though Manchester United Ltd has financial problem with its high level debt, but the strengths of this operation team may help to overcome and to turn it become a new opportunity. It is because, factors such as the long history, capability for wining champion, the loyalty of the football team funs or its famous players all can bring some lovely profit in. However, Manchester United Ltd still needs to treat its problem seriously and face their weakness and threats in a right way, or they would lose the honour which was built in the past.

Essay --

Scotland is a country famous all over the world for its culture and warmth, In political terms Scotland isn't really on the map, however next year marks a huge event for Scotland as the people of Scotland are going to be put to the polls to decide if Scotland will become an independent country or stay within the UK. Scottish independence has been a topic for many years however now it may be a reality which would appease many people but also anger others. Scotland joined in a Union with England in 1707 after it essentially went bankrupt by attempting to colonize a part of Panama and name it 'Caledonia', it was unsuccessful due to poor planning and also weak leadership, this was a huge contributing factor towards Scotlands financial mess. Scotlands export was nothing compared to Englands at the time and was generally over shadowed by its powerful neighbour (Baynes, Thomas Spencer 1888). The two countries prior shared a monarch for over 100 years when King James VI of Scotland also became the King of England. They were numerous attempts prior to 1707 to join Scotland and England together, however in 1707 both countries appointed 31 commisioners to conduct the negotiations. Most of the Scottish commisioners favoured the union and similar with the English commisioners, however it is important to note that the tories were against it. Many people in Scotland felt betrayed at the time, and many also do today, they think that our dignity and nationality was wiped off us in exchange for money. Famous poet Robbie Burns was quoted saying 'We're bought and sold for English Gold, Such a Parcel of Rogues in a Nation'. With contrast to the above the English wanted a union with Scotland to ensure that Scotland would not choose a monarch differen... ... religion, however Marxists defend the right of 'oppressed' nations to self-determination, up to and including independence. On the question of Scottish independence, the Left in Scotland is similarly caught on two minds. There are those in the Labour Party and the Communist Party of Britain (CPB) who maintain that independence would disunite the British working class and only go to serve the interests of the bourgeoisie. However, others on the Left, most notably in the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) and the Communist Party of Scotland (CPS), believe that the breakup of the British state is a precondition for securing progressive, socialist change for the peoples these islands since it would open up opportunities for the Left, both in Scotland and south of the Border, to promote a radical political agenda that otherwise would remain excluded from mainstream politics.