The Difference Between Amateur and Proper Writers; And Why You Shouldn - Freewrite Store

The Difference Between Amateur and Proper Writers; And Why You Shouldn - Freewrite Store Commit to your new job. Let me paint you a picture, one of those bizarre scenarios, frisky tableaus, that slowly segues into the topic and theme of the title. Imagine a big, bawdy bar, with a barkeep of barreled brawn, brined brains, and bedeviled behavior. A sprawling dome sanctified by the Gods, christened by Baco and sponsored by the good folks at Guinness†¦ in other words, a pub. A proper (we only serve booze) pub. Now, take that majestic construct and catapult it 100 years into the future, and since we are already breaking the space-time-continuum let’s shatter this flimsy facade called logic - and cement its pillars on one of the heaven’s marshmallow clouds. â€Å"The Cloud Nine† pub in the sky. There’s a marquee on the brick side by the petunias: â€Å"Jesus once came here for a pint.† Inside our celestial haberdashery, patrons dance, dames frolic, and inebriates fight and fess-up. In one corner, Oscar Wilde and Lord Byron are playing footsies under the table. By the jar of pickled eggs, Hemingway is displaying his legendary attitude towards liquor. By the door, giving a rousing and confusing speech on wordplay, Shakespeare. Tolstoy and Marx dip their wet fingers on a pile of salt, trying desperately to hoover the last crumbs of peanuts. Throughout all this madcap, watermark fandango of insanity, a conga line has formed: Maya Angelou, Charlotte Bronte, and Virginia Woolf do the cha-cha-cha while Austen and Christie follow with a brilliant rendition of the chicken dance. The lit cream of yesteryear rubbing shoulders and other naughty parts. The night carries on, sooner or later Karaoke comes into play and bonds are forged mid-way through â€Å"Bohemian Rhapsody†;even Poe manages a smile. Then Twain, that rascal that he is, poses a question:    â€Å"When is a writer no longer an amateur, but a professional?†    Noggins and cookies start boiling. Fitzgerald drools on the virtues of speaking from experience. Lovecraft gives a fairly decent argument towards making pacts with Old Ones. Hemingway zig-zags into a yarn about fishing, while Woody Allen tries to hit on the waitress. On and on they ping-pong the question around the room. Some manage to hit the ball, others evade it, preferring to occupy their minds with the physics of lager. Up and down, hours and hours, the philosophical item is examined; no real answer reached, no consensus patted down. Then, just before the rooster is about to call it a night, a voice is heard among the revelry:    â€Å"Oh, that’s without a doubt the easiest question out there.†    Everybody turns, eyes adjusting in the gloom and rum haze. Sitting on a stool, right next to a Pac-Man machine and flicking through a jukebox’s selection of Golden Oldies, the man himself†¦ Mister Stephen King.    â€Å"Like I said, you turnip heads, there’s a simple answer.† He takes a sip of his coke. â€Å"A writer is truly a professional writer, the minute, nay, the second he gets PAID. A check for something you’ve written instantly grants you pro-writer status. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.†    Mouths catching flies, everybody stares at the horror master, knowing full well that that Gordian Knot of a riddle had been sliced in two and packaged away with alacrity.    â€Å"OK,†goes Twain â€Å"Let me re-frame the question: when do you pass from being a mediocre writer aproper writer?†    Stephen King gets up, understanding that the wordsmith has him by the furry bits The man, having just read â€Å"50 Shades of Grey†, his belief in the power of humankind and the essence of his craft shaken to the very foundation, simply walks off. So, the conundrum still stands: when is a writer a proper writer?As a published author, I’m going to toss my two-cents into that fountain and hope they don’t get lost among the treasured detritus of others. In my opinion, a writer becomes what he is meant to be the second he stops measuring himself up to others of his profession. The second you manage to tie down your voice, tone and make it your own, without trying to copy someone else’s beats, that’s the minute you are a professional. That’s the minute you become something truly unique and irreplaceable.    â€Å"But,† you ask â€Å"How do I get to that point?†    It’s not easy, so here are a few tips: Commit to your new job. Writing, penning out articles, manuscripts, stories, poems, scripts, and all other wordy fragments of wisdom or sheer entertainment is a full-time, 24/7 task. There’s a lot of talk going around town about the power of visualization; I’m here to tell you that’s just nothing short of Hocus Pocus. In reality, you can visualize all you like. Buy the hipster hat, the flowing scarf and talk like a lofty SOB at your next family get together. Do the whole fandango and tango†¦ You’re still not a writer. Imagine as many unicorns and pie-in-the-sky ideas as your greedy little brain will allow, at the end of the day you’ll still find yourself at the stable wondering why your horse can’t fly or who stole his magical horn. The only way to become a writer is to sit down and put in the work. Plant your rear on a seat, or couch, snatch your tools and scribble ‘til you hit gold or have something worth publishing.    â€Å"What about the muse?†    Poppycock! My advice is to grab those Grecian mistresses and take them out back; two shots to the back of the skull for each. Neil Gaiman and Larry Correia will help you hide the bodies while Hemingway mops up the blood. The truth of the matter is that some days you’ll get up in the morning, slug your way to your laptop and discover that fiend writer’s block sitting on the ledge of your table. The specter is pointing out your worthlessness and handing out wanted ads; circled in crimson: â€Å"full-time accountant, great pay.† Before you log on and give Facebook a chance, open up your word-processor and freaking write. Maybe, after four hours of clacking away, you’ll have a sentence or two worth a lick.    A professional writer writes until his ass is raw and his fingers bleed. An amateur writer dabbles with his computer as long as there is nothing good on the television. A structured existence. Let’s build a bridge between the island up above and this grassy archipelago. It’s time to set down rules, to set down goals and lay the foundations that will eventually make you a professional writer. Hacking away at your diary isn’t, unless you’re Anne Frank, professional writing. Every great or at least successful writer has a process. Stephen King reads four hours a day and writes for another four. Dan Brown wakes up at the crack of dawn, stretches and then works until noon. Janet Evanovich finger-dances across the keyboard in the morning and edits at night. Carl Hiassen faces his desk against a blank wall and snaps on shooting-range earmuffs against his head. Hemingway strolled to the nearest bar, sat down and jotted down 500 words, celebrating each victory at the end with a stiff drink. Every single one of them, like Rowling at a coffee shop in Edinburg staring at a cemetery, had their magic recipe. And, unlike any thaumaturgical hootenanny, their â €Å"IT† wasn’t based on a virgin’s blood and a Saint’s holy tears; it was grounded on a businesslike attitude, by the numbers, by appreciation of their skill set. It’s all about discipline, especially when you don’t have a boss riding your ass. Establish a passable set of rules to live by; that’s the Golden Ratio. This is a nine-to-five job; you clock in, you clock out. You need a space for yourself, especially if you are working at home. Otherwise your novel will be slowly devoured and digested by those rugrats you call offsprings. You need to mark down daily goals and, even if you have to go over time, fulfill them.    A pro will edge at least 500 words a day. She’ll dip her arm into a fiery pit, 500 times, just to get those words out. She’ll wake up every day, forget her family exists, juggle divorce like a pro and become a statue in her office ‘til she hits the mark. An amateur will wake up whenever she feels like it, take her time with her coffee, play with her kids, talk to her partner and, finally, scratch out twenty words and say the day was productive. Sharpen your tools. I’m going to step into a Stargate and zoom our narrative into another whimsical dimension. Did you know that Eric Clapton became Eric â€Å"Oh dear lord Layla is the bomb† Clapton after hearing and jamming with Jimi Hendrix? Did you know the Bob â€Å"I just won a Nobel Prize† Dylan purposely bought a house close to Tom Petty, Roy Orbison, and George Harrison? There’s a reason why there was The Police, before Sting. Why Don Henley needed that adrenaline shot known as the Eagles. Why Lennon needed Paul, George, and Ringo. There’s a time in every artist’s life when the chords, the beat, the rhythm, the skills are all learned and mastered; you can either stagnate or take it to the next level. If you’re not a music lover, then let’s flip that analogy onto another field†¦ snatch your boxing gloves and go beat up someone better than you. One of the keys to being a legendary artist is to know you are part of a community. You have to purge that misconception that art is a lone wolf’s hunt. Nope, DiCaprio became an Oscar winner thanks to Scorsese. Hemingway earned his legendary status on account of Gertrude Stein. Frankenstein was penned thanks to an oddball weekend with Lord Byron, Percy Shelley and John Polidori in Switzerland. Talent is partly like an STD. It’s more contagious than syphilis, and some of your peers are so infected with it that you’re liable to catch it by mere osmosis. Surround yourself with people in your neck of the woods. People that appreciate your craft and actually dabble in it. Think about the mid 20s and roaring 30s, or the Beatnik movement, or SoHo London; flash back to those rocking times. Everybody was doodling everybody. Post-coital carnal caper chats ensued on the craft recipe of the day. Pores sweaty, salty and open, your soul as bare and naked as the rest of you. Your mind lathered and frothed by livid libations and popping endorphins. A sultry poetista whispering Keats into your ears; the primordial soup in which creativity is stewed and prepared. Or, if you’re a bit square, the following Open Sesame phrase will win over any writer: â€Å"let me buy you a beer!†If you toss in some Wild Turkey, we will allow you to pump us for as much info as you want.    A pro will, after getting up at the crack of dawn, crawl his way into an avant-garde play at midnight. He will wallow past the existential dingus, toast with his artsy friends at 3 AM, decline a snort of Peruvian moon dust at 5 AM, get an UBER at 6 and start the day on Red Bull just to start writing again. He’ll do that and more just to bathe and float in creative juices. An Amateur will call it a day at 4 and switch on the ballgame. Know your genre. Every platform has guidelines. You can break them, you can go all Gonzo on Journalism, but first, you have to conquer them. Once you have them down to a science, once you can build your rifle with your tongue while blindfolded and barking like a loon, only then can you defenestrate those pesky commandments and dash them against the rocks. Genres have tropes, they have verified axioms that somehow still manage - in many cases - to seem original. For example, in mythology - and most Marvel and DC movies - the age-old Hero’s Journey is the archetype; Campbell’s 17 stages, the playbook Batman was built on. In hard-edge journalism, the â€Å"Five W’s† are the linchpin of any piece. Analyze your sandbox. Take it apart and put each grain of dust under the microscope. Want to Tolkien your way to the top of the fantasy aisle? Then you better have your world-building criteria down on paper. There’s a reason why publishers search for word counts for each genre . Why Westerns shouldn’t be more than 65k words; why Horror has to be at least 100k; why Game of Thrones is considered a hostile mallet in certain New York City boroughs. Here’s another example with the same sentence done and tweaked for different schools of thoughts.    â€Å"It was twilight, five minutes past 6 in New Jersey when†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Journalism.    â€Å"In the Kingdom the sun had dipped below the marbled turrets, bronzing the golden crest when†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Fantasy.    â€Å"A crisp and sharp wind bit into John’s cheek. Night was fast approaching, his instincts coming full force with it†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Action.    â€Å"The sun decided to call it a day. Happy Hour was starting up just to thewest, and that flaming ball of gas needed some Sake, Geisha Hanky-Panky and, oddly enough, a dose of Sumo†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Comedy.    â€Å"A funeral shroud clawed its way pass the horizon, digging its long bloody talons into the last rays of light that clung to the day. A Halloween orange snapped just past the emerald mountains, scatting for a second the landscape in a multicolored afterglow. Then, in a flash and with the same feral ferocity, bewilderingintensity, and vivid violence it disappeared into the ether. With it, all sense of safety was snuffed out. A Stygian wave rolled over the street; pulling in all sights and sounds into its ravenous event horizon†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Horror.    A Pro will hit her head against the head, for an hour, just to catch that word - that perfect word - that’s dangling at the tip of her tongue. She’ll study and read every great book published in her genre before daring to approach that theme. She’ll take months penning that perfect book or article. An Amateur will hook from the pond whatever word comes swimming by and stitch it onto his pieces just to be done with it. She’ll ask herself: â€Å"Why not just say the clown is scary and be done with it† when discussing IT with her friends. Tips from this side of the table. Here are some Golden Rules that truly construct pieces worth printing. Rethink every adverb you place in your text. Anything that ends with â€Å"ly.† The trick to good storytelling is to show and let your audience infer. How was he â€Å"calmly† walking to the gallows? Be mindful of alliterations. They work great in comedy, but might sound funky in other genres. Grammar, in fiction - especially in horror - is flexible. This is paramount when placing your commas, periods and semicolons. Every paragraph has a beat and rhythm; you’re the artist, you build. Then Edit some more. Dean Koontz, for example, will edit each page to death before starting to write another one. It helps to get everything into perspective and, if you’re playing with a novel, it slices the task into digestible sections. Get a thesaurus and learn some odd words. Each genre has a formula, a dictionary to it, get cracking and know your theater’s vocabulary. H.P. Lovecraft used to trudge around, constantly searching for bizarre and arcane words to fill his manuscripts with. Read like a madman. And, when you are not reading, get some audio books. Before shipping and closing the chapter on anything, read it out loud. There’s a reason why storytellers were so adored back in olden days before the printing press. Your phrases or sentences have to hit the ear just right. Critics are right monstrous Unfortunately, they are also your best friends. Before you publish anything, pass it around. Start by copying some of your favorite author’s tone and pattern, learn from them. Slowly start molding them to your frame of mind. You have to mature and nurture your unique voice, but before that happens that fertile egg has to be inseminated†¦ so pick a proper genetic input. And finally, and most importantly, get someone to bankroll you. If you’re getting paid for it, then you’re a writer. Money in the bank, despite what the critics say, is the bar you have to measure yourself against.

The impact of 50% of American workers not taking vacation time

The impact of 50% of American workers not taking vacation time Have you heard what happens when you lead a life of â€Å"all work and no play?† Beyond becoming dull, a life without a healthy work-life balance can lead to a wide array of negative outcomes- both mental and physical. It’s true, the most effective employees aren’t the ones who work nonstop like robots; individuals who work hard but also make time for vacations away from their jobs are the ones who are able to maintain high levels of work efficiency and healthy well-being over the long haul. According to a recent report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 73 percent of civilian workers have access to paid vacations. However, a concerning trend is being witnessed across industries in the American workforce- many employees are simply not taking vacations, believe it or not. Approximately 50% of American workers- half of the entire labor force- don’t take vacations for one reason or another, and its having a big impact, both on employees and the companies they work for.Why don’t people take vacation?Let’s take a closer look at why this is happening, and its impact.No paid vacation benefitsAlthough the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 73 percent of civilian workers have access to paid vacations, all industries are not created equal and some employers don’t offer their employees a full suite of benefits that include paid vacations. For example, only 55 percent of workers employed in service occupations have access to paid vacations. Workers who don’t receive paid vacation benefits are typically at the lower end of the wage spectrum, or have part-time, freelance, or contract-based employment arrangements, and often they either can’t afford to take time off of work or their work schedules aren’t flexible enough to take vacation time.Juggling multiple jobsA growing number of people have resorted to non-traditional work situations, either by choice or by circumstance, which can include having mu ltiple part-time jobs- which often don’t include vacation benefits. It can be tricky enough to take time off from one full-time job; when you’re juggling multiple jobs with varying scheduling needs and demands, carving out time for a vacation can be a real challenge, one in which many workers can’t seem to make happen.The funds just aren’t thereThe sad truth is that many people simply can’t afford to go on a proper vacation; they either don’t receive paid vacation benefits or live paycheck to paycheck and can’t afford to go anywhere even if they can take time off, and would rather just go to work than take time off and have nothing to do.Other life obligationsSome people who work in inflexible work environments have to use their vacation time for non-vacation obligations. Life happens, and everything that comes up that needs to be taken care of- from dental appointments to a sick child or taking the dog to the vet and everything in be tween- may mean having to use vacation time, leaving no time to take an actual vacation. Although some of us are lucky enough to have understanding employers who are willing to work with us to handle life’s unexpected responsibilities, some of us don’t have that luxury.People are afraid to go on vacationYes, this is a sad but true fact- some folks are simply too afraid to take a vacation from work. They may either be worried that if they take time away from work there’d be no one there to cover their responsibilities or afraid that taking time off could make them appear replaceable and put their jobs in jeopardy. In a world where job security is elusive and positions dangle precariously, some workers may not feel like a vacation is worth the risk.The impact of not taking vacationsAlthough there are many reasons why individuals may not want to take time off from work for vacation, the impact of their decisions not to do so is clear. Research has shown that not ta king a healthy break from work can lead to a wide range of unwelcome mental and physical effects on the average worker.Job burnout and decreased efficiency on the job are not uncommon phenomenon for folks who push themselves too hard without taking some time off for themselves; as a result, their perceived dedication to work may actually be working against them, resulting in their becoming less productive and valuable employees. Not taking vacation can also negatively affect employee’s moods at work; this includes increased irritability and decreased patience, which can really place a strain on relationships and communication with colleagues. Job focus and energy are also typically depleted at a more rapid rate without a â€Å"vacation recharge,† which ultimately benefits neither the exhausted employees or their frustrated employers.Not taking vacations has a measurable spillover effect outside of work as well. Think of all the detrimental on-the-job effects we just co vered- you don’t think they just magically evaporate when workers go home, do you? Folks who work hard and don’t take vacations are much more likely to be unhappy overall, which follows them around whether they’re at work or at home. They typically dread going into work more than workers who take vacations, which likely means weekends full of unease or anxiety over the coming work week. As if negatively effecting coworker relationships wasn’t enough, carrying around all of this unwanted â€Å"no-vacation baggage† nonstop is sure to have an impact on personal relationships as well. Furthermore, it isn’t hard to imagine a cyclical effect coming into play: unhappiness at work leads to unhappiness outside of work, which feeds back into itself in a circular, downward-spiraling loop of disastrous negativity.All of these negative feelings and emotions tied up with working too hard and not taking vacations can really take a physical toll as well. Th e mind and body are interconnected, and job burnout and unhappiness due to not taking vacations can lead to lethargy, increased aches and pains, lower resistance to illness, and a host of other unwelcome symptoms. So, if your reasons for not taking a vacation are tied to financial frugality, consider the fact that what you’re saving on vacations might wind up costing you in sick days and medical bills.Looking aheadThe bottom line is that most people need a healthy mix of productive activity and relaxing downtime to function at optimum levels, which makes intuitive sense- most people function at their best when they lead balanced lives.So, now that you’re aware of the impact of not taking a vacation from work, what can you do if you’re finding it tough to strike a balance? If you can’t seem to make time for a vacation, either because of your current work situation or because of everything in your life that you’re currently juggling, take a closer lo ok at your routine and see if you can make some adjustments. If it’s a financial concern, consider creating a savings plan that will help you fund a vacation- even modest savings over time can really add up!Again, this is not a frivolous thing- taking a vacation is a responsible way to ensure that all the elements of your life are operating properly over the long haul. This might entail getting some help from friends, family members, or colleagues to help you carve out some quality â€Å"you† time, but it’s a worthwhile investment in your long-term functioning. And if you have a boss or work for a company that frowns on vacations from work, or doesn’t offer vacation benefits, then show them this article- hopefully they’ll quickly see that employee vacations benefit them as much as it does you.

Business Plane PowerPoint Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Business Plane - PowerPoint Presentation Example The objective of the business is to increase the level of profitability by providing food at an affordable rate for every individual in SE London. This is possible by striving hard and becoming well known in the food market. The proposed business intends to target the young audience and the low income people who have the willingness to buy fruits. Moreover, a proper development in the field of logistics might help the business to gain a market presence and be competitive. To increase the sales, the various marketing strategies such as coupons and discounts will be provided to enhance financial gains in the upcoming future. Furthermore the financial requirement for the proposed business is estimated to be  £2 million in order to set up and execute its business operations. The estimated funds can be initiated from the private investors as well as High St. Banks in order to execute the finances and the supply chain in a proper manner for long-term sustainability of the business. The b usiness is primarily initiated to reduce the waste and earn profit by managing the fruits properly in the supply chain and marketing. Thus, the proposed business is useful to reduce the waste and increase the profit through the ugly fruits and vegetables sale by using low pricing strategy (The State of Queensland, 2013). The State of Queensland, 2013. Organizational Structure. Corporate Profile. [Online] Available at: http://www.qraa.qld.gov.au/about-qraa/corporate-profile/organisational-structure [Accessed January 16,

Bias or the Predisposition an Issue Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Bias or the Predisposition an Issue - Assignment Example The title itself gives away the author’s leaning against Karadzic using the word â€Å"mock† – a word that has harsh implications such as to treat somebody with scorn. Though according to the article the former Bosnian President has â€Å"demanded another nine months to prepare his defence† (Charter, 2009, para. 2) and â€Å"mock† can literally mean to prevent something, the choice of words connotes Karadzic’s actions to cause frustration or humiliation- a far too great accusation that becomes personal in relation to the judges present at the court. Other words used to describe Karadzic include â€Å"a psychiatrist who hoodwinked many with his disguise† (Charter, 2009, para. 3) and â€Å"wraithlike shadow† (Charter, 2009, para. 4). The first description already insinuates that the former Bosnian Serb leader is indeed already guilty of tricking his whole nation even before the trial has started. The writer here forgets that the t rial is ongoing in the first place to assess whether Karadzic is guilty or not. The second description, on the other hand, is plainly a figure of speech- a rhetorical device that appeals to the imagination of readers to suggest how evil Karadzic is. Upon further inspection of the way the article is written, the tone of the writer becomes apparent: he is the one who is, in fact, mocking Radovan Karadzic as he mimics the actions of the defendant by putting them into words in a demeaning way: It seems that his exasperation subsided when Karadzic â€Å"finally graced the UN war crimes court† (Charter, 2009, para. 1) – his tone condescending in even being patient for Karadzic’s arrival. The placement of certain facts and the pertaining to the defendant can put emphasis on ideas and also give away the inclination of the writer: The placement of â€Å"a psychiatrist who hoodwinked many with his disguise on the run as a New Age healer and who prides himself as a master of mind game†Ã‚  (Charter, 2009, para. 3) between dashes is sure to stick to the reader’s mind as the whole story of the life of Radovan Karadzic, not to mention the reference to Karadzic being a â€Å"master of mind games† (Char ter, 2009, para. 3) will surely make readers think twice before sympathizing with him.

Components and functions of the complement system

Components and functions of the complement system The complement system found in the blood of mammals is composed of heat labile substances (proteins) that combine with antibodies or cell surfaces. This complex, multicomponent system is composed of about 26 proteins. The complement cascade is constitutive and non-specific but it must be activated in order to function. The functions of complement include: making bacteria more susceptible to phagocytosis directly lysing some bacteria and foreign cells producing chemotactic substances increasing vascular permeability causing smooth muscle contraction promoting mast cell degranulation The complement system can be activated via two distinct pathways; the classical pathway and the alternate pathway. Once initiated, a cascade of events (the complement cascade) ensues, providing the functions listed above. Most of the complement components are numbered (e.g. C1, C2, C3, etc.) but some are simply referred to as Factors. Some of the components must be enzymatically cleaved to activate their function; others simply combine to form complexes that are active. The following table lists these components and their functions. Components of the Classical Pathway Native component Active component(s) Function(s) C1(q,r,s) C1q Binds to antibody that has bound antigen, activates C1r. C1r Cleaves C1s to activate protease function. C1s Cleaves C2 and C4. C2 C2a Unknown. C2b Active enzyme of classical pathway; cleaves C3 and C5. C3 C3a Mediates inflammation; anaphylatoxin. C3b Binds C5 for cleavage by C2b. Binds cell surfaces for opsonization and activation of alternate pathway. C4 C4a Mediates inflammation. C4b Binds C2 for cleavage by C1s. Binds cell surfaces for opsonization. Components of the Alternate Pathway Native component Active component(s) Function(s) C3 C3a Mediates inflammation; anaphylatoxin. C3b Binds cell surfaces for opsonization and activation of alternate pathway. Factor B B Binds membrane bound C3b. Cleaved by Factor D. Ba Unknown. Bb Cleaved form stabilized by P produces C3 convertase. Factor D D Cleaves Factor B when bound to C3b. Properdin P Binds and stabilizes membrane bound C3bBb. Components of the Membrane-Attack Complex Native component Active component(s) Function(s) C5 C5a Mediates inflammation; anaphylatoxin, chemotaxin. C5b Initiates assembly of the membrane-attack complex (MAC). C6 C6 Binds C5b, forms acceptor for C7. C7 C7 Binds C5b6, inserts into membrane, forms acceptor for C8. C8 C8 Binds C5b67, initiates C9 polymerization. C9 C9n Polymerizes around C5b678 to form channel that causes cell lysis. ACTIVATION OF THE COMPLEMENT CASCADE Classical Pathway The classical pathway starts with C1; C1 binds to immunoglobulin Fc (primarily IgM and IgG); C1 is recognition complex composed of 22 polypeptide chains in 3 subunits; C1q, C1r, C1s. C1q is the actual recognition portion, a glycoprotein containing hydroxyproline and hydroxylysine that looks like a tulip flower. Upon binding via C1q, C1r is activated to become a protease that cleaves C1s to a form that activates (cleaves) both C2 and C4 to C2a/b and C4a/b. C2b and C4b combine to produce C3 convertase (C3 activating enzyme). C4a has anaphylactic activity (inflammatory response). C3 is central to both the classical and alternative pathways. In classical, C4b2b convertase cleaves C3 into C3a/b. C3a is a potent anaphylatoxin. C3b combines with C4b2b to form C4b2b3b complex that is a C5 convertase. C3b can also bind directly to cells making them susceptible to phagocytosis. C5 is converted by C5 convertase (i.e. C4b2b3b) to C5a/b. C5a has potent anaphylatoxic and chemotaxic activities. C5b functions as an anchor on the target cell surface to which the lytic membrane-attack complex (MAC) forms. MAC includes C5b, C6, C7, C8 and C9. Once C9 polymerizes to form a hole in the cell wall, lysis ensues. Classical Pathway Component cleavage Enzymatic activity Component assembly Alternate Pathway The alternate pathway may be initiated by immunologic (e.g. IgA or IgE) or non-immunologic (e.g. LPS) means. The cascade begins with C3. A small amount of C3b is always found in circulation as a result of spontaneous cleavage of C3 but the concentrations are generally kept very low (see below). However, when C3b binds covalently to sugars on a cell surface, it can become protected. Then Factor B binds to C3b. In the presence of Factor D, bound Factor B is cleaved to Ba and Bb; Bb contains the active site for a C3 convertase. Next. properdin binds to C3bBb to stabilize the C3bBb convertase on cell surface leading to cleavage of C3. Finally, a C3bBb3b complex forms and this is a C5 convertase, cleaving C5 to C5a/b. Once formed, C5b initiates formation of the membrane attack complex as described above. Generally, only Gram-negative cells can be directly lysed by antibody plus complement; Gram-positive cells are mostly resistant. However, phagocytosis is greatly enhanced by C3b binding (phagocytes have C3b receptors on their surface) and antibody is not always required. In addition, complement can neutralize virus particles either by direct lysis or by preventing viral penetration of host cells. Alternate Pathway Component cleavage Enzymatic activity Component assembly REGULATION OF THE COMPLEMENT CASCADE Because both the classical and alternate pathways depend upon C3b, regulation of the complement cascade is mediated via 3 proteins that affect the levels and activities of this component. C1 Inhibitor inhibits the production of C3b by combining with and inactivating C1r and C1s. This prevents formation of the C3 convertase, C4b2b. Protein H inhibits the production of C3b by inhibiting the binding of Factor B to membrane-bound C3b, thereby preventing cleavage of B to Bb and production of the C3 convertase, C3bBb. Factor I inhibits the production of C3b by cleaving C3b into C3c and C3d, which are inactive. Factor I only works on cell membrane bound C3b, mostly on red blood cells (i.e. non-activator surfaces).

Marketing Communications Memo Essay

This year this organization has elected to erect a monument to honor the fallen military heroes of Jacksonville, Florida. Some demographics of this large city are its’ multigenerational and diverse ethnic population, varied socioeconomic span, and of course, the large military representation, both active duty, retired, veterans, and their families. The location of Jacksonville in northeast Florida is a great stopover spot for tourists making their way to Orlando or Tampa and the snowbirds on their journey to southern Florida for the winter. The location of the monument should be centralized and near a major highway, possibly Interstate 95 between Interstate 10 and Interstate 295 South. Jacksonville, Florida is a military town and rich in its military history. According to United States Census Bureau QuickFacts (Jacksonville, 2008-2012) approximately 81,000 veterans live here. This number represents 10.5% of the total Jacksonville population. When including Orange Park and Jacksonville Beach to these numbers the veterans’ total number increases to nearly 85,000. This number is not reflective of the family members surrounding the veterans. The QuickFacts sheet goes on to state that the average household in Jacksonville, Jacksonville Beach, and Orange Park, is approximately 2.50 persons. The number of individuals living in the greater Jacksonville, Florida area directly related to the military member adds another 127,500 people for a total of 170,000 (QuickFacts Orange Park, QuickFacts Jacksonville Beach & QuickFacts Jacksonville, 2008-2012). We will want to choose a central location for the monument as Jacksonville, Florida has the greatest land mass in the continental United States with 885 square miles (Insider’s Guide to Jacksonville, Florida, 2014). By centralizing the location we can attract as many of Jacksonville’s residents to visit the monument. We must also take into consideration the ease of access to the monument for out of state visitors. If the location is too complicated to get to many people will not visit the site. The monument site will also have a visitor/gift shop with smaller images of the Fallen Heroes Monument for sale, along with military memorabilia of the two naval military installations, Naval Air Station Jacksonville and Naval Station Mayport, and Marine Corps Support Facility Blount Island Command along with military collectables. The various National Guards outfits along with the Coast Guard will be represented as well. The gift store will be maintain and staffed by Naval Air Station Jacksonville and proceeds will help with the upkeep of the monument. We will build the store as part of the monument site. The City of Jacksonville has donated the land in the name of the local fallen heroes. The project hopes to capture national attention with its innovative design and availability of military collectables. We want not just the Jacksonville, Florida residents to take pride in this monument but the State of Florida and our nation. Fundraising will be accomplished by reaching out to local military and veteran organizations. The Veterans of Foreign War, American Legion, Student Veterans of America, and American Veterans are all onboard to help with fundraising events like car washes, cook-outs, and large yard sales. We have also partnered with the local motorcycle clubs in Jacksonville, Florida who have scheduled several Saturday rides throughout the state. Historically the bikers clubs have donated large sums of money to events such as ours. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and Jacksonville Fire Department are also collecting donations to help defray the total cost of the monument. Naval Station Mayport and Naval Air Station Jacksonville will have golf tournaments to support the building of the monument. Grants from the City of Jacksonville and from the State of Florida have been pledged.  There will be a website featuring the future monument and donations can be accepted there as well. Military personnel come from all ages, racial ethnicities, socioeconomic levels, and religious backgrounds; it is a fair assessment to predict that the visitors to the monument will be of the same diversity. The marketing direction will be of one from pride in our nations’ military men and women, the good work they do the world over, and the sacrifices they have given. The local community is fully committed to the project and is evident by the large number of private contributors. References: Insider’s Guide to Jacksonville, Florida. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.insideflorida.com/city/info/Jacksonville QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau. (2008-2012). Florida. Retrieved from http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/12000.html QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau. (2008-2012). Jacksonville, Florida. Retrieved from http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/12/1235000.html QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau. (2008-2012). Jacksonville Beach, Florida. Retrieved from http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/12/1235050.html QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau. (2008-2012). Orange Park, Florida. Retrieved from http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/12/1252125.html

The Author Of Her Book Essay - 659 Words

In â€Å"The Author to Her Book,† Bradstreet is awash in indecision and internal conflicts over the merits and shortfalls of her creative abilities and the book that she produced. This elaborate internal struggle between pride and shame is manifested through a painstaking conceit in which she likens her book to her own child. An essential step in analyzing a poem is to provide a structural outline of the poem. Anne Bradstreet’s poem, â€Å"The Author to Her Book,† can be divided into seven sections. First, line one provides the general description of how she views her creation. She repeatedly speaks directly to her work in apostrophe, as if it were her own child. Second, lines two through five depict how she feels embarrassed that her private†¦show more content†¦Thus, Bradstreet conveys the embarrassment she feels due to her imperfect work. The main idea shows throughout the poem as Bradstreet struggles with the idea of her work being published when not fully perfected. Another useful tool in analyzing a poem is to identify poetic devices, meter, and a rhyme scheme. Through her deft use of extended metaphor, Bradstreet weaves an intricate web of parallels between parent and author and between child and book--both relationships of creator to creation. This use of metaphor allows the reader to relate emotionally to Bradstreet’s situation. In line seven, we see the uses of litotes, â€Å"At thy return my blushing was not small,† to express the depth of her embarrassment. She also uses metonymy in line eight to express her pain more clearly, â€Å"My rambling brat (in print) should mother call.† The simile used in line nine stresses her objection to the published work, â€Å"I cast thee by as one unfit for light.† Then in line 19, the poetic device of consonance is used which provides emphasis on her warning, â€Å"In this array ‘mongst vulgars may’st thou roam.† In this poem, through the use of personific ation and apostrophe Bradstreet conveys her feelings and emotions. Anne Bradstreet ensures her poem’s success by linking the triumph and tragedy of authorship with the pain and pleasure of creating and nurturing human life. The meter used isShow MoreRelatedThe Author To Her Book Anne Bradstreet1323 Words   |  6 PagesAnne Bradstreet in her poem, â€Å"The Author to Her Book†, elaborates on the true struggles of the publishing process that writers may experience in their writing careers. Through a unique perspective, Bradstreet introduces the narrator of the poem as a writer with a â€Å"deformed† piece of work, which is compared to a mother with a child with deformities; both of which are exposed to the public eye. Though the use of an extended metaphor, Bradstreet in â€Å"The Author to Her Book† compares a defected pieceRead MoreEssay on The Author to Her Book by Anne Bradstreet1490 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"The Author to Her Book† by Anne Bradstreet In â€Å"The Author to Her Book,† Bradstreet is inundated in indecision and internal struggles over the virtues and shortfalls of her abilities and the book that she produced. As human beings we associate and sympathize with each other through similar experiences. It is difficult to sympathize with someone when you don’t know where they are coming from and don’t know what they are dealing with. Similar experiences and common bonds are what allow us to extendRead MoreAnne Bradstreet-an Author to Her Book Essay1516 Words   |  7 PagesIn The Author to Her Book, Bradstreet is inundated in indecision and internal struggles over the virtues and shortfalls of her abilities and the book that she produced. As human beings we associate and sympathize with each other through similar experiences. It is difficult to sympathize with someone when you dont know where they are coming from and dont know what they are dealing with. Similar experiences and common bonds are what allow us to extend our sincere appreciation and understandingRead MoreUse Of Metaphors In Anne Bradstreets The Author To Her Book735 Words   |  3 PagesConnection with Her Lines A Puritan woman in the 1600’s who devoted herself to care for her family. Anne Bradstreet was a mother and a writer. Writing became a hobby when Bradstreet decided to give it a try because she had read much of poetry in so many styles and languages. Most of her pieces were written for teaching purposes in a small school where she served. The author kept most of the poems private for the following reasons: Bradstreet believed her work was unexceptional and at the time itRead MoreWord Choice and Tone in Bradstreets The Author to Her Book923 Words   |  4 PagesAfter reading The Author to her Book, it helps to know about the authors background. Anne Bradstreet wrote this poem after she had received her recently published book. The problem was that she did not want her book published. In her eyes, it was unfinished and full of mistakes. In the poem, she treats the book as a child and uses a satirical tone. Her choice of words and tone are very important to the theme of the poem. Some readers, mainly logical, would think that the author is simply talkingRead MoreAlmost Home by Joan Bauer Essay687 Words   |  3 Pagesdeveloped by what type of book the author is writing. My main character Sugar Mae Cole was developed because of the way she acts toward different characters in the book. And by her personality and sugars personality is sweet kinda like her name and she is polite. She is always trying to brighten the other characters up especially her mom Reba. She has a different personality that any of the other characters and connects with them in a different way that is what makes her the main character. sheRead MoreThe Help Research Paper1699 Words   |  7 PagesRights literature has been in hiding from the millions of readers in the world. Kathryn Stockett’s book, The Help, widely opens the doors to the worldwide readers to the experiences of those separated by the thin line drawn between blacks and whites in the 1960s. Kathryn makes her ex periences of the character’s, making their stories as compelling as her own. The Help by Kathryn Stockett, is a book set in the early 1960s in Jackson, Mississippi, told by three different women: Abilene, Minny andRead MoreThe Discipline Of Environmental History1279 Words   |  6 Pages Found within various articles and books, the discipline of environmental history permeates the study of nature and humans. By combining a multitude of studies and methodologies, authors explore the aspects of the environment and nature along with human interaction to understand how they commingle, affecting one another. In the following four books and one article, scholars from varying backgrounds approach environmental history in an assortment of methods in order to prove their thesis. TheirRead MoreWaving Won t Help By Katherine Boulton964 Words   |  4 PagesSLHS 4802: Book Review Title: Shouting Won t Help: Why I--and 50 Million Other Americans--Can t Hear You Author: Katherine Boulton Publisher Publication Date: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux 02/19/2013 The book Shouting Won t Help by Katherine Boulton is a memoir and guide about being hearing impaired. Her journey about having a bilateral hearing loss: profound deaf in one ear and severely impaired in the other ear. It is a part memoir and a part scientific study about her experienceRead MorePieces of Me by Darlene Ryan Essay1236 Words   |  5 Pagesof Me is Maddie. Maddie is a teenager who ran away from home, because she didn’t get along very well with her mom’s boyfriend. Maddie is a confident, independent girl. She got around by herself and didn’t interact with others very much. After a few months of living on her own she met a guy named Q. Her and Q got along very well, but at first she wasn’t very open with him. The farther the book went on, the closer they got. Maddie didn’t have very much faith in Q that he would work things out, but