Managing of Energy Assets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Managing of Energy Assets - Essay Example In wind power generation, there are no harmful by-products left over since no chemical processes take place. Also, with wind power, pollution that can contaminate the environment is avoided. Since wind generation is a renewable source of energy, we will never run out of it. Farming and grazing can still take place on land occupied by wind turbines which can help in the production of biofuels. Wind farms can be built off-shore like that in Germany and at some states of the United States of America. Wind energy harnesses the power of the wind to propel the blades of wind turbines. A turbine is a machine powered by rotating blades. The rotation of turbine blades is converted into electrical current by means of an electrical generator. In the older windmills, wind energy was used to turn mechanical machinery to do physical work, like crushing grain or pumping water. Wind towers are usually built together on wind farms. Now, electrical currents are harnessed by large scale wind farms that are used by national electrical grids as well as small individual turbines used for providing electricity to isolated locations or individual homes (Layton, 2006).   History of Wind Power Technology In the beginning, wind power production did not have any impact on the power system control. When it started in the 1980’s production was a few tens of kW, and today, multi-MW range wind turbines are being installed. This also means that wind power production in the beginning did not have any impact on the power system control, but now they have to play an active part in the grid due to their size. The technology used in the past wind turbines was based on a squirrel-cage induction generator connected directly to the grid. With that, there is no control of the active and reactive power, which typically are important control parameters to regulate the frequency and the voltage. The power pulsations in the wind are almost directly transferred to the electrical grid. As there is a n increase in the power range of the turbines, the control parameters become more important and likewise, necessary to introduce power electronics as an interface between the wind turbine and the grid. The power electronics is changing the basic characteristic of the wind turbine from being an energy source to be an active power source. The electrical technology used in wind turbine is not new. It has been discussed for several years but now the price per produced kWh is so low, that solutions with power electronics are very attractive (Blaabjerg & Chen, 2005) . Wind Turbines Stored energy is referred to as potential energy, while energy in motion is called kinetic energy. Kinetic energy can be captured, just like the energy in the moving water that can be captured by the turbine in a hydroelectric dam. In the case of a wind turbine, the turbine blades are designed to capture the kinetic energy in wind. Modern wind turbines fall into two basic groups; the  horizontal-axis  varie ty, like the traditional farm windmills used for pumping water, and the  vertical-axis  design, like the eggbeater-style Darrieus model, named after its French inventor. Most large modern wind turbines are horizontal-axis turbines. In any wind-energy turbine, the three crucial parts are the rotor blades, the shaft, and the generator (Sudrai & Chindris, 2005). The rotor blades act as barriers to the wind, such that when the wind forces the blades to turn, kinetic energy is

Statistics of Migrants in the UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 8250 words

Statistics of Migrants in the UK - Essay Example Migration is a prevalent issue especially in developed nations and even those surrounded by relatively low-income economies. People are generally found to traverse from one place to another for a number of reasons, varying from the propensity of being employed to an increased level of per capita income. But, the question of migration turns out to be a glitch owing to social factors more than those arising from economic aspects. The problems which crop up in such instances are those related to ethnicity and the country of origin which operates behind the culture that the migrants are habituated to, as well as their compatibility with the citizens of the nation where they decide to move in. Matters associated with the employment of the migrants are dependent upon the labour rights of the respective nations; in most of the cases, they are related to matters aligned with their nationality which however, could be taken care of officially. In fact, the member nations of European Union do n ot face any difficulty in such matters, given that their labour markets provide an automatic entrance to the migrants from the co-member nations. Nevertheless, the concern about being able to integrate socially is actually a major point to be stressed upon while discussing migration factors. Inability to integrate with the local environment is often treated as a primary reason behind reduced levels of labor productivity. Thus, the nation which faces the problem of migration might suffer from an economic shortfall from this aspect, with an almost unchanged demographic stance and lowered levels of per capita income that tilts its domestic growth rate in a negative way. The present paper is an empirical work in this area with regard to the case of the United Kingdom that witnessed a net immigration of 100 thousand per annum between  the years 1991 and 2000, prior to which it had experienced a trough in the statistics. In fact, migration statistics had been exhibiting a hike in its tr ends hitherto, with the latest figure standing at 176,000 compared to 143,000 in the phase 2001-2002 itself.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Effective Budget Control

Advantages and Disadvantages of Effective Budget Control This paper will look at what is required of an effective budgetary control mechanism and try to assess the advantages and disadvantages of using a system imposed from above, or externally, over a decentralized system controlled by lower level management as task level. Using an empirical case study from the international banking sector, it will be shown that too much managerial autonomy can lead to disaster not just for the manager concerned but also for the whole organization. In contrast the role of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund in imposing nation-state loan budgets will be critiqued to highlight the potential flaws of centralizing and dominating budget control management. Effective budgetary controlHenderson (2003) notes that regardless of the situation or workplace, in order to be effective it is crucial that budgetary control systems: Account for money received and spent Make sure that the organizations financial policies are adhered to Ensure that money is not wasted Assist managers to run, and develop, services or departments These controls have developed from the need to account for large sums of money but are equally applicable to any budgetary situation. However, from a managerial perspective they have often been criticised for being insensitive and restrictive at the lower levels of management. As the number of stakeholders increases so does the need to be fully accountable and therefore more controls are also needed. This is particularly noticeable in the public sector National Health Service. Here lower level management are extremely subservient to imposed and tight budgeting restrictions from a distantly senior level. This is arguably a result of the need to satisfy a multitude of stakeholder interests and a concern that empowering lower management with the autonomy to control their own budgets would fail to include the number of interested parties from politicians to doctors and patients. With organisations as complex as the NHS whether public or private sector – It is safer and easier to p lan and control from above using imposed budget control methods. Politically imposed budgeting is preferably because senior managers, directors, or institutions who set the budgets are arguably best placed to recognise the wider implications of budgeting decisions but, according to Marginson (1999), financially imposed budget controls make sense too. Financial losses, which can occur for such damaging reasons as incompetence, error, negligence or fraud, are most likely to be minimised, or avoided altogether, by well constructed control systems. Imposed budgets benefit from the experience, acquired knowledge and full backing of senior management. They arguably encourage a sense of confidence in lower level management to do their job whilst reducing the massive levels of stress that come with having to create and manage your own budget. Another advantage of imposed budgeting is that it encourages regular monitoring, reporting, progress reports and ultimately improvements in the budgetary system. This enables problems to be uncovered and dealt with quickly and efficiently. Henderson (2003) states that it is advantageous to review arrangements occasionally. Even if procedures within your work area operate well, you should ensure that the budgetary responsibilities of staff at all levels are clear and understood by everyone. It would be unfortunate if problems arise because people do not know the extent or limit of their responsibilities (p33). Autonomous managers are arguably less likely to self-review their processes if they are deemed to be working well. Whereas senior management may be able to employ the use of an external or dedicated process-auditing team, lower level management are unlikely to have the resources or inclination to do the same especially if a process is deemed to be largely successful and given that any negative results will reflect directly and negatively on their managerial budgeting ability. There are further problems with lower level management dictating their own budget. As a budget manager, you are in charge of producing an annual cash flow forecast detailing accurately all of your income and expenditures. Budget managers are also expected to collect a range of information throughout each year, both financial and non-financial, to supplement their cash flow predictions and help better manage their finances. Finally they are then expected to critically compare the planned figures and the actual revenues and expenditures that occurred and act to ensure that the inflows and outflows of cash are within budget limits. In short, managers who are given control over their own budgets are required to be financially adept. Often, even if the manager is financially confident, proof of budgetary ability will only be learned from success or failure by which time it may be too late to rectify any problems. Marginson (1999) suggests that the concept of self-managing a budget at all levels through an organization is essentially flawed. If a manager has responsibility for a budget they he argues should not be expected to regulate and monitor is on their own. Ideally a system would be in place to bring any relevant or potentially important information to the managers attention. The flaw of any budgeting system that encourages managerial autonomy is that, eventually, in the case of poor performance a reporting system will eventually alert senior management to the crisis. Inevitably, senior manage will then try to rectify the situation costing time, resources and money. This often lengthy process would almost certainly be entirely avoided if senior management imposed budgetary control measures tightly from the top. A potential hazard in using imposed budgetary controls Imposing financial authority from the top-down may be one method of ensuring that the commands of senior management (or external bodies such a the Government) are carried out but this strict system of financial control is not necessarily the most productive method of financial management. The most commonly cited problem with a top-down method of strict budgetary control is the message that it permeates down the hierarchy. This invariably is translated as a lack of trust in the ability of lower-level and middle-management from those above them. As Benston (1963) explains: Decentralization contributes to effective motivation. The firm’s accounting system that facilitates decentralization hence has an indirect but important impact on motivation. The direct use of accounting reports, such as budgets, for motivation can result in reduced performance, if the budget is imposed on the department manager. (p347) The financial advantages of imposing budgetary control – such as less risk of money being wasted, tighter adherence to company financial polity etc are potentially offset by the negative effects on motivation (and therefore productivity and profitability) such a gesture could make.According to Petrova (2004), autonomy and motivation are commonly considered to be extremely closely associated to one another. Given the value of a motivated workforce, the use of imposed budgets could be limiting the success of the business as well as its employees. Case Study:  Too much managerial autonomy – Nick Leeson and banking crises Over the last two decades crises the banking worldwide and the subsequent global financial instability they have invariably caused have occurred with alarming regularity and always at a huge, often crippling, cost. According to estimates by the International Monetary Fund, more than a dozen banking crises in the past 15 years have cost the countries afflicted 10% or more of their gross domestic product (Economist, 2003). Although the majority of banking collapses seem to occur in the less developed and therefore poorer nations of the world, rich countries are also susceptible, as Japan demonstrated before the world in the 1990s. The blame is frequently – and correctly – laid on macroeconomic policy: an unsustainable exchange rate has no doubt often exacerbated problems but it is poor budgetary control that has been at the root of the majority of banking crises in recent times.. It is not just the banks who are to blame for this. Imposed budgets do not necessarily have to come from within the organisation. Bank regulators, too, should have done, and should do, more to help avoid these crises. The Basel Accord is the main external control that is used to protect the financial safety of banks. The Accord established a set of international rules that limit banks exposure to risk by requiring that their capital must at least equal a minimum proportion of their assets (Economist, 2003). This proportion is weighted by a calculated risk based on the circumstances of each individual bank. The Basel Accord is effectively the banking industries version of imposed budgeting. The external regulator oversees the business of the banks to ensure that they do not assume too much autonomy. (Economist, 2003) The case of Nick Leeson and the collapse of Barings Banks provides a hugely unlikely yet extremely note-worthy case to act as a warning of what can happen to companies that do not impose strict financial controls on their management. As Van der Stede (2000) warns, this is especially pertinent for companies concerned with achieving tangible results as they are more likely to have managers with a stronger focus on business matters that affect the short-term results (p609) and are therefore more likely to take poorly calculated risks with company money. In the Leeson case the bank were found to be guilty of allowing an unprecedented degree of managerial influence in the trading budget. This eventually allowed just a single employee Leeson to accumulate debts of over  £1.3 billion and bankrupt one of the worlds oldest banks. In a fatal mistake, the bank allowed Leeson to remain Chief Trader while being responsible for settling his trades, a job that is usually split. This had made it much simpler for him to hide his losses. (BBC, 2002). If any case highlights the dangers of allowing managers unbridled participation in budgetary control, the Lesson case is it. Problems with imposed budgets a global political perspective. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund control the flow of finances and effectively national budgets in every country across the globe. Their role is to promote stable growth in a bid to increase the wealth of citizens across the globe. However, as recently as April 2005, hundreds of members of parliaments around the world are calling on these two institutions lenders of billions of dollars every year, – to renege many of the numerous conditions they impose on borrowing countries in order to secure their loans. These conditions, they say, are eroding national sovereignty and impeding long-term economic planning necessary to achieve positive and sustained growth. Instead, global politicians, most vocally from the less developing countries who are the primary victims of the current restrictive loan scheme, are calling for the World Bank and IMF to let local legislators have the final say in domestic economic policies. Typical IMF conditions imposed on lending nations include devaluation of local currencies, deregulation of state-owned industry, tight public spending caps, liberalisation of trade and exchange controls, withdrawal of subsidies, and more protections for the private sector and multinational companies (Mekay, 2005). Beyond this critics argue that both institutions have been guilty of providing inaccurate and detrimental economic advice that has only helped to compound the economic rigidities created by the loans causing delayed debt relief, increased poverty and undermined democracy, prompting demonstrations and street protests in many countries (Mekay, 2005). According to the petition, in 2003, the former Soviet state of Georgia’s budget deficit exceeded its IMF-set limit. The Fund then asked Georgia to revise its budget for that year, but the parliament refused to pass it. Rather than accepting this decision, the IMF allowed its lending programme with Georgia to expire in retaliation. This led to threats from the World Bank that it, too, would pull the plug on existing projects. (Mekay, 2005) The IMF and World Bank reflect a system of imposed budgeting that is arguably more detrimental than it is effective. Imposed budgets must be careful to provide some degree of flexibility and maneuverability if they are not to cause resentment and productivity problems. This is particularly the case if budgets are being set and imposed from external sources. On a local or company scale there are further problems with the use of imposed budgeting in trying to link financial failures with those responsible for them. It is important to be able to link levels of activity, the consumption of resources and the achievement of targets with the managers primarily responsible for making decisions about these issues (Henderson, p33). If budgets are imposed from above, it is potentially difficult to identify the source of budgetary failure. If managers are autonomous, any budgetary failure is attributed directly to them. This arguably generates stricter budgetary discipline, responsibility and better management. Unless you have the authority to control financial resources, you cannot effectively manage the services for which you are responsible (Henderson, p23). Conclusion Henderson (2003) argued that successful budgetary control resulted in; being able to account for money received and spent, making sure that the organisations financial policies are adhered to, ensuring that money is not wasted, and assisted managers to run, and develop, services or departments. There is no single correct way of managing budgets but from the evidence presented above it is arguable that imposing a set of budget controls is a more effective method of safeguarding company finances. Certainly this method guarantees that company polices are adhered to and money is accounted and, if employees and managers are motivated, imposed budgets do not necessarily detract from department development or cause money to be wasted. It is the assumption that motivation is sapped by reducing autonomy that is the major criticism of imposed budgeting but this is little proof that this is the case. Petrova (2004) writes in her article on motivation and autonomy that motivated employees may gain more from autonomy but autonomy in itself is not a guaranteed method of increasing employee motivation. In addition, Petrova concludes that the likely benefits for increasing autonomy for already motivated employees are unlikely to be returned in financial gains but rather in changes in leadership styles and organizational structure. Given that the foremost concern of budgeting is to secure the financial future of the company, rejecting imposed budgeting on account of its effect on organizational structure and leadership style arguably inappropriate. Bibliography Mekey, E (2005); MPs demand more budgetary control from IMF and World Bank; Finance Customwire, Public Agenda/All Africa Global Media Economist (2003); Guiding the pack; Vol 368, Issue 8334 Henderson, Prof. E (2003); Budgeting Part Two; Nurse Management Vol 10, Issue 2, p32-37 Van der Stede, W (2000); The relationship between two consequences of budgetary controls: budgetary slack creation and managerial short-term orientation; Accounting, Organisation Society; Vol 25, Issue 8, p609-623 Marginson, D.E.W (1999); Beyond the budgetary control system: towards a two-tiered process of management control; Management Accounting Research; Vol 10, Issue 3, p203-231 Benston, G.J (1963); Accounting Review; Vol 38, Issue 2; p347-354 Petrova, K (2004); Does Motivation trigger Autonomy, or Vice-Versa?; Econometrics of Labour Demand; VXXXVIII International Conference Applied Econometrics Association; www.aea.fed-eco.org 10/05/05 BBC News Website (2002); Nick Leeson and Barings Bank; Crimewatch Case Closed; www.bbe.co.uk/crime – 10/05/05

Distributed Denial of Service Attacks Essay -- DDoS Attacks, Cyber Ter

Within the last decade, the internet has proven to be the most efficient way to complete tasks in today’s society. Every major business in today’s society relies on the internet to conduct business. Though the internet is a useful tool, our reliability on it opens up the door for cyber-attacks that can be detrimental to business as a whole. One example of a cyber-attacks that have recently started becoming more prevalent are DDoS attacks. Recently, DDoS attacks have been a rising issue for businesses owners who run their own servers, such as video game companies and other high profile web servers, including banks and other credit card payment gateways. A DDoS attack, distributed denial of service attack, is when one or more individuals attempt to force a network offline and unavailable to its intended users. This process is typically performed by flooding a network with communication requests until the server cannot respond to the traffic, thus making the server go offline and become available. This process is relatively simple to perform to the average person through online programs. Since it is so easy perform, it has become a rising issue simply because anyone has the ability to hack into various servers. One example in recent news of DDoS attacks comes from Riot Games, developer of the popular online multiplayer video game League of Legends. After a month of inconsistency with their server stability and frequent shut downs, Riot Games reported that within the l... Distributed Denial of Service Attacks Essay -- DDoS Attacks, Cyber Ter Within the last decade, the internet has proven to be the most efficient way to complete tasks in today’s society. Every major business in today’s society relies on the internet to conduct business. Though the internet is a useful tool, our reliability on it opens up the door for cyber-attacks that can be detrimental to business as a whole. One example of a cyber-attacks that have recently started becoming more prevalent are DDoS attacks. Recently, DDoS attacks have been a rising issue for businesses owners who run their own servers, such as video game companies and other high profile web servers, including banks and other credit card payment gateways. A DDoS attack, distributed denial of service attack, is when one or more individuals attempt to force a network offline and unavailable to its intended users. This process is typically performed by flooding a network with communication requests until the server cannot respond to the traffic, thus making the server go offline and become available. This process is relatively simple to perform to the average person through online programs. Since it is so easy perform, it has become a rising issue simply because anyone has the ability to hack into various servers. One example in recent news of DDoS attacks comes from Riot Games, developer of the popular online multiplayer video game League of Legends. After a month of inconsistency with their server stability and frequent shut downs, Riot Games reported that within the l...

Concert Attendance Paper

MUS 121 Jeffrey Phelps, cello and Lee Jordan-Anders, piano 14 October, 2012 Dr. Ford Tidewater Community College CA#1 The Program Sonata in A Major, Opus 69 (1808)Ludwig van Beethoven Allegro, ma non tanto Scherzo, Allegro molto Adagio cantabile/Allegro vivace Sonata (1915) I. Prologue: Lent, sostenuto e molto risoluto II. Serenade: Moderement anime III. Final: Anime, leger et nerveuxClaude Debussy The Concert On Sunday, 14 October, Jeffrey Phelps, cello and Lee Jordan-Anders, piano, performed Ludwig van Beethoven’s Sonata in A Major, Opus 69 (1808) and Claude Debussy’s Sonata (1915) at Trinity Methodist Church in Smithfield Virginia.After the introduction of the performers we were asked to hold all applause until the end of each piece. The first Sonata by Beethoven bears the heading of Inter Lacrimas et Luctum, meaning â€Å"Amid Tears and Sorrow. † The first movement, Allegro, ma non tanto, from Beethoven’s Sonata, opened with the cello resting on one no te. The timbre of the cello as it began in a lower register was warm and rich, the tempo starting rather slow. The mood was mournful to me at the beginning and I had no idea what to expect. The texture at the beginning of the first movement was monophonic.As the piano entered the melody for both cello and piano was conjunct with symmetrical phrasing. Here the texture became polyphonic. The tone color of the piano seemed varied to me, alternating throughout the piece between vibrant and subdued. When the mood was not lively it became somber. The dynamics of both instruments changed throughout this movement, from piano to forte and then piano again. The movement of the melody was conjunct at the beginning of the piece and the contour of the melody was wavelike, especially by the piano.This movement began in a major key then abruptly moved into a minor key, where the dynamics were fortissimo. The texture was polyphonic, the counterpoint producing a call and response, as if the cello an d piano were holding a conversation. The melody had a narrow to medium range in the beginning of this movement. Repetition allowed all the themes to reappear throughout the movement, which is a trademark of the sonata. The cello and piano take turns performing small solo passages before veering off to something else. At one point early in the piece I heard a homorhythmic texture when cello and piano played the same notes together.After a descending melody from the piano the movement then becomes disjunct with a wavelike contour. It seemed to me that when the melody in the cello ascended, the melody in the piano descended. It had a lyrical mood to it and it was beautiful. The harmony, at this point, was still in a major key as the cello took over, characterized by a timbre that was dark. The mood was one of melancholy and I could feel sorrow. It was interesting to watch Phelps and Jordan-Anders subtly cue one another as the dynamics became pianissimo and the tempo adagio. In the lowe r registers both cello and piano had a timbre that was warm.In the upper registers it sounded fiery. The texture of the cello here was monophonic with no piano. I was not expecting the explosive part that followed. At about four minutes into the movement the dynamics became fortissimo and I could hear the harmony in a minor key. The contour of the melody descended and was conjunct. There was a return to a major key and the dynamics became piano for both instruments. The mood of this movement reminded me of yearning. The tone color for the piano became brighter here as the cello returned to the warm, rich sound like in the beginning.The contour of the melody was ascending and conjunct. This movement remained in duple meter throughout the piece. There was a return to counterpoint as both cello and piano played, using a polyphonic texture, the dynamics piano before returning to forte. As the tempo became allegro the cello strings were plucked creating a timbre that was bright and a moo d that was lively. There was a return to a monophonic texture for the cello and the dynamics became pianissimo. Since this movement’s form was ostinato, I heard short melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic patterns repeated.This piece was long, at twelve minutes, and at one point I stopped taking notes, in awe of what I was hearing. The entire piece felt symmetrical to me and was sing able throughout. Beethoven’s Sonata 3, Opus 69 nears a close with a texture that was heterophonic, dynamics that go from forte to piano and a bright tone color for cello and piano. The melody remained conjunct with a contour that was wavelike, by ascending and descending, especially for the piano. The tempo returned to allegro throughout this piece and ended with the dynamics returning to forte and the final cadence as the harmony resolved in consonance.The second movement of Beethoven’s Sonata in A Major, Opus 69 was Scherzo: Allegro molto and began with Jordan-Anders playing the opening notes of the melody in a narrow range with a melodic movement that was conjunct. The texture here was monophonic for only a few measures. The timbre of the piano was bright and the harmony was minor. I heard the second movement in triple meter, and by the time the cello began to play there seemed to be a return to the polyphonic texture which was common in the first movement. The movement of the melody was disjunct with a medium range, the dynamics of the piano soft (piano) and the tempo allegro.Phelps began playing in a dynamic that was piano which mirrored the opening measures of the piano part, with a very interesting rhythm I’m not sure how to describe. The rhythm was syncopated with a constant emphasis on beat three of every measure with the second beat marked by silence. The timbre of the cello felt bright, even in its lower register. There was an ostinato form in this piece and again, the cello and piano seemed to talk to each other, with a call and response pattern f amiliar in the first movement of this sonata.Movement two seemed to reach a dynamic climax halfway through which was forte, only to return to piano. The melody in the piano alternated between conjunct and disjunct and as the dynamics became louder the contour of the melody was ascending. The exchanges between the cello and piano created a lively mood throughout the movement and the texture once again became homorhythmic with a return to a polyphonic texture. I heard these textures throughout the Scherzo. The timbre of the piano and cello became quite broad with very loud dynamics. The theme was repeated and again, ostinato was at play.The movement ended with dynamics of the piano forte, the cello and piano using a texture that was heterophonic, because both instruments were playing in unison. The cello was plucked near the very end which created a dull timbre. The piano again employed a dynamic that was piano. This piece was full of manic energy that left me wanting to hear more. Th e word scherzo means â€Å"joke† but this lively little piece was anything but a joke! The third movement of Beethoven’s Sonata in A Major, Opus 69, began with a short Adagio cantabile which started with the piano.The dynamics were soft. The texture of the piano at the very beginning was monophonic until the cello joined in, and I heard a mixture of textures, but couldn’t quite tell for sure what they were. At one point, early on, I heard both piano and cello playing in unison which made the mixed texture heterophonic as well as heterorhythmic. The melody for both cello and piano was conjunct with a movement that I heard as having a narrow range for the piano and a medium range for the cello. The meter was duple. The dynamic used is piano and the tempo was adagio.Even though the harmony was major, the mood of the first part felt quite melancholy to me. Remaining in duple meter, the movement shifted from the Adagio cantabile to the final Allegro vivace, the title a clue of what was to come! The harmony remained in a major key however the tempo became lively (vivace) and the mood felt playful to me. The tone color of the cello was once again warm, as I am finding the cello to be. The timbre of the piano was bright and crisp as both instruments seemed to veer apart, trying to find a way to come back together. I felt excited when hearing this movement.The contour of the melody felt wavelike for both instruments, especially when scales were used, sometimes ascending, sometimes descending. The dynamics changed throughout this movement from soft to loud then back to soft again. I heard the movement of the piano as conjunct but wasn’t sure about the cello. Again, ostinato is at play halfway through the movement and I thought I heard dissonance, as the piano and cello seemed to battle it out. The harmony sounded like it was in a minor key at this point, like the cello and piano were trying to find resolution. The timbre of the piano was pier cing here.The tempo for both instruments became fast and the dynamics loud. Finally, the harmony reached consonance, after the cello repeats the first bar of the theme over and over again while the piano pounds out the accompaniment. The dynamics alternated between soft and loud, cello and piano ending on the final note in unison, the dynamics a startling forte. The first movement of Claude Debussy’s Sonata, Prologue: Lent, sostenuto e molto risoluto, began with Lee Jordan-Anders’ lone piano part that was homophonic in texture with a harmony that was minor. The tone color here was very dark, the mood quite somber.The program notes for this performance note this Sonata as the first of six projected sonatas for various instrumental combinations that Debussy was unable to complete due to the cancer that made his final years a misery. This sonata was the first composition. I could feel his pain and misery as I listened to this work. The phrasing of the melody was symmetric al with a movement that was conjunct. This movement began with a dynamic that was forte. The texture of the piano was homophonic. The cello entered, with an ostinato form which repeated the part just heard by the piano, giving it a tone color that I heard as a bit subdued and dull.The melody ascended, then descended, only to ascend again creating a wavelike contour with a conjunct movement. The dynamics continued to be forte. The cello then played alone, giving a monophonic texture. I felt the mood to be sad here, the movement of the melody more conjunct with a medium range. The harmony was minor. The tone color was muted. The melody of the cello began to ascend, the dynamics piano. Here, the piano joined the cello and the mood started to feel agitated. I heard the harmony to be dissonant here as the dynamics became forte.The texture was homophonic here and the timbre of the cello broad. The melody in the cello descended and was conjunct. The dynamics were piano at this point in the sonata and the tempo andante. The movement came to an end with a shift in harmony from major to minor with an obvious slowing of tempo. The dynamics remained piano. The second movement of Claude Debussy’s Sonata, Serenade: Moderement anime, began with the cello that had a tone color that was dull, almost muffled as Phelps plucked the strings with his fingers, which is pizzicato. The melody was not sing able and I heard the harmony as dissonant.I’m not sure about the meter, but I heard it as nonmetric because it felt weak to me. The dynamics at the beginning of this movement were pianissimo and the mood was one of distraction or agitation. The phrasing was not symmetrical and as the cello continued in the lower register the piano can be heard, also playing in dissonance above the cello. I had a difficult time with this piece because technically it seemed all over the place. The timbre remained dark and gloomy. The melody became conjunct with a narrow range of three not es with the dynamics moving from soft to loud.The tempo was vivace at one point, even though this movement’s tempo was rather slow. The tone color of the cello became brighter, as a lone part played in a higher register, making the texture homophonic. This movement closed with a cello part that seemed to be looking for resolution, still with a minor harmony and it seemed to repeat the first part of the piece. The third movement, Final: Anime, leger et nerveux, began in duple meter with the melody of the cello sounding sustained, then alternating between an ascending then descending movement, with a wavelike contour.The piano became very noticeable as Jordan-Anders began playing in a higher range that had a bright tone color. The melody was conjunct and wavelike, the phrasing symmetrical, for a short while. As the piano descended, the timbre of the cello once again became dull, as Phelps plucked the instrument. The mood turned dark and stormy once again as dissonance became pr evalent. I’m sure there were all kinds of technical things going on in this movement that my ear is not trained to detect.I could clearly hear the return to the earlier theme as both instruments reached a loud dynamic, the final note of the movement struck by both cello and piano. Even though this movement was played with mostly piano dynamics, I could hear a contrast between the changing moods, brought about mostly by frequently changing keys. It was a wonderful performance by Jeffrey Phelps and Lee Jordan-Anders and I am very glad I attended. I left the church remembering why I have a soft spot for classical music, something I’ve not listened to very much in recent years, until I signed up for this music appreciation class.

Prejudice,Stereotypes and Discrimination Essay

Prejudice is an attitude that releases closely to intercultural sensitively. It is more commonly held and expressed by people in ethnocentric stages of the sensitivity model compared to people in the ethnorelatives stages. (Oetzel, 2009). Prejudice is the belief and feeling aspect of an attitude. It can be a pro or con but leads us to judging something based on our preconception. Prejudice is where you think against someone or something for no particular reason, thought or knowledge. It be because race , sex , age , or whatever . An would be like , â€Å" Oh I don’t like her , she’s a lesbian,† or she’s black or white or of any other race. Stereotype are overgeneralized cognitions about a group of people with no attempt to identify within –group variation . Stereotypes often based on learned and widely shared beliefs and another group that reinforce or justify prejudice (Oetzel, 2009) . A stereotype is a set of preconceived beliefs about those who share a trait in common . It is the narrow prejudice view of a particular social group . Such as â€Å"black people know how to dance† and â€Å"women are better at cooking and worst at driving†. They’re sometimes offensive and often unfair. Stereotypes is a view of social group that sticks , even though the social group is full of individuals who may not share any of the traits of the stereotype at all. It’s like â€Å"cheerleaders are bitches† or â€Å"geeks are smart†. Discrimination is action that maintain the dominance of one group of people over another. The power to enact the behavior is a key component to racism and discrimination. That power can be from a held position (being a boss) or social power (being part of a group that has political power). (Oetzel, 2009). Discrimination is where you actively are against someone for no reason , either on the basis of age , race , class or whatever . It’s different from a prejudice because you actually do an action , such as not giving that person a job because of your prejudice , or refusing to give them a room at a hotel. I remember when I was young , I use to live with my Father in a small town in Ohio. It was mainly white community , I had a friend that was white. She had invited me over her house and her Grandma was racist. When I walked in to her home , her grandma said to me â€Å"she can’t have company at all and you need to leave†. The next day I seen my friend , she had apologized to me, and said I don’t know why my grandma acts like that to black people. â€Å" She told her granddaughter not to play with blacks only with white children†, and she only would allow white children to come to her house . She never listened to her she still played with me anyway. I told her it wasn’t her fault that some people are just racist. Later on that week I was in the store with my grandma which is white also , we had seen my friend and her grandma . Her grandma tried to act as if nothing happen and spoke to my grandma and said to me you can come back over and play. I gave an example of prejudice stereotype and discrimination . People also stereotype for many of different reasons such as tattoos, race , religion, age gender and etc. Now days young folks now have a new way to rebel against society and ultimately and more honestly their parents . We began to see masses of young , dim witted teens getting idiotic tattoos just so they can feel like a badass (greengysywolf1 (How Prejudice and Fear). Children not knowing that when they get older that tattoos will affect them getting a job or the way society will look at them because of the tattoos they have on them. Even though it’s not right that’s the way society stereotypes and discriminates people because of their appearance. People get tattoos because they enjoy them , not to mark them as different , not to get jollies of the pain , or not to be the evil spawn of satan himself (greengysywolf1 (How Prejudice and Fear). People also stereotype people that have been in prison. It’s people that have went to prison and have changed their lives around completely . I have a friend that is about â€Å"6 4† and 200 pounds , but seems blessed with a baby face , so no one believes he ever been to prison . He usually waits until he meets someone in person to tell them , even though he knows there is a chance they will refuse to accept it . I’ve seen the look , the change behind the eyes that goes from listening to what the stereotypes say an ex-con is and should be . I found it interesting because he tends to be more truthful and respectful than people who have not done time. Prejudice exist everywhere; with prejudice comes a stereotype or discrimination. Most stereotypes are dealt with minorities , especially in the United States . Basically, It all depends on how a person was raised . Most of Americans assumes that every white person grew up either in the suburbs , or well-to-do apartments in the city. While sometimes that is true ,but some lives in bad areas like farming towns and many other diverse places. Where you raise your family depends on your income and your family situation most of the time. If they have a higher income than yours average American, than they probably live in the most high-class place they can buy. If they are middle class than suburbia is most likely option. If they exist in the lower class , your income is not so great. Then they would probably live in poorly developed neighborhoods , like a trailer park or apartment complex. African Americans continue to face the highest level of discrimination in renting , selling and insuring property, according to the National Fair Housing Alliance . People with disabilities field the second highest number of claims followed by families with children and Hispanics. (surge). The British did an research article in 2009. , with 60 people ranging from 18 to 65 years of age . The tests of implicit attitude used in this study are based on links to real world behaviour, so it’s likely that those participants with a very strong homophobic attitude would routinely behave in a discriminatory way. The four or five per cent with strong prejudices would find their attitudes often affect their behaviour and the 15 to 20 per cent with ‘mid-range’ prejudices are probably unaware of their attitude, but their thoughts and feelings towards gay or lesbian people will probably surface when they are emotional, stressed, frustrated or threatened (Society, 2009). I think people should look at themselves before they try and judge others , without getting to know them or speak to them first. Before you judge a book by its cover at lease open a couple of pages and read about it first. Works Cited Oetzel, J. G. (2009). Intercultural Communication (A Layered Approach). New Jersy: Pearson Education Inc. Page, H. (n. d. ). How To Stereotypes Affect My Life. Retrieved 2012, from http://greengypsywolf1. hubpages. com/getwidget. Society, T. B. (2009, Jan 16). â€Å"Prejudice Study Finds Gay Is The New Black†. Medical News Today. Surge, H. D. (n. d. ). CNN Cable News. Retrieved 2012, from http://www. cnn. com/US/9705/21/briefs. pm/housing/index. html.