Sunday, October 13, 2019

Physics of Drums :: physics music drum drums

Dating back to the slave trade the drum has been used all over the world as a means of communication and self expression. Its broad variety of users includes the early African tribes and the Native Alaskan tribes, both using them for ceremonial purposes. The Africans brought drums with them to the Americas and helped to develop their popularity among American musicians. In the mid 1900’s drum sets were brought about. These revolutionary collaborations of percussive pieces started off with a pair of hi-hats, a bass and snare drum, and a couple of tom toms. Later as the music progressed, so did the drum kits, completely eliminating the need for an entire drum section. With the coming of the rock and roll movement the drum kits were changing, they needed to accommodate the new music styles. They became sonically diverse and even electronic drums were brought about; making them infinitely adjustable both ergonomically and musically. With every major drum manufacturer c ompeting to have the best product on the market drums will always be evolving and the † limit for drum set creation will simply be the imagination of the musicians.† (http://www.josaka.com/Features/2005/History-of-Drums.htm) The sound waves for open ended and string instruments is fairly straight forward. However, for a closed end instrument, such as a drum, the sound waves are different. A lot of the energy is dissipated through the shell of the drum, which is the reason for the variance in drum construction these days. Many different kinds of wood are used to generate different sounds, or a different amount of energy absorption. For a warmer, deeper sound maple construction is used while birch is used to get a high, resonant tone full of vibration. The heaviest wood that dissipates the most amount of energy is oak, creating a lower, flat sound. When the wooden shell construction isn’t enough for drummers to achieve the right amount of sound wave dampening, different drum heads are used.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Cases of Influenza :: Journalism Influenza Health Essays

Cases of Influenza ST. LOUIS, Missouri.--The State Health Department has confirmed that there have been 666 new cases of influenza today, 134 more since yesterday. Also it has been confirmed, sadly, that there has been 59 deaths, up 15 since yesterday, and making the grand total at 5,067 deaths in just three weeks. 21 of the deaths recorded yesterday were of pneumonia. Thus this epidemic seems to weaken the body so much that it is not the only cause of death, pneumonia is as well. As we keep track of the new cases and of the fatal ones, they have urged the public to stay calm as they are trying to do everything in their power to put an end to this. They are spending all hours seeking the source and coming up with a cure. At a time while our boys are overseas fighting and some losing their lives, the people in St. Louis are battling their own problems with this epidemic. It almost seems the casualty numbers are mimicking each other, not to say they are suffering from the same kind of fate. Just a shame that there are two wars going on two different fronts, one overseas in Europe and the other here at home, trying to battle this disease, virus, bacteria, whatever it is. So far they are unclear as to where the disease came from and how it spreads. There have been several theories as to what the culprit is and what the public should do in response to this news. One doctor feels that people should avoid all contact with other people, closing all public arenas, and going as far as wearing masks outside. Some doctors disagree with this, claiming it is unwarranted and unnecessary. They just feel that people should be sanitary and keep a safe distance from people and areas that look unclean. Also they warn to stay away from alleyways and animals that fester in them. It might be that these dirty animals are harboring the disease and spreading it from fleas or other contagious ways. However, it has been seen that most cases of the influenza are stemming from the inner-city. There are instances of people outside of the inner-city but not as numerous. So department officials have been sent to the inner-city to gather evidence and try to track any trends stemming from the start and spread of this disease.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Reluctant Works Case Study

This case study is based on a conversation between two people: Tim Aston, a new project manager, and Phil Davies, director of project management. Aston had just changed jobs and was very excited about his new job. He wanted to be the best manager his company ever had. But ever since he had been on the job, he was becoming more and more frustrated with the employees and their work habits. Finally he went to see Davies and discuss his problems with him. Chapter Four of our text discusses the ten skills that are necessary for effective program management. (Kerzner, 2009, pg.149) Of those skills, I felt that there were three that were lacking in the case study. The problems that he discussed with Davies involved mainly team building, leadership, and administrative – time management skills. The case study showed that the lack of these things caused a hardship for management in an effort to complete necessary goals. Team building focuses on â€Å"effective communications, sincere i nterest in the professional growth of team members, and the commitment to the project† (Kerzner, 2009, pg. 149). The success of the team was not a priority in the lives of these individuals.They did what they wanted and how they wanted, regardless of how if would affect the team, project manger or the project. Phil Davies, the director, explained to Tim Aston, the project manager, that these people were set in their ways, at the top of their pay grades, and had no room for growth in the organization. Tim would have to take the time to learn what motivates them and try a different angle in order to get them involved. Phil stated that in the project environment, the workers think they are more important than the project and this has been the way it has been in their project organizational form.  (Kerzner, 2009, pg. 294)Tim will have to start from scratch. He will have to build a foundation with his team in order to bring them together. Phil also seemed to be very passive aggre ssive by acting like the workers were right and the project manager was wrong. Not supportive from a management stand point either. The purpose of Tim’s outreach to Phil was for support and guidance but all he received was a push off letting him know that he was on his own. Leadership is the second skill that was needed in this situation. Leadership is motivation for the team to  tackle challenges.A leader has to have emotional intelligence or empathy in order to be able to understand his team. For you to accomplish an objective you have to persuade your team to believe in the same goal. Being a role model is part of leadership. Management of the performance of the team and provision of support and development or growth of the team’s technical skills is all part of leadership. The lack of leadership from Tim proved that he was unable to resolve the conflicts that he encountered with the workers.There should have been a team meeting called in order to review the objec tives of the project and the team, state what his expectations were in completing them, as well as policies and procedures that they have to adhere to in the process. In the text, Kerzner also specifies several things that project managers do that are caused by a loss of understanding. These things end up causing time management problems for the project. The final skill that he needed to be proficient in was time management skills. A skilled project manager needs to be experienced in developing a schedule and doing what was necessary to maintain that schedule.It is unacceptable for the project manager to wait for someone else to make a decision that is his own responsibility. In this case study Aston had the responsibility for the project. He was responsible for managing his team and making sure that everyone was there. He failed at this task so he went to Davies for help. Aston made no attempt to coordinate schedules of his team for the project. He would have known of the forthcomi ng conflicts in advance and would have been able to modify the schedule accordingly. The project manager need socializing time with employees in addition to just seeing them during meetings.This is necessary to get to know them and their needs. Tim Aston’s skills in dealing with his project staff and functional manager leave a lot to be desired. His functional managers are not accountable due to his laissez faire leadership. They in term cause the failure of his projects. This is where the team building skills lacked causing his effectiveness as a project manager to falter. He has not taken charge or control of the team and there is no cohesive team to work on project’s objectives. With no leadership, the project management is non-existent and the team is none existent.No direction of the team means the morale and motivation of the team members is extremely low. Being the new â€Å"kid on the block†, the other team members have they own agenda moving forward and he has an uphill battle to connect with them. He lacks emotional intelligence in thinking he can just come in among his subordinates, who are years older than him, and gain their trust and confidence. He lacks self-confidence and turns to the director help instead of facing the challenges head on. This further diminishes the team’s confidence in him as a leader for the team. Tim Aston has not taught his team the importance of time management.By leaving them to manage their official time the way they want, he undermines the achievement of the project’s goals or objectives. Time management, being vital successful completion of a project, has to be inculcated into the team at all cost. A person who is not willing to respect time allocated to the project should not be part of the team. The issue of employees going on vacation or doing other activities instead of accomplishing important projects should not arise. Once time is set aside for projects it should become non-neg otiable, thus workers will come to respect the projects goals.As the goals set are met, self-motivation within the team will rise. Lack of communication by Tim Aston has contributed to the lackluster performance of the team. Being a new employee, he should have communicated his vision and ideas effectively to the team. The team might be at a loss as to his intensions for the projects. Meeting with them in advance and communicating his needs could have enabled him to know the feelings of the team. They could have ironed out their differences and he would have got a chance to persuade them on his new way of thinking. Mr.Davies involvement further alienated him from the staff below him and making communication more difficult because he still did not communicate with them. The management of the company gave Tim Aston very little support. By supporting the needs the functional managers, they have denied Tim Aston the support and advantage he needed to have his team comply. As a new proje ct manager, upper level management needed to give strong and unequivocal support of Tim to be able to take charge of the subordinates who considered him irrelevant to their needs and too young to understand their position.With no support, it is clear that the functional managers send the message that they don’t care if their lack of commitment will sabotage the new project manager. Management implies that the problem is with Tim Aston and not the subordinates by suggesting that he take a study in human relations. Adding yet another hit to further diminish the authority and confidence of the project manager. Tim totally believed he would receive a very different level of support from management.Team building is important to project manager, as without a cohesive team, the pooling of resources and talents that is vital in any company’s operations is not possible. A team that is not united in purpose cannot meet targets. Time management determines productivity. Effective time management diminishes waste both of resources and personnel motivation as without it concentration, focus and interests wanes. In any environment, personality and ideas conflicts are inevitable thus; conflict resolution or management maintains a cordial environment for workers and allocation of resources.Finally, for all these to be possible, effective communication as a leader has to be utilized by the project manager to pass his ideas to his team and from the company’s management to guide everybody on the expectations of the company. The recommendation that can be given to the company is that a supportive environment is of the utmost importance to the application of the project manager’s critical skills. Without it, application of these skills in achieving personnel motivation, resource allocation and other objectives would be an exercise in futility.The exercise of leadership skills and style by the project manager and company will influence the morale and moti vation of workers affecting productivity. Project managers should find importance in understanding the culture and system of values for the company they work for. As mentioned throughout several class discussions, taking the time to get to know the functional staff can promote effective cohesion in a team in order to get the project completed correctly in am efficient and effective manner.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Effects of Civil War on Women

There are several changes that the Civil War brought to civilian society and some of these are the following: First of all, the United States of America have been brought back together, which also means that the States from the Southern portions were not given the permission to break away or become independent (Effects.. , 2006). Second, the Southern areas were â€Å"placed under military rule and divided into military districts† (Effects.., 2006). This also caused these areas to â€Å"apply for readmission to the Union† (Effects.. , 2006). Third, the national or Federal government has proven itself to the civilians that its power may not at all be surpassed by the States (Effects.. , 2006). Fourth, the Civil War resulted in the liberation of slaves (Effects.. , 2006). Fifth, the Civil War established plans for the country’s â€Å"Reconstruction† (Effects.. , 2006).The â€Å"Reconstruction† was the government’s plan to deal with the following direct effects of the civil war: 1) the freedom of slaves resulted in problems with regard to housing, clothing, food, and employment; 2) the economic ruin led to having no money, closed banks, low supply of commodities, destruction of railroads and bridges, and devastation of plantation and crops; and 3) the defeat of the confederacy led to the South’s not having any government (Effects.. , 2006). Last but not least, industrialism was established because during the war, production increased, as well as, several new technologies were added (Effects.., 2006).The aforementioned became possible because of the following: 1) the freedom of slaves; 2) the economic ruin in the South; and c) the defeat of the confederacy (Effects.. , 2006). Effects of Civil War on Women During the Civil War, women were given the opportunity to assume roles that people believed only men can carry out, for instance, â€Å"as nurses, government clerks, factory workers, family farmers, factory workers, some even disguised as a man to serve in the military service, etc. † (Encarta, 2007). This was the beginning of the triumph of gender equality since this upheld the gender roles (Encarta, 2007).

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Counselors as Companions and Ethics in Human Services Essay

1. Every person we come into contact with on a daily basis is able to teach us a little something about life. You just have to be open to learning. This particular counselor who was introduced to Steve for whatever cosmic reason, but left the encounter more knowledgeable about the human condition than when initially introduced. At first glance and without knowing any background on Steve the counselor could have just chalked Steve up as a special needs student who in no way was going to succeed being away from home. The councilor however took time out and got to know his student and found all the triumphs that he had been faced with and had overcome throughout the years. The counselor was able to determine that this student was in no way going to give up and fall between the cracks due to a series of unfortunate events. Every child I come in contact with on a daily basis has their own story, many of which are heart wrenching or unnerving, but yet many persevere and will become productive members of society because someone along the way has showed that they care. 2. Steve was able to benefit just as much as the counselor through this interaction. He was able to persevere and complete his education. All that Steve needed was for someone else to also see the end of the tunnel as well as he saw it. Having someone on the same page and able to stand with you through your goals is beneficial to all those involved not just the single individual with the goal. I think the biggest push anyone could ever get is having someone who does not know you say â€Å"you can’t do that†; it provides all the more motivation to prove them wrong. According to the National Organization of Human Services (NOHS), a code of ethics is an explicit statement of the values, principles, and the rules of a profession, regulating the conduct of its members† (Barker, 2001, p.84) There are two statements found in the NOHS though that best summarize this code and make it applicable to the field in which I am currently surrounded by. STATEMENT 45 Human service educators demonstrate full commitment to their appointed responsibilities, and are enthusiastic about and encouraging of students’ learning. STATEMENT 46 Human service educators model the personal attributes, values and skills of the human service professional, including but not limited to, the willingness to seek and respond to feedback from students. In reading Steve’s journey on the Hero’s Path there is an identifiable moment that relates to my current position that I have been witness to and assisted with. As a guidance secretary for a public school I have seen man types of students walk through our door. Our most recent students who have come in search of a chance to blend in with a traditional student body are two students who found themselves being best friends despite each other’s complex issues. One is an overweight 16 year old and suffers from Prader-Willi Syndrome and sneaks food from our cafeteria any chance he gets. The other a 17 year old was born with malformation of the mouth and hands. Both are part of our special education program. Because of their outward appearances, both are shunned by the other student, which has had very little effect on them. To assist them in this effort of blending in our Administrative Resource Teacher, who is popular and liked by the student body because of her understanding and helpful nature has essentially deputized these two during our busiest lunch period. In order to keep the child with Prader-Willi from stealing uneaten food and his friend from stealing anything for him, they eat their lunch and when they are done, are placed on crime watch patrol around the perimeter of the school, with our ART. The child with Prader-Willi gets exercise and it removes him from tempting treats left behind by students such as milk and chips. Both also get the satisfaction of knowing that despite their abnormalities they are regular students. During pep assemblies when the excited student body is a little overwhelming, these students also know that my office is a safe haven for them. They know that they must do work alphabetizing or organizing but they each have a task. I’ve heard many of our administrators repeat this saying time and time again â€Å"you need to know our students, in order to teacher them†, the same applies in any interaction with them. Students don’t just learn in the four walls of a classroom, they learn in every kind of environment. If you make that environment one in which they are comfortable students will return time after time to seek your guidance and model attributes they found and have seen demonstrated. References Halstead, Richard A. (2000, January). From tragedy to triumph: counselor as companion on the hero’s journey. Counseling & Values, 44(2), 100. http://www.nationalhumanservices.org/ethical-standards-for-hs-professionals

Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Models of Stress Theory and how they apply to First Responder Research Paper

Models of Stress Theory and how they apply to First Responder - Research Paper Example The present paper discusses the similarities and differences between the demand control support and effort-reward imbalance models of stress together with application of these models to first responders. Key words in this paper will include demand, control, effort, reward, and first responders. The two models have a correlation so that the direction of change caused by either increase or decrease of demands, control, and support corresponds to the direction of change caused by either the increase or decrease of efforts and rewards. Therefore, whereas high demands, involving situations that allow high control facilitated by high social support leads to diminished stressful experience, high efforts that are compensated by high rewards lead to diminished susceptibility to stressful experience. Demand control support model has control as a measure of countering the demands of a task and effort reward imbalance claims that control is an intrinsic personal motivation. Both models argue that an imbalance in their proposed concepts leads to exhaustion and emotional distress (Veldhoven et. al., 2005). Demand control support model is an interactional model while Effort Reward Imbalance Model is a transactional model. As an interactional model, demand control support model emphasizes the structural traits of an individual’s interactions with his or her environment. On the other hand, transactional models of stress focus on the factors underlying an individual’s response to a stressful situation. These underlying factors include locus of control, personality, appraisal, and coping. The Demand Control Support Model does not factor in the role of individual differences but effort reward imbalance emphasizes the importance of individual differences (Chmiel, 2009). This model emphasizes demands and control as the two psychosocial job characteristics that are important. Borrowing from this model, the job control of first responders has to do with the decision

Monday, October 7, 2019

Buddhist Ethics and Thailands Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Buddhist Ethics and Thailands Politics - Essay Example litical order in both the classical and contemporary states of South and Southeast Asia has been the center of critical religious studies (McDaniel, 2009). From the initial periods, Buddhism has exhibited a marked preference for monarchical types of government but monarchial claims are only one side of the coin as far as appreciating the connection between power and political authority. The political environment in Thailand considerably changed in June 1932 when a group of youthful scholars who had been studying outside the country and adopted principles of Western democracy carried out a bloodless coup that demanded for a shift from an absolute to a lawful kingdom. The then king, His Majesty King Prajadhipok agreed to their demands so that he could avoid any bloodshed and the absolute monarchy was abolished necessitating a transfer of power to the new form of government that was constitutional. Thailand is governed under a constitution that was adopted in 2007 after the coup that took place in 2006 where the king heads the state and the prime minister who heads the government is elected by the House of Representatives and is not allowed to serve more than eight consecutive years. The House of Representatives and the Senate whose members are elected through popular vote while others are nominated make up the national assembly. After the revolution in 1932 that brought to an end the absolute monarchy, Thailand has been rocked by intermittent military interferences, with nineteen coups and coup attempts in the years that followed (Farrelly, 2013). The concurrent military interventions after the one that took place in 1932 has meant alternations between military rule and more democratic instances even though the democratic periods were not independent from military influence. The coup culture in Thailand can be said to be the most critical contribution to the comparative debates concerning military intervention as far as politics is concerned (Farrelly, 2013). The