In Latin and other languages, Fluxus literally means flow and change Essay

In Latin and other languages, â€Å"Fluxus† literally means â€Å"flow† and â€Å"change.† Similarly, the related English word â€Å"flux† is used variously to mean â€Å"a state of continuous change†,†a fusion.† Fluxus ideas were prevalent well before the 1960’s, growing with the idea of intermedia, but first summarised, exemplified and presented in a festival jointly organised by the German, Joseph Beuys, and Lithuanian-born architect and designer, George Maciunas. It was Maciunas’ desire to show the work of a specific group of people, sharing the same thoughts on art at the time and it was he who coined the name Fluxus. The Fluxus performance festival held at the Dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½sseldorf Art Academy on 2-3 February 1962 was a significant historical marker in the early development of the Fluxus group. Numerous Fluxus and Fluxus-type festivals and activities continued to be presented in Europe throughout the 1960’s after which the focus shifted to New York. Fluxus has been described as â€Å"the most radical and experimental art movement of the sixties.† Fluxus differs from most art in being purely conceptual. Characterized by a strongly Dadaist attitude, Fluxus promoted artistic experimentation mixed with social and political activism, an often celebrated anarchistic change. Although Germany was its principal location, Fluxus was an international avant-garde movement, active in major Dutch, English, French, Swedish, and American cities. Its participants were a divergent group of individualists whose most common theme was their delight in spontaneity and humour. Fluxus members avoided any limiting art theories, and spurned pure aesthetic objectives, producing such mixed-media works as poems, mail art, silent orchestras, and collages of such readily available materials such as scavenged posters, newspapers, and other ephemera. Their activities resulted in many events or situations, often called ‘Actions’ or as known in the USA, ‘Happenings’, which were works challenging definitions of art as focused on objects. Street theatre was very popular as were other performances such as concerts of electronic music. An account given by the American Fluxartist Dick Higgins described the sort of happening you would expect at one of his Fluxconcerts. This particular description is from the concert at Dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½sseldorf and it had become a kind of set piece for these festival performances. Higgins described his arrangement, Constellation No 4 as follows: â€Å"Each performer chooses a sound to be produced on any instrument available to him, including the voice. The sound is to have a clearly defined percussive attack and a delay which is no longer than a second. Words, crackling and rustling sounds, are excluded because they have multiple attacks and decays†¦Each performer produces his sound as efficiently as possible, almost simultaneously with the other performers sounds. As soon as the last decay has died away, the piece is over.† A person, who attends a Fluxconcert, after the first shock, typically gets caught up in the spirit of it and begins to enjoy it, without consciously knowing why. What the recipient sees is coloured by his or her perception of it and instinctively he or she is matching horizons, comparing expectations, participating in the process; the more actively he or she does so, the more likely they will be able to enjoy the experience. In 1981 Dick Higgins Wrote a list of nine criteria that he suggested central to Fluxus: 1. internationalism 2. experimentalism and iconoclasm 3. intermedia (a term employed by Dick Higgins to describe an art form appropriate to people who say there are no boundaries between art and life) 4. minimalism or concentration 5. an attempted resolution of the art/life dichotomy 6. implicativeness (an ideal Fluxus work that implies many more works) 7. play or gags 8. epehmerality 9. specificity (work to be specific, self-contained and to embody all its own parts) Clearly not every work is likely to reflect all nine of these characteristics or criteria, but the more of them a work reflects, the more typically and characteristically Fluxus it is. Similarly not every work by a Fluxartist is a Fluxwork; typically Fluxartists do other sorts of work as well. The group pioneered these ideas at a time when their thoughts and practices in the world around them were distinct from the art world and different from the world of other disciplines in which Fluxus, would come to play a role. Like Duchamp, many Fluxus pieces (most notably the performance ones), are often characterised by their taking of a very ordinary event from daily life, and their being framed as art by being presented on stage as a performance situation. A collection of Fluxus works will inevitably include some pieces which are untransformed from life. Their significance is their ability to transform viewers’ horizons. According to Joseph Beuys, Fluxus intended to â€Å"purge the world of bourgeois sickness . . . of dead art,† to â€Å"promote a revolutionary flood and tide in art, anti-art, promote non art reality . . .† and to â€Å"fuse the cadres of cultural, social, and political revolutionaries into a united front and action.† I was particularly interested in the work of Joseph Beuys on view at the Tate Modern. He was a shaman, showman, teacher and tireless debater. He used the detritus of daily life in his work; materials representing energy such as fat, felt, wax, honey, and copper, iron, bronze and batteries. His use of felt and fat in particular relates back to his near death experience in World War II when he used the two materials to keep him warm. *Show Pictures* Most of his pieces have changed through time, relying as they do on materials that decay, ferment, dry up, or change colour. â€Å"Since life is in a constant state of flux,† he reasoned, â€Å"art, in order to bring itself closer to life, must be similarly ephemeral.† It was thus, in change, that Beuys sought to bring about the ultimate unity between art and life. Many of the Fluxartists were poor and could not afford to work with fine and costly materials. The sense that if Fluxus were to incorporate some element of ongoing change – flux -that the individual works should change. Many objects therefore were made of ephemeral materials, so that as time went by the work would either disappear or would physically alter itself. A work such as this made a strong statement rather than a work that would last throughout the ages in some treasure vault. Many of the Fluxartists work, such as Robert Fillous’s works have disappeared into thin air. A good example of this is the work we looked at in the lecture last week entitled ‘The artists breath’ by Yves Klein. George Maciunas planned to create a Fluxus Board of Directors which he would head from the Headquarters in New York. Maciunas wrote a letter to Thomas Schmit, in the form of a Fluxus manifesto, as which it is often referred. He stated that: * Fluxus objectives are social and not aesthetic * The gradual elimination of fine arts (music, theatre, poetry, fiction, painting, sculpture, etc.) was motivated by the desire to stop the waste of material and human resources and divert it to socially constructive ends such as: Industrial design, journalism, architecture, engineering, graphic-typographic arts, printing etc. * The movement was against the art-object as non-functional commodity to be sold and to make a livelihood for an artist. * It could have the function of teaching people the needlessness of art. Therefore teaching that a work should not be permanent * Fluxus is therefore anti-professional * Against art as a medium or vehicle promoting artists ego. * Applied art should express the objective problem to be solved not by the artist’s personality or ego. * Fluxus art should tend towards the collective spirit, anonymity and anti-individualism * Fluxus concerts and publications are at best transitional and temporary until such time that artists find other employment. Maciunas states that it is of utmost importance that the artist finds a profession from which he can make a living. * He says that there is no such thing as a professional revolutionary. Revolution is for participation of all and that a revolutionary should not practice something he is trying to overthrow or even worse, making a living from it, and that the best revolutionaries practice what they preach. * Fluxartists should not make a living from their Fluxus activities but find a profession (like applied arts) by which he would do best Fluxus activity. * The best Fluxus composition is a most non-personal, ready-made one. * Fluxus way of life is 9am to 5pm working socially constructive and useful work – earning your own living, 5pm to 10pm spending time on propagandizing your way of life among other idle artists and collectors and fighting them, 12pm to 8am sleeping (8 hours is enough) * You cannot live off your family because then you are being just as parasitic as artists living off the society, without contributing anything constructive. Maciunas also calls the need for copyright arrangements. * Authorship of pieces would eventually be destroyed, making them totally anonymous – thus eliminating the artist’s ego. The author would be Fluxus. Maciunas says â€Å"We can’t depend on each artist to destroy his ego. The copyright arrangement will eventually force him to it if he is reluctant.† May I also add at this point, Robert. C .Morgan, art critic, writer, artist and poet says that ‘By creating the absence of authorship, Fluxus has revived itself as a significant tendency in recent art.’ However, no one really wanted to sign the manifesto set out by Maciunas. Dick Higgins says that ‘We did not want to confine tomorrow’s possibilities by what we today. That manifesto is Maciunas’ manifesto, not a manifesto of Fluxus.’ George Brecht notes that: â€Å"Fluxus encompasses opposites.† â€Å"Consider opposing it, supporting it, ignoring it, changing your mind.† Clearly, with Fluxus, normal theoretical positions do not apply. They are not intended to do the same things as say a Jackson Pollock painting. It does not mimic nature in any narrative way. It does not attempt to move the listener, viewer or reader emotionally or intellectually. The Fluxartist does not even begin to reveal him-or herself through the work. The reception of Fluxus, its popularity, influence and in general, its acceptance, varies considerably. A Fluxperformance or an exhibition of Fluxus works attended by a person uneducated about the Fluxus field is apt to having an interesting and pleasurable experience. For most avant-guard art, one needs to know quite a considerable amount of art history in order to get ones bearings enough to be able to fuse one’s bearings and horizons and experience pleasure. There is a progressive intellectualism of the audience, thus more ideas of what will, or should happen. The spectators of a Fluxwork have to learn that these ideas are not under attack and that they are simply irrelevant to the work at hand. There are two bodies of people whose hostility towards Fluxus is profound. These are: 1. Groups of art professionals who work in art institutions and galleries. Fluxworks do not lend themselves easily to becoming precious objects which are sold or beautiful fetishes to immortalize the donor. It has more the quality of a souvenir or a sacred relic than or an exquisitely wrought product of fine craftsmanship. 2. Secondly, it is the artists who are ‘good’ in whatever it is that they do, but who are not good enough to be really secure in it.Such artists feel threatened by Fluxus. Victor Cousin’s phrase of 1816 says of art: ‘It is done for the love of it -‘for its own sake’. The Fluxus Collective believed that if value came to be attached to the work then great! But the work must be un-commercial in its very nature. -Conclusion- Fluxus is more important as an idea and a potential for social change than as a specific group of people or collection of objects, action and life activity. Fluxus tried to eclectically organise itself around the advantages of existing strategies at the same time that it attempted to avoid their abuses. Fluxus was committed to social purpose but opposed the authoritarian means by which it was historically achieved. Today, it is clear that the radical contribution Fluxus made to art was to suggest that there is no boundary to be erased between art and life. The Fluxus movement does not present correct political or social views – all the elements behave democratically. Not one piece dominates another. The movement sees a world inhabited by individuals of equal worth and value. By chance, this movement entered the scene, and changed the worldwide view previously held. For a group of artists who sought the reunification of art & life, the current institutionalization of Fluxus is paradoxical, yet the subversive nature of their project; the challenge to hierarchy and authoritarianism, still persists today

Alaskan Airlines †Strategic Choice and Evaluation Essay

Recognizing an organization’s alternatives for growth is an important process for companies. By evaluating and selecting the competitive advantages within a market a company can distinguish themselves from their competition. For an organization the â€Å"grand strategies indicate the time period over which long-range objectives are to be achieved. Thus, a grand strategy can be defined as a comprehensive general approach that guides a firm’s major actions† (Pearce & Robinson, 2011). Alaskan Airlines is a company that is known for their innovations and leadership within in the aviation industry. Alaskan Airlines is easily identifiable because of the smiling Eskimo on the tail of their aircraft. Their leadership and innovations in technology have seen them be the first to sell tickets online and allow customers to check-in and print boarding passes via the Internet. Alaskan Airlines has also innovated technologies to allow for safer air travels in inclement weather conditions. In the aviation market, Alaskan Airlines must focus on how to maintain their status as the air carrier with the next generation technology and low cost airfares. As air carriers compete for the consumer dollar Alaskan Airlines must strategically execute growth strategies. Generic Strategy Alaskan Airlines is known for its high standard of customer service and industry innovation. The company sustains market leadership by leveraging generic strategy. Alaskan Airlines managed the generic strategy in all the three areas, which includes: 1. Low-cost Leadership – Alaska Airlines must be able to offer low-cost through low overhead and high productivity to compete with low-fare competitors. This will enable the company to offer an exceptional quality service at competitive prices compared to the competitors. 2. Differentiation – Alaskan Airlines has remained a leader in the customer service industry by revolutionizing the services offered to the customer. Alaskan Airlines in the only air carrier that offers a Baggage Service Guarantee that states that the customer will receive their bags within 20 minutes of parking at the gate. If the Alaskan Airlines goes over the 20 minutes the customer will receive a 20-dollar discount code for on future flights. 3. Focus – One of the major focuses of Alaskan Airlines is their customer service value and the company uses that to generate success. Alaskan Airlines knew customer service was important to customers and strove to deliver world-class service. The consumers want great customer service, which is safe, and at a competitive price. The accomplishments of Alaskan Airlines are ascribed to strategic plans applied to generate the culture and service offered. The best direction for the grand strategy of Alaskan Airlines is to implement product development and innovation. Alaskan Airlines has established loyal customers based on their quality of service and value. It is a trusted brand that thrives in customer service, safety, and value. The goal of this strategy is to continue the success of the outstanding service and innovations in aviation technologies. Innovation through â€Å"product development involves the substantial modification of existing products or the creation of new but related products that can be marketed to current customers through established channels† (Pearce, 2011, p. 193). Innovation is another grand strategy used throughout Alaskan Airlines. A recent example of Alaskan Airlines implementing this strategy is, in conjunction with the FAA, â€Å"working to implement quieter, more fuel-efficient arrival routes into Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The routes use satellite-based technology, namely Required Navigation Performance (RNP) and Optimized Profile Descent—two key pieces of the FAA’s â€Å"NextGen† air traffic management system† (Alaska Air, 2012, pg. 3). Attaining the long-term business goals for Alaskan Airlines has been focused in increasing the quality of the flying customer experience. Alaskan Airlines consistently strives to provide the best customer experience to the consumer through consumer feedback. Alaska Airlines was the first airlines to use Internet technologies to enhance the customer service experience through their online check-in and ability to print boarding passes. The grand strategy is delivered through a final marketing strategy; Alaskan Airlines currently services over 60 cities and three countries, has a pro-active program in place to reduce emissions from jet engines, an extensive recycling program at facilities and is developing/using technologies to fly more economical routes. Recently Colgan Air decided not fly offer service from Presque to Logan International, PenAir a partner of Alaskan Air decided to provide the service at a $115 round trip. This gives Alaskan Airlines the ability to provide customers with outstanding service while becoming a better global citizen. Recommendation Alaskan Airlines, through the leadership of Brad Tilden, has been able to provide renowned customer service within in the industry and has been a leader in the innovation of technologies that can be used for the betterment of the aviation industry. The recommendation is to follow the current business model of customer service to preserve the customer positive customer experience. Alaskan Airlines should also focus on the environmental portion of the aviation industry by using more Green practices such and wind farms, more robust recycling programs and using more fuel-efficient aircraft and bio-fuel. Alaskan Airlines has very loyal patronage and through the expansion of new routes and more cities, more consumers will be able to experience flying on Alaskan Airlines. Conclusion Alaskan Airlines must build upon an already successful customer service program, continued improvement to the fleet of aircraft and to furthering the technologies used within the aviation industry. References Lynds, J. (2012, Jun 15). Alaskan Airline debuts services in Presque Isle. Bangor Daily News. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1020684161?accountid=35812 Pearce, J. A., II, Robinson, R. B. (2011). Strategic Management: Formulation, Implementation, and Control (12th ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

Chapter 8 The Quidditch World Cup

Clutching their purchases, Mr. Weasley in the lead, they all hurried into the wood, following the lantern-lit trail. They could hear the sounds of thousands of people moving around them, shouts and laughter, snatches of singing. The atmosphere of feverish excitement was highly infectious; Harry couldn't stop grinning. They walked through the wood for twenty minutes, talking and joking loudly, until at last they emerged on the other side and found themselves in the shadow of a gigantic stadium. Though Harry could see only a fraction of the immense gold walls surrounding the field, he could tell that ten cathedrals would fit comfortably inside it. â€Å"Seats a hundred thousand,† said Mr. Weasley, spotting the awestruck look on Harry's face. â€Å"Ministry task force of five hundred have been working on it all year. Muggle Repelling Charms on every inch of it. Every time Muggles have got anywhere near here all year, they've suddenly remembered urgent appointments and had to dash away again†¦bless them,† he added fondly, leading the way toward the nearest entrance, which was already surrounded by a swarm of shouting witches and wizards. â€Å"Prime seats!† said the Ministry witch at the entrance when she checked their tickets. â€Å"Top Box! Straight upstairs, Arthur, and as high as you can go.† The stairs into the stadium were carpeted in rich purple. They clambered upward with the rest of the crowd, which slowly filtered away through doors into the stands to their left and right. Mr. Weasley's party kept climbing, and at last they reached the top of the staircase and found themselves in a small box, set at the highest point of the stadium and situated exactly halfway between the golden goal posts. About twenty purple-and-gilt chairs stood in two rows here, and Harry, filing into the front seats with the Weasleys, looked down upon a scene the likes of which he could never have imagined. A hundred thousand witches and wizards were taking their places in the seats, which rose in levels around the long oval field. Everything was suffused with a mysterious golden light, which seemed to come from the stadium itself. The field looked smooth as velvet from their lofty position. At either end of the field stood three goal hoops, fifty feet high; right opposite them, almost at Harry's eye level, was a gigantic blackboard. Gold writing kept dashing across it as though an invisible giant's hand were scrawling upon the blackboard and then wiping it off again; watching it, Harry saw that it was flashing advertisements across the field. The Bluebottle: A Broom for All the Family – safe, reliable, and with Built-in Anti-Burgler Buzzer†¦Mrs. Shower's All Purpose Magical Mess Remover: No Pain, No Stain!†¦Gladrags Wizardwear – London, Paris, Hogsmeade†¦ Harry tore his eyes away from the sign and looked over his shoulder to see who else was sharing the box with them. So far it was empty, except for a tiny creature sitting in the second from last seat at the end of the row behind them. The creature, whose legs were so short they stuck out in front of it on the chair, was wearing a tea towel draped like a toga, and it had its face hidden in its hands. Yet those long, batlike ears were oddly familiar†¦. â€Å"Dobby?† said Harry incredulously. The tiny creature looked up and stretched its fingers, revealing enormous brown eyes and a nose the exact size and shape of a large tomato. It wasn't Dobby – it was, however, unmistakably a house-elf, as Harry's friend Dobby had been. Harry had set Dobby free from his old owners, the Malfoy family. â€Å"Did sir just call me Dobby?† squeaked the elf curiously from between its fingers. Its voice was higher even than Dobby's had been, a teeny, quivering squeak of a voice, and Harry suspected though it was very hard to tell with a house-elf – that this one might just be female. Ron and Hermione spun around in their seats to look. Though they had heard a lot about Dobby from Harry, they had never actually met him. Even Mr. Weasley looked around in interest. â€Å"Sorry,† Harry told the elf, â€Å"I just thought you were someone I knew.† â€Å"But I knows Dobby too, sir!† squeaked the elf. She was shielding her face, as though blinded by light, though the Top Box was not brightly lit. â€Å"My name is Winky, sir – and you, sir -† Her dark brown eyes widened to the size of side plates as they rested upon Harry's scar. â€Å"You is surely Harry Potter!† â€Å"Yeah, I am,† said Harry. â€Å"But Dobby talks of you all the time, sir!† she said, lowering her hands very slightly and looking awestruck. â€Å"How is he?† said Harry. â€Å"How's freedom suiting him?† â€Å"Ah, sir,† said Winky, shaking her head, â€Å"ah sir, meaning no disrespect, sir, but I is not sure you did Dobby a favor, sir, when you is setting him free.† â€Å"Why?† said Harry, taken aback. â€Å"What's wrong with him?† â€Å"Freedom is going to Dobby's head, sir, † said Winky sadly. â€Å"Ideas above his station, sir. Can't get another position, sir.† â€Å"Why not?† said Harry. Winky lowered her voice by a half-octave and whispered, â€Å"He is wanting paying for his work, sir.† â€Å"Paying?† said Harry blankly. â€Å"Well – why shouldn't he be paid?† Winky looked quite horrified at the idea and closed her fingers slightly so that her face was half-hidden again. â€Å"House-elves is not paid, sir!† she said in a muffled squeak. â€Å"No, no, no. I says to Dobby, I says, go find yourself a nice family and settle down, Dobby. He is getting up to all sorts of high jinks, sir, what is unbecoming to a house-elf. You goes racketing around like this, Dobby, I says, and next thing I hear you's up in front of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, like some common goblin.† â€Å"Well, it's about time he had a bit of fun,† said Harry. â€Å"House-elves is not supposed to have fun, Harry Potter,† said Winky firmly, from behind her hands. â€Å"House-elves does what they is told. I is not liking heights at all, Harry Potter† – she glanced toward the edge of the box and gulped – â€Å"but my master sends me to the Top Box and I comes, sir.† â€Å"Why's he sent you up here, if he knows you don't like heights?† said Harry, frowning. â€Å"Master – master wants me to save him a seat, Harry Potter. He is very busy,† said Winky, tilting her head toward the empty space beside her. â€Å"Winky is wishing she is back in master's tent, Harry Potter, but Winky does what she is told. Winky is a good house-elf.† She gave the edge of the box another frightened look and hid her eyes completely again. Harry turned back to the others. â€Å"So that's a house-elf?† Ron muttered. â€Å"Weird things, aren't they?† â€Å"Dobby was weirder,† said Harry fervently. Ron pulled out his Omnioculars and started testing them, staring down into the crowd on the other side of the stadium. â€Å"Wild!† he said, twiddling the replay knob on the side. I can make that old bloke down there pick his nose again†¦and again†¦and again†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Hermione, meanwhile, was skimming eagerly through her velvetcovered, tasseled program. â€Å"‘A display from the team mascots will precede the match,†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ she read aloud. â€Å"Oh that's always worth watching,† said Mr. Weasley. â€Å"National teams bring creatures from their native land, you know, to put on a bit of a show.† The box filled gradually around them over the next half hour. Mr. Weasley kept shaking hands with people who were obviously very important wizards. Percy jumped to his feet so often that he looked as though he were trying to sit on a hedgehog. When Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic himself, arrived, Percy bowed so low that his glasses fell off and shattered. Highly embarrassed, he repaired them with his wand and thereafter remained in his seat, throwing jealous looks at Harry, whom Cornelius Fudge had greeted like an old friend. They had met before, and Fudge shook Harry's hand in a fatherly fashion, asked how he was, and introduced him to the wizards on either side of him. â€Å"Harry Potter, you know,† he told the Bulgarian minister loudly, who was wearing splendid robes of black velvet trimmed with gold and didn't seem to understand a word of English. â€Å"Harry Potter†¦oh come on now, you know who he is†¦the boy who survived You-Know-Who†¦you do know who he is -â€Å" The Bulgarian wizard suddenly spotted Harry's scar and started gabbling loudly and excitedly, pointing at it. â€Å"Knew we'd get there in the end,† said Fudge wearily to Harry. â€Å"I'm no great shakes at languages; I need Barty Crouch for this sort of thing. Ah, I see his house-elf's saving him a seat†¦.Good job too, these Bulgarian blighters have been trying to cadge all the best places†¦ah, and here's Lucius!† Harry, Ron, and Hermione turned quickly. Edging along the second row to three still-empty seats right behind Mr. Weasley were none other than Dobby the house-elf's former owners: Lucius Malfoy; his son, Draco; and a woman Harry supposed must be Draco's mother. Harry and Draco Malfoy had been enemies ever since their very first journey to Hogwarts. A pale boy with a pointed face and white-blond hair, Draco greatly resembled his father. His mother was blonde too; tall and slim, she would have been nice-looking if she hadn't been wearing a look that suggested there was a nasty smell under her nose. â€Å"Ah, Fudge,† said Mr. Malfoy, holding out his hand as he reached the Minister of Magic. â€Å"How are you? I don't think you've met my wife, Narcissa? Or our son, Draco?† â€Å"How do you do, how do you do?† said Fudge, smiling and bowing to Mrs. Malfoy. â€Å"And allow me to introduce you to Mr. Oblansk – Obalonsk – Mr. – well, he's the Bulgarian Minister of Magic, and he can't understand a word I'm saying anyway, so never mind. And let's see who else – you know Arthur Weasley, I daresay?† It was a tense moment. Mr. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy looked at each other and Harry vividly recalled the last time they had come face-to-face: It had been in Flourish and Blotts' bookshop, and they had had a fight. Mr. Malfoy's cold gray eyes swept over Mr. Weasley, and then up and down the row. â€Å"Good lord, Arthur,† he said softly. â€Å"What did you have to sell to get seats in the Top Box? Surely your house wouldn't have fetched this much?† Fudge, who wasn't listening, said, â€Å"Lucius has just given a very generous contribution to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, Arthur. He's here as my guest.† â€Å"How – how nice,† said Mr. Weasley, with a very strained smile. Mr. Malfoy's eyes had returned to Hermione, who went slightly pink, but stared determinedly back at him. Harry knew exactly what was making Mr. Malfoy's lip curl like that. The Malfoys prided themselves on being purebloods; in other words, they considered anyone of Muggle descent, like Hermione, second-class. However, under the gaze of the Minister of Magic, Mr. Malfoy didn't dare say anything. He nodded sneeringly to Mr. Weasley and continued down the line to his seats. Draco shot Harry, Ron, and Hermione one contemptuous look, then settled himself between his mother and father. â€Å"Slimy gits,† Ron muttered as he, Harry, and Hermione turned to face the field again. Next moment, Ludo Bagman charged into the box. â€Å"Everyone ready?† he said, his round face gleaming like a great, excited Edam. â€Å"Minister – ready to go?† â€Å"Ready when you are, Ludo,† said Fudge comfortably. Ludo whipped out his wand, directed it at his own throat, and said â€Å"Sonorus!† and then spoke over the roar of sound that was now filling the packed stadium; his voice echoed over them, booming into every corner of the stands. â€Å"Ladies and gentlemen†¦welcome! Welcome to the final of the four hundred and twenty-second Quidditch World Cup!† The spectators screamed and clapped. Thousands of flags waved, adding their discordant national anthems to the racket. The huge blackboard opposite them was wiped clear of its last message (Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans – A Risk With Every Mouthful!) and now showed BULGARIA: 0, IRELAND: 0. â€Å"And now, without further ado, allow me to introduce†¦the Bulgarian National Team Mascots!† The right-hand side of the stands, which was a solid block of scarlet, roared its approval. â€Å"I wonder what they've brought,† said Mr. Weasley, leaning forward in his seat. â€Å"Aaah!† He suddenly whipped off his glasses and polished them hurriedly on his robes. â€Å"Veela!† â€Å"What are veel -?† But a hundred veela were now gliding out onto the field, and Harry's question was answered for him. Veela were women†¦the most beautiful women Harry had ever seen†¦except that they weren't – they couldn't be – human. This puzzled Harry for a moment while he tried to guess what exactly they could be; what could make their skin shine moon-bright like that, or their white-gold hair fan out behind them without wind†¦but then the music started, and Harry stopped worrying about them not being human – in fact, he stopped worrying about anything at all. The veela had started to dance, and Harry's mind had gone completely and blissfully blank. All that mattered in the world was that he kept watching the veela, because if they stopped dancing, terrible things would happen. And as the veela danced faster and faster, wild, half-formed thoughts started chasing through Harry's dazed mind. He wanted to do something very impressive, right now. Jumping from the box into the stadium seemed a good idea†¦but would it be good enough? â€Å"Harry, what are you doing?† said Hermione's voice from a long way off. The music stopped. Harry blinked. He was standing up, and one of his legs was resting on the wall of the box. Next to him, Ron was frozen in an attitude that looked as though he were about to dive from a springboard. Angry yells were filling the stadium. The crowd didn't want the veela to go. Harry was with them; he would, of course, be supporting Bulgaria, and he wondered vaguely why he had a large green shamrock pinned to his chest. Ron, meanwhile, was absentmindedly shredding the shamrocks on his hat. Mr. Weasley, smiling slightly, leaned over to Ron and tugged the hat out of his hands. â€Å"You'll be wanting that,† he said, â€Å"once Ireland have had their say.† â€Å"Huh?† said Ron, staring openmouthed at the veela, who had now lined up along one side of the field. Hermione made a loud tutting noise. She reached up and pulled Harry back into his seat. â€Å"Honestly!† she said. â€Å"And now,† roared Ludo Bagman's voice, â€Å"kindly put your wands in the air†¦for the Irish National Team Mascots!† Next moment, what seemed to be a great green-and-gold comet came zooming into the stadium. It did one circuit of the stadium, then split into two smaller comets, each hurtling toward the goal posts. A rainbow arced suddenly across the field, connecting the two balls of light. The crowd oooohed and aaaaahed, as though at a fireworks display. Now the rainbow faded and the balls of light reunited and merged; they had formed a great shimmering shamrock, which rose up into the sky and began to soar over the stands. Something like golden rain seemed to be falling from it – â€Å"Excellent!† yelled Ron as the shamrock soared over them, and heavy gold coins rained from it, bouncing off their heads and seats. Squinting up at the shamrock, Harry realized that it was actually comprised of thousands of tiny little bearded men with red vests, each carrying a minute lamp of gold or green. â€Å"Leprechauns!† said Mr. Weasley over the tumultuous applause of the crowd, many of whom were still fighting and rummaging around under their chairs to retrieve the gold. â€Å"There you go,† Ron yelled happily, stuffing a fistful of gold coins into Harry's hand, â€Å"for the Omnioculars! Now you've got to buy me a Christmas present, ha!† The great shamrock dissolved, the leprechauns drifted down onto the field on the opposite side from the veela, and settled themselves cross-legged to watch the match. â€Å"And now, ladies and gentlemen, kindly welcome – the Bulgarian National Quidditch Team! I give you – Dimitrov!† A scarlet-clad figure on a broomstick, moving so fast it was blurred, shot out onto the field from an entrance far below, to wild applause from the Bulgarian supporters. â€Å"Ivanova!† A second scarlet-robed player zoomed out. â€Å"Zograf! Levski! Vulchanov! Volkov! Aaaaaaand – Krum!† â€Å"That's him, that's him!† yelled Ron, following Krum with his Omnioculars. Harry quickly focused his own. Viktor Krum was thin, dark, and sallow-skinned, with a large curved nose and thick black eyebrows. He looked like an overgrown bird of prey. It was hard to believe he was only eighteen. â€Å"And now, please greet – the Irish National Quidditch Team!† yelled Bagman. â€Å"Presenting – Connolly! Ryan! Troy! Mullet! Moran! Quigley! Aaaaaand – Lynch!† Seven green blurs swept onto the field; Harry spun a small dial on the side of his Omnioculars and slowed the players down enough to read the word â€Å"Firebolt† on each of their brooms and see their names, embroidered in silver, upon their backs. â€Å"And here, all the way from Egypt, our referee, acclaimed Chairwizard of the International Association of Quidditch, Hassan Mostafa!† A small and skinny wizard, completely bald but with a mustache to rival Uncle Vernon's, wearing robes of pure gold to match the stadium, strode out onto the field. A silver whistle was protruding from under the mustache, and he was carrying a large wooden crate under one arm, his broomstick under the other. Harry spun the speed dial on his Omnioculars back to normal, watching closely as Mostafa mounted his broomstick and kicked the crate open – four balls burst into the air: the scarlet Quaffle, the two black Bludgers, and (Harry saw it for the briefest moment, before it sped out of sight) the minuscule, winged Golden Snitch. With a sharp blast on his whistle, Mostafa shot into the air after the balls. â€Å"Theeeeeeeey're OFF!† screamed Bagman. â€Å"And it's Mullet! Troy! Moran! Dimitrov! Back to Mullet! Troy! Levski! Moran!† It was Quidditch as Harry had never seen it played before. He was pressing his Omnioculars so hard to his glasses that they were cutting into the bridge of his nose. The speed of the players was incredible – the Chasers were throwing the Quaffle to one another so fast that Bagman only had time to say their names. Harry spun the slow dial on the right of his Omnioculars again, pressed the play-by-play button on the top, and he was immediately watching in slow motion, while glittering purple lettering flashed across the lenses and the noise of the crowd pounded against his eardrums. HAWKSHEAD ATTACKING FORMATION, he read as he watched the three Irish Chasers zoom closely together, Troy in the center, slightly ahead of Mullet and Moran, bearing down upon the Bulgarians. PORSKOFF PLOY flashed up next, as Troy made as though to dart upward with the Quaffle, drawing away the Bulgarian Chaser Ivanova and dropping the Quaffle to Moran. One of the Bulgarian Beaters, Volkov, swung hard at a passing Bludger with his small club, knocking it into Moran's path; Moran ducked to avoid the Bludger and dropped the Quaffle; and Levski, soaring beneath, caught it – â€Å"TROY SCORES!† roared Bagman, and the stadium shuddered with a roar of applause and cheers. â€Å"Ten zero to Ireland!† â€Å"What?† Harry yelled, looking wildly around through his Omnioculars. â€Å"But Levski's got the Quaffle!† â€Å"Harry, if you're not going to watch at normal speed, you're going to miss things!† shouted Hermione, who was dancing up and down, waving her arms in the air while Troy did a lap of honor around the field. Harry looked quickly over the top of his Omnioculars and saw that the leprechauns watching from the sidelines had all risen into the air again and formed the great, glittering shamrock. Across the field, the veela were watching them sulkily. Furious with himself, Harry spun his speed dial back to normal as play resumed. Harry knew enough about Quidditch to see that the Irish Chasers were superb. They worked as a seamless team, their movements so well coordinated that they appeared to be reading one another's minds as they positioned themselves, and the rosette on Harry's chest kept squeaking their names: â€Å"Troy – Mullet – Moran!† And within ten minutes, Ireland had scored twice more, bringing their lead to thirty-zero and causing a thunderous tide of roars and applause from the green-clad supporters. The match became still faster, but more brutal. Volkov and Vulchanov, the Bulgarian Beaters, were whacking the Bludgers as fiercely as possible at the Irish Chasers, and were starting to prevent them from using some of their best moves; twice they were forced to scatter, and then, finally, Ivanova managed to break through their ranks; dodge the Keeper, Ryan; and score Bulgaria's first goal. â€Å"Fingers in your ears!† bellowed Mr. Weasley as the veela started to dance in celebration. Harry screwed up his eyes too; he wanted to keep his mind on the game. After a few seconds, he chanced a glance at the field. The veela had stopped dancing, and Bulgaria was again in possession of the Quaffle. â€Å"Dimitrov! Levski! Dimitrov! Ivanova – oh I say!† roared Bagman. One hundred thousand wizards gasped as the two Seekers, Krum and Lynch, plummeted through the center of the Chasers, so fast that it looked as though they had just jumped from airplanes without parachutes. Harry followed their descent through his Omnioculars, squinting to see where the Snitch was – â€Å"They're going to crash!† screamed Hermione next to Harry. She was half right – at the very last second, Viktor Krum pulled out of the dive and spiraled off. Lynch, however, hit the ground with a dull thud that could be heard throughout the stadium. A huge groan rose from the Irish seats. â€Å"Fool!† moaned Mr. Weasley. â€Å"Krum was feinting!† â€Å"It's time-out!† yelled Bagman's voice, â€Å"as trained mediwizards hurry onto the field to examine Aidan Lynch!† â€Å"He'll be okay, he only got ploughed!† Charlie said reassuringly to Ginny, who was hanging over the side of the box, looking horror-struck. â€Å"Which is what Krum was after, of course†¦.† Harry hastily pressed the replay and play-by-play buttons on his Omnioculars, twiddled the speed dial, and put them back up to his eyes. He watched as Krum and Lynch dived again in slow motion. WRONSKI DEFENSIVE FEINT – DANGEROUS SEEKER DIVERSION read the shining purple lettering across his lenses. He saw Krum's face contorted with concentration as he pulled out of the dive just in time, while Lynch was flattened, and he understood – Krum hadn't seen the Snitch at all, he was just making Lynch copy him. Harry had never seen anyone fly like that; Krum hardly looked as though he was using a broomstick at all; he moved so easily through the air that he looked unsupported and weightless. Harry turned his Omnioculars back to normal and focused them on Krum. He was now circling high above Lynch, who was being revived by mediwizards with cups of potion. Harry, focusing still more closely upon Krum's face, saw his dark eyes darting all over the ground a hundred feet below. He was using the time while Lynch was revived to look for the Snitch without interference. Lynch got to his feet at last, to loud cheers from the green-clad supporters, mounted his Firebolt, and kicked back off into the air. His revival seemed to give Ireland new heart. When Mostafa blew his whistle again, the Chasers moved into action with a skill unrivaled by anything Harry had seen so far. After fifteen more fast and furious minutes, Ireland had pulled ahead by ten more goals. They were now leading by one hundred and thirty points to ten, and the game was starting to get dirtier. As Mullet shot toward the goal posts yet again, clutching the Quaffle tightly under her arm, the Bulgarian Keeper, Zograf, flew out to meet her. Whatever happened was over so quickly Harry didn't catch it, but a scream of rage from the Irish crowd, and Mostafa's long, shrill whistle blast, told him it had been a foul. â€Å"And Mostafa takes the Bulgarian Keeper to task for cobbing – excessive use of elbows!† Bagman informed the roaring spectators. â€Å"And – yes, it's a penalty to Ireland!† The leprechauns, who had risen angrily into the air like a swarm of glittering hornets when Mullet had been fouled, now darted together to form the words â€Å"HA, HA, HA!† The veela on the other side of the field leapt to their feet, tossed their hair angrily, and started to dance again. As one, the Weasley boys and Harry stuffed their fingers into their ears, but Hermione, who hadn't bothered, was soon tugging on Harry's arm. He turned to look at her, and she pulled his fingers impatiently out of his ears. â€Å"Look at the referee!† she said, giggling. Harry looked down at the field. Hassan Mostafa had landed right in front of the dancing veela, and was acting very oddly indeed. He was flexing his muscles and smoothing his mustache excitedly. â€Å"Now, we can't have that!† said Ludo Bagman, though he sounded highly amused. â€Å"Somebody slap the referee!† A mediwizard came tearing across the field, his fingers stuffed into his own ears, and kicked Mostafa hard in the shins. Mostafa seemed to come to himself; Harry, watching through the Omnioculars again, saw that he looked exceptionally embarrassed and had started shouting at the veela, who had stopped dancing and were looking mutinous. â€Å"And unless I'm much mistaken, Mostafa is actually attempting to send off the Bulgarian team mascots!† said Bagman's voice. â€Å"Now there's something we haven't seen before†¦Oh this could turn nasty†¦ It did: The Bulgarian Beaters, Volkov and Vulchanov, landed on either side of Mostafa and began arguing furiously with him, gesticulating toward the leprechauns, who had now gleefully formed the words â€Å"HEE, HEE, HEE.† Mostafa was not impressed by the Bulgarians' arguments, however; he was jabbing his finger into the air, clearly telling them to get flying again, and when they refused, he gave two short blasts on his whistle. â€Å"Two penalties for Ireland!† shouted Bagman, and the Bulgarian crowd howled with anger. â€Å"And Volkov and Vulchanov had better get back on those brooms†¦yes†¦there they go†¦and Troy takes the Quaffle†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Play now reached a level of ferocity beyond anything they had yet seen. The Beaters on both sides were acting without mercy: Volkov and Vulchanov in particular seemed not to care whether their clubs made contact with Bludger or human as they swung them violently through the air. Dimitrov shot straight at Moran, who had the Quaffle, nearly knocking her off her broom. â€Å"Foul!† roared the Irish supporters as one, all standing up in a great wave of green. â€Å"Foul!† echoed Ludo Bagman's magically magnified voice. â€Å"Dimitrov skins Moran – deliberately flying to collide there – and it's got to be another penalty – yes, there's the whistle!† The leprechauns had risen into the air again, and this time, they formed a giant hand, which was making a very rude sign indeed at the veela across the field. At this, the veela lost control. Instead of dancing, they launched themselves across the field and began throwing what seemed to be handfuls of fire at the leprechauns. Watching through his Omnioculars, Harry saw that they didn't look remotely beautiful now. On the contrary, their faces were elongating into sharp, cruel-beaked bird heads, and long, scaly wings were bursting from their shoulders – â€Å"And that, boys,† yelled Mr. Weasley over the tumult of the crowd below, â€Å"is why you should never go for looks alone!† Ministry wizards were flooding onto the field to separate the veela and the leprechauns, but with little success; meanwhile, the pitched battle below was nothing to the one taking place above. Harry turned this way and that, staring through his Omnioculars, as the Quaffie changed hands with the speed of a bullet. â€Å"Levski – Dimitrov – Moran – Troy – Mullet – Ivanova – Moran again – Moran – MORAN SCORES!† But the cheers of the Irish supporters were barely heard over the shrieks of the veela, the blasts now issuing from the Ministry members' wands, and the furious roars of the Bulgarians. The game recommenced immediately; now Levski had the Quaffle, now Dimitrov – The Irish Beater Quigley swung heavily at a passing Bludger, and hit it as hard as possible toward Krum, who did not duck quickly enough. It hit him full in the face. There was a deafening groan from the crowd; Krum's nose looked broken, there was blood everywhere, but Hassan Mostafa didn't blow his whistle. He had become distracted, and Harry couldn't blame him; one of the veela had thrown a handful of fire and set his broom tail alight. Harry wanted someone to realize that Krum was injured; even though he was supporting Ireland, Krum was the most exciting player on the field. Ron obviously felt the same. â€Å"Time-out! Ah, come on, he can't play like that, look at him -â€Å" â€Å"Look at Lynch!† Harry yelled. For the Irish Seeker had suddenly gone into a dive, and Harry was quite sure that this was no Wronski Feint; this was the real thing†¦ â€Å"He's seen the Snitch!† Harry shouted. â€Å"He's seen it! Look at him go!† Half the crowd seemed to have realized what was happening; the Irish supporters rose in another great wave of green, screaming their Seeker on†¦but Krum was on his tail. How he could see where he was going, Harry had no idea; there were flecks of blood flying through the air behind him, but he was drawing level with Lynch now as the pair of them hurtled toward the ground again – â€Å"They're going to crash!† shrieked Hermione. â€Å"They're not!† roared Ron. â€Å"Lynch is!† yelled Harry. And he was right – for the second time, Lynch hit the ground with tremendous force and was immediately stampeded by a horde of angry veela. â€Å"The Snitch, where's the Snitch?† bellowed Charlie, along the row. â€Å"He's got it – Krum's got it – it's all over!† shouted Harry. Krum, his red robes shining with blood from his nose, was rising gently into the air, his fist held high, a glint of gold in his hand. The scoreboard was flashing BULGARIA: 160, IRELAND: 170 across the crowd, who didn't seem to have realized what had happened. Then, slowly, as though a great jumbo jet were revving up, the rumbling from the Ireland supporters grew louder and louder and erupted into screams of delight. â€Å"IRELAND WINS!† Bagman shouted, who like the Irish, seemed to be taken aback by the sudden end of the match. â€Å"KRUM GETS THE SNITCH – BUT IRELAND WINS – good lord, I don't think any of us were expecting that!† â€Å"What did he catch the Snitch for?† Ron bellowed, even as he jumped up and down, applauding with his hands over his head. â€Å"He ended it when Ireland were a hundred and sixty points ahead, the idiot!† â€Å"He knew they were never going to catch up!† Harry shouted back over all the noise, also applauding loudly. â€Å"The Irish Chasers were too good†¦He wanted to end it on his terms, that's all†¦. â€Å"He was very brave, wasn't he?† Hermione said, leaning forward to watch Krum land as a swarm of mediwizards blasted a path through the battling leprechauns and veela to get to him. â€Å"He looks a terrible mess†¦.† Harry put his Omnioculars to his eyes again. It was hard to see what was happening below, because leprechauns were zooming delightedly all over the field, but he could just make out Krum, surrounded by mediwizards. He looked surlier than ever and refused to let them mop him up. His team members were around him, shaking their heads and looking dejected; a short way away, the Irish players were dancing gleefully in a shower of gold descending from their mascots. Flags were waving all over the stadium, the Irish national anthem blared from all sides; the veela were shrinking back into their usual, beautiful selves now, though looking dispirited and forlorn. â€Å"Vell, ve fought bravely,† said a gloomy voice behind Harry. He looked around; it was the Bulgarian Minister of Magic. â€Å"You can speak English!† said Fudge, sounding outraged. â€Å"And you've been letting me mime everything all day!† â€Å"Veil, it vos very funny,† said the Bulgarian minister, shrugging. â€Å"And as the Irish team performs a lap of honor, flanked by their mascots, the Quidditch World Cup itself is brought into the Top Box!† roared Bagman. Harry's eyes were suddenly dazzled by a blinding white light, as the Top Box was magically illuminated so that everyone in the stands could see the inside. Squinting toward the entrance, he saw two panting wizards carrying a vast golden cup into the box, which they handed to Cornelius Fudge, who was still looking very disgruntled that he'd been using sign language all day for nothing. â€Å"Let's have a really loud hand for the gallant losers – Bulgaria!† Bagman shouted. And up the stairs into the box came the seven defeated Bulgarian players. The crowd below was applauding appreciatively; Harry could see thousands and thousands of Omniocular lenses flashing and winking in their direction. One by one, the Bulgarians filed between the rows of seats in the box, and Bagman called out the name of each as they shook hands with their own minister and then with Fudge. Krum, who was last in line, looked a real mess. Two black eyes were blooming spectacularly on his bloody face. He was still holding the Snitch. Harry noticed that he seemed much less coordinated on the ground. He was slightly duck-footed and distinctly round-shouldered. But when Krum's name was announced, the whole stadium gave him a resounding, earsplitting roar. And then came the Irish team. Aidan Lynch was being supported by Moran and Connolly; the second crash seemed to have dazed him and his eyes looked strangely unfocused. But he grinned happily as Troy and Quigley lifted the Cup into the air and the crowd below thundered its approval. Harry's hands were numb with clapping. At last, when the Irish team had left the box to perform another lap of honor on their brooms (Aidan Lynch on the back of Confolly's, clutching hard around his waist and still grinning in a bemused sort of way), Bagman pointed his wand at his throat and muttered, â€Å"Quietus.† â€Å"They'll be talking about this one for years,† he said hoarsely, â€Å"a really unexpected twist, that†¦.shame it couldn't have lasted longer†¦.Ah yes†¦yes, I owe you†¦.how much?† For Fred and George had just scrambled over the backs of their seats and were standing in front of Ludo Bagman with broad grins on their faces, their hands outstretched.

Alzhiemers Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Alzhiemers - Term Paper Example Alzheimers disease is a neurological disorder leading to dementia, and most commonly described as loss of mental abilities such as memory and reasoning. With its progressive nature, it manifests as slight memory and language problems in the beginning and further leading to confusion, personality and behavioral changes. Thus, this disease manifests in the form of cognitive and behavioral symptoms. This disease affects the brain cells, nerves, and the neurotransmitters in the brain. This disease commonly affects people aged above 65 years; the chance of getting affected is about one in 20, and after the age of 80, chances further increase to one in five. In Europe, studies of 2000 have shown that about 15% of population aged over 65 years and 3% aged over 80 years were affected by this disease (Barnes, J, Archer, H, and Fox, N.C; 2007). Till date, no ultimate cure has been found for this disease. This disease requires a symptomatic treatment through periodic clinical, pathological tests, and disease modifying therapies coupled with a thorough monitoring of disease progression, all of which can provide maximum benefit. Treatment plans for Alzheimers disease include cognitive and behavioral symptoms management separately. The first description of Alzheimer’s disease dates back to 1906, named after Alzheimer, and was first granted by his mentor, Kraepelin in 1910 (Bellanger, J F; 2006). In his eighth edition of Handbook of psychiatry, Kraepelin explained the autopsy study corresponding with Alzheimer’s description and similar to the changes that represented the most serious form of senile dementia. Despite the connection of Alzheimer’s disease discovery to Alios Alzheimer’s, there has been lot of debate over the issue as these symptoms were already noticed by other scientists and reported. Nevertheless, there is not much evidence that

Gasoline prices Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Gasoline prices - Essay Example Many insist that drilling is a possible fix to high gasoline prices. The fact is, this will never actually be true. Oil, and thus gasoline, is a finite resource, and on one seriously argues otherwise: there is a time that we will run out, and some theorists insist that the world has already reached peak oil (Carlson). Yet demand continues to increase because of a larger and larger world population that requires more and more oil to function, especially as markets such as China and India develop and more people in those places begin driving cars. Thus, if one examines the rules of supply and demand, an increasing demand and a finite supply will always eventually lead to price increases – a temporary increase in supply may alleviate prices to a small degree, but even this may be minimal because speculators will always be able to buy high and sell higher, as the world supply is still known to be finite. The only way to actually reduce gasoline prices is to reduce dependency †“ reduce demand, because supply is something that is impossible to control. This can be done through electric cars, alternative fuels, and conservation, eventually building towards a society that does not rely on oil at all, because we know it will eventually run out. The myth that a temporary increase in supply is good for gasoline prices simply does not hold true. Quick fixes like this will never work – in order to really address this problem, we need to fundamentally change the way we consume oil. Carlson, Robert. "World Oil Production via Hubbert Linearization of Production and Normalizations of ProductionWorld Oil Production via Hubbert Linearization of Production and Normalizations of Production."  Energy Sources, Part B: Economics, Planning, and

Is there a need for Public Health Nutritionists to be accredited as a Essay

Is there a need for Public Health Nutritionists to be accredited as a regulated and professional body in the UK Discuss - Essay Example On the other hand, a growing number of information is now accessible through internet and various media types. There is then a conflict on who to believe when it comes to nutrition. In this case, although voluntary registration appropriately assesses capabilities of public health nutritionists, there is still a need for mandatory regulation and accreditation as a professional body in United Kingdom that will address the complex nutritional demands of its citizens. British culture in relation to food made some gradual alterations. As surmised by Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (2008), â€Å"there is a healthier pattern of intake†¦ but there is still need for immediate actions to ensure further improvements in patterns of food consumption and intake of several nutrients.† In this area, although progress has taken place, guidance to guarantee its continued rise is still required. The role of organizations is to keep up with the current trend. Presently, the Nutrition Society is the leading organization in the â€Å"advancement of scientific study of nutrition and its application to the maintenance of human and animal health† (Buttriss & Daniels, 2003). This ensures proper screening of individuals and legal organizations in nutrition and related fields. The said organization offers a voluntary approach in registration processes, wherein â€Å"assessment mechanisms focuses on attainment of minimum standard of compete ncy in knowledge, skills, and attitudes on the required tasks† (Davies, Margetts & Hughes, n.d.). The minimal techniques employed seemed to contradict the graveness of the situation involving the present overall nutritional status of British people. Specifically, Nutrition Society initially was in charge during the creation of voluntary registration for public health nutrition (PHN). In an article entitled Overview of the Public Health Nutrition Landscape (Anon., n.d.), it defined public health nutrition as

Napoleon Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Napoleon - Essay Example He rose to prominence under French First Republic during which time he led the France through a series of successive victories against the enemies of the French revolution. In 1799, he orchestrated a coup and he made himself the First Consul. In 1804, he made himself the emperor of the French people. Afterwards, he fought a series of complex wars across Europe which were both for and against him2. During these wars, Napoleon was able to make France a military superpower in continental Europe. Napoleon also forged several alliances in Europe that gave France a lot of influence all over continental Europe3. He elevated his friends and family members to become rulers over other European countries. Although napoleon died almost two centuries ago, many scholars are still fascinated by his personality. There are many questions regarding why Napoleon left Corsica and decided to become the emperor of France. There is also the question of his relentless pursuit of power even when he failed. Many people who met Napoleon could not find the right words to describe his character. Germaine de Stael described Napoleon’s character as contradictory. She described him as a person who was neither gentle nor cruel, neither good nor violent. She concludes that such a person could not feel any sympathy. However, there are other scholars who differ with Germaine like Stendhal who described Napoleon as a man who had amazing abilities and a dangerous ambition. Sigmund Freud attributed Napoleon’s aggression to the aggression he harbored against his elder brother Joseph at a younger age. Napoleon was said to be a dreamer when he was in school. It is therefore possible that his desire t o conquer all of Europe was derived from his desire of portraying himself as great leader4. Napoleon gained a reputation as an intelligent and a determined kid at school. This is in contrary to other leaders like Hitler who have

Analyzing article for Derivatives Risk and Management Class Essay

Analyzing article for Derivatives Risk and Management Class - Essay Example For mothers, they might have an option to be a plain housewife or to be a working mom. For working parents with meager income, they might have an option to start a new business and leave their jobs or to continue working for a company. All of these options seem to have a thing in common: uncertainty and the need of a decision. However, decisions are not made out of thin air; they have to be carefully woven and a well thought because any wrong move would affect the success of one’s own life. The question then is how to come up with a sound decision. In business sense, there are so-called financial options that give individuals the right, not an obligation to make a business decision---usually involving capital investments. Basically, there are two types of methods. One is the traditional method, commonly used is the net present value, which solely assess the financial value of the decision therefore ignoring any economic implications. The decision involved here will be very obj ective taking into account only the discount factors, cost of capital, etc. Using this method, if the computation produces a positive net present value, the investment must be pushed through. On the contrary, the second one, which is the real options method, is a modern approach to decision making. It takes into consideration the importance of a flexible management and a dynamic working atmosphere. Thus, clearly, it does not purely focus on the financial aspect of the decision but also on its economic value. Options start to surface as they pose new opportunities. Opportunities of growth are commonly the main reason why individuals are looking out on them rather than sticking to their present condition. However, the results of these opportunities may or may not materialize in the short-run, medium-term, or long run. There are a lot of factors to be considered before considering an option hence it may take some time to come up with a final decision. First is the irreversibility of th e decision. Once a person is already at it, he/she cannot easily escape from the realms of his/her decision. Second, opportunity loss may be offset by waiting for the appropriate time to implement the action. In other words, an allowance for a delay in decision-making is provided in order to make more sound decisions. To meet these two requirements, there are these â€Å"real options† that are allows you to exercise what you want to accomplish in the future. To show a concrete example, consider a young man who recently graduated from a university with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. After finally getting out of the academe, he had in mind two options: to continue his studies in Law School or to work in the corporate world and earn money. In this case, whatever the decision is, a trade off will exist. Notice also that whatever decision he chooses, then it would be irreversible as it would mean a waste of time and money. If he goes to Law School, that mea ns he has to forego the course that he has taken up for years and enter a new realm or school of thought. Therefore, there is an opportunity cost involved here. However, there is a need to do so in order to be flexible enough to face the world waiting for him outside the academe. Financially, it would not be favorable for him to take up law because he will just be spending another years in law school both with time and

Personal Statement Adjust(including) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Personal Statement Adjust(including) - Essay Example Moreover, different forms of communication and technology has massive effects on communication. As such, communication is a diverse topic with numerous applications. Hence, I chose to major in communication with an aim of understanding all the dynamics and detail that relate to communication. I plan to enable easier flow of communication between different persons. Nevertheless, I have a personal experience on communication that motivated to major in this subject. When I was studying in high school in Hong Kong, my tutor asked me to do a project on environmental sustainability. We additionally established a group to handle the project that required us to participate, discuss, and more so communicate to achieve required results. Sadly, we had poor communication skills and thus we rarely talked and thus cooperation was very dismal. Although some group members would communicate effectively, others would not communicate and therefore opted to stay on the periphery as others did the projec t. Others chose to do the project alone and later compare the results with others who equally did it individually. In the end, we chose to present the best individual project as the groups’ final product. ... Hence, it is factual that communication serves as a bridge to better understanding. Actually, if we communicated well in carrying out the project, we would have done a better job. Luckily, I have had various opportunities to improve my communication skills. I was the spokesperson of our high school student association in high school, which allowed me to have numerous opportunities to speak in front of a large group of people. Indeed, when I was giving my first public address in front of a thousand of students serves as a memorable experience. I realized from these public forums that I should learn to communicate with the audience by attracting their attention and analyzing what they want to hear instead of reading my notes words by words while addressing them. Furthermore, in an experience that extended my knowledge and experience on communication, I worked as salesperson in an electronic component-selling firm in Hong Kong during the summer holidays. Assuredly, communication is one of the biggest factors in business success. Indeed, communication facilitates business operations and promotes efficiency in a business setup. As such, when I started working at the company, I conveniently expanded my communication skills and learnt how good communication benefits the company. Actually, there was frequent communication from the management to the employees and from the employees to the customers. Hence, I learnt that every company has a communication culture, communication channel, and the communication language. Additionally, I learnt that communication follows a complete chain and any break points would lead to ineffectiveness. Most significantly, is the fact that the company seeks to establish an effective communication system for

Swot of Starbucks and Coffee Bean Essay Example for Free

Swot of Starbucks and Coffee Bean Essay Coffee Bean as compared, do not have that much franchise stores like Starbucks because they are not that profitable. 2) The Starbucks organization has strong ethical values and an ethical mission statement as follows,  Starbucks is committed to a role of environmental leadership in all facets of our business. They wish to change the lifestyle of the peoples and they have succeeded in doing so, once people wish to drink coffee the first brand that comes into the mind is â€Å"Starbucks† 3) Compared to Starbucks, Coffee Bean is involved in more community responsibilities and through this activity they have attracted more customers. ) Starbucks and Coffee Bean both face the same weaknesses because no matter how they innovate the new flavor, people’s taste might change in time, they can’t make much different changes on coffee, which is the weakness of this business. 5) Coffee Bean faces the problem of â€Å"franchise policy†, they do not construct it perfectly and we can’t get the Coffee Bean shop anywhere just like Starbucks. 6) Starbucks is very good at taking advantage of opportunities. In 2004 the company created a CD-burning service in their Santa Monica (California USA) cafe with Hewlett Packard, where customers create their own music CD. Moreover, new products and services that can be retailed in their cafes, such as Fair Trade products. 7) Starbucks has the opportunity to expand its global operations. New markets for coffee such as India and the Pacific Rim nations are beginning to emerge. 8) Starbucks gained the opportunity because they have co-branding with other manufacturers of food and drinks, and brand franchising to manufacturers of other goods and services. Both have potential while Coffee Bean does not have it. 9) However, Coffee Bean still has a market potential because their taste is slightly different from Starbucks. Their prices are also cheaper than Starbucks, which makes their product more affordable to middle or lower class people. 10) Actually both companies face similar threats. Who knows if the market for coffee will grow and stay in favour with customers, or whether another type of beverage or leisure activity will replace coffee in the future? People will start to consider their health problems, some people are sensitive with caffeine so will these people change to drinking other beverages instead of coffee?

Praktische opdracht bsm

Praktische opdracht bsm Inleiding 1.1 Aanleiding en beschrijving van het onderzoek Een paar maanden geleden las ik een artikel in het Algemeen Dagblad dat ging over kinderen met overgewicht in de gemeente Westvoorne. In dit artikel werd beschreven dat 1 op de 6 kinderen in mijn woonomgeving last heeft van overgewicht. Hier schrok ik best van, aangezien ik dacht dat dit probleem niet zon grote rol speelde binnen mijn omgeving. Fout gedacht dus. Dit bracht mij op het idee om te onderzoeken hoe dit probleem heeft kunnen ontstaan en waarom sport zo belangrijk is voor de jeugd. Ook ben ik er benieuwd naar wat ons land doet om sport te stimuleren. 1.2 Onderzoeksvragen In dit werkstuk zal ik de volgende hoofd- en deelvragen gaan behandelen: Hoofdvraag : Ieder kind heeft recht op sport, wordt dit ook voldoende nageleefd in Nederland? Deelvragen: Waarom is sport zo belangrijk? Waarom sport niet ieder kind? Wat doet Nederland en met name mijn regio aan dit probleem? Wat kan sport betekenen voor een kind? Resultaten 2.1 Waarom is sport zo belangrijk? Sport is meer dan slechts lichaamsbeweging. Het leert mensen met elkaar om gaan, het verbetert de gezondheid en het biedt ontspanning. Met name jongeren tussen de 9 en 19 jaar kunnen door sport op een positieve manier worden beÃÆ' ¯nvloed. Eerlijkheid en hulpvaardigheid, respect en je best doen voor jezelf en voor je team zijn belangrijke normen en waarden die je binnen iedere vorm van sport terug ziet komen. Daarnaast biedt sport veel voordeel voor zowel je geestelijke als je lichamelijke ontwikkeling. Vooral voor kinderen is het goed om al op jonge leeftijd in aanraking te komen met sport. Op deze manier kunnen de jonge spieren en gewrichten zich goed ontwikkelen en voorzichtig worden getraind. Ook kunnen kinderen weerstand opbouwen, waardoor ze minder vatbaar zijn voor bepaalde ziektes. Bovendien kan voldoende beweging er voor zorgen dat de bloeddruk op peil blijft en dat de kans op ouderdomsverschijnselen , bijvoorbeeld artrose (gewrichtslijtage), vermindert. Naarmate een kind ouder wordt, kan het aan intensievere vormen van sport, zoals teamsport, gaan deelnemen. Presteren gaat hierbij een grote rol spelen. Binnen de teamsport trainen de teams meestal twee keer per week en in het weekend worden de wedstrijden gespeeld. Naast het verbeteren van de techniek, wordt er ook gewerkt aan het verbeteren van de conditie. Sporten in teamverband maakt het veel gemakkelijker om te gaan sporten, je doet het immers samen. Samen met je team vorm je een hechte club en door die teamspirit kun je elkaar motiveren om beter te presteren. Een keertje geen zin hebben zit er dus niet in,   je kunt namelijk de rest van je team niet in de steek laten. Ook ontmoet je andere mensen. Ieder weekend neem je het op tegen andere tegenstanders en je leert op een juiste manier met elkaar om te gaan. Tijdens het sporten gelden er regels, zowel tijdens de gymles op school, als tijdens het voetballen op straat of tijdens het sporten op de sportvereniging. Deze spelregels zijn nodig om het spel of de wedstrijd zo goed en eerlijk mogelijk te laten verlopen. Ook zorgen regels er voor dat sporten leuk blijft. Je aan de spelregels houden hoort nu eenmaal bij het spel, maar er zijn natuurlijk ook een aantal ongeschreven regels waaraan je je moet houden. Zo respecteer je altijd de beslissingen van de scheidsrechter en de fouten van je teamgenoten of tegenstanders. Een mooi woord hiervoor is fair play. Bij tieners is het voor het eerst lichamelijk goed te zien wie er wel en wie er niet sport. Vooral rond deze leeftijd gaan de spieren zich sterk ontwikkelen. Bij niet-sporters blijft deze ontwikkeling uit. Niet-sporters passen vaak hun eetpatroon niet aan, aan de mate van hun lichaamsbeweging. Dat is gevaarlijk, omdat ook het vetweefsel zich rond deze leeftijd gaat ontwikkelen. Daarom is het voor tieners dus extra belangrijk om te sporten en zo hun lichaam niet te beschadigen, maar juist te ontwikkelen. Sport werkt ook geestverruimend. Je ontsnapt eventjes van de dagelijkse routine en kunt voor een moment al je problemen vergeten. Bovendien kan sport je zelfvertrouwen vergroten. Met name als je door middel van sport wilt afvallen, word je door goede resultaten extra gemotiveerd om ermee door te gaan. Door zelfstandig te sporten krijg je vanzelf meer zelfdiscipline. Je wordt minder afhankelijk van anderen en doet gewoon je eigen ding. Ook leer je goed aan te voelen wat je wel en niet aankunt. Tijdens het bewegen verbrand je calorieà «n. Deze verbranding zorgt voor een lager cholesterolgehalte. Een te hoog cholesterolgehalte is een van de hoofdoorzaken voor het krijgen van hart- en vaatziekten. Om deze ziekten te voorkomen is het daarom belangrijk om voldoende te bewegen en niet al te vet te eten. Kortom, sport brengt veel voordelen met zich mee. Het goed voor je gezondheid, je geest en je sociale leven. Ook kan het nare ouderdomsziekten voorkomen en bovendien is het erg leuk. Daarom is het belangrijk dat zo veel mogelijk mensen gaan sporten! 2.2 W aarom sport niet ieder kind? Sport bestaat al eeuwen lang. De Oude Grieken organiseerden in 1776 voor Christus al de eerste Olympische Spelen. Tegenwoordig wordt sport gezien als een populaire manier van vrijetijdsbesteding. Er wordt steeds meer en op steeds jongere leeftijd gesport. Toch doet lang niet iedereen mee. Dat is erg jammer, aangezien sport erg goed voor je is. In vergelijking met twintig jaar geleden is het aantal kinderen met overgewicht verdubbeld. In Nederland is zelfs à ©Ãƒ ©n op de acht kinderen te zwaar en dit aantal zal naar verwachting in de loop der jaren alleen nog maar toenemen. Dit zijn geen goede vooruitzichten, omdat overgewicht grote gezondheidsrisicos met zich meebrengt. Overgewicht wordt niet alleen veroorzaakt door teveel eten, maar ook vooral door te weinig beweging. In minder dan 5% van de gevallen wordt overgewicht veroorzaakt door ziekte, medicijngebruik of door erfelijkheid. Dat het aantal kinderen met overgewicht is verdubbeld heeft niet te maken met het feit dat ze meer zijn gaan eten. Het heeft meer te maken met wat ze eten. Tegenwoordig eten kinderen veel meer tussendoortjes dan vroeger. Daarbij moet je denken aan snoep, chips en snacks. Hierdoor gaan kinderen minder eten tijdens de belangrijke maaltijden aan tafel zoals het ontbijt, de lunch en het avondeten. De tussendoortjes bevatten veel koolhydraten en suiker. Zij vervangen niet de voedingstoffen die de grote maaltijden bevatten. Ook de stijgende welvaart heeft een hoop veranderingen met zich meegebracht. Zo komt het de afgelopen jaren steeds meer voor dat ouders na het werk even snel iets makkelijks te eten ophalen of hun kinderen meenemen om eventjes wat te gaan eten in een restaurant. Ook technische innovaties in de keuken zoals de magnetron en de frituurpan maken het erg verleidelijk om iets te snacken in plaats van een verse maaltijd klaar te maken. Bovendien besparen magnetronmaaltijden een hoop tijd en moeite, je hoeft het er immers alleen in te schuiven en te wachten tot het klaar is. Voor de makkelijke weg kiezen is niet altijd even slim. Magnetronmaaltijden bevatten vaak veel energie en zout, in plaats van goede voedingsvezels en vitamines. In combinatie met onvoldoende beweging kan dit leiden tot een energieoverschot en later tot overgewicht. Kinderen hebben wat dat betreft weinig inbreng als het gaat om gezonde voeding. Ouders geven niet altijd het goede voorbeeld. Ook fastfoodketens doen een duit in het zakje. Ketens zoals bijvoorbeeld MacDonalds richten hun reclame volledig op kinderen. Door de leuke verrassinkjes in de Happy Meal worden kinderen massaal verleidt tot een bezoekje naar de Mac. Om hun kinderen te belonen nemen ouders hun kinderen zo nu en dan mee naar de MacDonalds. Voor een keertje is dat niet erg, maar het moet natuurlijk geen gewoonte worden! Overgewicht wordt uiteraard niet alleen veroorzaakt door te veel en ongezond eten, ook een gebrek aan beweging speelt hierbij een rol. Door de ontwikkeling van de televisie, de computer en de spelcomputers hebben kinderen steeds minder zin om buiten te spelen of om te gaan sporten. Ook scholen schenken weinig aandacht aan bewegen. Zij stellen cultuur voorop. Als sport niet van huis en van school uit wordt gestimuleerd, kan je het de kinderen niet kwalijk nemen dat ze weinig sporten. Hier ligt een taak voor scholen en opvoeders. Zij moeten sport stimuleren. Ook sportvereniging zouden meer clinics en sportdagen kunnen organiseren om kinderen enthousiast te krijgen voor sport. Natuurlijk zijn er ook een hoop kinderen die graag zouden willen sporten, maar dit niet kunnen vanwege hun gezondheid, handicap of door een gebrek aan financià «le middelen thuis. Voor deze groep kinderen moet er een oplossing gevonden worden, zodat ook zij in aanmerking kunnen komen voor sport. 2.4 Wat doet Nederland en met name mijn regio aan dit probleem? Het Ministerie van Volksgezondheid, Welzijn en Sport wil meer burgers stimuleren bij het kiezen voor een gezonde en actieve leefstijl. Sport en beweging horen hier natuurlijk bij. Het Nationaal Actieplan Sport en Bewegen richt zich op een gezonde dagelijkse dosis bewegen, waarbij alle mogelijkheden benut worden. Het NASB focust zich op vijf belangrijke gebieden, namelijk: wijk, school, werk, zorg en sport. Deze gebieden worden zo ingericht dat de omgeving moet uitnodigen tot meer sport en bewegen. In 2005 heeft de overheid de zogenaamde beweegnorm combinorm ingevoerd. Men voldoet aan deze norm wanneer er aan de Nederlandse Norm Gezond Bewegen en/of aan de Fitnorm wordt voldaan. Om binnen de NNGB te blijven moet men minimaal 30 minuten per vijf dagen in de week matig intensief bewegen. Bij matig intensief bewegen moet je denken aan het maken van een wandeling of aan het doen van klusjes in en om het huis. Voor de jeugd tot 18 jaar wordt 60 minuten bewegen per dag vereist op een wat hoger niveau. De Fitnorm houdt in dat met minimaal 20 minuten intensief moet bewegen op minstens 3 dagen per week. De overheid maakt volop reclame voor dit nieuwe beleid, denk maar aan de 30minutenbewegen campagnes. De sportdeelname van mensen met een handicap blijft nog altijd ver achter vergeleken met de deelname van mensen zonder beperking. Om sportdeelname toch maximaal aan te kunnen bieden, probeert de Rijksoverheid met het huidige beleid een grotere sportdeelname te realiseren bij mensen met een handicap. Samen met NOC*NSF en Gehandicaptensport Nederland is de overheid bezig met projecten om de jeugd, maar ook de instellingen waar mensen met een beperking wonen, sportproof te maken. Sport en beweging zijn namelijk voor de gezondheid, deelneming en integratie van mensen met een beperking een grote toegevoegde waarde. De overheid vindt dat jongeren te weinig sporten en bewegen op school en daarom wil zij andere mogelijkheden benutten zoals naschoolse activiteiten in samenwerking met sportverenigingen en de school, opvang en in de wijk, zodat de jeugd toch voldoende beweging krijgt. Om dit te kunnen verwezenlijken is er een goede samenwerking nodig tussen sport, onderwijs en andere lokale organisaties. Door het aanstellen van combinatiefunctionarissen wil de overheid sportverenigingen versterken en het dagelijkse sport- en beweegaanbod op en rond scholen verbeteren. Een combinatiefunctionaris is in dienst bij à ©Ãƒ ©n werkgever, maar werkzaam voor twee of meer sectoren. In dit geval binnen het onderwijs, sport en/of cultuur. De combinatiefunctionarissen moeten straks de verpersoonlijking worden van hun wijk. Veel verenigingen hebben te maken met een grote uitval van tieners en achterblijvende deelname van allochtonen, ouderen, chronisch zieken en mensen met een beperking. Het aanbod van de sportverenigingen sluit onvoldoende aan op de vraag van het publiek. Daarom slaan de overheid en de sportsector de handen ineen in het programma Nieuwe sportmogelijkheden om het sportaanbod te moderniseren. Dat moet leiden tot een aantrekkelijk aanbod, dat aansluit op de vraag van huidige en nieuwe leden. Bij het programma Meedoen alle jeugd door sport wordt sport ingezet om volwaardig burgerschap te bevorderen en sociaal isolement te voorkomen. Ook overlast en probleemgedrag door jongeren moet op deze manier verminderen. ReÃÆ' ¯ntegratie is nog een doel dat de overheid met dit programma probeert te bereiken. Mensen ontmoeten elkaar namelijk via sport en het overbrugt beperkingen, verschillen in religie, seksuele geaardheid, klasse en kleur. Keyplayers! is een Europees netwerk van landen die pleiten voor een actieve jeugdparticipatie binnen de sport. Zij richten zich op jongeren tussen de 14 en 24 jaar. Jongeren moeten niet alleen deelnemen aan sportieve activiteiten, maar ook actief betrokken zijn bij de opzet en uitvoering ervan. Wanneer jongeren meer invloed hebben op het sport- en beweegaanbod, zal het ook beter aansluiten op hun wensen en zal de participatie vergroten. Ook zet deze organisatie zich in om gezondheid te bevorderen, overlast te verminderen en om persoonlijk te groeien. Sport en bewegen wordt hier als middel gebruikt. In 2000 is het project WhoZnext van start gegaan. Het doel van dit project is niet alleen sportstimulering voor de jeugd, maar ook een actievere betrokkenheid bij het bedenken en het uitvoeren van sportactiviteiten. WhoZnext roept alle jongeren op om samen sportactiviteiten te organiseren. Dit kan in de buurt,op school of op de sportvereniging zijn.De WhoZnext-teams worden ondersteund door een volwassene, die gebruik kan maken van diverse sportinstrumenten. Deze instrumenten zijn door het landelijke projectteam van het Nederlands Instituut voor Sport en Bewegen beschikbaar gemaakt. In elke provincie zijn er commissies, die actief ondersteuning bieden bij de opzet van het project in de gemeente. Met het project WhoZnext Johan Cruyff Foundation   willen de organisaties ook jongeren met een lichamelijke, verstandelijke of meervoudige beperking sportactiviteiten laten organiseren. Elk whoZnext-team krijgt vanuit de Cruyff Foundation activiteitengeld, whoZnext-kleding, geld voor een teambuildingsactiviteit, een toolkit en een gratis training. De school zorgt zelf voor een coach die het team gaat begeleiden en moet zelf à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 500 beschikbaar stellen aan activiteitengeld. De Johan Cruyff Foundation is een organisatie die zich richt op het bevorderen van het geestelijk en lichamelijk welzijn van kinderen. Dit doen zij bijvoorbeeld door het aanbieden en stimuleren van sportactiviteiten, het financieel ondersteunen van organisaties en projecten met dezelfde visie en door sport in combinatie met onderwijs en gezondheidszorg te stimuleren, voor het belang van minder kansrijke kinderen en jongeren op te komen.Daarnaast   schenkt de organisatie ook veel aandacht aan kinderen en jongeren met een handicap. De Johan Cruyff Foundation wil niet alleen dat de projecten die zij steunt met sport en spel te maken hebben, maar ook dat de uitvoering ervan op sportieve wijze worden uitgevoerd. Veel elementen uit de sportwereld, zoals bijvoorbeeld het spelen in teamverband en een grote mate van inzet, zijn ook belangrijk bij het realiseren van projecten. Samenwerking en eigen inzet zijn van groot belang. In 2003 is de Johan Cruyff Foundation gestart met het aanleggen van Cruyff Courts. Door de aanleg van de Cruyff Courtswordt defunctie van het oude trapveldje, weer terug in de wijk gebracht. Op deze manier krijgen de kinderen uit de buurt een veilige en goede plek om te spelen en te sporten. Er zijn ook Cruyff Courts aangepast. Dit zijn multifunctionele trapveldjes die zo toegankelijk mogelijk worden gemaakt, zodat ze ook voor kinderen met een beperking te betreden zijn. Cruyff Court aangepast. Bron: http://www.cruyff-foundation.org/smartsite.net?id=854 Special Heroes houdt zich ook bezig met sportstimulering voor kinderen tussen de 6 en 20 jaar met een handicap. Via een uitgebreid sportstimuleringsprogramma, dat in overleg met de scholen wordt uitgevoerd, wil de organisatie laten zien en de kinderen laten ervaren hoe leuk sport kan zijn. De leerlingen krijgen op deze manier de kans om uitgebreid kennis te maken met sport- en beweegactiviteiten. Het jeugdsportfonds Rotterdam is een middel om kinderen met financieel minder draagkrachtige ouders een kans te bieden om toch te kunnen sporten. Kinderen tussen de 4 en 17 jaar, waarvan het gezinsinkomen niet meer is dan 120% van het wettelijk vastgestelde minimuminkomen, kunnen in aanmerking komen voor een fonds. Het motto van dit fonds is dat financià «n nooit een belemmering mogen zijn om kinderen niet te kunnen laten sporten. Het fonds vergoedt twee soorten kosten. De eerste is de vergoeding voor de contributie van een sportvereniging en de daarbij behorende sportartikelen zijn de tweede kostenpost die worden vergoedt. De maximale bijdrage per kind per jaar bedraagt à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬250,-. Een aanvraag verloopt altijd via een intermediair. Dit is iemand die op een professionele manier bezig is met kinderen, zoals bijvoorbeeld een meester of juf op school. Wanneer een aanvraag wordt goedgekeurd, zal het sportfonds de contributie direct naar de sportvereniging overmaken. De eventuele vergoeding voor de sportartikelen wordt gestort op de rekening van de intermediair. De ouders ontvangen dus nooit geld. Sport is er voor iedereen en dus uitermate geschikt om mensen en bevolkingsgroepen te binden en de ongerechtigheden in de samenleving weg te poetsen. Voetbal is een van de populairste sporten in Nederland. Daarnaast spelen de voetbalclubs een belangrijke maatschappelijke rol. Zij nemen namelijk een centrale plek in, in de harten van de supporters en zij zijn daarom bij uitstek geschikt om mensen aan te spreken op hun gedrag, verantwoordelijkheden en zaken zoals hun gezondheid. Ook de voetbalclubs zelf profiteren van deze actieve opstelling: de club wortelt zich steviger in haar omgeving, de fans zijn meer betrokken en het doet de reputatie van het voetbal goed. De Stichting Meer dan Voetbal gebruikt de kracht van voetbal voor een betere samenleving. De kernthemas van de Stichting zijn: Sportiviteit en respect, gezondheid en participatie. Veel Eredivisieclubs dragen hun steentje bij aan de maatschappij. In dit geval richten we ons op voetbalclub Feyenoord. Scoren op Zuid is een samenwerking tussen Feyenoord, de deelgemeente Feijenoord en Rotterdam Sportsupport. Het project heeft twee belangrijke speerpunten, namelijk: sport en educatie. Feyenoord wil de deelname van jongeren aan sportieve activiteiten en een gezonde levensstijl stimuleren .Daarnaast levert de club een bijdrage aan het verhogen van de motivatie van kinderen bij het volgen van onderwijs en het stimuleren van taal- en rekenvaardigheden. Dit project zal plaatsvinden in de wijken, op scholen en in de Kuip. Vaste ambassadeurs voor Scoren op Zuid zijn: Karim El Ahmadi, Georginio Wijnaldum en Leroy Fer. [1] Sinds augustus 2003 werkt Feyenoord samen met het Erasmus Medisch Centrum Sophia. De club probeert op verschillende manieren het leven van zieke kinderen op een leuke manier te veraangenamen. Een van deze activiteiten is de jaarlijkse Sophia Dag. Tijdens deze dag wordt een tribunevak in zijn geheel gereserveerd voor de zieke kinderen en hun families. Daarnaast zijn de mascottes en vlaggendragers kinderen die behandeld worden in het Sophia en stellen de Unithouders plaatsen beschikbaar voor kinderen die niet in staat zijn om op de tribune plaats te nemen. Ook wordt er tijdens wedstrijden gecollecteerd door tientallen vrijwilligers. Als tweede grote activiteit heeft het Erasmus MC aan het begin van ieder seizoen de primeur van de nieuwe selectie. Nog voor de Open Dag presenteert de selectie zich in het ziekenhuis. Op deze manier zijn ook zieke kinderen een beetje verbonden met sport. Een andere organisatie die zich bezig houdt met de gezondheid en de sportparticipatie van de jeugd is Scoren voor Gezondheid. Dit is een initiatief van de Eredivisie, de Sponsor Loterij, het Ministerie van Volksgezondheid Welzijn en Sport, het Nationaal Instituut voor gezondheidsbevordering Ziektepreventie en de Stichting meer dan Voetbal. Alle achttien clubs uit de Eredivisie hebben zich bij dit initiatief aangesloten. Het project start met een clinic en een fit- en gezondheidstest in het stadion van de betreffende Eredivisieclub. De spelers uit het team gaan kinderen uit groep 6,7 en 8 van de basisschool helpen bij het kiezen van een gezonde levensstijl. Dit doen ze door de kinderen een contract te laten tekenen waarin zij beloven 20 weken lang het projectprogramma te volgen. Het programma vindt zowel op school als op de club plaats. De kinderen gaan dus naar de voetbalclub en de voetballers komen op bezoek in de klas. Iedere vier weken wordt er een apart thema behandeld. Het prog ramma kan bestaan uit de volgende themas: sport is cool; elke dag ontbijten; gezond en verantwoord bewegen; gezonde voeding; lidmaatschap sportvereniging. De reden waarom er juist gekozen is voor professionele voetballers als begeleiders van dit project, heeft te maken met het feit dat kinderen enorm opkijken naar hun idolen. Ze zien een profvoetballer als rolmodel en om te kunnen presteren heb je een gezonde levensstijl nodig. Voetballers kunnen dit als geen ander uitstralen. De kinderen zijn hierdoor vaak beter gemotiveerd om echt hun best te doen en hun levensstijl te veranderen. Stichting PUSH is een welzijnsorganisatie die een bijdrage wilt leveren aan actieve en gezellige wijken/buurten. Om dit doel te kunnen bereiken organiseert de organisatie gevarieerde activiteiten te organiseren die begeleid en uitgevoerd worden door vrijwilligers, bewoners, stagiaires of professionals. De activiteiten vinden plaats in de volgende gemeenten: Bernisse, Brielle, Hellevoetsluis, Ouddorp, Rozenburg, Spijkenisse en Westvoorne. Stichting Push doet ook aan sportstimulering. Hierbij richten zij zich op kwetsbare groepen in de leeftijdscategorieà «n 6 tot en met 12 jaar, 12 tot en met 18 jaar en 55+. Het doel van de projecten zijn gezondheidsbevordering, sportkennismaking en participatie. Enkele voorbeelden van activiteiten zijn: sportdagen en gezondheidsprojecten op basisscholen, WhoZnext en [emailprotected] op middelbare scholen en sporttoernooien in de wijk tijdens de schoolvakanties. Ook mijn gemeente, de gemeente Westvoorne, draagt zijn steentje bij voor de jeugd. In het huidige beleid staat vastgesteld dat basisscholen de kinderen tijdens de gymlessen kennis moeten laten maken met diverse sporten. Dit stimuleert de overstap van school naar vereniging. Het is de bedoeling dat de leerlingen kennis maken met meerdere takken van sport, zodat zij een gerichter keuze kunnen maken voor een bepaalde sport. De leerkrachten zullen een zogenaamde zapkaart ontwikkelen samen met de plaatselijke sportverenigingen. Dit houdt in dat de docenten en de plaatselijke verenigingen afspreken welke sporten er tijdens de gymlessen worden behandeld, zodat enthousiaste kinderen de overstap van gym op school naar sporten bij een sportvereniging in de buurt makkelijker kunnen maken. Middelbare scholen in de buurgemeenten Hellevoetsluis en Brielle worden benaderd om het sportorià «ntatie programma in beeld te kunnen brengen. De verenigingen uit Westvoorne zullen een aanbod doen voor alle leerlingen dat aansluit op het programma van de sportorià «ntatie op school. Als tennis bijvoorbeeld in de maand april op school aan bod komt, zorgt de tennisvereniging ervoor dat er een aansluitend aanbod is op de vereniging voor de leerlingen die daar interesse in hebben. Het aanbod van de school en de verenigingen zal op elkaar afgestemd worden. Alleen als de gemeente Westvoorne een bepaalde sport niet aan kan bieden dan wordt in de omliggende gemeenten gekeken naar een vereniging die dat wel kan. 2.5 Wat kan sport voor een kind betekenen? Sport is er voor iedereen. Verschil in leeftijd, klasse, geslacht en afkomst doen er op dat moment niet toe. Je zou dus kunnen zeggen dat sport verbroedert. Buiten dat is het niet alleen goed voor je lichamelijke ontwikkeling, maar ook voor je sociale ontwikkeling. Door te sporten, omdat moet je veel mensen. Misschien zelfs wel vrienden voor het leven. Dat weet ik zelf maar al te goed. Van kleins af aan ben ik bezig met sport. Van paardrijden, voetballen, tennissen, zeilen, zwemmen tot fietsen, ik heb het allemaal gedaan. Toen ik een jaartje of acht was, ben ik voor het eerst in aanraking gekomen met hockey. Een vriendinnetje uit mijn klas had op een middag training en vroeg of ik zin had om met haar mee te gaan trainen. Sindsdien heb ik zeker negen jaar fanatiek gehockeyd. Heerlijk vond ik het. Niet alleen het spelletje, maar ook de gezelligheid. Mijn team bestond uit meiden van verschillende scholen. Dit maakte het extra leuk om naar de trainingen te gaan, omdat je hen op school niet zag. Samen vormden we een ontzettend hecht team en hadden we heel veel lol met elkaar. We sleepten elkaar door de zware trainingen heen en wisten elkaar goed te motiveren als een van ons het eventjes niet meer zag zitten. We leerden hoe we moesten samenwerken en respect te hebben voor elkaar, de scheidsrechter en voor de tegenstander. Ook leerden we hoe we winst het beste konden vieren, want winnen deden we zeker! Doordat we met elkaar zijn opgegroeid hebben we elkaar, maar ook het publiek zien veranderen. Waar eerst onze trotste ouders ons aan stonden te moedigen, kwam plaats voor onze mannelijke fans. Natuurlijk mochten onze ouders ook nog steeds komen kijken. Zeker naarmate we wat ouder werden en voor het eerst uitgingen, is het contact hechter geworden. Het kwam ook steeds vaker voor dat we na de training op de club bleven hangen en gezellig wat met elkaar en natuurlijk met het mannenteam gingen drinken. Helaas betekende dit weinig goeds voor onze hockeyprestaties. Van topteam gleden we af tot bierteam, maar dat kon ons weinig schelen. Zelfs met de grootste katers deden we ons best en hadden we het tijdens de trainingen en wedstrijden ontzettend leuk met elkaar. Iedere zaterdag gingen we met veel plezier naar het veld en natuurlijk altijd nog stiekem een beetje voor de winst, ook al kwam dat nog zeer zelden voor. Tijdens wedstrijden werd er niet meer overlegd over de juiste aanvalstrategie, maar hadden we het meer over waar we s avonds eens naartoe gingen, wat we aan gingen trekken en of je dat ene leuke tasje van de ander mocht lenen. Nadat de meeste meiden een vervolgopleiding gingen doen en dus stopten met hockey, is het team uit elkaar gevallen. Ik heb toen nog een jaar in een ander team gehockeyd, maar het voelde niet meer zoals het voor mij was. Ook ik ben gestopt. Wel zien we elkaar nog altijd wekelijks en doen we nog vaak leuke dingen samen. Dat is toch best bijzonder. Sport is dus ontzettend belangrijk. Het heeft een enorme kracht en heeft voor iedereen een andere betekenis. Voor mij betekent sport vooral ontspanning, verlichting en plezier. Ik vind het heerlijk om na een lange schooldag lekker buiten te gaan skeeleren, te hardlopen of te zwemmen. Ook ga ik graag naar de sportschool. Tijdens een zware les Bodypump of Spinning zet ik even mijn verstand op nul en kan ik mijn ei kwijt. Sport is ook heel leerzaam. Zeker wanneer je sport in teamverband leer je een hoop over samenwerking en respect. Zelfstandige sporters krijgen geleidelijk meer zelfdiscipline. Tijdens het sporten ontmoet je ook veel mensen, dat is ook erg belangrijk. Forcial MA2 houdt de stemming erin na de zoveelste nederlaag. 3 Beantwoording hoofdvraag en conclusie Na het beantwoorden van mijn hulpvragen, heb ik voldoende informatie om mijn hoofdvraag te kunnen beantwoorden. Naar mijn menig doet Nederland genoeg om meer iedereen aan het sporten te krijgen. De mogelijkheden zijn er zeker, alleen moet men deze ook grijpen! Zelf heb ik erg goede ervaringen met sportstimulering via school. Ik volg sinds twee jaar het vak Bewegen, Sport en Maatschappij (BSM). Hierdoor ben ik in aanraking gekomen met verschillende sporten en heb ik ook meegedaan aan de projecten [emailprotected] en WhoZnext. Samen met mijn klasgenootjes hebben we een sportdag georganiseerd voor de brugklassers. De voorbereidingen waren enorm, maar het resultaat mocht er zeker wezen. Door het sportorià «ntatie programma op school ben ik gaan Bodypumpen, ook heb ik het tennissen weer opgepakt. Sportstimulering via school heeft dus wel degelijk invloed op kinderen. WhoZnext-team HellevoetZnext. [1] Zie de bijgevoegde folder en het bijgevoegde lesboekje van Scoren op Zuid