Computing project Essay Example for Free

Computing project Essay The system will require a user name and a password to view or edit anything! Only one person is permitted to use the system, no-one else requires access   All files will also be password protected. Database   The instructor will be able to add or delete any records as needed   It will hold all necessary details Specific Objectives   The database will be able to create reports to show what stage the student is at   The database will calculate how many lessons a student has had and how much they have paid with plus if there are any outstanding balances remaining. My system is designed to help the instructor, the instructor has many problems with the current system, and many times it has cost him jobless hours. The current system is very old and has a lot of potential problems and I wish to make a system that eradicates these obvious problems. My system for a start will store the entire student details carefully and properly in line with all data protection acts. The main thing is that these details should not get lost and the instructor has access to this all the time so that he can contact the student at any time. The details should also be available so that it can be updated any time it needs to be. By having all these details stored onto the system it is kept safely and in one place rather than having paper forms lying about getting lost and muddled up, these forms will only be accessed only in one place so if the instructor needs these back in the office or at to work from at home then it is not possible to have multiple copies as it will not all be up to date. For example if a student changes the home phone number then the instructor will have to update every sheet of paper he has with the students phone number if he does not then it will be inconsistent and this can cause problems. The main reason for my proposal of this system is to ensure that the instructor does not continue double booking and not booking students at all. Currently at the end of a lesson the student asks for a booking and the instructor will look in his diary and book appropriately, many times what happens is the instructor looks at the wrong date, for example if the student asks for April 21st 2008 then the instructor may accidentally open may 21st 2008 and tell the student he is free. But in reality on that day an on that time he is busy. This is one of the things the instructor is complaining about and also another thing that has been drawn to my attention is that he misreads the time, so he tells the student that he is booked at 13:00 tomorrow but he is actually free he has a lesson at 3:00 not 13:00 so this is one way the instructor is loosing out on money. I wish to remove this issue and avoid these mistakes happening. GCE A2 Computing CPT 6 Ram Bhojani EXISTING SYSTEM Instructor Bookings | Ram Bhojani 13HAN PROPOSED SYSTEM DESIGN OVERALL SYSTEM Input Processes Student Name Calculate the number of lessons so far Student Number Calculate the total amount spent. Student Address Add a student Lesson Code Edit a student Price Per Lesson Delete a student Date and time of next lesson Search a Student Day Booked Search Availabilities Time Booked Edit a booking File Outputs Student Details Student details Availability Details Number of lessons each student has had Total spent Balances FORMS General Name Purpose Main Menu This allows the instructor to access the student details and availability details. Student Details This allows the instructor to view all details about a student. It also allows the instructor to print a report on the student progress Availability Details. This allows the instructor to see what dates and times are available in the next two weeks and make a booking. USER INTERFACE DESIGN MAIN MENU STUDENT DETAILS MENU AVAILABILITY DETAILS DATABASE DESIGN INCLUDING ER MODEL STUDENT (StudentName, StudentNumber, StudentAddress, LessonCode, PricePerLesson, DateAndTimeOfNextLesson) Availability (AvailableSlots, NextLessonBooked) RECORD STRUCTURE Instructor Field name Data type Size format Description AvailableSlots Date/time, Date time Shows what dates and times are available NextLessonBooked Date/time, Date time Name of student and the day, date and time of their next lesson. Student Field name Data type Size/format Description Student name Text, 20 The first name and last name of the student. Student number Number, 8 A Unique number given to each student for easy reference. Student address Text, 50 Full address of student, including postal address. Lesson code Number 5 A code that determines what sort of lesson they take, they can have an hour lesson, one and half-hour or pass plus. Price per lesson Number, Decimal 5,2 How much the student pays for each lesson Date and time of next lesson Date time Date time The next lesson student has booked. VALIDATION. I will use validation on some of the fields on the tables so there is less chance of wrong data being inputted. There are only some fields that can have validation but by ensuring they have a working validation it will mean that the system will not be wrong. Things that I can validate are numbers or specific number of characters. This is to make sure that the data entered conforms to a certain standard. The user cannot see the validation rules, so when they make a mistake they find out as an error message appears. VALIDATION Field Name Validation Type Validation Rule Error message Student Number Type Check. 8 digits The student number must be 8 digits Lesson Code Type check 5 Digits The lesson code must be 5 digits. STORAGE AND MEDIA FORMAT For my system I need to know how large each file will be so I have calculated the size of each field, and multiplied that but the amount of fields ii may get, to get an estimate of how large the file could get. Storage and media format Field name Number of records Size of record/ bytes Total size of records/bytes Student name 30 32 960 Student number 30 8 240 Student address. 30 65 1950 Lesson code 30 5 150 Price per lesson 30 8 240 Date and time of next lesson 30 16 480. Available lessons 31 20 620 Next lessons booked 6 134 804 Total 5444b 5. 4kb I have calculated that the approximate maximum size that I will need for the data to be stored will be around 6kb, which is small enough to fit on almost any data storage type. The most suitable storage device for this will be the hard disk drive on the laptop to be used. This means that the system will not be lost easily as it is not a portable storage device but on a actual laptop, which would be looked after carefully. There is a large amount of space on the hard disk meaning that there will be available space for expansion if necessary. Also the laptop can be connected to a computer in the office via a USB cable meaning that the data could be backed up and if needed archived. IDENTIFICATION OF SUITABLE ALGORITHMS FOR DATA TRANSFER Process to calculate Total number of lessons so far = ([Student Lessons])*([Total]) Process to calculate Total spent so far =([Total lessons])*([Price Per lesson]) Produce report of students ready for test Search through student details with criteria field Ready students to find matching records. If there are no matching records output an error message to the user. PLANNED VALID OUTPU.T. For my system outputs I have decided to create a report for students to see their progress. This will need to be created in Access. DESCRIPTION OF MEASURES PLANNED FOR SECURITY AND INTEGRITY OF DATA. The data must be kept secure and correct as this informations is very confidential, if details of the student were to get lost or misplaced then this would be in breach of the data protection act. To keep the data secure I am going to make sure that the user backs up the data at the end of every working week and keeps this disc either safely at home or in the office. There will also be a back up of the main system so if it happens to crash or is damaged then it can be replaced. If the system does crash then the files will have to be manually transferred back into the system from the backup. DESCRIPTION OF MEASURES PLANNED FOR SYSTEM SECURITY The system will not be secured with passwords however the computer will have a password this will be set to expire every 28 days to ensure that the data is safe even if someone gains the password, the user will generally have to be careful and keep the laptop besides him at all times or lock it in a glove compartment. When the instructor goes home he can either take it with him and store it at home carefully or leave it at the office in a safe place. As my system is only designed for one person the password on the system should be a sufficient security measure. TEST STRATEGY The system must be thoroughly tested to make sure that no errors occur the system is up and running. This is logical because if errors occur when the user starts to use the system, it can cost time to get it fixed. Hopefully if my testing strategy is good enough, it will not have any errors when it goes live. I am going to use bottom up testing, to test the system. This involves testing each individual module using prepared test data, which includes normal data, extreme data, upper and lower limits and individual data after this is done I will test the program to see if every route through the program is tested, every statement is executed, accuracy of the processing and that the program fits the original specification. This will make sure that the system is running correctly as this is basically using the whole system. I am also going to test the system in a beta testing method, although this will be a small scale. I am going to give the system to the user for a week just to make sure that everything works correctly. IMPLEMENTATION Login Screen Main Menu This is the main menu of my programme from here there are three options availability details and student details. Finally you can exit. Testing Test ID Test Data Test/Type Reason for test Expected Results Actual Results Data Entry 1. My system does conisit of tables and menus, both the student details and availability detail screens are very simple, it just displays details about these two entities. The booking screen is more complex because it needs to be live, so when the instructor makes a booking it needs to update on the next lesson booked screen and the availability screen. PROCEDURE AND VARIABLE LIST/ DESCRIPTIONS FOR PROGRAMS OR LIST OF PACKAGE ITEMS DEVELOPED Type of item Item Name Descriptions Table Student Details Holds all the details of the students that the instructor teaches, this includes first name, last name, address, phone number and the details of their next lesson that has been booked. Holds the details of all the available time slots in the coming fortnight, this allows the instructor only to see what is available, he can liaise with the student and once a slot is agreed a booking can be made. Form Make A Booking This form allows the user to make a booking for a lesson, he will need to enter the student number, and then first of all select a time and then the date. Once all these are selected the appointment is made. Form Next lesson Booked Has a list of students and the date and time of their next lesson, so the instructor can check on this if he receives a query from the student. CREATION AND CUSTOMISATION OF THE DATABASE TABLES I created all my tables in Microsoft access; I then linked it up to visual basics, The table below is the Student Details table. It consists of mostly text and one field of number, the reason that the telephone number is a text field rather than a number is because telephone numbers usually start with a 0 and if I put the data type as numbers then it will not let me add a 0 at the front. USER MANUAL BRIEF INTRODUCTION The instructor database is a simple system to handle bookings given to the instructor. The system allows the instructor to control appointments already made and allows him to make new appointments. It allows him to keep electronic records of all students, past and present. The students all have unique student numbers that the instructor can use to search for them. It stores details about students names, addresses, telephone numbers and the lessons they have booked. There is a very easy to use form that allows the instructor to make a booking. Microsoft Access 2007 or later. To install the system one must either move the file onto the hard disc of the computer. This can be done by selecting the file Instructor Database System and copying and pasting it into an empty folder on the hard disc, this maybe the best idea as there is a possibility a removable storage device could get lost or corrupt. This system could be also run from a removable storage device by opening the file and run it straight away. To back the system up the system the database file can be copied onto a USB pen or CD-R. When the system is going to be backed up, the file should be copied onto the USB pen, when this done a message box may appear asking if you want to replace the existing file just select yes or yes to all. This would mean that the backup would be separated from the main system, meaning less chance of losing both the original and the backup. USING THE SYSTEM Here is a simple short set of instructions to use the system. When the instructor opens up they will be asked to log on, The username at the moment is Ian and the password is Burleigh. Once they enter all these details correctly it allows them to use the system. Once the instructor logs on, he will come to the main menu of the system, I am going to show him to basic things in this tutorial, how to find the phone number of a student and then how to make a booking. Below is the main menu, to get to the student phone number he has to select the student details button, then the screen will have three buttons saying details, he can select any of these three, they all do the same job. Once that is selected at the screen below will appear, there are no details at the moment, but once show details button is pressed all the details will appear. The instructor now needs to press the back button until he arrives back at the main menu, and then select availability details. Then select make a booking. Once the make a booing screen appears first he has to select the date that he wants, then the time and finally the student number. Once that is done press save and then it is saved. Appraisal Comparision of project performance against objectives. To compare the objectives and the performance , I will put the original objectives down and compare against each one. General Objectives Security. The database will be able to create reports to show what stage the student is at   The database will calculate how many lessons a student has had and how much they have paid with plus if there are any outstanding balances remaining. My system is designed to help the instructor, the instructor has many problems with the current system, and many times it has cost him jobless hours. The current system is very old and has a lot of potential problems and I wish to make a system that eradicates these obvious problems. My system for a start will store the entire student details carefully and properly in line with all data protection acts. The main thing is that these details should not get lost and the instructor has access to this all the time so that he can contact the student at any time. The details should also be available so that it can be updated any time it needs to be. By having all these details stored onto the system it is kept safely and in one place rather than having paper forms lying about getting lost and muddled up, these forms will only be accessed only in one place so if the instructor needs these back in the office or at to work from at home then it is not possible to have multiple copies as it will not all be up to date. For example if a student changes the home phone number then the instructor will have to update every sheet of paper he has with the students phone number if he does not then it will be inconsistent and this can cause problems. The main reason for my proposal of this system is to ensure that the instructor does not continue double booking and not booking students at all. Currently at the end of a lesson the student asks for a booking and the instructor will look in his diary and book appropriately, many times what happens is the instructor looks at the wrong date, for example if the student asks for April 21st 2008 then the instructor may accidentally open may 21st 2008 and tell the student he is free. But in reality on that day an on that time he is busy.

Borges Use of Berkeleys Idealism Essays -- Essays Papers

Borge's Use of Berkeley's Idealism Jorge Luis Borges drew upon a number of philosophical and intellectual models in his writing, one of which is George Berkeley’s subjective idealism. In "Tlà ¶n, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius," Borges paints a picture of a perfect reality governed by Berkeley’s idea that matter only exists in perception, and in "The Circular Ruins," he presents a man who creates a boy who cannot exist independent of his perception. However, by employing Berkeley’s logic in these stories, Borges is in fact denying Berkeley’s ultimate purpose: the justification of the existence of God. In almost all of his work, Berkeley’s fundamental goal is to logically disprove any thinking that presumes the non-existence of God (Muehlmann 231). In a nutshell, Berkeley argues that matter does not exist outside of human perception. In his Three Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous, he asserts the following: If it be allowed that no idea nor anything like an idea can exist in an unperceiving substance, then surely it follows, that no figure or mode of extension which we can either perceive or imagine, or have any idea of, an be really inherent in matter. (Three Dialogues 139) According to Berkeley, only qualities of matter exist, and only in the perceiving mind. For instance, fire as an object does not exist, but the sensation it produces in the mind does because the mind can perceive it. Outside of the perception of heat, fire does not exist because the mind is not present to acknowledge it (123-128). Berkeley expands this principle further to justify the existence of God, arguing that for ideas to be perceivable, they must be perceived. Thus, anything that cannot be perceived by the mind can only exist in the mind of Go... ...rcular Ruins," or a culmination of several different forces, as in "Tlà ¶n, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius" (59). Subjective idealism is enough to explain the nature of human perception, but is hopelessly theocentric concerning Berkeley’s ultimate purpose. Borges exploits this weakness, and subsequently uses Berkeley’s crowning philosophical achievement to defend agnosticism and reinforce the uncertainty surrounding God. Works Cited Berkeley, George. Principles of Human Knowledge. London: Penguin, 1988. Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous. London: Penguin, 1988. Borges, Jorge Luis. Ficciones. Trans. Emecà © Editores. New York: Grove Press, 1962. Dunham, Lowell and Ivar Ivask. The Cardinal Points of Boges. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1971. Muehlmann, Robert G. Berkeley’s Metaphysics. University Park: The Pennsylvania State University Press, 1995.

Malaysian Airlines vs Air Asia

Malaysia Airlines Introduction Malaysia Airlines, the country’s national carrier, was first incorporated as Malayan Airways Limited (MAL) on 12 October 1937. It was a joint initiative of the Ocean Steamship Company of Liverpool, the Straits Steamship of Singapore and Imperial Airways which led to a proposal to the Colonial Straits Settlement government to run an air service between Penang and Singapore. On 2 April 1947, MAL took to the skies with its first commercial flight as the national airline.Fuelled by a young and dynamic team of visionaries, the domestic carrier turned into an international airline in less than a decade. With the formation of Malaysia in 1963, the airline changed its name to Malaysian Airlines Limited. In 1965, with the separation of Singapore from Malaysia, MAL became a bi-national airline and was renamed Malaysia-Singapore Airlines (MSA). However, in 1973, the partners went separate ways. Malaysia introduced Malaysian Airline Limited, which was subseq uently renamed Malaysian Airline System or in short, Malaysia Airlines.Today, Malaysia Airlines flies an average of 43,000 passengers daily to some 100 destinations worldwide and holds a lengthy record of service and best practices excellence. It was the recipient of the inaugural â€Å"World's Best Cabin Staff† award by Skytrax,UK in 2001 and continued to retain this title for 2002-2004, 2007 and 2009 – the most for any airline. In 2010, Malaysia Airlines was recognised as the ‘World's Leading Airline to Asia’, ‘Asia's Leading Airline’ and ‘Asia's Leading Business Class Airline’ by World Travel Awards (WTA). This year, WTA honoured Malaysia Airlines as ‘Asia's Leading Airline’ and ‘Asia's Leading Airline Lounge’.The national carrier's engineering subsidiary, Malaysian Aerospace Engineering (MAE), has also been acknowledged as the top airline affiliated Maintenance and Repair Organisation (MRO) in the wor ld by Aviation Week's Overhaul & Maintenance magazine. Its current fleet includes Boeing 747-400, B777-200, Airbus 330-300, Airbus 330-200, Boeing 737-800 and Boeing 737-400. By the second quarter of 2012, Malaysia Airlines will also join the league of the Airbus A380 operators, when the first of the six aircraft ordered enters into service. The national carrier will be the eighth airline in the world to operate this biggest commercial aircraft.Malaysia Airlines is set to join oneworld by end of 2012, adding one of aviation's most frequent award winners to the world leading quality airline alliance. When it becomes part of oneworld, its customer will gain access to the alliance's truly global network. It will expand oneworld's global coverage to almost 950 destinations in 150 countries, served by a combined fleet of more than 2,600 aircrafts operating some 10,000 flights a day. AirAsia Introduction AirAsia is a Malaysian-based low-cost airline. AirAsia is Asia's largest low-fare, no -frills airline and a pioneer of low-cost travel in Asia.AirAsia was established in 1993 and began operations on 18 November 1996. It was originally founded by a government-owned conglomerate, DRB-Hicom. On 2 December 2001 the heavily-indebted airline was bought by former Time Warner executive Tony Fernandes's company Tune Air Sdn Bhd for the token sum of one ringgit with USD 11 million worth of debts. Fernandes turned the company around, producing a profit in 2002 and launching new routes from its hub in Kuala Lumpur, undercutting former monopoly operator Malaysia Airlines with promotional fares as low as MYR 1.In 2003, AirAsia opened a second hub at Senai International Airport in Johor Bahru near Singapore and launched its first international flight to Bangkok. AirAsia has since started a Thai subsidiary, added Singapore itself to the destination list, and started flights to Indonesia. Flights to Macau began in June 2004, and flights to mainland China (Xiamen) and the Philippines (Manila) in April 2005. Flights to Vietnam and Cambodia followed later in 2005 and to Brunei and Myanmar in 2006, the latter by Thai AirAsia.On August 2006, AirAsia took over Malaysia Airlines's Rural Air Service routes in Sabah and Sarawak, operating under the FlyAsianXpress brand. The routes were subsequently returned to MASwings a year later, citing commercial reasons. Qualitative characteristics Qualitative characteristics of accounting information refer to the characteristics that must be present in the accounting information to make it useful. These characteristics are divided into two categories; primary and secondary qualities. primary qualities The primary qualities of accounting information are relevant and reliability. a) Relevant In everyday terms, we might describe relevant as important or being related. In accounting, relevant is described as something that makes a difference in arriving at a decision. In other words, something is said to be relevant if it influences o r affects the decision being made. The extent to which information is considered relevant depends on its importance in decision making and may differ between one decision maker to another. Information that is relevant to you might not be relevant to another person and vice versa.To become relevant, the information must have three characteristics, namely feedback value, forecast value and timeliness. (i) Feedback Value Relevant information must be able to assist users in substantiating or correcting early expectations matters at hand. (ii) Forecast Value Relevant information must be able to assist users in forecasting. (iii) Timeliness Relevant information must be obtained before it becomes obsolete or unusable. (b) Reliability Reliability means that users can rely or depend on the said information to make good decisions.This characteristic is important because users might not have the time or expertise to evaluate some information. Generally, users simply depend on the information p resented by the related entity and assume it to be true. This information is then used in decision making. Reliability does not mean that the said information must be precise. This is because in accounting there are a lot of information that involves estimation and approximation that might not be precise. What is important is that the estimation and approximation made must be reliable.Reliable information must have the following characteristics: (i) Verifiable This means that the accounting information could be verified objectively by another person using the same method. (ii) Objective Objective in this case means that the information is not biased. Information contained in the financial statements must be able to fulfil the requirements of various users and not concentrating on certain groups only. (iii) Trustworthy Information presented is based on the actual result of economic activities using specified methods. secondary qualities. The secondary qualities are comparability and consistency. c) Comparability Comparability means that the information can be compared whether among companies, industries or different periods. This will enable users to identify the similarities or differences that might exist in the said information. This characteristic is important because information that can be compared is more useful. (d) Consistency Consistency means that an entity must use the same accounting procedures in every period. It is for the purpose of enabling comparison to be made more effectively. In other words, a company cannot change their accounting procedure every year.This does not mean that the company cannot change the accounting procedure at all. Changes can still be made, but the company must make complete disclosure in the financial statement to explain to the users why they are making the changes and the effect of the changes towards the financial statements. In summary, accounting information is only useful if it has relevant, reliability, comparabi lity and consistency qualities. Statement Of Comprehensive Income Referring to the Annual reports for the year 2010 and 2011 it shows Air Asia gained a revenue of RM 4,495 Million for the year 2011 as compared to RM 3,948 Million for the year 2010.There was an increase of 547 Million, However, the net profit of the company after tax have shrunk down from RM 1,061 Million in 2010 to RM 555 Million Therefore, The company’s profit after tax have reduced by RM 506 Million. Malaysian Airlines gained revenue of RM 13,901 Million for the year 2011 as compared to RM 13,585 Million for the year 2010. There was an increase of 316 Million, However, company is facing a big loss after tax for the two years A loss of RM 237. 3 Million in 2010 to a loss of RM 2,521. Million in 2011 Therefore, with this information available the investors can see that Air Asia is having a good profit after tax but Malaysian airlines is in big loss after tax. Statement of Financial Position Total asset of Air Asia as on 2010 is RM 13,240 Million and got increased to RM 13,906 Million in 2011. Malaysian Airlines had a total asset of RM 613,639 Million in 2010 and increased to RM 815,468 Million. Statement Of Cash Flows One of the important point investor should look for when investing in a potential company is the company’s ability to produce cash.Just a pointer it is not necessary for a company that shows a profit in an income statement does not mean that it cannot get into problems later because of insufficient cash flow According to the Statement of Cash Flows in the annual report of Air Asia, The cash flow from operating activities is RM 1594 million in the year 2010 and RM 1404 Million in the year 2011 The cash flow from investing activities is RM 1868 Million in the year 2010 and RM 487 Million in the year 2011 The cash flow from financing activities is RM 1031 Million in the year 2010 and RM 300 Million in the year 2011 The net cash flow for the year 2010 is RM 757 million and RM 617 Million for the year 2011.According to the Statement of Cash Flows in the annual report of Malaysian Airlines, The cash flow from operating activities is RM 105. 5 million in the year 2010 and RM 960 Million in the year 2011 The cash flow from investing activities is RM 3362. 6 Million in the year 2010 and RM 1341. 6 Million in the year 2011 The cash flow from financing activities is RM 2922. 4 Million in the year 2010 and RM 1310. 4 Million in the year 2011 The net cash flow for the year 2010 is RM 1851 million and RM 860 Million for the year 2011. Statement of Changes in Equity The statement of changes in equity represents a company profit or loss for an accounting period.The items of income and expense which is recorded in the Statement of Comprehensive Income for the period, the effects of changes in accounting policies and corrections of error recognised in the period, and the amounts of investments by, and dividends and other distributions to, equity investors durin g the period. (didn’t find much info) ASSESSMENT OF INFORMATION RELEVANCE Information relevance refers to the feedback value, forecast value and timelines. If the net income and its components confirm investor expectations about future cash-generating ability, then the net income has feedback value for investors. This confirmation can also be useful in predicting future cash-generating ability as expectations are revised. For information to be relevant, it needs to be predictable. By looking at the data, forecast can be made whether income will be acquired. The last characteristic is timelines.To be relevant, the data should be up to date not outdated. The annual report of both Air Asia And Malaysian Airlines is available in their official website. There, they have an archive that lets you download the annual report according to year.. ASSESSMENT OF INFORMATION RELIABILITY Sometimes, the information given by the organization is the only data that the user depends on. This cou ld be because of lack of knowledge to assess the information and lack of time to do so. In this case, the user must make sure the information given can be relied upon. To assess reliability, we have to think about three matters which are verifiable, objective and trustworthy.Verifiable means that the information can be validated by someone else. Both Air Asia and Malaysian Airlines annual report can be downloaded by everyone who owns a laptop or desktop. That means that the information can be verified by everyone else. From the 2009 annual income to the the 2010 net profit, it can be checked by everyone else. It is important to get someone who knows what to look for to validate the information for you. Without their validation, decision making can be hard to do. Make a conclusion that air asia is having a good profit but Malaysian airlines is going with heavy loss So its safe to invest with air asia than with Malaysian airlines

Warhorse: World War I

Explain how the combination of two of the following elements was used in one live production that you have seen and assess their contribution to the creation of specific mood(s) and atmosphere(s) at moments: set design, lighting, sound. The live performance I have chosen to write about is ‘Warhorse’ which I saw on the 3rd February at the New London Theatre. In this essay, I am going to explain and analyse how the staging and the lighting together created the different atmospheres and moods such as fear and tension. Throughout the play, numerous themes are illustrated such as the barbarity of war and the cruelty of man. The themes of loyalty and hope are also illustrated and portrayed. Not only did the set and lighting help portray these themes and atmospheres, they also helped making the transitions fluid and the change between the two locations were easily interweaved due to the composite set. The staging used was thrust upon stage with a circular revolve in the centre. The revolve in the centre allowed for separation of the two sections along with the outside edge. The revolve was also used in holding frozen images when other action was taking place along the edge. The use of the no-naturalistic staging in the non-naturalistic theatre form was effective in portraying the different journeys from the likes of Joey. Even the flooring of the stage was a fundamental part of the set. The shades of grey and black gave the look of creased and uneven farmland and also the floor distinctively helped with making the trenches and war land look effective. The different appearances depended a lot on the lighting. At one point, on the back wall, there was a projection of a page torn out from Major Nicholl’s notebook along with projections of dates. This helped the audience follow the events of the war in chronological order. The page torn was also accompanied with different pictures inspired from Paul Nash, the World War One artist. Poppies were also projected to highlight the deaths that were caused by World War One. At the back of the stage, there was a large black area. The depth of this area gave the idea of the vastness of war space and the large scale of war. It also gave the illusion that the actors appeared from nowhere. We saw the transformation and transition of Joey from foal to adult in this black area. This moment was marked by the adult horse jumping over he foal in slow motion. Another big and memorable moment when this black area was used was when the new soldiers first arrived in France and they entered walking through the black space and into the wounded soldiers. This action was accompanied with a harsh white light which made the men look skeletal. The revolve helped in creating different locations and atmospheres and also helped mark key moments. One example of this is the ploughing scene. The struggle of the horse was emphasised by the turning of the revolve as it gave the illusion of a far distance. When Joey got caught on the barbed wire, the revolve was elevated and raised to a higher level to emphasise it. Another example of the use of the revolve was during the enlistment scene. As the announcement of war was made, men were encouraged to sign up along with their horses. The fun and exciting atmosphere at the funfair was highlighted by the revolvement. Flags were put up on the stage and also in the first few rows of audience. This made the audience feel involved and echoed how many people were involved in the war. There was a sense of dramatic irony as we saw the celebration of glory while one of the main themes of the play is barbarity of war. The striking, frozen image was held on the revolve and the image of triumph and glory was hugely contrasted with the action outside as Joey is being enlisted without the knowledge of Albert. We see the father receive money and the uncle giving his son the hand-me-down knife and also we see Albert frantically search for Joey – each of these moments being marked by a spotlight. The non-naturalistic frozen image held on the revolve juxtaposed the naturalistic action and images that were performed outside of the revolve. When Joey gets caught in the barbed wire, I found this moment very moving and it was one of the key moments on the revolve. The revolve emphasises the struggle from the horse. When Joey is ploughing for Albert, the revolve is again used to emphasise his struggle and also it gives the illusion of the long distance Joey had to plough for. The puppeteers who manipulated Joey in these scenes had the tough job of lowering his head and making all of his body parts move as if they were real. When he stumbles backwards, his legs shook and it looked very realistic. At the moment where he is stuck in the barbed wire, there is a projection of barbed wire on the back wall and this really enhanced the illusion that Joey was really stuck. The audience were tense watching this as they really worried about whether he would be able to escape. This was also the moment when the revolve was elevated as it stressed how much pain Joey was in and the fear he would be been feeling. He was lifted higher than the trenches and this showed how much pressure the horses were under and also how much they suffered too; it wasn’t just the soldiers and their families that suffered. Joey was helped freed by the two sides of the war came together. This exemplified the unity of men. By having a composite stage, it was effective as two different scenes were allowed to take place at once. One example of this is when Nicholls dies; men’s bodies and horses bodies were lying dead on the stage as Albert’s mother walked through in Devon; her life had not changed unlike the lives of these men. This moment illustrated how while these men and horses were fighting in the war, the families and people at home were safe at home going about as usual. When these two locations and atmospheres were combined it was really effective. At one point, in no-man’s land, black sticks were lowered from the hatches in the ceiling and they portrayed dead trees as it resembled the amount of deaths that were caused. The trees were representations of the lack of life; this created a reminiscent mood and made the audience reflect on those that died. Paul Nash was also the inspiration behind this. Images of silhouetted men were projected; this also reflected the vast amount of soldiers that died. The lighting used was effective in illustrating the change of location as we moved from Devon to France. It also assisted the set in creating the different moods and atmospheres. The lighting used for Devon was warm and gave homely atmosphere. The audience generally received a warm sense when Devon was visited. In comparison however, when in France, the lighting was dramatically different as it changed from cal, to quiet harsh white lights. The monochrome lighting that was constantly used in France really emphasised the gloomy and startling nature of the war. The bright lights intensified to portray key moments such as Nicholls’ death. Strobe lighting was also used to partner the repetitive gun shots. Nicholls’ death was a major key moment and was marked in numerous ways; he was thrown off Topthorne and a spotlight was focused on him as he and his horse fell in slow motion. A green light was also used to represent the mustard gas attack. As the gas leaked towards the soldiers, the audience felt the climax as we watched it approach them. To show the transportation from Britain to Franc, blue gels were used and also a yellow glow shone on Joey and the others as it demonstrated the life within them. This contrasted hugely with the bright white lights that were used to portray the skeletal look of the men and horses at battle in France. These same bright white lights were used in representing the explosions. Projections were also used alongside the lighting to effectively portray settings. The projection of Joey galloping freely in the open land was juxtaposed with the lack of freedom he got while at war. There was a projection of a tank during the scene where Joey is on stage with a huge tank. This was to done to portray the intimidation Joey must have felt as it was man vs. machine. As I have previously mentioned, the projection of Nicholls’ notebook created a sincere atmosphere for the audience as they reflect on the reason why Albert has gone to war; to find his horse. The only projection that was not in black and white were the poppies; this represented the bloodshed caused and again, the audience were left with a solemn and reminiscent mood. However, the colour also gave the audience the chance to reflect as the red illustrated remembrance. To conclude, I thought that through the set design and lighting of ‘Warhorse’, a variety of moods and atmospheres were successfully created. Tension, hope, remembrance were all enhanced and the audience were often left feeling reminiscent of the horrors of war.

6 Reasons to Graduate Early From College

6 Reasons to Graduate Early From College Graduating college early is not for everyone. Most students need the full four years, or even five, to complete their education. But for those who have amassed enough credits and have fulfilled their general education and major requirements, there are some reasons for finishing a semester or even a year early. Here are some of the reasons: Saving Money One of the biggest reasons for graduating in less than four years is to save the cost of tuition and housing. The cost of college can put a grave strain on a family’s finances or rack up future debt for the student. By graduating early a student can ease this economic burden and save tens of thousands of dollars. Getting to the Job Market Sooner In addition to saving on tuition, a student who graduates college early can begin earning early. Instead of spending tuition dollars in what would have been their senior year, early graduates can begin earning an income. Interviewing Off Season   In the fall of senior year, there is a big rush to the job market for students graduating in May and June. Students who finish college early and are ready for the job market in January  may find themselves competing in a less crowded field. Applying to Graduate or Professional School Students finishing their bachelors degrees early who plan to apply to graduate or professional school will have more time to prepare for their entrance exams and complete their applications and any interviews that the process requires. Get a Break Many colleges graduate their students in May or June. Full-time jobs for these students sometimes begin only a few weeks later. By graduating early, students give themselves time for a break, perhaps some travel or time with their families or potentially a useful internship. Once  students enter the job market they may have very little vacation time in their new position and graduating early may give them the last block of free time they will have for perhaps many years. Shorten a Very Long Road For students planning to go on to professional or graduate school, particularly medical school, there are many years of schooling ahead. Graduating early offers a break and chance to do something else for a period of time in what is a very long academic journey. Other Things to Keep in Mind These are all good reasons for graduating college early yet while explaining how their students can graduate early, Duke University offers an alternative view, â€Å"Bear in mind that your college years come at a special time in your life and are a rare opportunity for you to engage so freely and intensely in your development, intellectual and otherwise. Think twice before cutting your Duke career short. As an alternative to graduating early, even if you are eligible to do so, you might think about enriching your experience by taking a semester to travel or study abroad.† Sue Shellenbarger, in an article  about exploring early college graduation for the Wall Street Journal, explains that she regrets her decision to graduate in less than four years and explains, â€Å"I went through undergrad school in three and a half years, and I wish now I had done more extracurricular activities and had a little more fun. Our working lives are decades long, and I constantly tell my own two college students that their university days offer an opportunity for reflection and exploration. The one thing early graduates dont need to worry about missing? The graduation ceremony with their class, Most colleges (and any student considering an early graduation should check with their school) are delighted to have early graduates partake in all of the year-end graduation festivities.

Analyse the portrayal of the character of Mercutio as the vehicle of Shakespeare's tragic outcome in the play 'Romeo and Juliet'

Analyse the portrayal of the character of Mercutio as the vehicle of Shakespeares tragic outcome in the play Romeo and Juliet Essay Of all of Shakespeares tragedies Romeo and Juliet is perhaps the best known one, Shakespeare based much of his play on the reality of his time by managing to encompass much of his context in the play. This was the Elizabethan era, In the Elizabethan era it was very different in the way we live our lives today. In how there were different class structures and people were treated differently and judged differently depending on which class they fell in. There was religious and politic conflict. The religious conflict was where the hate between Christians, there were two main factions of the Christian, Protestants and The Catholics, Queen Elizabeth the 1st was the head of the Church of England (which the protestants followed) and anyone found out to be a Catholic or practising the Catholic faith would have to change to The Church of England. Mercutio is Romeos best friend. Mercutio is first introduced to us in Act 1, Scene 4. It is the scene preceding the ball. At this point, the audience are aware of Romeos feelings for Rosaline, there Mercutios point view is easy to understand. In speaking to his friend, Mercutio reveals a wit and a strong sense of confidence in himself. He acts the part of Romeos advisor, implying that Mercutio is somewhat older; more level headed than Romeo and has superior intelligence. He also prompts Romeo to stop being a wimp as such and to be more confident and pro-active rather than passive and to wallow in himself and his adolescent thoughts and fantasies. By telling Romeo that, you are a lover, borrow Cupids wings and soar with them above a common bound. (Act 1, scene 4, line 15.) Mercutio encourages, but not enforcing his opinion on Romeo, just to teach him to be the master of his own destiny and not let fate decide a path for you and to do nothing about it. Mercutio wishes for Romeo to take control and aspire something more special than a common relationship. The theme of fate and destiny can be linked to Romeo and Juliets love for one another because they believe fate brought them together and it was their destiny to be together, but because of their families differences their fate was chosen for them before they even met. The whole aura circulating the Queen Mab is a warning to Romeo. When Romeo says I dreamt a dream tonight and Mercutio replying with And so did I Romeo asks Well what was yours? and Mercutio finishes Romeos question by saying that dreamers often lie. (Act 1, Scene 4). Mercutio is warning Romeo that dreams are of nothing and should be thought of as nothing. This theme of dreams runs/flows throughout the whole play. Mercutio is implicit and bluntly a fundamentalist which goes back to the Puritans of the time. In spite of this, Romeo continues to ponder, question and dabble in love, lust and fickle fantasies. Mercutio has a large impact on the people around him, for example Romeo, Benvolio, etc. He is a leader and wins his way over by being a joker and gets his point across by jokes, Romeo and Benvolios ways of showing that they agree is through their response, usually in laughter. Mercutio has to use Jokes because that is the only way his friends will understand, Mercutio is far too int elligent and most of the time the likes of Romeo and Benvolio do not understand what he is trying to illustrate. READ: The relationship between Juliet and the nurse is a better example of the mother-daughter relationship than that of Juliet and Lady Capulet EssayIn the Queen Mab speech (Act 1, scene 4) Mercutio leads into warning Romeo that Dreams are fantasies which are neither realistic nor real. Queen Mab is the Celtic Queen of Dreams, Mercutio describes who she is and what she is about, the way he does this is how unrealistic she is when he says such things like her chariot it an empty hazel-nut. Mercutio then goes on trying to show Romeo what Queen Mab and dreams can bring about, which are unlikely dreams in unrealistic, impossible situations. Mercutio sarcastically mocks Romeos dreams because he sees Romeo as immature and wants Romeo to learn from Mercutios experiences and mistakes. By Romeo saying thou talkst of nothing Shakespeare reveals Romeos lack of understanding and immaturity, and when replying to Romeo True, I talk of dreams, again Mercutio will not let it go that he knows what is true here that Romeos dreams are of nothingness. Mercutio is upset that Romeo has not listened to a word that he said to him, Mercutio originally thinks that he must have gone home, listened to him a gotten over his infatuation, not only would this satisfy Mercutios ego as the dominant male of the group, but it would have helped his best friend. Mercutio asks Benvolio what has Romeo drifted to, Benvolio tells Mercutio that he climbed over the Capulet wall. Mercutio is disappointed with him disappearing. Mercutio is elder, more experienced and is a brother figure, so he is disappointed with Romeo still keeping secrets, hiding and that he still has not got over his childish dreams and blind fantasies, but here is a use of a dramatic device where the audience know something that a character does not, this adds a hint of excitement and for the more intelligent ones of the audience a perspective or a look in at something bad that may happen. In the fight scene (Act 3, Scene 4) Benvolios statement I pray thee, good Mercutio, lets retire. The day is hot, the Capels are abroad and if we meet, we shall not scape a brawl, for now these hot days, is the mad blood stirring. (Act 3, Scene 1, Line 2-5) this Implies whenever the Capulets and the Montagues meet they cannot escape a fight and how Benvoilo (the peace keeper) is begging Mercutio and desperate not to fight he is tired of the on going feud, we can empathise with him because what he asks of Mercutio is ignored with a sarcastic comment, once again the Montagues and Mercutios are slaves to war. This is the final time we see Mercutio. Mercutio was aware that Tybalt was ready for a fight this did not bother Mercutio in the slightest. Tybalt wants to fight with Romeo, but Mercutio is willing to replace him and risk his own life for Romeo because without a doubt Mercutio believes Romeo shall lose. Mercutio is confident and ready so he fights. Tybalt does not know (like everyone else) the reason Romeo will not fight is because he sees Tybalt as a family member now, I think this is an example of collapsed stereotype because they hated each other (Tybalt and Romeo) and now Romeo refuses to fight Tybalt because he sees him as not an enemy anymore. In the fight Mercutio is injured by Tybalt and claims it to be just a scratch as usual Mercutio plays the jester character and lives up to protecting his friends, because they neither see nor feel Mercutios pain so Mercutio thinks what they dont know cannot hurt them. Mercutio implies he will be dead the next day in his line look for me tomorrow and you shall find me a grave man (Act 3, Scene 1, line 99). With Mercutios dying breath he calls a plague on both you houses he does this three times, in the Elizabethan Era a word spoken on a mans dying breath was to become true, (like fate/destiny) he says this three times another superstition in those times. He wanted the feud to end but he had to die in the middle of it even though he was not a member to either houses. Romeo felt guilty and responsible in a way for Mercutios death for not fighting Tybalt and feels he must avenge his friend if he wants to be worthy as a man, to himself and not a coward as we have seen before. It is extrem ely ironic that The Prince a relative of Mercutio warned them of might happen and that Mercutio had to die to make it clear to them. READ: Thesis Statement For Romeo And Juliet EssayIn Conclusion to the question Analyse the portrayal of the character of Mercutio as the vehicle of Shakespeares tragic outcome in the play Romeo and Juliet . The audience always sees Mercutio at key scenes in the play, like an implication that he fuels the key scenes and sets them off. We see him at the ball when Romeo forgets about Rosaline and finds Juliet. He arrives just before the nurse arranges the marriage like he was there to show that the wedding should not happen like a fairy god-mother to Romeo to help him out in his situations of need and to give Romeo the hints which are like subliminal signs hidden throughout the play. The final time he is seen is at the fight scene where he is killed and calls the curse which creeps through the play right to the end where both Romeo and Juliet Commit suicide. The foolishness, pure stupidity and simple ignorance of the two houses leads to the death of a person who was neutral to the feud , did not agree with it and got caught up in the middle of it. The Prince banished Romeo which was a more like a punishment for Mercutios death rather than Tybalts which put more guilt on Romeo and because Romeo and Juliet were apart they needed to create a plan, the plan failed which lead to both their deaths. Mercutio was the vehicle for the tragic outcome of the play. He influenced and impacted on key events by ironically appearing before key moments. He contributed to helping the play move by enforcing and encouraging Romeo to go to the ball where he inevitably met Juliet. If Mercutio was not in the play there would be no story because he drove the play to where it needed to be and where it went, ended up, but when he had gone this lead to Romeo and Juliets deaths. Mercutio was one of the Main Characters if not Romeo and Juliet. He entertained the audience with his intelligent wit and sarcastic humour, Shakespeare uses him as the vehicle to show how someone innocent can die over a petty and meaningless feud.

Contrast Between Edward Cole and Carter Chambers in The Bucket List Essay

Contrast Between Edward Cole and Carter Chambers in The Bucket List - Essay Example Edward Cole was a billionaire, a wealthy man who made a business out of nothing. He owned the ‎hospital that he and Mr. Chambers were receiving treatments in. Mr. Cole made his fortune in the health ‎industry as shown in the movie, that he earlier was presenting his case on making patients share one room, ‎and also the expenditure that he bourn for the traveling. A self-centered man, who did not like sharing ‎his hospital room with Carter, and also, when Thomas served his lavish dinner, he made no sharing offer ‎to his room-mate. Also, when Carter felt the chills at night, he ignored and kept on sleeping. While on the other hand, Mr. Chambers was an ordinary mechanic who spent his life under the ‎cars, fixing them. Yet, Mr. Chambers was blessed with extraordinary love and knowledge of history. Like shown in the movie, Mr. Chambers knew the answers to every question which the fellow mechanic ‎asked from a book, and also, at different points in the movie, when he knew the answers to all the berries ‎shown on the hospital TV. While Edward was ignorant, Carter did opposite to what Edward did. When ‎Edward felt chilly, he called over the nurse to drug Edward for a peaceful sleep.‎ Edward Cole was a materialist man. He earlier was shown arguing over the fact that there is no ‎harm in making the patients share a room together as he said: â€Å"he was running healthcare and not a ‎health spa†. It was his theory that â€Å"one room two beds† allowed better accommodation. And also on ‎the list, he had all materialistic items such as having a tattoo and sky-diving. Mr. Cole was also not a firm ‎believer of God, whom he called â€Å"biggie† on his first flight with Carter.‎