Poverty in the United States Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Poverty in the United States - Research Paper Example Individuals born in the United States usually have better prospects and access to resources than people born in poor societies (Chappell 2010, 45). Thus, they benefit from a better quality of life and bigger earnings. Similarly, impoverished children who reside and go to school in communities with more affluent families will likely have greater opportunities than children who reside in communities where they intermingle only with other impoverished children (Aliprantis & Zenker 2011, 1). This essay tries to discuss the current condition of poverty in the United States by taking into account several factors, particularly the impact of welfare programs on poverty. The American Dilemma The Census Bureau in the United States specifies a group of income thresholds that rely on household composition and size, and members of a household are regarded poor if the overall income of their household is below the correct threshold (Iceland 2003, 20). However, it is important to point out that thi s description computes income before transfers and taxes, and thus there is much disagreement about whether it might be more useful for future assessments to classify poverty as regards to consumption (p. 20). Rates of poverty have fluctuated between 11% and 15% of the population over the recent decades (Aliprantis & Zenker 2011, 1). Statistics from 2010 exhibit a noticeable increase in the rate of poverty during the most recent economic depression (Bishaw 2011, 2-3). Even though the rise was distributed across racial groups, the eventual patterns in poverty differ when divided by race. Figure 1. Percentage of the People Living in Poverty Areas by State: 2006-2010 *graph taken from Bishaw (2011, 3) Prevalence of poverty among the white population have somewhat remained the same over the recent decades. Prevalence of poverty among the Asian population dropped in the latter part of the 1990s and has been the same as that of whites over the recent decades. For instance, the rate of pov erty for the Asian population in 2010 was 12% (U.S. Census Bureau 2010, 694). Poverty rates for the Hispanic and Black populations have differed; although the prevalence of poverty for these populations dropped significantly all over the 1990s, they are situated at a noticeably higher point than other populations (U.S. Census Bureau 2010, 694). As revealing as figures of individual-level poverty are for identifying the earnings accessible to individual members of a household, they fail to generate data about the resources accessible to individuals through their community. This is significant since it is not difficult to think of numerous explanations that the poverty in a specific community might be similarly significant to the poverty of an individual’s household (Aliprantis & Zenker 2011, 2). An impoverished household residing in an affluent community could have greater opportunities for it might have access to more quality education, more accurate and updated information a bout employment availability, or better access to public services than an impoverished family residing in a poor community. Figure 2. Distribution of People by Race and Ethnicity and by Poverty Level of Tracts: 2010 *taken from Bishaw (2011, 7) The United States put into effect in the 1960s one of the most aggressive social policy programs of the 20th century by declaring an all-out ‘

Criminal Justice Issues in Democratic Society

Criminal Justice Issues in Democratic Society What are the major crime control or major criminal justice issues that face advanced democracies? Advanced democracies are mainly based around the liberal social democratic model which places a high value on the idea of human rights and freedom of choice across a wide spectrum of human activities (Bevir, M. (2005) 1-10) (Choongh, S. (1997) Ch. 1) (Fennell, P., Harding, C., Jà ¶rg, N. and Swart, B. (1995) Chap. 1). This emphasis on human rights extends into the field of criminal justice which is an essential component of any advanced democracy (Coates, R., Davis, G., Messmer, H. and Umbreit, M. (1992) 1-5) (Cochrane, J., Marsh, I. and Melville, G. (2004) 1-5). This typically involves a concept of crime control which aims to protect society from violence and violent offenders as well as punishing criminals for infringing the law (Ashworth, A. (2006) 1-5) (Bean, P. (2004) Ch. 1) (Fielding, N. (1995) Ch. 1). However, this focus creates problems because the rights of the victim will also have to be counterbalanced against the rights of the defendant. Often there are conflicting interests at stake and it is often the rights that the rights of the criminal are resolved at the detriment of the victim of the crime, or vice versa (Allan, T. (1994) 1-5) (Ashworth, A. (2006) 1-5) (Bean, P. (2004) Ch. 1). A good starting point for a discussion of the major issues which affect criminal justice is a discussion of what the purpose of a criminal justice system is in advanced democracies. The criminal justice system imposes sanctions on people who are deemed to have broken the law. It is based on independent principles, and there is a mechanism which involves an independent tribunal of enquiry into whether or not a person broke the law. The test of whether a person has broken the law usually involves whether or not a prosecuting authority can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the person concerned infringed the law. Therefore the purpose of the criminal justice system is twofold; it involves the identification of criminals, and it operates to impose fair and consistent sanctions on those who have broken the law, in an effort to protect society form criminal activity and to give the victim a measure of peace of mind and sense that justice has been served in the measure of punishment which has been imposed. However, in a sense the abstracted concept of the purpose and functionality of the criminal justice system is quite far apart from the actual translation of these principles ‘on the ground’ so to speak. This difficulty has led many to question to approaches which have been taken to criminal justice issues within various advanced democracies. This has given rise to a body of debate as to which approach is better and for what reasons. The main crime control and criminal justice issues which are tied up within a complex lexis of sociological, political and legal factors (Dixon, J. and Macarov, D. (1998) Chap. 1) (McLaughlin, Ferguson, Hughes and Westmarland (2003-2004) Chap. 1), which emanate from this political background (Bevir, M. (2005) 1-10) (Choo, A. (1993) 1-5) (Choongh, S. (1997) Ch. 1). There are issues such as deprivation, social exclusion, poverty, drug addiction, prostitution, rising population, youth deprivation, violence and unemployment which all have a role to play in influencing the criminal justice system (Coxall, B. and Robins, L. (1998) Chap 1 and 2) (Denver, D., King, A., McLean, I., Norris, P., Norton, P., Sanders, D. and Seyd, P. (1998) 1-5) and the issues which form part of its application within advanced democracies (Allan, T. (1994) 1-5) (Ashworth, A. (2006) 1-5) (Bean, P. (2004) Ch. 1). This essay will attempt to extract themes from this background and discuss them with reference to the q uestion. So how is it possible to extract themes from this background, and to identify them as major criminal justice issues? Perhaps it is important to emphasis that this is a subjective exercise and any list of major criminal justice issues will necessarily not be an exhaustive list. Nevertheless it is possible to surmise what the most important themes would be. The purpose and function of punishment is a major criminal justice issue. What may be achieved through the punishment of the offender?; should the law have a pragmatic approach which aims to find the best possible solution in this regard for society at large?; or should the focus be more microcosmic and focus on the individual needs of the victim, and how they feel in relation to their experience of the results of crime? These are all questions which must be addressed in addressing this as a major criminal justice theme in relation to criminal justice in advanced democracies. The issue of crime control is also a major theme for the purpose of criminal justice in advanced democracies. How should one approach the detection of crime; should one have a utilitarian or a deontological perspective on how terrorism should be detected and prevented? and how important are human rights within the process? Should human rights be sacrificed for the purposes of preventing further terrorist attacks ? These are all very important questions which will be explored in examining this issue. One major theme which affects societies in advanced democracies is the debate as to whether punishment should be aimed more at retribution, or rehabilitation of the offender (Bevir, M. (2005) 1-10) (Singer, P. (1990) 1-20) (Marshall, T. (1999) 1). This is a difficult question to approach. It is clear that the UK for example has taken an approach which comes down firmly in favour of the rehabilitation of the offender (Allan, T. (1994) 1-5) (Ashworth, A. (2006) 1-5). It is difficult to speculate as to why this is the case, however if we are to draw perspective from the current sociological climate it is correct to tie this rationale to the fact that prison populations are expanding beyond control in the UK, and the government have had to impose strategies which reduce this problem. As Cochrane, J., Marsh, I. and Melville, G. (2004) surmise: ‘†¦.newer, harsher initiatives have similarly had little effect on the size of the prison population or on rates of recidivism. Without going into great detail, some overall figures will help illustrate the pressures on the prison system in Britain and provide a context for considering the different philosophies of punishment. The prison population in Britain has continued to rise pretty steadily over the past few decades, with over 71,000 people in Prison Service establishments in 2002 (Home Office data, Social Trends 33, 2003). The number of people given immediate custodial sentences in 1999 was over 105,000 compared to just under 80,000 four years previously (Home Office data, Annual Abstract of Statistics, 2002)†¦ (Cochrane, J., Marsh, I. and Melville, G. (2004) 4)’. One strategy therefore is to impose more community based penalties on offenders, such as tagging of offenders, curfews, drugs and alcohol addiction programmes and suspended sentences on criminals rather than prison based sentences, which are often regarded as the last resort (Singer, P. (1990) 1-20) (Marshall, T. (1999) 1). Contrast this approach with the approach taken in America where crime control is probably more retributionist than the UK system. The presence of the death penalty in some states in America evidences this contrast. Proponents of each system offer various justifications for their favoured approach. Proponents of the American system would argue that stiffer penalties deter criminals from engaging in repetitive patterns of criminal activity. Conversely, proponents of the approach taken in the UK would argue that the prison system simply perpetuates the problems associated with repeat offending (Cohen, M. (2005) 1-5) (Davies, M., Croall, H. and Tyrer, J. (2005) Chap.1) since in this system a person is more likely to be sent to prison for relatively minor offences. When in the prison population these individuals are exposed to more hardened criminals from whom they can become associated with or learn more sinister patterns of criminal activity. For this reason, it is argued that the system which focuses less on retribution and more on offender rehabilitation is more effective at reducing levels of crime in society since criminals are kept away from these situations where more hardened patterns of cr iminal propensity can be formed. Another problem which faces advanced democracies are problems associated with terrorism, and how the criminal justice system should handle the detection of and the punishment of crimes associated with extreme forms of terrorism. The impact of the September 11th attacks in America, and the London underground attacks launched on the West by Al Qaeda have become benchmarks for a renewed terrorist campaign against advanced democracies in the West, and extreme Muslim terrorist groups. The approach to terrorism in the UK has been focused simultaneously on the detection of crime, greater public awareness of the problems of terrorism and an appeal to moderate sectors of the Muslim community, whereas most of the measures which we have seen formulated as the Patriot Act in America have focused on bolstering the security services with more powers to detect terrorist related crime. An example which highlights this contrast between the two systems can be found by looking at the development of powers relating to the control of terrorism in advanced democracies. In the UK for example, the approach may be characterised colloquially as ‘softly, softly’. There was a huge public outcry when an innocent man was shot dead on the underground system shortly after the July attacks on the Underground system. This can be contrasted with the system in America which allows law enforcement officials to carry guns and where armed clashes are more likely to occur as a result. In the UK new powers are being debated which extend the powers of police officers to question suspects of terrorism. The system as it stands does not permit officers to question a suspect after charges have been brought. This is seen as the end of the matter. However, police are to be allowed in future to question terrorism suspects long after charges have been brought. These new powers are seen as useful particularly in complex cases where large amounts of evidence have been gathered in the investigation. This new law also reflects the growing sophistication of terrorism which now can be aided through laptops and sophisticated technology which stores information in an encrypted form. The laws in England have also controversially been extended to extend the amount of time a terrorism suspect can be detained without charge. The government’s efforts to secure 90 days for the police to hold terrorism suspects without charge were defeated in the Commons. This can be sharply contrasted with the American system, which has secured powers to hold detainees in Guantanamo Bay without charge and indefinitely. The strength of feeing about 9/11 in America has given this more oppressive system germination and propelled it now, even when more than three years have passed since the attacks on the twin towers. Therefore we can see a dichotomy emerging also which highlights a disconnect between these two examples of how criminal justices themes have emerged as divergent within the spectrum of advanced democracies. To turn now to further examples of criminal justice issues in advanced democracies, these have in many ways highlighted similar issues. Major criminal justice themes have been approached differently in other advanced democracies such as those in continental Europe. Many European countries for example have seen their foreign policy as linked with their efforts to structure the criminal justice system. The troop withdrawal from Iraq and the effects which were projected in relation to this have influenced what is important within these criminal justice systems. Advanced democracies such as India have also had their criminal justice systems influenced by the issues of terrorism and associated crime control. The Indian system sees the shape of their criminal justice system with respect to the detection of terrorism as having a considerable impact upon their ability to forge relationships with actors in the West with whom a political alliance can be economically advantageous. In conclusion this essay has examined the criminal justice system issues which have moved to the forefront of the political and legal agenda in advanced democracies. The issues of social exclusion, the debate about whether retribution or rehabilitation should be the focus of the efforts of the criminal justice system and the approaches taken to terrorism and the new brand of terrorism which has been seen recently have all been evaluated. The diversity which is involved in assessing the contributions and effects of criminal justice issues across different advanced democratic systems shows us how difficult it is to make generalisations about what issues are major in the area of criminal justice. This essay has attempted to extrapolate what themes may be important generally within different advanced democracies. The difference in how each issue develops and manifests itself has been highlighted in the essay. Bibliography Books Allan, T. (1994) Law, Liberty, and Justice: The Legal Foundations of British Constitutionalism. Publisher: Oxford University. Place of Publication: Oxford. Ashworth, A. (2006) Principles of Criminal Law. Publisher: Oxford University Press. Place of Publication: Oxford. Bean, P. (2004) Drugs and Crime. Publisher: Willan Publishing. Place of Publication: UK. Bevir, M. (2005). New Labour: A Critique. Publisher: Routledge. Place of Publication: London. Choo, A. (1993) Abuse of Process and Judicial Stays of Criminal Proceedings. Publisher: Oxford University. Place of Publication: Oxford. Choongh, S. (1997) Policing as Social Discipline. Publisher: Clarendon Press Oxford. Place of Publication: Oxford. Christie, N. (2004) A Suitable Amount of Crime. Publisher: Routledge. Place of Publication: New York. Coates, R., Davis, G., Messmer, H. and Umbreit, M. (1992) Making Amends: Mediation and Reparation in Criminal Justice. Publisher: Routledge. Place of Publication: New York. Cochrane, J., Marsh, I. and Melville, G. (2004) Criminal Justice: An Introduction to Philosophies, Theories and Practice. Publisher: Routledge. Place of Publication: London. Cohen, M. (2005) The Costs of Crime and Justice. Publisher: Routledge. Place of Publication: New York. Coxall, B. and Robins, L. (1998) British Politics Since the War. Palgrave. London. Davies, M., Croall, H. and Tyrer, J. (2005) An Introduction to The Criminal Justice System in England and Wales. Publisher: Longman: Place of Publication: London. Denver, D., King, A., McLean, I., Norris, P., Norton, P., Sanders, D. and Seyd, P. (1998) New Labour Triumphs: Britain at the Polls. Publisher: Chatham House Publishers. Place of Publication: Chatham, NJ. Dixon, J. and Macarov, D. (1998) Poverty: A Persistent Global Reality. Publisher: Routledge. Place of Publication: London. Fennell, P., Harding, C., Jà ¶rg, N. and Swart, B. (1995) Criminal Justice in Europe: A Comparative Study. Publisher: Clarendon Press. Place of Publication: Oxford. Fielding, N. (1995). Community Policing. Publisher: Clarendon Press. Place of Publication: Oxford. McLaughlin, Ferguson, Hughes and Westmarland (2003-2004) Restorative Justice critical issues. Publisher: Sage Publications. Place of publication: UK. Singer, P. (1990) A companion to ethics. Publisher: Blackwell. Place of publication: Oxford. Articles Marshall, T. (1999) Restorative justice: an overview. Publisher: The Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate. Place of publication: UK. Websites Used http://www.restorativejustice.org.uk/?Glossary

Lord of the Flies :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The difference in the way humans perceive things is apart of mankind. Golding believes evil is an inborn characteristic. Are people born evil or is it just human nature to do â€Å"wrong† or â€Å"bad† things simply to survive? Golding’s pessimism about human nature would suggest people are all naturally evil in one way or another. When innocent boys are set on an island without any adult supervision, are they going to do the â€Å"good† or the â€Å"bad† things? There actions simply are neither good nor evil; their actions are for survival in an unknown place.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Humans are always, by natural instinct, going to do what they think is best for them. Ralph attacked his own kind for survival. People will do anything to survive, even if it’s the bad things. The boys on the island later began to resemble the behavior of animals. The boys mistake Simon for their beast and result in brutally killing him. The boys had the instinct of killing anything in sight that looked or seemed like the beast.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Instincts are not about being good or bad because the issue of being good or bad is undefined. Whether an action is either good nor bad, it all depends on the person and how the person is acting. If you think you’re doing something that you’re used to doing and thinking it’s right, but on the other hand a person who doesn’t know you may say that you’re ding something evil. The opinions on which people think things are good or evil depends on both sides. In Lord of the Flies, there is a situation with Piggy’s glasses, which is the key item for building the fire. His glasses were stolen in the night, which leads to a brawl within the kids because their Piggy’s only seeing ability.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Society sets a mold for the â€Å"good† and â€Å"bad† conditions that humans are learning from day to day. The role of society in being good or evil is that it acts as the guideline for that long-lived dream of acceptance. It’s where evil is what will make you repulsive. Jack manipulates the boys into joining his tribe and sets up his territory on the island. He threatens people to join his tribe, and hunts those who refuse. A society could not exist where people are brought u to know what they define as right or wrong. On the island, the civilized rules of having water, shelter, and food are not followed.

Written Analysis and Communication: Report on Homesafe Limited

Homesafe Ltd. Written Analysis and Communication Instructor: Dr. Seema Khanvilkar Submitted By: Apurv Jain, D023 Shreyansh Jain, D027 Mohit Sejwal, D055 Vinay Pal, D045 Sahil Bhavnani, D006 Aman Jakhar, D030 Letter of Transmittal To, Dr. Seema Khanvilkar, Business Communication Faculty, SBM, NMIMS – Mumbai Date: 4th March 2013 From, Div D, MBA – I Subject: Report on Homesafe Ltd. Respected Ma’am, With reference to the meeting held on 20th Feb, 13 regarding the recommendation required on Homesafe Ltd. case, I am enclosing the complete report with our recommendations.We recommend that Holmes should help Jackson find a part time job in an external unrelated business. This will be a win-win situation for both the parties. Sincerely, Div D Executive Summary This is report about a challenging situation faced by George Holmes, the founder of Homesafe Ltd. an emerging start-Â ­? up. Homesafe was doing very well with business prospering and expanding demand. Holmes found himself in a tricky situation when Jackson, the purchase manager of his largest client, Dwason’s, subtly suggested that he needed an alternate source of income and if Holmes did not help, Homesafe might lose business with Dwason’s. Holmes as several options like offering Jackson direct help, help him find employment elsewhere or to let go of business with Dwason’s. We recommended that Holmes leverages his personal network to find Jackson a part time job in an external unrelated business. This will conserve the relationship between Holmes and Jackson and will be in the best interest of both. Report SITUATION ANALYSIS Homesafe Ltd is an emerging start-Â ­? up in the security space. It was a started as a single product company by an engineer, George Holmes in his personal workshop. Over the year this company has grown significantly and added an advisory services vertical oo. There is significant demand for the company’s products and the business has been p rofitable in both the years. Things are looking good with business prospering, Homes has had some of his old friends join him in his business which they operate part time. Holmesafe also recently recruited fulltime employees and shifted to new premises. Holmes has invested significantly in networking and has maintained personal relationship with his clients and till a certain extend relies on these relations to push his sales too. Most prominent of these, is his relationship with Jackson, who is a procurement manager at Dwason’s Ltd, Homesafe’s argest client. During the course of these years Jackson was also offered a job at Homesafe but refused to take it up as there was a conflict of interest. One day, Holmes finds himself in a tricky situation when Jackson calls him and hints at his bleak cash situation and how a little more cash will help him. Jackson also subtly threatens Homes that Dawson’s might start buying from Browns instead of Homesafe. Although there is enough demand in the market and the security segment is growing Homes still has to think weather he can afford to lose the contract with Dwason’s. Homes has to evaluate this situation carefully and weigh his ptions of how to deal with Jackson. PROBLEM STATEMENT Should Holmes help Jackson to find him a part time job? OPTIONS 1. Holmes hires Frank Jackson as a part time employee at Homesafe 2. Offer Jackson a part time consultant role in Advisory Services 3. Help Jackson find a part time job in an external unrelated business 4. Not providing Jackson any assistance CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION 1. Holmes Ltd. ’s revenues 2. Holmes Ltd. ’s relationship with Dawson’s Ltd. 3. Frank Jackson’s conflict of interest 4. Legal implications EVALUATION OF OPTIONS George Holmes hires Frank Jackson as a part time employee for the position of a buyer IfGeorge Holmes hires Frank Jackson as an employee in his company then they might lose their partnership with the Daws on’s Ltd. since earlier on Thomas, Jackson’s boss had not approved of Jackson working with a supplier. There would be a significant conflict of interest which might pose a legal problems for both Dwason’s and jackson’s too. Since major part of the revenues comes from there, the next year’s revenues would come down steeply. Their relationship with Dawson limited would also be strained hence we can rule this option out. Offer Jackson a part time consultant role in Advisory Services By choosing this option Holmesafe ould be able to mitigate direct legal implications and also the conflict of interest can be reduced. However this is also not ideal as Jackson still would be associated with Homesafe. From Homesafe’s point of view this arrangement will work because Jackson will get a job and their relationship with Dwason’s will persist. Help Jackson find a part time job in an external unrelated business In this option there would be minimal conflict of interest and virtually no legal implications. This will be a win-Â ­? win situation for both as Jackson will find an alternate stream of income and his relationship with Holmes will continue to be ordial. This way Homesafe will be able to continue their sales to Dwason’s. Not provide assistance for his personal problem at all Choosing this option would result in a priority clash between Holmes & Jackson and thus would prune the revenues of Holmesafe in coming years as Jackson would convince his superiors to end contract with Holmesafe & hire Browns instead. The relationship between Jackson & Holmes would thus end on a bitter note, thus bringing an end to symbiotic relationship. We can rule this option out too. RECOMMENDATION We recommend that Holmes helps Jackson find a part time job in an external unrelated business. This ill benefit everyone involved and will be the most ethical choice too. Holmes helped Jackson in the capacity of a friend. PLAN OF ACTION Holme s should explain Jackson how a Job at Homesafe would be counterproductive for everyone and how he will help find him a job at an external business. Holmes by nature maintains good personal relationships with people around him. He would have significant personal contacts that he can leverage and recommend Jackson to them for a Job. Also he is joined by several of his friends at Homesafe that can also help Jackson find a job. Together they can find Jackson a job in their personal network only.

A Doll’s House Essay

Perspective of A Doll’s House Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House uses emotional conversations to depict a family living in false emotional circumstances and having to come to terms with reality. The title A Doll’s House describes the facade of a family living in a nice house. The platitude â€Å"All that glitters is not gold† means that not everything that looks good on the outside is not good on the inside, like a doll’s house. In the first part of the play, Nora’s old friend from school, Mrs. Linde arrives impromptu. Nora is very fast to describe to her what a good life she has; â€Å"So you are quite alone.How dreadfully sad that must be. I have three lovely children. You cannot see them just now, for they are out with their nurse† (7). This shows how important it is to Nora to keep up her facade of having a nice home and a good life. It’s also makes a distance between the two women's lives, even if Mrs. Linde tells Nora ab out her poor family situation, Nora still brags. During the conversation, Nora tells Mrs. Linde about her secret; that she has borrowed money from Krogstad, one of the bankers in town, to help her husband Torvald a long time ago.Torvald does not know anything about the loan and Mrs. Linde is surprised about it and she thinks Nora should tell him about it. Nora answers; â€Å"†¦ And besides, how painful and humiliating it would be for Torvald, with his manly independence, to know that he owed me anything! It would upset our mutual relations altogether; our beautiful happy home would no longer be what it is now† (12). This reflects the old sight of male and female position in the home or relation; the man is the one who should be responsible for the income and be independent. The female part is the opposite.The last sentence from Nora, demonstrates once again how important it is for her that her life looks perfect from the viewer’s sight. Nora is in a very hard situ ation with Krogstad because of the loan she took a long time ago. Krogstad behaves insipid against Nora in the middle of the play, when he threats her to tell Torvald about the loan. She talks to Dr. Rank, an old friend of the family, and she is very close to betraying her big secret, but instead she just informs him; â€Å"You can do nothing for me now. Besides I really don’t need any help at all. You will find that the whole thing is merely fancy on my part.It really is so-of course it is! † (41). From this we learn that Nora changes her sight of her self. She acts very clearly to Dr. Rank for many reasons, for example to get rid of Dr. Rank’s curiosity and also to convince her self that she has done the right thing and that everything is going to be fine. It also shows one of her first steps into her independence. In the end of the play, Nora realizes that her life is not real, is not perfect, is not fantastic; it is just like a dream story from outside like she always wanted her life to be – but she is not satisfied.Nora decides to tell Torvald about how she feels and she forces him to talk with her seriously; â€Å"I say that we have never sat down in earnest together to try to get at the bottom of anything. † Torvald answers â€Å"But, dearest Nora, would it have been any good to you? † (66). It looks like Torvald doesn’t think Nora has her own thoughts, or her own willing. He does not listen to her or maybe he does not want to listen to her. Nora continues to inform Torvald about her feelings, about how he and her father have made a big sin against her. â€Å"It is your fault that I have made nothing of my life† (66).Nora is much older now then she was when she first met Torvald, and she has changed during the years. Both of them play their roles very well and it is not only Torvald’s fault that she has not been able to do something of her life. When it comes to someone’s life, it is very much up to the person herself. Nora tells Torvald that she has never been standing on her own feet, â€Å"I have been your doll wife, just as at home I was Papa’s doll child; and here the children have been my dolls. I thought it great fun when you played with me, just as they thought it was great fun when I played with them.That is what our marriage has been, Torvald† (67). Ibsen describes how Nora gets an insight about which kind of life she lives. The image pattern of Nora shows a change comparing of the beginning of the book when she brags in front of people. The three children stand for happiness but Nora does not seem to have a close and genuine relationship to them. It is just a scene. Nora comes to a point in her life when she understands that she lives an unreal life and she has to do something about it. Ibsen shows that she is able to take the step out of the marriage like an independent person.Everyone thinks she lives her life like a doll in a perfect home. Ibsen’s choice of title is both good and ironic; good because it brings thoughts to the perfect family-life, and ironic because the play tells about how the inside of the house; the family, the marriage, the relations etc. , struggles with a lot of problems in contrast to the facade. One of Ibsen’s messages about marriage and family is to manage to be happy together, everyone has to take care and understand herself before she can take care of others. When a person is independent and safe on her own, she is able to love and take care of her true love and family.

Dune Precis essays

Dune Precis essays Dune is an excellent novel for science fiction lovers. Paul, the son of Duke Leto of House Atreides, has been living a life of preparation, but he does not know why he has been training. Arrakis is a desert planet useful to the empire for only one thing: the spice. The spice is a remarkable substance that has properties that can be used for virtually anything. Paul does not know why his father has chosen to rule over Arrakis or why he continues to train, but after a series of unfortunate events, Paul finds out that he is the seed for the long awaited Kwisatz Haderach. The Kwisatz Haderach is a male Bene Gesserit. The Bene Gesserit is a group of women who a partially clairvoyant and can manipulate minds. The Kwisatz Haderach is known to have organic mental powers that are able to bridge time and space. Paul realizes that his genetic makeup is the root for the Kwisatz Haderach. In order to survive, Paul must dominate Arrakis. The Fremen, the native desert-dwellers of Arrakis, offer their aid to Paul because they believe that the Prophecy has come. The Fremen believe that Paul is the promised messiah and that he will liberate them. The obstacles that lay ahead of him are the opposing House Harkonnens and the Emperor himself. Paul uses his newly acquired ally and his mental powers to outwit the opposing Harkonnens. After a series of water spilling (water is a scarcity of Arrakis and blood is considered valuable for its water content) battles, Paul wins control of Arrakis and now faces the Sardaukar, the elite forces of the Emperor. ...

Night6 essays

Night6 essays The Nazis caused more destruction than just killing innocent Jews, they destroyed their peace, God, and humanity. Elie Wiesels Night, illustrates that by telling his experience in the concentration camps. Elie begins to question his strong feelings for God. He is left only with is memory of having privacy and peace as he did in Sighet. Elie loses his respect of being treated as a human rather than an animal. The experience of Night is fatal to Elie as it destroys his peace, his God, and his humanity. Elies faith for God weakens more and more. In the beginning, Elies love for the Lord is very powerful. During the day, I studied Talmud, and at night, I run to the synagogue to weep over the destruction of the temple. (1) Elie practices Judaism every day by going to the synagogue where he prays. Elie first sees the crematories and the ditches that were deaths to so many Jews. For the first time, I felt revolt rise up in me. Why should I bless his name? The eternal, Lord of the Universe, the All-powerful and Terrible was silent. What had I to thank him for? (31) Elie is unsure about God and what he is doing to them. Elie is finally convinced that God has given up on him. I felt very strong. I was the accuser, God the accused. My eyes were open and terribly alone in the world without God and without man. (65) Elie no longer relies on God. He is on his own. By the end of the book, Elies faith for God has been so watered down, and it will take him a long time to regain that faith. In the beginning of the book, Elie and his family lived undisturbed and very peacefully. A wind of calmness and reassurance blew through our houses. (7) Elie and his family had their own personal space and just went with the flow. When Elie arrives at the camps, he soon realizes that it wont be like at home at all. Even if you were simply passing from one to the other, sever...

Natural Selection Hands On Lesson Plan

Natural Selection Hands On Lesson Plan Students tend to understand concepts better after performing hands-on activities that reinforce the ideas they are studying. This lesson plan on natural selection can be used in many different ways and can be changed to meet the needs of all types of learners. Materials 1. A variety of at least five different kinds of dried beans, split peas, and other legume seeds of various sizes and colors (can be purchased at the grocery store relatively inexpensively). 2. At least three pieces of carpet or cloth (about a square yard) of different colors and texture types. 3. Plastic knives, forks, spoons, and cups. 4. Stopwatch or clock with a second hand. Natural Selection Hands-On Activity Each group of four students should: 1. Count out 50 of each kind of seed and scatter them on the piece of carpet. The seeds represent individuals of a prey population. The different kinds of seeds represent genetic variations or adaptations among the members of the population or different species of prey. 2. Equip three students with a knife, spoon, or fork to represent a population of predators. The knife, spoon, and fork represent variations in the predator population. The fourth student will act as a timekeeper. 3. At the signal of GO given by the timekeeper, the predators proceed to catch prey. They must pick prey off the carpet using their respective tool only and transfer the prey into their cup (no fair putting the cup on the carpet and pushing seeds into it). Predators should only grab one prey at a time rather than scooping the prey up in large numbers. 4. At the end of 45 seconds, the timekeeper should signal STOP. This is the end of the first generation. Each predator should count their number of seeds and record the results. Any predator with fewer than 20 seeds has starved and is out of the game. Any predator with more than 40 seeds successfully reproduced an offspring of the same type. One more player of this type will be added to the next generation. Any predator that has between 20 and 40 seeds is still alive but has not reproduced. 5. Collect the surviving prey off the carpet and count the number for each type of seed. Record the results. Reproduction of the prey population is now represented by adding one more prey of that type the number for every 2 seeds that survived, simulating sexual reproduction. The prey is then scattered on the carpet for the second generation round. 6. Repeat steps 3-6 for two more generations. 7. Repeat steps 1-6 using a different environment (carpet) or compare results with other groups who used different environments. Suggested Discussion Questions 1. The prey population started with an equal number of individuals of each variation. Which variations became more common in the population over time? Explain why. 2. Which variations became less common in the total population or were eliminated entirely? Explain why. 3. Which variations (if any) remained about the same in the population over time? Explain why. 4. Compare the data between the different environments (types of carpet). Were the results the same in the prey populations in all environments? Explain. 5. Relate your data to a natural prey population. Can natural populations be expected to change under pressure of changing biotic or abiotic factors? Explain. 6. The predator population started with an equal number of individuals of each variation (knife, fork, and spoon). Which variation became more common in the total population over time? Explain why. 7. Which variations were eliminated from the population? Explain why. 8. Relate this exercise to a natural predator population. 9. Explain how natural selection works in changing the prey and predator populations over time.

Answer the questions according to reading Essay

Answer the questions according to reading - Essay Example These four studies demonstrate the power of institutions in shaping gender identities through the dominant theme of power between the dominant racial male and the dominated female and other male racial groups, and in order to attain meaningful racial and gender equality changes, the causes of heteronormativity must be determined, followed by recommendations that impact individual mindset and institutional paradigm changes. Powerful institutions create specific gender and race identities and images of sexualities by designing and implementing oppressive gendered and sexualized beliefs, attitudes, policies, and practices. Lindsey Feitz and Joane Nagel understand the connections among race, gender, and sexuality in â€Å"The Militarization of Gender and Sexuality in the Iraq War.† They assert that the American government, specifically through the U.S. Army, produces and reproduces sexual and racial repression through its wartime practices, specifically the sexualization of female soldiers and the promotion of â€Å"female masculinities† (Feitz and Nagel 201). These sexual relations and identities reinforce ideas of heteronormativity, despite the rising number of women soldiers in the U.S. military. Furthermore, what is clear in the sexual industries is the gender and ethnic differences between the dominant racial man and the oppressed sexualized woman, thereby intersecting gender and race issues. Feitz and Nagel underscore gender and race in seeing minorities as sexual objects and as tools of the war. Private First Class Jessica Lynch has gender and race that opposed that of her kidnappers, where the media showed how â€Å"American men [saved] a pretty, young, white American woman from the possible sexual and personal assault by dark and dangerous Iraqis† (Feitz and Nagel 206). The impact of the media coverage in Lynch’s staged rescue attempt is the formulation of racialization in war, apart from the gendering of military women in war. These examples show the role of the military in expressing and implementing oppressive gendered, racial, and sexualized beliefs in their practices. War rape becomes a method for suppressing other races through gender exploitation. The same intersection of ethnicity and gender is present in â€Å"‘Check Me Out’: Queer encounters in Sharif Waked’s Chic Point: Fashion for Israeli Checkpoints.† In this article, Hochberg shows the impact of institutionalized racism on repressed gender and race identities. Sharif Waked’s Chic Point: Fashion for Israeli Checkpoints shows how checkpoints are a new arena of power play for political and gender subjugation because they seek to â€Å"produce the Palestinian body both as a symbol of imminent danger (â€Å"the terrorist†) and as the object of complete subjugation lacking any political agency (â€Å"the occupied†)† (Hochberg 578). These checkpoints demonstrate the sexualization of power even a gainst men, where the othering of Palestinian men (and women) is performed through stripping them and removing them of their privacy, perhaps even dignity. Their racial identities are then sexualized for political purposes that seek to marginalize them and make them feel powerless, physically, sexually and psychologically. These articles demonstrate that these practices and institutions promote oppressed gender and

The dark side of uhckleberry finn Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The dark side of uhckleberry finn - Essay Example The dark side of the story and of Huckleberry Finn himself is the central dilemma for Finn regarding what he should do with the escaped slave and his friend, Jim. Slavery and the ownership of one man by another was an accepted fact in the times and Huckleberry Finn is actually troubled by the concept that he is aiding and abetting an escaped slave (Bennett, 1974). His conscious is bothering him since civil duties and civic responsibilities ask him to return his friend to the master so he can be punished for his behavior while loyalty asks him to continue to help his buddy get to eventual freedom. Huck discusses this dilemma and debates it with himself when he says: â€Å"I tried to make out to myself that I warn’t to blame, because I didn’t run Jim off from his rightful owner; but it warn’t no use, conscience up and say, every time: ‘But you knowed he was running for his freedom, and you could a paddled ashore and told somebody (Wikisource, 2006).† F urther on in the passage Huck says: Conscience says to me: ‘What had poor Miss Watson done to you, that you could see her nigger go off right under your eyes and never say one single word? What did that poor old woman do to you, that you could treat her so mean? I got to feeling so mean and so miserable I most wished I was dead (Wikisource, 2006).† Huck is placed in the same dilemma again when he learns that Jim wants to steal his wife and children as well. Of course we can certainly appreciate the motives of Jim since he wishes to have his family with him and be free from the bondage of slavery but again Huckleberry Finn asks himself if he is doing the right thing by taking another man’s property (Bennett, 1974). While Finn is not above petty theft, he draws the line when it comes to real valuable property i.e. slaves, inheritance and entertainment money which belong to someone else. Essentially, it had

Statistics case memo Project Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Case memo - Statistics Project Example This data represent 21 New Jersey counties. This report will examine correctness of the charge that New Jersey banks have been withdrawing from urban areas with a high percentage of minorities. For this, I will use Asbury Park Press compiled county by county data and summarize this data set using scatter diagram and the descriptive statistics and presents findings in this memo. The importance of this study is to test whether banks serve their own communities. A scatterplot is created taking â€Å"x† as the percentage of the population within each county that is minority and â€Å"y† as people in each county per branch bank within the county. Figure 1 shows the scatter diagram of minority percentage (independent variable x) against the number of people per bank branch (dependent variable y). There appears a strong direct positive relationship between the number of people in county per branch bank and the percentage of minority population in county. The R2 value of 0.5265 indicates that about 52.65% of the variation in the number of people in county per branch bank is explained by the percentage of minority population in county. This is a strong effect. However, the other 47.35% of the variation in the number of people in county per branch bank remains unexplained. The slope coefficient of regression of 35.89 suggests that for every percent increase in minority population in the county, the number of people per bank branch increases by about 36 on average. The intercept coefficient of regression of 2082 suggests that for no minority population in the county, the number of people per bank branch will be about 2,082 on average. The p-value for â€Å"x† variable the percentage of minority population in the county is 0.0002, which is less than 0.01. Therefore, the percentage of minority population in the county significantly predicts the number of people in county

The aviation sector plays a key role in the tourism industry. In the Essay

The aviation sector plays a key role in the tourism industry. In the light of low cost carriers they have opened up many new to - Essay Example Conclusion 7 References 7 Appendix 9 1. Introduction Airline carriers have a key role in the development of tourism worldwide; their contribution to the development of destinations is related primarily to the increase of profits of local businesses; however, the development of a place as a cultural destination could be also achieved through the airline carriers – without which the visiting of the above place would be extremely difficult. Indeed, airline carriers have offered the chance to travellers to be informed on the existence of places, which are distinctive in terms of their commercial or cultural tradition. In practice, it has been proved that airline carriers are also benefited by destinations; these benefits can be either direct, i.e. increase of profits, or indirect, i.e. increase of popularity/ awareness of brand name. In other words, a two-way relationship seems to exist between the airline carriers and the tourism industry (as a key part of the economy of destinat ions); however, in certain cases, the terms of their cooperation are not clear or equal. The power of airline carriers to choose their destination has led to the development of an unfair competition among destinations; this problem has been effectively faced through the low cost airlines, even if these carriers also can harm destinations – mostly through their practice to ask for low airport fares, in the context described below. 2. Airline carriers and new destinations 2.1 Airline carriers – role in the success or failure of tourist destinations Airline carriers offer the chance to their customers to visit destinations that may not be quite known to the public, i.e. destinations which are not developed as tourism destinations. From this point of view, airline carriers can contribute to the growth of a place as a tourism destination, a fact that would also lead to the gradual increase of the number of passengers of local airports. Particular emphasis should be given on low cost carriers which can significantly affect the development of tourism destinations, a fact highlighted in the study of Fageda et al. (2009); after analysing a series of Spanish routes, the above researchers came to the conclusion that ‘low-cost carriers have a moderate but still significant effect on prices and increase alternatives even in low-density routes’ (Fageda et al. 2009, p. 36). Moreover, in accordance with an article published in the Wall Street Journal (2010), the development of low cost carriers can increase the number of passengers, a fact that would lead to the increase of profits in destinations; in the above article, reference is made to the case of India and the significant increase in the number of passengers since the entrance in the market of the low cost airline carriers – it is noted that due to these carriers ‘the number of annual fliers was doubled, reaching the 44.5 million in 2009 from 22.3 million in 2005’ (The Wall Street Journal 2010). It should be also noted that low cost carriers help to resolve the following problem: there are routes and destinations which are abandoned by large carriers, as being considered non-profitable, as the level of profit is set in large carriers; through the low cost carriers, passengers are given the chance to have access to these destinations, in a low fare (Business Traveller 2009). If such chance would not be given by low cost carriers,

New Physics and Chemistry Discovered at the CERN's Large Hadron Research Paper - 1

New Physics and Chemistry Discovered at the CERN's Large Hadron Collider - Research Paper Example ATLAS: A Toroidal LHC Apparatus, records measurements for the results of particle collisions. It tracks what particles are created and destroyed in a given collision, and the path of travel and energy for those particles (â€Å"CERN - LHC Experiments: ATLAS†). They are both considered general-purpose detectors. The experiments were performed using them focus on the search for the Higgs boson and the substance known as dark matter (â€Å"CERN - LHC Experiments: ATLAS†; â€Å"CERN - LHC Experiments: CMS†). Both pieces of equipment are needed in order to study the Higgs boson due to its extremely elusive nature. Mathematical and physical proof aa â€Å"light† Higgs boson would require the results of the experiments to agree on both pieces of equipment, and for each experiment to have consistent results across several experimental states each very different from one another (Froidevaux & Sphicas). CMS: Compact Muon Solenoid, has the same research goals as ATLAS, but it has different technical specifications to achieve those goals, especially with regard to the design of the magnet system within the equipment (â€Å"CERN - LHC Experiments: CMS†). The CMS has been designed to detect the presence of â€Å"missing† energy, which could indicate the presence of stable but weakly-interacting particles, such as energetic neutrinos. This missing energy occurs when the particle moves in the same direction as the beam pipe and so cannot be detected.

4 short questions Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

4 short questions - Movie Review Example The play was a major success because of the great measure of its development and the subsequent production offered by the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago. As a result the play was made into a film based on the audience reaction (Letts, 12). The poet T.S. Eliot is quoted and referenced in the play due to the fact that the main concept put across is that of life. Letts uses quotes from one of his poems ‘The Hollow men’ which is a poem that talks more about broken souls. The reason for this is because the play focuses on a dysfunctional family that is in a crisis and is broken. The theme of broken souls based on the poem is followed throughout the play as the drama unfolds. ‘Life is very Long’, this is a quote that is referenced by Beverly when she expounds about life and poetry to Johnna (Lett, 14). Based on the interview conducted on Letts, I do not agree with the blogger’s statement. This is because most of the people in Oklahoma are of the Native American background and thus for Letts to include this character there was strong thematic resonance involved. There was also need to connect with most of the audience that were within that background. Johnna character purpose was to be that of a carer to the family and thus her roles were aimed at providing care and support service especially to Violet who was an addict of prescriptions medicine. Her presence does not affect me as a reader as her character represents a real life situation in Oklahoma (Letts, 16). The character that I identified with is that of Barbara, the eldest daughter. This is due to the fact that she portrayed the role of being a devoted daughter despite the crisis that was in the family and the fact that her mother was an addict. For instance, during a family dinner in act two she stood up in front of everyone and declared that she was going to run things from then henceforth. This scene shows that she

New Physics and Chemistry Discovered at the CERN's Large Hadron Research Paper - 1

New Physics and Chemistry Discovered at the CERN's Large Hadron Collider - Research Paper Example ATLAS: A Toroidal LHC Apparatus, records measurements for the results of particle collisions. It tracks what particles are created and destroyed in a given collision, and the path of travel and energy for those particles (â€Å"CERN - LHC Experiments: ATLAS†). They are both considered general-purpose detectors. The experiments were performed using them focus on the search for the Higgs boson and the substance known as dark matter (â€Å"CERN - LHC Experiments: ATLAS†; â€Å"CERN - LHC Experiments: CMS†). Both pieces of equipment are needed in order to study the Higgs boson due to its extremely elusive nature. Mathematical and physical proof aa â€Å"light† Higgs boson would require the results of the experiments to agree on both pieces of equipment, and for each experiment to have consistent results across several experimental states each very different from one another (Froidevaux & Sphicas). CMS: Compact Muon Solenoid, has the same research goals as ATLAS, but it has different technical specifications to achieve those goals, especially with regard to the design of the magnet system within the equipment (â€Å"CERN - LHC Experiments: CMS†). The CMS has been designed to detect the presence of â€Å"missing† energy, which could indicate the presence of stable but weakly-interacting particles, such as energetic neutrinos. This missing energy occurs when the particle moves in the same direction as the beam pipe and so cannot be detected.

Business LAW Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Business LAW - Essay Example The plan by Johnny Jones to start a new Ethanol manufacturing plant is not a plan that has been included in the company’s registration statement and therefore such a plan should be prevented and suspended. Section 11 of the Securities Exchange act states that it will be deemed unlawful for any person who is a member of any securities exchange to make a transaction on such an exchange for his own account, that of an associated person or exercises an investment discretion. In this case Joan is acting in the capacity of a market maker in that she is a stock broker and therefore such a transaction can be seen been unlawful. Johnny also does not have any authorization to conduct such transactions in ethanol neither does he comply with the rules of the commission. A registration that is made under the exchange act entitles one to make periodic and current reports regarding the company. This is the duty to disclose which is made public for market evaluation of the specific company together with the way the company conducts the pricing of its securities (Smith, Washburne, & Pham). The Securities Act provides a penalty of not more than $10,000 upon conviction while the security exchange act provides that any person or anyone who becomes associated with someone who violates the requirements of the act or makes a false and misleading statement with regard to the act will be liable to a fine of $ 5,000,000 or imprisonment that does not exceed 20 years. In this case, Jonny Jones, Joan and Jake will be liable to such fines and even imprisonment for the violation of the Securities Act and the Securities Exchange Act. They do not have reports for their Ethanol manufacturing thus, they contravened the duty to disclose. Johnny also made a misleading statement to his secretary. Class action suits occur whereby so many plaintiffs sue the same defendant over the same

Developing management skills by David A Whetten Circumstances

Developing management skills by David A Whetten Circumstances Sitting at a corner table bathed in sunshine, I was enjoying reading the textbook Developing Management Skills written by David A. Whetten Kim S. Cameron. The cafe pub was not so busy at noontime. Unconscious distraction to the conversation at the adjacent table immersed me deeply in self-reflection. That was a conversation between a superior and his three subordinates, an usual coffee talk as I offered to my subordinates countless times in the past years, but now, an unusual talk as I concepted not a talk scene but a show of many vivid strategies and skills in practice. Easily and also unconsciously in my mind, things underlying the talk-show surfaced, coaching, counseling, motivation, reciprocity, reasoning, gaining power and influence, managing conflict, etc. Its amazing suddenly I felt. Why? There are something very different happened in me I know. Such feelings recalled me a piece of story from Chuang Tzu-Cook Ting Slicing Up An Oxen. Highly praised by Lord Wenhui for his superb performance, the Master butcher mentioned that, when he first began cutting up oxen, he could see nothing but the whole ox, but after three years, he no longer saw a whole ox. Now, reviewing my past six years working experience as well as management practice, on the basis of the systematic learning of the theories of management organizational behavior, I can see no whole images from my prospective, but more clearly the underlying driving forces of fragments formulated the whole story. In 2004, after graduated from the Southwest University of Political Science and Law, I became a wilder job hunter among millions of undergraduate in the HR market. Clearly I remembered that on the date of October 10, 2004, I stepped into this company named Teamhead Marine Surveyors Co., Ltd, and then stuck to the company (never think about jump-out) until taking the Bimba education here. Like watching a baby grow up day by day, during these six years, I have gone through her expansion from a group with 3 members only to a medium-sized survey company with over 20 staffs in the head office and three branch offices in Dalian, Shanghai and Huangpu, her development from the inception to the No.1 independent marine survey company in Tianjin Port, her metamorphosis from a merely self-employed to a normal company with her management system approved and certified by DNV ISO9000. Concurrently with the growing of our company, I have also experienced a remarkable period of my career life, promoting through the rank of an assistant and surveyor to the Deputy Manager of this team. In retrospect the beginning of my career, considering my lacking of maritime background, and also for attaining a better understanding about marine survey, I gave up all my Sundays and holidays for studying marine books and going through hundreds of veteran surveyors survey reports. From the second month of my join-in, I can manage my job as an assistant without making many mistakes. And as a reward for my quick integration to the marine survey society, my boss recognized and contracted me as a formal employee from the third month. In the following days, when there short of hands, I took another role as a rare female surveyor who burst into a mans field, examing the quality of steel tubes, bars and slabs in rural mills, participating in cargo dimension survey (climbing up and down for t he figures in the quayside yards), and fighting with stevedores for dunnage and cargo securing during stuffing operation to containers. I am not a genius. But in those processes, my spirit of perseverance, outstanding abilities, industrious efforts and continuously emerging ideas on improvements in work finally won me the trust of my boss, the respect of my colleagues and the approval of our clients. In 2007, I was promoted to the position of Deputy Manager of this company, with full responsibility for routine survey organization and supervision. However, a person with strong working abilities doesnt mean that he or she can perform management very well. In my understanding, management consists of only two parts, managing business and, managing men. I am good at managing business (narrow meaning), but really awkward at managing humans, those employees younger or older than me, those colleague graduates, Captains or Chief Mates with years of marine experience, and even those under-educated foremen or stevedores from ports. What confronted with me was a real harsh dilemma situation. On the one hand, I want to implement strictly the survey regulations on procedures and standards and ultimately to improve our service standard to clients; however on the another, the really challengeable complex employee composition for me a green-hand manager to cope with. Very soon all my disadvantage as of lacking experience in management exposed. Earthquake is a nightmare. Almost at the same time when the 2008 Earthquake happened, our company experienced our own Earthquake, which triggered by the intensification of accumulated contradictions and divergences to conflicts between I (as a manager) and majority subordinates. Deeply involved in the battle, I faced with a situation wholly out of my control. Then for solving the conflict, our boss stood out and, had to think about making a very difficult decision, actually focusing on whether to retain my position and let those dissenters go or otherwise. My boss choose the FORE option, though bearing a clear mind on foreseeable hardships the company would suffer immediately, from the extensive turnover. The only chance I appreciated throughout my life it would be. Valuing the chance and appreciating my bosss trust and efforts on cultivating me to be a good manager, I started to reflect on my doings of the past years and, try to implement improvements incrementally. Since then, simultaneously with my progress and gradual maturity in management, all atmospheres in our company renewed. Following my leadership, all my subordinates unitize harmoniously and contribute their best efforts to provide international recognized highest standard of service to our clients. Though unavoidably being impacted by the Global Economy Recession, our company still runs steadily with zero layoff and zero clients loss. With the guidance of theories I learnt from the Managing Organizational Behavior class, and marking our companys Earthquake as a watershed, hereinafter I would like to progress and deepen the refection on my personal management development. From Self-boast to Self-diagnosis To be honest, before attending this class, I am very boasted of past performance (exactly management performance after the company earthquake) and even self-definite to be already a good manager, being right person doing right things and in right ways, though most often being humble and modest in appearance. However, after finishing the first on-line Diagnostic Survey-Personal Assessment of Management Skills (PAMS), as well as comparing the result with the reports from the PAMS Associates (two previous assistants invited for the survey) and with those of a national norm group, I blushed actually at the first glimpse of the ratings that far behind my expectations. Score Categories Your Maximum Norm Group Norm Group Scores Points Comparison Mean Self-assessment 405 510 Second Quartile (395-424) 394.6 Associate I 413 510 Second Quartile (395-421) 394.6 Associate 2 447 510 Top Quartile (422 or above) 394.6 Skill Area Your Rater1 Rater2 Norm Score Score Score Group Developing Self Awareness 26 24 28 24 Managing Stress 28 29 31 26 #Solving Problems Creatively 62 58 59 53 *Communicating Supportively 39 44 50 41 Gaining Power and Influence 38 40 40 38 *Motivating Others 41 42 43 42 Managing Conflict 44 45 49 44 Empowering and Delegating 44 45 52 43 *Building Effective Teams and Teamwork 46 48 53 47 Leading Positive Change 37 38 42 37 Comparing my score against the maximum possible (510), I am in the second quartile only, not as outstanding as I thought should be in the top quartile and, there exists a WIDE gap between my rating to the maximum. Compared to a norm group of approximately 5,000 business school students, majority of my skills rate just NORMAL, even with skills for Communicating Supportively, Motivating Others and Building Effective rated BELOW the average performance. And, comparison between self-assessment and Associates version exposes obviously the difference on rating my skill for Solving Problems Creatively. In general, the most impressive, and also valuable lessons from the starting class are that, my realization of the fact that I am NOT AS EXCELLENT AS I thought to be; so be REALISTIC and MODEST; do careful diagnosis on my management practice as to identify skill strengths and weaknesses for further self-improvement and perfection. And, for carrying out the diagnosis as well as therapy work effectively, I tailored myself a reflection method and named it Match Patch. Match refers to basing on my past experience, match my behavior with what I have learnt from this class, to analysis definitely my behavior, its nature, causes as well as outcomes. And stepping further, apply the guidelines of strategies and skills to plan and implement a Patch necessary, filling the gaps identified out, and to enhance a successful career in management. Diagnosis and Reflection on Personal Skills Developing Self-Awareness Diagnostic Surveys for Scale Self-Awareness PRE Self-Awareness Scores Category My score Maximum Score Norm Group Comparison Norm Group Mean Total Score 53 66 I am in the second quartile 52.20 Skill Set Score Norm Group Mean Self-disclosure and openness to feedback from others 25 23.54 Awareness of own values, cognitive style, change orientation, and interpersonal orientation 28 28.67 Relying on seeking feedback information about my behaviors and sharing beliefs and feelings is really an effective way for me to pursue self-improvement. Admittedly, before the Earthquake, I am a quite self-centered person. I concepted management simply in the model of Give order Follow order, and seldom did I think about getting feedback about my behavior from my subordinates, let alone to create any chance to seek such feedbacks from them. At that time, I can see only their disadvantages and pin them with kinds of label such as lazy, tardy, low IQ, dishonest, passive, petty, thickheaded, etc., and from my inner heart, never prepared with real respect to those people I work with. The only channel I could get feedback on my behavior in the company was from my boss. And, I have a strong preference tendency to communicate with elder persons in both the work and life circumstance, or persons who perform better than me in scopes I am not good at but concerned with. From those people, I can accept even negative feedback willingly. However, habitually I would resist negative feedback from the younger and or the persons who I am not valued or appreciated very much. Different people have different prospective to feedback to you. Later after the Earthquake, in practice I realized that if I can seek feedback information from more people, I will have more mentors. And actually until that time, did I realize that I possess a great advantage-complexity of employee composition which I should value. There are not only young specialty students and undergraduate students, but also Captains, Chief Officers, Chief Engineers with years of sailing experience, Experts at maritime field, and even under-educated foremen and stevedores from ports. It is their continuous sincere feedbacks that expedite my improvements on work. Emotional Intelligence Assessment Total Overall Score: 85.00 Quartile Ranking: Second Quartile (71-85) Key Dimension: Emotional Awareness Points (1) When I get really upset, I. . . a. Analyze why I am so disturbed. a. 10 b. Blow up and let off steam. b. 0 c. Hide it and remain calm. c. 0 (5) On important issues I usually. . . a. Make up my own mind and ignore others opinions. a. 5 b. Weigh both sides, and discuss it with others before making a decision. b. 10 c. Listen to my friends or colleagues and make the same decision they do. c. 0 (9) In a situation when I have an important obligation and need to leave work early, but my colleagues ask me to stay to meet a deadline, I would probably . . . a. Cancel my obligation and stay to complete the deadline. a. 0 b. Exaggerate a bit by telling my colleagues that I have an emergency that I cant miss. b. 0 c. Require some kind of compensation for missing the obligation. c. 10 Key Dimension: Emotional Control (Balance) Points (2) In a situation where a colleague takes credit in public for my work and my ideas, I would probably. . . a. Let it slide and do nothing to avoid a confrontation. a. 0 b. Later in private indicate that I would appreciate being given credit for my work and ideas. b. 5 c. Thank the person in public for referencing my work and ideas and then elaborate on my contributions. c. 10 (6) When someone that I do not particularly like becomes romantically attracted to me, I usually. . . a. Tell that person directly that I am not interested. a. 10 b. Respond by being friendly but cool or aloof. b. 5 c. Ignore the person and try to avoid him or her. c. 0 (10) In a situation in which another person becomes very angry and begins yelling at me, I . . . a. Get angry in return. I dont take that from anyone. a. 0 b. Walk away. I doesnt do any good to argue. b. 0 c. Listen first, and then try to discuss the issue. c. 10 Key Dimension: Emotional Diagnosis (Empathy) Points (3) When I approach another person and try to strike up a conversation but the other person doesnt respond, I. . . a. Try to cheer up the person by sharing a funny story. a. 5 b. Ask the person if he or she wants to talk about whats on his or her mind. b. 10 c. Leave the person alone and find someone else to talk to. c. 0 (7) When I am in the company of two people who have diametrically opposing points of view about an issue (for example, politics, abortion, war) and are arguing about it, I. . . a. Find something upon which they can both agree and emphasize it. a. 10 b. Encourage the verbal battle. b. 5 c. Suggest that they stop arguing and calm down. c. 0 (11) When I encounter someone who has just experienced a major loss or tragedy, I . . . a. Really dont know what to do or say. a. 0 b. Tell the person I feel very sorry and try to provide support. b. 10 c. Share a time when I experienced a similar loss or tragedy. c. 0 Key Dimension: Emotional Response Points (4) When I enter a social group I usually. . . a. Remain quiet and wait for people to talk to me. a. 0 b. Try to find something complimentary I can tell to someone. b. 10 c. Find ways to be the life of the party or the source of energy and fun. c. 0 (8) When I am playing a sport and the game comes down to my last second performance, I. . . a. Get very nervous and hope that I dont choke. a. 0 b. See this as an opportunity to shine. b. 5 c. Stay focused and give it my best effort. c. 10 (12) When someone makes a racist joke or tells a crude story about a member of the opposite sex in mixed company, I usually . . . a. Point out that this is inappropriate and not acceptable, and then change the subject. a. 10 b. Ignore it so I dont cause a scene. b. 0 c. Get really upset and tell the person just what I think of what he or she said. c. 5 The overall score of my emotional intelligence assessment here proves only an important fact that, ones emotional intelligence CAN be enhanced. Previously as a stiff manager who knows only giving orders, I am rather autocratic and seldom think about listening first others opinions before making decisions. What I expected from them were their complete obedience and performance to my standards. However, if viewed from present prospect, all mentioned behaviors exposed nothing but my lack of confidence as well as the fear of lose control in management due to experience deficiency. On this point, later I changed my way of decision making on some important issues. With more team members participated in the decision making process, the risks of decision mistake or failure as well as members resistance on implementation were greatly lessened. Besides, it is true that in life I am aware of my emotion status and changes, especially demonstrating emotional control because my emotions would directly influenced my team members mood for work. And, I also try to sense others emotions through observing and capturing tiny signals such as their tone, gestures or facial expressions, and then give proper response appropriately. However, as shown in the survey, still I am not confident enough to handle the situation on the spot, especially when facing the public as well as recognize and attribute my own contributions. Besides, when presented in unfamiliar social group activities, though I aware of the emotional climate of the group, my behavior is passive and inappropriate. Cognitive Style Score Name my score (Mean) 5925 Young Mngrs 2215 Young Mngrs MBA Stdts Mean/Std Dev Mean/Std Dev Knowing Style 4.25 3.89/.65 4.06/.96 Planning Style 4.14 3.78/.77 3.81/1.16 Creating Style 3.71 4.01/.60 4.16/.80 As shown in the report, my cognitive style is very typical of knowing style and planning style, which proves my great preference on facts and data, as well as structure, preparation and planning as of basis for information interpretation and decision-making. Meanwhile, my score is low on Creating Style exposed my less creativity and, intolerance on uncertainty, novelty and ambiguity. Interpreting the Defining Issues Test Story Statement Chosen By Importance/Stage The Escaped Prisoner Every time someone escapes punishment for a crime, doesnt that just encourage more crime? (Stage 4) Would it be fiar to prisoners who have to serve out their full sentences if Mr. Thompson is let off? (Stage 4) Wouldnt we be better off without prisons and the oppression of our legal systems? (Antiauthority) Wouldnt it be a citizens duty to report an escaped criminal, regardless of the circumstances? (Stage 4) The Doctors Dilemma Can society allow suicide or mercy killing and still protect the lives of individuals who want to live? (Stage 5) Can society afford to let people end their lives whenever they desire? (Stage 4) What values has the doctor set for himself in his own personal code of behavior? (Stage 5) Should the doctor have sympathy for the womans suffering, or should he care more about what society might think? (Stage 3) The Newspaper Would the students start protesting even more if the principal stopped the newspaper? (Stage 2) If the principal stopped the newspaper, would he be preventing full discussion of important problems? (Stage 5) What effect would stopping the paper have on the students education in critical thinking and judgment? (Stage 5) Is Rami using the newspaper to stir up hatred and discontent? (Stage 3) On the case of Escaped Prisoner, most of the statement I chosen were in Stage 4, which indicates that I am in the conformity level of maturity. My moral reasoning is based on conforming to laws and authority. Whether or not Mr. Thompson did something benefit the society, he violated the law is undeniable and, punishment should not be counteracted. Regarding the Doctors Dilemma, most of the statement I chosen were in Stage 5, which indicates that I am in the principled level of maturity. Judgments are made on the basis of a set of principles or core values that have been developed from my experience, not on the basis of whether or not the action is violated the law. Sympathetic for the suffered people, I support mercy killing to relieve them from pain if they truly desire. For the Newspaper case, most of the statement I chosen were in Stage 5 again, which indicates that I am a principled individual and based my judgment on my own internal principles. Stopping the paper may not be an appropriate way to minimize the negative effective as well as to avoid unexpected side-effects. The Learning Style Style Score Concrete Experience 18 Reflective Observation 33 Abstract Conceptualization 33 Active Experimentation 36 According to the survey result, my learning style is flexible and diversified, with similar strength in reflective observation, abstract conceptualization and active experimentation, whereas less tendency to concrete experience. As I am weak in concrete experience learning style, I should apply and strength the skills by means of creative thinking, trial and error, personal feedback, or a study partner who are strong in learning styles where I am not, to experience fully the learning cycle as well as to deal more effectively a broader range of challenges and situations. Tolerance of Ambiguity Score Categories Your Maximum Compared to Norm Group Scores Points Possible Range 44-48 Total Tolerance to Ambiguity 63 112 Over Average Range of 44-48 Subscore My score Novelty 21 Complexity 31 Insolubility 11 My decision making preference actually proves my intolerance score to ambiguity to be reasonable. In practice, especially for the company business, I am habitual to make decisions on a basis of at least 70~80% predictable probability of success, otherwise I would hesitate to or feel uncomfortable to make any decisions. And, being somewhat intolerance to ambiguity, I am less adaptive behaviorally and non-flexible to cope with ambiguous or unstructured situations resulted from information-overloaded and or rapidly changeable circumstances. Hence, I should now focus on some ways to improve my tolerance for ambiguity and my cognitive complexity. Managing Personal Stress Diagnostic Surveys for Managing Stress PRE Stress Management Scores Score Categories My scores Maximum Points Possible Norm Group Mean Total Stress Management 49 60 44.69 Skill Area My score Norm Group Mean Eliminating Stressors 21 18.26 Developing Resiliency 19 18.18 Short Term Coping 9 8.25 This survey shows that there are still more promotion spaces for me to improve my competence to cope with stressful or time-pressured situations, though I have already make some progresses on stresses management. Now I keep close track of my time, set and check task priorities in due course. And also understood how to organize others to accomplish common goals, as well as to avoid upward delegations. However, as you know, the shipping industry is special and, it seems that we could never expect a stop of its engine and anchor-drop. Vessels call and departure at any time of a day. So just as our catch phrase goes, Plans go no faster than Changes. (à ¨Ã‚ ®Ã‚ ¡Ãƒ ¥Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ²Ã‚ ¡Ãƒ ¦Ã…“†°Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ Ã‹Å"à ¥Ã…’-à ¥Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ «), except for prioritizing some routine work or contracted service appointments, I seldom prepare myself to-do lists because I have no idea whats waiting for me before I stepped into the office door. Resiliency is the most under-developed skill for me to cope with long lasting stresses. Always in the excuse of busying and or being exhausted, seldom did I take exercise for body building and fitness, as well as participate in some social activities with friends to share feelings or seek any reliefs. No less than 90% my times and energies were occupied with work or at least thinking about business. Whats the worse, suffering from insomnia, I stood in the line of sub-health group. Definitely, my life lost balance at that time. Time Management Scores Overall Time Management Score 97.00 Your Quartile Ranking Second Quartile Norm Group Mean 95 As per survey instruction, as I am scored only 97, it is very necessary for me to consider improving time management skills. However, I disagree with it to some extent. On the first hand, I have very good sense of timing and understood how to utilize it more efficiently. For avoiding any delays, tardiness and expediting my work, my watch is set exactly 10 minutes faster than the standard time. I also prioritize the tasks according to their importance and urgency, and frequently check and make adjustment if necessary. On the other hand, I think here it is also a depend-on situation just as I mentioned-above. For me, as I was working in the shipping industry and vessels call and departure at any time, except for prioritizing some routine work or contracted service appointments, we can plan nothing in advance because the time is not in the hands of ours but in the tomorrow. The only thing we can do is to make ourselves well prepared for meeting any disruptive business occurred. But here, I do agree with idea that I should leave myself some time at least, to do plan, meditation, exercise, etc, so as to seek personal relief from stresses, otherwise, before any vessels calling at port, our engines stop first. Type A Personality Inventory Scores Behavioral Tendency My score Competitiveness 13.00 Life Imbalance 16.00 Hostility/Anger 8.00 Impatience/Urgency 7.00 TOTAL TYPE A 44.00 Quartile Ranking Third Quartile Before taking this assessment, I have never thought myself as a competitive person. From my prospective of view, I think it is a positive attitude to pursue better performance than others, or setup a higher benchmark for self-improvement. Then here again exposed the problem of imbalanced life in my past six years. Because of the great enthusiasm and interest in the job, I put all my efforts and energy to make the company better and I enjoyed fully in the process. However, being too obsessed in one thing just leads to ignorance of all other important things in life. I took work as life but in fact life is not work only. And, the imbalanced life sourced not only from being over engaged in one thing and lack of time, but also from very narrow scope of personal interests outside of work. Diagnosis and Reflection on INTERPersonal Skills Building Relationships by Communicating Supportively Diagnostic Surveys for Supportive Communication PRE Communicating Supportively Scores Score Category Your Score Maximum Points Possible Norm Group Comparison Mean Comparison Total Communication 93.00 120 Second Quartile (92-98) 92.05 Skill Area My score Group Mean Coaching/Counseling 16.00 13.88 Effective Negative Feedback 30.00 27.13 Communicating Supportively 47.00 51.04 Learnt from my past experiences, supportive communication is one of the key determinants of effective management. After the company Earthquake, this is the first thing I focused on to improve my interpersonal relationships, to stand up from the place where I fall. In the aspect of coaching, I began with setting complete and detailed standards covering each kind of our survey business. And in our self-developed MIS system, all those standards set were then well integrated into the Employee Performance Evaluation Section, which would automatically affect the scale/grade of employees working allowance as well as their year-end bonus on a case-by-case basis. Driven by such kind of economic force, team members actively study the work regulations and procedure guidelines to meet the standards, and also initially seek coaching chance to acquire more advice and information for better performance. We also scheduled some periodic training programs to them. Being open and make my support available, I gradually won their respect and trust in the company. Regarding to the Eight Attributes of Supportive Communication, my performance before the company Earthquake actually disobeyed most of the rules, especially when I giving negative feedback. When a guy failed to finish a task up to the standard, I always started our talk in this way, You made same mistake again. I have told you this matter many many times. You just one ear in and one ear out. Do have any hearing disorders or understanding problems? Why this happened again. Now, as our client asked me why, you tell me why Yes, I did act in this way, frequently in the first few years before Earthquake. Thinking in others shoes now, if I faced with a manager communicate in such manner, how could I expect building/enhancement of positive relationship between the two communicating parties? My first reaction to the unfavorable occurrence was not solving the problem but finding out who is to

The Cuban Revolution Essays -- essays research papers

The Cuban Revolution Mr. Barron Jason Rosenzweig  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   January 9, 1997   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After the Cuban Revolution many change occurred in Cuba. Cuba was once a corrupt dictatorship, now and for the past 36 years Castro has led a communist government.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Before Castro took over Batista, Batista ran a biossed economy for the rich. Officials took pay offs, keeping the majority of the peoples thoughts invisible. Protestors of Batista were murdered, and their body's were thrown in gutters. During these times the life for the rich was plentiful, they had more Cadillacs than any other city in the world, and the highest number of T.V. sets per capita out of all the Latin American countries . Many gambling casinos were also present. While life for the poor was plagued with unemployment, inadequate health care, and a high illiteracy rate.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Castro's take over of the government, changed many ways of life in Cuba, most of which benefited the poor or the majority of the people. Education was improved for the poor, there are many times more schools and staff members to educate the young. Health care was improved, infant mortality rate has dropped from 60 to 11.1 which is comparable to industrialized nations.   &...

Was He Just a Man? Essay -- American History, Jefferson Davis

â€Å"I worked night and day for twelve years to prevent the war, but I could not. The North was mad and blind, would not let us govern ourselves, and so the war came† (Thinkexist 6). These words were spoken by Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederate States of America. Although he was president of the confederacy, he was opposed to secession and spoke for peace between north and south before the beginning of the war. The effects of Jefferson Davis’s accomplishments can still be felt today. Jefferson Davis was born in June 3rd, 1808 (McGill 2). At age seven he was sent to a Dominican boy’s school in Kentucky (Jefferson Davis 3). When he was thirteen, he went to Transylvania College in Kentucky (McGill 3). He accepted a nomination to West Point in 1824 (McGill 3). He graduated twenty-third in his class of thirty-nine; he also had a total of 327 demerits on his record (McGill 3). If Jefferson Davis had never gone to school as a young child, he would have never received a nomination to West Point. Without his West Point schooling, he wouldn’t have gone into the military, which would have changed everything in his life. He never would have met his two wives. If he didn’t meet them, he wouldn’t have gotten into politics which, would have rewritten history. After his school he went into the army as a lieutenant. He served in the Black Hawk War (McGill 4). The Black Hawk War was a war between the U.S. and Sac and Fox Indians (Lewis 1). The war began when these Indian tribes left their reservation in Iowa to return to their homes in Illinois (Lewis 1). Upon hearing that the Indians had left their reservation, citizens broke into widespread panic (Lewis 1). There was only one major battle during the Black Hawk War; it was the battle... ...d never have been appointed to Secretary of War. What if Jefferson Davis wasn’t chosen for the Confederate presidency? Davis’s role in the success that the Confederacy achieved against a nation much more superior in numbers and resources was enormous. First of all, even though he was too noisy in military affairs, he often helped. Lastly, he held the south together until the end of the war, which allowed the south to fight for much longer and continue with a fighting chance. Even though Jefferson Davis was a strong supporter of the south, he tried to keep the south from seceding, as stated in his quote, â€Å"I worked night and day for twelve years to prevent the war, but I could not. The North was mad and blind, would not let us govern ourselves, and so the war came† This quote shows how hard Jefferson Davis tried to keep the union together (Thinkexist 6).

Love Relationship Among Student Essay

This research study examines the relationship between academic achievement and at-risk students. Many issues today affect the achievement gap and the ability for at-risk students to succeed. Most data, as revealed in the studies included in this review, conclude the factors identifying at-risk students do have significant impact on the academic achievement of individual students and schools. Most often, these students are not successful and eventually drop out of school or pursue a GED. Data indicate that teacher-student relationships, parent or caregiverstudent relationships, motivation, SES, and peer influence can affect success for at- risk students. Twelfth grade students from two high schools in an urban school district were given the opportunity to participate in a survey. This study investigates correlations between the dependent variable grade point average (GPA), and the independent variables teacher-student relationships, parent or caregiver-student relationships, motivation, SES, and peer influence. Five regressions were run to determine if any of the independent variables predict GPA. Data from this study indicate that the variance between the dependent variable of GPA and each of the five independent variables is significant; however the practicality of these results’ having a significant influence on the GPA of the study participants is minimal. The strongest variance found was between GPA and motivation and between GPA and peer influence. Other findings include a relationship between GPA and participation in sports or activities. As GPA increases, the percentage of students participating in sports and activities increased. The students in this study do have positive relationships with their teachers; have a parent or caregiver encouraging them to do well in school; and plan to attend college.

A family ritual to strengthen family bonds Essay

As I was answering the Family rituals questionnaire, I felt good as i was somewhat compelled to reminisce the activities which I shared with my family when I was a child. It feels good to see that our family got a high score in the questionnaire. In only proves that we have been quite close as a family. I was only mesmerized as I recalled those moments when we simultaneously scan our old pictures and laugh at the way all of us looked in the past. I also enjoyed recalling the fond memories of our excursions when I was still a child. Personally, I do not want to change that kind of relationship which I had with my family in the past. I would like us to maintain this close relationship we have right now. For me, this is how families are supposed to be. Families are supposed to spend most of the time together so they can be updated with the events happening to one another. In this sense, they will always be available to succor when one among the family members is having some dilemma. In addition to that, the intimacy between them will not be lost; and instead, will only be kindled. That feeling of intimacy will make them more comfortable and more expressive with one another. The ritual that I would like to apply to my family is a unique Islamic tradition called Eid al-Fitr. Eid al-Fitr is being done some time after Ramadan. It is basically a tradition celebrating the success of the recently done Ramadan which is a whole month of blessings and joy. Moreover, Eid al-Fitr is also the extension of these blessings and joy to those who happen to be less fortunate. Every Muslim family must offer some donation of any kind to those who are in need. They do this so the needy can participate in the celebration as well. This is done before the end of the Eid so all the people can be prepared for the jubilation. When the day of the Eid comes, all of the participants will gather outdoors – in mosques – to perform a prayer that is especially for the Eid. Afterwards, the participants will begin to disperse and mingle with one another. They will meet up with their families, friends and other acquaintances to give presents and express their cordial greetings. If they have relatives who are not present and cannot go to the event, they can call them on the hoping and likewise extend their wishes. This event usually lasts for three days to allow the Muslims make the most out of the celebration. The meaning of this ritual is that it can manifest the unity and comradeship among its participants. By extending their warm wishes to other people and giving donations to those who are in need, the participants learn to take care aside from their selves and value other people as well. The act of giving donations can be symbolically interpreted as an act of offering something that sincerely comes from the self. The act is like transcending the self and its own interests in order to extend one’s hands to other people. By applying this ritual with my family, I aim that my family will have a sense of responsibility and learn how to work as a group. Moreover, I can also reinforce family planning. My family will learn that they also have responsibility over other people –their fellowmen – and that all of us must unite for a singular cause. By promoting the behavior of giving donations to the poor and mingling with the family members, the unity of a singular cause is reinforced. As we harbor in mind the need to achieve a singular purpose, we will learn how to work as a group. In the latter process, we will develop a more cohesive bond among ourselves. The part of mingling with other people can only encourage us to commune more deeply with one another and be aware of one another’s experiences. As the ritual will be repetitious, all of its objectives will be recurrently addressed. In addition to that, by mingling with the family members in the course of the ritual, we will realize the importance of family planning. In our family, there are more than ten of us who are siblings and it will surely be harder for us to greet one another while doing the ritual. Lastly, I think that the ritual need not to change as the members of the family grow older. We must only adapt with one another and our family embers – and our oscillating temperaments, tastes and yearnings. The touchstone of the ritual is that we feel the warm company of our family members as we do and enjoy doing things together. In that sense, my two goals can be achieved. We learn that we are responsible for the welfare of our family members and we learn to work collectively in making all of us grow individually as persons and the family as a whole.

Season and Scientific Aspect

Essay I started fasting in Navratri only 2 years ago and continued keeping it for both the seasons. I was more interested in the scientific aspect of fasting, i. e. during the period of season change human body is more prone to external infections than rest of the year. Also praying to â€Å"shakti†, the power or energy which is source of all the actions and is best represented by solar influences is not only part of Hinduism but every religion believes in it. So this exercise of fasting, for me, is to maintain both physical and mental balance during climate change.The rules of Navratri clearly say that, we should not consume meat, alcohol, grains and regular salt. I always take enough calories which can keep me going all day, so I don’t feel any difference from other days. There come few moments of weaknesses when I can feel that my stomach is empty and I can’t have anything to eat (because I don’t have access to kitchenL) and when I want to eat something â€Å"chatpata† and again I can’t have it(because I am not allowed to L) .Most difficult of all is 8th day when it seems impossible to go on anymore and that too in a place where everyone else can eat pizza and chili potato. The people around you also affect a lot about how you feel in these days. It’s a lot easier to keep fast when I am at home. In a nutshell, 9 days of navratri are more about self control. The human body is detoxified due to this practice. In the end when it is over I can feel significant changes, I feel good because it becomes easier to avoid unhealthy meals. Basically this exercise is effective in long term.