Physics of football Essay Example for Free

Physics of football Essay Every Sunday afternoon in the fall, all across America, televisions, radios, and Internet broadcasts are tuned to the big football games. The sport of football has grown in popularity since the day it was invented, but not all of the views are good. The sport of football is viewed by many as a cruel and primitive sport, however every aspect within the sport of football is based in the field of physics. To begin to understand the complexity that is the game of football one can start by looking at how the punter needs to know the laws of physics to kick far. A punter’s job is to execute a drop kick (holding the football out and dropping it, then kicking the ball in midair) so as to give the other team the worst field position possible. This goal is only achievable with a kick that propels the football very far both horizontally and vertically. The punter is in charge of three things at the time of the kick: the velocity, the angle of the kick, and the rotation on the ball. Velocity is the speed at which the ball is propelled from the punter’s foot. The angle at which the ball is kicked combined with the velocity determines the distance the ball will travel. A ball kicked at a steeper angle with high velocity will have more hang-time (amount of time the ball is in the air), but will not travel very far. However, a ball kicked at a shallow angle with a high velocity will travel far, but it will not have the hang-time that many players desire (a punt with a long hang-time allows the players to get to the punt returner easier). Lastly, the rotation a punter puts on a football greatly affects how far the punt will go. If the ball is punted end over end, it will have more air resistance, slowing it down resulting in a shorter punt. A spiraling punt breaks through the air decreasing air resistance allowing for a kick with more distance. These same aspects are the ones applied to a quarterback when throwing the football (except without the kicking). One of the more sought after positions, and my personal favorite to play, is the running back. The job of the running back is to receive the football from the quarterback, and then try to gain as many yards as possible before being brought down to the ground by a defensive player. The running back lines up usually about three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage. This space allows the running back to accelerate to his top speed before he meets the defense. For a back to be able to change direction as he is running, he must plant his foot into the ground and apply force in the opposite direction. To stop going in one direction, a running back uses two different forces, the first of which is the force of friction (how hard it is to slide one object over another), and the second is the force with which the back applies. When a running meets a defensive player, his momentum must be greater than the momentum of the defensive player’s in order to break the tackle. On the opposite side of the ball, the linebacker is the defensive equivalent to the running back. He also is stationed three to five yards from the line of scrimmage in order to have room to accelerate. For a tackle to be made, the momentum of a defensive player must be greater than or equal to that of the offensive ball carrier. Momentum is found by multiplying the weight of an athlete by the speed at which he is moving. If the momentums of the two athletes are the same, then both players will come to a stop and in the game of football if the ball stops moving forward, then the carrier has lost. In my own experience, coaches have always told me to tackle low. The reasoning behind this is that a man’s center of gravity is usually located at just above the naval, and hitting below this point causes the runner to rotate, taking his legs off of the ground. If a player is hit above this point the tackler will just roll off, and if a player is hit on this point, he will be forced in to the direction he his hit, but it may not bring him down. The sport of football is a highly scientific game, and not the savage sport that many people see it as. Every aspect of the game can be figured through various physical formulas.

Strategy Used By Premier Inn

Strategy Used By Premier Inn Premier Inn is the UKs biggest and fastest growing hotel company, owned by Whitbread. And the company contributes 70 of the total profits of Whitbread (Annual Report, 2009). As the hotel industry, the development of Premier Inn is highly dependent on the macro-environment, especially the tourism industry. Indeed, hotel industry and tourism industry have been so close that the following reduce in tourism after the economic crisis has strong impact on hotel operations. However, the British hotel industry has been suffered significant loss although it has manifested recovery during the previous years. Last year, the continuing crisis in global finance and trade has triggered the worlds worst economic plunge. UK unprecedented economic contraction was described by Sir Terry, Tescos chief executive, as low point. However, from the second half of year 2009, the UK economy appears to be in a slowly recovery. Companies have begun to hire and consumers seem to be increasing. This paper focuses on the strategies used by Premier Inn in this situation. Then we will review these strategies, and recommend some resolutions to close the gap. The following section will also use PEST analysis to audit the macro-environment that Premier Inn is facing. 2. Review on the Strategy Used by Premier Inn In this part, we will review the strategies that used by Premier Inn. And we will only focus on the marketing strategy and operating strategy. 2.1 Marketing Strategy Marketing strategy is very important and even could be the biggest factor in the success or failure of the company. Premier Inn also attached great importance to the marketing strategy. In this year, the company makes an additional 8 million pound in marketing investment (Annual Report, 2009). First, Premier Inn has start out a commercial action plan to enhance its status as the preferred hotel brand for travelers and to attract more leisure customers. They put in place four key levers in their marketing plan: focused advertising; increased sales activity; Premier Offers; and widening reservation distribution (Annual Report, 2009). Furthermore, the new website went live in November 2008 and has increased visits by 80, and now the site helps to attract over three million visits per month (Annual Report, 2009). Third, Premier Inn has also set out development of a new 267 bedroom budget hotel at Stratford, which adjacent to the Olympic Stadium (Annual Report, 2009). It can be seen that Premier Inn has already prepared for the 2012 Olympic Games. 2.2 Operating Strategy This paper considers that operating strategies in Premier Inn are as follows: First, Premier Inn has specific short and medium term growth programs, which give employees a specific direction. For instance, the company wants to increase room numbers in November 2010 by over 2500 rooms and target a 32 increase to 55000 rooms in the UK by the end of 2014 (Annual Report, 2009). In addition, the Premier Inn has decreased the overheads instead of adopting streamlining management, promoting the back-office processes and delivering a series of procurement initiatives. The company want to control cost tightly, through both procurement and operation efficiencies. And this helped underpin its operation margin. Last but not the least, the Whitbread launched Good Together program in January 2010, to drive sustainable performance and further deepen its corporate responsibility. This program has set goals for CO2 reduction, sustainable sourcing and waste management (Annual Report, 2009). Premier Inn also announced that they would build green hotel. The 60 bedroom Premier Inn, starting the business in autumn 2010, will use the best level sustainable construction materials to reduce 30 carbon emission and 40 water savings. 3. Evaluation on the Strategy Used by Premier Inn A PEST analysis is an outline that classifies environmental influences such as political, economic, social and technological forces (Camisà ³n, 2000). The analysis inspects the impact of each factors on the business (ÃŽÂ ¤ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ±Ãƒ Ã¢â€š ¬ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ±ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ½ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ Ã‚ ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ·, 2009). The results can be used to seize the opportunities or to make contingency plans for threats when preparing business and strategic plans (Byars, 1991; Cooper, 2000). In this part, we will use PEST analysis to evaluation the strategy adopted by Premier Inn. Owing to the limited understanding of the technology, we will focus on the political, economic and social factors. At the end of this part, we will give recommendation on the strategy used by Premier Inn. 3.1 Political Factors Government policy is a major influence factor; its policy will influence the company directly and indirectly, but they also offer chances and challenges. After the global economic downturn in 2008, the government has issued a series of policies to boost economic growth. However, the policy aimed at hotel industry or tourism industry is very rare. But when the United Kingdom general election of 2010 was held, the three parties all put forward many programs to promote the tourism industry. Meanwhile, the British Tourism Association and Hospitality Association has lobby the government to issues some policies that are positive to tourist industry and hotel industry. Besides, in 2009, Prime Minister Gordon Brown offered the proposed program Low Carbon Industrial Strategy, which plans to provide more than 1.4 billion pound for the low carbon sector and those already adopted, and outlay 10.4 billion pound for low carbon investment over the next three years (Plesch, Austin Grant, 2005) . Based on these political factors, this paper considers that the strategies Premier Inn adopted are valid, especially the operating strategy. First, the operating strategy in Premier Inn is aggressive which just meet the political situation. Second, the Premier Inn has launched Good Together program which aims at CO2 reduction. These practices not fit the proposal the government advocated, but fit the societys environmental demands. 3.2 Economic Factors Economic factors influence how easy or hard it is to be successful and lucrative (Thompson, 2002). The UK government has held a serious of international sporting events in 2009, such as the Ashes and the ICC World Twenty 20. These events may promote visitor numbers and then boost the hotel industry. In addition, the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games will hold in London. This will provide the Britain hotel industry with a huge chance. Obviously, Premier Inn has already seized the opportunity because it has already developed some hotel which is adjacent to the Olympic Stadium. And the new website will play a significant role in convenient the consumers. Actually, the marketing strategy that Premier Inn adopted has already worked. From the annual report of the Whitbread, Premier Inn outperformed its competitors during October 2009. Regional income was down about 6.4 last year, compared to a decrease of 8.5 in the regional hotel sector and a decline of 9.6 in the whole regional hotel industry (Annual Report, 2009). 3.3 Social Factors Social factors also play an important part in the development of enterprises. Living conditions, income distribution and lifestyle all have tremendous influence on the operating methods of enterprises. With the improvement of living conditions, people are willing to spend more money in enjoying life and choose to relax after working, because their work are so busy and they have rare spare time. Therefore, the services provided by high-level hotels just meet the demands. But after economic crisis, the domestic demand has been weak, and an increasing number of British people choose to travel aboard instead of domestic travel. These social factors are clearly not advantage for the hotel industry. The marketing strategy Premier Inn adopted, as we described above, does not aim at this social situation. In the authors opinion, these strategies have more concern about the external market other than the domestic social conditions. But on the other hand, the increase in the number of non-profit environmental organizations indicates that publics sensitivity to environmental issues has significantly increased. The society has become more anxious and critical about the environmental practices of firms. Good Together program of Premier Inn not only shows the efforts made in environmental protection, but also enhances the corporate image and upgrades its enterprise competitiveness. 3.4Technique Factors Technology is widely recognized as an important competitive advantage (Chu Choi, 2000). As the hotel industry, technique factor seems have little relationship with the hotel development. But sometimes new and proper technology could provide unexpected harvest. From the strategy we mentioned above, Premier Inn have adopted the new website that now attracts over three million visits per month. Moreover, the company has used streamlining management to reduce the internal cost. In general, we think the strategy used by Premier Inn is very appropriate under the current situation. But the problem is that it is too much reliance on the international tourist industry. Once the outbreak of the economic crisis, this mode of operation is very dangerous and company may get into trouble. Actually, the domestic business and conference market is a buoyant sector for hotel (1996); meanwhile the economic gradual recovery will help to stimulate the hotel market. So Premier Inn should make some strategies to attract these potential consumers. To serve these high standards clients, Premier Inn should offer amenities services to meet the highest requirements. High quality and multi-functional rooms equipped with latest communication facilities, such as online 3D conference, will be very attractive. In details, based on what the businessman needs may different from the common consumers, the quick and facility services are obligatory to them. Such as the office supplies, fast printers and speedy laundry facilities are all very important to these consumers. 4. Conclusion In this paper, we focus on the strategies used by Premier Inn after the serious economic crisis. The article mainly analyzes the marketing and operating strategies with PEST analysis in the current situation. In general, we consider that Premier Inn has adopted appropriate strategies to boost its development. But the problems in the strategies were pointed out that the company has not paid enough attention on the domestic market. In the authors opinion, Premier Inn should pay more attention on its domestic market.

Frederick Douglass’s Narrative :: Essays Papers

Frederick Douglass’s Narrative In Frederick Douglass’s Narrative, Douglas himself narrates the novel using story telling to bring both the reader into the story, and the theme into focus. Through his narration, Douglass also uses narrative strategies like anecdotes, and plot twists. Even with it being a true story, Douglass brings the readers’ attention to a peak with these techniques making the story interesting and appealing. The most influential technique used by Douglass is story telling. He uses little stories, or stories-within-a-story, to make the reader pay attention. With descriptive tales of the plantations he worked on, the beatings and torture of slaves, and learning to read and write, he not only gets the attention of the readers, but he gets them to understand his point of view. For example at the beginning of the narrative Douglass tells a story of his aunt being beating, â€Å"I have often been awakened at the dawn of day by the most heart-rendering shrieks of an own aunt of mine,† (3). He goes on and gets even more graphic and descriptive, â€Å"The louder she screamed, the harder he whipped; and where the blood ran fastest, there he whipped longest.† (4). Also early in the novel, Douglass writes of the plantation he grew up on, â€Å"There were no beds given the slaves, unless one coarse blanket be considered such,† (6). Soon after being sold to Mr. and Mrs. Au ld, he was taught the alphabet. He uses this experience to show to his audience that he is very literate despite his masters’ wishes, â€Å"If you teach that nigger how to read there would be no keeping him,† (20). So this story shows some more cruelty from his master. Just for reading he would be sold, which shows unfair treatment to the reader. Another similar technique used by Douglass very effectively is anecdotes. He uses anecdotes throughout the story to bring a humorous or interesting little side story into the readers’ minds. One good example of this is when he is talking about slave songs, â€Å"I have often been utterly astonished, since I came to the north, to find persons who could speak of the singing, among slaves, as evidence of their contentment and happiness.† (9). This shows the readers of his concerns by just adding a brief story in to interest the reader.

Essay --

The Micro and Macro Environment Analysis Macro Environment Analysis On the enterprise marketing management, macro environment can be analyzed from two aspects, beneficial is business opportunities and adverse impact is being threated. Facing different opportunities and threats, industry need environmental analysis to assess the market and put forward corresponding countermeasures. By using PEST analysis, I will analyze political, economic, social and technological factor between SIA and Singapore. Political Factors: Government politics can make a decision whether open a market or not, such as aviation industry and transport service. Previously, the Singapore government decided to open the aviation industry progressively, Low-cost airlines allowed to operate which attend less-demanding customer. Thus, SIA are receiving allowances from the government to improve competitiveness. Economic Factors: The stability of politics affects the currency market, output prices of goods, etc. Recently, oil-producing countries facing political instability, erratic fuel price have a significant im...

Transmission of Livestock Diseases to Humans Essay -- Health Science P

Transmission of Livestock Diseases to Humans For decades now, death and disease have driven the progress of technology. Through the advancements of science, many diseases have been made obsolete and many more are drawing closer and closer to being conquered. However, with all the diseases that we have defeated, more and more keep appearing. And old diseases that we thought we were protected against have made comebacks. An example of this is Foot and Mouth Disease. "Since 1930 the United States of America has prohibited the importation of livestock and fresh, chilled, or frozen meat from countries in which rinderpest or foot-and-mouth disease exist," (Publication 1343, 49). The United States is considered a Foot and Mouth Disease Free country. However, that does not mean that we have not been active in trying to get rid of FMD in other countries. There was an Argentine-United States Joint commission on FMD held in 1966. In a report on this meeting it was stated that, "The conditions under which the virus of foot-and-mou th disease (FMD) survives in animal tissues have long been matters of fundamental interest to all officials concerned with the prevention and control of the disease," (Publication 1343, 3). There was a CENTO Seminar on Viral Diseases held in Istanbul, Turkey on June 12-17, 1972. This seminar had a special emphasis on FMD and rinderpest-like diseases. A discussion of disease-free zones and the regulations for these zones was brought up (Girard 93). Some of the stated regulations included complete control of domestic livestock movement, traffic of persons to and from an area that has been quarantined should be restricted and if an outbreak would occur, no animals can be exported, all the animals in... ...ases. Vol. 7, Issue 4. Jul/Aug 2001. Petersen, Lyle R. & John T. Roehrig, Guest Editors. â€Å"West Nile Virus: A Reemerging Global Pathogen.† Emerging Infectious Diseases. Vol. 7, Issue 4. Jul/Aug 2001. Sibbald, Barbara. "Quebec Clear Way for Use of Aerial Pesticides to Combat West Nile Virus." CMAJ: Canadian Medical Association Journal. Vol. 165, Issue 4. 8/21/2001, p. 463. Tyler, Kenneth L., M.D. â€Å"West Nile Virus Encephalitis in America.† The New England Journal of Medicine. Vol. 344, No. 24. June 14, 2001. Weir, Erica. â€Å"Foot and Mouth Disease in Animals and Humans.† Canadian Medical Association Journal. Vol. 164, Issue 9. 5/1/01 Yang, Joo-Sung, et al. â€Å"Induction of Potent Th1-Type Immune Responses from a Novel DNA Vaccine for West Nile Virus New York Isolate (WNV-NY1999).† The Journal of Infectious Diseases. Vol. 184, 2001.

Law and Order Essay

In class, we watched the first twenty minutes of Law and Order episode â€Å"God Bless the Child†. The Episode starts with the parents of a young girl, that is deathly ill and in dire of medical assistance, and the parents won't use modern medicine because it is against their religion. Neglecting help of modern medicine, the child eventually dies. I believe that it is ridiculous that a parent will not help their own child and let them die when help is all around.I think prayer does not relinquish us from an obligation to act, so on these terms I do think these parents should be trialed for the death of their child. I see prayer to be similar to hope, guidance and communication with God rather than an act. Believing that everything can be solved with prayer is ridiculous, It Is like if someone wanted to end world hunger and didn't donate but only prayed. I think prayer and acting should go hand in hand because God is not Just going to give you what you ask for, rather he will g ive you opportunities.Similar to the Joke about the lady in the flood that Ms. Ellsworth said In class, God sent a boat and a helicopter to rescue the lady but she refused. She would later die, and In Heaven, she asked God why didn't you save me, and God replied â€Å"l did, I send you a boat and a helicopter what else can I do! † I think this Joke as the same situation as the parents In Law and Order. I strongly believe that the parents should go to trial for the death of the daughter because with all the opportunities God sent them, they avoided all of them.By neglecting all of these opportunities to rescue their child, the child suffered and soon after died. It Is ridiculous that she would not simply let her daughter drink some medicine for her to get better. If she was to go and drink alcohol, then why not let her daughter get treated. It Is most disturbing when the daughter was getting worse, but the mother thinks that what they are doing Is not working and they should d o something else. Than an act. Believing that everything can be solved with prayer is ridiculous, it is like dad in the flood that Ms.Ellsworth said in class, God sent a boat and a helicopter to rescue the lady but she refused. She would later die, and in Heaven, she asked God what else can I do! † I think this Joke as the same situation as the parents in Law and after died. It is ridiculous that she would not simply let her daughter drink some daughter get treated. It is most disturbing when the daughter was getting worse, but the mother thinks that what they are doing is not working and they should do.

Four Women in American Music History

American music history has grown an incredible amount in the last hundred years. Prior to that time, there were very few styles of music that originated in America. However, with the advent of jazz and related styles, American music culture was born. Blues is one of the early styles of music that is truly American, and there are many American artists who sang or performed in that style. In fact, blues is still popular today, although it has changed over time. Blues is an important and long-term American musical style, which has had many effects on musical culture from the early 1900s through today.Bessie Smith was an early blues singer. She was popular in the 1920s and 30s, and was known as much for her hard-drinking, rough life as much as her music. She sang about what she knew. Bessie was an African American woman who indulged in sex and alcohol, and had a strong temper. She never gave up without a fight, either in her music or her life. Getting into a fight with Bessie wasnâ€℠¢t something a person wanted to do, either, because she was over six feet tall and weighed about two hundred pounds. Bessie had a history of getting into fist fights with people, male or female.She also took off after her ex-husband with a gun when she found him cheating on her, after beating up his lover. However, Bessie herself was known for sleeping with a number of both men and women (Whitney). Musically, Bessie was not really trained. She could not read music, and relied on other musicians to write her songs down for her. She did write her own lyrics, though. She was a formidable presence on stage, able to sing loudly and strongly because of her size, and her tendency to sing in the range that was easiest for her.In writing her music, Bessie tended to modify existing melodies, and sometimes create new ones, so that they lay well in her â€Å"good† range (Whitney). Here is an example of Bessie’s lyrics, which show her feelings about life plainly: â€Å"I ain't no high yella, I'm a deep killer brown. /I ain't gonna marry, ain't gonna settle down. /I'm gonna drink good moonshine and rub these browns down. /See that long lonesome road, Lawd you know it's gonna end,/and I'm a good woman and I can get plenty men† (Whitney). Bessie was also known as something of a racist.While her fans were both black and white, she was rude to both whites and lighter-skinned blacks. Even at the height of her career, when she had enough money to live as she chose (even as a white person might, in the early 30s), she chose to stay on the streets and to live the life that was familiar to her. Her lyrics here show her thinking on this matter: â€Å"Mister rich man, rich man, open up your heart and mind,/Mister rich man, rich man, open up your heart and mind;/Give the poor man a chance, help stop these hard, hard times./While you're livin' in your mansion you don't know what hard times means, /While you're livin' in your mansion you don't know what hard times m eans; /Poor working man's wife is starving your wife is livin' like a queen† (Whitney). Ethel Waters is a blues singer who began performing later in Bessie’s career. While Bessie was primarily performing and well known during the 1920s, Ethel became better known in the 1930s (her career did officially begin in 1921, though). Ethel was specifically a different kind of blues singer than Bessie, and in fact was different from her in many ways.Ethel is also of African American decent, but she grew up in the North and was heavily influenced by white performers. When she began performing professionally, Ethel joined a group of blacks who called themselves â€Å"Cakewalk singers,† which was distinctly different from the more traditional blues singers, like Bessie (PBS). Ethel’s acceptance of whites can be traced to what was a very rough beginning for her. She was born when her mother was only 12. Her mother had been raped by a white man, John Waters. Ethel, then, is half-white, and carries her father’s surname.She was raised by her maternal grandmother in poverty, and began singing at age 5. Her beginnings are much more similar to Bessie’s, but what she did with herself later differs widely (Myers). Ethel worked with a number of famous jazz performers, including Duke Ellington. In addition to her singing career, Ethel was also an actress, an area of her life that eventually came to the forefront. Her singing style was not nearly as strong as Bessie’s, but she performed very theatrically and managed to capture the audience’s interest in all of her music.This came in handy, as she continued performing through the 1960s and 70s, working at that time with Billy Graham (PBS). Ultimately, Bessie’s influence on Ethel was very indirect. Both were jazz singers in a time when African Americans were first on the rise in popularity on the stage. Bessie’s grit may have given Ethel opportunities she might not hav e otherwise had. In many other ways, though, the two were very different; attitude, style, and more. Dinah Washington is another important singer in this chain of history.Her birth name was Ruth Jones, and she was born in 1924. She is significantly younger than both Ethel and Bessie, whose careers were near their peaks when she was born. Music was in Dinah’s family from the beginning. Her mother was a church pianist, and taught her to play at a young age. She was accompanying and touring by the time she was 16, and had already won prizes. However, although her initial roots were in the church, Dinah longed to work in secular music, namely jazz (Dahl).At age 19, Dinah got her big break, singing with Lionel Hampton’s Big Band, then one of the most popular music styles. By 1945, she was recording her own solo work for the Apollo label and Mercury records, and by 1948, she was on her way to major stardom. 1959 was her biggest year, when she sang â€Å"What a Dif’re nce a Day Makes† (Dahl). In her personal life, Dinah was similar to Bessie. She had many husbands, and she drank a lot. In fact, alcohol and drugs eventually killed her at the end of 1963 (Dahl). In addition, she also loved the finer things, including fur, clothes, and cars.Her personality was known as â€Å"feisty,† and she could be snapping one minute and generous the next (Cohodas). At first glance, Christina Aguilera doesn’t look much like the other stars. For one, she isn’t black. For another, she was born after all of the other singers had died. However, it is her roots and influences that she is similar to them. Like Dinah, she is biracial, with a mom who is Irish and a father who is Ecuadorian. Her father was in the military, which meant that Christina traveled a lot as a child (Biggest Stars).Also like the other singers, Christina was interested in singing and performing from the time she was a young girl. Her family was also musical, with her mot her performing on violin and piano professionally. Christina had a brief, two-year stint on The Mickey Mouse Club when she was a child, working with other singers who later became famous, like Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake (Biggest Stars). Christina’s initial music was definitely pop, with her first number one single titled â€Å"Genie in a Bottle. † The single topped both the U. S. and UK charts in 1999.For awhile longer, Christina continued in the pop genre, recording for the movie Mulan, and singing a new version of â€Å"Lady Marmalade† with several other female pop stars (Biggest Stars). Christina’s work eventually began to seem less significant to her, and she decided to record her 2002 album â€Å"Stripped. † The album was the first that really showed her background and influences. Her comments about this album: â€Å"Coming off of the height of being a part of such a big pop-craze phenomenon, that imagery of that cookie-cutter sweet heart, without it being me, I just had to take it all down and get it away from me.And that is why I actually named the album Stripped, because it is about being emotionally stripped down and pretty bare to open my soul and heart. † This album used many different influences, including soul, R&B, rock, hip-hop and Latin (Biggest Stars). Aguilera’s influences were similar to the earlier stars mentioned. She looked to soul and R&B, both of which are styles typically recorded by African Americans. The blues aspect of R&B, in particular, is interesting to note. Aguilera was following in the footsteps of the other female jazz singers with this style.Also, similar to Dinah Washington, Aguilera sang pop (Dinah did pop in addition to her jazz roots). In general, all four of these women have things in common, and things that are different. Each grew up under similar circumstances, often with mostly maternal influences. Most had some kind of musical background at home. Most grew u p poor, and all had an early talent for music and singing. Most also had a taste for sex, drugs, and some rougher things in life, and had a hard time at one point or another. However, each was unique.Bessie was certainly the biggest and most blunt of the group, while Christina stood of the opposite end as the â€Å"sweetheart† of pop for awhile. Christina was also different in that she was not of African American decent in any way, although Ethel was also half-white. Some of the singers, namely Dinah, had their start in gospel music, while others went straight for jazz or pop. Overall, it is interesting how strikingly similar the artists are, even though there are also very big differences in their lives and styles.Their stories and backgrounds are surprisingly similar in some respects, but very different in others. These four women are just some of the amazing performers from the rich tapestry that is American music history. Sources Burns, Ken. â€Å"Ethel Waters. † J azz. Accessed on December 4, 2007. Website: http://www. pbs. org/jazz/biography/artist_id_waters_ethel. htm. â€Å"Christina Aguilera Biography. † Biggest Stars. Accessed December 4, 2007. Website: http://www. biggeststars. com/c/christina-aguilera-biography. html. Cohodas, Nadine (2004).Queen: The Life and Music of Dinah Washington. Accessed December 4, 2007. Website: http://www. dinahthequeen. com/. Dahl, Bill. â€Å"Dinah Washington. † Accessed December 4, 2007. Website: http://www. vervemusicgroup. com/dinahwashington. Myers, Aaron. â€Å"Ethel Waters. † Accessed December 4, 2007. Website: http://www. wntb. com/blackachievers/ethlwaters/. Whitney, Ross (1995). â€Å"Reflections Of 1920's And 30's Street Life In The Music Of Bessie Smith. † Accessed December 4, 2007. Website: http://bluesnet. hub. org/readings/bessie. html.