Tell u later Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Tell u later - Lab Report Example The company has faced several political issues that have deteriorated its financial position and brand image among its peers. The major competitors of Nokia are Samsung, Apple, LG and Sony. These companies operate in the Android platform apart from Apple. The rapid growth of Samsung has allowed it to reach the leading position which was once owned by Nokia for a long period of time. Nokia has high potential in the windows tablet market owing to the recent rise of windows tablets’ popularity. The business deal with Microsoft has allowed Nokia to have a strong financial background that can be leveraged to finance the future innovations. In order to improve the current condition of Nokia, the company must introduce new technology and innovative products like smart watch or other wearable devices to gain a competitive advantage over its rivals. Nokia Corporation is best known as the manufacturer of mobile handsets in the global market. The company is headquartered in Finland, owns production plants in 8 countries and operates in more than 120 countries (Marketline, 2014a). The company also manufactures network and location based equipments for third party companies. The company owns three major business divisions, the devices and services, network solutions and location based services under the brand HERE. The devices and services section offers mobile phone devices including smart phones and other low end feature phones. The network solution section offers telecommunication solutions targeted at the global mobile broadband industry. It includes 3G, 4G and LTE services along with customer experience management. HERE offers customized GPS and location based services for application developers, automotive companies and device manufacturers (Nokia, 2014). The global mobile phone market has grown significantly over the past fe w years. As of 2013, the mobile phone market earned revenue of $163.4 billion, which represents a growth of

Case Study and Assignment (easy work) Research Paper

Case Study and Assignment (easy work) - Research Paper Example By the end of 2011, the Kenyan Shilling had experienced a major fall from trading to a cost of 80.09 to 110.12 to the Dollar. This depreciation affected negatively on savings and investments. Kenyan people are concentrating on food stuffs more which were on the rise since man cannot live without food. However, Central Bank of Kenya tried to raise interest rates to tackle the devaluation of the Shilling and inflation. The governor was put on notice regarding the sharp fall of the currency but no critical answer was given by him. Kenya is to hold elections in 2012, so devaluation of the Shilling was directly and indirectly involved. Big fish in the political arena were assumed to best benefit from the high exchange rate by selling off the amount of dollars that one was possessing, thus campaign money availability to them. That is an indirect involvement. Central Bank reaction was a bit slow since they believed it was an external force which was hitting the Shilling. Noticing that speculative effects were also coming in, and external sources were neither slowing down, it reacted by its governor stating that he was determined to see exchange rates being propelled by the market. Generally the Shillings confidence would be undermined if decisive action was to be taken against external forces. In regards to this, the exporters are the major beneficial of this happening while importers cry foul. Also the risk takers of foreign currency loans had a bad financial end year. Central Bank was indeed, able to control th e Shilling due to its application of banking principles on top of its objectives. While banks form a major backbone to any country, the Central Bank is the overall boss. Incompetence projected by some of the individuals who run them sees political interference, which indeed, is a major setback in the banking sector of any

A Case Study Of Mental Health

A Case Study Of Mental Health Mental health has become a major global problem. It affects 450 million people and one in four of us will suffer from mental ill- health at some time in our lives (WHO, 2001). Mental Health is used positively to indicate a state of psychological well- being, negatively to indicate its opposite ( as in mental health problems) or euphemistically to indicate facilities used by, or imposed upon , people with mental health problems ( as in mental health services). During the nineteenth century, all patients were certified under lunacy laws. That is, the State only made provisions for the control of madness. The fledgling profession of psychiatry ( this term was first used in Britain in 1858) was singularly preoccupied with segregating and managing lunatics . With the emergence of the First World War, soldiers began to break down with shellshock now called post traumatic stress disorder . From this point on, psychiatry extended its jurisdiction from madness to versions of nervousness provoked by stress or trauma. In the twentieth century, more abnormal mental states came within its jurisdiction, such as those due to alcohol and drug abuse and personality problems. Today, mental health services may be offered to, or be imposed upon, people with this wide range of problems, although madness or severe mental illness still captures most of the attention of professionals .Another aspects of the term mental health problems is that some people, criti cal of psychiatric terminology, object of scientific or logical grounds to notions like mental illness or mental disorder. In the 1983 Act and equivalent Scottish legislation mental illness is not defined. However, Article 3(1) of the Northern Ireland Order does define it as a state of mind which affects a persons thinking, perceiving, emotion or judgement to the extent that he requires care or medical treatment in his own interests of other persons. Neither the Scottish nor Northern Ireland definitions include psychopathic disorder and there has recently been some discussion in the context of review of the Mental Health Act about removing it in England and Wales. Issues concerning mental health have been raised substantially in the consciousness of politicians, the media, and the public. Moreover, the burden of mental disorder is regarded not just as a if not the- principal cause of human misery, but as a significant impediment to social and economic growth. Measurement of the years of potential life lost and the years of productive life lost through mental ill- health could reach 15% of all diseases and deaths globally by 2020 (WHO, 1999). A further dimension of inequalities in the apparent scale of mental health problems is race. Race is controversial to define. Genetic distinctions between groups of humans ( other based on sex) have little empirical basis. Racial distinctions arose from anthropological investigations carried out by colonized indigenous people. However, because of colonization, the social identity of these people became real for them and others. In the United States black patients are overrepresented in mental institutions, and have become increasingly so over the postwar period. This has particularly been the case within state mental hospitals, where minority groups constitute 35 per cent of the hospital population, and are subject to higher rates of admission and readmission. In a review of eight epidemiological studies conducted in the United States between the late 1950s and mid- 1970s, Kessler and Neighbors (1986) found that among persons with low incomes black people exhibited significantly more distress than white people. They claimed, therefore, that race is an important independent variable in determining the likelihood of an individual becoming mentally ill. There is some dispute over what to make of this evidence. Cockerham (1990) maintains that the majority of studies on the incidence and distribution of mental health problems suggest that race is not an independent variable: race alone does not appear to produce higher rates of mental disorder for particular groups. Rather, it is because more black people are in the lower social cases that they tend to demonstrate more signs of mental distress. Others, however, disagree. Halpern (1993) argues that minority status can be demonstrated to result in a tendency towards psychiatric problems. As with gender, a number of studies have been conducted indicating that racial bias exists in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of mental health problems. It has been found, for example, that white therapists generally rated their black clients as being more psychologically impaired than did black therapists. Patients who are uncooperative, threatening or abusive are more likely to be diagnosed as being mentally ill if they have minority status. In particular, it has been found that being black tends to increase the chances of a person being diagnosed as being schizophrenic (Wade, 1993). Certain groups such as people of Afro- Caribbean origin tend to be more likely than whites to receive psychotherapy. Minority groups have proved less able to make use of community- based services. This is partly because they have lacked the resources to participate in the development of community care, and partly because of the lack of interest in or understanding of the specific cultural needs of minority groups when establishing services ( Wade, 1993). The term Afro- Caribbean refers to black people who either still live in Caribbean or who moved to Britain. Britain is an ex-colonial power, which enslaved and forcibly transported African people. Afro-Caribbean people have higher rates of diagnosis for schizophrenia but lower rates for depression and suicide than indigenous whites. An unresolved debate about over- representation is whether it is actual ( black and Irish people are mad more often) or whether it is a function of misdiagnosis . The data of Irish people highlight why the stresses of racism, based purely on skin colour, are not an adequate explanation of differences in mental health status. Although Afro- Caribbean people are vulnerable to psychosis, prevalence rates of all diagnostic categories are higher than for the indigenous ( non- Irish)whites in Britain. What are the implications of comparing and contrasting these two ex-colonized groups for our understanding of the relationship between race and mental health? The first point to emphasise is that given the white skin of the Irish, racism based on skin colour may be a stressor but is not one that accounts for racial differences in mental health. A second point is that while both groups are post-colonial remnants of forced migration, the circumstances for each were different. Third, the circumstances of migration to Great Britain were similar in some ways but not others. Employment opportunities governed population movement in each. Fourth, as ex-colonized, Afro- Caribbeans and the Irish have been recurrently stigmatized and rejected. A confirmation of this point is that these groups are also over-represented in the prison population, not just in involuntary specialist mental health services. Fifth, and following the previous point, whatever the causal explanations for over- representa tion, the racial bias means that these groups are disproportionately dealt with by specialist mental health services. As the latter are dominated by coercion, this outcome can be thought of as a form of structural disadvantage for these groups. The needs, issues and concerns of black and minority ethnic people (BME) with mental health problems have been pushed to the fore of the national health policy agenda (Department of Health, 1999; Department of Health, 2005). Britain is a multi- cultural society where the percentage of the population that is from minority groups is steadily increasing. In 2001 minority groups comprised seven per cent of the population, with a concentration in London and other inner city areas. BME communities occupy particular positions of disadvantage in the United Kingdom. Inequalities are reflected across all indices of economic and social well- being.They generally have higher rates of unemployment, live in poorer housing, report poorer health, have lower levels of academic achievement and higher rates of exclusion from schools. The tragic but significant marker for BME communities was the death of David Bennett while being restrained by nursing staff on a medium secure ward. After a long campaign by his family, an independent inquiry report concluded that the NHS mental health services are institutionally racist'( Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire SHA, 2003). The government subsequently published an action plan for Delivering Race Equality (Department of Health,2005). This plan has three building blocks: to develop more appropriate and responsive services, to provide better quality information on the mental health needs of BME, to encourage greater community engagement in the planning and delivery of mental health services. DRE focuses on organisational change, but fails to appreciate the heterogeneity within the BME population, and the complex range of identities and practices it contains.It also fails to appreciate that the inequalities in mental health for black people exist within a broader historical and contemporary context of social and economic inequalities and prejudice. Moreover, the problem seems to have been framed in the context of culture- thus, the focus in the DRE strategy on developing a culturally competent workforce. Fernando (2003) argues that a focus on culture can itself be racist and therefore has to be examined in this context. Another issue to consider is the impact of racial disadvantage and discrimination on individuals , their families and communities. Petel and Fatimilehin (1999) suggested that the impact of racism is psychological, social and material. The effects of these are likely to be detrimental to mental health, but it has to be borne in mind that for some it may be minimal, while for others it may be of great significance to their emotional well-being. The effects of racism on the individual may have wider impacts on families and communities . The impact of racism therefore has to be analysed in the context of histories of migration, histories of alienation, the subordination that resonates for these groups, and the way in which these groups have been stigmatised and continue to be stigmatised in society today. There are many competing discourses and perspectives on what constitutes mental illness. Bracken and Thomas (2005)argue that our knowledge of mental illness and distress is indeterminate and new ways of thinking about mental illness are constantly emerging. Coppock and Hopton (2000)suggest that there is ample evidence to show that mental illness is affected by social and political circumstances. Mental illness can be deeply dehumanising and alienating. It is generally regarded with anxiety and fear and loads to rejection and exclusion. A report by the Social Exclusion Unit (2004) found that people with mental health problems are among the most disadvantaged and socially excluded groups in society. The stereotype of big and dangerous has been fixed in the popular case of Christopher Clunis- a back man who had a diagnosis of schizophrenia, who randomly killed a stranger to him, Jonathan Zito, in a London underground in 1992. Keating et .al (2002) have demonstrated that such stereotypical views of black people, racism, cultural ignorance, stigma and anxiety associated with mental illness often combine to influence the way in which mental health services assess and respond to the needs of BME communities. There are at least three factors that underpin black peoples experiences of the mental health system: one, how black people are treated in society; two, how people with mental health problems are treated in society and three, the power of institutions to control and coerce people with mental health problems. Black peoples experiences in society have an impact on their mental and emotional well- being; these experiences in turn influence how they experience and perceive mental he alth services, and their position in society affects how they are treated in mental health services. Eradicating the disparities in mental health treatment and outcomes for a black people requires change in individual practices, but this can only be successful if supported by changes at the organisational level. Efforts to improve mental and emotional well- being for BME communities should be anchored in an understanding of history, broader societal conditions and contexts, and black peoples lived experiences: not just their experiences of racism, but also how they have survived in the face of multiple adversities. McKenzie (2002) has argued that the lack of definition of mental health from a British African Caribbean perspective and the use of diagnostic criteria based on white European norms rather than on the values and experience of the African- Caribbean population is problematic. Further evidence Hunt (2003), Keating, Robertson and Kotecha (2003) and McKenzie (2002) suggests that people from BME communities experience a number of social and environmental risk factors which adversely affect their mental health. These include high unemployment rates: poor housing, racism, low educational expectations, particularly for African and Caribbean boys (Grater London Authority/ London Health Observatory 2002); isolation; and a lack of access to opportunities for personal development. A report by the black mental health charity Footprints (UK) (2003), which works primarily with African Caribbean service users, has identified continuing issues of concern about care and treatmet as: the need for better assessment to promote more culturally acceptable interventions, concerns about medication, including high dosages and polypharmacy, resulting in numerous adverse side- effects and negative staff attitudes. Keating et al. (2003) have highlighted the point that black people see using mental health services as a degrading and alienating experience and that their perception is that service respond to them in ways that mirror some of the controlling and oppressive dimensions of other institutions in their lives, for example exclusion from schools and contact with police and the criminal justice system. The National Service Framework for Mental Health ( NSFMH) is an important driver and ways a key step in actively signalling that health services must ensure that the needs of people from BME communities are incorporated in the planning processes from mental health care. The framework emphasised the need for diverse communities to be consulted about the ongoing effectiveness and suitability of services. The NHS Plan is underpinned by ten core principles that are aimed at ensuring that people who use mental health services are at the centre of determining how services are delivered. The NHS Plan contains an explicit recognition of the diversity that exists within Britain. The recently published strategy on black mental health again underscores the governments commitment to race equality and outlines the underpinning roles of the NSFMH and the NHS Plan in ensuring that its modernisation programme within mental health is delivered. In conclusion the impetus and improvement for mental health service delivery to BME communities can be seen. Many people who use mental health services, however, would argue that what is less tangible is change in hospital wards, day centres, residential homes and engagements with community mental health teams; in essence, at the coal face. There is scope for substantial and sustainable change. It will require a recognition by mental health professionals of the strengths that service users and their families can bring in reshaping service delivery, partner- professionals and, most importantly, agreement by service providers and service users on clear and mutually agreed goals and outcomes about what constitutes improved care and treatment. Efforts to improve mental and emotional well- being for BME communities should be anchored in an understanding of history, broader societal conditions and contexts, and black peoples lived experiences: not just their experiences of racism, but also how they have survived in the face of multiple adversities. Beata Kulinska Student no: 09284805 Word count: 2999 References Pilgrim, D.(2005) Key Concepts in Mental Health. London: Sage Publications Ltd. Scull, A.(1979) Museums of Madness .Harmondsworth: Penguin. Stone, M,( 1985) Shellshock and the psychologists. London: Tavistock. Rogers, A. and Pilgrim, D.(2005) A Sociology of Mental Health and Illness.3rd ed. Maidenhead: Open University Press. Wade, J. (1993) Institutional racism: an analysis of the mental health system. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry.63(11): 536-544. Littlewood, M. (1980) Ethnic minorities and psychiatric services. Sociology of Health and Illness.2: 194-201. Sashidharan, S.(1993) Afro- Caribbeans and schizophrenia: the ethnic vulnerability hypothesis re- examined. International Review of Psychiatry. 5: 129- 144. Bracken,P.J., Greenslade, L., Griffen, B., Smyth, M. (1998) Mental health and ethnicity: an Irish dimension. British Journal of Psychiatry. 172: 103-105. Greenslade, L.(1992) White skin, white masks: psychological distress among the Irish in Britain. Leicester: Leicester University Press. White, A. (2002) Social focus in brie: ethnicity. London: Office for National Statistics. Healthcare Commission (2005) Count me in: results of a national census if inpatients in mental health hospitals and facilities in England and Wales. London: Healthcare Commission. Bhui, K., McKenzie, K., Gill, P. (2004) Delivering mental health services for a diverse society. British Medical Journal. 329: 363-364. McKenzie, K.(2002) Understanding racism in mental health. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Trivedi, P. (2002) Racism, social exclusion and mental health: a black service users perspective. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Department of Health (1999) National Service Framework for Mental Health: Modern Standards and Service Models. London: Department of Health. Department of Health (2000) The NHS Plan: A Plan for Investment, a Plan for Reform. London: The Stationery Office. National Institute for Mental Health England (2003) Inside/ Outside: Improving Mental Health Services for Black and Minority Ethnic Communities in England. London: Department of Health.

Impact of Outside Invasion in the Central Andes and Himalayas Essay

Impact of Outside Invasion in the Central Andes and Himalayas In Toward a Cultural Ecology of Mountains: The Central Andes and Himalayas Compared, David Guillet writes to address the nature of cultural adaptations between two mountain populations. His research is spurred by increased recognition that human intervention can cause detrimental resource degeneration in these fragile mountain environments. Guillet attempts to answer two questions; What environmental constraints on material provisioning will a human population encounter in mountains? How does the range of possible responses lead to patterns of social relations? By asking these questions Guillet believes that the production process is the critical link between the culture and the environment. Production is important to the cultural ecology of mountainous regions because; 1.) production decisions are constrained by altitude; 2.) cultural strategies implemented as a result of the mountainous environment are related to production; 3.) comparing production allows for a comparative model of mountain adaptations; and 4.) it shows that individuals and groups are involved in a process of adaptive flexibility that allows human response to the environment (Guillet, 563). In mountain environments, human populations are limited by vertical constraints on production strategies. The interaction between altitude, climate, and soil fertility sets limits on what types of crop can survive. This is evident in the use of animals to plow fields. The yaks of the Himalayas were able to adapt well to the plow, unlike the Andean camelids that lacked the physical strength for plowing. The mountain environment impacts many aspects of life. These regions have a poor... ...ent from degradation. After reading both Himalayan Herders and Toward a Cultural Ecology of Mountains, I have noticed a difference in the impact of outside invasion. For Bishop, the relatively isolated Melemchi village is rapidly changing, in response to global patterns, as a result of outside influences. However, these herders are able to maintain their cultural knowledge and traditions that have shaped their village for centuries. Why is it that Bishop noticed the dramatic influence of outside forces, while Guillet hardly recognizes this as a factor leading to adaptations in mountain populations? Is it because Guillet’s model needed to be broad that he was unable to focus on this influence? Works Cited Guillet, David, 1983. "Toward a Cultural Ecology of Mountains: The Central Andes and the Himalayas Compared," in Current Anthropology, 24(5) 561-574.

Dark and gothic atmosphere Essay

In this essay I will show how Mary Shelley manipulates the reader’s view of the monster throughout her novel â€Å"Frankenstein.† I will show that Shelley creates many different impressions on the reader, through various methods, to change their opinion throughout the book.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Frankenstein† is a romantic gothic horror novel written in 1818 by a young woman named Mary Shelley. It includes the classic gothic themes of romance, horror, religion and good and evil. â€Å"Frankenstein†, however, is centred on a issue still debated today; whether trying to change life is playing God and if it will lead to dire consequences. At the time of writing Mary Shelley was 16, the wife of Percy Shelley and staying in the Swiss Alps with Lord Byron and her husband. One of the more classic methods Shelley uses to manipulate her readers is setting. In chapter 5 the setting gives a dark and gothic atmosphere, which tells the reader that the monster is horrifying and to be feared. â€Å"One in the morning; the rain pattered dismally against the panes, and my candle was nearly burnt out.† This quote is giving the reader the idea of isolation; something surreptitious and forbidden. Mary Shelley does this by using a classic gothic horror setting; the night which traditionally implies evil, secrecy and darkness, the bad weather, used to make everything more dank and dismal, and the burnt down candle, a symbol of long hours of frenzied work and manic concentration. This setting also reflects badly on Frankenstein’s character; the middle of a stormy night when most people would be in bed and he is up, furtively completing a long held ambition. The burnt down candle image heightens this idea but also adds the concept that Frankenstein himself may be close to burning out. The candle is used as a metaphor for his own exhaustion. This type of setting shows the reader that Frankenstein is doing something secretly, something offensive to society. This casts a negative shadow on his character. The setting is also used to put a negative slur on the monster and just about everything else in the scene. The setting is used to make everything worse. The strange hour of the night and turbulent weather show the reader that the monster must be weird and unnatural to be kept away from normal people. Overall the main effect of this setting is to make all the ideas Mary Shelley presents to her readers in this chapter seem twisted and dangerous. Another thing which Mary Shelley uses to influence the reader’s opinion of the monster is its appearance. We are introduced to the living monster in chapter 5 and this is where most of the description concerning its â€Å"horrid† appearance is used. The monster is repulsive and gruesome, which is described in horrifying detail, causing the reader to make negative judgements on its character. In describing the monster Shelley also uses the reference of â€Å"Dante†. This comparison introduces a religious element; in playing God, Frankenstein has produced something worse than can be found in Hell. This also reinforces the unnatural image. This is continued with the idea that the monster has not turned out the way Frankenstein expected. â€Å"Beautiful! Great God! His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The whole vivid description centres on the unnatural and freakish, especially the way the monster’s innards are described as visible through the monster’s sallow skin. This creates a dramatic image in the readers mind as something human shaped but ultimately wrong, different and scary, more animal than human. The monster is also described as having â€Å"watery eyes† which make us think of illness, or perhaps, in the case of the monster, crying. This idea makes the monster seem all the more wretched and repulsive. Mary Shelley also uses the reaction of Victor Frankenstein to prejudice her readers against the monster in chapter 5. â€Å"†¦the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart.† The inventor turns against his creation immediately after giving it life. He takes no responsibility for the monster’s well being though he is the closest thing to a father the monster could have. He runs from his duty and breaks down, delirious with the shock of losing his dream and realising that he has done an evil deed. This adds to the fear felt by the reader; if even it’s creator cannot stand the monster, how evil would a stranger find it? The way Frankenstein turns against the monster the moment it comes to life signals to the reader that this is the moment when the sin is committed. Giving life is going against God so this is where all the negativity in this chapter, and in most of the book starts. The last influence on our opinion of the monster I will look at in chapter 5 is the monster’s own words and actions. In this chapter they are deliberately given a double meaning; animal, or baby? â€Å"His jaws opened, and he muttered some inarticulate sounds, while a grin wrinkled his cheeks.† This quote shows the monster as incoherent, whether due to a lack of intelligence or experience is unclear at this point. However the monster has, in effect, just been born and the behaviours Shelley describes are very similar to young children not quite in control of their movements, trying to pick up or chew on everything they find. When these movements are applied to the monster Shelley describes they become intimidating and threatening which gives the reader an even worse impression of the monster, when in reality it is just a scared child who has been called into the world and then rejected within minutes. Frankenstein is the first living creature the monster sets eyes on. This means that in its view Frankenstein is its father. This means that the monster reaches out to him for comfort and shelter. â€Å"†¦one hand was stretched out,† This quote shows the monster reaching for Frankenstein. However Shelley deliberately leaves the action open for interpretation as an animal attack to reinforce the overall impression received by the reader in this chapter that the monster is an ugly, evil, dangerous, horrifying animal. There are a lot of contrasts between chapters 5 and 10. The first is the setting which becomes a lot more dangerous and inaccessible in chapter 10. The setting is first portrayed in this chapter as enormous and amazing, as yet untouched by humans. â€Å"Solemn silence of this glorious presence-chamber of imperial nature was broken only by the brawling waves or the fall of some vast fragment.† This quote shows why Frankenstein has come to this place; he wants peace and isolation, and to think about more than just his own personal tragedy. â€Å"They elevated me from all little ness of feeling, and although they did not remove my grief, they subdued and tranquillized it.† The language used to describe the setting is more elaborate in this chapter, which reflects the increased grandeur of the scene. This is done to create a sense of awe from the reader and to show them how isolated the setting is, which affects their perception of the monster when he is introduced to the c hapter.

Performance as an Extreme Occasion

Edward Said, in his 1989 article â€Å"Performance as an Extreme Occasion,† writes that the execution of a music work as rendered by today’s musicians represents the kind of technical mastery that transcends affection and catapults the performance into an extreme public occasion. He begins by mentioning the works of literary and artistic critics who have explored the performance of such arts as painting and writing. He points out the similarities between this type of performance and that of musicians, but makes the important distinction that (especially today) musicians are less likely to be performing pieces they themselves have composed. Said goes on to identify the extreme state in which a musician must work himself when performing at concerts, as opposed to â€Å"performances† that occur privately. In fact, in today’s world, the musical performer is often so largely superior in skill to the listener that the extremity of the performance is much more pronounced because of the effect it has on its listeners. He explores the idea of how music is transcribed today as being almost an art form and highlights the difference between transcription for public use (of former times) and the elaborate forms of transcription (as done by Liszt and Gould) which allow the piece to take on a new identity. He describes Liszt’s transcriptions as â€Å"an art of sustained and extended quotation, and later of quotation prolonged elaborately into what Liszt was to call a concert paraphrase or fantasia† (Said, 6). Such forms of execution embody a method that showcases the extreme talent of the performer not just in technical but interpretative prowess, and this Said describes as the extreme â€Å"occasion† that performance becomes for the musician. The extreme nature of the performances to which Said alludes comes also from the fact that performers have the added pressure of desiring to sell tickets. This is true not just of concert performers, but of popular musicians who must show off â€Å"specialized and eccentric skills.† Said goes on to describe the performance of such musicians as staked on â€Å"the performer’s interpretive and histrionic personality fenced in by his or her obligatory muteness, upon the audience’s receptivity, subordination, and paying patience† (Said, 11). Furthermore, changes in the social methods of performance and the social strata to which performers belong have also contributed to the extreme occasion of performance. The essay by Said was interesting in the way he compares music with other art forms, but underscores the ability of the performer to be divorced from the composer in this medium. It points out to me the two distinct forms of excellence that musicians can attain. They can become masters at composing as well as masters of performing or executing works composed by themselves or others. What also was interesting about the particular ideas Said puts forth are his views on transcription as being an art in its own right. The development of transcription from a method of facilitating the amateur or chamber pianist to is elaborately interpretive state demonstrates the part that any art form takes to grow into maturity. It also shows how such ideas a plagiarism can be blurred in the music field, and musical quotes and paraphrases can grow up, become embellished and go on to be their own masterpieces. What Said calls â€Å"the basically illiterate mass market appetite† struck an interesting note for me, as it highlighted the fact that persons who listened to music in the past were probably more appreciative of it precisely because they were familiar with the technical aspects of the music. They perhaps listened as musicians listen—keenly and sympathetically. The role of recordings, radio and television in reducing music appreciation is therefore something I find ironic, because even though it has increased the exposure of the masses to music, it has reduced the need for them to understand how to play it. Therefore, this increases the effect of performance as an extreme occasion as it needs to happen less frequently and is therefore more dramatic when it does. Reference Said, Edward. â€Å"Performance as an Extreme Occasion.† Title of Book. City of Publication: Name of Publisher, Year of Publication.