Is Dementia A Progressive Brain Dysfunction - 1016 Words

In order to be diagnosed with dementia, one must suffer a decline in mental ability severe enough to interfere with daily life. While symptoms of dementia can vary greatly, the most common indicators are memory issues, communication and language impairment, and the loss of ability to focus and pay attention. Symptoms of dementia often tend to start out slowly and then gradually progress over time. Most of the types of dementia continue to worsen and are usually irreversible. Observable dementia signs may include: asking the same questions repeatedly, becoming lost in familiar locations, being unable to follow simple directions, getting disorientated about time, people and places, and a loss in attentiveness for personal hygiene. There is no distinct test that can show whether a person has dementia. Diagnosing dementia requires careful medical evaluation, including a thorough medical history and many neurological exams and tests. While physicians can almost always determine if a perso n has dementia, it may be difficult to determine the exact cause. Dementia is a progressive brain dysfunction. In Latin, dementia means irrationality, which results in a restriction of daily activities. Alzheimer’s disease was first identified more than 100 years ago, but research into its symptoms, causes, risk factors and treatment has only progressed in the last several years. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, in 1906, German physician Alois Alzheimer was â€Å"one of the first to linkShow MoreRelatedDescribe the Type of Memory Loss794 Words   |  4 Pagesindividuals with dementia. Memory problems are usually the most obvious symptom in people with dementia. For example, a person with early stages of dementia might go to the shops and then cannot remember what they wanted. It is also common to misplace objects. As dementia progresses, sometimes memory loss for recent events is severe and the person may appear to be living in the past. They may think of themselves as young and not recognise their true age. At first, someone with dementia may appear toRead MoreDisease : Alzheimer s And Parkinson s Disease Essay1508 Words   |  7 PagesAbstract: Neurodegenerative diseases are progressive disorders that mainly affect neuronal cells and functions, and commonly characterized by abnormal protein metabolism and aggregations i.e. Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), Huntington’s disease, Prion diseases, Motor neurone disease, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Lou Gehrig’s disease, among others. Currently, there is no single cure out there to treat these debilitating diseases. However, present therapies available eitherRead MoreDementia Is The Only Cause Death That Does Not Have A Cure972 Words   |  4 PagesDementia is the only cause of death that does not have a cure and cannot be prevented. It is the loss of mental functions such as thinking, memory, and reasoning that is severe enough to interfere with a person s daily functioning. Dementia is not the name of a specific disease itself, but rather a group of symptoms that are caused by various diseases or conditions. This is refer red to as an umbrella term, a phrase that covers a broad interval or set of functions or items that all fall under a singleRead MoreAlzheimer s Disease ( Ad ) Essay1112 Words   |  5 Pages Alzheimer disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly, accounting for 65–70% of all cases (Jellinger, Janetzky, Attems, Kienzl, 2008). The other dementias are of the Parkinson s group, the fronto-temporal group and the vascular group. The total worldwide yearly costs for the treatment and care of patients suffering from dementia are estimated to be around 250 billion US dollars. The lifetime risk for AD between the ages of 65 and 100 is 33% for men and 45% for women withRead MoreSymptoms And Diagnosis Of Dementia987 Words   |  4 PagesAn estimated 47.5 million people suffer from dementia. Every 4 seconds one new case of dementia is diagnosed. Dementia is a term that describes certain symptoms such as impairment to memory, communication and thinking. It is a g roup of symptoms and not just one illness. Even though one‘s chance of getting dementia increase with age, it is not a part of aging. Dementia is usually diagnosed after a series of assessments that includes a physical evaluation, memory tests, imaging studies and bloodRead MoreAlzheimer s Disease : The Most Common Form Of Dementia1427 Words   |  6 PagesDementia, known as one of the world s current pandemics, is estimated to be the fourth most common cause of death in the developed country, second only to cardiovascular, cerebrovascular diseases and cancer. With the aging population, dementia has gradually become a serious threat to the health of the elderly people in Australia. Alzheimer s disease is the most common form of dementia. Alzheimer s disease usually occurs in a primary degenerative encephalopathy in senile and pre senior periodRead MoreSymptoms And Symptoms Of Alzheimer Disease1176 Words   |  5 PagesAlzheimer disease What is Alzheimer disease? Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia in the United States. It usually starts with recent memory loss – then progresses to forgetting where you are, familiar faces and names. Eventually, the disease continues to progress and patients develop impaired mobility, difficulty swallowing, and inability to care for themselves. Alzheimer disease is a major cause of disability and death in the United States. Due to the importance of this conditionRead MoreDementia And It s Types Essay1429 Words   |  6 PagesDementia and it s types Dementia is a syndrome caused by multiple progressive illnesses that affects memory, thinking, orientation, behaviour, comprehension, calculation, judgement, learning capacity, language, and loss of motivation and emotional control. The syndrome is characterized by Alzheimer’s disease, dementia with lewy bodies, vascular dementia, and frontotemporal dementia. Dementia mainly affects older people. Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. Prevalence 44.4Read MoreTypes of Dementia1550 Words   |  7 PagesDEMENTIA’S Dementia is a vague term used to describe a person that has loss of memory and change in behavior and activities. It goes beyond the forgetfulness and absent minded. It is commonly used In reference to the elderly, when cognitive abilities start to slip from one’s own control. Dementia cannot be diagnosed due to memory loss alone. It must be accompanied by two or more interruptions of brain function. Individuals who suffer from a disease that causes dementia undergo a number of changesRead MoreThe Disease Of Alzheimer s Disease1385 Words   |  6 Pagesthat was created that argues that â€Å"overproduction and decreased clearance of A-beta proteins drives all other downstream components of AD down† (Chen). â€Å"These components include neurofibrillary tangles, neuronal and synaptic loss and cognitive dysfunction† (Chen). This along with other neural stem cell (NSCs) treatments can all be used to delay the symptoms of AD. This will benefit the patient because it will delay the AD from taking over the patient’s body and memory. This will also help the patient

Psychedelic Musicians in Rock and Roll Essay - 2742 Words

Psychedelic Musicians in Rock and Roll In 1967 the Beatles were in Abbey Road Studios putting the finishing touches on their album Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. At one point Paul McCartney wandered down the corridor and heard what was then a new young band called Pink Floyd working on their hypnotic debut, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. He listened for a moment, then came rushing back. Hey guys, he reputedly said, Theres a new band in there and theyre gonna steal our thunder. With their mix of blues, music hall influences, Lewis Carroll references, and dissonant experimentation, Pink Floyd was one of the key bands of the 1960s psychedelic revolution, a pop culture movement that emerged with American and British rock,†¦show more content†¦The zeitgeist of the time was the final collapse of a certain kind of thinking. The seeds were sown for feminism, for the whole notion of cyberspace, ecology, and the whole philosophy of Gaia. Suzy Hopkins, formerly Suzy Creamcheese, a dancer and inspirational figure on the underground scene in Los Angeles and London, remembers the visceral way psychedelic culture affected the senses. Theres a difference between a drug and a psychedelic. Drugs make you drugged and psychedelics enhance your ability to see the truth or reality, she says. For her, LSD and music created a kind of alchemy. When I start to dance, at a certain point, the dance takes over and the music is dancing me. Dancing is this electric enhancement of your spine by sound. Many psychedelic bands explored this sense of abandonment in their music, moving away from standard rock rhythms and instrumentation. The Grateful Dead of San Francisco, for instance, created an improvisatory mix of country rock, blues, and acid RB on albums like The Grateful Dead (1967) and Anthem of the Sun (1968), while another Frisco band, Jefferson Airplane (fronted by the striking vocalist Grace Slick), sang of the childlike hallucinatory delights of an acid trip in the 1967 Top Ten hit White Rabbit. In Los Ang eles the multiracial band Love played whimsical,Show MoreRelatedMusic Of The 60s Help Shape Modern Australian Society1259 Words   |  6 PagesDylan, a folk musician of the sixties: an era in which the music heavily influenced the culture of the time and continues to influence the music and culture today. The music and artists of the 60s influenced radio and television, the music, fashion and lifestyles of the people, particularly youth, heavily influenced the popular culture Australia, USA, Britain and other Western Countries. The music of the â€Å"swinging 60s†especially influenced the lives of many teenagers, with the rock ’n’ roll craze of theRead MoreMusic Improvements During The 1960s Essay978 Words   |  4 Pagespeople had to discover? Music is a powerful apparatus that shapes generations. In the 1960’s, music was a force that affected the way people thought and behaved(Welch). During that period, people started composing their music in different ways. Many musicians wanted to share important messages or their opinions about situations on that time: Protest songs were born. For example, Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie in their songs â€Å"Blowin’ in the Wind† and â€Å"This Machine Kills Fascists† were protesting against warsRead More Music Of The 60s Essay1359 Words   |  6 PagesAll of these components caused a revolutionary change in the world of popular Music. The beginning of Rock and roll started with The Twist. by Chubby Checker This song changed our dancing moves. Other dance songs that helped this period of rock and roll along include: The Mash Potato, The Monster Mash ,the Pony, The Swim, The Jerk, The Monkey, and The Hully Gully. The first New York white rock star was Dion. He was the lead singer of the band the Belmonts. He was one of the the few rockers in hisRead More Lysergic Acid Diethylamide Essay1609 Words   |  7 Pagessixties were a time filled with sex, drugs, and rock and roll. A huge part of American culture at the time was focused around these three things. Musicians possessed a tremendous amount of social influence, and like wise, society put a lot of emphasis on the lives and attitudes of musicians. Of the rock groups from this time period, the Beatles were by far the most influential. The British rock group was probably the most catalytic band in rock and roll history. Although they came together in the shadowRead MoreHow the Hippies Counterculture Transformed Music Essay2277 Words   |  10 PagesIn the 1950’s and 1960’s, rebellion and music were synonymous. The 1950’s brought widespread attention to a new kind of music coined as â€Å"Rock ‘n’ Roll†. Because parents deemed the music as sinful, the youth used it to establish an identity for themselvess. In the 1960’s, the rebellion was given a collective charge when young adults voiced displeasure over the country’s entrance into the Vietnam War and the use of nuclear weapons. One group within this movement was coined the â€Å"hippies†. This paperRead MoreThe History of Rock and Roll Essay2144 Words   |  9 PagesRock and roll has developed a long way throughout the years from a dance craze in the 1950s to a political and cultural landscape that is recognized worldwide. Rock and roll has come to define the roots of teenage rebellion, people who dont follow the norms, and have disrespect for authority. The style of rock and roll itself is a melting pot of music, a combination of sounds that include jazz, country, blues, ragtime, gospel, swing, classical, and ethnic music. It can be a simple variation ofRead MoreThe ‘60s: Culture and Music Essay1478 Words   |  6 Pagesinstitution and other various aspects of life. Era marked by civil rights movement, Vietnam War, environment of drug abuse and sexual freedom formed new music like: folk rock, soul and psychedelic rock. These genres starkly contrast the teen idol music of ‘50s pop mainstream. Writes John Covach; â€Å"World was exploding, and rock musicians were listening more closely than ever.†(Covach, 152) Such stark contrast in pop music directly relay to changing social culture in America, which further echo’s the relationshipRead More The History of Rock and Roll Essay2089 Words   |  9 Pages Rock and roll has developed a long way throughout the years from a dance cra ze in the 1950’s to a political and cultural landscape that is recognized worldwide. Rock and roll has come to define the roots of teenage rebellion, people who don’t follow the norms, and have disrespect for authority. The style of rock and roll itself is a melting pot of music, a combination of sounds that include jazz, country, blues, ragtime, gospel, swing, classical, and ethnic music. It can be a simple variationRead More The Psychedelic Sixties Essay3476 Words   |  14 Pagessex, and a strong commitment to quot;peace and love.quot; These political and social changes such as the civil rights movements and the new quot;counter-culturequot; had lasting effects on one specific element of the decade: rock and roll music. Rock and roll musicians were not much different from any other Americans in that they were forced to go through the same hardships as the rest of the people, such as racial discrimination and unjust government, or Establishment. The main difference isRead MoreThe Extrordinary Influence of the Beatles Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band 1780 Words   |  7 Pagesmusic to come. The album helped popularize concept albums, in which songs are connected to a theme, which would inspire many musicians to do the same. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was a psychedelic rock album; a manifestation of life in the 1960’s. This genre of rock is home to the work of numerous artists who were influenced by the album’s use of this style of rock. The hours of work put into by the Beatles to create this album surpassed those of any of their albums. Not only that, it altered

Teaching/training cycle Free Essays

Teaching should be a learning experience for both the teacher and the students; we never stop learning, whether it is the unconscious referral to past experiences that prevents us taking a wrong turn down a well trodden path or a conscious decision to learn a new skill. As teachers it is our role to ease learners through the process of learning, Coffield, F (2008) supports this by stating that teaching and learning are not separate activities but â€Å"intertwined elements of a double sided, interactive process† which is enabled by the understanding and implementation of the key stages of the teaching/training cycle. The 5 Key Stages are: Identify needs, Planning and design, Delivery, Assess Evaluate. We will write a custom essay sample on Teaching/training cycle or any similar topic only for you Order Now Identify needs: Adult learners bring a wide range of abilities, skills and life experiences to the classroom and these can influence the way they learn. It is a crucial responsibility of the teacher to ensure that learning needs are identified in order that delivery can be planned or adjusted to meet these needs. When delivering short, legislative courses, identification of needs is not always achieved prior to commencement of delivery for many reasons. In some cases enrolment is completed by employers who may not be aware of learners’ literacy, numeracy or special needs, (e. g. dyslexia); some learners may have had previous bad experiences of learning but require the qualification to do their current job, or employees may just â€Å"have been sent† by their employer so may bring a negative attitude. It is the teacher’s role to identify any issues as early as possible and to implement delivery and support strategies ensuring learner needs are met throughout the delivery, at the same time respecting learners’ rights to confidentiality. Planning Design: It is the responsibility of the teacher to plan and design the course to meet the needs of the learners and the awarding body. Occupation specific courses have very prescriptive learning outcomes, aims and objectives so it may be suggested that the teacher has little involvement in course planning or development. As supported by Armitage et al (2003) even highly prescribed courses still allow some freedom to interpret, resource and emphasise the various course elements in our own way. Every group of learners is different with a wide variety of learning needs and although the base design of the course remains the same each course delivered is adapted with varying resources, exercises, and anecdotes drawn from working experience. Many of these adaptations are made â€Å"on the hoof† in response to the limited learner knowledge prior to commencement of delivery. Delivery: The teacher is wholly responsible for delivery of the learning programme to achieve identified aims and objectives whilst meeting individual learner needs. Delivery should incorporate differentiation to allow for individual learning goals and expectations, competence levels and speed of progress and there should be a variety of learning methods utilised, while the pace of learning should be varied to maintain interest and concentration. Teaching should allow for different learning styles, such as VARK learning models learning styles identified by Honey Mumford, active learners should also be encouraged. Responsibility for the safety of the learners lies with the teacher, from both the physical and emotional viewpoint who should ensure that no learners are being discriminated against by themselves, other learners or the organisation as a whole. When delivering occupational training in the workplace an enhanced level of professionalism may be applicable to standards of dress and conduct, the teacher is also responsible for ensuring these standards are met. Assess: It is the teachers’ responsibility to ensure that learners are progressing and achieving throughout the course through a variety of methods of formative assessment. Methods of assessment must be linked to the course delivery and learning objectives supported by a clear idea of what students are setting out to learn and how far down the line they are to mastering that learning, as they progress through the course, this theory is well supported particularly by Minton (2003). The teacher is responsible for roviding timely feedback on learner progress which should be clear, concise and include both positive and developmental comments for learners to focus on. On legislative training courses summative assessment, is carried out in strict adherence to the requirements of the awarding body, however it is the responsibility of the teacher to ensure that all learners are aware of the format and assessment requirements and are provided with any agreed support to ensure equality of oppor tunity. Evaluate: The teacher carries the responsibility for evaluating the effectiveness of the teaching and learning of sessions and the course as a whole. Evaluations should cover content, resources used or needed, teaching methods and learner satisfaction. On legislative training courses, where each session makes up a module of the whole day’s course delivery, it is not always feasible to carry out a formal session evaluation however each course is evaluated in depth to ensure that strengths and areas of improvement are identified for future delivery. Learner evaluations and achievement provide useful feedback on course content, whether learners achieved their individual aims and objectives and whether they believe their learning has helped them in their working role, which is invaluable information when delivering occupational courses, however any changes to delivery must be tempered with any employees needs, as identified in the first stage of the cycle, and requirements of the awarding body. Adult learners already hold diverse life experiences when they arrive to learn. It is the role of the teacher to ensure that their needs are identified met through planned provision and delivered in a professional manner on order that they can achieve to the best of their abilities and ensure that they are happy with their learning experience. How to cite Teaching/training cycle, Essay examples

Labor Relations Economic and Social - Consequences of Prohibiting

Questions: 1: Economic and social consequences of prohibiting the replacement of economic strikers.2: Potential risks for employers who decide to implement a replacement-worker strategy. Answers: 1: Economic and social consequences of prohibiting the replacement of economic strikers A strike or labor unrest that occurs for purely economic reasons may be converted into an unwarranted labor practice strike if the employer engages in conduct as determined by the Board. A permanent replacement for economic strikers increases the risk associated for the strikers and imposes pressure over the union to make concessions during the process of negotiations thereby suspension of the strike. Violence meant for replacements concerning job site is not unusual, in the light of angst faced by strikers whose job has been taken by replacement measures. Economic repercussions entail over the decrease in profitability of the organization and obligation of tariffs and other duties over the organization. Social consequences refer to probable ramifications that the firm may be exposed to regarding injunctions, court orders, and litigation. In fine, whether an employer may resort to permanent replacement or work with temporary workers, the same would depend on upon attendant circumstan ces (A. Nembhard, 2014). 2: Potential risks for employers who decide to implement a replacement-worker strategy Employers are limited while hiring of replacement workers and implementing of replacement-worker strategy. In a broad sense, this scheme may decrease productivity and loyalty. Some replacement workers may feel that they may be treated as second-class citizens in comparison to regular employees. Also, replacement worker strategy may have an impact on existing workforce. Furthermore, if the employer utilizes replacement resources, the later may move to a competitor thereby posing a threat to the organization. Lastly, deploying such resources would imply high training costs (Gourevitch, 2016). Reference list Nembhard, D. (2014). Cross training efficiency and flexibility with process change. International Journal of Operations Production Management, 34(11), 1417-1439. Gourevitch, A. (2016). Quitting Work but Not the Job: Liberty and the Right to Strike. Perspectives on Politics, 14(02), 307-323.

Explain and Briefly Evaluate the View That Ethnicity Is the Most Important Source of Identity in the Contemporary UK Essay Example

Explain and Briefly Evaluate the View That Ethnicity Is the Most Important Source of Identity in the Contemporary UK Essay Explain and briefly evaluate the view that ethnicity is the most important source of identity in the contemporary UK. Ethnicity is can be viewed as the most important source of identity in the UK because of many factors and views. In a Marxist view there are only two classes and ethnic minorities that are part of the working class which is divided by racism and therefore enhances the control of the ruling class which means that a more dominant race can have full control over the minorities and gives them the identity of the equivalent of a slave or a minor. Castles and Rosack (73) found that ethnic minorities tend to do the worst paid jobs and form part of the reserve army for labour who are not required in times of recession and can therefore be easily dropped from the workforce if the society around them will benefit from it. In a Functionalist view immigration is a temporary threat with will be overcome through integration and the acceptance of dominant norms and values, it is functional to have ethnic minorities in low paid jobs as they carry out the roles others do not want, therefore they are seen as people who just fill gaps in society is basic jobs just because of the bad pay that the dominant races do not want. Patterson (65) said the acceptance of dominant values would lead to better integration. He also believed that is was skin colour rather than immigration. We will write a custom essay sample on Explain and Briefly Evaluate the View That Ethnicity Is the Most Important Source of Identity in the Contemporary UK specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Explain and Briefly Evaluate the View That Ethnicity Is the Most Important Source of Identity in the Contemporary UK specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Explain and Briefly Evaluate the View That Ethnicity Is the Most Important Source of Identity in the Contemporary UK specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer From this study we now see that the contemporary UK was racist and using the immigrants to do the worst jobs because they seemed to not care about the pay as long as they were at least getting some money. An ethnic source of identity would be the family. Butler (95) said that Asian people who came to the UK wanted to preserve their traditions but in the UK instead; so they wanted to bring their culture into the UK culture and integrate into society whilst keeping their home-grown identity. Ghuman (99) said that during primary socialisation in an Asian family, the parents would make the children learn their own norms, values and traditions in order to keep their identity, however this could be seen as a bad idea in the UK as they could be singled out and vulnerable the UKs racial impressions towards minorities. This was, in my opinion, the most important source of identity as children were learning their ways of life from their family and bringing it into the UK’s society and making them stand out. Another ethnic source of identity is the Peer Group. Sewell (04) said the pressure in the peer group is extremely important in shaping ethnic identity among Afro-Caribbeans in inner city areas. Because they were more likely to drop out of school and turn to the streets and gang-like behaviour, they wanted to fit into their peer groups by wearing what that gang would stereotypically wear and act like the stereotypically would too. Alexander (96) said that peer groups were crucial in the art of being black; this shows that being black wasn’t just an identity but a way of life in the UK as they wanted to stand out and stand up for who they were and not lose their identity which refers to the question and shows that being in a peer group shaped your sense of ethnic identity in the UK because again, it was like a way of life and how you had to act to fit into society. In conclusion, it can be seen from Butler’s and Ghuman’s theories that keeping an ethnic minorities norms, values and traditions strong in another society such as the UK’s was important as it allowed them to stand out and be themselves, which is seen as a very important sense of ethnic identity in order to keep themselves as they are. It can also be seen that Sewell’s and Alexander’s theories about the peer group that the ethnic identity in a peer group was a way of life and again kept themselves as they are in order for them to stand out in a sense of ethnic identity in the contemporary UK. Just these two agents of socialisation, we can see that to a minority, it is important to not lose their normal way of life no matter where they live, and in the UK, bringing in their ethnicity was so that they didn’t have to change who they were to fit in, but stand out instead.

The Olmec Royal Compound at La Venta

The Olmec Royal Compound at La Venta The Olmec Royal Compound at La Venta: La Venta was a great Olmec city which thrived in the present-day Mexican State of Tabasco from around 1000 to 400 B.C. The city was built on a ridge, and on top of that ridge are several important buildings and complexes. Taken together, these make up the â€Å"Royal Compound† of La Venta, an extremely important ceremonial site. The Olmec Civilization: The Olmec culture is the earliest of the great Mesoamerican civilizations and is considered by many to be the mother culture of later peoples such as the Maya and the Aztecs. The Olmecs are associated with several archaeological sites, but two of their cities are considered more important than the others: San Lorenzo and La Venta. Both of these city names are modern, as the original names of these cities have been lost. The Olmecs had a complex cosmos and religion.a including a pantheon of several gods. They also had long-distance trade routes and were extremely talented artists and sculptors. With the fall of La Venta around 400 B.C. the Olmec culture collapsed, succeeded by the epi-Olmec. La Venta: La Venta was the greatest city of its day. Although there were other cultures in Mesoamerica at the time La Venta was at its apex, no other city could compare in size, influence or grandeur. A powerful ruling class could command thousands of workers for public works tasks, such as bringing huge blocks of stone many miles to be carved at Olmec workshops in the city. Priests managed the communications between this world and the supernatural planes of the gods and many thousands of common people labored in the farms and rivers to feed the growing empire. At its height, La Venta was home to thousands of people and directly controlled an area of around 200 hectares – its influence reached much further. The Great Pyramid – Complex C: La Venta is dominated by Complex C, also called the Great Pyramid. Complex C is a conical construction, made of clay, which was once a more clearly defined pyramid. It stands about 30 meters (100 feet) high and has a diameter of about 120 meters (400 feet) It is man-made of nearly 100,000 cubic meters (3.5 million cubic feet) of earth, which must have taken thousands of man-hours to accomplish, and it is the highest point of La Venta. Unfortunately, part of the top of the mound was destroyed by nearby oil operations in the 1960’s. The Olmec considered mountains sacred, and since there are no mountains nearby, it is thought by some researchers that Complex C was created to stand-in for a sacred mountain in religious ceremonies. Four stelae located at the base of the mound, with â€Å"mountain faces† on them, seem to bear out this theory (Grove). Complex A: Complex A, located at the base of the Great Pyramid to the north, is one of the most important Olmec sites ever discovered. Complex A was a religious and ceremonial complex and served as a royal necropolis as well. Complex A is home to a series of small mounds and walls, but it is what is underground that is most interesting. Five massive offerings have been found in Complex A: these are large pits which were dug out and then filled with stones, colored clay and mosaics. Many smaller offerings have been found as well, including figurines, celts, masks, jewelry and other Olmec treasures given to the gods. Five tombs have been found in the complex, and although the bodies of the occupants decomposed long ago, important objects have been found there. To the north, Complex A was guarded by three colossal heads, and several sculptures and stelae of note have been found in the complex. Complex B: To the south of the Great Pyramid, Complex B is a large plaza (referred to as Plaza B) and a series of four smaller mounds. This airy, open area was most likely a place for the Olmec people to gather to witness ceremonies that took place on or near the pyramid. Several noteworthy sculptures were found in Complex B, including a colossal head and three Olmec-style sculpted thrones. The Stirling Acropolis: The Stirling Acropolis is a massive earthen platform which dominates the eastern side of Complex B. On top are two small, circular mounds and two long, parallel mounds that some believe may be an early ballcourt. Many fragments of broken statues and monuments as well as a drainage system and basalt columns have been found in the acropolis, leading to speculation that it may have once been the royal palace where the ruler of La Venta and his family resided. It is named for American archaeologist Matthew Stirling (1896-1975) who did a great deal of important work at La Venta. Importance of the La Venta Royal Compound: The Royal Compound of La Venta is the most important section of one of the four most important Olmec sites located and excavated to date. The discoveries made there - in particular at Complex A - have changed the way we see the Ancient Olmec culture. The Olmec civilization, in turn, is very important to the study of Mesoamerican cultures. The Olmec civilization is important in that it developed independently: in the region, there are no major cultures that came before them to influence their religion, culture, etc. Societies like the Olmec, which developed on their own, are referred to as pristine civilizations and there are very few of them. There may yet be even more discoveries to make in the royal compound. Magnetometer readings of Complex C indicate there is something in there, but it has not yet been excavated. Other digs in the area may reveal more sculptures or offerings. The royal compound may yet have secrets to divulge. Sources: Coe, Michael D and Rex Koontz. Mexico: From the Olmecs to the Aztecs. 6th Edition. New York: Thames and Hudson, 2008 Diehl, Richard A. The Olmecs: Americas First Civilization. London: Thames and Hudson, 2004. Grove, David C. Cerros Sagradas Olmecas. Trans. Elisa Ramirez. Arqueologà ­a Mexicana Vol XV - Num. 87 (Sept-Oct 2007). P. 30-35. Miller, Mary and Karl Taube. An Illustrated Dictionary of the Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya. New York: Thames Hudson, 1993. Gonzalez Tauck, Rebecca B. El Complejo A: La Venta, Tabasco Arqueologà ­a Mexicana Vol XV - Num. 87 (Sept-Oct 2007). p. 49-54.

Music Performance Ethnography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Music Performance Ethnography - Essay Example The Ultra Music Festival Background to the festival The ultra music festival is an outdoor music event that gets held in the city of Miami in Florida. It is a music festival that entails a weekend of electronic music at the Bayfront Park in Miami. The event gets held on the second weekend of every March in every year. The event takes three days from Friday to Sunday. This year the event took place in two consecutive weekends as a way of celebrating its 15th anniversary (Cohn 46). The Ultra Music Festival got started by two business partners, Rusell Faibsich and Alex Omes in 1999. In its inauguration year, the event got held for one day on the south beach in Miami. In the following year, it got relocated to Bayfront Park in the city of Miami. This was due to the large number of people who attended the first event. The event gets sponsored by the Winter Music Conference. During the festival in this year, I happened to have attended one of the two weekends during which it got held. The performers The performers at the ultra music festival were well over 200. They wore civilian clothes but the art in their design could be recognized. As it is with many musicians, the aspect of standing different from others could also be traced. Overall, the performers dressed in a way that it was easy identifying them among the audience as they sought to get an interactive platform with the audience. Prior to their individual performance, the performers looked relaxed, probably reserving their energy for the electric performers each was to hold (Scott & David 21). Some of the performers had come from outside the USA. However, most of them were local artists. The diversity of the performers had an added advantage to the festival. Among the performers were DJs who took turns in the work. All the performers could be said to be established musicians and top DJs in the country. Establishing them by names could, however, be difficult considering their numbers. The event involved the use of live per formance instruments. These instruments got changed with time depending on the performing artist. There were also music systems installed at strategic positions all over the Bayfront Park (Schmidt & Gretchen 198). The park at some point looked like a collection of an electronic factory. Some performers came with their instruments on stage while others used the ones already installed on the stage. Vocal music got included in the performances. Most of the lyrics seemed to have a message for the audience. Most of them praised the different successful people in the city of Miami. They are those that condemned the social crimes in the city. Some could even be seen to be going to the extent of narrating personal experiences on the difficulty experienced by the poor in the USA. There is also another category of music that praised the music festival itself as the greatest on the planet. Whether this is correct or not, it cannot be clearly established. The Audience The size of the audience c ould be approximated to be well over 330,000 according to figures released immediately after the festival. The audience got made to the larger extent by the residents of Miami. There were also people from other states in the USA. The event attracted some foreigners. The culture of the people at the festival could, therefore, be described as very diverse. Several cases of social misbehavior could be noted.