HMRT 2003 C Modern day Slavery and the Slave Trade Essay

HMRT 2003 C Modern day Slavery and the Slave Trade - Essay Example Speaking in a straight and expressive language, slaves can be considered as individuals who are not given any right to do what they want or to deicide for themselves. However slavery has found broad usage and it has also been associated with other relationships like marriage or any other forms of family relations, military service, debt relationships and many other forms of relationships which all entail coercion or force in some aspects. Therefore slavery can be defined as a status or a condition of a person over whom powers attaching to the rights of ownership are exercise. This means that a slave is controlled by another person who acts as a mater or the owner of that person. The only way that someone who is considered a slave can leave the master is through escape or straying. (Lewis, 2007) In all countries in the world, slavery is considered illegal and there have been many campaigns in the world all directed towards ending slavery of any forms. The UN conventions outlaw any form of slaves. However there is still some existence of slavery in the modern world which may be directly or indirectly practices. For example, there is direct practice of slavery in Myanmar and Sudan which have been shown to facilitate some institutions of slavery. Most of these has been expressed as unfree labour where someone is told that they are working off a debt but they cannot account for that debt. In other cases it ahs been low paying or less supervise employment. Most of these slaves cannot leave these condition unless through the use of force. (Anti-slavery, 2008) It has been shown that society which are characterised by poverty, population pressure, cultural and technology backwardness are more prone to exportation of slave trade. They are mostly exported to the developed nations where they are given promise of better life but once they reach there they end up living as slaves. In the modern practice of slavery, the rural people have been at the

Coffee Shop Essay Example for Free

Coffee Shop Essay â€Å"Closing Time† has the meaning set out in section 1. 3; â€Å"Contract† means a formal written contract between the City and a Preferred Proponent to undertake the Services, the preferred form of which is attached as Schedule B; â€Å"Evaluation Team† means the team appointed by the City; â€Å"Information Meeting† has the meaning set out in section 1. 4; â€Å"Preferred Proponent(s)† means the Proponent(s) selected by the Evaluation Team to enter into negotiations for a Contract; â€Å"Proponent† means an entity that submits a Proposal; â€Å"Proposal† means a proposal submitted in response to this RFP; â€Å"RFP† means this Request for Proposals; â€Å"Services† has the meaning set out in Schedule A; â€Å"Site† means the place or places where the Services are to be performed; and â€Å"Statement of Departures† means Schedule C-1 to the form of Proposal attached as Schedule C. Instructions To Proponents 2 Closing Time and Address for Proposal Delivery Proposals must be received by the office of the: Kam Grewal, BBA, CMA Acting Purchasing AP Manager Address:6645 – 148 Street Surrey, BC V3S 3C7 on or before the following date and time (the â€Å"Closing Time†): Time: 3:00 pm local time Date: Monday, July 5, 2010. Submissions by fax [or email] will not be accepted. There will be no extension to the Closing Time for the submission of proposals. 3 Information Meeting An information meeting may be hosted by the City Representative to discuss the City’s requirements under this RFP (the â€Å"Information Meeting†). While attendance is at the discretion of Proponents, Proponents who do not attend will be deemed to have attended the Information Meeting and to have received all of the information given at the Information Meeting. At the time of issuance of this RFP a meeting has not been scheduled. 4 Number of Copies. Proponents should submit the original plus 5 hard copies (6 in total) of their Proposals. 5 Late Proposals Proposals received after the Closing Time will not be accepted or considered. Delays caused by any delivery, courier or mail service(s) will not be grounds for an extension of the Closing Time. 7 Amendments to Proposals Proposals may be revised by written amendment, delivered to the location set out above, at any time before the Closing Time but not after. An amendment must be signed by an authorized signatory of the Proponent in the same manner as provided by section 2. 3. Fax amendments are permitted, but such fax may show only the change to the proposal price(s) and in no event disclose the actual proposal price(s). A Proponent bears all risk that the City’s fax equipment functions properly so as to facilitate timely delivery of any fax amendment. 8 Inquiries All inquiries related to this RFP should be directed in writing to the person named below (the â€Å"City Representative†). Information obtained from any person or source other than the City Representative may not be relied upon. Kam Grewal, BBA, CMA Acting Purchasing AP Manager. Address:City of Surrey – Purchasing 6645 – 148 Street Surrey, BC V3S 3C7 Phone: 604-590-7274 Fax:604-599-0956 Email:[emailprotected] ca Inquiries should be made no later than 7 days before Closing Time. The City reserves the right not to respond to inquiries made within 7 days of the Closing Time. Inquiries and responses will be recorded and may be distributed to all Proponents at the discretion of the City. Proponents finding discrepancies or omissions in the Contract or RFP, or having doubts as to the meaning or intent of any provision, should immediately notify the City Representative. If the City determines that an amendment is required to this RFP, the City Representative will issue an addendum in accordance with section 1. 9. No oral conversation will affect or modify the terms of this RFP or may be relied upon by any Proponent. 9 Addenda If the City determines that an amendment is required to this RFP, the City will post a written addendum on the City website at www. surrey. ca (the City Website) and upon posting will be deemed to form part of this RFP. Upon submitting a Proposal, Proponents will be deemed to have received notice of all addenda that are posted on the City Website. 10 Examination of Contract Documents and Site Proponents will be deemed to have carefully examined the RFP, including all attached Schedules, the Contract and the Site (as applicable) prior to preparing and submitting a Proposal with respect to any and all facts which may influence a Proposal. 11 Opening of Proposals The City intends to open Proposals in private but reserves the right to open Proposals in public at its sole discretion. 12 Status Inquiries All inquiries related to the status of this RFP, including whether or not a Contract has been awarded, should be directed to the City Website and not to the City Representative. Proposal Submission FORM AND contents 2 Package Proposals should be in a sealed package, marked on the outside with the Proponents name, title of the Project and reference number. 3 Form of Proposal Proponents should complete the form of Proposal attached as Schedule C, including Schedules C-1 to C-4. Proponents are encouraged to respond to the items listed in Schedules C-1 to C-4 in the order listed. Proponents are encouraged to use the forms provided and attach additional pages as necessary. 4 Signature. The legal name of the person or firm submitting the Proposal should be inserted in Schedule C. The Proposal should be signed by a person authorized to sign on behalf of the Proponent. 1 If the Proponent is a corporation then the full name of the corporation should be included, together with the names of authorized signatories. The Proposal should be executed by all of the authorized signatories or by one or more of them provided that a copy of the corporate resolution authorizing those persons to execute the Proposal on behalf of the corporation is submitted. 2 If the Proponent is a partnership or joint venture then the name of the partnership or joint venture and the name of each partner or joint venturer should be included, and each partner or joint venturer should sign personally (or, if one or more person(s) have signing authority for the partnership or joint venture, the partnership or joint venture should provide evidence to the satisfaction of the City that the person(s) signing have signing authority for the partnership or joint venture). If a partner or joint venturer is a corporation then such corporation should sign as indicated in subsection (a) above. 3 If the Proponent is an individual, including a sole proprietorship, the name of the individual should be included. evaluation and Selection 2 Evaluation Team The evaluation of Proposals will be undertaken on behalf of the City by the Evaluation Team. The Evaluation Team may consult with others including City staff members, third party consultants and references, as the Evaluation Team may in its discretion decide is required. The Evaluation Team will give a written recommendation for the selection of a Preferred Proponent or Preferred Proponents to the City. 3 Evaluation Criteria The Evaluation Team will compare and evaluate all Proposals to determine the Proponents strength and ability to provide the Services in order to determine the Proposal which is most advantageous to the City, using the following criteria: 1 Experience, Reputation and Resources The Evaluation Team will consider the Proponents responses to items in C-2 of Schedule  C including supplementary information. 3 Technical The Evaluation Team will consider the Proponents responses to items (i) to (vii) in C-3 of Schedule  C. 5 Financial The Evaluation Team will consider the Proponents response to C-4 of Schedule  C. (d)Statement of Departures The Evaluation Team will consider the Proponents response to C-1 of Schedule  C. The Evaluation Team will not be limited to the criteria referred to above, and the Evaluation Team may consider other criteria that the team identifies as relevant during the evaluation process. The Evaluation Team may apply the evaluation criteria on a comparative basis, evaluating the Proposals by comparing one Proponents Proposal to another Proponents Proposal. All criteria considered will be applied evenly and fairly to all Proposals. 4 Discrepancies in Proponents Financial Proposal If there are any obvious discrepancies, errors or omissions in C-4 of a Proposal (Proponents Financial Proposal), then the City shall be entitled to make obvious corrections, but only if, and to the extent, the corrections are apparent from the Proposal as submitted, and in particular: (a)if there is a discrepancy between a unit price and the extended total, then the unit prices shall be deemed to be correct, and corresponding corrections will be made to the extended totals; (b)if a unit price has been given but the corresponding extended total has been omitted, then the extended total will be calculated from the unit price and the estimated quantity; (c)if an extended total has been given but the corresponding unit price has been omitted, then the unit price will be calculated from the extended total and the estimated quantity. 6 Litigation In addition to any other provision of this RFP, the City may, in its absolute discretion, reject a Proposal if the Proponent, or any officer or director of the Proponent submitting the Proposal, is or has been engaged directly or indirectly in a legal action against the City, its elected or appointed officers, representatives or employees in relation to any matter. In determining whether or not to reject a Proposal under this section, the City will consider whether the litigation is likely to affect the Proponent’s ability to work with the City, its consultants and representatives and whether the City’s experience with the Proponent indicates that there is a risk the City will incur increased staff and legal costs in the administration of the Contract if it is awarded to the Proponent. 8 Additional Information. The Evaluation Team may, at its discretion, request clarifications or additional information from a Proponent with respect to any Proposal, and the Evaluation Team may make such requests only to selected Proponents. The Evaluation Team may consider such clarifications or additional information in evaluating a Proposal. 10 Interviews The Evaluation Team may, at its discretion, may invite some or all of the Proponents to appear before the Evaluation Team to provide clarifications of their Proposals. In such event, the Evaluation Team will be entitled to consider the answers received in evaluating Proposals. 12 Multiple Preferred Proponents and Changes to the Proponent Team The City reserves the right and discretion to divide up the Services, either by scope, geographic area, or other basis as the City may decide, and to select one or more Preferred Proponents to enter into discussions with the City for one or more Contracts to perform a portion or portions of the Services. If the City exercises its discretion to divide up the Services, the City will do so reasonably having regard for the RFP and the basis of Proposals. Likewise, the City reserves the right to ask for changes in the member/s comprising the Proponent Team as it deems beneficial to the overall composition of the Team and without any obligation to justify its preference. In addition to any other provision of this RFP, Proposals may be evaluated on the basis of advantages and disadvantages to the City that might result or be achieved from the City dividing up the Services and entering into one or more Contracts with one or more Proponents. NOT APPLICABLE 14 Negotiation of Contract and Award If the City selects a Preferred Proponent, then it may: (a)enter into a Contract with the Preferred Proponent; or (b)enter into discussions with the Preferred Proponent to clarify any outstanding issues and attempt to finalize the terms of the Contract, including financial terms. If discussions are successful, the City and the Preferred Proponent will finalize the Contract; or. (c)if at any time the City reasonably forms the opinion that a mutually acceptable agreement is not likely to be reached within a reasonable time, give the Preferred Proponent written notice to terminate discussions, in which event the City may then either open discussions with another Proponent or terminate this RFP and retain or obtain the Services in some other manner. General Conditions 2 No City Obligation. This RFP is not a tender and does not commit the City in any way to select a Preferred Proponent, or to proceed to negotiations for a Contract, or to award any Contract, and the City reserves the complete right to at any time reject all Proposals, and to terminate this RFP process. 4 Proponent’s Expenses Proponents are solely responsible for their own expenses in preparing, and submitting Proposals, and for any meetings, negotiations or discussions with the City or its representatives and consultants, relating to or arising from this RFP. The City and its representatives, agents, consultants and advisors will not be liable to any Proponent for any claims, whether for costs, expenses, losses or damages, or loss of anticipated profits, or for any other matter whatsoever, incurred by the Proponent in preparing and submitting a Proposal, or participating in negotiations for a Contract, or other activity related to or arising out of this RFP. 6 No Contract By submitting a Proposal and participating in the process as outlined in this RFP, Proponents expressly agree that no contract of any kind is formed under, or arises from, this RFP, prior to the signing of a formal written Contract. 7 Conflict of Interest A Proponent shall disclose in its Proposal any actual or potential conflicts of interest and existing business relationships it may have with the City, its elected or appointed officials or employees. The City may rely on such disclosure. 8 Solicitation of Council Members and City Staff. Proponents and their agents will not contact any member of the City Council or City staff with respect to this RFP, other than the City Representative named in section  1. 8, at any time prior to the award of a contract or the termination of this RFP. 10 Confidentiality All submissions become the property of the City and will not be returned to the Proponent. All submissions will be held in confidence by the City unless otherwise required by law. Proponents should be aware the City is a â€Å"public body† defined by and subject to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act of British Columbia. Schedule A. SERVICES 1. GENERAL This RFP is inviting potential Proponents to submit Proposals to act as the tenant and sole vendor for a proposed coffee shop (the â€Å"Coffee Shop†) at the Surrey City Centre Library (the â€Å"Library†), currently being constructed at 10350 University Drive, Surrey, BC. The successful Proponent will be responsible for the managing and daily service of the Coffee Shop located on the ground floor of the Library. There will be an opportunity for the successful Proponent to provide catering for meetings and other similar functions, although it is not mandatory for the client to use the Coffee Shop for catering. 2. BACKGROUND As part of the Surrey City Centre plan review and update, the Surrey City Council has approved the construction of a new 5-level library. While the project is currently in the design phase, construction has commenced due to the fast track nature of the project. Currently excavation is complete on the basement and the ground floor slab and reinforcement is being set. It will be poured by Friday June 18, 2010. The Library is conveniently located near bus loops, transit and SkyTrain. The Library will eventually become part of a plaza where community celebrations will take place. Once completed it will be Surrey’s largest library at 75,000 square feet. The City’s new Library will be a unique state of the art environmentally friendly landmark that provides access to the broadest range of information, learning opportunities, and diverse cultural experiences. The new Library will be: The centrepiece for Surrey’s City Centre; adorned in architectural excellence for the 21st century, the library will contribute to the vitality of the city and put Surrey in a class with other great cities. A foundation for the City’s future success by boosting economic and cultural activity and attracting visitors from all parts of the country. A source of pride and a great public space, where the community gathers to celebrate, reflect, connect and share information, knowledge and culture. 3. PROJECT GOAL The goal of this project is to identify a coffee and related food services operator for the Library. 4. THE COFFEE SHOP An exciting opportunity exists on the ground floor to operate a commercial Coffee Shop. The Coffee Shop is located in a high traffic area, between the two main entrances, elevators and new book display. The licence awarded to the successful Proponent would also include a seating area where customers can sit. The consumption of food within the Library itself is allowed. There are several meeting rooms and a large room which can host community events, along with teen areas, study areas, children’s areas and much more. It is also expected that the Library will be utilised by SFU students on a constant basis. 5. LIBRARY HOURS Library opening hours are: Monday to Friday9:30am – 9:00pm Saturday10:00am – 5:00pm Sunday 1:00pm – 5:00pm 6. 2009 PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC The following figures represent the estimated visits at all the public library branches for 2009. |BRANCH |VISITORS | |Cloverdale | 163,605 | |Fleetwood | 262,717 | |Guildford | 582,361 | |Newton | 357,045 | |Ocean Park | 193,167 | |Port Kells | 7,410 | |Semiahmoo | 305,162 | |Strawberry Hill | 357,166 | |Whalley | 276,406 | It is estimated that traffic for the Library will mirror that of the Whalley branch, and is expected to increase due to the development taking place in the area. 7. EXPECTATIONS OF THE SUCCESSFUL PROPONENT The City would require the successful Proponent to offer a variety of food and beverage choices that include healthy and nutritious options for all customers, many of whom are school-aged children. The Surrey Public Library Board has approved the policy (policy 3. 8 Healthy Food Options) that the Library provides a healthy food option for programs, special events and contests. No alcohol is to be allowed. There is to be no food smell generation if preparation is required and there is to be no electric grinding (e. g. coffee beans) on the Coffee Shop floor due to noise levels. All grinding can be done in the storage room, manually or prior to Library opening hours. Loading of stock for the Coffee Shop can be done via the west entrance of the ground floor or via the elevators from the underground parkade. Persons meeting in the conference rooms are permitted to cater from external companies although there is the opportunity for the successful Proponent to cater these functions if prior arrangements are made between the two parties. The opening date for the Coffee Shop is yet to be determined, however, it is expected to be up and running by early Summer of 2011. The Coffee Shop is expected to be operational during Library opening hours. Opening times for the Coffee Shop are to be from the Library’s opening time to half an hour prior to the Library’s closing. The successful Proponent would be able to enter the building half an hour prior to the Library’s opening time. The successful Proponent is to supply any equipment needed for the Coffee Shop to function including, but not limited to, coffee machines, refrigerator, signage, counter cooler case, etc. All business licences and food permits are the responsibility of the Proponent. 8. SUCCESSFUL PROPONENT’S WORK RESPONSIBILITIES a) Should there be any structural changes which have been reviewed and approved by the City prior to the execution of such changes, the tenant is to supply all tenant improvement plans signed and sealed by professional engineers or architects to be approved by the City. b) The tenant is to provide evidence of insurance for the City`s approval as specified in the License Agreement (refer to Schedule B – License Agreement). c) The tenant is expected to supply all equipment needed to sufficiently run the coffee shop including, but not limited to, coffee machines and espresso equipment, undercounter refrigerators, shelving in the storage room, display cooler case, paper towel dispenser, milk cooler, microwave, cash register and trash bins. 9. COLD DRINK BEVERAGES The City has an agreement with The Pepsi Bottling Group (Canada), Co. (â€Å"Pepsi†), for the exclusive supply of cold drink beverages for all City facilities, including the Library. Therefore, the successful Proponent is to work directly with Pepsi for the supply of cold drink beverages, including: †¢ Carbonated soft drinks †¢ Teas other than fresh brewed †¢ Juices. †¢ Juice-based products †¢ Lemonade †¢ Isotonics †¢ Sports drinks †¢ Energy drinks †¢ Bottled water Excluded Beverages: †¢ Milk †¢ Flavoured milk †¢ Cold coffee †¢ Branded or unbranded fresh brewed coffee or tea †¢ Hot chocolate †¢ Unbranded fresh squeezed juices †¢ Smoothies and milkshakes The agreement with Pepsi is to expire in 2011. 10. SNACK FOODS The City has an agreement with Ryan Company Ltd. (â€Å"Ryan Vending†), for the exclusive supply of a healthier snack foods program and vending services for all City facilities, including the Library. Therefore, the successful Proponent is to work directly with Ryan Vending for the supply of snack foods. 11. CITY’ RESPONSIBILITIES The City is to complete the Licence Area, as set out in Schedule B, in a good and workmanlike manner, at the City’s cost, using new materials and to the following extent: a) Interior wall taped and sanded drywall to code, painted white; b) Ceiling is to be painted concrete; c) The floor will be finished with a rubber covering; d) Counter tops on the horizontal front counter is to be a white laminate; e) The vertical section of the counters shall be an East Coast maple; f) The counter at the back of the shop floor containing the sink, and the backsplash, is to be white Corian; g) There will be an apple ply edging where the vertical edge of the counters meets the horizontal at the front counter; h) There is to be recessed lighting fixtures above the back counter, surface mounted fixture on painted concrete ceiling to light signage and menu and pendant fixtures at the front counter; i) All signage, including Menu board, must be approved by the City and the design team (Bing Thom Architects). The preferred signage for the Coffee Shop is electric flat screens, however, the design team is open to ideas regarding electronic signage from Proponents. This will have no impact on the evaluation of the Proponent’ Proposal; j) The City will provide the main sink and handwash sink located in the back counter; k) A 25mm domestic hot and cold water line with backflow preventor will be installed for refrigerator and coffee machine; and l) A 20mm domestic hot and cold water pipe and a 40mm sanitary drain will be installed for each of the two (2) sinks. term The Proponent will provide the Services set out in this Schedule  A and A-1 for a term not to exceed five years (including renewal) commencing in the early Summer of 2011 (the Term). A. The Licensor is the owner of those lands and premises located at 10350 University Blvd within the City of Surrey, Province of British Columbia, and more particularly known and described as: Parcel Identifier: 028-179-951 Parcel 1 Section 27 Block 5 N Range 2 West New Westminster District Plan BCP44240 (the Lands) on which is located theCity Centre Library. B. The Licensee wishes to obtain from the Licensor a licence to use those portions of the building located on the Lands as follows: 1. Area A Concession and Storage Room (Licence Area A) which area is approximately 141. 9 sq. ft. and shown on the plan attached hereto as Schedule A; and 2. Area B Seating Area (Licence Area B) as shown on the plan attached hereto as Schedule A (collectively the Licence Area) C. The Licensee intends to use the Licence Area for the retail sale of coffee, tea, and other products as outlined in this Licence. D. Licence Area A shall be for the exclusive use of the Licensee, and Licence Area  B shall be for the non-exclusive use of the Licensee. NOW THEREFORE in consideration of the sum of ONE DOLLAR paid by each of the parties to each other and other good and valuable consideration (the receipt and sufficiency of which each party hereby acknowledges) the parties hereby covenant and agree as follows: 1. In this License the parties agree that: (a)Additional Rental means the moneys payable hereunder, together with all other sums of money, whether or not designated as Additional Rental, to be paid by the Licensee whether to the Licensor or otherwise under this License save and except Minimum Rental and Percentage Rental; (b)Commencement Date of Term means ______________, 2011; (c)Gross Revenue means the entire amount of the sales price, whether wholesale or retail, for cash, credit, or otherwise of all sales of merchandise and services, and all other receipts and receivables whatsoever of all business conducted at, in, upon, or from the Licence Area, including, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, receipts and receivables in respect of any sale effected by the Licensee using any computer. Electronic, telephone, internet, or like system, where the Product is sent via the Licence Area or by the Licensee directly to a consumer, orders taken at or received at the Licence Area, although such orders may be filled elsewhere by the Licensee, deposits not refunded to customers, the selling price of gift certificates, charges to customers in the nature of interest or carrying or financing charges, sums, and credits received, and settlement of claims for loss of or damage to goods. No deductions shall be allowed for uncollected or uncollectible credit accounts. There shall not be included in Gross Revenue: (i)any sums shown separately from the price and collected and paid out for any direct retail sales tax imposed by any duly constituted governmental authority; (ii)the exchange of goods and merchandise between the stores of the Licensee, if any, where such exchange of goods or merchandise is made solely for the convenient operation of the business of the Licensee and not for the purpose of consummating a sale which has previously been made or agreed to be made at, in, from, or upon the Licence Area or for the purpose of depriving the Licensor of the benefit of a sale which otherwise would be made at, in, from, or upon the Licence Area; (iii)the Licensee’s original cost of returns to suppliers or to manufacturers; (iv)the amount of merchandise sold when such merchandise is thereafter returned by the purchaser and accepted by the Licensee, and a complete credit is given to the purchaser; and (v)the selling price of gift or merchandise certificates or coupons sold other than from the Licence Area, provided that such gift or merchandise certificates or coupons shall be included in the calculation of Gross Revenue at the time of their redemption. (vi)Each sale upon an installment or credit basis shall be treated as a sale for the full price in the month in which that sale is made regardless of the time when the Licensee receives payment, whether full or partial, from its customer; (d)Lands means as hereinbefore defined in recital A; (e)Licence Year means a 12-month period commencing with the first day of January in one calendar year and ending on the last day of December of that year, providing that the first Licence Year shall commence on the Commencement Date of Term and end on the last day of December next following and the last Licence Year shall end on the last day of the Term and commence on the first day of January preceding that date; (f)Licence Area means Licence Area A and Licence Area B; (g)Licence Area A means those portions of the building located on the Lands shown highlighted in pink and marked as Area A. Concession and Area A Storage room, which area is approximately 141. 9 sq. ft. ; (h)Licence Area B means those portions of the building located on the Lands shown highlighted in yellow and marked as Area B. Seating Area; (i)Minimum Rental means the minimum annual rental reserved hereunder payable by the Licensee; (j)Product means coffee, tea, soft drinks, juices, pastries, sandwiches and related items as specified in the menu attached as Schedule C which menu may be amended from time to time with the agreement of the Licensor and the Licensee; (k)Percentage Rental means the percentage rental reserved hereunder and payable by the Licensee; (l)Real Property Taxes means all taxes, rates and assessments, whether general or specially levied or assessed for municipal, school, general or any other purposes by any lawful government authority payable by the Landlord in respect of the Demised Premises and shall include any other taxes payable by the Landlord which in the future are levied in lieu of or in addition to such taxes, rates and assessments the whole as finally determined for each calendar year as a result of assessment, appeal or judicial review, and shall include any legal fees, or appraisers fees incurred by the Landlord in respect of such final determination. (m)Rental means Additional Rental, Percentage Rental, if any, and Minimum Rental; and (n)Term means _______ (__) years commencing on the Commencement Date of the Term and ending on the _____ day of ________, 20__. 2. The Licensor hereby grants to the Licensee a licence to occupy and use Licence Area A on an exclusive basis and Licence Area B on a non-exclusive basis commencing on the Commencement Date of Term for Term unless sooner terminated as hereinafter provided. 3. To use Licence Area for the retail sale of the Products and to use Licence Area B to provide a seating area for the benefit of visitors to and staff of the City Centre Library and for no other purpose during the Term. 4. The Licensor covenants and agrees to pay to the Licensor, in lawful money of Canada, on the days and at the times hereinafter specified, Rental which shall include the aggregate of the sums required to be paid: (a)Minimum Rental and Percentage Rental: The Tenant shall pay the greater of: (i). Minimum Rental of $________ per month commencing on the Commencement Date of Term and the 1st day of each and every month thereafter throughout the Term; or (ii)the Percentage Rental which shall be ___% of Gross Revenue per Licence Year; (b)Additional Rental Any sums, costs, expenses or other amounts from time to time due and payable by the Tenant to the Landlord or to any third persons under the provisions of this Licence, including, without limitation, all amounts payable under Section 4. 3 and Article 5 and all amounts payable by the Tenant by way of indemnity, whether expressed in this Licence to be Basic Rent or Additional Rent or not shall be treated and deemed to be Rent and the Landlord shall have all remedies for the collection of such sums, costs, expenses or other amounts, when in arrears, as are available to the Landlord for collection of Rent in arrears. The Licensee shall also pay for: (i)the removal of garbage generated by the Licencee to the main garbage receptacle, cleaning of spills and pick up of litter in Licence Area B, and any other like service rendered to the Licence Area for the benefit of the Licensee and paid by the Licensor. (ii)the amount of Real Property Taxes applicable to the Licence Area in every Licence Year during the Term or any renewal thereof as and when prescribed by the Landlord.

Physics of Electric Guitars :: physics music guitar

Electric guitars play a very important role in today's music. Without it, we would be stuck with the acoustic guitar, which has limited volume, and a narrow range of sounds it can produce. Understanding just exactly how the electric guitar works isn't as intuitive as with the acoustic. With this website, I attempt to brighten the knowledge people have on the physics behind the electric guitar, since one cannot appreciate something, truly, until he knows how it works. The Acoustic guitar, originating from Spain, has been around since the 1500s. It wasn't till the 1920's with the advent of swing and big band music that musicians needed louder instruments. The acoustic guitar, even with steel strings, was simply too quiet. At this time, Los Angeles musicians, George Beauchamp and John Dopyera started working on figuring out how to make the acoustic guitar louder. After a few failures, Dopyera came up with the idea to put aluminum disks onto the body of the acoustic guitar. These disks would then resonate and increase the volume about 3 to 5 times. In 1927, the two founded the National String Instrument Co., which patented this resonator design. Due to internal problems, Dopyera fired Beauchamp in 1930 and then eventually even sold the company, patenting the resonator with his brother under a new company named "Dobro". Beauchamp, a bit unhappy about being fired, set out to figure out a different way to increase the volume of the guitar. Even before, as early as 1925, he had been experimenting with phonograph needles and produced a single string electric guitar that would "pick up" the vibration in the string and turn it into sound. He then started experimenting with ways to pick-up the vibration of all 6 strings, each string seperately. After months of experimentation he and Paul Barth developed a working pick-up made of 2 horse-shoe magnets and 6 coils of wire with electric current running through them. With this new pick-up, Beauchamp had Harry Watson carve a body for his first electric guitar. They called this the "Frying Pan" due to its similar shape. This was the first guitar fitted with an electric pick-up. Around the same time, Llyod Loar, acoustical engineer for Gibson, had started marketing a new Spanish style acoustic electric guitar. Loar, famous for the mandolin, headed the subdivision of Gibson responsible for producing these guitars, named Vivi-Tone. This guitar actually failed, but had left the idea that acoustic guitars with electric pickups were the way to go for Gibson.

Reduce,Reuse and Reclycle Essay

Practicing these three steps (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) helps us lessen the environmental impact that manufacturing and distributing products have on our environment. Reducing waste is the most effective 3 R practice, because it means not producing unnecessary waste in the first place – So there is zero impact on the environment. If we reduce what we buy and use in the first place and reuse wherever possible, fewer things need to be recycled and the amount of waste we produce will fall. The next best is Reuse, because it extends the life of a product. That item still had to be made but it is used over and over, reducing the need to make new stuff. Recycling in the end is the reprocessing of materials. It helps reduce pollution caused by waste and the need of raw material so that rainforests can be preserved. BENEFITS: We are going to give you some tips and practical examples how to save money, energy and the environment. 1. Do not waste food, make sure that you buy what you are going to consume, give leftovers to your pets or discard them in a responsible way. (Environmental friendly). 2. Grow your own vegetable, fruits, and flowers. 3. When you leave a room always turn the lights off – Do not forget to switch off all the electrical equipment’s, turn down your emersion heater. 4. Instead of using dishwasher, wash dishes by hands from the sink 5. Always turn the tap off when you wash your teeth. You do not need the tap running when you are brushing your teeth. 6. Instead of buying a lot of books, you can borrow from the library or charity shops. 7. Do not automatically get rid of your old newspaper; use it in place of paper towels to clean glasses and mirrors. Shred it to make packaging materials, use it as a fire starter. 8. Reuse junk mail envelops for your own mail. Just put a label over the see through window or if the envelop has a bar code at the bottom, run a black marker through it. 9. Do not dump water you use to cook vegetable; water your plants with it. 10. Use the public transport (trains, undergrounds) rather than cars to reduce pollution. ADVANTAGES OF RECYCLING: Recycling uses much less energy than producing new materials from scratch. This means less fossil fuel is burnt and less greenhouse gas is emitted. The vast majority of materials collected from your doorstep are recycled and used in the UK. This means less fuel is used to export waste and import new materials. Recycling helps to reduce pollution, Co2 emissions caused by waste and preserve natural resources for futures generations. Recycling is one of the best ways for you to have a positive impact on the planet in which we live. It is so important to both, the natural environment and us (Human beings). N. B: However, recycling still creates some pollution because it is an industrial process. That’s why â€Å"Reduce and Reuse† are the most important of the 3 R practice. Did you know? Recycling Aluminium uses only five per cent of the energy and emissions needed to make it from raw materials. Each year in the UK, we go through over 1. 2 million Tonnes of electrical waste. (That’s the equivalent of 150 Thousand double decker buses). Prevention is better than cure as the doctors say. Therefore, we must act fast as the amount of waste we create is increasing all the time. We are going to conclude our topic with this wise and pertinent citation of Margaret Mead: â€Å"Never doubt a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. †

A Society Is Influenced More by Show Then by Substances.

A society is influenced more by show then by substances. Our world is the world of Glamour . Our society is composed by peoples who just sees as things are shown to them. They dont have time and energy to study or analyse things. Media has a big hand in influencing people. They put things in different perspectives,so that we get easily influenced by the way they inform about the event. As our eyes see,they transfer it to rain and our brain takes first decision depending upon data sent by our eyes. We may also use previous experiences and knowledge about substances but for new entity we are depending on media or internet. So now-a-days people's judgement is based on what they see. I will narrate my experience with a phrase ‘Ignorance is bliss',which means-‘Not knowing is better than knowing and worrying. I think it has more to do with the economy & governmental control. People are bogged down economically ,so fewer people have the energy or time to fight for what is right. So many of them just choose to believe what ever is in front of them. The one's who refuse to believe whatever the government or the media feeds them are regarded as â€Å"conspiracy fanatics†. We are bound to believe the government & media. Getting to the very core ,substances usually takes a lot of work and time. It is also very unpleasant. We can say It's just easier to live in ignorance.

social mobilization and education essays

social mobilization and education essays Meet Sandra, a mother recently divorced from her abusive middle-class husband. Her previous life had been comfortable; she now lives day-to-day with her children, working as a secretary while attending college courses in her little spare time, all while attending to her home and family. She finally ends up attaining her degree, yet can still find no job paying higher than her secretarial job, so she takes on a second job as a grocery checkout person, still barely making ends meet for her family. As described in Ch. 9 of the Giddens text, this woman had obviously worked very hard to attempt to restore her life back to her previous pre-divorce middle-class state. She says, You try to do the responsible thing, and youre penalized, because the system we have right now doesnt provide you with a way to make it. (p. 169) However, she learned the hard way that class is not quite as easy to transcend in this so-called land of opportunity. The United States is the most highly stratified societ y of the industrialized world. Class distinctions operate in virtually every aspect of our lives, determining the nature of our work, the quality of our schooling, and the health and safety of our loved ones. Yet, remarkably, we, as a nation retain illusions about living in the capitalist land of opportunity, where any average Joe can make his million if he works hard enough. The reality of the our situation is that the US is not as open as we think it may be, meaning that social mobility, or the movement between classes, is not nearly as easy as we may believe. This is due to the fact that many social issues, such as gender, racial, and economic class, serve as barriers that obstruct the path of ones social mobility. Despite our own personal efforts and talents, mobility in our society is primarily based on ones status, and overcoming the stereotypes that accompany one̵...

The voices of silence by Bel Mooney Essays

The voices of silence by Bel Mooney Essays The voices of silence by Bel Mooney Paper The voices of silence by Bel Mooney Paper The novel The voices of silence by Bel Mooney is set in the country of Romania during the last months of the regime of the dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. The story is told from the viewpoint of Flora Popescy, a thirteen-year old school girl who lives with her parents Rodika and Constantin in the capital city of Bucharest. In chapters one to three we are given an immediate insight into the harshness of life under an oppressive government. Floras family lives in great poverty. We realise from Floras dream that even bananas are a delicacy, and a seven-year-old boy requested a banana for his big birthday present. Floras family lives in a twenty-story block, which was due to have new lifts fitted but as the government ran out of money they left the shafts on view. Between each block theres only rough terrain as there is no gardens or even grass. When rain falls puddles collect easily, as there is no drainage system just unfinished ground. Flora describes her flat as tiny with only two rooms, a tiny kitchen and bathroom. The sofa in the flat is her parents double bed at night. It is a damp flat which was evident from Floras description of the dampness that bubbled and sprouted on the walls. Also they have an old wooden draining board which is cracked down the middle. They heat the flat with paraffin but it isnt enough to keep the flat warm. Each day at dawn they have to queue for bread and milk. Sometimes Tata would return with an old bag containing four/five apples, or bacon or just a lump of cheese, which made any of these things a real feast and by our standards shows how what a poor state they really live in. For Floras birthday it was such a treat for her to be served fresh bread and in addition she had two pieces of salami and a little strip of cheese and a fried egg. Flora had one birthday card, which was obviously appreciated because she took great care looking at the decorations the pictures and colours. Also Flora had one present rapped in the same paper their food was wrapped in, yet her mum had drawn and painted moons and stars on it. Flora had a scarf as her only present, she really appreciated it because it was an extravagance not a necessity. Daniel Ghiban had joined the school on the first day back. At lunchtime everyone crowded round him because of what he had on his sandwiches which was proper meat on soft bread and cake. On that day Floras school bag had broken again, she mentioned her mum had already mended it five times before, another example that they cant afford new possessions. Daniel Ghiban stopped to help her pick her stuff and sharpened her pencil with a real sharpener. Flora told Daniel that usually she sharpens with a knife. Daniel wore real jeans, a blue jumper with the schools badge on and trainers, he really stood out from the others because Flora described everyone in school looked the same Drab dark clothes From the opening chapters of the book we also learn a great deal about the political regime. President Ceausescu is a cruel dictator who lives in luxury, while keeping his people in poverty. In chapters two, on Floras birthday, she and her parents go into the city to look at the presidents dreadful, lavish, giant new palace, Her father Constantin seethes anger but dare not voice his opinions aloud in public. We learn very quickly that the citizens of Romania are spied on and that the government tries to control their thoughts and actions. Floras account of how the pupils chant their loyalty to Romania and the beloved president on a daily basis is evidence of the political indoctrination in school. From a early age Flora tells they learned from songs that the president was the father and his wife Elena was the mother. Some examples of characters been nervous of talking about the government are when mama tried shushing Tata from explaining why they are deprived from having certain things. Also Flora was worried when Alys called Old Ceausecu an old monster. This was evident because Flora tried shushing Alys and looking over her soldier to see if anybody had heard. Another point about this is the fact that Daniel was not supposed to tell his friends how he had managed to have decent food, he told his friends in a whisper, which later made Flora nervous of running footsteps behind her. Constantin was suspicious that Daniel had arrived unexpectedly at their flat bringing MMs for Floras birthday. Father said It was not Right because even though he was a school friend he was a stranger, adding people in Romania have to look after themselves and it wasnt normal to send presents to others unless they wanted something in return. From my reading of the novel so far, I understand life in a country like Romania must be very miserable. I think that the thing I would hate most of all would be the fact that you couldnt have any real friend or someone to trust as you have to live a life of secrecy and whispers because you never know who might be listening in on you.

Moral Attitudes and Values Development in School

Moral Attitudes and Values Development in School Hashtag: #FailingTheHonest Moral Attitudes and Values Development in School Most parents typically taught their children not to lie and be honest in everything they do as our society in general favors those who are truthful, sincere, and equitable. Similarly, educational institutions play a major role in ensuring that each student recognizes the worth and value of being honest in purpose, work, and principle. However, despite social norm and value learned in school, honestly in some society received punishment rather than admiration or respect. The reason why schools typically avoid false systems of merits and demerits is the fact that such practice teaches children to work for end results rather study and learn. However, telling the truth in this world is not always the best policy particularly when it involves admitting your fault or exposing somebody in power. One reason is the fact that our perception of things offends those that are note aligned with them. Some people find it difficult to confront the truth as such complex reality demands emotional and intellectual integrity. Many college students according to one study consider freedom, honesty, happiness, and competence as important personal values but they do not consider honestly as an obligation. These college students may be aware that such attitude sometimes frustrates other people. The study shows that some people actually gave up their honest behavior because of a bad experience. Punishing people for being honest makes them avoid such situation again through lies and deceit. You may also like these articles: The Value of Academic Debate The Scientific Basis for Defining Seasons Remembering Our First Stage of Education Junk Food in School Practice What You Preach The Effect of Dysfunctional Social Norms Honesty builds trust and should be treated with respect but in many circumstances, a person’s honesty seems more of a disadvantage than a helpful characteristic. One problem is that traditional belief on the value of honesty is now overshadowed by alternative social norms that tolerate dishonesty. According to study, some society rationalized dishonesty and other dysfunctional norms as unavoidable and even condone fraudulent and inefficient decisions made by social leaders and public authorities. In fact, this type of attitude prevails regardless of economic costs and serious consequences such as violations of public interests. In business organizations according to research, an establishment of a norm of dishonesty among employees often make honest employees accept the norm and start viewing themselves as people who can also engage in theft and fraud. The organizations responses over this dysfunctional employee norm such as investing in high-tech security and surveillance systems seem to worsen the problem more. For instance, as costly security measures send the message that the company does not trust its employees, the sense of organization community is decreased. Moreover, it can also lead to employee hostility and retaliation as security system facilitates the belief that management is an enemy. In school, students who regularly cheat and get away them makes cheating an acceptable behavior to their peers. In time, such academic dishonesty will become a dysfunctional but well-accepted social norm among students. Moreover, since people internalized norms and cheating does not stop after graduation, these students will likely continue doing other forms of dishonesty in later life such as cheating their spouse, lying to their workplace superiors, cheat customers, theft, fraud, and others. The saddest thing about it is the fact that habitual dishonesty often makes people view their misconduct as morally acceptable regardless of company financial losses and severe social consequences.

Early Chinese-Americans and Manifest Destiny Essay

Early Chinese-Americans and Manifest Destiny - Essay Example From the image, it shows two races, the Chinese and the American in the nineteen Century. The photo depicts anti-Chinese racial prejudices by the Americans during the years 1820s to the end of the Century when the Chinese immigrants arrived in America. The American is represented by the woman who cuts the Chinese man hair to represent hate, resentment, prejudice of the Chinese Culture during this era. The early Chinese immigrants came from the south China’s Guangdong Province to in 1820 to America to escaping the political and economic instability experienced under the Qing Dynasty government, internal attack from the Taiping Rebels and external pressures from the Opium Wars. Their population increased from 325 men in 1849 (before the Californian Gold Rush) to 25,000 by 1852 and 105,465 by 1880 during the transcontinental railroad (Carlisle 29). They provided cheap labor compared to the Americans during the time. However they were mistreated, highly taxed, worked under harsh c onditions during the summer heat and also during cold winter days. Most of them lost their lives but for those who survived, settled in America for what its worth. In conclusion, although the Chinese were a source of cheap labor they were overworked under very harsh conditions in the mines field, received little pay were highly taxed. They were seen by the Americans as an inferior race of people, with differing language, color and physical appearance (short, plump, the male had kept strange long hair which the Americans represented by the lady in the image cutting

Patterns of Employee Motivation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Patterns of Employee Motivation - Research Paper Example The motivated taskforce not only helps in achieving the organizational tasks accurately but also assure the long-term success of the firm. Pinder (1998) asserts that motivation is an energizing force. It gives energy to the workforce in moving ahead with the same pace. Different organizations have different patterns of employee motivation. The process of employee motivation is difficult for distinct patterns of human behaviour. This paper aims to analyze the motivating factors of employees in organizations, including a discussion on practical and realistic ways of motivating a diverse workforce in an organization. In order to successfully implement a motivational plan for employees, it is important to understand and know the behavioural patterns of the employees. It is not an easy task to individually assess and analyze the behavioural pattern of each employee. However, researchers have helped in making decisions about the behavioural patterns by providing three broad categories. The first category involves the ‘self-actualized’ employees who are never de-motivated and have high spirits and passion to achieve the goals. It involves an estimated 10 per cent of the total workforce. The second category involves ‘fence sitters’, who can be motivated using the motivational techniques and skills. The largest group of the workforce belongs to this category (i.e. around 80%). The third category involves the remaining 10 per cent of employees who are difficult to be managed and motivated. These employees do not intend to achieve anything over and above their current performanc e. In other words, they do not have any intention to get motivated and improve their performance. The importance of categorizing the employees is the fact that the middle category (i.e. 80-90%) of the employees get motivated to improve their performance by the way self-actualized employees are treated and rewarded (Subburaj. 2005). The most important factor to consider before implementing any technique of employee motivation is to understand the nature of the workforce, categorize employees into groups and apply appropriate motivational techniques for each group.     

Evaluating sow welfare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Evaluating sow welfare - Essay Example In this case, the common systems included tethers, stalls, and other group housing system. Meta-analysis results established that the average level of oral-nasal-facial, productivity and blood cortisol concentrations were similar for sows in stalls and group pens (McGlone et al. 2004). For the review, housing system does not change heart rate, but circulating cortisol concentrations were higher among gestating sows kept in tether than other housing systems. The review also identified that gestation housing system sometimes influences sow behavior, including social behavior, stereotypic ONF, feeding behavior, or postural locomotory (McGlone et al. 2004). In order to validate their review’s results, this paper provides a critical analysis of the meta-analysis and other measures employed to compare the welfare of sows, in these two systems. This paper further investigates whether the meta-analysis and numbers presented justify the study’s conclusion. Meta-analysis is a sta tistical method that is used to compare the results of several independent researches that are considered as â€Å"combinable†. ... Researchers using this method are required to write a detailed research protocol, in advance, and clearly state the study’s objectives, develop the hypothesis to be tested, the subjects of interest, and propose criteria and procedures for identifying and selecting valid studies and obtaining and analyzing data (McGlone et al. 2004). The method for selecting relevant studies should be well delineated with much focus on whether the search will include unpublished studies, whose results may significantly differ from published trials. It is usually recommended considering unpublished studies, in meta-analysis since one that is restricted to published studies may produce irrelevant results due to biases of such publications. Most researchers usually obtain published studies from electronic databases or Cochrane Controlled Trial Register. The results obtained from different studies must then be expressed in a standardized format to make their comparison easier. This method employs w eighted average of the results to compare different research findings. In this context, larger trials have more effects than the smaller trials. In McGlone et al. review, the authors performed meta-analysis by extracting data from published scientific papers. They used the mean value for treatment in each scientific paper as the experimental unit for performing meta-analysis (McGlone et al. 2004). For instance, if the weighted values from an unreplicated pen were present in the paper, then they were considered for meta-analysis since each study represented a single observation. It is worth noting that the meta-analysis presented in Table 1 significantly justifies the study’s conclusions. In this

Cultural group Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cultural group - Essay Example eritage, I dream and find piece of mind in my life.The dream is so sweet and if dreams werethe same, then all would see the rich taste of food I have whenever I dream of my culture. I hate what foreigners are trying to do to my culture. They are bent on destroyiong the sweet dreams and good moments that my culture has made me enjoy. Because of culture I have reached out to the outer space and danced to the awesome sounds of our rich music. In addition, my heart has been collected by the rich taste of food that my culture provides. Their taste is like eating in paradise itself. Not to forget is the sacredness by which my culture holds families and issues revolving around it like sex. Each time I am brought forward to my elders or parents to correct my wrong ways, I always feel at the end of the odeal that great justice has been done to me. When given a chance, I would stop foreigners completely from destroying my culture. This is because many visitors in my region do not understand most of our cultural practices and symbolics and are often found at the wrong side of the law as our interest are not aligned. Alternatively, I would educate foreingners on the significance of my culture within the society and introduce fines to those found destroying the rich heritage within my community. This will curb the rise on cultural offences perpatrated by foreigners who are ignorant of

U.S. & The Middle East Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

U.S. & The Middle East - Essay Example It would produce jobs that could not be outsourced, is environmentally sound and would make the country safer. A nuclear plant has not been built in the U.S. in three decades and is politically toxic. Solar and wind are optimum options but are still in their infancy. The technologies have yet to reach a level of sophistication that allows them to be cost effective for the average user. Soon they will be used nationwide for producing electricity. Oil can only be replaced, at least today and in the near future with natural gas. â€Å"Drill Baby Drill† was a catchy campaign slogan but is not a viable option. The U.S. could never produce enough to end its dependency on foreign oil and it oil is sold on the open market. Just because its drilled here doesn’t mean it will stay here. Batteries can power small cars but not the trucks that carry interstate commerce. Natural gas can. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration â€Å"24 trillion cubic feet of natural gas per year would be needed to replace the 4.5 billion barrels per year we import.† (Ganos, 2012). Currently, the U.S. produces about this amount each year. The government should take the initiative to encourage all transportation vehicles to convert and for natural gas stations to be available to the same degree gas stations are today in addition to electric access stations. If we wait, it may be too late. II. Peace in the Middle East, the uniting of Israel and Palestine in social harmony has not and likely will not ever be a reality. There has been too much animosity and too many points of conflict for too long for the deep-seeded mistrust between these two factions to ease. At one time maybe peace, or at least an uneasy tolerance, could have been a possibility but Arabs feel that they have never been offered compromise and are in no mood to negotiate now. This feeling runs deeply throughout the entire Middle East and other Muslim nations. Israeli overreaches in

Cultural group Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cultural group - Essay Example eritage, I dream and find piece of mind in my life.The dream is so sweet and if dreams werethe same, then all would see the rich taste of food I have whenever I dream of my culture. I hate what foreigners are trying to do to my culture. They are bent on destroyiong the sweet dreams and good moments that my culture has made me enjoy. Because of culture I have reached out to the outer space and danced to the awesome sounds of our rich music. In addition, my heart has been collected by the rich taste of food that my culture provides. Their taste is like eating in paradise itself. Not to forget is the sacredness by which my culture holds families and issues revolving around it like sex. Each time I am brought forward to my elders or parents to correct my wrong ways, I always feel at the end of the odeal that great justice has been done to me. When given a chance, I would stop foreigners completely from destroying my culture. This is because many visitors in my region do not understand most of our cultural practices and symbolics and are often found at the wrong side of the law as our interest are not aligned. Alternatively, I would educate foreingners on the significance of my culture within the society and introduce fines to those found destroying the rich heritage within my community. This will curb the rise on cultural offences perpatrated by foreigners who are ignorant of

Seminars, Webinars, Conferences - Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Seminars, Webinars, Conferences - Report - Essay Example In this regard, the event was a success as these professionals took their time to attend this year’s event and gave their contribution towards the theme. The theme for the event was â€Å"Aviation Safety Emerging Issues†. The timing of this conference was very suitable as it was in the wake of increased terrorism and aircrafts are a major target for terrorist in advancement of their activities. The topics covered during the conference included safety stand-down, situational awareness, airspace infringements, aircraft maintenance, safe airmanship and effective flight communication. Each topic had a presenter and at the end of every presentation, there was an interactive session where critical questions were asked by the audience and answered by the presenter. The presenters were mostly from aviation authorities and aircraft manufacturing. The subject on safety stand-down took longer as it attracted a lot of contributions from the stakeholders present since it touches on the level of responsibility of airmen. Degree of adherence to codes of conduct and discipline of airmen affects aviation to a considerable degree. As an aviation safety officer, the conference opened up a lot of knowledge avenues and brought invaluable exposure as the participants shared their different experiences in safety. The safety stand-down played a critical role in influencing the way of thinking for airmen, airport security officers as well as the management in terms of handling risky situations. For those in aviation safety career, the stand-down equipped them with new and effective methods and procedures for improving the safety of everybody within the airports and aircrafts as well as proper judgemental skills. In the event of a safety breach of any kind, proper judgement is imperative, and this is determined by how well the safety official is aware of the situation. When one

The affect of Caffeine on pulse rate Essay Example for Free

The affect of Caffeine on pulse rate Essay Stimulants are a class of drug that boosts, alternates and increases your energy levels and they activity of the nervous system. Caffeine is in drinks, such as; Coca-Cola, tea and coffee, these are called caffeinated drinks. Caffeine is not normally recognised as a drug to most. Caffeine has an effect on your heart rate, (this is how fact your hear beats) Caffeine is able to change the way your body and mind works Chocolate is known to have traces of caffeine in it also The aim What is the point this experiment;- My aim in this experiment is to see what effects caffeine is prone to on the heart rate, Also to compare someone’s heart rate who has consumed caffeine to someone’s who hasn’t. This should give us a developed idea to the effects of caffeine. In this experiment there will be several variables;- The independent variable;-this is the variable I will be changing, this is the number of people of which are drinking the caffeine and the ones who are not. The Dependant variable;-This is the variable we measure, I’m measuring the persons heart rate, then working out the difference to show what effects caffeine is likely to have on the heart rate. Controlled variables;- The following variables I am keeping the same;- Room temperature The volume of the drink No-one will consume caffeinated food or drinks beforehand. From what information I have collected I predict that the pulse rate of the people drinking the caffeinated drinks will have an increased pulse, because as research shows, caffeine is a stimulant. Therefor the prediction of an increased heart rate when caffeine enters the blood stream seems reliable. I also think after a certain period of time, when the caffeine has left the persons system that the heart rate will lower again. Caffeinated Or Not? What will I do? How will I do it? Method;- you will need†¦ Six cups A bottle of a caffeinated drink A bottle of a de-caffeinated drink Heart rate monitor or a simple stop watch A table of results to record your data Steps;- What am I going to do? 1) Prepare 6 people to take part in the experiment. 2) Make each person sit down for 15 minutes in order to calm their heart rate. 3) Pour the caffeinated drink into three cups of a 300 cm cubed volume. 4) Pour the de-caffeinated drink into another 3 cups of the same size. Making sure that the people participating in the experiment do not see which drink they are being given( Blind testing) 5) Take each person’s heart rate and record it in a table. This is the starting point 6) Give each person their drink, still making sure you carry out a blind test. 7) Take each person’s heart rate every 30 seconds; continue to do this for a further 5 minutes. 8) After 5 minutes, take one final heart rate, this will help with your results. 9) Create a table of results to hold your information in, make sure the table is clear to read and easy to understand. 10) Work out the difference between everyone’s heart rate Method 2;- Shortened version;- 1) Prepare six people for the experiment by making each person sit down for 15 minutes to calm their heart rate. 2) Pour a caffeinated drink into 3 polyester cups of a 300cm cubed volume. 3) Do the same with the de-caffeinated drinks. 4) Label the caffeinated drinks ‘a’ and the de-caffeinated drinks ‘b’, so you won’t mix them up, but don’t let the participants know which label represents which drink. 5) Take each person’s heart rate; this is your starting point. 6) Give each person their drink, at random. 7) Take each person’s heart and record it in a table of results, do this every 30 seconds for a further 5 minutes. 8) With your results fill in your table and work out the difference between the heart rates, this should indicate the heart rates affected by caffeine. About my graph;- The graph I used for this experiment is a line graph; it shows various results of different pupil’s heart rate. The lines on the graph are all unique; some have a sudden increase in heart rate whilst others have not. Pupil one;- which is the pink line had a base rate of ‘72’ this remained constant throughout the experiment, only rising and falling by a small few. However pupil two had a base rate of ’78’ but after drinking the drink at around 8-9 minutes the heart rate increased dramatically. Overall 3 results (pupils 1,3 and 5) practically remained the same, whilst the other three (pupils 2,4 and 6) had several increases whilst the drink being in their system. Summing up my results;- We know from research that caffeine is a stimulant and stimulants affect the pace of your heart. So the three results that have a big increase in their heart rate, seem to show that they had caffeine in their system. However we did discover an anomaly, after 8 minutes pupil two’s heart rate had a dramatic increase. This may well have been the caffeine but it’s more likely to have been caused by something called a ‘placebo’ effect. This is when the pupil consuming the drink in the experiment got excited and this is what made the sudden increase in the pupil’s heart rate. After two minutes pupil four’s heart rate increased also, however this time, the increase remained constant for a further two minutes before starting to drop again. This state a more obvious term of the effect of caffeine. The graph clearly shows which results are the ones effected by caffeine, and the ones which are not. Amendments;- what I can I do better next time? In future experiments like this one, I think I would make sure that no-one involved in the experiment eats or drinks any caffeinated products before taking part in the experiment. This ensures us that their heart beat is at its normal pace. Because talking and movement can affect how our hearts beat I would also make sure that everyone in the experiment sits down for a longer period of time that was done before. This helps the heart lower to its base rate. Our results weren’t really valid because we were unable to control our controlled variable, this may be because the person who had consumed caffeine insisted on talking to everyone else, so this would have increased the other people’s heart rates also. In future experiments we can delay this by keeping people apart after taking part in the experiment, this way they cannot influence each other’s behaviour. Research has shown us that caffeine on average takes around 45 minutes to enter the blood stream, so we cannot be certain our results were due to the effects of caffeine. This could be amended by measuring the pulse rate over a longer time span, so the caffeine had longer to affect our pulse. In the experiment I chose to measure my pulse over a period of two minutes, next time to show more valid and reliable results I would measure my heart rate over shorter intervals. Finally one more improvement would be to test more caffeinated drinks with our pulses, so then we can rule out the thought off the results being due to glucose or so on, we then can be sure its definitely caffeine that’s increasing out hear rate. Conclusion;- what do I think? From this experiment I can conclude that caffeine can affect different people in different ways, depending on their diet, sex and size. Whether they are used to drinking caffeine constantly and how much their body can take of it. My prediction on average was correct as I suggested that the people with caffeine in their system were most likely to have a higher heart rate. This was mainly correct, but I was shocked to find out that my results were not valid due to the length of time caffeine takes to enter the blood stream. An example of caffeine being used may be when an athlete drinks a caffeinated drink before they take part in their sporting event, the effect would be the increase in their pulse and more energy would be dispersed in the body. Personally I don’t think this is fair, as I previously said caffeine effects different people in different ways, so caffeine could have a strong effect on certain people, whilst it has a less strong effect on others. This affects the balance of the game and it’s not natural energy being used in the event. This could be classed as cheating.

Creation and Development of a Film Soundtrack

Creation and Development of a Film Soundtrack Abstract Cinematic environments are created through image, dialogue, music and sound,  but the craft involved in creating an environmental soundtrack often goes  unnoticed by the film viewer. Soundscapes are rarely just background: they are  powerful storytelling vehicles in their own right, of equal importance to the visuals.  This article examines the process of creating an environmental soundtrack for  cinema from the perspective of a sound designer. Particular attention is given to  how sound is created and layered to enhance, embellish and produce the films  narrative. Using contemporary Australian films, notably Australia (Baz Luhrmann, 2008) and  Happy Feet (George Miller, 2006), the article examines the different challenges in  creating an environmental soundscape for both an animation and a live action film.  The films Avatar (James Cameron, 2009), Little Fish (Rowan Woods, 2005) and The  Magician (Scott Ryan, 2005) are also cited to highlight various approaches to  environmental representation in film sound. While both Australia and Happy Feet  rely on the landscape and environment as integral storytelling components, the  approach to creating their respective soundscapes requires not only natural  recordings, but also the creation of many previously unheard sounds using  synthetic sound design. Keywords: Sound design, Australian film, soundscape, environmental representation,  animation Introduction Soundscapes have the ability to transcend the social and cultural barriers that  sometimes thwart language and even music. Creating an environmental  soundtrack for cinema is as much a technical craft as it is an aesthetic art form.   Often overlooked by the audience, the sounds of the environment in many  contemporary films are based on the synthetic design and recreation of many  settings. Environmental soundscapes are some of the most intricate to create. The  combination of image, dialogue, music and sound help create the overall  soundtrack, however the film viewer is often unaware of the intricacies and  craftwork used in the creation of these aural environments. Furthermore,  narrative of the film is carefully considered in the creation of these environmental  soundtrack elements. This article examines the process of creating an environmental soundtrack for  cinema from the perspective of a sound designer who has worked in the Australian  film industry for over 15 years (Fig 1). The articles focus is on the use of  environmental recordings and sound effects to create a landscape, as opposed to  the use of dialogue and music in the soundtrack. Using two contemporary  Australian films, Happy Feet (George Miller, 2006) and Australia (Baz Luhrmann,  2008), this article examines the different creative process used for an  environmental soundscape for an animation and a live action feature film.   Figure 1: The author at work at Australian Clay Target Association, Wagga Gun Club, Wagga Wagga, Australia. (Photo  courtesy of Tony Turner.) Soundscape Design From earliest societies to contemporary musicians, sound has been an integral  communication component to convey messages, express emotion and to tell a  story. Communication through the use of sound has been significant to human  social evolution. Although spoken language is the predominant form of sonic  communication in our society, other oral and aural methods include rhythm,  melody, percussion, humming, the mimicking of sounds through vocalisations and,  in the modern era, by the recording and creation of music and sounds through the  use of technology. As David Sonnenschein states, [by] giving meaning to noise,  sound becomes communication (2001, p. xix). Through the use of recorded sounds  and the creation of new sounds, the art of sound design has become an important  approach to screen based storytelling. Although landscapes appear to be natural, creative liberty is often given to the  aural representation of these settings as required by the film narrative. While both  Happy Feet and Australia rely on the landscape and environment as integral  storytelling components, the approach to creating their respective soundscapes requires not only natural recordings, but also synthetic sound design and  creation. Whether natural or synthetic, neither approach is less significant than  the other. In this paper my definition of natural recordings pertains to sounds that are created organically through such elements as winds, ice, land mass, water,  animals, vegetation and various other sounds naturally occurring without evidence  of human or industrial influence or activity. Difficulties such as accessibility and noise pollution make our most pristine  locations increasingly difficult to capture sonically. Although not always the  preferred method, synthetic aural environmental design will continue to develop as  a necessary addition to assist in crafting the aural illusion of cinematic  environments. Using a recent trip to Mount Kosciusko as an example (Fig 2), I was  surprised at the amount of noise pollution tainting the sound recordings within the  National Park. Many of these sounds were distant sounds, including small planes  and agricultural sprinklers: however they still managed to appear faintly in the  background of some of the recordings. When used in the context of a film these  edited recordings appear to be natural when first listened to by an audience, but  they are unaware of the use of equalisation, filtering techniques, frequency band  compression and other such technological solutions in eradicating this noise. Th is  processing of the original recordings in turn transforms these natural recordings  to new artificially designed pseudo natural sounding environments.   Figure 2: Yarrangobilly River, Kosciuszko National Park. (Photo courtesy of Caroline Candusso.) When the sound designer commences production on a film, they study the  environmental landscape, location and the period in which the film is set. This  becomes the foundational building block of the soundtrack and determines the  approach to creating the overall narrative for the film through sound. In the film  medium, sound design purposefully communicates to an audience through  recorded and created sounds that augment the onscreen visuals. In contemporary  cinema, dialogue is the primary auditory component used to convey a story,  however the sound ecology of the landscape and the sound effects are of equal  importance. Sound design does not merely replicate what is happening on screen,  it is an additional storytelling component. An example of this occurs in Australia  (Baz Luhrmann, 2008), in the scene where we first learn of the impending attack   on Darwin by the Japanese. Here for the first time a soft, almost whispering of  wind is heard. The plane approach has no engine sounds, only the sounds of the  wings slicing through the air. This was a brief from the director who wanted the  first plane to replicate a shark surfacing with only the fin piercing the water  surface. It is not until the plane is revealed and peels off to the right of screen that  we start to hear the sound of an actual engine, the roar of danger, the sound of an  advancing Zero threat. The sound does not give away the shot before we see the  plane, in fact it adds to the curiosity. The sound of the wind makes the scene even  more menacing and, in this instance, the sound has foreshadowed the action on an  emotional level before the visuals have presented it. In cinema history, advances in sound technology have given filmmakers the  opportunity to take advantage of the creativity of sound and allow it to play an  equally important role as the visuals in storytelling. As George Lucas has noted,  Sound is 50 percent of the movie going experience (2004: online). Hollywood has  increasingly relied on sound to contribute to the contemporary film viewing  experience. Audience expectations of sound place greater emphasis on the craft of  sound design. Approaching the Task of Environmental Sound Creation   With many factors contributing to the use of authentic sound recordings  (including budget, availability of personnel, deadlines etc.), often sounds need to be  fabricated. These sounds may make up the entire soundtrack, or they may only  make up elements of the soundtrack that blend with other recordings of actual  environmental sound. If the soundtrack is created well, it will not appear to be out  of place and the audience will not be aware of any disparities. It is only when the  soundtrack jars that the audience is alerted to the sound and may question the  legitimacy or integrity of the sound sources. A fictitious alien landscape scene, for  example, containing recognisable sounds from our world may elicit a sense of  disbelief. When we see a storm onscreen, we routinely hear thunder; when we see a dog, it  often barks; a door usually creaks; a car might skid when stopping; and explosions  may shake the room. There are many sound clichà ©s consistently used in the  contemporary soundtrack. Through developments in cinema sound technology,  many Hollywood film soundtracks are created to deliver what an audience expects  to hear, rather than represent the actual sounds of the real world. Also sounds are  pared back from all of those that might be in a specific setting to emphasise those  most relevant to the narrative. With the use of high quality speakers with a wide  frequency response, the introduction of the various surround sound formats and  powerful computers with an array of software options, technology is allowing for  greater creativity and flexibility in the soundtrack. The sound designer needs to balance between telling the story using the available  tools, and delivering a soundtrack that is credible for the story and setting. While  the overall soundtrack needs to be treated with careful consideration, so too should  the individual sound components that contribute to it. It is not uncommon for the  sound designer and editors to research the authenticity of various elements within  the film to provide a guide as to the legitimacy of the sounds and the sound sets  required. For example, if we see a shot of the Statue of Liberty, New York and, place of the sound of pigeons, the only birds we hear are kookaburras, the  audience will be distracted from the story, and continuity of the film will be  disrupted.In both Happy Feet and Australia, extensive research was conducted into the  environments and locations of both film settings prior to the editing of any sound.  Particular attention was given to the study of the wildlife, espe cially birds and  insects, and the seasons. Other research investigated the locations on a larger  scale including the weather of Antarctica-which notably does not develop thunder.  Careful sound choice allows the audience to be situated within the depicted  environment. At the commencement of sound post-production, one of the most important  preparatory steps is to read the script or to watch an edit of the film in its entirety.   Depending on the film, the sound team may have the luxury of reading a script  during the film pre-production phase or in other instances a rough edit may be  given to the sound team to view almost immediately after shooting has completed.  In some instances they may be given both. Providing either a script or an early edit  of the film allows for the planning of the dramatic journey of the film, and the  mapping of the narrative dynamics through sound. This can be in the form of  physically drawing a chart or a graph mapping the drama and dynamics of the film  over time. This allows careful designing of sounds to build up to the climactic  scenes in the film, and then to use quiet moments to increase dramatic impact.  Having a graphic representation of the film allows for the nuanced planning of the  soundtrack, which will follow and often assist the onscreen narrative. Depending  on the directors approach to the film, this method can also be helpful for creati ng  juxtaposition between the onscreen drama and the aural drama. Sound has the  power to emphasise or soften a story depending on the directors decisions. Happy  Feet has a scene depicting a leopard seal chasing the central protagonist, Mumble,  underwater. Due to the visual size and menacing teeth of the leopard seal the  original sounds edited for the scene had to be re-crafted to suit the targeted  audience of children. Many of the original growls were replaced by less aggressive  grunts, and more breaths were added to soften the chase and viciousness of the  antagonist. Every film has its own challenges and requires its own approach to the sound  design. Some films are created to imitate reality and often contain sounds of  actual location sound recordings of what the audience is seeing on screen,  recorded on set from the filmed locations. In the films Little Fish (Rowan Woods,  2005) and The Magician (Scott Ryan, 2010) for which I was a sound effects editor,  sound designer Sam Petty aimed to recreate the actual real sound of the locations  in both films. Petty retraced the shots of The Magician and recorded the film  locations throughout Melbourne. On Little Fish I retraced and recorded many of the  film location environments including several locations in Cabramatta, Sydney (Fig  3). Both the Cabramatta train station and the featured shopping mall are central to  establishing the locations within this film. Having to recreate these locations from  either library sounds or unauthentic recordings would have been very time   consuming, and still may not provide the desired authenticity.   It is important to note that the shooting schedule does not generally allow enough  time for the location sound crew to capture many sounds of locations during  filming. The primary concern of the location sound recordist and crew is to capture  the dialogue and the actor performances. The audio post-production crew then  need to seek permissions to re-record after initial filming, which requires further  time and funding that are rarely included in the budget.    In contrast to films like The Magician and Little Fish, many films require the use of  exotic, rare and even previously unheard or fabricated environmental sounds. With  the increase in films based around visual effects, films can be located in fictional  lands with entirely contrived characters and creatures.  Depending on the context of the film, an audience will have preconceived ideas of   what the sounds should be for particular scenes. This is the case even for animated  films that are set in entirely contrived locales. James Camerons Avatar (2009) is a  well-cited contemporary example. No one has physically experienced this mythical  land of Pandora, although we have some sense of what we would expect to hear,  for example, by associating the forest with familiar rainforest, or by the appearance  of certain creatures. The environmental sounds alone comprise many previously  unheard insects, specific and unusual animals, other background animal  vocalisations, and types of vegetation. On occasions such as this it may be necessary to create entirely new sounds for  these new worlds. These original sounds may start their incarnation from the  recordings of sounds from our own world or they may be completely synthesised.   What is important is to keep these new sounds identifiable according to our  current expectations. Some designing techniques for these new sounds may  include the following:   transforming existing sounds through the use of pitch changing,  equalisation, or any number of filtering processes using specific recordings of rare or unusual sounds   pitching or modifying electronics, machinery or vehicles   pitching and combining various animal vocalisations   using synthesis to create new sounds, and others.   Although budget constraints will influence the approach to film sound design, so  too does the availability and existence of-and access to-required sounds. When  creating a sonic environment or landscape for a film, wherever it is set, it is  important to consider what is real to the location, what seems real, and what  sounds the audience expects to hear. In summary, factors determining the  approach to the creation of the environments include whether the location exists in  the real world, whether environmental recordings were made during on-location  filming, whether the storyline is located in a contemporary setting, and whether  funds and safety allow the recording of the location.  This leads to a discussion of two contemporary feature films from the perspective of  a sound effects editor1. Produced on relatively big budgets for Australian feature  films,2 both Happy Feet and Australia included a dedicated atmosphere sound  editor as part of the sound te am. This role is often absorbed by the sound effects  editor on smaller productions and lower budget projects. In both films, my sound  effect creation and editing drove the use of the environment as an integral story  component and, as such, I worked very closely with the atmosphere editors. What  distinguished my role from that of the atmosphere editor was that my contribution  treated the landscape as a character. Working in sound effects, I specifically  designed many sounds for both films with integrated and often highlighted story  elements associated with the environments. These films differ quite considerably and provide contrasting examples of sonic  environment creation. The films are set in remarkable and distinctive locations; Happy Feet is an animated film set in Antarctica, while Australia is a live action film  set in the Northern Territory, Australia.3 Both films pose varying degrees of  complexity in terms of their sonic environmental depictions on screen.  Creating a Sound Environment As with the visuals, the sound for an animated film differs from live action film. With no actual filming on location, all characters are created, all sets are rendered,  and all visuals are designed by animation artists. There is no cinematographer filming actors at an actual geographical location as with a live action film (although  voice acting is recorded for the animators). Sound recordings of the film set  locations are not captured as there is no filming on location.4 Therefore all sound  environments need to be recorded and/or created from the ground up.   1 In this article I focus on the environmental sounds, and a consideration of spot effects is a topic for a further study.   2 According to the International Movie Database (IMDB.com) the budget for Happy Feet was $100,000,000  (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0366548/) and $130,000,000 for Australia (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0455824/).   3 Some scenes were shot in various locations in Northern Territory, northern Queensland and Sydneys Fox Studios.   4 However some animators, notably Australian Yoram Gross, have used filmed bush background for the drawn characters.  See Dot and the Kangaroo (1977) and other work.Screen Sound n3, 2012 128   Happy Feet Millers Academy Award winning Happy Feet tells the story of Mumble, an emperor  penguin who, instead of being able to sing, tap dances. The characters of the film  also included many animated Antarctic animals, primarily penguins. The  combination of an animated remote environment (Antarctica) and animated  animals meant that every sound for this film had to be created.  Through the use of detailed layers of sound, sound design is about creating a level  of believability. It is not just a matter of placing a single sound into a scene and  hoping that the audience believes it. Ambiences in our everyday life are complex,  with chaotic and sometimes even choreographed symphonies, with the land, the  wind, animals, birds and vegetation all playing their tunes within a given space. In  addition to these individual sounds, these acoustic spaces are important in  representing the onscreen landscape spaces.   The challenge of creating such an unpolluted, isolated and dangerous atmosphere  meant that the sound design had to be precise and untainted by unwanted  background noises. As the budget didnt allow for a sound team to travel and  record actual Antarctic locations, climatic conditions and animal activities, we had  to rely on pre-existing sound recordings of Antarctica or recordings made in more  accessible locations such as Thredbo ski resort in Australia and from some  locations in New Zealands South Island.   With many shots depicting the rugged landscape of Antarctica, often the detail  within the sound design can pass unnoticed. If we look specifically at Lovelaces  Pile (Fig 4) the sounds can be unpacked to reveal far more detail than what is  initially heard. Basic element Breakdown of sounds Winds Close up winds (flurries of snow) Distant winds to give sense of space Wind howling through icicles Snow Movements on snow by penguins Melting snow Snow falling off cliffs in the background Ice-land Mass (subtle) Movements of ice Ice cracks and creaks Ice thumps Animals Background penguin vocals near and far Background penguin movement Table 1: Landscape sounds in Lovelaces Pile scene in Happy Feet   From this list the sound editor has 11 possible sets of sounds that may be  deployed to create the environmental backdrop for this scene. This excludes any  character or action related sounds; it is only the ambient background.   Without access to record authentic atmospheres, many of the sounds were  recorded or sourced from other locations in order to imitate the film set. These  would then be reconstructed as the sounds could vary entirely. We were fortunate  that we had some actual recordings of Antarctica for the film. During production,  supervising sound editor and sound designer, Wayne Pashley, sent a mini-disc  recorder to the Antarctic and asked scientists to record sounds whilst doing their  field studies. Unfortunately, the recording quality was not always film worthy as  the scientists are not trained sound recordists. Happy Feet did contain some actual  sounds from Antarctica, although a high percentage of sounds were either non-  Antarctic recordings or studio recordings created specifically for the film.   The animal recordings from Antarctica were used where possible to create an  underlying realistic bed for the film. Some of the successful recorded sounds used  included those of elephant seals, adà ©lie penguins, emperor penguins and even skua  birds. These beds of animal noises gave the background environment a sense of  reality upon which to layer the main characters. The main and featured animals  were often recreated using studio recordings and other sources of sound  recordings.   Some of the successful Antarctic environmental recordings included iceberg  movements, ice winds, and slushy icy water. These were also edited and used  where possible alongside additional created sounds. Again, these realistic  environmental sounds were primarily employed to evoke a believable background  ambience. To emphasise the size and weight of several of the large icebergs,  controlled recording and studio techniques helped create such large masses. This  included close microphone techniques and using dry-ice (liquid nitrogen) to freeze  large objects that we could then record being dragged across the floor. With the  realistic Antarctic recordings serving as our bed, these additional recreated sounds  became the embellishments and the dramatic highlights.   As storytellers in our own right, creative liberty allowed for the reappropriation of  these sounds. At times these sounds would be used only as a bed and then  additional snow, ice and wind elements would be created and embellished to better  represent the onscreen visuals and the unfolding drama. Some of these sounds  came from our own original Foley studio recording sessions using props to design   sounds to be used to highlight onscreen action. An example of the studio  recordings included creating snow for the feet close-ups where the characters  dance on the snow. As we did not have access to snow, we recorded crushed ice,  salt, cereal, sugar, sand and several other props to mimic the sound of snow.  Recording in a studio allowed us to create our sounds specifically for the particular  scene. Throughout the film, the seasons changed over a one-year cycle and we  wanted to represent this as best we could through the changing environment  sounds. We had allocated recording days where we could record specific sounds in  a very clean, precise manner. If we needed more grit in our snow we could just  change the elements we were recording, or if we needed the snow to sound more  wet we could just mix in some more water when required. We were not dictated by  natural resources. The other advantage of having these studio recording days was  that we could rec ord sounds specifically for the big screen. What I mean by this is  that we could record sounds specifically for the surround sound speakers. Using  the close-up of feet on snow as an example, if a character flicked his/her  flipper/foot in close-up, we could record different snow elements for the left, centre  and right hand side of the flipper and have the debris snow crumbles pan back into  the surrounds. This would have been impossible to record with such precision as  an actual performance in real life. By having control of individual sound elements,  we were able to creatively challenge the cinema and screen space to highlight the  environmental immersion.   Australia Set during the Second World War, Australias storyline centres on a cattle drive in  the rugged terrain of northern Australia, as an English aristocrat travels across  harsh environments with her stock. From the opening moments, even before the  first visual images, sound is used to position the audience of Australia. From the  initial fade in from black we begin to hear ethereal singing, native birds, insects,  winds and the gradual swell of string instruments. In these opening scenes, the sounds of different winds, animals and insects  intertwine with an emotional journey across an environmental backdrop that  transforms, as the audience witness the death of Lord Ashley, from above ground  and into the muffled and mysterious murky underwater drones and whale song.  Playing in slow-motion the images show King George (David Gulpilil) telling Nullah  (Brandon Walters) to make yourself invisible as the white fellas are herding cattle  across the river onto the Carney property. Although music is also playing  concurrently with the sound effects, the effects design specifically aims to make  reference to Aboriginal dreamtime. As Lord Ashley is killed and falls to the water  above Nullah with a spear through his chest, the water turns crimson, the sound  hints that Lord Ashley has been killed by the people moving the cattle, the same  people Nullah is also hiding from. Visually it isnt until we see the snakeskin boot  of N eil Fletcher (David Wenham) that we realise that he is the killer.  Although the sounds chosen for this sequence are simple environmental  recordings, what is important is the way in which they have been reappropriated to  form part of the narrative. Through transformation, including pitch and other  manipulation techniques of the original recordings, these evolve into new, unheardof  sounds that yet seem familiar. When designing such delicate sounds, much time was spent experimenting with  the creation of sounds that morph unnoticeably from one sound into another  throughout the opening sequence. Tonal frequencies, recording quality and mixing  techniques were constantly balanced and adjusted to create a single fluid flow of  environmental sounds. At the same time, although continually transforming, the  sounds needed to contain characteristics of the original sound sources, allowing  the audience to connect the aural with the visual. Throughout Australia, designed  sounds are used very subtly. Overall the film uses actual location and natural  sounds to convey the Australian landscape, with the designed sounds being  reserved for scenes with Nullah, the death of Daisy and for King George, as these  relate to the dreamtime and spirituality.   With vast landscapes of Australias Northern Territory depicted through  cinematography, natural sounds are needed to convey the impact of the  environment. Supervising sound editor and sound designer, Wayne Pashley,  retraced many of the original locations in the film during the sound postproduction  phase. Using a Soundfield ST350 ambisonic microphone, Pashley was  able to record in surround sound an entire three-dimensional landscape on  location. Until recently, creating film surround sound was only possible during the  post-production process, but this particular technology allowed for a pristine,  natural recording of the environment. These recordings in surround were then  decoded, edited and used as beds for the atmosphere tracks of the film. Pashley  observed: We also wanted to be true to the landscape of Australia. So often in big  productions like this, the sound design guys just reach for Bush  Atmosphere Number Three [library effect] or whatever, and everything  comes out sounding the same. Also, what you hear is usually completely  unrelated to the environment you see on the screen. We wanted this to be  different. Australia is, I think, the first movie that sounds correct, that gives  a true sense of how this country sounds. (cited in Soundfield, 2008:  online) With many scenes depicting broad vistas, having the atmospheres recorded in  surround from the outset allows the sounds to reflect the vastness of the actual  locations. In sound editing, the atmosphere tracks are often edited from existing  stereo recordings, thus limiting the detail within the acoustic space. In most  instances, artificial reverb is introduced to make the sounds appear to be wider  within the acoustic space. Recording in surround sound reduces the need for and  use of these contrived techniques. All animal sounds for Australia were purposely recorded for the film. Working  remotely and living in regional New South Wales, I was able to record many of the  animal vocalisations of cows and horses for the film at locales situated near where I  live. The cows were particularly challenging to record as they are often difficult to  get close to without them running away. Having the livestock saleyards proved to  be a very convenient way to record cows at close proximity. Also having so many  cows in such a small space allowed the recording of mass group cows to be used in  many of the backgrounds. Situated within a livestock pen meant that the beasts  were particularly vocal, which allowed for high quality recording and performance  and, later, for flexibility in editing their bellows. Conclusion Often overshadowed by dialogue and music, the environmental atmospheric  sounds of a film are often overlooked by audiences. These aural landscapes  comprise either actual recordings or synthetic recordings constructed to  acoustically represent the onscreen locations. Both Happy Feet and Australia rely  on the aural landscape environment as essential storytelling characters within  each film. Based on very distinct locations, the films differed notably in the  approaches to their environmental landscape sound design. In a general  comparison Happy Feet featured far more inauthe