Bonny Lee Bakley Essay

In May 4, 2001, Bonny Lee Bakley, wife of Robert Blake, was found dead in the passenger seat of Blake’s car.   The facts based on the investigation of the police are as follows: Robert Blake and Bonny Lee Bakley have just had dinner and are on their way to Blake’s car parked just outside the Italian restaurant Vitello.   Blake returned to the restaurant which was a few blocks away after he remembered that he left his licensed firearm inside the restaurant.   When he returned, he found his wife shot in the head.   There was no eyewitness.   There was no confession. Subsequently, charges for murder and two counts of solicitation of murder were filed against Blake.   According to the prosecution, Blake killed his wife to keep their 4-year old daughter away from Bakley.   It appeared that Bakley had been engaged in mail-order porn business and lonely hearts scams in the past.   She also had enemies after he defrauded some individuals.   Prosecutors attempted to prove that Blake initially persuaded two former stuntmen to kill Bakley but they refused prompting Blake to kill Bakley himself.   The Defense team however argued that there was no direct evidence that will link Blake to the murder of Bakley. In view of the nature of the controversy, the pieces of evidence that will play an important role in the resolution of the dispute are: physical evidence and testimonial evidence.   In general, documentary evidence also plays an important role in criminal trials, however, it was not important in this case. Physical evidence refers to any tangible object that may be used to prove a particular fact.   An example of physical evidence is the murder weapon used to kill the victim such as the gun or the knife.   In this case, the physical evidence is 9mm Walther P-38 which was found the following day thrown into a dumpster near the front of Blake’s car. Under the rules of admissibility, this piece of evidence is relevant to the case as it tends to prove or disprove who killed Bonny Lee Blake. It is also material because it will establish whether the murder weapon was used and fired by Robert Blake, the primary suspect.   The evidence however was rendered incompetent by the court since examination showed that while the gun was fired, there was no fingerprint on it indicative of the fact that the murderer was wearing thick glove (Lisa Sweetingham, 2005, â€Å"Jurors see gritty crime scene photos in actor Robert Blake’s murder trial p.2).   For this reason, this evidence was not useful at all for the prosecution. Testimonial evidence is the kind of evidence that makes use of testimonies of competent witnesses to prove a particular fact.   In this case, testimonial evidence of Ronald Hambleton and Gary McLarty were presented in court to prove that Robert Blake solicited their help to murder Bakley.   These pieces of evidence are both relevant and material to the case as it tends to prove the allegation of a fact, that is, Blake is guilty of solicitation of murder. This evidence was however considered by the court to be incompetent because the defense successfully introduced its own testimonial evidence that will prove that their testimonies are not reliable.   According to some of the jurors, they found the testimony of Hambleton incompetent because he had prior history of drug-influenced delusional behavior (Sweetingham, 2005, â€Å"Actor Robert Blake acquitted of his wife’s murder†, p.3).   McLarty’s testimony was also questioned based on the testimony of his wife and child that his years of cocaine abuse had made him paranoid and delusional (Sweetingham, 2005, â€Å"Actor Robert Blake acquitted of his wife’s murder†, p.3). The testimony of expert witness was likewise presented in this case.   Steven Dowell of the LA County Department of Coroner was asked to testify about the presence of gun-shot residue.   According to Dowell, he found the presence of gunshot residue (GSR) on the clothes Blake was wearing on the night of the murder. While the evidence was both relevant and material as his testimony tends to prove the possibility that Robert Blake may have murdered his wife, its competence was however not given very much weight by the court in view of his additional testimony that mere presence of GSR not coupled by additional evidence does not prove that Blake was responsible for the shooting and that it is possible that Robert Blake may have picked up the GSR from guns other than the murder weapon. As a result, in 2005, Robert Blake was finally acquitted for murder charges in view of the failure of the prosecution to prove its case (Greg Risling, 2005, p.1).   The said decision is based on the lack of direct evidence that will directly link Blake to the murder of his wife and the unreliability of the testimonies of the prosecution’s witnesses. Bibliographies Risling, Greg. (2005).   â€Å"Actor Robert Blake Acquitted of Murder.† AP Online. 2005. Retrieved March 22, 2009 from HighBeam Research: http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-106449186.html Sweetingham, Lisa. (2005).   â€Å"Jurors see gritty crime scene photos in actor Robert Blake’s murder trial.†Ã‚   Courttv.com.   Retrieved 22 March 2009, from: http://www.courttv.com/trials/blake/011105_ctv.html#continue Sweetingham, Lisa (2005).   â€Å"Actor Robert Blake acquitted of his wife’s murder.†Ã‚   Courttv.com. Retrieved 22 March 2009, from: http://www.courttv.com/trials/blake/031605_verdict_ctv.html#continue

Martin Luther King Jr and Nonviolent Resistance Essay

Letter from Birmingham Jail, the letter which Martin Luther King Jr. wrote to his fellow members of clergy while he was imprisoned in 1963, is founded on the idea of nonviolent resistance. His campaign to end injustice was not aggressive, but rather it was defensive of the treatment of the African-American people during that time. The only violence that took place was the offensive cruelty of the â€Å"white moderate. † Martin Luther King Jr. and his supporters were nonviolent in their protests, similar to the nonviolent approach Mahatma Gandhi took when there was oppression in India in 1930. In March of 1930, Mahatma Gandhi led the Indian people on a satyagraha. This word has connotations of a â€Å"force contained in truth and love,† and it essentially means a nonviolent resistance (Erickson 23). The Salt March, in which Gandhi and his followers walked two hundred miles to the coast of India, ending in the town of Dandhi. They then waded into the ocean and collected the salt, and Gandhi encouraged the Indian people to make their own salt against government regulations (Erickson 29). This act was not violent, but it did resist the unfair laws of Great Britain forbidding the Indians to harvest and sell their own salt. Gandhi’s love for his homeland and his people led to his fighting for their rights. He recognized the truth in the fact that the Indian people should be able to rule their own land, and it was unfair for them to be under the administration of the British government. This concept of satyagraha, a force contained in truth and love, was the spirit of his nonviolent resistance against injustice. Like Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. promoted this idea of nonviolent resistance. His statement, â€Å"Now is the time to lift our national policy from the quicksand of racial injustice to the solid rock of human dignity† clearly states that he was in opposition to the treatment of blacks during that time (Erickson 30). However, his approach to this subject allows us to realize that resistance does not need to take the form of violence. People can get the point across and make changes in the world without resorting to the same inhumane behavior they are fighting to abolish. King describes himself as an extremist, at first being disappointed but then recognizing the merit of this title. He was an extremist for the right reasons, driven by truth and love as Gandhi was. He then makes the statement, â€Å"So the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be. Will we be extremists for hate or for love? (Erickson 32)† He is saying that we all must choose what we will fight for, good or evil, justice or injustice. We all have a choice to stand up for what is right, or to sit back and let things happen. Gandhi also taught the principle of ahisma, which is â€Å"the refusal to do harm and the duty to do good (Erickson 40). This refusal to do harm is the objection to violence, and choosing a more civilized method of resistance. Neither Gandhi nor King upheld violence; they did not wish to harm others. Their only desire was to get rid of the evil prejudices and unjust laws that permeated their societies. Their struggle was to do what they could for the benefit of all human beings. They felt compelled by the duty to do good, the obligation to do what so many others would not. This sense of duty drove them on, reminding them what they stood for and why it was so important. This system of nonviolent resistance paid off in the end for both societies. Mahatma Gandhi’s movement eventually led to the liberation of India from British rule. Martin Luther King Jr. ’s movement led to the end of segregation of blacks and whites in the United States. Their peaceful approaches to their situations were not in vain, and we can learn from them. We must stand up for what is right, not necessarily fighting in a literal sense, but taking into consideration what is the best way to solve the problem. We do not need to resort to violence and aggression to accomplish our goals. We can take the same approach as Gandhi and King, resisting in a nonviolent way.

Brunelleschi And Ghiberti In Early Rennaissance Essay

, Research Paper The competition panels by Brunelleschi and Ghiberti were made in Early Rennaissance. They were two of the seven plants that competed for the series of doors for the Florentine Baptistery. The topic for the competition doors was the narrative of how the religion of the patriarch Abraham was tested by God, who asked him to give his lone boy, Isaac. Abraham took Isaac into the forests to give, accompanied by two retainers and a donkey. Just as Abraham sacrificed Isaac, God, convinced about Abrahams religion, sent a random-access memory by an angel who told him the forfeit of the random-access memory is adequate. The competition panels picturize this minute. They have differences and similarities in footings of Aristotle? s theories andterms. I think foremost they need to be examined through causality. The stuff cause, the natural stuff used, for both plants are the same, bronze. The efficient cause are the creative persons themselves. There are differences in footings of formal cause, that is the design layout by the artist. In the way the panels are made, Brunelleschi?s panel is made up of parts individually shaped and brought together. Ghiberti made the panel as one piece. The way the story is picturized is also different. Brunelleshi?s figures have daring poses, the movement of Abraham and the pose of Isaac are far from being balanced and harmonical. Abraham and Isaac and the other elements have a tension in the way that they are placed and shaped. The drapery and the figures are broken and sharp, again, far from natural. Ghiberti?s figures are more natural and gentle in their poses and movements. The boy?s head looking up towards the god accepting death, Abraham?s movement with knife more natural, the knife not touching, no tension. The angel and other elements also look natural in the way they interact with other elements and their individual poses. The final cause would be the same fot both panels, to tell the story of Sacrifice of Isaac on the door panels usin g bronze.

Child Protection in School Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Child Protection in School - Essay Example Safety is important to protect children from extreme pain, incapacitation, dismemberment or even death. In addition, breach of safety by supervisors, parents or (and) equipment makers can lead to legal suits for breach of safety standards. Each year, institutions of learning in Britain pay thousands of pounds to compensate injured children within school premises. For example, Gloucestershire council paid GBP 7,000 compensation to a student after a teacher accidentally injured a pupil during rugby tackle demonstration (NSPCC, 2011). Safety Safety is in everyone’s mind in the playground. As much as children require a lot of opportunities to engage in physical activities, it is important to ensure that they are safe from potential harm or injury. Dangers inherent during physical exercise include; burns, drowning, poisoning, falls, getting knocked over, cuts, breakages, dehydration, rape, beating and extreme is death. There are a number of worrying incidents where children die dur ing physical activities. Child’s serious injury during physical exercise is bad and death of a child during physical exercise is worst and unacceptable. When death in the field is reported, it sends cold shivers in people who listen and anger inhibits one’s heart. For example, according to Brighton and Hove Council, a child fell from the roof of air raid shelter when he climbed the fence to retrieve a ball. In Medway, a pupil was injured when goal post fell on him and at Cornwall; a student was injured by a ball kicked by a teacher. In addition, a child at Rotherham, South Yorkshire was hurt in the playground when another child splashed him with custard. Worst, Kyle Rees 16 year old boy at Portchester school, Bournemouth died when hit by a cricked ball on the head. Finally, a research conducted by NSPCC between 2007 and 2010 revealed that 75 percent of children were subjected to harmful treatment by coaches or their peers. Peers contribute significant portion injuries or harm experienced (NSPCC 2011). To ensure children‘s safety during physical education, teachers or guardians supervising then must be informed that children unlike adults may not be in a position to anticipate accidents or possible injuries. Therefore, it is the responsibilities and duty of adults to anticipate potential accidents and risk and prevent them from happening. According to Sportengland (n.d.), there is a safety framework that is useful in creating safe sporting environment, which prevent harm. The framework is a benchmark that is useful in making informed decisions, challenging harmful practices and promotes best safety practices. To prevent likelihood of accidents occurring, it is important to note below factors; Playgrounds need to be surrounded by handrails, fences, rubber surfaces and crash barriers to make children safe by preventing them from falling. Children need to be educated in safety measure to reduce injury risks. They also need to cover-up and gear- up during physical exercises. For example, children playing must wear helmets when riding bicycles to protect their heads from serious injury in case they fall and wear hats when playing in the sun to prevent sunburns. The people in charge with physical exercises should ensure that all sporting equipment and gears are in perfect working conditions and fitting properly. In addition, children need to shape up by preparing adequately before main physical activities to prepare their bodies and prevent them

Haier Global Analysis Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Haier Global Analysis - Case Study Example Yes. It took Haier some time to establish as a quality player in developed markets. But once it has established itself in those countries Haier was able to retain more margins and introduce some products that are suitable for special segments. This has helped in introducing more products with increasing revenues. It also helped Haier to enter into developing countries with an established reputation in developed markets.Yes. It took Haier some time to establish as a quality player in developed markets. But once it has established itself in those countries Haier was able to retain more margins and introduce some products that are suitable for special segments. This has helped in introducing more products with increasing revenues. It also helped Haier to enter into developing countries with an established reputation in developed markets.But it has faced problems in customizing its products to developing markets. As each market is different in its market characteristics Haier has to deve lop separate marketing strategies.Haier has developed its brand as a niche player in developed countries. This makes it to position in developing markets also easier.   The advantage of branding itself as a niche player and continuously maintaining quality will enable Haier to offer its product line at a premium as well as it can increase sales. The reputation in one product will help other product lines as well.†¢ Develop an International marketing strategy as well as standardization strategy.†¢ Focus on R&D to produce innovative products for customization for the local markets†¢ Focus on Brand promotion as a niche player as well as develop good distribution network for developing markets.As the focus on more number of countries increases, there is a need for developing an International marketing strategy. The International Marketing Strategy enables Haier to develop strategies that on a global level. This helps in identifying countries according their importance a s well as their markets. Identify the markets to understand customers according to their preferences. Key Point #2 Haier has introduced new and more innovative products as an entry strategy into developed markets. It has helped Haier to position itself as a quality player. So it can adopt the same strategy to enter into newer markets. There is also a need to develop customized products to several markets apart from standardized products. This helps it to understand its markets well.(fig: B) Key Point #3 Being a niche player as well as a developing good distribution network are key strategies to

Relationship between Job Satisfaction and Nurse's Turnover in Essay

Relationship between Job Satisfaction and Nurse's Turnover in Intensive Care Unit - Essay Example Basically, ICUs have complex clinical areas such as emergency departments and critical care and the nurses working in these departments often face complex problems related to decision making, working long hours, shift work as well as high patient turnover. Thus, it is vital to retain highly skilled and specialised nurses working in this critical area and this can only be attained by ensuring that the nurses are satisfied with their work (Murrells et al. 2005). During the contemporary period, it can be noted that young adults are now better positioned to find better and lucrative employment opportunities in other fields as a result of the rapid changes such as technological innovations taking place in the environment in which we live. A concern of morality and ethics is rapidly diminishing when people consider their careers and it can be noted that the current generation of young adults are less motivated to join the nursing profession. Moreover, research has shown that the shortage o f nurses in acute hospitals can be attributed to the element of little job satisfaction because of lack of job fulfilment and heavy workloads (Hayes, Bonner, & Pryor 2010). ... The search of literature in this case is limited to research articles published in English and the search strategy is illustrated in table 1. The keywords used to collect relevant articles include the following: Factors effecting nursing job satisfaction. Job satisfaction among intensive care nurses. Nursing turnover. The articles were included if they met the following inclusion criteria: English language articles. Peer reviewed journals. Table 1 Research strategy Hits Nature of research Country Research methodology -factors affecting nursing job satisfaction in ICUs -dissatisfaction -nursing turnover in IC -The research is based on review of published research in ICU and healthcare. No actual research was conducted. -the paper focuses on Australia, USA and China. -the paper is based on qualitative method where published research in this area is critically analysed. About four articles will be reviewed. Review theme The specific theme of this review of research literature is to esta blish the relationship between nursing job satisfaction and turnover in the intensive care units. Literature review: The review of literature in this case is a combination of summary and explanation of the most current studies related to the topic. The qualitative method of analysing published literature which is employed in this paper is significant in that it gives a clear understanding of the subject area as well as insight into areas that may require further research. The understanding of current literature in this subject area reviewed is important because it provides a foundation upon which a researcher can build knowledge. Factors affecting job satisfaction: The concept of job satisfaction is complex in that there are

Defend the proposition that the Bill of Rights in necessary today Essay

Defend the proposition that the Bill of Rights in necessary today - Essay Example The First Amendment is the glue that holds the countries hard-fought-for freedoms intact. The foundation of the American criminal justice system is founded upon the right to due process of law (Fifth Amendment) and the right to a speedy, public and fair trial along with the right to counsel and to confront the accuser, (Sixth Amendment). The Second Amendment states â€Å"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed† (â€Å"The Constitution†, 2006). Obviously, the right to own arms was of supreme importance to the Founders given that it was listed second only after the freedom of religion and speech was documented in the First Amendment. These four Amendments are invoked regularly today, argued and debated in and out of court. Each is necessary for the freedoms we all enjoy and as relevant today as they were imagined to be when conceived by the Founding fathers. The First Amendment states â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.† (â€Å"The Constitution†, 2006). ... Journalists who questioned the King’s decisions were often jailed or worse. The Founders knew that if the press were not free, the country would not be either. The role of the media is critical to the preservation of freedom itself. The Constitutional right to freedom of expression and of the press includes the un-infringed right to investigate and publicly announce information or to espouse opinion. An effective media outlet must have editorial independence and serve a diversity of public interests uncontrolled by government or ideological influence. An adversarial relationship sometimes exists between mass media and the government regarding the public’s right to know balanced against matters of national security (Center for Democracy and Governance 1999 p. 5). Despite the criticisms of the press, would anyone in this country actually want press to stop doing its job? Journalists, as part of a free press, serve to enlighten the public regarding governmental activities as well as other items of common interest, often placing themselves in harm’s way for the benefit of others. America probably needs the freedom of the press today more so than in any other time in its history. The previous presidential administration stripped away freedoms at an unprecedented rate and ignored global and domestic concerns involving this nation in an illegal and immoral war all under the guise of the ‘war on terror.’ Politicians are as still corrupt as ever. The press should be held to the high standard they set for themselves and revered and recognized for the vital function they provide the country. Without the press and the constitutionally guaranteed freedom it enjoys in this nation, democracy could not endure. If they were to overstep their powers,

Anslem, Meditation on Human Redemption Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Anslem, Meditation on Human Redemption - Essay Example He says that people should not blame The Lord after deceiving themselves regarding his truth yet has only trusted in the falsehood of himself. This he says is because The Lord remains in truth in every respect so that He can do what has to be done in each aspect and respect, and that is why The Lord became Incarnate2. An interesting feature is the fact that The Lord has given man will and power to choose between right and wrong and does not compel him. He just tries to convince him o obey using various aspects like giving up his only son to die and suffer for redemption of man as well as to serve as a true example of obedience. He says that the life of Jesus is more precious than every other thing on earth and by giving it up for redemption of the soul of man, He really wanted the redemption of the soul of man3. Jesus himself gave u his own life as an example to man that they are obliged to God even if it means they have to give up their own life as a proof of obedience to him. It is also shown that God has given man the power of will, by allowing him to d o whatever he wants. This he gives as an example that God allows the devil to tempt man and man has the right to refuse or accept but whatever man does, He must remember that He is answerable to God and not the devil. This shows that The Lord h as supreme power over man, and He should give his soul to Him. When man sins, he only is punished by God and the devil is not since he as man has sinned against The Lord and the devil has not. Therefore, satisfaction to God is not given by doing things said by God only, but by giving God something of his own which is not of God which exceeds all other things this is called sacrifice. To sin is to dishonor God and man should not dishonor God; however, necessary it looks. Therefore, a sinner ought to give the Lord something greater than dishonor to God and that is only by honoring Him. His son,

Leader that Influence Me Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Leader that Influence Me - Essay Example In short, without the presence of these role models, the lives of many people would totally be different. Â   My social studies teacher, Mrs. Catalina Mors, had a massive impact on my life. In my opinion, she is one of the friendliest people I have met in my entire life. I met her in my first year in high school, a time when my life was almost split into microscopic pieces. Having come from a broken family, I felt that being in high school was a way that my mother had invented to do away with me. I felt that no one cared if I existed or not and thought that I had no role to play in the world rang in my mind every second of my existence. Mrs. Catalina, I have learnt to call her Mrs. Memento, for her reminding me of good things in life, has been of great assistance to me. From her comforting words that gave me hope in life, I managed to come out of my depression and learn to accept sever situations in life. I relate my high self esteem from her counseling sessions that I went unconsciously every afternoon. At times, I would find my self in her company for over two hours with no complaints that her working day was over. Apart from being polite and well refined, Mrs. Catalina acted as a role model to many. Her code of conduct had no traces of ‘stains’ that some her age mate colleagues had. Being 23 years old and a teacher of boys, it is thought that younger teachers- beautiful like her- face numerous challenges in their careers. Some are even forced to jeopardize their careers, for failure to handle challenging situations in their job. Mrs. Catalina gained first-rate praise from all students, majority of whom, wanted to have a mature and reasonable life like hers. In my case, Mrs. Catalina has assisted me in making tangible decisions in life and focus on the future regardless of the situation at hand. I am able to deal with parents’ divorce with the

Evaluating Employees with Ease Essay Example for Free

Evaluating Employees with Ease Essay Performance evaluations are a critical component of human resource management in any organization. In â€Å"Evaluating Employees with Ease† Sharon LaBuke gives useful tips designed to help nursing employers conduct evaluations that translate into a positive experience for their employees. In LaDuke’s view, the first priority is to strategize the process. A good place to start is the examination of the evaluation document that forms â€Å"a common frame of reference for both manager and employee† (LaDuke, n.d., p. 49). It is noteworthy that the author places cultural issues at the top of the list of priorities, suggesting that employers thoroughly evaluate the culture of their facility to see whether the process is consistent with the culture. Relationships with the people evaluated and finding the right language are also at the top of the list, since these issues help set the right kind of atmosphere for the evaluation process, suggesting that people will feel better if they know the employer has the right kind of attitude. The second set of suggestions involves more organizational aspects. For example, LaDuke suggests that people will feel the evaluation is more objective when they know that they are being evaluated on an ongoing basis, with feedback offered throughout the year. To help make assessments more detailed and grounded in facts, employers can log important events and try to address them in a timely fashion. The creation of a personal plan for improvement is also a useful idea. Created with staff input, this plan can serve as a roadmap for individual development, helping the person to focus on the right areas. Constantly following up on the progress with the plan, the manager can create an ongoing dialogue with the employee concerning personal needs. The author effectively captures the most important points in the evaluation process. It is helpful that the focus is on the personal development of the employee, not on evaluation per se. the nurturing nature of such evaluation clearly has the potential to contribute to the employees’ development and foster adequate atmosphere in the organization. Reference LaDuke, S. (n.d.). Evaluating Employees with Ease.

Leadership Development Past Present And Future Management Essay

Leadership Development Past Present And Future Management Essay This article reviews notable trends in the leadership development field. In the past two decades, such trends included the proliferation of new leadership development methods and a growing recognition of the importance of a leaders emotional resonance with others. A growing recognition that leadership development involves more than just developing individual leaders has now led to a greater focus on the context in which leadership is developed, thoughtful consideration about how to best use leadership competencies, and work/life balance issues. Future trends include exciting potential advances in globalization, technology, return on investment (ROI), and new ways of thinking about the nature of leadership and leadership development. The Past Looking back at the state of leadership and leadership development over the past 20 years, we were surprised to discover more than a decade passed before HRP first contained an article with the word leadership in its title. At the risk of making too much out of mere titles, we note with interest the contrast between that early period and the fact that leadership development is now one of HRPs five key knowledge areas. The last two decades have witnessed something of an explosion of interest in leadership development in organizations. Some of the most noteworthy issues and trends in the field of leadership development in the past 20 years fall under these two general headings: The proliferation of leadership development methods; The importance of a leaders emotional resonance with and impact on others. Proliferation of Leadership Development Methods One clear trend over the past 2years has been the increasing use and recognition of the potency of a variety of developmental experiences. Classroom-type leadership training-for long the primary formal development mode-is now complemented (or even supplanted) by activities as diverse as high ropes courses or reflective journaling. Classroom training should not be the only part of a leadership development initiative, and may be the least critical. While training may even be a necessary element of leadership development, developmental experiences are likely to have the greatest impact when they can be linked to or embedded in a persons ongoing work and when they are an integrated set of experiences. Activities like coaching, mentoring, action learning, and 360-degree feedback are increasingly key elements of leadership development initiatives. Developmental relationships primarily take two forms: coaching and mentoring. Coaching involve practical, goal-focused forms of one on- one learning and, ideally, behavioural change (Hall, et al., 1999). It can be a short term intervention intended to develop specific leadership skills or a more extensive process involving a series of meetings over time. The most effective coaching allows for collaboration to assess and understand the developmental task to challenge current constraints while exploring new possibilities, and to ensure accountability and support for reaching goals and sustaining development (Ting Hart, 2004). Mentoring is typically defined as a committed, long-term relationship in which a senior person supports the personal and professional development of a junior person. It may be a formal program or a much more informal process. Recognizing the value of mentoring, organizations are increasingly looking at ways to formalize these types of relationships as part of thei r leadership development efforts. Action learning is a set of organization development practices in which important real-time organizational problems are tackled. Three kinds of objectives are sought: delivering measurable organizational results, communicating learnings specific to a particular context, and developing more general leadership skills and capabilities (Palus Horth, 2003). Effective action learning may range from tacit, unfacilitated learning at work to focused and high-impact learning projects to transformations of people and organizations (Marsick, 2002). Challenging job assignments are a potent form of leadership development and provide many of the developmental opportunities in organizations today. The level of organizational involvement in making job assignments part of their leadership development process runs the gamut from simply providing people with information about developmental opportunities in their current job to a systematic program of job rotation. Using job assignments for developmental purposes provides benefits that go beyond getting the job done and may even result in competitive advantages for the organization (Ohlott,2004). One developmental method has been so pervasive that it deserves somewhat greater attention here: the use of 360-degree feedback to assess leader competencies. Chappelow (2004) recently noted that perhaps the most remarkable trend in the field of leader development over the past 20 years has been the popularity and growth of 360- degree feedback. Others called it one of the most notable management innovations of the past decade (Atwater Waldman, 1998; London Beatty, 1993). To help those organizations disappointed with 360-degree feedback results, here is some of what we have learned over the years about how to implement them effectively (Chappelow, 2004): An assessment activity is not necessarily developmental. Three-hundred-sixty-degree feedback should not be a stand-alone event. In addition to assessment there need to be development planning and follow-up activities. Boss support is critical for the process itself, as well as for buy-in for the recipients specific developmental goals stemming from the feedback. The 360-degree feedback process works best if it starts with executives at the top of an organization and cascades downward throughout the organization. Shoddy administration of a 360-degree feedback process can be fatal. The timing of the process accounts for other organizational realities that could dilute or confound its impact. Another kind of leadership development method gaining popularity during the past 20 years has involved teams (Ginnett, 1990). The prevalence and importance of teams in organizations today, and the unique challenges of leading teams, make it easy to forget that teams were not always so pervasive a part of our organizational lives. One way to convey the magnitude of that shift is to share an anecdote involving one of our colleagues. During his doctoral work in organizational behaviour at Yale about 20 years ago, our colleague Robert Ginnett would tell others about his special interest in the leadership of teams. Routinely, he says, they would assume he must be an athletic coach; who else, theyd say, would be interested in teams? Importance of a Leader s Emotional Resonance with and Impact on Others Twenty years ago, our understanding of leadership in organizations was dominated by the classic two-factor approach focusing on task and relationship behaviors. That general approach can be characterized as transactional in nature, as distinguished from a qualitatively different approach often described as transformational. Transactional leadership is characterized by mutually beneficial exchanges between parties to optimize mutual benefit including the accomplishment of necessary organizational tasks. The exchange-model nature of transactional leadership tends to produce predictable and somewhat shortlived outcomes. Transformational leadership touched followers deeper values and sense of higher purpose, and led to higher levels of follower commitment and effort and more enduring change. Transformational leaders provide compelling visions of a better future and inspire trust through seemingly unshakeable self-confidence and conviction. Conger (1999) reviewed 15 years research in the related fields of charismatic and transformational leadership, and observed that scholarly interest in these areas may be traceable to changes in the global competitive business environment at that time such as competitive pressures to reinvent them selves and challenges to employee commitment. Prior to that time, leadership researchers generally had not distinguished between the roles of leading and managing: A person in any position of authority was largely assumed to hold a leadership role. It was a novel idea that leadership and management might represent different kinds of roles and behaviors. Hunt (1999) was even more blunt about the state of scholarly research in the field of leadership in the 1980s. He described it as a gloom-and-doom period characterized by boring work, inconsequential questions, and static answers. Research in the areas of transformational and charismatic leadership both energized scholars and interested organ izational practitioners. One factor presumably underlying the interest in charismatic and transformational leaders is the nature and strength of their emotional impact on others. The nature of the leaders emotional connectedness to others is also apparent in the growing interest over the past decade in topics like the leaders genuineness, authenticity, credibility, and trustworthiness (Goleman, et al., 2002; Collins, 2001). These seem related more to the affective quality of a leaders relationships with others than to specific leader behaviors and competencies. Attention given during the last decade to the concept of emotional intelligence also attests to that shifting interest. For example, Goleman, et al. (2002) present data that a leaders ability to resonate emotionally with others is a better predictor of effective executive leadership than is general intelligence. Recent research at the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) has uncovered links between specific elements of emotional intelligence and specific behaviors associated with leadership effectiveness (Ruderman, et al.,2001). Effective leadership is clearly about more than just enacting the right behaviors, or merely translating feedback (e.g., from 360-degree feedback) into changed behavior. One way 360- degree feedback can positively impact an individuals effectiveness as a leader is by deepening that persons self-awareness about the impact of his/her behavior on others. Much leadership development feedback naturally affects how people think about themselves, not just their interactions with others. Similarly, it can lead to re-evaluations of many aspects of ones life, not just ones role as a leader. It can affect the whole person. It follows, then, that in some ways leadership development itself involves the development of the whole person. The Center for Creative Leadership began during the heyday of the human potential movement, and its ideals and educational philosophy still reflect a commitment to the value of self-directed change and growth (albeit informed by knowledge about the needs of the organization). Virtually all CCL leadership development programs include numerous activities to increase managerial self-awareness, and most address balance in life, including the relationship between health, fitness, and leadership. From our own participants, representing diverse companies across virtually all industries, the feedback is that balance in life has so far been more of an aspiration for them than a reality. The Present Today, effective leadership is commonly viewed as central to organizational success, and more importance is placed on leadership development than ever before. Developing more and better individual leaders is no longer the sole focus of leadership development, although it remains a critical aspect. Increasingly, leadershipis defined not as what the leader does but rather as a process that engenders and is the result of relationships-relationships that focus on the interactions of both leaders and collaborators instead of focusing on only the competencies of the leaders. Leadership development practices based on this paradigm are more difficult to design and implement than those that have been popular for the last several decades in which the objective was to train leaders to be good managers. In light of this, several themes describe the state of leadership development today: 1. Leadership development increasingly occurring within the context of work; 2. Critical reflection about the role of competencies in leadership development; 3. Revisiting the issue of work/life balance. Leadership Development Within the Context of Work Leadership development initiatives today typically offer performance support and real world application of skills through such methods as training programs, coaching and mentoring, action learning, and developmental assignments. Combining instruction with a real business setting helps people gain crucial skills and allows the organizations to attack relevant, crucial, real-time issues. The goal of leadership development ultimately involves action not knowledge. Therefore, development today means providing people opportunities to learn from their work rather than taking them away from their work to learn. It is critical to integrate those experiences with each other and with other developmental methods. State of the art leadership development now occurs in the context of ongoing work initiatives that are tied to strategic business imperatives (Dotlich Noel, 1998; Moxley OConnnor Wison, 1998). Furthermore, best practice organizations recognize leadership as a key component of jobs at all levels and are committed to creating leaders throughout their organizations. Increasingly, organizations have CEOs who model leadership development through a strong commitment to teach leaders internally. For example, Carly Fiorina at HP is annually teaching at 12 leading business results classes. The targets of leadership training programs are no longer relatively isolated individuals who were anointed by senior management. Instead of the thin horizontal slices, the program design is likely to involve work groups or several vertical slices of the organization (Fulmer, 1997). The proliferation of leadership development methods was previously noted. Not just the variety of development methods matters; greater variety is not necessarily better. It is also critical to integrate various developmental experiences to each other as well as to both developmental and business objectives. That way they can have a greater collective impact than they otherwise could have. But such efforts at integration are far from universal. In reviewing the entire field of leadership development, McCauley and VanVelsor (2003) noted that the approach of many organizations is events-based rather than systemic. One method of making leadership development more systemic is to make sure it involves more than training. An array of developmental experiences must be designed and implemented that are meaningfully integrated with one another. Leadership development efforts and initiatives must be ongoing, not a single program or event. The idea of leadership development strategies that link a variety of developmental practices including work itself (e.g., action learning projects) with other HR systems and business strategy is an emerging and probably necessary evolution of our state-of-practice (Alldredge, et al., 2003). Critical Reflection about the Role of Competencies in Leadership Development Although the field is moving away from viewing leadership and leadership development solely in terms of leader attributes, skills, and traits, leadership competencies remain a core dimension of leadership development activities in most organizations. A recent benchmarking study found that leading-edge companies define leadership by a set of competencies that guide leadership development at all levels (Barrett Beeson, 2002). A majority of organizations have identified leadership competencies, or at least tried to define the characteristics and qualities of successful leaders. How then are leadership competencies most effectively used in leadership development? Leadership competencies need to correspond to the organizations particular strategy and business model (Intagliata, et al., 2000). Leadership development programs implemented in isolation of the business environment rarely bring about profound or long-lasting changes; therefore, organizations must develop leaders and leadership competencies that correspond with and are specific to their distinct business challenges and goals. While common leadership qualities or competencies characterize effective leaders, developing such core leader qualities may not be enough. The leadership competencies of a best-practice organization uniquely fit the organization, its particular strategy, and its business model (APQC, 2000). This perspective has also been applied to the individual level. Not only may organizations differ in their identification of critical leadership competencies, some would argue it is unlikely all leaders within an organization must all possess the same set of competencies to be successful- or make the organization successful. According to this perspective, leaders should not be accountable for demonstrating a particular set of behaviours but rather should be held accountable for desired outcomes. This perspective looks beyond competencies, which have a tendency to focus on what needs fixing, and instead focuses attention on the whole person and on peoples strengths and natural talents, not on a reductionism list of idiosyncratic competencies (Buckingham Vosburgh, 2003). Development is increasingly seen as a process of developing and leveraging strengths and of understanding and minimizing the impact of weaknesses. Work/Life Balance Revisited Health and well-being at work are issues of increasing interest and attention, including their relevance to leadership. In an environment of constant change and unrelenting competition, managing stress and personal renewal to avoid burn-out are becoming a central focus for leadership development. Dealing with multiple and competing demands of a fast-paced career and personal/family relationships and responsibilities is a common challenge, and there is increasing recognition that a persons work and personal life have reciprocal effects on each other. We know that individual leader effectiveness is enhanced when people manage multiple roles at home and at work but we continue to learn more about the organizational benefits and maybe even the benefits to family and community as well. We also know leadership effectiveness is correlated with better health and exercising HUMAN RESOURCE PLANNING (McDowell-Larsen, et al., 2002). We need to better understand which assumptions about organizational life are challenged by the idea of work/life integration as well as which changes organizations need to make to facilitate greater work/life integration. Challenging work/life situations are integrally related to the need for, and development of, resilience. Resilience is the ability to bounce back from adversity or hardship, a characteristic that can be developed at any time during a persons life. It is an active process of self-righting and growth that helps people deal with hardships in a manner that is conducive to development (Moxley Pulley, 2004). One of the fundamental characteristics of resilience is that it allows individuals to take difficult experiences in their lives and use them as opportunities to learn. This, in turn, develops their ability to face hardships successfully in the future. The Future Several trends will have a major role in our future understanding and practice of leadership and leadership development. They represent, in different ways, the critical role changing contexts will play in leadership development. Leadership competencies will still matter; Globalization/internationalization of leadership concepts, constructs, and development methods; The role of technology; Increasing interest in the integrity and character of leaders; Pressure to demonstrate return on investment; New ways of thinking about the nature of leadership and leadership development. Leadership Competencies Will Still Matter Leadership competencies will still matter, but they will change as the competitive environment changes. According to a Conference Board study (Barrett Beeson, 2002), five critical forces will shape leadership competencies (requirements) in the future: 1) global competition, 2) information technology, 3) the need for rapid and flexible organizations, 4) teams, and 5) differing employee needs. Given these, most organizations will not need the Lone Ranger type of leader as much as a leader who can motivate and coordinate a team based approach? This new environment will have greater ambiguity and uncertainty, and many if not all aspects of leadership (e.g., strategy development) will require a more collaborative approach to leadership. The model of effective leadership in the future will be one of encouraging environments that unlock the entire organizations human asset potential. The Conference Board report Developing Business Leaders for 2010 (Barrett Beeson, 2002) identified four essential roles for meeting the business challenges of the future, and the career derailers that will matter most in the future. The four essential roles for meeting future business challenges include master strategist, change manager, relationship/network builder, and talent developer. The most important derailers in the future include hesitancy to take necessary business risks; personal arrogance and insensitivity; controlling leadership style; and reluctance to tackle difficult people issues. Changes in the context in which leadership is practiced will bring certain competencies evenmore to the forefront, including globalization, the increasing use of technology, and public scrutiny of the character and integrity of leaders. Globalization/Internationalization of Leadership Concepts, Constructs, and Development Methods Future leaders will need to be conversant in doing business internationally and conceiving strategies on a global basis. Globalization will intensify the requirement that senior leaders deal effectively with a complex set of constituencies external to the organization. (e.g., responsibility for managing the companys interface with trade, regulatory, political, and media groups on a wide range of issues). Leadership development is rapidly moving to include substantial components involving international markets, world economic trends, and focus on particular regions such as the Asia Pacific rim (Cacioppe, 1998). Leaders are being exposed to how the world is becoming interdependent and the need to be up to date with international trends that are vital to the success of the business. Use of the internet to obtain information and to market products and services worldwide is a topic in many current leadership development programs. The Role of Technology The technology revolution has changed organizational life. It has changed the ways information and knowledge are accessed and disseminated, and the ways in which people can communicate and share with one another. This has profound implications for what effective leadership will look like as well as how to use technology most effectively in leadership development. Leaders will clearly have to be much savvier with regard to technology in general. Facility and comfort with communication technology and the internet will be a necessity. Given the pace of change and the speed of response time that leaders are now required to demonstrate, technological savvy has rapidly become an integral aspect of leadership effectiveness. It has even been noted that the effective use of technology is proving to be a hierarchy buster. It can be an avenue for people to communicate with leaders at all levels and whenever they need to at any time. Leading virtually is already a reality, and requirements to lead geographically dispersed units and teams will only increase. Technology will not be a solution for this challenge, but it will surely be a tool. The pressure on costs, increased reality of virtual teams, and availability of technology leadership development has reduced the need for people to travel to training programs, will make learning opportunities available to geographically dispersed leaders, and will allow individuals access to learning opportunities when it best suits their schedule. Technology can extend learning over time rather than limiting it to time spent in the classroom. Technology will also enhance the emergence and sharing of knowledge among participants via such venues as chat-rooms, thought leader access, e-learning advances, e-mentoring/ shadowing, and business simulations. While technology is useful for some aspects of leadership development, it cannot replace the importance of bringing leaders together to deepen their relationships and their learning experience. Maximizing the effectiveness of leadership development offers the best of both worlds: integrating face-to-face classroom and coaching experiences with technology-based tools and processes, i.e., blended learning solutions (e.g., Alexander Ciaschi, 2002). Increasing Interest in the Integrity and Character of Leaders The 1990s witnessed ethical lapses and arrogance among senior executives of certain companies of disturbing-if-not-unprecedented magnitude. Enron and WorldCom were two notable examples. Such events probably accelerated and deepened growing sentiment among many-including members of organizational governance boards-that interrelationships among leadership, character, and values ought to be made more salient. It is probably not a coincidence that a recent article in CEO Magazine (Martin, 2003) observed that the age of the imperial CEO is waning. In its place, a crop of new CEOs humble, team building, highly communicative are rising (p.25). Similarly, one of the intriguing and unexpected findings in the book Good to Great (Collins, 2001) was of the universally modest and self-effacing nature of CEOs in the good-to-great companies. This contrasts considerably with the often flamboyant and self-promoting style of many popular business leaders in recent years who, despite celebrity status, typically did not have an enduring positive impact on their companies. Bass and Steidlmeier (1999) noted that transformational leadership is only authentic when it is grounded on the leaders moral character, concern for others, and congruence of ethical values with action. A leaders credibility and trustworthiness are critical, and increasing numbers make the case that character-as defined by qualities like ones striving for fairness, respecting others, humility, and concern for the greater good-represents the most critical quality of leadership (e.g., Sankar, 2003). Assuming there is continuing if not increasing interest in the character of leaders, much work is needed in the years ahead to assure greater clarity of concept about these vital-yet-elusive concepts if they are to play a prominent role in leadership development practices in organizations. Pressure to Demonstrate Return on Investment The future trends noted reflect in part a response to the changing context of leadership. Perhaps the strongest pressure facing leadership practitioners in the future may be to demonstrate ROI (Kincaid Gordick, 2003). While leadership development is strategically important, it is usually expensive. Yet while leading-edge companies today such as PepsiCo, IBM, and Johnson and Johnson spend significant time and resources on leadership development, attempts to quantify its benefits precisely have remained elusive and have led some to speculate that investment in developing better leaders may be falling short of the desired impact. In todays economy, leadership development expenses will likely have to meet certain standards of proof of impact or return on investment. Demonstrating and quantifying the impact of leadership development investments is likely to emerge as a priority for organizations committed to building leadership strength. To maximize ROI for leadership development efforts, its payoffs organizations must effectively plan, implement, and evaluate their initiatives. They must create a chain of impact that connects leadership development to relevant organizational outcomes (Martineau Hannum, 2003). Historically, most organizations have not closed the loop through systematic evaluation and thus make assumptions about its efficacy based on anecdotes, reactions, or hunches. New Ways of Thinking about the Nature of Leadership and Leadership Development Emerging new perspectives on the nature of leadership may profoundly affect our thinking about leadership development. Increasingly, leadership and leadership development are seen as inherently collaborative, social, and relational processes (Day, 2001). Similarly, Vicere (2002) has noted the advent of the networked economy where partnerships, strategic and tactical, customer and supplier, personal and organizational, are essential to competitive effectiveness. As a result, leadership will be understood as the collective capacity of all members of an organization to accomplish such critical tasks as setting direction, creating alignment, and gaining commitment. Leadership development based on this paradigm is more difficult to design and implement than those that have been popular for the last several decades in which the focus was to train individual leaders. Taking this next step will require a deeper understanding of the role of organizational systems and culture in leadership development (VanVelsor McCauley, 2004). Conclusion The dual challenges of understanding the nature of leadership development and implementing effective leadership development practices will likely be greater than ever before. At the same time, we find ourselves guardedly optimistic about the fields future. Our optimism is directly tied to some of the trends that make the future both challenging and interesting. For example, leadership development practices will need to become better integrated in the broader context of organizational business challenges and systems. Thus, not only will organizations need to hire and develop leaders, they will also need to be the kind of organizations that nurture and reinforce enactment of the kinds of behaviours desired in those leaders. Similarly, demands to demonstrate ROI can encourage greater rigor and clarity in our understanding of the nature of leadership development and in how we assess its impact. Meeting such challenges will be one important thrust of more comprehensive efforts in the years ahead to demonstrate convincingly the strategic role of people in organizations.

Epilepsy Research Paper -- Papers Disorder Health Essays

Epilepsy Research Paper People most often associate violent twitching, falling to the floor and drooling with epilepsy. However the described event is only one kind of an epileptic seizure, which is called a tonic-clonic seizure. There are many other kinds of seizures, and each has different sets of signs and symptoms. During generalized seizures the whole brain is affected and the initial symptom is loss of consciousness. This category includes such seizures as absence seizure, myoclonic seizure, and atonic attack. Those seizures affect the whole body and brain of the patient, and are much more serious than partial or focal seizure, which only affects one muscle or one part of the body, and not accompanied by loss of consciousness. Epilepsy occurs when nerve cells in the brain fire electrical impulses at a rate of up to four times higher than normal. This causes a sort of electrical storm in the brain, known as a seizure. During a seizure the normal neuronal activity, which is usually responsible for human thoughts, feelings, and actions of glands and muscles, becomes disturbed and as a result strange behavior, convulsions and loss of consciousness might occur. Epilepsy knows no geographical, racial or social boundaries. It occurs in men and women and can begin at any age, but is most frequently diagnosed in childhood or old age. Anyone can be affected by seizures. In fact, up to 5% of the world's population may have a single seizure at some time in their lives, but a person might be diagnosed with epilepsy only after they had two unprovoked seizures. From many studies around the world it has been estimated that the m... ...mpted to move, chair should be put in supine position, everything should be out of the way and passive restraint should be used to prevent patient from hitting anything or falling out of the chair. Emergency assistance should be summoned right away. Epilepsy is not contagious and is not caused by mental illness or mental retardation. Many people with epilepsy have normal or above-average intelligence. Famous people who are known or rumored to have had epilepsy include the Russian writer Dostoyevsky, the philosopher Socrates, the military general Napoleon, and the inventor of dynamite, Alfred Nobel, who established the Nobel prize. Many people with epilepsy lead productive lives. Many medical and research advances in the past two decades have led to a better understanding of epilepsy and seizures than ever before.

Environmental Pollution Essay -- essays research papers fc

Environmental Pollution ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION Automobiles like these are around the world everyday, and their exhaust destroys our air everyday. Our environment is a major aspect of our life today. Many of us don't take our Earth seriously and think that as long as pollution doesn't hurt them they can go ahead and throw garbage on the ground or spill oil down the drain. Well to many people have that theory and they are killing off our Earth and also physically harming themselves from the air they breath and the water they swim in. Our Earth is fragile like a human and people don't know. There are many different types of environmental pollution (e.g. Water, air, atmospheric.) Scientists believe that all cities with populations exceeding 50,000 have some degree of air pollution. Burning garbage in open dumps causes air pollution, and also it smells pretty bad. Air pollution comes from many different sources. One of the major sources is carbon monoxide which manly comes from automobiles, but also burning of fossil fuels, CFCs etc. Air pollution does not leave the Earth it all gets trapped up in the atmosphere. This doesn't bother most people, and they think that it will not harm them. People burn down forests and people burn fossil fuels, and CFCs from aerosols. Every bit of this harms our atmosphere. Factories and transportation depend on huge amounts of fuel billions of tons of coal and oil are consumed around the world every year. When these fuels burn they introduce smoke and other, less visible, by-products into the atmosphere. Although wind and rain occasionally wash away the smoke given off by power plants and automobiles, the cumulative effect of air pollution poses a grave threat to humans and the environment. A big example of smog is LA you can see the smog just hovering above the city. I don't think any human alive should be subject to that kind of environment. Scientists believe that all cities with populations exceeding 50,000 have some degree of air pollution. Burning garbage in open dumps causes air pollution Scientist have discovered that over the South Pole the ozone has a high level of ozone depletion. A computer-enhanced map, taken from satellite observations of ozone levels in the atmosphere over the South Pole, shows the region of ozone depletion that has begun to appear each spring over Antarctica.  ... ...sp; I think that all kinds of environmental pollution can be stopped if we all use our heads and just think before we throw a piece of trash on the ground, throw it into a nearby garbage can. We should look at our Earth as a precious human being and treat it like it were a child of our own. We should not trash it and take advantage of it. If we abuse our Earth now who knows how it will get back at us in the future. Saving the Earth is such a simple task, and I think everyone should be involved in it rich or poor. If we don't save our Earth now someday it will be to late. There are programs out there that try to save the Earth, but not enough people corporate in these programs. If more people supported and joined into these programs maybe our world wouldn't be in such danger of dying. If our Earth dies it will surely take us all with it. BIBLIOGRAPHY Environmental Health, Carleson Lavonne Chelsea House Publishers, New York 1994 Acid Rain, Tyson Peter Chelsea House Publishers, New York 1992 Clean Water, Barass Karen Chelsea House Publishers, New York 1992 "Environmental Pollution" Comptons Interactive Encyclopedia 1996 "Smog" Encarta Encyclopedia 1996

Comparing the Quest in M. Butterfly and American Beauty Essays -- Comp

The Quest in M. Butterfly and American Beauty      Ã‚   Happiness is defined as enjoying, showing, or characterized by pleasure; joyous; contented. Based on this definition we all search for happiness our entire lives. Two very different stories address this idea of the quest for happiness. M. Butterfly by David Henry Hwang is the story of a man named Gallimard who is longing for his love "Butterfly" to return to him. John Deeney describes it as him, clinging to his idea of a "Perfect Woman" to the end by costuming himself into the victimized Butterfly though his final suicide. Although Gallimard’s infatuation with Song sometimes makes him cut a rather ridiculous figure, his dead seriousness at the end evokes a certain amount of pathos and even admiration as he dies for his ultimate ideal of perfect womanhood. On the other hand, there is Sam Mendes’ American Beauty. This story approaches the idea of happiness in a different way; it presents an entire family and their pursuit of sweet bliss. The quests of Carolyn, Jane, and Lester Burnham, as well as their next-door neighbor, Frank Fits, are on display. Paul Arthur describes American Beauty as "An authentic Life Lesson, a spiritual world view grounded in the discovery of beauty." In both M. Butterfly and American Beauty, the characters are presented as unhappy and searching for happiness. Of the characters, however, only Jane Burnham, Frank Fitts, and Lester Burnham find their new happiness. Song in M. Butterfly lives life as a false image to make herself happy. Song is an actor who plays the part of a lady in an opera. He allows a man, Gallimard, to fall in love with his character. He then uses this love affair to help his government receive classified information. When a... ... be a relationship, a sexual preference, or simply a life style, the lack there of is always apparent. In M. Butterfly and American Beauty each character is on a pursuit to find his or her own happiness. In the end, only Jane Burnham, Frank Fits, and Lester Burnham find the happiness they are looking for. They display that more than anything; happiness is the most important thing in life. Without happiness, money, personal success and status do not mean anything. Works Cited American Beauty. Dir. Sam Mendes. Dream Works, 1999 Arthur, Paul. "American Beauty." Cineaste 2000 Vol 25 Issue 2: 51. Deeney, John. "Of Monkeys and butterflies: Transformation in M. H. Kingston’s Tripmaster Monkey and D. H. Hwangs’ M. Butterfly." Melus Winter 93/94; 21. Meyer, Michael. The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martin’s, 2000.

Reaction Paper on Prejudice and Discrimination

The world that we live in today, although improving, is tainted with cruelty and hatred toward different races. Usually, we have stereotypes about people who are members of groups with which we have not had firsthand contact. We regularly make these stereotypical generalizations based on experiences we have had ourselves, seen in movies or television, read about in books and magazines, or have had related to us by family and friends. Though all these are equally significant roots for the stimulation of stereotypes, media however, is a giant force.When thinking of the topics or behaviors of prejudice and stereotyping, I synonymously think of the movie â€Å"Crash,† which exposes different kinds of social and multicultural differences, giving a quick example of how these conducts can affect a society. These behaviors are viewed as thoughts and feelings that almost everyone has felt more than once. In the first scene of the movie, a  Muslim  man inside a firearm store is atte mpting to buy a gun. The owner is a white Caucasian male that presents a negative attitude towards the customer because of his Muslim background.This feeling triggers in the owner, negative attitudes based on the assimilation and stereotypes with the Muslim race. Being immediately associated with the Al Qaeda terrorist group, which was responsible for suicidal bombers that have killed thousand of Americans. This negative attitude and violence observed in this particular scene, is an example of prejudice, known as a negative feeling and predisposition of behavior towards a group or any member belonging to that group.This is an issue not only found in America but in the whole world. In our  global  economy requiring functional and respectful relationships between nations, prejudice and stereotypes can be a destructive force both in the world and in individual societies, especially in diverse ones. Acting on ones hatred can lead to behavior to what we now in days call â€Å"hate c rime†, such as in the scene where they break into the Muslim's man business and vandalize the place completely.Such acts can lead us to many disgraces even death. This movie shows us the different point of view of people in our society, it gives us an insight of the stereotypes we have build within our society, within the world. It invites us to see and understand how such a small stereotype and negative attitude can go a long way and affect people in different ways. Prejudice is found between gender, religion, cultural, geographical background, and race.People have discriminated against others based upon these attributes. Besides, prejudice is largely a function of ignorance. Today, there are so many different people in this world that stereotypes are almost always incorrect, as many people choose not to be followers, but to be individuals. Asians, African-Americans, Hispanics, Caucasians, and all other ethnic groups need to look past each other's physical characteristics and start looking inside a person to see who they truly are.After all, personalities do not lie on the outside of one's body, but in one's mind. I believe that society needs to raise today's children to accept all people, no matter what they do or do not believe in or what color skin they may have. In order to reduce prejudice and discrimination, it is considered that education for children is very important. For example, exchange student program that includes not only the one between different countries but also the one between different communities within the same area.If children are raised around people who are not the same as they are in school or community, then they will most likely not think anything different of people who do not look the same as them or believe what they believe. If humanity raises their children to believe all people are equal from the beginning, then prejudice will slowly disintegrate over time. The world needs to focus on not judging people before they kno w them for who they are. It is very important to let children have opportunity to know the differences and to be interested in differences because ignorance is the biggest source of prejudice

English Literature: Romanticism and Victorian

The Romantic era is the historical period of literature in which modern readers most begin to see themselves and their own conflicts and desires. As what was mentioned in the class and as what I have researched, English Romanticism in terms of literature is a shift from faith in reason to faith in the senses, feelings, and imagination; a shift from interest in urban society to an interest in the rural and natural; a shift from public, impersonal poetry to subjective poetry; and from concern with the scientific and mundane to interest in he mysterious and infinite.There are various themes on how the authors of romantic literary pieces composed their works. Those themes were based on the main idea of the revolutionary movement initiated during that time which was CHANGE. These people want to veer away from what was ordinary and stale and they came up with this radical change. I do not know if my idea regarding the themes used by romantic poets and writers is correct that is why I made further research. As I went through the research, I came up with these insights regarding the subjects used by romantic writers.Imagination ND emotion are more important than reason and formal rules; imagination is a gateway to transcendent experience and truth. Imagination was one of the keys used by romantic poets and writers to effectively stress out and reveal what they want to convey their readers. They treat imagination with high importance because it was their belief that the only way to attain the highest form of art is to use your imagination. Sometimes, some of the writers do not only rely on their â€Å"usual/ ordinary' imagination.Sometimes they use other meaner like taking addictive drugs which allows hallucination to happen. For example, Coleridge Kabul Khan was written when Coleridge was high with laudanum, a solution of opium in alcohol used for pain relief. In the last lines, â€Å"Weave a circle round him thrice, and close your eyes with holy dread, for he on hon eydew hath fed, and drunk the milk of Paradise†, he is implying that writers like him would be feared for their power to make such poems with the use of extraordinary imagination.Since change is the main idea and reason for romantic movement, having exceptional kind of imagination was one of their vital component. Romantic literature tends to emphasize a love of nature, a respect for romanticism, and a valuing of the common, â€Å"natural† man; Romantics idealize country life and believe that many of the ills of society are a result of arbitration. The Romantics inclined more on the natural aspect of the world rather than the urbanize and modernized sector because they have high respect on these entities.For example, Wordsmith's sonnet Composed upon Westminster Bridge accentuates the beauty of nature before man had touched and exploited it based on their needs. The lines â€Å"Earth has not anything to show more fair: Dull would he be soul who could pass by, A sight so touching in its majesty†¦ Show the majesty of nature. The poem stresses out the reclaiming of nature's own from what man has taken away from it. The poem also emphasizes the silence and stillness of nature which makes it great and marvelous.Change is what Romantics aim for but they did not veer away from what natural things/nature should be. They treat nature with divinity and respect. Romantics were attracted to rebellion and revolution, especially concerned with human rights, individualism, and freedom from oppression. Since change is the main reason for Romanticism to upsurge, rebellion and revolution is evident in their works. For example, Flake's The Chimney Sweeper talks about the abuse experienced by children who were chimney sweepers during that time.The lines â€Å"That thousands of sweepers, Dick, Joe, Ned and Jack, Were all of them locked up in coffins of black† shows that children who were chimney sweepers suffered a lot of harm and their only escape was dea th. Flake's work was an effective eye opener of what was happening during that time especially when it comes to child labor. Somehow, it ignites the fire of revolution but the thing about this poem was Blake ended it not with revolutionary kind of movement but with some sort of faith in God.Still, he managed to emphasize the oppression that was happening during that time which may call and did call for upheaval. There was emphasis on introspection, psychology, melancholy, and sadness. Since the Classics tend to feature the theme of mock heroic epic (which was said to be a craft and â€Å"forced†), the Romantics deviate away from it. One of the emphases of the Romantic writers' works was melancholy. For example, Wordsmith's The Solitary Reaper has a tone of mystery, loss, nostalgia and loneliness. It was shown in the lines â€Å"Some natural sorrow, loss or pain, that has been ND maybe again? . Sadness was featured on the Romantic works because it was (somehow) the inspiratio n of the writers for not all of them lived Joyfully and vibrantly. Sadness was also one of the keys for an effective Romantic literary piece. Romantics were interested in the Medieval past, the supernatural, the mystical, the â€Å"gothic,† and the exotic. These things were also featured in the Romantic works. Authors were very interested in the supernatural, the mystical, the â€Å"gothic,† and the exotic. Most of the literary pieces do contain these things. For example, ColeridgeRime of the Ancient Mariner highlighted these things. The lines â€Å"Her lips were red, her looks were free, her locks were yellow as gold: Her skin was white as leprosy. The Night-mare LIFE-IN-DEATH was she, who thick's man's blood with cold† clearly depicts a mysterious woman who appeared out of nowhere aboard in a ship which was already wrecked. These lines (and this poem) lucidly depict the mystery that the Romantic poets' aim to show the readers the beauty behind mystery and biza rre things which were part of their aim for change. II. Analysis of Romantic and Victorian PoemsVictorian period, which encompasses the optimism and progress of Englishmen, was the perpetuation of the Romantic period's success in fulfilling its aim to obtain change and transformation. Romantic period was the time where the Englishmen perpetuated movement for literature, characterized by reliance on the imagination and subjectivity of approach, freedom of thought and expression, and an idealization of nature. This was also a call for drastic difference and divergence from what was ordinary and normal. This was also a way for the authors to show the reality behind the blindness of oppression and abuse.One good example is Flake's The Chimney Sweeper. The poem encompasses the details of the truth behind child labor and the cruelty experienced by the children who were employed in this Job. One can see that the poem shows how helpless the children were and there was no escape for them but death itself. It has a tragic and melancholic mode for children who should be given the right to have a good life and a chance to study and improve their condition were exploited and deprived. Flake's approach was effective for the poem will surely catch the reader's attention and emotion regarding the focus of the poem.But even though he was successful in establishing these moods for the reader, his ending does not seem to fit the aim of Romantics for change because his ending was stated like â€Å"there would be angels who would open the coffins of these poor children and would accompany them to the Heavenly Father†. Nonetheless, the poem showed what should be changed in his society during his time and somehow, it is an eye-opener and it calls for a revolutionary change. A lot of poems during that time also embody this kind of theme. They, during their time, wanted freedom and transformation.These literary pieces were their weapon, their defense. Movements made for change during Romantic era was successful. Freedom of expression was propagated, change was established. The Englishmen had the chance to grasp the power they were aiming for. They believed they were invincible and this led them to the Victorian period. Victorian period was the period of optimism. Since the Englishmen had the power in their hands, they will do everything to maintain the power that they have. Their craving for improvement, industrialization and education was fulfilled.This is clearly en in some of the Victorian poems created during that time. Kipling Gung Din is a very good example. A lot of analysis given regarding this poem was focused on Gung Din, who was an Indian bassist or water carrier who serves water for British Soldiers. But one aspect that I saw regarding this poem was it entails the power that the Englishmen have. The poem shows that they were superior and even an Indian was very submissive to them even they were Just soldiers (disregarding the ending of the poe m wherein the soldier says mire's a better man than I am, Gung Din).All throughout the poem, Gung Din was described as a poor, low and abused slave and this also indicates that these British soldiers have the power over Gung Din and they can do whatever they want to do on Gung Din and they can ask him to serve them wherever and whenever. Although what I analyzed regarding the poem when relating it to the power and optimism that the Victorians have was negative, still, it exemplifies such. This poem also shows appearances which the Englishmen is trying to do during Victorian period. The soldiers in this poem show power and prudish, unceasing their weaknesses in use of Gung Din.

“He had the wrong dreams. All, all wrong” – Creative Writing

In this essay I will consider the above statement and go through all the points of question related to it. I will then make an informed decision in the conclusion, as to whether or not I regard the statement as correct. To begin with it is important that we consider the relationship between Biff and his father, Willy. Both Willy's dreaming and his cruelty suggest that Willy lives in a world of his own. He seems to have unrealistic dreams of his own and his family's importance and in Biffs case he is puzzled as to why Biff is working on a farm and this leads to a great deal of conflict. Willy's views are liable to sudden change. One minute he says that Biff is ‘a lazy bum' and then he says that he ‘is not lazy'. It is clear that Biff is sensitive and caring and loves his family deeply, but at the end all he can do is to be cruel and force everyone to face the truth. This is why he reveals that he has been to prison for theft. Biff goes on to try and make Willy face reality in his terms. At one point he states quite clearly that it was his father who ‘blew me so full of hot air I could never stand taking orders from anybody' . It is the devastating statement that Biff and Willy are both ‘a dime a dozen' or very ordinary, that shatters Willy's dreams. In having an affair Willy betrays Biff's ideal image of his father to the extent that Biff labels him a ‘fake' and makes him decide not to re sit his exams in the summer in an attempt to spite his father for what he has done. Biff shows sensitivity towards his mother by not revealing the details of the affair to her, despite him having known it since he was seventeen. Willy's reason for the affair – that he is ‘lonely' and has no-one to talk to- is shown to be untrue, yet there is truth in the fact that he cannot communicate with his own family. Willy's love for his sons is heartfelt, but his ambitions for Biff seem to have little relation to his son's needs and desires. His neglect springs directly from his dreams. As a salesman Willy lives by his ability to engage in people and make them believe in him, and this carries over into Willy's private life. He even tells lies to his wife about the sales he has made to appear to be earning a great deal of money. Biff's claim his father ‘never knew who he was' and that he himself does suggests that he will move away from his father's model for success. Willy was inconsistent with his parenting. For a start he favoured Biff over Happy. Willy also tries to live through his sons by encouraging them to try and become the perfect salesman that he has always tried to be. As a result of Willy's dream Biff has lost confidence, according to happy, and Willy is partly responsible for disparaging his farm work However this could also be down to the fact that Biff doesn't know ‘what I'm supposed to want'. This could be one reason why Willy favours Biff over Happy because Happy oozes in confidence whereas Biff does not. Another reason why he favours Biff is because Biff is the only person who really knows about his father's affair, so Willy is trying to keep Biff happy. Willy's favouring of Biff over Happy, makes Happy constantly try to be like his father in order to please him. However, Willy seems concerned at the way Happy treats women, so he advises him ‘the world is like and oyster, but you don't crack it open on a mattress! The phrase means that you have to work to succeed, but also implies that going to bed with people is not a means to economic and social success. Happy insists that he is going to show that and that he is going to ‘win it' for Willy. Yet as Willy has lied to Happy about what he has been earning, Happy in unaware that competitiveness is ultimately fruitless, though it sustains the capitalist system. Willy's late brother Ben is seen by Willy as the personification of the American Dream. He started out with nothing and became rich through Diamond mines. From the way in which Willy speaks about Ben it is clear that he is in admiration of him, saying ‘That man was a genius, that man was success incarnate' Willy regrets not going to Alaska with Ben commenting, ‘What a mistake! He begged me to go. ‘ A note of despair enters when Willy says ‘The woods are burning'. This poetic metaphor recalls both the elm trees which Willy loved and the jungle where Ben made his fortune. The implication seems to be that the very land of opportunity itself is going up in smoke. However there is an ambiguity as to whether or not Ben is directly responsible for this. If he is then it would seem that Willy's admiration for his late brother would be somewhat misplaced. Bernard has accepted the realities of school, life and he tries to encourage Biff to â€Å"start studyin' maths†. Indeed it is likely that Biff would have joined Bernard if Willy had not told Biff that Bernard is ‘not well liked' so therefore will not succeed in the business world. However Willy is proved wrong as Bernard becomes a successful lawyer with impressive credentials. He is to be applauded for his down to earth approach to life because he has disregarded what Willy has said about him and done things his own way and been rewarded with success. Bernard and Biff's relationship parallels Charley and Willy's. If Bernard is the character who tries to make Biff face the reality of school life, then Charley is the one who tries to make Willy face the reality of working life. Charley is Willy's only friend and he indulges him. He offers him a job, only to have it thrown back into his face by an angry Willy. Charley can see that Willy could change his life if he wanted to: ‘I don't see no sense in it. You don't have to go on this way'. In reality the relationship between Charley and Willy is not that close. Charley sees Willy's one major floor is that he is always boasting about what might have happened and dislikes the fact that he constantly has to mention the things that he will not eventually accomplish. Linda and Willy have a strong marriage. Linda is a staunch defender of everything that Willy stands for yet she is also acutely aware of his nature: ‘I know he's not easy to get along with – nobody knows him better than me-†¦ Willy regularly confides his fears and weaknesses in Linda, such as when he tells Linda that he can see that other men who say fewer words -like charley- are better salesmen. Linda's reassurance shows how fragile Willy's self-respect is. He appears to depend on her support to survive and when she says that he is ‘idolized' by his sons we as the audience know that this is not true, yet without this reassuring statement, Willy might not be able to face the next day. Biff's dream is to continue to work on the farm away from the competitive Capitalist society in the city. Willy's dream on the other hand is to fulfil the American dream of going from rags to riches. I believe that in the end Willy decided to commit suicide because he decided that it was time for him to quit as he had failed in his attempt to fulfil the American dream. I believe that he may have decided to take, and act upon, the advice given to him by Bernard earlier in the play. Here Bernard is philosophical about success and advises Willy that giving up may sometimes be the best option. If you can't walk away he remarks, ‘that's when it's tough'. Willy may have decided that in his current predicament the best option would be to take the advice of walking away, and Willy may have taken this to mean committing suicide. Based on the analysis above I believe that it would be fair to say that Willy's dreams, were not necessarily wrong, but unrealistic and almost impossible for him to achieve because the Loman family were naturally suited to life in the countryside. So, Biff's opinion of his father is somewhat indecisive. I believe that over ambition and expectation proved to be Willy's downfall. Unfortunately Willy ended life believing that he had failed, when really he had not. He had just made the last mortgage payments on the house, and both of his sons were content in life. Willy attempted to keep to a set of moral and respectable principles in business, something which ultimately cost him dear. He did not believe in exploitation, rather he believed in common courtesy and decency. Had he not held close these principles then he would most likely have come closer to fulfilling the American dream. So in all it would seem that Willy was a tragic victim of society who was destroyed by the evils of capitalist society.

Wegener and the Theory of Continental Drift

Prepared for Dr. Heather Hauser Shorter University EASC 2060 The Natural World Submitted by Lillie Momon December 6, 2011 Running head: Wegener and the Theory of Continental Drift Alfred Wegener (1880-1930) was a German scientist in the fields of meteorology, astronomy, and geology. He was one of the first scientists to theorize about the continental drift or continents in motion, which supports the belief that the Earth's continents once were a single land mass. Wegener called this land mass, â€Å"Pangaea†, because the continents began to break up, and various parts drifted away from one another. According to Wegener, â€Å"the eastern shoreline of Africa and the western shoreline of South America fit together like a piece of jigsaw puzzle, and when you align the continents at their continental shelves, their fit is even better† [ (Wegener, 2007) ]. When scientist and geologist began to traveler around the world, it was even more evident that Wegener’s theory of continental drift could be possible, because scientist had once thought that the continents had started off in their places, where they now lie. However, Wegener’s theory began to change the way people looked at the world. Based on the theory of continental drift, Wegener began to gather evidence from around the world from landforms, fossils, and climate and put it in a book titled â€Å"The Origin of Continents and Oceans,† which was published in 1915. Wegener’s theory was rejected because he could not provide evidence on the force that moved the continents. Base upon the reading of, Conceptual Integrated Science, Harry Hess and Robert Dietz, both scientists came up with a hypothesis that linked, Wegener’s theory of continental drift, to seafloor spreading. The seafloor is repeatedly changing; as new lithosphere forms in mid ocean the older lithosphere is pushed from the ridge into a deep ocean trench, which causes the continents to shift† [ (Weil, 1997) ]. According to Dr. Heather Hauser, a professor at Shorter University, in the late nineteen fifties, geologists found new evidence of continental drift, such as two rocks matching exactly. Both rocks were the same age, and h ad the same exact genetic structure. These two landforms were discovered in 1958. The location of these rocks, were western South America and south eastern Africa. This discovery helps prove that continental drift has actually occurred, because it is nearly impossible for two rocks of the same kind to turn up on two separate continents [ (Hauser, 2011) ]. Then in 1912, Wegener also found a tropical plant on the island of Spitsbergen. This island lies north of Norway in the Atlantic Ocean. Today Spitsbergen is covered in ice and has polar climate. This is important because today no tropical plant can grow in Spitsbergen, because its temperature is too cold. Wegener indicated that, Spitsbergen was once closer to the equator. He thought that this was the only possible solution for the unusual discovery. At the same time when Spitsbergen was warm and tropical, Africa’s temperature was freezing, but today Africa is known for its hot and tropical climate. Some geologists have concluded that the temperature was once freezing by discovering rocks that are covered in deep scratches. These scratches were caused by continental glaciers. Today, Africa’s weather is too mild for any type of glacier to form. Wegener concluded that when Pangaea existed, it was closer to the South Pole. Based on science research, when any continent moves to either pole, their temperature begins to drop. Based upon, all of the evidence from the landforms, fossils and climate, leads one to believe that continental drift did occurred [ (Wagner, 2008) ]. Scientist also discovered particular fresh water reptile fossils that have been found in Africa and South America. These two continents were separated by the Atlantic Ocean, making it extremely difficult for the same fossil to be found on to different continent. Which makes Wegener’s theory more plausible? Scientist later discovered a fernlike plant, which had existed about two hundred and fifty years ago. Wegener used this plant to prove his theory of continental drift could have occurred, because this plant was found in many locations [ (Wagner, 2008) ]. Also based upon, the evidence from the landforms, fossils and climate, leads scientist and geologist alike to believe that continental drift, actually did occur. We also have our reading material from, Conceptual Integrated Science and a short documentary film on the earth crust that was showed in our Science class, the Natural World, which ook placed at Shorter University, supervised by, Dr. Heather Hauser, which implies that the plate tectonics are the main forces behind the changes that happen here on Earth. If we were to use some of the evident of plate tectionic,using the boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate to illustrate just a few of the fascinating features that are created along these boundaries. A ccording to the evident reviewed, the earth’s crust is not a solid mass. It is shaped more like a jigsaw puzzle that is made up of continental plates that shift around on top of the mantle. This movement takes place very slowly and large scale movement can only be measured in millions of years according to Dr. Hauser [ (Hauser, 2011) ]. Wegener’s theory is largely based on a combination of two main ideas: Continental Drift and Sea flooring. Each piece of the puzzle slides and grinds past, under, over, or away from the other pieces around it. The boundary where the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate meet is called, a convergent boundary. This is where one plate (The Pacific Plate) moves into and then underneath the other one (North America). This creates a whole lot of grinding, folding, pushing, and otherwise violent forces [ (Hewitt, 2007) ]. So therefore, based upon the evidence which have been provide in reference to the landforms, fossils, climate, seafloor spreading, and plate tectonic compels one to believe, that Alfred Wegener, theory of the continental drift really did occurred and that continental drift will continue for millions and millions or years, long after humans are gone. Hauser, D. H. (2011, November 29). The Natural World. (L. Momon, Interviewer) Hewitt, P. G. (2007). Conceptual Integrated Science. San Francisco: Pearson. Wagner, I. 2008, Aug 11). The Great Continental Drift Mystery. Retrieved November 28, 2011, from Yale Educational Curriculum: http://www. yale. edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1991/6/91. 06. 05. x. html Watson, J. (1999, Oct 11). Dynamic Contienents. Retrieved November 26, 2011, from http://pubs. usgs. gov/gip/dynamic/continents. html Wegener, A. (2007). Continental Drift-An Idea Before I ts Time. In P. G. hewitt, Conceptual Integrated Science (pp. 511-517). San Francisco: Pearson. Weil, A. (1997, Mar 6). The Rocky History of an Idea. Retrieved November 26, 2011, from Plate Tectonics: http://www. ucmp. berkeley. edu/geology/techist. html