Evaluation of Public Health and Nutrition Programmes Free Essays

Abstract A proposal for a PhD study looking at the evaluation of public health and nutrition programmes within the UK. The number of such programmes has increased since the late 1990’s, and with them have developed strategies for evaluating their success. However, some suggest that evaluation so far has been flawed. We will write a custom essay sample on Evaluation of Public Health and Nutrition Programmes or any similar topic only for you Order Now This study aims to review evaluation practice through primary and secondary research, and thus contribute to best practice for future evaluation of health programmes. 1. Introduction Since the 1980’s there has been growing awareness of the impact of diet and other lifestyle factors on public health, however it is only since the 1990’s that the UK government has started to take an active role in promoting health and nutrition programmes (Caraher et al 2009). Since inception, there have been attempts to monitor and evaluate the success or failure of these programmes, however some have suggested (Hills 2004; Caraher et al 2009) that such evaluation has a number of flaws, particularly gaps in coverage and a lack of cohesiveness. In the light of this, the following study aims to investigate the positive and negative features of the evaluation programmes which have looked at public health and nutrition programmes in the UK.It will combine a literature review investigating previous evaluations of UK-wide and local programmes with a primary phase gathering information from academics involved in evaluation research regarding their views of the advantages and disadvantages of the programmes. The overall aim of this research is to uncover gaps in evaluation procedure and suggest ways in which these might be addressed, in order to improve future practice. 2. Literature Review 2.1 Why public health and nutrition programmesGovernment Initiatives Public health programmes have been in existence in the UK only since the 1980’s, and were slow to impact on a population more concerned with cheap, long lasting food products. However, as links between diet and health became more apparent, so did the need for the government to take a more active role (Caraher et al 2009) This more active role started in the early 90’s, with the publication of ‘The Health of the Nation’ (DoH 1992). This report was followed by others including ‘Eat Well’ (Department of Health 1994) and ‘Our Healthier Nation’ (Department of Health 1998). Early attempts were less than successful, however (Caraher et al 2009). The 1997 Labour Government, started to make public health programmes a central part of policy. Initially there was a focus upon the role played by the individual in making healthy choices, but this was followed by a recognition of the wider picture, the social, economic and environmental factors involved (Crawley 2008), for example the notion of ‘food poverty’ or ‘food inequality’ (Bunton and Macdonald 2002), the idea that financial poverty, poor diet and increased risk of diet-related illnesses are linked (Faculty of Public Health 2004) Consequently, the later years of the Labour Government saw the publication of a range of public health and nutrition programmes, for example (in England) ‘Food Matters’ (2008) and in Scotland ‘Recipe for Success – Scotland’s National Food and Drink Policy. 2.2. Evaluation of Public Health Programmes – Strategy and Evidence There are a number of research initiatives concerned with the evaluation of Public Health and Nutrition programmes in the UK. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) issue guidelines on assessment of health programmes, and five UK Clinical Research Collaboration Public Health Centres of Excellence work with a range of stakeholders and partners to examine public health issues. In addition the Social and Public Health Sciences Unit based at Glasgow University uncovers evidence in order to support best decisions about public health (NOO [online] 2011). The NHS also support a Public Health Research Programme with a multi-disciplinary and broad approach (NHS 2011). The new government have also made changes to public health evaluation programmes, with a commitment to â€Å"the best evidence and evaluation† (DOH 2011, p. 8) through establishing a new National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), a School for Public Health Research, and a Policy Research Unit on Behaviour and Health (Department of Health 2010). They claim that previous attempts at evaluation have been insufficient, marked by lack of cohesion and lack of ‘localism’ (Department of Health 2010) 2.3 Evaluation of Public Health Programmes Successes and Failures To what extent are the suggestions by the new government about current evaluation of health programmes supported by research evidenceSome writers do seem to suggest that policies have been poorly evaluated: A study of policies across Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland and England found a lack of cohesion in policy and poor analysis of provision with gaps in existing evaluation (measurement of attitudinal and behavioural change, but far fewer assessments of changes to health).At the same time, evaluation is insufficiently tied in with guidance on future action, particularly on the way the food industry might be involved (Caraher et al 2009). A review by Hills (2004) suggested that while advances have been made in evaluation, there is still a need to improve on methods. 2.4 Research question Within the UK, therefore, there has been a vast increase in the number of public health and nutrition programmes, from the large-scale and national to the small-scale and local. There also exist a number of projects concerned to evaluate these programs. However, opinions differ regarding the success of this evaluation, with many suggesting improvements could be made. This study therefore seeks to answer the following research question: How successful have previous evaluation of public health and nutrition programmes been, and how could these evaluations be improved? 3. Methodology 3.1 Research Philosophy / Research Approach The study takes a positivist approach, assuming that reality is objective and knowable, and that a deductive, scientific methodology is most appropriate (Babbie 2010).The study rejects an interpretivist viewpoint, or the idea that reality is primarily subjective (Knapp and Powers 2005). 3.2 Research Strategy / Data Collection and Analysis The study will include both primary and secondary data. Secondary data, or information derived from already published sources (Wrenn et al 2006), will be accessed from government information, academic journals and other publications both online and through libraries. Where online databases are used, clear inclusion and exclusion criteria will be drawn up and appropriate keyword searches will be defined. In addition, the study will include a primary phase, to gather information from a number of respondents involved with the process of assessing public health programmes in the UK over the last 10 years. The primary phase will be shaped by information collected in the secondary phase. Questions will be designed to see if respondents agree with earlier findings, and to investigate areas neglected previously. The primary data will include quantitative, numerical data gathered by a questionnaire consisting of rating scales and single or multiple choice questions regarding experience of ass essing public health programmes, tools used and other areas. It will also include a semi-structured element in order to assess in more detail respondents thoughts about the successes and failures of the programmes of which they were a part. Data will be analysed to produce descriptive statistics and analysis of significance. Textual data collected through the semi-structured questions will be subject to content analysis (Babbie 2010) by transferring the data and examining it for emerging themes. 3.3 Access / Significance / Ethical Issues Access will be made by telephone contact with university departments and government organisations. There may be some ethical issues regarding confidentiality, as respondents may fear that any negative views they might hold about evaluation of public health programmes might filter back to their employer and lead to unwanted consequences. It will therefore be necessary to draw up a comprehensive confidentiality agreement in order to persuade participants and institutions to take part. 3.4 Research Limitations The research is limited to one point in time, shortly after a new government has introduced new guidelines on the evaluation of public health programmes. A fuller evaluation might only be possible at a later point in time, once the new initiatives have been introduced. 4. Conclusion The above sets out a framework for a research project concerned with the evaluation of public health and nutrition programmes within the UK. The rationale for the research has been discussed, and a literature review section indicates areas of concern. A methodology sets out the means to be employed in the study. 5. Time Chart ActivityTime Scale Research Design Planning Literature Review Refine Research Objectives Design Questionnaires Contact Organisations Carry out Survey Data Analysis Dissertation Draft Dissertation Final 6. References Babbie, E R (2010), The Practice of Social Research (12th edn.), Cengage Learning, Belmont, CA. Bunton, R and Macdonald, G (2002) Health promotion: disciplines, diversity, and developments (2nd edn.) Routledge, UK Cahill, M and Fitzpatrick, T (2002) Environmental issues and social welfare Broadening perspectives on social policy (6th edn.), Wiley-Blackwell, Oxon Caraher, M, Crawley, H and Lloyd, S (2009) ‘Nutrition Policies across the UK 2009’, Caroline Walker Trust, Herts Crawley, H (2008) ‘Public Health Nutrition: challenges for the 21st Century’,The Caroline Walker Trust, Herts. Department of Health (1992) ‘Health of the Nation: A Strategy for Health in England’, HMSO, London Department of Health (1994) ‘Eat Well! An Action Plan from the Nutrition Task Force to Achieve the Health of the Nation Targets on Diet and Nutrition’, HMSO, London Department of Health (1998) ‘Our Healthier Nation: A Contract for Health. A Consultation Paper’, HMSO, London Department of Health (2008) ‘Food Matters’, HMSO, London Department of Health (2010) ‘Healthy lives, healthy people: our strategy for public health in England’, HMSO, London The Faculty of Public Health of the Royal College of Physicians of the United Kingdom (2004) ‘Food Poverty and Health’, FPH, UK Hills, D (2004) ‘Evaluation of community-level interventions for health improvement: a review of experience in the UK’, Tavistock Institute / NHS Health Development Agency, UK. Knapp, T R and Powers, B A (2005) Dictionary of Nursing Theory and Research, Springer, NY National Obesity Observatory (2011) ‘Evaluation Websites’ [online] (cited 11th July 2011), available from http://www.noo.org.uk/core/eval_websites National Obesity Observatory 2011 online NHS (2011) ‘Research to improve the health of the public and reduce inequalities in health’, [online] (cited 10th July 2011), available from http://www.phr.ac.uk/ Wrenn, B, Stevens, R E and Loudon, L (2006) Marketing research: text and cases (2nd Edn), Routledge, UK How to cite Evaluation of Public Health and Nutrition Programmes, Essay examples

Macbeth And Lord Of Flies Essays - Fiction, Literature,

Macbeth And Lord Of Flies The human being, according to evolution, has evolved from animals to become a superior animal form that has the ability to decipher right and wrong, have recognizable feelings, and at the same time have that animalistic characteristics wild beasts have. The authors of Macbeth and Lord of the Flies attempt to exhibit the idea that human beings are totally capable of acting like wild beast. The authors explain to us that different factors bring out our animal, or beast, instincts. Envy, fear, and jealousy are factors, which contribute to our regression as savages. Human beings thrive on competition, so, such factors can change the way we think. These authors use characters like Jack and Macbeth as examples of human being self corruption through letting our natural call of the wild come through. Leadership can never come in second place and is only held by the first. These characters, after realizing the idea of kill or be killed, will do anything, even acts of inhumanity, to advance and come out on top. This with the combination of other factors simply blind folds our minds into thinking that we must always come out victorious. All the values and mores that society has taught us have been wiped away simply with the illusion, internal animal characteristics, that we must strive, in any way we can, to be in the position of leadership. Physical examples like Jack killing Piggy and the slaying of Banquo by Macbeth are models of how people can be temporarily blinded by jealousy, envy, and fear. Authors, trying to prove that human beings see their own eventual downfall by using such devices as apparitions and ghost to remind us we are human. Apparitions haunted Macbeth, in the same way our conscious come into play when we know we have violated the values set up by society. This realization of doing wrong only makes some humans to more unexpected things. In a way, they become frightened of returning to human values. This is actually the beast in us that does not want to be repressed. In lord of the flies we see that this animal or if you want to call it savagery, in human beings, can be visible in even innocent children. Fear drives many of these children to act very different sometimes even aware that one would never do such things. This fear was brought on by the illusion that a stronger more dominant beast was on the island as well. Jacks animal instinct is brought out with the feeling of being second to Jack and most of the supposed beast. This is why he insists on hunting rather then working on a plan to be rescued. Jack will not tolerate being in second. Sometimes these feeling can not be pushed away and only seem to worsen. This is seen by the fact that Jack is no longer hunting to survive but for the thrill of knowing he has the power to kill that which is less then him. His animalistic characteristics only seem to get worse. Going from killing to survive, killing to know you have the power, and finally the murder of human beings. We see that Jack is now making excuses for the quick high of know he is number one and in total control. He kills Simon claiming he thought it was the beastie. Truly the fact that they dance around like savages and never stop think is prove that the beast in Jack has finally taken over his mind. The authors of Lord of the Flies and Macbeth attempt to show us that hope is not lost. Obvious devices as apparitions doubling as our conscience mind display that human beings can over come the regression to savagery and to face the fact that we all have a simple yet powerful dark side.

Glossary of Common Mitosis Terms

Glossary of Common Mitosis Terms Mitosis Glossary Mitosis is a form of cell division that enables organisms to grow and reproduce. The mitosis stage of the cell cycle involves the separation of nuclear chromosomes, followed by cytokinesis (division of the cytoplasm forming two distinct cells). At the end of mitosis, two distinct daughter cells are produced. Each cell contains identical genetic material. This Mitosis Glossary is a good resource for finding succinct, practical, and meaningful definitions for common mitosis terms. Mitosis Glossary - Index Anaphase - stage in mitosis where chromosomes begin moving to opposite ends (poles) of the cell. Allele - an alternative form of a gene (one member of a pair) that is located at a specific position on a specific chromosome. Asters - radial microtubule arrays found in animal cells that help to manipulate chromosomes during cell division. Cell Cycle - the life cycle of a dividing cell. It includes Interphase and the M phase or Mitotic phase (mitosis and cytokinesis). Centrioles - cylindrical structures that are composed of groupings of microtubules arranged in a 9 3 pattern. Centromere - a region on a chromosome that joins two sister chromatids. Chromatid - one of two identical copies of a replicated chromosome. Chromatin - mass of genetic material composed of DNA and proteins that condense to form chromosomes during eukaryotic cell division. Chromosome - a long, stringy aggregate of genes that carries heredity information (DNA) and is formed from condensed chromatin. Cytokinesis - d ivision of the cytoplasm that produces distinct daughter cells. Cytoskeleton - a network of fibers throughout the cells cytoplasm that helps the cell maintain its shape and gives support to the cell. Daughter Cell - a cell resulting from the replication and division of a single parent cell. Daughter Chromosome - a chromosome that results from the separation of sister chromatids during cell division. Diploid Cell - a cell that contains two sets of chromosomes. One set of chromosomes is donated from each parent. Genes - segments of DNA located on chromosomes that exist in alternative forms called alleles. Haploid Cell - a cell that contains one complete set of chromosomes. Kinetochore - a specialized region on the centromere of chromosome where spindle polar fibers attach to the chromosome. Kinetochore Fibers - microtubules that connect kinetochores to spindle polar fibers. Interphase - stage in the cell cycle where a cell doubles in size and synthesizes DNA in preparation for cell division. Metaphase - stage in mitosis where chromosomes align alo ng the metaphase plate in the center of the cell. Microtubules - fibrous, hollow rods, that function primarily to help support and shape the cell. Mitosis - a phase of the cell cycle that involves the separation of nuclear chromosomes followed by cytokinesis. Nucleus - a membrane-bound structure that contains the cells hereditary information and controls the cells growth and reproduction. Polar Fibers - spindle fibers that extend from the two poles of a dividing cell. Prophase - stage in mitosis where chromatin condenses into discrete chromosomes. Sister Chromatids - two identical copies of a single chromosome that are connected by a centromere. Spindle Fibers - aggregates of microtubules that move chromosomes during cell division. Telophase - stage in mitosis where the nucleus of one cell is divided equally into two nuclei. More Biology Terms For information on additional biology related terms, see the Genetics Glossary and Difficult Biology Words.

Dont Take TEVA 3109 Before Reading This

Don't Take TEVA 3109 Before Reading This SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips What is TEVA 3109? If you have a TEVA 3109 pill and want to know more about it, this guide is for you! We’ll go over all the information you need to know about TEVA 3109 pills including what they are, what they’re used to treat, how you should take them, what the risks of taking them are, and more. 6 Facts to Know About TEVA Pill 3109 There are six key facts you should know before taking a TEVA 3109 pill. We’ve listed them below, along with additional information, so you have all the info you need to take your TEVA 3109 pills safely and effectively. #1: A TEVA 3109 Pill Contains Amoxicillin TEVA 3109 is the imprint on certain capsules of amoxicillin, a common drug for treating bacterial infections. The label â€Å"TEVA 3109† on the capsule doesn’t make these pills a certain kind of amoxicillin; it just indicates who produced them. A TEVA 3109 pill is the same as any other amoxicillin pill. Common brand names of amoxicillin include Amoxicot, Amoxil, DisperMox, Moxatag, Moxilin, and Trimox. However, these aren’t all the different names for amoxicillin, just the most common. The patent for amoxicillin has expired, so there are now literally hundreds of different brand names for it around the world. Regardless of the name, they are all the exact same drug. Amoxicillin is a member of the penicillin family that also includes ampicillin and nafcillin. Each of the drugs in this family contains antibiotics come from the fungus Penicillium. Penicillin and amoxicillin are very similar, but penicillin is synthetically produced, while amoxicillin is semi-synthetic. Amoxicillin is also generally considered better at treating infections than penicillin is. #2: TEVA 3109 Pills Are Used to Treat Strep Throat, Pneumonia, and Many Other Bacterial Infections TEVA 3109 is used to treat bacterial infections by stopping the growth of bacteria. Amoxicillin first began being used in 1972, and it’s now one of the most commonly prescribed antibiotics in the world. TEVA 3109 pills can treat a wide range of bacterial infections, including ear infections, pneumonia, bladder infections, gonorrhea, bronchitis, tonsillitis, strep throat, skin infections, urinary tract infections, salmonella infection, and blood poisoning. TEVA 3109 pills can also be with the antibiotic clarithromycin to treat to treat stomach/intestinal ulcers and to prevent those ulcers from recurring. #3: TEVA 3109 Pills Are Beige-Colored Capsules A TEVA 3109 pill will be a beige capsule with â€Å"TEVA 3109† printed on it in black letters. Amoxicillin pills can come in different doses, but TEVA 3109 will always be 500 mg per pill. These pills are produced by Teva Pharmaceuticals USA. #4: You’ll Likely Take a TEVA Pill 3109 Several Times a Day Your doctor will explain how you should take TEVA 3109 pills, and you should always listen to his/her opinion over what you read on the internet. In general though, you’ll take this medication by mouth every 8 or 12 hours. You can take TEVA 3109 pills with or without food, but you should drink a full glass of water when you take them. Swallow the pills whole; don’t chew or crush them. The amount of TEVA 3109 you’re prescribed to take a day will depend on several factors, including what bacterial infection you have, how strong it is, and your weight. Most adults are prescribed 500 mg to 2 g (one to four pills) of TEVA 3109 a day. If you need to take multiple pills a day, you’ll usually take one at a time, several times throughout the day. TEVA 3109 pills are most effective if taken at regular intervals, so many people take them at the same time each day. It’s very important to finish your TEVA 3109 pill prescription even if you feel better before you finish taking all your pills. Stopping your medication midway through, even if you feel fine, can cause you to get an even stronger bacterial infection. TEVA 3109 is not addictive, but you still shouldn’t take more than your doctor tells you to in order to avoid serious side effects. #5: There’s a Risk of Allergic Reaction With TEVA 3109 Pills TEVA 3109 is generally a safe drug to take, but it still has side effects you may experience. Talk to your doctor immediately if you have any serious side effects or side effects or a serious allergic reaction. More Common Side Effects of TEVA 3109 Diarrhea Headache Mild rash Nausea Vomiting Less Common Side Effects of TEVA 3109 Dark urine Fever Hives Oral thrush Sore throat Stomach pain Swollen tongue Yeast infections Yellowing of the skin or eyes Allergic Reactions About 1 in 15 people will have an allergic reaction to TEVA 3109 pills. For most people, the reaction is mild, usually an itchy red rash and/or coughing and sneezing. Mild allergic reactions can be treated with antihistamines. In rare cases, patients may have a serious allergic reaction. Symptoms of this include: Rash with blistered or peeling skin Tightness in the chest or throat Trouble breathing or talking Hoarse voice Swelling of the face, lips, mouth, tongue, or throat If you experience any of these symptoms while taking TEVA pills 3109, contact your doctor or 9 immediately since the reaction can be life threatening. If you're mildly allergic to amoxicillin, you'll likely get a rash like this on certain parts of your body. #6: A TEVA 3109 Pill May Interact With Methotrexates, Blood Thinners, and Birth Control For a prescription pill, TEVA 3109 is generally safe to take. However, there are five main drug interactions you should be aware of. Methotrexate It’s not recommended to take methotrexate with a TEVA 3109 pill. Methotrexate is an immunosuppressive drug used to treat certain types of cancer, as well as psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis. Taking it with a TEVA pill 3109 can cause nausea, bleeding problems, infection, and other issues. If you’re currently taking methotrexate, your doctor will either recommend a different drug other than TEVA 3109 or work with you to come up with a plan to reduce the chance of serious side effects from the drug interaction. Vaccines You also shouldn’t take TEVA 3109 if you have recently (within two weeks) gotten or will soon get any vaccines, especially vaccines that contain live bacteria. TEVA 3109 can reduce the effectiveness of the vaccines so they may not actually stop the disease they’re designed to prevent you from getting. Birth Control TEVA 3109 can also make certain types of birth control, including the pill, patch, and ring forms, less effective. It does this by affecting re-absorption of estrogen. Use a backup method of birth control, such as condoms, while you are taking TEVA 3109 pills. Blood Thinners Anticoagulants, or drugs meant to thin the blood can also have an interaction with TEVA 3109 pills that causes increased blood thinning to the point where the patient can have severe bleeding. If you’re taking blood thinners and TEVA 3109 pills, your doctor should carefully monitor you for any signs of abnormal bleeding. Uric Acid Reducers Uric acid reducers, such as probenecid, which is often used to treat gout, can have an interaction with TEVA 3109. Probenecid can reduce the excretion of amoxicillin in the kidney which increases the chances of drug toxicity. Conclusion: What Is TEVA 3109? A TEVA 3109 pill is a type of amoxicillin and is commonly used to treat bacterial infections such as pneumonia, gonorrhea, and strep throat. The pill will be a beige-colored capsule with â€Å"TEVA 3109† printed on it. Like any other pill, TEVA 3109 dosages will depend on what your doctor prescribes, but you’ll usually take 1-4 pills evenly spaced throughout the day. Keep taking your pills until they’re all gone because stopping your prescription early could cause you to get a more serious bacterial infection. TEVA 3109 side effects include a rash, nausea, and headache, and some people who take this medication may develop an allergic reaction, although the reaction is usually mild. TEVA 3109 pills are generally safe to take, but you should speak to your doctor before taking them with blood thinners, antigout drugs, and methotrexate. TEVA 3109 pills can also reduce the efficacy of vaccines and birth control pills if you take them at the same time as the TEVA 3109 pills.

Marketing Report Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Marketing Report - Coursework Example This has also been done for understanding the external environment. The findings derived after analyzing the market for IKEA revealed that IKEA is one of the major players in the furniture retailing market and though the company has many competitors, but due to certain Unique Selling Proposition (USP) the competitors would not be able to shake the strong foundation of the company. The company might face problems due to the economic slowdown that is prevailing around the world, due to which the sales might get affected. Introduction IKEA Furniture is private furniture retail chain in UK, which sells furniture and home products. The company also deals in customized furniture which has to be assembled according to the preferences of the customers. IKEA is one of the world’s largest furniture retailers and it sells furniture like beds, desks, chairs, tables, home appliances and accessories. The company was founded by Ingvar Kamprad in the year 1943, in Sweden. IKEA is best known f or stylish, designable and easy to handle furniture. Their furniture is eco-friendly and simply designed. Apart from its products, the company is also known for its cost control aspect. The company has always maintained a standard in controlling its internal cost, paying ample attention to the operational details and continuously developing and improving their product. IKEA is now owned and operated by both profit and non-profit organization. So the corporate structure of the company is segregated into two parts, namely: franchising and operations. The aim of this study is to analyze the functions and developments of IKEA furniture, conduct a complete market analysis of the company so as to understand the present position of the company in the industry and finally recommend strategies for improvement (IKEA, 2012). Procedure The aim of the study is to conduct competitor, market, environmental, customer and internal analysis for IKEA Furniture, so that the actual position of the compa ny in the global market can be identified. Competitors’ analysis can be done by first identifying the competitors, understanding their strategies for the customers, predicting the future steps of the competitors, assessing the value chain of the competitors and developing strategies to challenge their method. The market share of the competitors has to be estimated. The environmental analysis can be done by analyzing the external environmental of the country where IKEA has planned to open up a retail store. Similarly customers’ analysis can be done by studying the behavioural and psychological patterns of the consumers. Finally the internal analysis of the company would be done by assessing the human, financial, and physical resources within the company. Findings Competitor Analysis The major competitors of IKEA are ASDA, Ashley, and Bassett Furniture Industries among others. According to the CEO of the company, their brand awareness is must more than the size of the co mpany. This is because IKEA is not just a furniture merchant like the competitors, but it sells lifestyle to its customers. Apart

Select 2 or 3 even 4 movies to conduct a comparison Movie Review

Select 2 or 3 even 4 movies to conduct a comparison - Movie Review Example ory of two men (Dieyi and Xiaolou) against the historical backdrop of a country in upheaval and how their lives are affected by the Japanese invasion of China in the 1930s and the victory of the Communists in 1949. The two meet at troupe and become very close friends. They, craving freedom, escape from the troupe but later return (Farewell my concubine, 2006). Douzi and Shitou grow on to be stars of Beijing opera and assume the stage names Cheng Dieyi and Duan Xiaolou. Dieyi falls in love with Xiaolou while a patron, Yuan Shiqing, makes advances at Dieyi. Xiaolou develops affection for Juxian and they later get engaged. Dieyi and Xiaolou have a falling out. Dieyi takes up with Master Yuan who gives him Zhangs sword. Master Guan shames them into re-forming the troupe. The relationships of the three main characters are tested in the political upheavals that follow. Xiao and Douzi disagree on Xiao’s training and punishment after which Xiao threatens vengeance. He makes good on the threat by usurping Dieyis role as the Concubine. Deiyi becomes an opium addict but is aided to the path of recovery by Xiaolou and Juxian. On the eve of the Cultural Revolution, after a few drinks, they rekindle their relationship. Under pressure, Shitou admits that Douzi performed for the Japanese and may have had a relationship with Yuan Shiqing. Douzi, angered by the revelation, tells the mob that Juxian was a prostitute. Shitou is forced to admit that he indeed married a prostitute but swears that he doesnt love her and will never see her again. Juxian is hurt by these words and commits suicide from a crushed heart. Xiao is caught by the Communist cadre in a gym elated by taking Douzi’s position and practicing Concubine Yus role (Farewell my concubine, 2 006). The grandmaster, starring Tony Leung as Ip Man, is a 2013 Hong Kong- Chinese martial arts film directed and written by Wong Kar-Wai and tells about the life of Wing Chun grandmaster Ip Man from the 1930s in Foshan, his

The Manhattan Transcripts by Bernard Tschumi

The Manhattan Transcripts by Bernard Tschumi The Manhattan Transcripts proposed to show an architectural understanding of reality. Each point Tschumi aims to get across, is made through a series of three square panels, where photographs direct the action, plans, sections, etc. reveal the architectural construct, and diagrams indicate the movements of the main characters. The Transcripts are first and foremost a device with their explicit purpose being to transcribe things normally removed from conventional architectural representation, namely the complex relationship between spaces and their use; between the set and the script; between type and program; between objects and events. Their implicit purpose has to do with the twentieth-century city. The Transcripts try to offer a different reading of architecture in which space, movement, and events are separate, but standing in a new relationship with one another. This is meant to break down and rebuild the standard components of architecture along different axes. Tschumi takes th e Manhattan Transcripts program to formulate a plot based around a murder. MT 1 (Manhattan Transcripts 1) The Park is the first episode composed of twenty four sheets illustrating the drawn and photographed notation of a murder. The formula plot of the murder the lone figure stalking its victim, the murder, the hunt, the search for clues building up to the murderers capture. While the origin of MT 1 is in New Yorks Central Park, MT 2 The Street (Border Crossing) is based on 42nd street, from the Hudson to the East River. There are over a dozen different experiences along 42nd street by MT 2 does not represent these worlds, but the borders that describe them. Each border becomes a space with the events that it contains, with the movements that transgress it. In MT 3 The Tower (The Fall): This program proposes to highlight the fall of someone inside a common denominator like a home, office, prison, hotel or asylum. The set of drawings portrays someones flight and the preceding fall through the full height of a Manhattan tower block, its cells and its yards. The drastic change of perceptions caused by the fall is used to explore different spatial transformations and their typological distortions. In MT 4 The Block describes five inner courtyards of a simple city block witness contradictory events and programmatic impossibilities: acrobats, ice-skaters, dancers, soldiers, and football players all congregate and perform high-wire acts, games, or even the re-enactment of famous battles, in a context usually alien to their activity. Disjunctions between movements, programs, and spaces inevitably follow as each pursues a distinct logic, while their confrontations produce the most unlikely combinations. The Transcripts present three disjoined levels of reality at the same time: (i) The world of objects, composed of buildings abstracted from maps, plans, photographs; (ii) The world of movements, which can be abstracted from choreography, sport, or other movement diagrams; and (iii) The world of events, which is abstracted from news photographs. At first, the importance of each level depends only on how each is interpreted by the viewer, since each level can always be seen against the background of another. It appears to be the Transcripts argument that only the striking relationship between the three levels makes for the architectural experience. So entangled are these levels with one another that at any moment they are perfectly interchangeable. Making the Transcripts never attempt to rise above contradictions between object, man and event in order to bring them to a new synthesis; but instead, they aim to maintain these contradictions in a dynamic manner. Tschumi states, In their i ndividual state, objects, movement, events are simply discontinuous. Only when they unite do they establish an instant of continuity. Such disjunction implies a dynamic conception posed against a static definition of architecture, an excessive movement that brings architecture to its limits. Tschumis purpose of the tripartite mode of notation (events, movements, spaces) was to introduce the order of experience and the order of time (moments, intervals, sequences) for all inevitably intervene in the reading of the city. It is also seen as a need to question the modes of representation generally used by architects: plans, sections, axonometrics and perspectives. The insertion of movement into the overall architectural scheme meant that Tschumi had to breaking down some of the traditional components of architecture which permitted the independent manipulation of each new part according to narrative or formal considerations. For example, the plans of the Park, the section of the Street, the axonometrics of the Tower, the perspectives of the Block all follow (and sometimes question) the internal logic of their modes of representation. The compositional implications of an axonometric (an abstract projection according to the rules of descriptive geometry) are, as a result, widely different from those of a perspective with a single vanishing point. A particular case is explored in the forth episode of the Transcripts. As opposed to the plans, maps, or axonometrics used in the early episodes, the perspectiv al description of buildings is concomitant with their photographic record; the photograph acts as the origin of the architectural image. The perspective image is no longer a mode of three dimensional drawing, but the direct extension of the photographic mode of perception. The same applies to the movement notation. An extension from the drawn conventions of choreography, it attempts to eliminate the preconceived meanings given to particular actions so as to concentrate on their spatial effects: the movement of bodies in space. The early MTs introduce the idea of movement in general by freely improvising movement patterns, from the fugitives to the street-fighters. The last MT analyzes highly formalised movement diagrams of dancers, football players, skaters, army tacticians and acrobats. Rather than merely indicating directional arrows on neutral surface, the logic of movement notation ultimately suggests real corridors of space, as if the dancer had been carving space out of pliabl e substance; or the reverse, shaping continuous volumes , as if a whole movement had been literally solidified, frozen into a permanent and massive vector. Each event with in the Transcripts is represented by a photo, in an attempt to get to get the viewer closer to an objectivity which is often missing from architectural programs. Tschumi describes the Manhattan Transcripts as not an accumulation of events; they display a particular organisation. Their chief characteristic is the sequence, a composite succession of frames that confronts spaces, movement, and events, each with its own structure and inherent set of rules. The narratives implied by these composite sequences may be linear, deconstructed, or dissociated. MT 1 is linear, while MT 2 only appears to be so; MT 3 depicts two unrelated moments, while MT 4 exhausts the narrative, meaning it deconstructs programs in the same way that it deconstructs forms and movements. The Transcripts share a similarity to films. Both share a frame by frame technique, spaces are not only composed, but it is also developed from shot to shot so that the final meaning of each shot depends on its context. The relationship of one frame to the next is indispensable insofar as no analysis of any one frame can accurately reveal how the space was handled altogether. The Transcript s are thus not self-contained images. They establish a memory of the preceding frame, of the course of events. Their final meaning is cumulative; it does not depend merely on a single frame (such as a facade), but on succession of frames or spaces. In any case, the Transcripts always display at least two conflicting fields: first, the framing device square, healthy, conformist, normal and predictable, regular and comforting, correct. Second, the framed material, a place that only questions, distorts, compresses, displaces. Both are necessary. Neither is inherently special; neither communicates by itself. It is the play between them that does their distance and its occasional transgression, when the frame itself becomes the object of distortions. The frame permits the extreme formal manipulation of the sequence, for the content or congenial frames can be mixed up, superposed, faded in, cut up, giving endless possibilities to the narrative sequence. The last Transcript eliminates al l that is inessential to the architecture of the city. Spaces, movements, events are contracted into only fragments absolutely necessary to outline the overall structure. Since each frame is isolated from the next, architecture can begin to act as a series of surprises, a form of architectural jump-cut, where space is carefully broken apart and then reassembled at the limits. Tschumi records his classification of a number of words; two of them stand out, while researching the Manhattan Transcripts: Event: an incident, an occurrence; a particular item in a programme. Events can encompass particular uses, singular functions or isolated activities. They include moments of passion, acts of love and the instant of death. Events have an independent existence. Rarely are they purely the consequence of their surroundings. In literature, they belong to the category of the narrative (as opposed to the descriptive). Movement: the action or process of moving (In a poem or narrative: progress or incidents, development of a plot). Also: the inevitable intrusion of bodies into the controlled order of architecture. Entering a building: an act that violates the balance of a precisely ordered geometry (do architectural photographs ever include runners, fighters, lovers?); bodies that carve unexpected spaces through their fluid or erratic motions. Architecture, then, is only an organism passively engaged in constant intercourse with users, whose bodies rush against the carefully established rules of architectural thought. In the early days of developing and drawing The Manhattan Transcripts, Tschumi arrived at the tripartite notation of space, event, and movement and literally introduced the idea of movement as a separate term in the equation. Tschumis first assumption was that architecture begins with movement. For example, one enters a building, one passes through it, one climbs stairs, one goes from one space to another, and that network of routes being what really forms architecture. Even through architecture can be made of static spaces, the interaction between the static and the dynamic is what really constitutes it. This allowed Tschumi to take the argument to the next level and introduce and advance the notion of program, and then at a later stage to develop it more precisely. Traditional means of architectural representation (plans, sections, perspectives, axonometrics) have a number of limitations. Tschumi believed the idea of the event which evolved out of his theoretical work couldnt be re presented through these means. But it had been extensively documented in other disciplines such as dance, certain sports, and film theory, as well as in the work of a number of performance artists. Artist like Dan Graham, Bruce Nauman and Bruce McLean, all show an extensive representation of events and movement within their work. In the 1970s, Dan Graham worked with performance, film and video to explore changes in individual and group consciousness and the limits of private and public space. His video surveillance Time Delay and Present and continuous Past(s) installations create an event space that transforms the audience into part of the performance while also allowing interaction with the performer. The film Body Press show two filmmakers standing within a completely mirrored surrounding, without moving their bodies, hands holding and pressing a cameras back-end flush to, while slowly rotating it about, the surface cylinder of their individual bodies. One rotation goes around the bodys contour, spiralling slightly upwards with the next turn. This continues up and down the body and then the camera is exchanged and the process repeated. The cameras film the image reflected on the mirror, the body of the performer and possibly his eyes on the mirror. This movement of the camera tries to act or be seen as an extension of the bodys identity. The events created through the experience of his work are further highlighted through his built forms. The architecture of Dan Grahams own pavilions acknowledges the fantasy of the significance of the viewer in a space in culture. His structures are precisely designed for specific situations. People entering or observing them are able to look at these situations and their place within them. Any change in the lighting provokes a change in the relative reflectivity or transparency of the pavilions two-way mirror glass, putting the relationships between people and their surroundings into constant flux. People look at nature, at themselves superimposed on it, at others looking at them, at others looking at others looking at them: an endless equivalence directed at the possibility of acute social (self) consciousness In the 1970s, Bruce McLean changed the medium of his natural mode of expressive performance, from art, to live performance and pose. On his return to painting, the experience played a big role is his later work. He made a series of large works on paper inspired by some magazine photographs of Chinese acrobats. These were extremely simple and direct but where the first to exploit the possibilities of emblematic colour in relation to political symbolism. The acrobats of politics were depicted as engaged in their self-absorbed feats in arenas of performance suspiciously uncomplicated, against backgrounds that signified, in the way that flags do, certainties of value and allegiance; such certainties came in different colours. Even though simple these paintings expressed movement across a plane and the idea of event, a space where this movement is being enjoyed. Among many which represent some form of event and movement, McLeans Ambre Solaire painting highlights how well this medium captu res the movement and activity. Presented on a black background with neon orange figures and brushed bodies in bronze, the light green and white that represent the splash, perfectly brings it to life. It feels bright and inviting. The Transcripts represent a collects of drawings which proposed a new way of architectural interpretations. These try to also propose new ways to present movement and event. The Transcript achieves this is some areas, the event is only clearly represented within the photographs but fail to be clear within the drawings. Some photos also dont give a clear idea of the scene proposed. Where as representation of movement and event highlighted by the artist Dan Graham and Bruce McLean show with little interpretation what the main goal they are trying to present. The Manhattan Transcripts do portray is interesting and unique way for looking at a set of drawings with a very interesting program to follow which is hard to tie together but enjoyable to research.