Power to the actor Essay Example For Students

Power to the actor Essay Faced so consistently with actors maneuvered by auteur-directors who disdain them almost as much as they loathe the transparency of good playwriting, Im prepared, at last, to confess that Donald Wolfit was one of the greatest actors I ever saw. By which I mean to indicate, quixotically perhaps, that great actors in the full sway of their passions, eccentricities and startling ideas, are likely to be more persuasive conduits to the interior of plays than postmodernist directors with their terrifying grip on arbitrary, decorative conception. Confession is called for in Wolfits case because he would appear to be the worst argument on behalf of actors vs. directors. As a student in London, I joined my classmates at his performances in order to be astonished by an antediluvian display of actor-manager tricks; we knew him as the last survivor of a thoroughly discredited fashion the actor as organizer of Great Moments featuring Himself. In Gielgud and Olivier, we recognized not rivals so much as complementary actor-visionaries in touch, albeit from different directions, with tradition and possibility, willing to serve the directorial quirks of Tyrone Guthrie and Peter Brook even as they were preserving the granitic truths embedded in their own talents. Wolfit, by contrast, was letting the century pass him by without giving a pass to what had been learned about acting. Not for him the reflective intelligence of Chekhov: more than pre-Freudian, his acting was positively biblical in its hortatory, insistent presence. The role m ay have been Lear, Oedipus or even Volpone, but Wolfit was always Job. Surely that was what we thought we were seeing. How could we look ahead to a time when such gigantic individuality would be missed? Instead, our dismissive laughs helped us to overlook what was splendid amid the ruins. There he stood towards the end of a long evening as Oedipus in both parts of Sophocless tragedy, alone center stage on a raised platform, surrounded by a company that would have disgraced Crummless troupe in Nicholas Nickleby. Preparing himself for his final declamation by paying absolutely no attention to the buzz and bustle of this hapless colleagues, he was blind Oedipus in search of his follow-spot. Meanwhile, he was also uncomfortable with his hat, pulling it forward, nudging it back or side-saddle, intent on making it sit squarely over his great white pudding face. And considering that it was more like a Dali-designed chapeau than a hat, a cross between a futuristic schooner and a hero sandwich, this was quite an achievement. When the fuss was over, his blind eye s silenced the others with a gaze so baleful that it might have burned through steel. The speech   and speech it was   could now begin. But this too was excavation rather than acting   a voice heard unaccountably after the lava had frozen over the dead city. The first sound, a primordial wheeze, was the signal for experienced Wolfitians that the organist was merely pumping air into the pipes. This was baby-breath, the early tentative statement of a fugue that would soon gather a second, third and even fourth voice into its complex weave, striding finally into an outburst of sunshine on a storm-swept sea Wolfit as reckless mixed metaphor, not likely to be ruled by manners or restraint. Had we known better about such distinctions almost 40 years ago, we should have seen not ham, but a porcine Olympian defying the other gods: I may be a falling star, he was saying, but dont take any wagers on what the cosmos will be like without me. That it hasnt done so well isnt exactly news, though truth to tell, a multitude of Wolfits would not have much effort on our sorry situation in all its particulars. Most American directors have long since turned from the pressure of the next and the presence of the actor to Smart Moments featuring Themselves. At the New York Shakespeare Festival recently, Anne Bogarts version of Brechts In the Jungle of the Cities was obssessed by a private agenda involving faces made up in differing colors. (Greg Mehrtens Worm, for example, was a sickly sea-green that did nothing to conceal his own discomfort as an actor required to stand ramrod-stiff while shouting his lines.) Brechts journey into blasted souls Garga and Shlink, especially, on a strange slow-motion trajectory into each others sexuality   was nowhere in evidence, not out of prurient indifference, but simply because the actors were programmed to do something else, most of it having to do with postures, gestures and positionings. T wo actors going literally nose-to-nose in an argument are not automatically a howl, at least to those of us who havent yet called a truce with canned laughter. Oh, for a muse of ice! EssayBut that cant happen if, unlike Mnouchkine, youre ripping metaphor from every source except the text and the actor. Too often, the images on stage reveal a director at work who has lost the memory of how an actor moves from one point in his discoveries to another. Just as instrumentalists such as Ashkenazy and Barenboim travel from solo performance to podium, actors might seize the day for themselves, not necessarily assuming theyre better than our best directors, only that   like their musical counterparts   they have vital messages to deliver about ank ancient art. Let the auteur be the author, even when, in Shanleys case, he stumbles over his own words. Better than miscalculation than the pretence that live theatre is about amplified voices, moving scenery and air-tight grouping of bloodless, semi-paralyzed actor-marionettes. An actor, says Mnouchkine, is not paid to conceal but to show, although you wouldnt always recognize that truth when direct ors work so hard to conceal what actors can show. Wolfit surely courted status as an endangered species, but he dominated the stage, as Tynan said, by a mighty exercise of talent, thrust, and will, qualities available to actors that neednt be buried yet. Its not the actor whos endangered, anyway, its the audience. But I doubt if anythings to be done except to revive our faith in the primeval ritual of the living performance. Let a director have the last word. Mnouchkine again: Each time, the path towards beauty in the theatre seems harder and the precipice steeper. I feel this fragility more and more. I think that theatre is eternal, although when I watch the television, I sometimes think that it might die. Im afraid that soon we will no longer know what an actor is.

Using Social Networking Sites to Support Business

Introduction Businesses are constantly striving to expand their customer base and increase profitability. This statement holds true in the e-business environment where business owners are aiming to increase their visibility and attract more clients. Over the course of the past decade, Social Networking Sites (SNSs) have emerged as a novel means for e-businesses to connect with customers and expand their customer base.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Using Social Networking Sites to Support Business specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This prominence of SNSs has been caused by their popularity since the sights attract millions of user all over the world. These sites are the fastest growing segment on the web and their potential for ecommerce is great. Even so, the implication that SNSs have for business still remains unclear. Some authors such as Weber (2009) declare that marketing in SNSs will result in development of client base and help a person to build their business. Others such as Clemons et al (2007) view the potential of SNSs in building business as overstated. Considering this varied opinion concerning the impact of SNSs on business, this paper will set out to discuss whether SNSs such as Facebook and MySpace are good for supporting business. The paper will delve into the potential threats as well as benefits that are associated with using SNSs to support business. SNSs for Marketing Support The primary means through which businesses get customers is by advertising themselves. Traditional advertisements make use of mass media devices. However, there has been a notable change in customer response towards advertisement over the last decade. As a result of the huge volume of information on products that people are getting from mainstream media, a vast majority of people are losing trust in conventional advertisements. In its place, people are not using the internet which provides an ind ividual with a huge amount of information. The customer is now able to compare prices, discover discounts and discover a diverse option of attributes for similar products. As a result of this, today’s consumer is far better informed about their options and this informedness has significantly altered consumer behavior. Research indicates that the availability of information via SNSs results in changes in the shopping habits of customers even for purchases that are made via traditional physical facilities. It is estimated that up to 90% of consumers perform some type of online comparison shopping before visiting a car dealer (Clemons et al. 2007). These findings suggest that to a great extent, informedness is replacing paid corporate promotions. Ecommerce has therefore had to move from transaction based to social network based forms of advertising. SNSs are built around relationships and interactions within groups of individuals with shared interests or activities. These relati onships play a role in the spread of information and influence among the members.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More SNSs sites demonstrate phenomenal amounts of traffic online. Stroud (2008) reports that as of 2007, social networking websites accounted for over 7% of all internet visits. This huge online presence can be used to increase the visibility of a business and its products. In addition to this, some of this traffic can be redirected to ecommerce websites with huge benefits being obtained by the ecommerce site. While there are many SNSs available, MySpace and Facebook are important in the context of ecommerce since they attract over 70% of all US advertising revenues in the SNSs category (Stroud 2008, p.281). Businesses can participate in these two websites in a number of ways to market themselves to their prospective customers. The most elementary manner is by becomi ng friends with users which allows the business to communicate directly with the user (Fatimah Murphy 2010). This method will enable the business to communicate with SNSs members and therefore create product awareness and brand loyalty. Businesses can also pay to have their advertisements or link to their pages appear on the profile of a user. A user can then be redirected to the ecommerce website on clicking on the link provided. Benefits of Using SNSs SNSs can be used to provide important information to assist the business formulate effective strategies. For example, e-commerce websites can use SNSs to collect useful data for predictions of market trends and customer behavior. By doing this, the company can realign its products so that they are in line with the current market trends. For example, user-generated content was able to persuade Cadbury to reintroduced a discontinued chocolate bar since data from Facebook revealed that almost 14000 users were petitioning for the bar to be returned (Fatimah Murphy 2010).The comments that the business receives through MySpace and Facebook can be used to give insights to improve services as well as create a positive word of mouth for the business. This will help the business to gain a competitive advantage and hence increase its profitability. The potential of SNSs for ecommerce especially among the youth is significant. Jansen, Sobel and Cook (2011) reveal that teenagers spend over 80% of their money on themselves which makes the youth market a crucial demographic. While teenagers do not spend a lot of money online since many do not have credit cards, they use the internet to consult about products. Many youths use SNSs to seek advice on shopping from their friends. This is a critical matter for marketers since research indicates that people aged 21 and below influence â€Å"81% of their families’ apparel purchases and 52% of their car choices† (Jansen et al. 2011, p.122). Weber (2009) declares that a business has a natural advantage when presenting its products on SNSs since it is the most trusted source of official information about the products in question.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Using Social Networking Sites to Support Business specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More SNSs can be used to formulate highly personalized advertisements for the potential client. MySpace and Facebook enable companies to target their advertising in such a manner that they are appropriate to the particular user. This will help to improve profitability by increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of the business’s advertising efforts. In addition to this, Social networking users are a heterogeneous group and there is an increasingly diverse range of people using SNSs (Stroud 2008). There is therefore a high probability that the customer and potential customers of a business are already using SNSs. The user-generated c ontent on SNSs can be used to identify audience for on-line brand advertizing. Provost et al. (2009) reveal that unlike direct-marketing-style online advertising, online brand advertising relies on more than just click generation. Instead, it focuses on getting a brand-oriented messaged to an audience of interest. Provost et al. (2009) report that there is a correlation between seeing online brand advertising and an increase in online and offline purchases. Facebook and MySpace can be used to as tools to contact potential business partners. Fatimah and Murphy (2010) demonstrate that through MySpace, small business can come into contact with like-minded businesses and form partnerships which will be beneficial for both parties. Weber (2009) states that small business owners can easily tap into a global network of peers and advisers by using social networking tools that such as Facebook and MySpace. Threats of Using SNSs Many of the SNSs are considered by the individual user to be per sonal spaces and they are primarily used to enhance friendships and relationships. Jansen et al (2010) asserts that MySpace and Facebook are used primarily to keep up with friends and less than 10% of the users use the site to meet new people. This thought is corroborated by Ellison et al (2007) who reports that most people use SNSs primarily to contact friends. Attempts by businesses to use SNSs as platforms to market themselves may therefore be counterproductive. Advertisements on SNSs may be a complete failure since it may be perceived by the SNSs user as offensive or as an intrusion of their privacy. For example, the use of friends like from Facebook for direct marketing has received a lot of criticism due to privacy concerns (Provost et al. 2009). Clemons (2007) rightfully asserts that if brands chose to clutter SNSs with advertisements, users will avoid them in the same way they avoid pop-ups and view them as intrusive and annoying.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More While it is possible to issue targeted advertisement through SNSs, the uses typically ignore these advertisements (Urstadt 2008). Users do not go to SNSs for advertising-based content about a range of products. MySpace and Facebook are not seen by the typical user as the platforms from which to go looking for presentational advertising messages. Urstadt (2008) states that it is therefore likely that the intended audience for a business’s message will not view, much less respond to the advertisement. SNSs may also have a negative impact on a business since they may attract negative responses. A case study on Go Workabout (GW), a Small Australian Company, revealed that there are some setbacks to using MySpace to promote a business. These setbacks are in the form of parasitic friends who feed off their friendship for unfriendly pursuits. This include posting misleading comments that my hurt the business (Fatimah Murphy 2010, p.706). A business will therefore be required to cons tantly monitor its SNSs activities and remove unsolicited or unproductive messages. The huge optimism held about the potential of SNSs to help business is on the assumption that they actually replicate in crucial ways face-to-face networks. Clemons et al. (2007, p.268) suggests that online communities are at best â€Å"truncated networks, lacking in depth and intensity†. Facebook allows a user to add others to their network of â€Å"friends† therefore building a community. However, the friendship relationships mostly lack any corresponding basis in contact, shared experience, or shared values. This means that online â€Å"friends† are not necessarily trusted. It is therefore not apparent that the online network members will solicit advice on products from one another (Clemons et al. 2007). A business should therefore approach SNSs with caution since the people who participate in these networks seldom look to other participants as valid sources of information. As has been noted, it is the decreasing trust in traditional advertisements that has made people to opt for other means of information to guide their purchasing habits. The trust in social networking advertisements is therefore crucial for the success of ecommerce advertisements. Business models for advertising in SNSs are based on the presence of trust among members and the transfer of trust from the online relationship to the owner of the website. Jansen et al (2011) reveals that while people might trust their social network, they do not extend the same trust to the sponsored information that appears on the social networking platforms themselves. The setback facing traditional advertisement media might therefore face ecommerce if they are unable to obtain the trust of the potential customers in social networking. Discussion The desire for people to network online is not a fad that will go away with time. Marketers can therefore with great certainty project that websites like Faceboo k and MySpace are here to stay. Social Networking Sites as a mean of supporting business is important since the public is showing distrust for advertising messages. However, care should be taken to ensure that trust is maintained in the social network setting. Actual face-to-face networks create trust and credibility and it is these traits that are likely to be lost by a business which engages in push advertising in the SNSs. A business should therefore take care to balance the advantages of SNSs with the potential threats that are inherent. While it is possible that social networking is irrelevant to some business, it presents an opportunity for many ecommerce enterprises. Businesses should be willing to invest some time and effort to their social networking efforts. It takes some resources to maintain a following since users stay with businesses whose profiles are dynamic and enjoyable. The business therefore needs to have interesting input and ensure that the interests of the tar get audience are the main focus. Future Works This paper has noted that trust is a major factor in the success of failure of SNSs to assist businesses. Research should be undertaken to establish how SNSs can commercialized trust without destroying that trust. Research also needs to be undertaken to determine if social networking sites actually move businesses. This will assist to propose whether it is practical for a business to pay the SNSs for the advertisements. While the data on click-through supports the use of SNSs for ecommerce, it would be more useful to determine how many click-through ultimately translate in sales for the business. Research could also focus on whether the presence of a business in SNS communities translates to increased sales. Conclusion SNSs are changing ecommerce by giving it an opportunity to grow at a significant rate. This paper set out to discuss whether Facebook and MySpace are good for supporting business. To this end, the paper has documented the rise of SNSs as the preferred means of advertisement and proceeded to offer the benefits and threats that these sites may present to e-commerce. It has been shown that businesses can use these SNSs to gather information that can be used to predict or understand consumer demands. The sites can also be used to expand the market base of a business. The potential to market products through SNSs is very enticing since these sites have the capability to reach most potential customers. Even so, this paper has demonstrated that the use of SNSs presents both an opportunity and challenges for marketers. References Clemons, EK Barnett, S Appadurai, A 2007, The Future of Advertising and the Value of Social Network Websites: Some Preliminary Examinations, Minneapolis: ACM. Ellison, NB Steinfield, C Lampe, C 2007, The benefits of Facebook â€Å"friends:† Social capital and college students’ use of online social network sites, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 12(4). Fatim ah, S, Murphy, J 2010, Social Networking as a Marketing Tool: The Case of a Small Australian Company, Journal of Hospitality Marketing Management, 19(1): 700–716. Jansen, BJ Sobel K Cook, G 2011, Classifying ecommerce information sharing behaviour by youths on social networking sites, Journal of Information Science 37(2): 120–136. Provost, F et al. 2009, Audience Selection for On-line Brand Advertising: Privacy-friendly Social Network Targeting, Paris: ACM. Stroud, D 2008, Social networking: An ageneutral commodity — Social networking becomes a mature web application, Journal of Direct, Data and Digital Marketing Practice 9(1): 278 – 292. Urstadt, B 2008, Social networking is not a business, Technology Review, 111(4): 36–43. Weber, L 2009, Marketing to the social web: how digital customer communities build your business, New York: John Wiley and Sons. This report on Using Social Networking Sites to Support Business was written and submitted by user Ryland Eaton to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. 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Japanese Father essays

Japanese Father essays Japanese fathers spend very little time with their families and the main reason is their need to put their careers as top priority, to earn and provide for their wives and children. Besides this reason of overworking to give a comfortable life for their families, the mindset of fathers that they must maintain a devoted-worker image in front of their colleagues also limited the time fathers have to interact with the children. This mindset developed because of the Japanese society, as it gave more recognition to men who are being  ¡Ã‚ °masculine ¡ and this masculinity is equivalent to men ¡Ã‚ ¯s ability to earn. The other factor contributing to the little time fathers spend with their families is the need to keep a certain distance from their children. This is a psychological factor, for example if you have a father who constantly nags and monitors you, very soon you will most likely not take him too seriously. However, what or who makes the children have this fear of their fathers and will teaches them a lesson if they misbehave when their fathers are not around at home often? Japanese mothers are the ones molding the minds of their children to believe that their fathers are the authoritative figures and must be work-oriented to support the family. Mothers teach their children to be respectful to their fathers and look upon them as role models. Such teachings may be a little exaggerative of the fathers ¡Ã‚ ¯ authority although it is quite effective in making the children respect and fear their fathers, so that they will not misbehave. However, what the mothers say to their children about how great their fathers are may not coincide with how the fathers behave. Another important point of the article is that although Japanese mothers spend more time with the children than fathers, they earn lower level of respect from their children. This is perhaps because the more time you spend with one person, he or she will be able to see ...

A Day as a Priest Essay Example

A Day as a Priest Essay Example A Day as a Priest Essay A Day as a Priest Essay My interview was with Reverend Andrew Booms who has been appointed by the Bishop of Saginaw to serve as the permanent priest for St. Michael Church in Port Austin. I decided to ask him questions about how he became a priest. There are many details I can learn from a priest. I never knew priests have so much to do from visiting the sick, to celebrating mass. There are three main issues I would like to discuss with Father Andy: his childhood, his career, and his typical day of work. When Andrew Booms was very young, he wanted to become a doctor, having a amily and living in the suburbs. As he grew older he wanted to make a difference in the world. While attending Port Hope High School, Father Andy was not a popular young man and did not possess much athletic talent. As a young boy growing up he wanted to live life to the fullest. He did not know one day he would be a pastor. He also didnt know that he would be pastor in his hometown. While interviewing Father Andy, I noticed we have a lot in common. We both want to make a difference in the world. I believe he was chosen by God to speak to the younger generation to tell them heir future is full of brightness. At age of 24 Andrew Booms entered the seminary and attend St. John Vianney Seminary in Minneapolis. Attending St. John Seminary he told me while studying Mother Teresa appeared to him and became his spiritual leader. During my time interviewing Father Andy, I noticed while we were talking he kept saying that when it comes to a career God already has a plan for all of us. According to Father Andy there is a shortage of priests, but there is no shortage of work. Our diocese is undergoing a lanning process to meet both the needs of the community and the limits or demands on priests and deacons. He has planned many trips, like visiting Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit. I have noticed that this is a man who is strong, and who has a strong belief in Jesus Christ. When I first asked Father Andy about his typical work day, he told me that the great part of his Job us there is no typical work day, but however there are degrees of normal. A normal day would begin with time of prayer, than mass at the parish. After ass he goes into the office, and meets with the secretary and bookkeeper and by noon he is out for lunch and home visits or meetings. After a long day of work he still finds time for exercising, cleaning and then preparing for dinner. Most nights he has an appointment or meeting, but he spends an hour reading and planning for the next day and usually closes the day with an hour or so of TV. After hearing him tell me about his typical work day I was shocked that he does all this plus more. Priests are always on call and they usually get about 5 to 7 hours of sleep a night. Finally we must come to know that everyone is not perfect. After learning that Father Andy had a dream when he was younger and wanted a family I can see truly that he had a future. During his time as a pastor the bishop has the power to assign a priest to a parish. According to Bishop Cistone (Bishop of Saginaw) a priest can be assigned to a parish for 6-12 years between movies, but the Bishop may request an earlier move if the priest is needed elsewhere. A priest does not always serve in a particular town or parish. A day as a priest By dJbellville

ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF GREEN CONCRETE AS A BUILDING MATERIAL Essay

ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF GREEN CONCRETE AS A BUILDING MATERIAL - Essay Example Green construction looks to balance resource efficiency, social and health issues all through the life cycle of a structure. Among them, green concrete many benefits that help in achieving this objective. This article offers an overview of the contemporary state of green concrete, which have reduced ecological impact. It is also stressed here that the use of green concrete has low energy cost, lower green house gas emissions, as well as low maintenance cost, which, in the long run, leads to sustainable construction materials. In addition, in terms of resource preservation, reuse of industrial byproducts and post-consumer wastes used as a partial replacement for Portland cement clinker, makes green concrete much more durable and eco-friendly. The overall change in the economic landscape and resource utilization factors is at the forefront of many green building movements. The research broadly focuses on the benefits of green concrete in achieving the sustainable and environment friendly construction goal. In regard to the use of concrete in construction, a number of questions arise; would the green concrete alleviate environmental pollution caused by the normal cement? Might there be any compromise in the quality and sustainability of green concrete structure? What are other social and economic contributions of green concrete relevant to the bodies advocating the green concrete? The buildings we reside in have an overreaching effect on our environment. Green building, otherwise referred to as sustainability, seeks to balance health, resource efficiency, as well as social concerns, all through the life cycle of a structure (Penttala 2004, p. 409). Green concrete has a couple of benefits to present in attaining this objective. Cement is a gray powder, which, when added to water, binds stone and sand together to produce concrete. Concrete is the worlds number one building material because of its durability and strength (Hendriks

Agile Software development (individual Reflection Report ) Essay

Agile Software development (individual Reflection Report ) - Essay Example alyze and gather various sets of information on agile development process so as to use its techniques in developing the Student Attendance Monitoring System. The group got information from lecture notes, books and online sources about the Agile Development process. The group was able to come to an agreement that the system offers a framework that is lightweight, entailing a collection of development methodologies which are iterative used by development teams. From the information that the group gathered, it was clear that agile development software delivers working software of high-quality in the functionality of business value. This is the kind of software that the group needed in the development of the monitoring system. Another technique that the group was looking out to in the agile development process was its combination of methodologies such as question-and-answer (QA), project management, and even in engineering practices, together in a way that will help the agile development team through processes of managing, planning and delivery of the software. Every member of the group had a role to play, assigned by the group leader. With the combination of all the roles, the group saw the realization of its objective on the assignment. The members gathered information from sources mentioned earlier. The group was able to compile the information that Agile’s most popular methodologies include the extreme programming methodology (XP), Scrum, Kanban and hybrid methodologies. The group noted that even though these software methods have approaches that are specific and unique to each of them, they have the same core values and share a similar vision stated in the agile manifesto (Holcombe 2008). During the development process, the group employed some of the XP practices. The practices were pair programming, system metaphor, test first development, small release, and continuous integration and collective ownership. All the group members knew how the system works

Parkinsons term paper Essay Example for Free

Parkinsons term paper Essay Parkinsons disease is characterized as a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system which is understood to persist and continually worsen over time. It is the second most common neurological disorder. Parkinson’s disease affects approximately one million people within the United States. This disorder progresses slowly and is unique in the sense that Parkinson’s disease can be caused by genetics among other things. Parkinson’s disease is well known for its characteristic tremors, stiffness, and difficulty with speech in the patients it affects. Parkinson’s disease is caused by diminishment of the substantia nigra in the tegmentum which controls motor functions within the body. This disease is classified as a basil ganglionic disorder which causes a breakdown of dopamineric neurons in the substancia nigra, located in the midbrain. The substancia nigra is composed of neuromelanin which pigments the substancia nigra and gives it its darker characteristic. The neuromelanin also connects to the motor cortex which is responsible for one’s motor control and balance. The chemical dopamine is created in the substantia nigra. The basil ganglia receives inputs from the motor cortex, the association cortex, and the substancia nigra. The basil ganglia then sends messages to the motor cortex by way of the thalamus. With Parkinson’s disease, the nigral neurons are damaged, which causes the neuromelanin to be free to move into the adjacent tissue where it is phagocytosed and moved away by macrophages. This degenerative process not only destroys the process of creating dopamine, but it also causes the pigmentation of the substancia nigra to change and become lighter in appearance. The lack of dopamine-related input from the substantia nigra negatively changes the equilibrium of the output from the basil ganglia to the motor cortex. This alteration in the equilibrium then causes the symptoms related to Parkinson’s disease. The d irect cause of Parkinson’s disease remains a medical mystery, but many factors can participate in determining whether one is susceptible to developing Parkinson’s disease in  the future. The exposure to specific toxins in the environment and various environmental factors has the possibility of playing a role in those who were diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Another possible cause of Parkinson’s disease is the role of one’s genetics. It is found that certain mutations can give rise to Parkinson’s disease, although this is uncommon. The brains of patients with Parkinson’s disease change as the disease progresses. Lewy bodies are microscopic markers that characterize the presence of Parkinson’s disease within a patient. They are abnormal microscopic protein deposits that form in the brain and play a role in disrupting the brain’s normal functions. This disruption causes deterioration. Lewy bodies contain A-synuclein which is a protein that cells cannot break down. Early indicators of Parkinson’s disease include tremors or shaking which can reside in one’s finger, thumb, hand, lip, or chin, though shaking is normal after extensive physical activity, injury, or may be due to medications. If one’s handwriting begins to appear smaller over a short period of time, it could be a warning sign of Parkinson’s although one should not base their self-diagnosis upon handwriting, for handwriting can change as one advances in age, but this happens over time and not suddenly. A loss of smell in specific foods can be an indicator, but a loss of smell can also be related to the possession of the common cold or the flu. Another early sign may be sudden movements while sleeping such as falling out of the bed or kicking and punching. It is important to understand that people on occasion may experience difficulty sleeping. Chronic stiffness can be a sign, but this symptom can also be caused by an injury or arthritis. If one is experiencing constipation on a daily basis, this can be considered a sign of Parkinson’s disease, although a lack of fiber in one’s diet or medications can determine the moving of one’s bowels. Having recently possessed a soft o r low voice is an indicator unless one has a chest cold or other virus. If one has the appearance of a masked face, a blank stare that persists, or undergoes a long duration of time without the action of blinking, these may be precursors to having Parkinson’s disease. Feeling dizzy or fainting can be signs of low blood pressure and may be connected to Parkinson’s disease along with the inability to stand up straight. There are many Parkinson’s-related symptoms that are known today. The most obvious of symptoms is a resting tremor. A shaking, or tremor, normally starts in one’s  limb, and it is often located on a hand or fingers. This resting tremor usually stops when the patient is voluntarily moving the limb affected by the tremor. A â€Å"pill-rolling† tremor is common and is characterized by one rolling one’s thumb and forefinger. These tremors can be noticed when the limb is even at a relaxed state. Due to the tremors and inability to control certain motor functions, writing can become difficult for patient s with Parkinson’s disease. It is noted that when writing, those effected with Parkinson’s disease posses handwriting that is characteristically small. Bradykinesia, or a slowing of movement, can be present. Parkinson’s disease has the ability to cause one to move slower which can make simple every-day tasks a challenge. With bradykinesia, one’s steps may become smaller in distance when being mobile, and one’s feet may begin to drag when walking. Excessive muscle tone or hypertonia may be prevalent in patients with Parkinson’s disease and will manifest itself as stiffness or rigidness which causes pain and a loss in one’s range of motion. Parkinson’s disease patients may experience posture impairment and balance, for a patient’s posture can become stooped, and balance can be lost. Patients diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease may experience a loss in their autonomic functions which include and are not limited to smiling, swinging one’s arms while walking, and blinking. This loss in autonomic function caused a select number of patients to stop using their hands while speaki ng in normal conversations. Speech changes can affect those living with Parkinson’s disease. One may speak out of rhythm in such a way that it may sound soft, quick, hesitant, monotone or slurred. Diagnosing Parkinson’s disease is not a simple process, for a test for Parkinson’s disease does not yet exist. In order to be diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a neurologist must first obtain a detailed medical history of the patient being diagnosed, a review of the patient’s signs and symptoms, a physical examination, and a neurological examination. Tests to exclude other conditions may be ordered to ensure proper diagnosis of the disorder. Once a patient has undergone sufficient testing and examining, the doctor may prescribe the patient the medication carbidopa-levodopa, which is a Parkinson’s disease medicine. If the patient improves considerably while on the medication, this often confirms a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis.  There exists a wide-range of treatments for patients that suffer from Parkinson’s disease from drug treatments to surgical treatments. The pharmacologic approach for those with Parkinson’s disease aims to increase the lack of dopamine in the patient’s basil ganglia. L-dopa or Levodopa is a drug that can cross the blood-brain barrier. The brain can convert this drug to dopamine. Carbidopa can also be prescribed to patients afflicted with Parkinson’s disease. Carbidopa is a decarboxylase inhibitor and, when taken with levodopa, can aid levodopa from converting to dopamine outside of the brain. The combination of medications allows for more levodopa to reach the brain which ultimately increases the brain’s supply of dopamine. These two medications decrease the side effects which are caused by an increased amount of dopamine outside of the brain. They reduce the supply of â€Å"free† dopamine from residing outside of the brain. An excess of dopamine outside of the brain could result in low blood pressure, vomiting, and nausea. Other medications include dopamine agonists which directly stimulate nerve receptors inside of the brain which are usually stimulated by dopamine. In contrast to the medication levodopa, dopamine agonists do not convert into dopamine but rather behave like dopamine. Dopamine agonists are utilized in patients that are in the early stages of Parkinson’s disease and may be added to a treatment plan along with levodopa in the later stages of Parkinson’s disease. It may also be added when levodopa alone cannot sufficiently manage the patient’s symptoms or when the patient has severe motor fluctuations. Side effects associated with levodopa-carbidopa include dizziness upon rising, confusion, nausea, movement disorders, and hallucinations. Side effects commonly associated with dopamine agonists are vomiting, nausea, and orthostatic hypotension. Surgical treatment options are available for those who suffer from Parkinson’s. These surgical treatments are intended to control symptoms related to Parkinson’s disease patients who do not positively respond to medications. One of the surgical treatments crea tes a lesion in specific portions of the thalamus within the midbrain which become overactive in Parkinson’s disease. A reversible procedure that can be used on patients diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease is deep brain stimulation, or DBS. With this procedure, electrodes are implanted into exact locations. These locations are treated then with pulses of electrical currents. Why deep brain stimulation works is unknown. Medical  experts believe that the current could be activating, affecting, or inhibiting synaptic transmission onto neurons in the vicinity of the electrodes. The future prospects for a cure for Parkinson’s disease are promising, for the medical community has begun to identify the genetic causes linked to Parkinson’s disease. This allows the medical community to expand animal models of Parkinson’s disease. These will be highly useful in the process of understanding the pathogenesis of the disease and will be useful in further testing the neuroprotective therapies which can potentially aid in the fight against the progression of Parkinson’s disease. A different potential approach in the future would be to engage in the replacement of lost neurons via transplantation, which would be highly difficult and tedious. Overall, Parkinson’s disease is well on the way to being better understood and through this und erstanding scientists will be able to directly identify the source of this disease and eventually find a method that directly cures this disease. References Etiology. (n.d.). Merriam-Webster. Retrieved March 13,2014, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/etiology Welcome to the Purdue OWL. (n.d.). Purdue OWL: APA Formatting and Style Guide. 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