The Safety of Blood Essay Example For Students

The Safety of Blood Essay A five-year old girl is riding down the street, on her way to her bestfriends house. She doesnt have a care in the world and is quietly humming toherself. Suddenly a car whips around the corner and swerves to avoid the child,but he looses control and squarely hits the girl, causing the her to fall andget trapped between the car and her battered bicycle. A main artery in her leghas been severed and blood fills the gutter of the street. As she gets rushedto the hospital in the ambulance, a pint of blood is given to her to attempt toreplace some of the life giving fluid that is pouring out of her leg. In theend she received four pints of blood and made a full recovery. We will write a custom essay on The Safety of Blood specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Although everything turned out all right for the girl, things could havebeen much different. What if that blood hadnt been there because the nationsblood supply was low? What if the blood that she received had been infectedwith a deadly disease such as Syphilis or HIV? These are pressing concerns fortodays society. Even though one in every five people will need a bloodtransfusion and the risk of contracting a disease such as AIDS is practicallynegligible, people are still concerned that the blood that they receive may haveharmful or deadly diseases and that todays blood supply is not safe.However, safe means different things for different people. For some,safe is an absolute security from any danger. This is an extreme viewpoint,though, because most people realize that one can never be completely safe. Another, and more popularly held connotation of safe, is the probability ofnot getting hurt. This is a much more reasonable and plausible definition andtherefor will be used throughout this paper. However, even though theoverwhelming probability is that nothing will go wrong, people still fear thatthe nations blood supply is unsafe. They are incorrect in this belief, though,because much is done to assure that the nations blood supply is, in fact, safe. One requirement to having a safe blood supply is to have an extensivereserve, because this allows for the option of discarding any blood that ispotentially unsafe.The assurance of an ample blood supply begins with thedonation process. Most of the people in this country have the capability todonate blood. However, only 4 percent of the eligible population actuallydonates.1 There are few restrictions and the reason why there are bloodshortages is because people dont want to donate as opposed to cant donate. For most blood centers, the physical criteria that a donor must meet are asfollows: person must be at least 17 years of age, weigh 110 pounds, and be ingood physical health. However, if so many people can donate blood why do so fewchoose to?Most people are afraid of giving blood. There are many misconceptionsabout the process of donating blood and receiving transfusions. For example,people believe that there is a danger of contracting diseases, especially AIDS,from the needles used during the process. However, these chances are zero, anda person has less of a chance of contracting a disease while giving blood thanhe has in any other ordinary situationActually, people have little to fear about giving blood. Manyprecautions are taken to assure that the process is safe for the donor, and theblood that is received is safe for the recipient. Before the donor even getsclose to the bed or the needle, he first must complete a thorough survey askingabout his past and potentially risky behavio r. The survey asks about recentsexual encounters, focusing on homosexual situations. It also asks about druguse, body piercing, and prostitution, which are all considered to be at riskbehaviors. If the donor has participated in such behavior he will not beallowed to donate until a time when it is safer for everyone involved. If thedonor passes the screening, his blood is collected in a new, plastic bag with abrand new needle. The needle and everything used during the process, from thefinger lancet to the cotton swabs, are disposed of instead of being reused,which eliminates the possibility of something not being properly sterilized. .uc47a1ab6216bacb8df1a83a47303613c , .uc47a1ab6216bacb8df1a83a47303613c .postImageUrl , .uc47a1ab6216bacb8df1a83a47303613c .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uc47a1ab6216bacb8df1a83a47303613c , .uc47a1ab6216bacb8df1a83a47303613c:hover , .uc47a1ab6216bacb8df1a83a47303613c:visited , .uc47a1ab6216bacb8df1a83a47303613c:active { border:0!important; } .uc47a1ab6216bacb8df1a83a47303613c .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uc47a1ab6216bacb8df1a83a47303613c { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uc47a1ab6216bacb8df1a83a47303613c:active , .uc47a1ab6216bacb8df1a83a47303613c:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uc47a1ab6216bacb8df1a83a47303613c .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uc47a1ab6216bacb8df1a83a47303613c .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uc47a1ab6216bacb8df1a83a47303613c .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uc47a1ab6216bacb8df1a83a47303613c .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uc47a1ab6216bacb8df1a83a47303613c:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uc47a1ab6216bacb8df1a83a47303613c .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uc47a1ab6216bacb8df1a83a47303613c .uc47a1ab6216bacb8df1a83a47303613c-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uc47a1ab6216bacb8df1a83a47303613c:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Child Abuse EssayAlso, if by chance, the nurse misses the vein and must reinsert a needle, hewill start over with a new needle, to assure sterility. After the blood isdrawn, it is sent to certain laboratories, where it is tested for diseases suchas HIV. If there is a problem, the donor will even be notified to assure thathe or she doesnt put anyone else at risk. At any point in this process, bloodthat does not reach the proper standards will be removed from the supply,assuring safety. In fact, two to ten percent of the units of blood that arereceived end up being removed because of uncertainty. 2Another reason why people may be hesitant to donate is because theydont know t he benefits of giving blood. First, because of the screeningprocess, the donor receives a sort of mini-physical every eight weeks. Thislets a person keep a check on his or her blood pressure, pulse, temperature,weight, and iron reading. It is a good way to assure that one is remaininghealthy. Also, not only does the blood that is given help someone in desperateneed of it, the donor feels good about himself, too. The donor can walk out ofthe center with a firm sense that he has helped someone in need. After the blood is drawn, many tests are performed on it, providinganother way to insure that the blood supply is safe. Testing is done forSyphilis, Hepititis B and C, abnormal liver function, and Human T-LymphotrophicVirus type I and type II. All of these diseases are blood-born and have thepotential of being extremely harmful if not fatal. However, the main fear thatpeople have regarding a blood transfusion is that they may contract AIDS. Thisis a result of a lack of understanding about what AIDS is or how it is tested. AIDS, an acronym for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, is a blood-borndisease that attacks ones immune system, leaving him susceptible to lesserdiseases that may not be a threat to a person with a healthy immune system. Itis caused by a virus known as HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) and over a fewyears develops into AIDS. The only ways to contract HIV are through bodilyfluids: blood, semen, vaginal fluid, or breast milk. It is because blood is oneof the means of contracting the disease, many people are afraid of donating andreceiving blood. However, HIV is also one of the diseases thoroughly tested forin the testing process. Two HIV related tests are performed, one for the HIVantigen and the other for the HIV antibody. The purpose of testing twice is toassure that the presence of the disease is noticed. If a person tests positivefor either the HIV antigen or antibody, he is permanently deferred, meaning thathe will never be allowed to donate.1The main reason why people are conce rned about the safety of the bloodsupply is because they are afraid of contracting a disease in the event thatthey need to receive blood. However, precautions are also made to insure thesafety of blood transfusions. For example, all of the blood used fortransfusions either comes from the blood center or is drawn by the same methods. This insures that the level of sterility and testing for harmful diseases is ashigh as it is for donation. In the hospital, sterile one-use needles are alsoused as they are in the blood center. Also, careful screening is done to makesure that the blood types match and that the donor blood is compatible with thea patients blood, preventing diseases such as jaundice. In both the bloodcenter where the donations take place and the hospital where the transfusionsoccur, the staff is highly trained and knowledgeable. Each nurse or assistantmust have basic medical training to get the job, and although human error exists,it is minimal. .u513e659e485d877340d7abec6f6b2841 , .u513e659e485d877340d7abec6f6b2841 .postImageUrl , .u513e659e485d877340d7abec6f6b2841 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u513e659e485d877340d7abec6f6b2841 , .u513e659e485d877340d7abec6f6b2841:hover , .u513e659e485d877340d7abec6f6b2841:visited , .u513e659e485d877340d7abec6f6b2841:active { border:0!important; } .u513e659e485d877340d7abec6f6b2841 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u513e659e485d877340d7abec6f6b2841 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u513e659e485d877340d7abec6f6b2841:active , .u513e659e485d877340d7abec6f6b2841:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u513e659e485d877340d7abec6f6b2841 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u513e659e485d877340d7abec6f6b2841 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u513e659e485d877340d7abec6f6b2841 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u513e659e485d877340d7abec6f6b2841 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u513e659e485d877340d7abec6f6b2841:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u513e659e485d877340d7abec6f6b2841 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u513e659e485d877340d7abec6f6b2841 .u513e659e485d877340d7abec6f6b2841-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u513e659e485d877340d7abec6f6b2841:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Internet Speech EssayDue to the many safeguards and precautions taken, the blood supply inAmerica is safe. The risk of contracting a disease from the donation process isquite minimal and there are more reasons to give blood than not to give blood. It is my opinion that if a person can give blood, they should. Donating bloodis noble, safe, and painless, and when blood is given, the donor gets awonderful feeling of doing good for someone and can be confident that he or shemay have saved a life. So when that little girl arrives at the hospital,unconscious and bleeding, she can be sure that the blood she receives will besafe. Works Cited1 The Blood Center of Southeastern Wisconsin, Testing Performed on All BloodDonations 5/962 The American Association of Blood Banks, Recieving Blood 1995Category: Science

informative speech on jazz tru essays

informative speech on jazz tru essays Purpose: By the end of the speech I hope you all will understand the joys and pains of playing jazz on the trumpet. Introduction: (turn off lights) Imagine its night time in New York City. You head over to the village vanguard to see the hottest players in jazz, out do each other on stage. You enter the club it seats about fifty but theres more like 80 all wanting the same thing, to hear John Coltranes sextet perform. (play Lazy Bird up to 1:40). The recording you just heard was from the John Coltrane album titled BLUE TRAIN. Jazz is one of the most difficult genres of music to perform on the trumpet because of its demands on a persons body, technical skill as well as their ability to spontaneously create a melody, also know as improvising. Credibility: You may be asking yourselves what would this young man know about jazz and why should I listen to him. Well to contradict the stereotype that jazz is old people music I have been listening to and playing jazz for the past 8 years and also teach private lessons. I have been principal chair in every band I have played in. In high school I was selected to play in the city honor band, received an award for jazz player of the year, received a scholarship and the semper fidelis award from the United States Marine Corp for excellence in music. There are numerous other awards presented to me by my school, and I led the jazz ensemble to place fourth at the national invite Monterey jazz festival sponsored by Clint Eastwood. Now that I have established my credibility I would like to move on. Playing the trumpet requires many hours of practice daily, usually until your body quits. During these practices you do arpeggios, chromatic scales, lip slurs, high notes, long tones and so on. All these exercises increase your endurance and ability to improvise. Main Points: some injuries or physical strain one can acquire are bleeding lips, headaches, passing out, dizziness, crooked te...

Europe's surge of nineteenth-centry imperialism Essay

Europe's surge of nineteenth-centry imperialism - Essay Example One such conflict was between China and Britain which according to Marchant (42), was known as the Anglo-Chinese opium wars. In this paper, I am going to show that I agree with Marchant’s implications in her article that the new imperialism in Europe was driven by values central to the rise of progressive trends such as the Enlightenment. In their trade dealings with China, the British believed that free trade was a way of creating wealth for all nations. This would, in turn, lead to a new world order that maintained peace at all levels. The Chinese, on the other hand, believed that there was no way in which trade could create peace for mankind because they had seen how the Ming dynasty collapsed due to doctrinarism (Marchant 42). The attitudes of the British were based on Enlightenment because they believed that both secular agendas and spiritual changes could improve the human society. They saw ways in which backward nations could gain access to progress even if war was involved. They tried to apply this on China but since China had different views, a war erupted. This was an ideological war that stemmed from differences in the belief of the two nations in free trade. Britain’s involvement in new imperialism as shown in the way it dealt with China was based on four outlooks. These outlooks were the result of Enlightenment ideas that had progressed over the past century. The first outlook was that God only helped those people who could do something to improve their situation. The second one was that both religious changes and secular agendas established in commerce, science, education, and legislation were a way improving the social status of the human race (Marchant 42). The third outlook was that it was the responsibility of those nations that had already experienced enlightenment to share their ideas with backward nations such as China to help them

WOMEN AND LAW Oral presentation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

WOMEN AND LAW Oral presentation - Essay Example wever, section 1(1) of the Street Offences Act, 1959 (as amended by Sexual Offences Act 2003, section 56, schedule 1, paragraph 2) states that â€Å"it shall be an offence for a common prostitute whether male or female to loiter or solicit in a street or public place for the purpose of prostitution†. To understand whether Topaz’s activities qualify as an offence under Section 1(1) of the Street Offences Act, 1959 it is first essential to analyse whether Topaz qualifies as a â€Å"common prostitute†. The term â€Å"common prostitute† has not been defined by statute though it has been part of statute law since 1824. The term â€Å"common† was criticised during the debates on the Street Offences Bill, which became the Street Offences Act 1959. The Criminal Law Revision Committee Working Paper on â€Å"Offences relating to Prostitution and allied offences† published in December 1982 stated, inter alia, â€Å"the word ‘common’ should be removed from the expression, ‘common prostitute’†. In R. v. De Munck (1918) 82 J.P.160 CCA, the Court held that, â€Å"the term ‘common prostitute’ is not limited so as to mean only one who permits acts of lewdness with all and sundry, or with such as have her, when such acts are in the nature of ordinary sexual connection. We are of the opinion that prostitution is proved if it is shown that a woman offers her body commonly for lewdness for payment in return.† The decision was cited with approval by the same court in R. v. Webb [1964] 1 QB 357 where the proprietor of a massage establishment was found guilty of procuring and attempting to procure masseuses to become common prostitutes. The court followed De Munck and dismissed a contention that the definition should be confined to cases where a woman takes a passive rather than an active role in the lewd activities. In R. v. Morris-Lowe [1985] 1 ALL.E.R. 400, the court held that a â€Å"common prostitute was any woman who offered herself commonly for lewdness for reward. The

Villagers remain upbeat despite tight cutbacks Essay Example for Free

Villagers remain upbeat despite tight cutbacks Essay Orange County – There was absolutely nothing left to do, 39 year-old Mr. Berger, an office clerk, decided to sell his latest model of LED television he just purchased the other year to a well-off friend, the economic crisis steeply increasing his weekly budget deficit. â€Å"I believe its the high spending we do everyday amid threats from financial meltdown thats taking its toll on us lately,† Mr. Berger said. It is no small irony that while unemployment rate has blown only 9. 5% of the population today against the 10% in the first quarter this year, the figure could not justify how some of the residents continue to lose their jobs. What may add insult to injury is the sharp decrease in prices of U. S. Imports from 0. 5 last month to 1. 3 today, outweighing the July 2009 1. 3% decline (Bureau of Labor Statistics). Mr. Berger is just part of the growing fraction of the figure promising to outnumber those working in a cozy office. Poking his way through a small, rough tenement just a few blocks from his house, he was looking for a viable job that could stand the present economic turmoil. The number of jobless persons for over 27 weeks remained at 6. 8 million, which covers 45. % of the total unemployed citizens all over the country while those who are working part-time involuntarily either because they could not find full-time employment or their working hours were reduced compose another 8. 6 million (Bureau of Labor Statistics). Taking advantage â€Å"I speculate some self-centered politicians are now using the economic crisis as their political tack to keep hold on power. The idea is simply that no single grou p is better equipped to release the plagues from Pandoras box and choke the very things it spawned than the most desperate gang in town. This time making itself the champion of economic crisis,† lamented Mr. Anderson. Mr. Anderson, 40, was forced to move his family to Mississippi and currently lives here on yet another mortgaged property, something he might lose again should the cutbacks realign sharply upward. It has a leaky roof, a clear sign the family is going through tough times. â€Å"I have no choice but to relocate again,† he said. History repeats itself The economy of the United States of America holds the highest rank in the world, its GDP being estimated to rich a nominal value of $14. 2 trillion last year. The US labor market has been attracting immigrants abroad and holds the largest number of migration rates streaming in. It has nested the biggest stock exchanges, thereby becoming one of the worlds most influential financial markets. But these facts did not prevent the history of the 1930s, the Great Depression, from repeating itself, this time with an equally forceful blow to different sectors. Fearing to see another Great Depression whipping the country, when the fangs of recession appeared to be a serious threat, the government sought many answers to solve economic problems. It took on a course of allowing consumers to spend more by exerting heavily itself or cutting taxes. It fostered rapid growth in the money supply, which also encouraged more spending. It can be recalled that economic woes brought on by the costs of the Vietnam conflict, major price increases, particularly for energy, created a strong fear of inflation. As a result, government put more concentration on controlling inflation than on combating recession by limiting spending and tightening credit. Economic crisis quickly creeps through different places, wherever financial stability gives its way, affecting a not so small portion of the population. The recession in the last two years might have been the worst since the Great Depression but there are no labor forecasts that have to do with the same fate employment suffered during those times. â€Å"Its a pain that we had to cut on our weekly budget and sacrifice our luxuries to prioritize our foremost needs. And were not alone on this, almost everyone in the neighborhood is feeling the effects of the crisis striking them,† Mrs. Cowell said. Mother to four, Mrs. Cowell, 41, had to stop sending Makky, her eldest, to school to give way to the others still studying in high school, an alarming scenario which led to an entirely different behavior acted by his eldest. This is just one of the fall-outs experienced by the family. Economists say the economy might start to flourish by third quarter of the year. However, quick make up of the employment rate may take place later by end of year, the setbacks having been too rough of late. Brian Fabbri, chief North American economist for BNP Paribas, said the efforts of the Obama administration to flood the economy with $800 billion and the buying up of credits along with shoring up of banks by the Federal Reserve may put an end to this. I believe the government can â€Å"I suspect Obama and some allies in Congress can prove themselves to be the powerhouse of stability in one of Americas most trying times, thus, preventing the country from sinking into the utter pits of despair. I hope he will do, having the public behind him,† Mr.  Gardner, 42, said optimistically. â€Å"I would love to see nothing else but a government eager to pluck us out of the groveling depths of global financial meltdown,† he added. Mr. Gardner recalled how he has constantly been a victim of economic failure. He and his soft-spoken wife, Kelly, lived in Ireland for more than a decade only to witness the dwindling economy which forced everybody to go out and look for a greener pasture. â€Å"We felt like nothing awaits us in there, no other choice but to leave Ireland,† he exclaimed. If only the government would take radical reforms and slash in its superfluous spending, perhaps in less than a year the economy would begin to grow again steadily. But if this would remain unmitigated for the next months, it probably may not just end up in burying this country to the pits of despair, it may also lead to bitter strife between the government and the labor force ,† Mr. Gardner foretold. Still upbeat â€Å"With the rate of pace our government is taking on, I guess we can all do pitching in behind someone fired up by the passion of saving his country by restoring economic stability,† Mrs.  Dolloy sh owed optimism. Though affected by the uneasiness associated with realigning home budgets and luxuries, Mrs. Dolloy continues to hold to what she has been hoping as a savior snail that would come someday in the form of stable economy, massive opening of full time jobs, and fairly low commodity prices. Today President Obama boasts that his country shows signs of getting back to its feet in just one year time after a major setback in the last two years.

Censorship :: essays papers

Censorship Censorship is a variety of things from yelling "fire" in a crowded theater to showing sexual intercourse on television. These things aren't all either, there are millions of things we use or see every day that are censored for a reason. The reason can be many but the three most important reasons are for an adult or child^s well being, for the decency of our society and for privacy of each other. All of these things are censored because our lives are influenced by these reasons in one way or another. This will tell you that with out censorship we would live in a world so dirty and irresponsible so indecent and shameful that it could not exist. We pretty much ignore the growth in violence and sexual abuse in our movies and on television. Have they gone away? According to researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, by the time an average child leaves high school, he or she will have watched the happening of 18,000 murders on television. Prime time says the National Coalition on Television Violence, is filled with degrading sexual material and incidents ^where violence is strongly glamorized or used to excite.^ There have been 85 major studies of the effects of such violence on children. Eighty-four of the eighty- five concluded that it caused an increase in all manner of aggressive behavior, up to and including homicide. What happened to the one study that disagreed? Well, they were paid off by the National Broadcasting Company that just shows how guilty they are of producing violence from television. Another study shows that American children are having sexual intercourse at an average age of 16. If the te! levision was not censored as much as it is today these things would be much worse, our children would be sexual active at very young ages and crime rates would shoot upward. A civilization does not rise in the strength of it^s laws, however. It rises on the strength of its values. What values are we teaching by not having censorship in our society? No its not freedom of speech and its not freedom of the press. It is decency. What all civilized social orders, including our own, have consistently identified as decent, civilized behavior. The real threat to the republic is not what might happen to rights, but what is happening to a

Chinese Music Instruments Essay

In this research paper I will introduce four Chinese music instruments: Chinese drum, Guzheng, Qin and Chinese lute. Chinese drum is still very popular in china for the old generation, and they use drum as an exercise for body training. GuZheng is a Chinese traditional instrument; furthermore, I remember when I was in the secondary, one of my classmate played GuZheng very well. In every public holiday, she will show GuZheng; moreover, it’s really specially. The third one is Qin; we still can see this instrument display in some Chinese drama, but this instrument does not have lots of people know how to play it. Last one is Yu Pipe that is a very ancient Chinese instrument; in addition, I don’t think lots of people heard this before and I cannot find more information about it. So I choose Pipa to instant of Yu Pipe. Pipa is rarely instrument and never see it in western country; however, Pipa is not that rare almost all the classic music group will have the people who play Pipa in the group. History of Chinese Drum The drum occupies a prominent place in Chinese culture. Though the exact origin of the Chinese drum is still subject to debate, ancient literatures show that it is about as old as Chinese history itself. The earliest documentation of its application in ancient China occurs in Oracle Inscriptions (Jiaguwen â€Å"Jiaguwen is an ancient Chinese word, it usually write on animal’s shell†) of the Shang Dynasty (16th-11th century BC), that is, inscriptions carved on tortoise shells and animal bones. As an old and wonderful form of art, the drum finds application in almost every aspect of Chinese social life, including sacrificial and worshiping ceremonies, farming, and warfare, and throughout the centuries it has been imbued with profound cultural implications. The history of the popularization of the Chinese drum is also the history of its continuous borrowing and assimilation of other artistic forms and expressions. During the process, Chinese drum performance arts have undergone a lot of regional as well as ethnic variations. As a result, today they produce different visual impacts and bring to the viewers different senses of beauty some are masculine, giving off a sense of invincible might; some are more delicate with nimble and graceful dancing steps; and there are still others that possess both qualities. This rich array of artistic expressions from the Chinese drum culture gives full expression to the vitality of the Chinese nation. History and Introduction of GuZheng The modern-day guzheng is a plucked, half-tube zither with movable bridges and 21 strings, although it can have anywhere from 15 to 25 strings (a customized version exists with more than 34 strings). the guzheng‘s strings were formerly made of twisted silk, though by the 20th century most players used metal strings (generally steel for the high strings and copper-wound steel for the bass strings). Since the mid-20th century most performers use steel strings flat wound with nylon. The guzheng has a large resonant cavity made from wu tong wood (paulownia tomentosa). Other components may be made from other woods, usually for structural and decorative purposes. For the introduction, the guzheng has existed since the warring states period and became especially popular during the qin dynasty. The ancient guzheng had 12 strings, which gradually evolved into it current forms. Until 1961, the common guzheng had 18 strings. In 1961 xu zhengao together with wang xunzhi introduced the first 21-string guzheng after two years of research and development. In 1961, they also invented the â€Å"s-shaped† left string rest, which was quickly adopted by all guzheng makers and is still used today, whether in the shape of the letter â€Å"s†, â€Å"c†, etc. the 21-string zheng is the most commonly used, but some traditional musicians still use the 16-string, especially along the southeastern coastal provinces of china and in taiwan. The guzheng is tuned to a pentatonic scale; the 16-string zheng is tuned to give three complete octaves, while the 21-string zheng has four complete octaves. Playing styles and performers there are many techniques used in the playing of the guzheng, including basic plucking actions (right or both hands) at the right portion and pressing actions at the left portion (by the left hand to produce pitch ornamentations and vibrato) as well as tremolo (right hand). These techniques of playing the guzheng can create sounds that can evoke the sense of a cascading waterfall, thunder and even the scenic countryside. Plucking is done mainly by the right hand with four plectra (picks) attached to the fingers. Advanced players may use picks attached to the fingers of both hands. Ancient picks were made of ivory and later also from tortoise shell. The guzheng‘s pentatonic scale is tuned to do, re, mi, so and la, but fa and ti can also be produced by pressing the strings to the left of the bridges. Well known pieces for the instrument include yu zhou chang wan (singing at night on fishing boat), gao shan liu shui (high mountains flowing water) and han gong qiu yue (han palace autumn moon). Two broad playing styles (schools) can be identified as northern and southern, although many traditional regional styles still exist. The northern styles are associated with henan and shandong while the southern style is with the chaozhou and hakka regions of eastern guangdong. both gao shan liu shui (high mountains flowing water) and han gong qiu yue (han palace autumn moon) are from the shandong school, while han ya xi shui (winter crows playing in the water) and chu shui lian (lotus blossoms emerging from the water) are major pieces of the chaozhou and Hakka repertories respectively. The GU Qin While the music of the Gu Qin represents Chinese culture at its most historical and refined, its sound can be challenging for Westerners to appreciate on first hearing. Many students are struck If you were to experience it live, you would also wonder how an audience could possibly hear such music, because it is extremely quiet. The qin is one of the most ancient instrument in the world to have remained in continuous use. Known also as guqin ( meaning â€Å"ancient zither†), it is a roughly 51-inch-long rectangular board zither made of paulonia wood painted black, and has seven stings, traditionally of twisted silk, running lengthwise from end to end, without frets or bridges. There is also a series of 11 inlaid mother-of pearl circles along one side marking the acoustical nodes or vibration points for each string. To the player’s left, the strings pass over the end and are tied underneath to two small peg-like feet attached to the instrument’s lower board. At the right end the strings run over a slight ridge that acts as a bridge, then pass through holes to the underside where each is tied to a small wooden peg. The instrument is tuned by twisting these pege to loosen or tighten the string’s tension. The player, seated on a chair with the instrument on a table or frame, plucks the strings with the fingers of the right hand and stop the strings with the fingers of the left hand. History of Pipa The pipa is a plucked Chinese string instrument. Sometimes called the Chinese lute, the instrument has a pear-shaped wooden body. It has been played for nearly two thousand years in China, and belongs to the plucked category of instruments. Prototypes of the pipa already existed in China in the Qin Dynasty (221 BC – 206 BC). At that time, there were two types of pipa. One was straight-necked, with a round sound box constructed from lacquered Paulownia wood, and two faces mounted with leather. The other was believed to be inspired by the primitive forms of zheng, konghou, and zou. It also has a straight neck, a round sound box, and also four strings, along with twelve standards of notes. This model was later developed into the instrument known today as the ruan. The modern pipa is closer to the instrument which originated in Persia/Middle-East (where it was called barbat) and was introduced into China beginning in the late Jin Dynasty (265-420 A.D. ). I am not very sure how this instrument works on every rhythm, but I know that song is good. No matter it plays alone or plays with other rhythm, you always can hear its special sound. There are still a lot of different music instrument in this huge world. Although, the instruments are from different place, it place same music and music don’t have different nation. Hopefully, we never lost any music instruments and pass it to the next generation. Music instruments also are culture, and they are important in our life. Work Cited Lency. â€Å"Chinese Drum’ First Stop: Shells and animal bones. † Chinaculture. org Offers 01 October 2004 http://www. chinaculture. org/gb/en_artqa/2006-02/06/content_79017. htm Han, Mei. â€Å"Guzheng. † In The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, second edition, edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell (London, 2001). Montreal, Quebec, Canada. â€Å"Pipa’ First Stop: With a wooden plectrum. †  ©2000-2009 Philmultic Management & Productions Inc. http://www. philmultic. com/pipa/ Zha, Fuxi (1958). Cunjian Guqin Qupu Jilan . Beijing: The People’s Music Press. ISBN 7-103-02379-4.