Candle Making Basics

Candle Making Basics The use of candles for light and heat is known to have existed in ancient times. The remains of candles have been found in the caves of France. It is believed that cavemen used them while painting and etching on the walls. It is believed those candles where made out of animal fat. The Egyptians used candles as well by dripping beeswax onto leave stems. The burning process of a candle involves the four basic elements of matter which are solids, liquids, gas, and plasma. Today candle making is a fun hobby or craft. For some, it is a very profitable business venture. Candle making provides you with they ability to create wonderful designs and crafts out of your candles. There is no limit to the shapes, sizes, and colors you can make your candles in. A candle is a device to provide light or fragrance. Candles have become very popular for the wonderful aromas more than for their ability to produce light. Some candles give off a popular smell such as vanilla or jasmine. Others smell like a chocolate cake or cinnamon rolls. The body of a candle is generally made of paraffin wax. It can also be made out of beeswax. Paraffin wax is a natural wax that comes from plants. This wax can be purchased from Petroleum Refinery or the Specialty Wax Processor. Beeswax is also considered a natural wax, and is taken from honeybees. This is the substance the bees use to construct their honeycombs. A wick is placed in the center of the wax before it dries. The wick is made of cotton fibers that have been braided together. The wick is very thin, but also very powerful. Sometimes candle makers will use a wick that is wider than normal to increase the size of the flame. Safety is a very important part of candle making. The temperature of the hot wax can result in severe burns. There is also the risk of fire. Make sure your candle making area is set up properly and that you have a fire extinguisher in the area. Clean up spills quickly as they will become very slick, leading to falls if you walk across them. To make candle making fun instead of frustrating, start will making simple candles. This is a great opportunity for you to discover what works well with your set up and gives you the chance to make necessary changes. Initially, work at implementing good safety habits and melting your wax at the proper temperatures. You will also want to experiment with your cooling process. Once you have these areas down, you will start to relax and the process will become more natural to you. This is the right time to start experimenting with dyes, scents, and shapes for your candles. The candle making process is easy to follow if you take your time and learn from your mistakes. Those who are impatient and take multitasking to an extreme will most likely not enjoy the art of candle making. However, it is very enjoyable by those who have plenty of time to take with the process and who enjoy creating things. Candle making supplies aren’t expensive so use the best you can. This will also help ensure your candles form well and burn properly.

Shakespeare and Film Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Shakespeare and Film - Essay Example Kurosawan depiction of Shakespearean heroes follows the same intense pattern with rich historical background, and similar to Shakespeare’s approach the Japanese director used his work to comment on the history of Japan. The movie that is under discussion is titled â€Å"Throne of blood† that is a transposition of a Shakespeare’s most renowned tragedy â€Å"Macbeth†. Both stories are not only intense political dramas but also gives great deal of insight into the psyche of a psychotic killer. (Goodwin, 1994) Akira Kurosawa has translated all aspects and themes of Macbeth into Japanese culture by setting the story against the backdrop of one of the most turbulent times in Japan that is often referred to as the â€Å"Sengoku Jidai† which means â€Å"The age of the country at war†. The events have been believed to have transpired during the Muromachi period, a time when the violation of the samurai code was rampant and a serious moral misconduct i n the Japanese society. Analogously, the backdrop of the machinations of a brave yet, misguided Scottish general named Macbeth, who is represented by Samurai Washizu in the film as he plots to gain control over the throne of the Spider web forest reigned by Lord Tsuzuki. (Galloway, 2005; Rowe, 2011; Yoshimoto, 2000) Kurosawa has incorporated elements of Noh Theater, which is the traditional Japanese theatrical presentation in the film. The movie also delves deep in to spiritual aspect of the movie in order to make it more relatable to the Japanese audiences and show the multitude of interpretations that can be drawn from Shakespearean text. The movie starts off by showing the facade of the Spider web castle, which highlights the primary theme of the story that is â€Å"lust and pursuit of power†. The supernatural elements are introduced into the first scene of the movie and unlike Macbeth the three witches are represented by an old ghost woman, spinning fabric with a wheel as Samurai Washizu and his companion Samurai Miki; who corresponds to the character of Banquo, are making their journey back to the castle through the forest. (Kunio, 2005) Kurosawa has used mist and fog as key elements of the opening shots in order to show the ambiguity and doubt that will haunt all the main characters in the movie. The misty visualization can also be taken to represent that superficial pursuit for greater wealth, power and position can cloud one’s judgment and often lead to an unsettled conscience constantly lambasting the individual. Another observation that further supports the postulation regarding the theme that Kurosawa wanted to incorporate in his movie was the use of â€Å"Spinning wheel† by the spirit that is a vague reference to the notion of karma and the belief of â€Å"what goes around comes around†. The movie’s production had commenced during a time when Japan was overcoming one of the greatest disaster that it has endured du ring the Second World War as a result of the nuclear bombing on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It was the same carnage and violence that was then recreated in the movie with the use of intense shots of bloodshed and brutality that shows the ravages of war. Kurosawa has not only attempted to entail the bloody themes of Macbeth but also the painful tragedy that affected the entire Japanese society immensely. Furthermore, besides the generic message that the director has encompassed in the movie, the entry of Lady

Exploring the strength of social media in marketing strategy Essay

Exploring the strength of social media in marketing strategy - Essay Example Social media has gained support from a business marketer known as Radian6. Radian6 has enabled many organizations to turn into Socially Engaged Enterprises containing the ability to understand and obtain useful information about social media through measurement, sentiment, metrics, and analytics reporting (Safko 31-33). It is also through social media listening, monitoring, tracking and engagement tools that motivate many organizations adopt social media strategy. In addition, Radian6 advices on how to utilize social media guidelines, case studies, the best practices, and educating the staff thus enhancing easy understanding of the impact that both the Social CRM and Social Graph have on their business. Social Media Marketing has paved way for developing buzz and visibility for brands, services, companies, and products. Through consulting solutions, it has provided many companies with extensive connectivity within its target audience; which is an effective way of developing conversations and interacting with consumers. Marketers obtain the skills of identifying important metrics (Evans 67). Furthermore, they are in position to determine measures of social media in their firms in turn having the ability of providing the return measurement for the plans before and after implementation. Social media also provides extensive visibility, increasing sales significantly and reducing costs involved with traditional lead generation systems, email marketing campaign and cold calling. They face many limitations such as difficulty in identifying the best practices, determining the effectiveness of their campaigns, having no idea of where to start, and working under full time resources. Social media addresses all these challenges with the aim of improving their business. Social brand conversation provides solutions that allow customers to engage in end-users for better networking, collaboration, well lead generation, loyalty building, thought