Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Mass Culture and Culture Industry

Question: Discuss about the Mass Culture and Culture Industry. Answer: Introduction: The terms culture and industry denote two opposite meanings. These two words are not supposed to go together. When these two terms are combined to form a new word, then it describes a paradoxical situation that exists in this world today. Culture means the way of life of a particular section of people in a given point of time. It describes the general customs and beliefs of a particular group of people. The term Industry on the other hand is used to describe the companies and the activities that are involved in the procedure of producing goods and services for sale mainly in an industrial unit. This essay outlines the discussion of the concepts raised by Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer. This write-up traces and discusses the points raised by these two Frankfurt school scholars in context with an advertisement that highlights this concept. Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer, were two Frankfurt school scholars who proposed the term of culture industry. This term was first used in the chapter of their book, Dialectic of Enlightenment (1944). According to Adorno and Horkheimer, a man with leisure, accepts or rather has to accept what the manufacturers of culture offer him. The theory critically discusses the cultural economies that are supply-driven (Berry 2013). The authors argue that the aim of the mass-produced entertainment is to appeal to vast audiences. The chapter in the book first elucidated the term, which essentially highlighted the structure and set up of media today. In the chapter, they elaborated that the popular culture is similar to a factory that produces homogeneous cultural goods which are used to lull the mass society into passiveness. The goods that they both talked about was the different products that the media produces like films, magazines and radio programs. The consumption of the easy and readyma de pleasures that the media offers lulls its consumers into a trance despite their economic background (Nealon and Irr 2012). The danger that this phenomenon casts on the society is that it creates a false sense of psychological need that can only be met through the consumption of the products of capitalism, whereas the true psychological needs are freedom, happiness and creativity. The consumption of the simple products of the popular culture, which are readily available with the help of mass media, renders the audiences and the consumers passive and content irrespective of their economic standard (Miklitsch 2012). Therefore, according to Adorno and Horkheimer, the mass-produced culture is dangerous to the more refined and evolved fine arts. The concept is concerned with the production of cultural economies as well as the apparently inferior products of the system. They emphasized the existence of mass-produced culture which is created and distributed by exclusive institutions and consumed by an inert audience (Nava et al. 2013). Adorno and Horkheimer developed the term culture industry to denote the process of the industrialization of a culture that is mass-produced, and the force that drove the structure. They coined the term to highlight the commercialization and mechanization of culture under the influence of capitalist mode of production (Agger 2014). They were inspired greatly from a Marxist structure of analysis, which sees capitalism as deeply exploitative, and believed that it must be ousted for human race to attain its complete potential. According to the two, culture industry plays a pivotal role in strengthening its audience to the status quo. One of the fundamental arguments of Theodore Adorno is the idea that under particular social conditions, art provides an alternate and different version of reality. He argued that art has the capability to highlight the differences and the inequalities of the society by bringing forth an ideal vision of what people can desire (Hammer 2013). Adorno assumed that the growth of the culture industry resulted in the homogeniety and rationalization of the form of culture, and that this in turn had weakened, emaciated and ruined the aptitude of an individual to think and act in a decisive and independent way.As the culture industry enlarges, the process has become more focused (Oakley and Connor 2015). Adorno and Horkheimer opined that the culture industries dilutes the demarcation of the real world and the illusionary world that is created by the culture industry. They stated that the consumers are dumbed down by the dullness of the media. They lose their sense of individuality and thus cannot function properly as the citizens of a country. The social theorists from the neo-Marxian group examined the consequences of mass culture and the rise of consumerism in the general working class of a country (Hepp 2013). To illustrate this term coined by Adorno and Horkheimer, we have to consider an advertisement, which propagates a plastic and idealized sense of beauty. The advertisement of an Australian online fitness store by the name of Protein World used a female model in a two-piece yellow bikini. The copy of the advertisement said, Are you beach body ready?. The advertisement showcased different types of weight-loss products brought in by the company. The fitness store harped on the body image issue of women as it claimed that the image of the model is not photoshopped. Three hundred and seventy eight complaints were lodged with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) against this advertisement. The Protein World however maintained their unapologetic attitude on the subject. The ASA opined that the term beach body had the connotation of an athletic and toned figure, which is desirable by many women. The fact that it harped on the sense of achieving the perfect body image by maximum women est ablishes the relevance of the theory that was proposed by Adorno and Horkheimer. To sum up, we can conclusively say that the concept of culture industry coined by these two social theorists is still very much relevant in todays day and age. In the present day world, where the concept of consumerism rules supreme, it is seen that the capitalist media enforces a culture, which renders the audience dull and unable to think clearly with a fresh perspective. The theorists opined that culture industry considers the audience as something to be manipulated. This turns the audiences into passive subjects of consumerism. They cannot function or act freely which in turn passively threatens democratic rights of the consumer. They are unaware how easily they are being submissive to the capitalist media. The world nowadays simply exemplifies this term coined by the two social theorists of the Frankfurt school. References: Berry, D. ed., 2013.Revisiting the Frankfurt School: essays on culture, media and theory. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.. Nealon, J.T. and Irr, C. eds., 2012.Rethinking the Frankfurt School: Alternative legacies of cultural critique. SUNY Press. Nava, M., Blake, A., MacRury, I. and Richards, B., 2013.Buy this book: studies in advertising and consumption. Routledge. Agger, B., 2014.Cultural studies as critical theory. Routledge. Hammer, E., 2013.Adorno and the Political. Routledge. Hepp, A., 2013.Cultures of mediatization. John Wiley Sons. Oakley, K. and Connor, J.O. eds., 2015.Valuing cultural industries(pp. 35-72). London: Routledge. Miklitsch, R., 2012.Roll over Adorno: critical theory, popular culture, audiovisual media. SUNY Press.

Saturday, April 25, 2020

WP Engine Review for WordPress Is It Worth the Money

There are plenty of cheap hosts available that provide a decent service. However, what if you’re looking for more of a performance-oriented, concierge service? In that case, you’ll want to check out our WP Engine review for WordPress.WP Engine is a WordPress-specific web host, offering managed plans that are fully optimized for the platform. Of course, when compared to many other WordPress hosts, WP Engine’s plans aren’t exactly cheap. Therefore, you’ll want to know whether this hosting service is worth the cost before making a purchase.To help you out, were going to conduct a thorough WP Engine review for WordPress. We’ll discuss its key features, support options, performance capabilities, and everything else you’ll need to know. Let’s get started! WP Engine is one of the top names.Its service offers quite a few WordPress-specific features, including:Quick and easy migrations from your old host.A free Secure Socket Layers (SSL) certificate, which is an important security measure.Support for setting up staging sites.Plenty of performance tracking and diagnostic options.Support optionsWP Engine plans come with plenty of support included. You’ll get 24/7 access to dedicated help, whether that’s via phone, email, or live chat. Support options are easy to access right from your user portal, once you’ve signed up.We took a test drive of the live chat to get a feel for the support staff:Agents were quick to respond, helpful, and seemed knowledgeable about the platform. They were able to answer our questions without any trouble. For even more assistance and information, there’s also a resource center and a comprehensive knowledge base with lots of well-written documentation and tutorials.PerformanceFeatures and support are important, but performance is what makes or breaks a web host. Fortunately, WP Engine offers plenty of performance-enhancing features, such as:A free Content Deliver y Network (CDN) service, included on all plans.A Page Performance  solution that  tests your site and helps you make improvements.An add-on called GeoTarget that optimizes your site for specific regions.What’s more, WP Engine offers a lot of server locations. We won’t list them all out (there are 19), but they include data centers in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.All of this should translate to excellent real-world performance. Let’s see if that’s the case!Page speed tests with PingdomFor the next phase of our WP Engine Review for WordPress, we set up a basic site and tested its loading speeds using Pingdom Tools  from various locations around the world. Here are our results:New York: 1.61 secondsMelbourne: 1.67 secondsSan Jose: 0.39 secondsStockholm: 1.60 secondsThese are remarkably consistent times (with the exception of San Jose, which is the clear stand-out). 1.6 seconds isn’t particularly impressive, but it’s a decent speed that remains below the all-important two-second mark.Page speed tests with Load ImpactIt’s always smart to test performance using multiple tools. So we also used Load Impact to simulate the effects of multiple simultaneous users on our WP Engine site. Here’s what we got:Load Generator: Ashburn, USATest Server: Ann Arbor, USAMinimum Response Time: 0.51 secondsMaximum Response Time: 0.59 secondsBasically, this chart shows that as the number of visitors increases (blue line), our test sites page load times remained consistent (green line). Thats a good thing because it means your site will load just quickly for the 1st visitor as it will for the 50th person visiting  at the same time.PricingWhile WP Engine only offers one type of service – its managed WordPress hosting – it also provides a number of tiered plans to choose from. These plans differ dramatically in how many resources they offer and the number of sites they cater for, which means youâ⠂¬â„¢re getting a very scalable service.Let’s run through each of the WP Engine plans quickly:Startup ($35 per month): With this entry-level tier, you get support for up to 25,000 visits per month, one website, 10GB of storage, and 50GB of bandwidth. You’ll also get an SSL certificate, access to a global CDN, and a few other key features.Growth ($115 per month): This plan increases your traffic support to 100,000 and provides you with five sites. In addition to more resources, you get access to 24/7 phone support and can import your own SSL certificates.Scale ($290 per month): This tier is largely identical to the last. It simply provides even more resources, bumps your site count up to 15, and supports up to 400,000 visits per month.Premium and Enterprise: These are custom plans, so pricing will vary. They provide lots of additional resources and support, and move your hosting up from a shared setup to dedicated servers.These plans aren’t cheap, but they do pro vide plenty of features and lots of room for your site to grow. If you’re looking to build one or more serious business or e-commerce sites, this service is worth a look.Overall pros and consFor the final step in our WP Engine review for WordPress, let’s sum up the key pros and cons of this hosting provider.ProsWell-optimized for WordPress users.Simplifies the process of managing your website.Provides solid, consistent performance.Offers plenty of dedicated and expert support.ConsWon’t fit into everyone’s budget.Only offers managed hosting on shared servers (or dedicated servers on the custom plans).Alternatives to WP Engine hostingWP Engine is a solid hosting choice if you have a decent budget. However, it’s fairly expensive (especially on the higher tiers).If you like WP Engine in theory, but it just isnt in your price range, there are some alternatives you can check out. SiteGround is a great WordPress-specific provider, for example, and DreamHo st offers managed hosting that’s pretty affordable. For more information, you can take a look at our full article on alternatives to WP Engine.ConclusionWP Engine plans don’t come cheap – there’s no sugar-coating that fact. However, you’ll get a quality managed hosting service in exchange for your investment. This provider offers lots of vital WordPress-specific features, solid performance, and reliable support. If WP Engine does fit your budget, it’s worth serious consideration.If not, we mentioned a few alternatives above. For even more hosting options, you can check out some of our previous reviews:A2 Hosting Review for WordPress: Fastest Hosting You’ve Heard Of?HostGator WordPress Hosting Review: A Surprise TurnaroundInMotion Review for WordPress Hosting: A Dark Horse Among the Pack?Do you concur with the findings of our WP Engine review for WordPress? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below! Considering @WPEngin e to host your #WordPress site? Read this detailed #review WP Engine $35.00 9.4 USER RATING 8.8/10 RELIABILITY 9.6/10 PERFORMANCE 9.8/10 SUPPORT 9.4/10 ProsPlenty of WordPress-specific featuresSolid performanceExpert support ConsPlans are priceyMost plans use shared hosting Go to WP Engine {"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"Product","name":"WP Engine","image":"https:\/\/mllj2j8xvfl0.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:auto\/https:\/\/s15165.pcdn.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/wpengine-150x150.jpg","description":"There are plenty of cheap hosts available that provide a decent service. However, what if you\u2019re looking for more of a performance-oriented, concierge service? In that case, you\u2019ll want to check out our WP Engine review for WordPress. WP Engine is a WordPress-specific web host, offering managed plans that are fully optimized for the platform....","offers":{"@type":"Offer","price":"35.00","priceCurrency":"USD","seller":{"@type":"Person","name":" John Hughes"}},"review":{"@type":"Review","reviewRating":{"@type":"Rating","bestRating":"10","worstRating":"0","ratingValue":"9.40"},"name":"WP Engine","reviewBody":"There are plenty of cheap hosts available that provide a decent service. However, what if you\u2019re looking for more of a performance-oriented, concierge service? In that case, you\u2019ll want to check out our WP Engine review for WordPress.\r\n\r\nWP Engine is a WordPress-specific web host, offering managed plans that are fully optimized for the platform. Of course, when compared to many other WordPress hosts, WP Engine\u2019s plans aren\u2019t exactly cheap. Therefore, you\u2019ll want to know whether this hosting service is worth the cost before making a purchase.\r\n\r\n\r\nWP Engine review for WordPress \u2013 specific features\r\n\r\n\r\nIts service offers quite a few WordPress-specific features, including:\r\n\r\n \tQuick and easy migrations from your old host.\r\n \tA free Secure Socket Layers (SSL) certifica te, which is an important security measure.\r\n \tSupport for setting up staging sites.\r\n \tPlenty of performance tracking and diagnostic options.\r\n\r\nSupport options\r\nWP Engine plans come with plenty of support included. You\u2019ll get 24\/7 access to dedicated help, whether that\u2019s via phone, email, or live chat. Support options are easy to access right from your user portal, once you\u2019ve signed up.\r\n\r\nWe took a test drive of the live chat to get a feel for the support staff:\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nAgents were quick to respond, helpful, and seemed knowledgeable about the platform. They were able to answer our questions without any trouble. For even more assistance and information, there\u2019s also a resource center and a comprehensive knowledge base with lots of well-written documentation and tutorials.\r\nPerformance\r\nFeatures and support are important, but performance is what makes or breaks a web host. Fortunately, WP Engine offers plenty of performance-enhancing features, such as:\r\n\r\n \tA free Content Delivery Network (CDN) service, included on all plans.\r\n \tA Page Performance\u00a0solution that\u00a0tests your site and helps you make improvements.\r\n \tAn add-on called GeoTarget that optimizes your site for specific regions.\r\n\r\nWhat\u2019s more, WP Engine offers a lot of server locations. We won\u2019t list them all out (there are 19), but they include data centers in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.\r\n\r\nAll of this should translate to excellent real-world performance. Let\u2019s see if that\u2019s the case!\r\nPage speed tests with Pingdom\r\nFor the next phase of our WP Engine Review for WordPress, we set up a basic site and tested its loading speeds using Pingdom Tools\u00a0from various locations around the world. Here are our results:\r\n\r\n \tNew York: 1.61 seconds\r\n \tMelbourne: 1.67 seconds\r\n \tSan Jose: 0.39 seconds\r\n \tStockholm: 1.60 seconds\r\n\r\nThese are remarkably consistent times (with the exception of San Jose, which is the clear stand-out). 1.6 seconds isn\u2019t particularly impressive, but it\u2019s a decent speed that remains below the all-important two-second mark.\r\nPage speed tests with Load Impact\r\nIt\u2019s always smart to test performance using multiple tools. So we also used Load Impact to simulate the effects of multiple simultaneous users on our WP Engine site. Here\u2019s what we got:\r\n\r\n \tLoad Generator: Ashburn, USA\r\n \tTest Server: Ann Arbor, USA\r\n \tMinimum Response Time: 0.51 seconds\r\n \tMaximum Response Time: 0.59 seconds\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nBasically, this chart shows that as the number of visitors increases (blue line), our test site's page load times remained consistent (green line). That's a good thing because it means your site will load just quickly for the 1st visitor as it will for the 50th person visiting\u00a0at the same time.\r\nPricing\r\nWhile WP Engine only offers one type of service \u2013 its managed WordPress hosting \u20 13 it also provides a number of tiered plans to choose from. These plans differ dramatically in how many resources they offer and the number of sites they cater for, which means you\u2019re getting a very scalable service.\r\n\r\nLet\u2019s run through each of the WP Engine plans quickly:\r\n\r\n \tStartup ($35 per month): With this entry-level tier, you get support for up to 25,000 visits per month, one website, 10GB of storage, and 50GB of bandwidth. You\u2019ll also get an SSL certificate, access to a global CDN, and a few other key features.\r\n \tGrowth ($115 per month): This plan increases your traffic support to 100,000 and provides you with five sites. In addition to more resources, you get access to 24\/7 phone support and can import your own SSL certificates.\r\n \tScale ($290 per month): This tier is largely identical to the last. It simply provides even more resources, bumps your site count up to 15, and supports up to 400,000 visits per month.\r\n \tPremium and Enterpri se: These are custom plans, so pricing will vary. They provide lots of additional resources and support, and move your hosting up from a shared setup to dedicated servers.\r\n\r\nThese plans aren\u2019t cheap, but they do provide plenty of features and lots of room for your site to grow. If you\u2019re looking to build one or more serious business or e-commerce sites, this service is worth a look.\r\nOverall pros and cons\r\nFor the final step in our WP Engine review for WordPress, let\u2019s sum up the key pros and cons of this hosting provider.\r\nPros\r\n\r\n \tWell-optimized for WordPress users.\r\n \tSimplifies the process of managing your website.\r\n \tProvides solid, consistent performance.\r\n \tOffers plenty of dedicated and expert support.\r\n\r\nCons\r\n\r\n \tWon\u2019t fit into everyone\u2019s budget.\r\n \tOnly offers managed hosting on shared servers (or dedicated servers on the custom plans).\r\n\r\nAlternatives to WP Engine hosting\r\nWP Engine is a solid hosting c hoice if you have a decent budget. However, it\u2019s fairly expensive (especially on the higher tiers).\r\n\r\nIf you like WP Engine in theory, but it just isn't in your price range, there are some alternatives you can check out. SiteGround is a great WordPress-specific provider, for example, and DreamHost offers managed hosting that\u2019s pretty affordable. For more information, you can take a look at our full article on alternatives to WP Engine.\r\nConclusion\r\nWP Engine plans don\u2019t come cheap \u2013 there\u2019s no sugar-coating that fact. However, you\u2019ll get a quality managed hosting service in exchange for your investment. This provider offers lots of vital WordPress-specific features, solid performance, and reliable support. If WP Engine does fit your budget, it\u2019s worth serious consideration.\r\n\r\nIf not, we mentioned a few alternatives above. For even more hosting options, you can check out some of our previous reviews:\r\n\r\n \tA2 Hosting Review for Wor dPress: Fastest Hosting You\u2019ve Heard Of?\r\n \tHostGator WordPress Hosting Review: A Surprise Turnaround\r\n \tInMotion Review for WordPress Hosting: A Dark Horse Among the Pack?","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"John Hughes"},"datePublished":"2018-06-13"}}

Sunday, April 12, 2020

Can You Say That You Have Written a Personal Statement in a Free Sample Essay?

Can You Say That You Have Written a Personal Statement in a Free Sample Essay?Taking a free sample essay on GRE is the most popular way of writing a personal statement in the application for admission in any US university. The essay, written by a personal statement writer, is a great tool to help in explaining your motivation for studying in that specific university and it is also a good indicator of your academic skills. This is the reason why many students are tempted to make use of a free sample essay for their application for admission.However, one must be careful when reading the sample essays. There are certain things which are never mentioned in them. You can always find out whether the writer has been genuine or not. Here are some things that you should look out for:First, the writer will not discuss how you did or didn't score in the test as it is not his main topic. He might well mention how you scored in the entrance exam but it will be a matter of surprise to you and othe rs if you notice that you had scored a lot higher than the others. There is no rule to tell him whether he should make mention about the scores of those candidates who passed the entrance exam, otherwise, he might use the essay for showing his own scores as well.Second, you should not see any requirement that the writer needs to have a special guest instructor at his service. There are no questions about whether you have met the required qualification or not. On the contrary, the writer will bring up the subject and focus on it in an objective manner.Third, the writer will not tell you anything about the core course or the basic syllabus. The focus is always on your ability to write a good essay. If you know the personal statement well, then you would know that there is no requirement for you to go through any other form of text.Fourth, it is usual that the essay will be divided into three sections. One will be headed by a personal information and you will find the remainder either set in paragraph form or full page.The very reason for doing so is to make sure that the essay is a one-page document and there is no writing involved here. The reader can go through the essay at his own pace. So the question is how the writer handles the reader.

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

The Iraq War and Globalism essays

The Iraq War and Globalism essays Several theories have been advanced by political commentators around the world about the real reasons behind the United States' war with Iraq. These include the Bush administration's "official" version[1] about preventing the "Weapons of Mass Destruction" (WMDs) from falling into the terrorists' hands, the supposed connection between Saddam and Al-Qaeda, liberation of Iraq from the clutches of a cruel tyrant, and the neo- conservative agenda of creating a "model democracy" in Iraq for the Arab world to follow. Although some of these reasons may be valid to an extent, the more plausible explanation for the US war in Iraq lies in the imperatives of globalization. This is because economics have always been and remain the driving force behind international relations. This paper looks at the current Iraq war from the perspective of the Globalism International Relations theory besides reviewing the historical background of the conflict and its possible outcomes. Historical Background of the Conflict Modern Iraq was created by the British colonialists out of three Ottoman provinces after the fall of the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I in 1918. A pro-British monarch was installed in the country to safeguard Western interests and to ensure that the Iraq Petroleum Company, which enjoyed monopoly control over the Iraqi oil industry, would be allowed to follow the cartel interests of the international Anglo-American oil companies. A nationalist coup in 1958 overthrew the pro-British monarch, throwing a spanner in the works by shifting the ideological policies of the country towards left leaning nationalism which was a threat to Western influence in Iraq. ("History of Oil in Iraq") Saddam Hussein, the hated tyrant who was declared the enemy # 1 by the US in later years was not always in the anti-American camp. In fact there is evidence to suggest th...

Sunday, March 1, 2020

Maple Sap Collection and Syrup Production

Maple Sap Collection and Syrup Production Maple syrup is a natural forest food product and, for the most part, only produced in temperate North American woodlands. More specifically, the sugary sap is mostly collected from the sugar maple (Acer saccharum) which grows naturally in the northeastern United States and eastern Canada. Other maple species that can be tapped are red and Norway maple. Red maple sap tends to yield less sugar and early budding causes off flavors so its seldom used in commercial syrup operations. The basic process of sugar maple syrup production is fairly simple and has not dramatically changed over time. The tree is still tapped by boring using a hand brace and drill bit and plugged with a spout, called a spile. The sap flows into covered, tree-mounted containers or through a system of plastic tubing and is collected for processing. Converting maple sap into syrup requires removing water from the sap which concentrates the sugar into a syrup. The raw sap is boiled in pans or continuous feed evaporators where the liquid is reduced to a finished syrup of 66 to 67 percent sugar. It takes an average of 40 gallons of sap to produce one gallon of finished syrup. The Maple Sap Flow Process As do most trees in temperate climates, maple trees enter dormancy during winter and store food in the form of starches and sugar. As day temps start to rise in late winter, stored sugars move up the trunk to prepare for feeding the tree growth and budding process. Cold nights and warm days increase the flow of sap and this starts what is called the sap season. During warm periods when temperatures rise above freezing, pressure develops in the tree. This pressure causes the sap to flow out of the tree through a wound or tap hole. During cooler periods when temperatures fall below freezing, suction develops, drawing water into the tree. This replenishes the sap in the tree, allowing it to flow again during the next warm period. Forest Management for Maple Sap Production Unlike managing a forest for timber production, sugarbush (term for a stand of sap trees) management does not depend on maximum annual growth or growing straight defect-free timber at an optimum stocking level of trees per acre. Managing trees for maple sap production is focused on annual syrup yield on a site where optimal sap collection is supported by easy access, adequate numbers of sap-producing trees, and forgiving terrain. A sugarbush should be managed for quality sap producing trees and less attention is paid to tree form. Trees with crooks or moderate forking are of little concern if they produce a quality sap in adequate quantities. Terrain is important and has a major influence on sap flow. Southern facing slopes are warmer which encourages early sap production with longer daily flows. Adequate accessibility to a sugarbush decreases labor and transport costs and will enhance a syrup operation. Many tree owners have opted not to tap their trees in favor of selling sap or leasing their trees to syrup producers. There must be sufficient numbers of sap producing maples available with desirable access to each tree. We recommend you check with a regional sap producers association for buyers or renters and develop an appropriate contract. The Optimal Sugarbush Tree and Stand Size The best spacing for a commercial operation is about one tree in an area measuring 30 feet x 30 feet  or 50 to 60 mature trees per acre. A maple grower can start at a higher tree density but will need to thin the sugarbush to achieve a final density of 50-60 trees per acre. Trees 18 inches in diameter (DBH) or larger should be managed at 20 to 40 trees per acre. It is very important to remember that trees under 10 inches in diameter should not be tapped due to serious and permanent damage. Trees over this size should be tapped according to its diameter: 10 to 18 inches - one tap per tree, 20 to 24 inches - two taps per tree, 26 to 30 inches - three taps per tree. On average, one tap will yield 9 gallons of sap per season. A well-managed acre might have between 70 and 90 taps 600 to 800 gallons of sap 20 gallons of syrup. The Making of a Good Sugar Tree A good maple sugar tree usually has a large crown with significant leaf surface area. The greater the crowns leaf surface of a sugar maple, the greater is the sap flow along with increased sugar content. Trees with ​crowns more than 30 feet wide produce sap in optimum quantities and grow larger faster for increased tapping. A desirable sugar tree has a higher sugar content in the sap than others; they are typically sugar maples or black maples. It is very important to have good sugar producing maples, as an increase of 1 percent in sap sugar reduces processing costs up to 50%. The average New England sap sugar content for commercial operations is 2.5%. For an individual tree, the volume of sap produced during one season varies from 10 to 20 gallons per tap. This amount depends on a specific tree, weather conditions, sap season length, and collection efficiency. A single tree can have one, two, or three taps, depending on size as mentioned above. Tapping Your Maple Trees Tap maple trees in early spring when daytime temperatures go above freezing while nighttime temperatures fall below freezing. The exact date depends on the elevation and location of your trees and your region. This can be from mid to late February in Pennsylvania to mid-March in upper Maine and eastern Canada. Sap usually flows for 4 to 6 weeks or as long as the freezing nights and warm days continue. Taps should be drilled when temperatures are above freezing to reduce the risk of damage to the tree. Drill into the trunk of the tree in an area that contains sound sap wood (you should be seeing fresh yellow shavings). For trees with more than one tap (20 inches DBH plus), distribute the tapholes evenly around the circumference of the tree. Drill 2 to 2 1/2 inches into the tree at a slight upward angle to facilitate flow of sap from the hole. After making sure that the new taphole is free and clear of shavings, gently insert the spile with a light hammer and do not pound the spile in the taphole. The spile should be set properly to support a bucket or plastic container and its contents. Forcefully mounting the spile can split the bark which prevents healing and could cause a substantial wound on the tree. Do not treat the taphole with disinfectants or other materials at the time of tapping. You always remove spiles from the tapholes at the end of the maple season and should not plug the hole. Tapping done properly will allow tapholes to close and heal over naturally which will take about two years. This will ensure that the tree continues to remain healthy and productive for the remainder of its natural life. Plastic tubing can be used in place of buckets but can become a bit more complicated and you should consult a maple equipment a dealer, your local maple producer, or Cooperative Extension Office.

Friday, February 14, 2020

SPITCEROW MODEL Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

SPITCEROW MODEL - Assignment Example These needs were unmet by the Russian government starting from their presidents and hence the reason the conflicts started and intensified resulting in killings of even those Russian presidents. The conflict and violence was just an aggressive way of expressing these unmet drives and needs. The conflict enlarged because of inhabitation by the Al- Qaeda recruits who were based in the three camps established for their training in Chechnya. Those who graduated from these camps after two months of intensive training were given missions to conduct and one of the missions was to kill and bring about confusion in Chechnya as a way to divert attention from these three training camps. They increased the conflict by kidnapping prominent people including members of international organizations, created a financial crisis in the country which brought about disorder, they conducted strikes which eventually led to an uprising that was unified against Russia and they also created an Islamic state there. KA-K, Havva. â€Å"Reducing Violence: Applying the Human Needs Theory to the Conflict in Chechnya.† The Journal of Turkish Weekly. Retrieved from:

Saturday, February 1, 2020

National General Hospital Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6000 words

National General Hospital - Essay Example Moreover, the hospital is a service-oriented organization that aims to provide all kinds of healthcare services to the people living in the vicinity of the facility. With the passage of time, however, the research and development areas should also be a point of focus during the study. In order to evaluate the performance of the management of the hospital, all operational aspects will be studied and evaluated, and the results will be presented. Current situations, potential issues, as well as a need based analysis will be covered under this research report. Finally, after summarising the current needs, performance and future requirements will be made a part of the report by providing suitable suggestions and recommendations based upon the findings of this study. Executive Summary The aim of this case study is to discuss all the relevant and significant aspects of operations management. Therefore, the choice of a hospital has been made with respect to the numerous kinds of services bei ng provided, the nature and scope of business in the community, as well as the customer/patients turnover ratio. Beyond these components, this kind of business is not always profit oriented, rather it depends on the objective of the owners/shareholders as to whether they desire it to be a charity organization or a profit earning institution. By keeping all of these points in mind, it bears mentioning that the hospital is the kind of business that is always at its best when providing quality health services to its patients. This research is exploratory in nature, which includes primary as well as secondary data sources to be used for purposes of research. Similarly, the results have been made more generalized and easy to understand because of the nature of hospital business. This data will not be presented in a complex way so that a better understanding can be developed in readers. During the case study, the researcher studied many interesting concepts that will be made a part of the eventual research findings. Moreover, conclusions and a few recommendations have also been give due consideration in the end, so that the research report could be made more effective and comprehensive. One of the salient recommendations is to have a continuous system of checks and balances in the hospital, which is needed in order to fulfil the needs of the social enterprises where maintaining the quality of health care is of prime importance. Introduction Overview National General Hospital is one of the most famous small size health care centres in Saudi Arabia. It was established in the late 1990s for the purpose of providing basic health services to a small town near Jeddah. With the passage of time, however, the shareholders earned reasonably large profits that urged them to do more with the facility. Therefore, they converted this small clinic into a hospital providing detailed treatments to the patients. In 2006, the hospital set up its outpatient department that functioned e xtremely well, and after only a couple of years this 50 bed hospital was converted into a complete hospital with 2 operation theatres, outpatient facilities and special wards for adults, as well as children and infants. Now the hospital has a great reputation and residents of nearby localities also prefer to be referred to NGH in times of need. Now this hospital is a 100 bed complete health care centre providing all kinds of basic as, well as specialized, health care services to the patients at affordable