Saturday, August 31, 2019

9/11 Informative Speech

SAMPLE SPEECH OUTLINE INTRODUCTION Attention Getter: How many of you still remember September 11, 2001? Connect/Relate with the Audience: Many of us were around the age of 9 or 10 when these attacks occurred and didn't have a clue of what was going on. We just knew it wasn't normal. Thesis: The World Trade Center attacks were part of a strategic plan of a terrorist group al-Qaeda. And I will be mapping out the attacks as they unfolded. Preview of Main Points: Four planes were hijacked, each intended for different targets.According to the New York Times, the flights that were hijacked included AA Flight 11, UA Flight 175, AA Flight 77, and UA Flight 93. (Schmemann A1) Transition to Body: These attacks have proven that evil still exists in this world but even after such a loss, our nation still stands strong. BODY (2-5 MAIN POINTS) I. First Main Point: American Airlines flight 11 was the first plane to hit. a. First Sub-point: Intended flight was from Boston, Massachusetts to Los Angel es, California. (Schmemann A1) i. Also read: Informative Essay About AfricaSupport : It carried 87 passengers plus the hijackers. ii. Support : Three people were injured and 1 was killed when the hijacking took place. b. Second Sub-point: Flight 11 hit the WTC north building at approximately 8:46 AM. iii. Support : Many believed this crash was not on purpose but was because of the jet failing. iv. Support: At 10:28 AM the building collapsed due to structural failure. c. Transition: None of us didn't expect three more planes headed for destruction. II. Second Main Point: United Airlines Flight 175 was the second plane to be hijacked. . First Sub-point: This planes intended path was also from Boston, Massachusetts to Los Angeles, California. (Schmemann A1) v. Support : This flight carried 60 passengers plus the few hijackers onboard. vi. Support : Fifteen minutes after Flight 11 collided with the North tower, Flight 175 crashed into the South tower at 9:01 AM. (Wood 1) e. Second Sub-point: This impact was the one many of us saw on live TV. vii. Support : This flight came crashed into the South tower at almost 600 miles per hour. viii.Support: It caused the south tower to collapse before the north tower at approximately 9:59 AM. (Wood 1) f. Transition: The other two planes which were intended for a crash landing were not bound for New York. One successfully reached its target, while another was stopped in its tracks. III. Third Main Point: According to The final two planes which were American Airlines flight 77 and United Airlines flight 93 were all headed to the Washington D. C. area. g. First Sub-point: According to James Harris, Author, Flight 77 was intended to collide into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. x. Support : The flight carried 59 people plus the hijackers. x. Support : Impact was determined at approximately 9:37 AM. (Harris 189) h. Second Sub-point: Flight 93 carried a significant story behind its hijacking. xi. Support : Evan Thomas states that It departed from Newark, New Jers ey and planned to land in San Francisco. The hijackers intended to crash the plane in the final target of their scheme which was the White House. xii. Support: When the passengers onboard knew of the three hijackings.They teamed up in an effort to regain control of the plane and attempt to bring it to safety. xiii. Support: After fighting their way into the flight deck, the few passengers attempted to grab hold of the steering column. However, with the struggle between them and the hijackers, the airplane crash landed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. xiv. Support: All onboard the plane were instantly killed, however those onboard are considered heroes for their effort in not only defending themselves, but the country. (Evans 54) CONCLUSIONSummary of Main Points: That Tuesday on September 11, 2001. The nation had suffered a severe loss totaling around 3000 deaths in this attack. Three out of the 4 planes made it to their intended targets. But United 93 veered the hijackers into an ope n field. I consider not only those involved with the rescue, but those who were killed as heroes. Clincher: These attacks did cause pain and sorrow. And has placed something unforgettable in our minds. However, we as a nation have come together and become stronger as a whole. Works Cited Evans, Thomas. The Real Story Of Flight 93. † Newsweek 138. 23 (2001): 54. Academic Search Premier. Web. 30 Sept. 2012. Harris, James. â€Å"September 11, 2001, Airliner Crash Into The Pentagon. † Journal Of Performance Of Constructed Facilities 19. 3 (2005): 189-196. Academic Search Premier. Web. 29 Sept. 2012. Schmemann, Serge. â€Å"U. S. ATTACKED; President Vows to Exact Punishment for ‘Evil'. † New York Times 12 Sept. 2001, Late ed. : A1. Print. Wood, Daniel. â€Å"The Nation Reels. † Christian Science Monitor 12 Sept. 2001: 1. Academic Search Premier. Web. 30 Sept. 2012.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Confucian Philosophy in the Han Dynasty Essay

This paper will evaluate a brief evaluation of the rise of the Han Dynasty and how Confucian corresponds with it. With included references to authors, Tanner, Liang, Dubs, and Wang, will supply knowledge regarding to Sima Qian’s historical points, incorporation of Confucian principles within the Han Dynasty and the emperor, and within the social lives and families. I will highlight some of the major points of beneficial factors to Confucian thought as well as a brief opinion on how it isn’t always good to base a society of false claims regarding to divinity and how the society originated. However, I hope to make clear a better understanding on why and how the Chinese people in general came to be in current day China. â€Å"Before the founding of the Han dynasty, thinkers of every stripe cited the Five Classics to legitimate their ideas, but the transmission of the Zhou’s cultural heritage was not clearly documented until Sima Qian (second century B. C. E. ) traced the study of the Five Classics back to Confucius. Sima Qian finished an essay called â€Å"The Collective Biographies of Confucians,† which â€Å"summarizes classical learning from the beginning of the Western Han to the end of the reign of Emperor Wu. † He is considered the first great exemplar of the Chinese historical tradition; however, before he was able to finish his works and had angered the emperor, he took the option of being castrated over controversial writings about a general that had been defeated and surrendered to the Xiongnu, to finish his writings. Sima Qian was a man dedicated to his work for which he chose castration over having to commit suicide. â€Å"The style of Sima Qian’s work was didactic, its purpose to communicate the moral lessons of the past. ’ â€Å"In both its organization and its approach to history, the ‘Records of the Grand Historian’ served as a model for all subsequent officially sanctioned Chinese historical writing. † Ban Gu eventually took up Sima Qian’s work in 90 B. C. , although he was imprisoned at first for his unauthorized history of the Han emperor, but was freed later due to the emperor’s liking of his work. Regardless whether the historical contexts of both Ban Gu and Sima Qian, it shows that the histories were often dishonest due to the preferences of the elite, but as Ban Gu was pardoned, there might be more truth to what the Han’s historical past entails. â€Å"It was during the former Han period that Confucianism developed from being the teaching of a few pedants in a semi-retirement, at the end of the Chou period, to become the official philosophy of the government, which had to be adopted by anyone who hoped to enter public life. Although it was a gradual process, early Han emperors embraced Confucianism by incorporating its teachings in education and establishing a Confucian Imperial University, which ultimately distributed literati among offices in the government. As this concept became bigger and more popular among the elite, the development of the examination became prominent as there was a high importance of literary ability and Confucian training, to be able to obtai n a position within a government entity. It was believed that with all of the claimed advantages of Confucianism, â€Å"unifying the country intellectually by making one system of thought current among all educated men led to the elevation of Confucianism. † In 141 B. C. , Tung Chung-shu, advocated a principle to Emperor Wu that all non-Confucian philosophies should be destroyed with intellectual unification of the country—Emperor Wu did act upon this by proscribing Legalism and elevating Confucians to be his highest officials. With the rise of Confucianism in the Han Dynasty, it not only effected the elites’ primary preferences for what should be within the government body, but it also effected the view of the emperor himself. The conception of the central government of the Han Dynasty from a Confucian perspective was that the ruler must be a man, be of noble origin, ordained by Heaven, having great wisdom and virtue, and must be a ruler that is â€Å"all-under-Heaven. † To strengthen the claim to the throne, â€Å"all the rulers of China before Liu Pang were believed to have been of divine origin. â€Å"However, the living Han ruler, like the rulers of other dynasties, was not regarded as a god, nor was any worship instituted for him. † It was common practice, as in all histories, to have a greater social distance between those who command and those who obey, often times through rituals and ceremonies. The Confucian scholars introduced ceremonies in 201 B. C. which was considered necessary for a new ruler to elevate to an â€Å"unapproachable position. † This of course resulted in the emperor or ruler to be catapulted into the highest authority. Much like in other empires, that due to this common practice of using divinity as the main aspect of the throne, that anyone who goes against, protests, or is considered disrespectful, most often paid the price through draconian laws and usually sentenced to death. The morality of Confucian belief as it was incorporated into the social lives of the common people, also included what the roles should be within the family. Ban Zhao (48? -116? CE), historian Ban Gu’s sister, was famous for her writings on the expected roles of women in Han society. Ban Zhao believed that it was the husband’s duty to control while the wife serves him, but at the same time the wife would be allowed to be educated and literate. Ban Zhao further mentions that the husband and wife must play their roles, but men have the ultimate responsibility to control and to have authority. She further continues, â€Å"If women are to understand and perform their expected roles, then they must learn to read so that they can learn from the same ritual texts as men do. † This all of course is stemming and adding to the Confucian ideology. Perhaps, even though she was a remarkable matriarchal woman, she believed that this ideology is a cornerstone for maintaining a strong and healthy nuclear family environment. In conclusion, it is very apparent that Confucian ideology was the main stronghold for both the Eastern and Western Han Dynasty. Confucianism, with Sima Qian, Ban Gu, Ban Zhao, and a collaboration of other historians, had a major influence on how the elitists, the government, and the common people, were to go about their daily lives and follow what was considered a respectable social order at that time. The ideology of Confucianism built a halo around the emperor to catapult him to a position of higher order, causing the people to look up to him rather than revolt against him for being in a position undeserving. As with many empires, which all rise and fall at some point, the elitists and the emperor always has a philosophical tale which tries to explain where its origins came from, sometimes referring the emperor as a god himself. In essence, there is usually no ground proof what the true history was, mostly due to the perversion of some historians’ ideology relating to their religious affiliations. Perhaps too, with fear of draconian laws and punishment, especially with low self-esteem and high-ego type of authority, that history in itself will only boil down to â€Å"his story. † Regardless, despite whether or not the histories of Confucianism and the Han Dynasty are valid, there is strong evidence that the Confucian principles still exist today as we see in the current-day Chinese culture regarding to the social lives and families of many.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

American Sign Language As A Language Education Essay

American Sign Language As A Language Education Essay In this chapter, a review of the literature that serves as a foundation for this study is presented. The literature review addresses the theoretical basis of considering American Sign Language as a language, issues in the administration of modern/foreign language programs that parallel the concerns of sign language program administrators, national language program standards, the history of the teaching and administration of post-secondary sign language programs including information on the academic acceptance of sign language in higher education. Concluding this chapter will be a discussion on the state of the literature. American Sign Language as a Language The discussion of ASL and its membership as a language did not occur before William Stokoe, of Gallaudet University in Washington D.C., breached the topic in 1955. Many educators believed sign language was a system of pantomime or broken English. This belief was also held by the deaf individuals themselves (Miller, 2008). Stokoe believed that ASL was indeed a naturally occurring and distinct language ustilized by deaf people and could be studied as a language (Stokoe, 1960 ). Stokoe’s research spanned from 1955 to 1965 and covered signing as a linguistic system and signs as a part of the system. The first American Sign Language Dictionary was published in 1965 at the conclusion of the first part of Stokoe’s research. The focus part of Stokeoe’s continued research focused on the syntax of the language and its importance to teaching English to deaf children. Dr Stokoe asserts he was in constant contact with the Center for Applied Linguistics, the Georgetown University School of Language and Linguistics, and the Washington Linguistics Club, laying the foundation and belief that parts of sign language grammar paralleled parts of the languages they were studying (Stokoe, 1990). Stokoe believed signs could be taken apart and analyzed into parts allowing researchers and linguists to study how the language works, how they evolved, and how they could be taught. The work of William Stokoe was not widely accepted among all professionals. Since the 1970s many have argued against the language classification for ASL and especially that of foreign language (Stokoe, 1960; Wilcox, 1990). ASL was studied and analyzed without further evidence that it was a full blown language. Questions have been raised regarding ASL’s legitimacy as a foreign language. The following are a set of questions that are common among critics of ASL. (a) Isn’t ASL indigenous to the United States and therefore not foreign? (b) Isn’t ASL a derivative of English which would disqualify it as a separate language? (c) Is ASL naturally occurring and evolving? (d) If ASL is not written, how can it have a culture? (e) Is there a body of literature to support ASL and its culture? All of these questions have been asked over the decades and have been the major road blocks to ASL being recognized a s a language. William Stokoe effectively answered these questions over several years which have been supported by several other scholars in linguistics and culture. In response to the questions regarding whether or not ASL is a language, Stokoe explains in detail with books and dictionaries the morphology, phonology, syntax, as well as semantics and pragmatics and how it differs from that of English or other spoken languages (Stokoe, 1960). Wilcox it contains structures and processes which English lacks (Wilcox, 1999; Vigoda, 1993). When comparing American Sign Language to other accepted foreign languages one must take in to account that Navajo and several other Native American languages are widely accepted as foreign languages, being even more indigenous to America than ASL. A language need not be foreign to be considered a foreign language (Wilcox, S. & Wilcox, P., 1991).

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Management - Performance Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Management - Performance Management - Essay Example Clearly, performance management is important to organizational goals because it assesses the overall performance of the organization. Planning performance is an important organizational activity because it ties together different organizational factors, such as HR processes, strategy, and capability. In task 2, it has been explained why a well designed performance management system should monitor and review performance. After it, the difficulties in appraising individual performance have been addressed. What is Performance Management? Performance management can be defined as the process by which line managers influence organizational roles and functions in order to ensure that actual outcomes match strategic aims and expectations. Traditionally, organizations implemented the framework of performance appraisals which had a number of problems. The system of performance management aims to eliminate these problems by being a dynamic system. The performance appraisal system is a static on e and therefore cannot be used in the rapidly changing present-day business environment. Performance management is a dynamic process which integrates individual performance objectives or standards of staff with operational plans. Performance management is a framework for aligning human resource management to organizational goals. ... As a result, the management is able to take into account the contextual factors of business strategy, workplace technology, and employee involvement. Because these factors are taken into account, organizational goals are more strategically aligned. This indicates the importance of performance management to organizational goals. The process of goal-setting is a key component of performance management. It guides the interactions between managers and employees in clarifying mutual duties and responsibilities. Therefore, it ensures that they are aligned to the overall performance of the organization. Organizational goals are related to the overall performance of the organization. If they are not aligned to the strategic focus of the organization, the result will be poor organizational performance (Mintzberg, 1987). Performance management ensures this strategic alignment. The three contextual factors have been mentioned. They are all essential components of organizational goals and they a re taken into account by performance management. For example, business strategy defines the goals and objectives which give the organization its competitive advantage. Therefore, business strategy should be included in goal-setting. This can be achieved through performance management. Performance management also facilitates employment involvement. Unless employees are involved in determining organizational goals, they will not be motivated to perform at the highest possible level. In that case, organizational goals may not be effective. Therefore, by facilitating employee involvement, performance management aligns employee goals with organizational goals. As a result, the competitiveness and overall success

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Analyze Stereotypes in the Classroom (7) Coursework

Analyze Stereotypes in the Classroom (7) - Coursework Example One such factor is stereotyping which depicts a situation by what a set of people exhibit a strong belief on one set of roles, values, and responsibilities. According to a study performed by the University of Michigan and Harvard University, performance of children is determined by both positive and negative stereotypes. The study concluded that positive stereotypes aid performance while negative stereotypes slow down performance (Ambady, Shih, Kim & Pittinsky, 2001). The most common stereotypes among children in the United States are gender stereotypes, ethnic stereotypes and stereotypes associated with persons with disability. Children are conscious of gender, ethnic and physical differences from as early as first grade. As compared to adults, children are less flexible when it comes to understanding stereotypes (Ambady et al., 2001). Stereotypes can be triggered by Influences that knowingly or unknowingly lead to cultural biases that are based on ethnocentrism and eurocentrism. People tend to ignore the difference between cultures. Instead, they differentiate other cultures based on the study of one culture. The outcome may be consciously or unconsciously steered (Junior University, 2015). Cultural biases also have a place in learning environment. To support an anti-bias curriculum for early learners, two methods should be integrated. First, visibility regarding elements that make up for cultural identity should be embraced. For example, both pictures and text should clearly bring out different socio-cultural backgrounds such as places of worship and the way of life. Secondly, controversial topics such as those relating to discrimination and racism should openly be discussed rather than shying away from them. This will provide learners with an open mind to addressing daily life issues. Avoiding topics such as those of religious diversity not only confuses them, but also limits their exposure to reality and understanding of the world.

Monday, August 26, 2019

GMCs Hummer Vehicle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

GMCs Hummer Vehicle - Essay Example The realist considers Hummer for its practical purposes, and will therefore make use of the vehicle's off-road prowess. The discerner is a connoisseur for the finer things in life, who appreciates Hummer's status, but is unlikely to go off-roading. The conqueror is a successful person who wants people to know it, who appreciates Hummer for its exclusivity and attention grabbing looks. The fourth type of buyer is the adventurer, who wants to take the Hummer off-road. (Amazing Cars - Magazine) By analyzing the percentage of the population that has these qualities, Hummer's U.S. target market segment is males between the ages of 25 and 64 who earn over $100,000 per year. ANALYSIS Demographic Information: "Hummer's target market segment cannot be very large because of the high price of the vehicle, which can be in excess of $90,000. Hummer must gear its marketing strategies towards this small group of individuals."1 Hummer's market segment consists of males between the ages of 25 and 44 who earn over $100,000 a year. This demographic group consists of Generation X'ers and some of the Baby Boom generation. These males are looking for specific vehicles that are geared towards luxury and status. According to 1999 census data , in the approximation of 40,698,000 males between the ages of 25 and 44, only 2,011,000 of them earn enough money to purchase a Hummer. This would give Hummer a market base of over 2 million consumers. This market segment is growing because of the change in this base from 2005 to 2006. The number of males within this age group who earned over $100,000 was 1,730,000 in 2004. That reveals a growth rate of 16% in one year. Also, you can infer that the number of people in general who can afford a Hummer is increasing due to the low unemployment rate, and the steadily growing U.S. economy. 1 ANALYSIS Demographic Information Hummer's sales would continue to grow due to the increase of its market segment coupled with the fact that the company is preparing to release new models that may cater to a whole other marketing segment. Cultural Trends, Attitudes, Values of Target Market The outlook on the buying attitudes of Hummer's target market remains robust in the future. The demand for luxury items has been steadily growing for the past couple of years. With the existence of a bull market, and a steady increase in national prosperity, today's high-income individuals have a healthy demand for luxurious goods and services. The SUV market in general has been steadily increasing over the past five years. According to American Demographics , forecasters estimate that 49% of the new vehicle market will be that of light trucks in 2005, and light truck sales will be greater than that of car sales in 2005. Today's consumers stress safety over other attributes when buying vehicles, which show the increase in demand for SUV's, which are proven to be safer than most cars in crashes. Also, American Demographics' study revealed that empty nest baby boomers are not moving towards sedans, but towards SUV's. Another value of today's consumers is in styling. Today's SUV's have been appealing to consumers because of their current styling blend of ruggedness and beauty. The image factor is also big in analyzing consumer trends. Consumers have a liking for

Fatigue and Limbic Dysfunction in Parkinsons Disease Essay

Fatigue and Limbic Dysfunction in Parkinsons Disease - Essay Example In essence, I did the best I could with what I was provided. Parkinson's disease (PD), first described by James Parkinson in 1817 (Figure 1), is one of the most prevalent disabling illnesses that can occur later in life. It is estimated to affect 1% of 70-year-olds, but is also seen in younger people, with 10% of cases occurring before the age of 50. The disease has become the pathfinder for other neurodegenerative disorders, since discovery of dopamine deficiency within the basal ganglia led to the development of the first effective treatment for a progressive neurodegenerative condition. Dopamine replacement therapy substantially reduces the symptoms of Parkinson's disease in most patients, improving their quality of life and initially appearing to decrease mortality. Patients with PD who experience such central fatigue have pathology causing reductions in dopamine and serotonin turnover within the basal ganglia and limbic circuits. These are the structures, which facilitate the link between emotion/motivation (limbic system) and motor response. Estimates of the annual incidence of Parkinson's disease are in the range of 4-20 per 100,000 individuals. ... Demonstrating an association between fatigue and limbic dysfunction in PD will help rationalise treatment approaches for this disabling illness and its symptoms. Incidence and Prevalence Estimates of the annual incidence of Parkinson's disease are in the range of 4-20 per 100,000 individuals. A widely accepted figure for the prevalence of Parkinson's disease is approximately 200 per 100,000 populations. In the Unite States, it is estimated that between 750,000 and 1.5 million people have the disease. In the United Kingdom, there are approximately 120,000-130,000 diagnosed cases, but there may be many more that remain undiagnosed. Age, Sex, and Ethnicity Both the incidence and prevalence of Parkinson's disease increase with age, and the prevalence may be as high as 1 in 50 for patients over the age of 80 years. Men are 1.5 times more likely than women to develop the condition are. Hospital-based studies have suggested that Parkinson's disease is less common in the Black population, than in other groups. Pathology The main pathological feature of Parkinson's disease is the degeneration of neuromelanin-containing neurons in the pars compacta of the substantia nigra (Figure 1.1). Examination with the naked eye reveals pallor of this area, which is confirmed microscopically by a marked decrease in the number of neuromelanin-containing cells and the presence of Lewy bodies in the remaining nigral neurons. Degeneration of pigmented neurons in the brainstem is not limited to the nigra but extends to the locus ceruleus and the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus. Lewy bodies are intracytoplasmic eosinophilic inclusions, which are typically found in the neurons of the substantia nigra (Figure 1.2). They are a pathological hallmark of

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Implementation of Information System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Implementation of Information System - Essay Example The identification and listing of stakeholders is very important and the initial step in an Is project. The list of the stakeholders should include all the people who have the power to effect the system. The second category of stakeholders includes the people whose position and power will be affected by the project. The third and most important category is the users of the project. It is important to recognise the actual stakeholders of the project. The representatives of these stakeholders should be included in all the discussions related to the project in order to sketch the clear vision and necessities of project. After the identification process it is important to determine the problem statement. The entire stakeholder should reach an agreement on the definition of problem in order to design a project to fit the problem size for all the stakeholders. The stakeholders can be divided into different groups according to their expectations regarding the project. The use and expectation of the stakeholders will help in designing the project in right way. It is seen in case of different projects that the developers and the involved stakeholders do not know about what they exactly want from the project. The development of an internal model regarding the perceptions of developers and stakeholders regarding the project will help all the people involved to expect, create, build and effectively use and support the system. 3. Identify and List Use Cases Use cases are the core of the whole process. The use cases present the complete functionality of the system. A use case in defined as an interaction between the user and the system. The use cases of the different stakeholders differ according to their expectations. They are an effective and meaningful tool to manage and organise the project. The use case collection in undertaken according to three steps: 1. To discover the use case while discussing with the stakeholders this step involves a general overview of two to three sentences of the use case. 2. At the second stage an analysis of

Saturday, August 24, 2019

U.S Navy in early American history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

U.S Navy in early American history - Essay Example Despite the fact the Old Navy was ultra sized; it had the most sophisticated warships in the world. It presented a platform to the modernization of the Navy. The Status and existence of the Rhode Island was prioritized by the US government. Therefore the creation of the navy was billed and passed by Parliament of the Rhode Island in seventeen seventy seven in Greenwich (East). It should be noted that these events took place after the military hierarchy promotion of Captain Abraham Whipple in to an Army General. Governor Nicholas Cooke issued a confirmation to this. It was a defense move against the Frigates from Britain who posed a constant threat to the trade activities in Rhode Island. It was so serious that President George Washington begun buying warships using his own resources. The Schooner Hannah was one of the ships. The Continental Congress endorsed the buying of two ships that were well armed to attack the ships from their enemies like British for this matter. There was to be the existing policy that was to be adhered to by the continental fleet that was to reign throughout the Revolution. The first policy was written by John Adams which was accepted by the congress. Towards the end of 1775, the Congress ordered the putting up of thirteen frigates in the following a quarter a year, putting into account the resolution that was passed earlier on. Also, there was building of five ships that have two and two thirds dozens of guns, five ships with two and a quarter dozens guns, and three ships with two dozens of guns. A dozen ships that were build under the order of Benedict Arnold to prevent the British from attacking New York after Canada. This Arnold’s fleet did not manage that of British whereas the fleet which brought the British fleet was the U.S fleet in the war called Battle of Valcour Island. Later on, the ships vessels that were constructed were overpowered by the Royal Navy, which was more powerful than them. The only American hero in the navy who defeated the British fleet was John Paul Jones, who was Thought to have attacked other ships by their owners and when asked he put it boldly that the fight had not yet began. There took place the Revolutionary War which its end resulted into the break up the Navy of the continent in 1785, after the approval of Treaty of Paris. It is the Treaty of Paris that kept British Navy to work together with the ship trading and their support ended after the dispersing of the continental navy. The war between the American marine trade transporters and their attackers at the coast led to the Naval Act 1794. There was order that the Act should have the six frigates as one of its composition. the frigates comprised of four with three ant two thirds dozens of guns and two having three dozens of guns. The Navy then allied with the northern states and the coastal part and their enemies came from the interior parts. The establishment of the Naval Act led to the start of building a half a doz en frigates, namely: USS United States Chesapeake, Constitution, Constellation, USS United States, the congress and the president. The most popular of all was Constitution that was branded a name â€Å"Old Ironsides† with a lot of input from Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. The American Navy later fought the Navy from France in The Quasi-war as a result of Treaty of Alliance formed in 1778. The US played in away that it supported British and French equally in their fight but after the formation of the treaty referred to as Jay Treaty became

Friday, August 23, 2019

Are the problems faced by the feminist and sexual emancipation Essay

Are the problems faced by the feminist and sexual emancipation movements similar to those faced by civil rights movement Or are there major differences - Essay Example e to realize that if they are to attain their full emancipation from slavery, discrimination is to stop also, and hence the Civil Rights Movement came into being for this very reason. It took a while for the Civil Rights Movement to become unified, because many of its early leaders pursued their own agenda on a piece-meal basis. Until influential leaders like Medgar Evers and Martin Luther King came along, the movement was fragmented and due to this situation, it lacked the cohesion necessary to achieve its stated political and social aims. It is admittedly and doubly difficult for any mass movement to achieve any objective if leaders are not united, and this was the case during the early years of the Civil Rights Movement. The entrenched interests of the white supremacists and the political establishment are not going to give way that easily, and many of them saw blacks as a threat to the American way of life. In this regard, the early Feminist Movement was strikingly similar to the Civil Rights Movement in that it was also fragmented, with no clear articulation of what it tries to achieve. Many feminists pursued different agendas on their own, although feminism owes its origins to the early Suffrage Movement to give women the right to vote. Early feminists cannot agree on what they want; whether it is equality in the workplace, at the home, or in the political arena. On the other hand, there are significant or major differences between these two big movements. Feminism is a fight for equality, but only with regards to womens rights. It is not just a fight for recognition, but also a struggle between the two sexes in which there is often a rampant form of sexism, a form of gender discrimination (Paludi 12). In a sense, feminism is a form of gender politics and pits man against woman, male against female protagonists. While the Civil Rights Movement was a struggle against the political and social establishment, feminism can be seen within the context of human

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Home video game industry analysis Essay Example for Free

Home video game industry analysis Essay History In 1949 the video game was thought of for the first time by an engineer named Ralph Baer but it would be years before video games would enter the spotlight. 1 In 1972 Steve Bushnell started the first gaming company Atari. Until 1978 there were very few games for the home system. In 1982 Atari releases a newer version and sales start to sore. In 1985 Nintendo enters the market with the NES. Nintendo still outsells both companies 10 to 1. In 1995 Sega releases Sega Saturn three months before the projected date and there are not enough games released because of this and sales are dismal. The same year Sony releases the Playstation at $100 less than expected with a variety of different game titles, sales are strong. In 1996 Nintendo releases the N64 which is received well by the public. Sega lowers prices to stay competitive. In 1999 Nintendo and Sony are in an intense pricing war on their competing systems. Microsoft also announces they will be entering the market with the X-Box. Nintendo releases the Gamecube and the Gameboy advance the same year. X-Box is released in 2001 and is received well and is out of stock most places. With all of the systems and game prices very high, piracy is becoming more and more of a problem with Mod Chips being developed that allow for pirated games to be played on all consoles. In late 2005 Microsoft releases the X-Box 360. 2 The following year Nintendo releases the Wii and Sony releases Playstation 3 and the problem of piracy still continues to this day. SWOT Analysis Industry strengths include well developed brand image for the leading three competitors. Each of the three leading competitors has successfully exploited its target consumers in age categories. They all have excellent advertising campaigns and have high corporate attention and resources. Industry weakness include rising cost of materials and RD, the expenditures for developing additional high tech systems and games for the system at a reasonable price is becoming increasingly difficult leaving much lower profits for corporations. Opportunity exists when entry into the market is preceded by all others in the industry. Industry trends are leaning towards older population who appreciate graphics and complexity of games and have the resources to pay more for those games. Many gamers are ready to upgrade systems as new technology emerges. Threats to the industry include strong market competition, rapid development of technology, the cost of technology and the rating system given to games. Sub-markets are also gaining popularity including the handheld market and online gaming, which threaten market share. Business and Corporate Strategy Corporate and business level strategies for this industry are equivalent. The inferred industry mission is to provide entertainment through interactive technology. The industry as a whole falls into the maturity segment of the life cycle. Generic competitive industry average is differentiation among games, graphics, and abilities/extras of the game console. In the beginning the strategy focused on the hardware to make profits. 3 The strategy has shifted to software for increased growth. Functional strategies include; superior quality in game graphics and well built hardware. Games have evolved from single applications to cartridges to CD-ROM. Graphics have evolved similarly from 8 to 16 to 32 bit. Threats stated in the SWOT analysis can be minimized by staying at the forefront of the competition in RD and finding ways to keep down cost while offering superior products. A venture into a back to the basics approach with the Wii has proved successful to attract female and novice users. Structure and Control Systems Strategic managers in the Video Game industry have developed a set of strategies to build competitive advantage to achieve their goals. Then an organizational structure has been put in place to use resources to create a competitive advantage. To evaluate how well the strategy and structure are working, managers developed specific performance measures. The four building blocks of competitive advantage are efficiency, quality, innovation, and responsiveness to customers. Recommendations With the home video game industry evolving, there are a few things that need to be in mind as you try to improve. You need to stay technologically advanced by continuing to change games, software, and new models. These adjustments require this technology to be low cost to be successful in this industry. If costs are high, not only will the customer be lost but you may lose your competitive edge. Competitive advantage in this industry is a critical factor. If you are ahead in the industry at one point, another company can come out with the next best selling product with new features and graphics capturing market share. Furthermore, being competitive in the sense of efficiency, quality, and response to the customers is critical in this industry. It influences a customer to buy your product rather than the competitors. If you have good quality and low prices, the customers would be willing to upgrade to the newer product line. With the industry constantly changing, you need to be on top of your game to be on top of the home video gaming industry.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Introduction to Business Assignment Essay Example for Free

Introduction to Business Assignment Essay AIM: I have been requested by Peter Eskesen to look at two contrasting business organisations and one of who must operate in the secondary/manufacturing industry and the other corporation must be a service provider from the tertiary sector. I must then look at the activities that each of them fulfil and look at the effectiveness of them within each organisation. I have decided to look at the activities of G. E lighting which is an American company and a direct division of the biggest company in the world G. E and the second company of which I have decided to look at is Sainsburys who is amongst some of the most dominant market leading companies operating in the U. K in the supermarket sector. Both of the companies that I have decided to look at are both owned by shareholders which means that people have bought shares into them. However having said that, as G. E lighting is an American company it means that it will not be listed on the London Stock Exchange but will alternatively be listed upon the New York stock exchange market. If a person wanted to buy shares in GE lighting then they would have to contact a broker. Furthermore, Sainsburys is also a Public Limited Company because it is like before, listed upon the London Stock Exchange. Today General Electric is made up of many departments/divisions. For example G. E Lighting in Enfield is part of a Global Business, which operates in over 100 worldwide countries and also holds work for over 300,000 people worldwide too. Television programming, Plastics and G. E Aircraft Engines for example, is the biggest engine maker and supplier in the world with operations in over 40 different countries. 1 On the next page you will find GEs product portfolio. Sainsburys supermarkets employ over 145,000 people (including Savacentre). Of these 145,000 people, 60% are part time based workers and 40% are full time workers. 62% of the labour forces are women which show that since the 19th Century equal opportunities have shifted and women have the same rights as men to be able to work. Furthermore, Sainsburys Supermarkets serves well over 11 million customers a week and as from May 2003, had 535 stores open throughout the UK. Nearly 60% of their stores are located upon town centres and others built on the edge of centre locations in the greenbelt areas where land is cheaper and have better connections. Like GE, Sainsburys also have sub divisions or Subsidiary companies that they own. For example the other activities that they operate or run besides Groceries, include a chain of Sainsburys Banks, Shaws, JS Development and Sainsburys Property Development. Shaws Supermarkets Inc. has been a completely owned Subsidiary of J Sainsburys plc since 1987 and partly owned since 1983. Shaws serves over four million customers a week, and as at May 2003 had 193 stores open in New England, USA. In June 1999, J Sainsburys plc acquired the entire share capital of Star Markets for a total consideration of $497 million dollars which is the equivalent to i 313 million British pounds. Star Markets operates in the Metropolitan Boston area, Washington DC. The acquisition took Shaws Supermarkets to the number 2 position in New England and as the dominant market leader in Houston, Massachusetts. Like Sainsburys Supermarkets, the US operations place an emphasis on high quality food at value for money prices, and are persistently recuperating and improving their range of fresh foods. The corporation offers approximately 50,000 different lines, up to 35,000 per store at any one time. Some 5,000 popular brand products account for 40 per cent sales and as at June 2003, Shaws employs some 28,400 associates.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Person Centred Therapy Strength And Weaknesses Psychology Essay

Person Centred Therapy Strength And Weaknesses Psychology Essay Person centred approach is a humanistic phenomenological approach founded by Carl Rodgers, an American humanistic psychologist who believed in a way an individual sees themselves and realising their full potential for their personal growth and personal development he called self actualisation. When there is no relationship between experience and the individual perception of self, a human being experiences anxiety and depression. This results in unpleasant feelings which make defence mechanisms to kick in and results in denial and distortion and blocks an individual self concept. The anxiety and depression will get in an individuals life in a neurotic way and lead to psychotic behaviours, (Gross, 2010).Rogers believed that the behaviour can be re-organised by use of person centred therapy. According to Graham (1986), person centred therapy also known as client centred therapy is a process whereby an individual takes control of their self in an attempt to become autonomous and increase in self confidence. It is an approach that is used for counselling patients with the emphasis of a relationship between the client and the counsellor with more responsibility on the client. The client takes control of the therapeutic sessions, determining when to terminate the treatment. In return, the therapist is expected to facilitate the client with appropriate condition for therapy which makes the client to fully interact and make a stable relationship with the client that is trustworthy, (Gross, 2010). This will make the client feel safe and able to open up during sessions. The therapist is expected to be non judgmental, empathetic and understanding. The approach emphasizes on creating conducive environment which is comfortable, warm and safe which enables the client to open up. The refore the approach is non judgmental and anti oppressive. For the therapy to be effective according to Rogers (1951), it is determined by therapists attitude which is expected to be congruence; authenticity, genuine and showing of the true feelings of emotions. Unconditional positive regard which is accepting the client who they are regardless of the clients past. Being empathetic which involves an understanding of the clients world at the same time showing genuine emotional feelings and listening attentively during the sessions. These characters will help the client to trust the therapist and have the courage to open up and start the process of healing. Thorne (1984) suggested tenderness as another attitude that the therapist need to possess. These attitudes are of extreme importance as explained by Fonagy and Higgitt (1984) that possessing these conditions will help the client to talk about their life honestly and help the client to overcome their odd behaviour. The counsellor will help the client to uncover and express the true feelings by adopting the non-directive role. During the sessions, the therapist is not allowed to alter clients way of thinking but only check with the client if they do not understand anything. They are expected to put themselves in the clients position and respect them at all the times. Any contribution from the client is valued and negative thinking is regarded as legitimate. The therapy will help the client to change their ways of thinking, setting them free and be positive. The therapy is mainly applied to people who suffer from schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, alcohol disorders, cognitive dysfunctions and personality disorders. Egan (1998) developed a systematic counselling model to help individuals solve their problems in order for them to develop opportunities. The Egan skilled helper works better when co-operated with person centred approach principles. Critically evaluate 550 Strength The effectiveness of the person centred approach is that, the counselling is a personal communication between the client and the therapist. It aids in helping the clients problems by increasing the clients sense of well being. This therapy makes the client to explore their true self by being honest and empowers them to be able to solve their own problems. It gives the client a chance to have self direction by allowing them to plan their own session and be in control of the therapy. Therapists give the clients upper hand and not take them as experts but rather a comforting hand to the client. It gives them an opportunity to show their caring nature, being non-judgmental and empathise with the client regardless of their abnormal behaviour or rigid patterns of thinking, (Gross, 2010). Maslow (1970) explained that self actualisation helps the client to fully concentrate on themselves and guide in decision making for growth and develop into an honest, selfless and independent person. In r eturn it makes the client to have autonomy and not depend on others all the time. It gives the client self growth, confidence and better understanding of oneself. Client behaviour is expected to change and the way they view life, giving more appreciation and better relationships. Self actualisation also makes the client to have self acceptance and being able to accept others. Another stronghold of the person centred approach is that it makes the therapist accept the client the way they are without judging them or pressuring them to change but rather showing empathy. In return it gives the client a platform to explore their true feelings and make them better people in a society. It also gives the client a chance to reflect on their previous behaviour and identify areas that they need to develop on. Weaknesses However, on the negative side the client is not challenged by anyone or able to engage in a contest in order to find or show their ability. It deprives the opportunity to give opinion or suggestions that might be useful. The therapist cannot question anything even if they are concerned and it is too plain and not complicated. The therapy does not offer a proper structure to the client even though the therapist subscribe to the ethical principles of their profession which gives them guidelines about their boundaries, (Mearns and Thorne, 2007) and this can be difficult for the client to progress and have answers. The approach has developed since the 60s and it does not have much research and modern theory on it. Also there are no techniques in this approach such as questioning or clarifying. Another drawback of this approach is that there is no intervention of which according to Adams at al (2009) intervention is an act to achieve effects and produce results. There is no involvement or interference from the therapist who might offer sound advice. McNeill et al (2005) identified elements of interventions that have an impact on behavioural change. Out of the elements, person centred therapy lacks the agreement intervention and interactive communication. In comparison with crisis intervention where help is offered when a service user is faced with a problem, (Adam et al, 2009), person centred therapists are not allowed to offer help. Crisis intervention allows the practitioner to help an individual out of stress and change their behaviour by assessing the situation and making a plan to give support as well as advocating. Adams et al (2009) stated that crisis intervention makes an individual in crisis stronger and able to deal with threats and help them with personal growth. Like In person centred therapy, I like the fact that the client is given all the attention and focus and the relationship that is formed between the client and the therapist is of utmost important. I like the fact that it makes the client feel comfortable and dont feel like they are being judged because of their condition. In case of a client who has strong past like a paedophile or a murderer, I suppose they relax more knowing their therapist is not judging them and it can make them to relax and express themselves. I think they are bound to make a full recovery quicker with client centred therapy where they are in total control of the situation. Dislike My negative view of the therapy is the fact that the client is not challenged even if they are heading for a downfall; the therapist cannot change their minds or intervene. Another downfall I find with the therapy is the lack of intervention and techniques. An example from work place Mr Johns (pseudonym for confidential reasons) is a 24 year old client in a residential home who has problems with substance misuse since the age of 13. He has a history of violence and thieving. He has been attending counselling sessions, a one to one approach to help him overcome his addiction. Mr Johns attended therapeutic sessions to help him identify where his problem started and what triggers him to take drugs. In his evaluation, he mentions that he was able to open up to his therapists because he knew he was not judged or discriminated but he was treated as an individual. He also mentions that the relationship and communication he had with the therapist made him comfortable and it helped him in his healing process. Discuss how you envisage By looking at Mr Jones story and the way the approach worked towards his healing, I would envisage using the therapy in my professional practice especially in cases that involve mental health, drug misuse and learning disabilities. I believe personalising care is a key to effective treatment and it makes the client feel valued. Even though the approach has its weaknesses, I would use it in my practice depending on what the client is experiencing at the time. Conclusion In conclusion, the person centred approach has existed for a long time and is simple to use, though it can be difficult to see if its working because the therapists rely on the persons behaviour. The non judgmental technique and the warm relationship between the client and the therapist help individuals to open up and be free. (Word count 1660)

Monday, August 19, 2019

The Puritans: Fanatic or not? :: essays paper

The Puritans: Fanatic or not? A religious fanatic is someone who takes his or her religion to the extreme, letting it control everything in his or her day to day life. The Puritans of the Massachusetts Bay colony are a prime example of this extremist view of religion. They had com plete religion based lives including the laws that they wrote, the way they treated outspoken women, and the way they treated people of other religions. The Puritans, for the most part, were good people, they just went way too far when it came to their r eligious beliefs. In the late 16 hundreds, the Puritans wrote their laws according to what the Bible states in the Old Testament, and to what they thought should also be a sin against God. These laws made some very petty and insignificant things illegal; such as worshipp ing a God other than the Lord God, cursing the name of God, a child over 16 cursing his parents, and being stubborn or rebellious against one's own parents. The punishment for all of the afore mentioned laws and for many others was death. Even interpr eting a preacher's sermon in a different way was enough to get in trouble with the law. And for one woman it did. The mix of being a woman and committing an act against the church was even worse. Anne Hutchinson was a woman in the Puritan society with her own religious views. Ones that she shared with a select group of people in the community when she held small meetings at her home to reevaluate and reinterpret what the preacher had said in his sermon. For this she got arrested, put on trial in a severe cross-examination, and was finally banished from the community. In this day and age, sharing of religious vi ews, even from a woman, wouldn't even be thought of as bad, much less a serious crime. But to the Puritans, having different views of God's word was enough to have a person put to death. Even if they were from a different community all-together. The peace-loving Quakers lived in Massachusetts along side the Puritans, but did not believe in the same things as them. The Puritan community saw this as a demonic act and believed them to be "under the strong delusion of Satan." Serious injustices we re done to them, and most of the time it was to innocent people. People were kept days without food, women were stripped stark naked, one lay neck and heels in irons for

Fear :: essays papers

Fear The poem â€Å"Fear† by Gabriela Mistral, dramatizes the conflict between a mother and her fear of her child growing up. The mother is the speaker in this poem. The mother is frightened of her child growing up and not needing her as much as she does as a child. In stanza 1 line 1 it says, â€Å"I do not want them to turn my child into a swallow†. The swallow symbolizes a bird leaving the nest. The mother is fearful of her daughter growing up and moving out. This line is repeated in line 7. The mother refers to â€Å"them† when she talks of who is going to change her she is referring to society. The mother is fearful that society will make her daughter become independent. In line 4 it says, â€Å"and never come down again to my doormat†. She is fearful that her daughter will not come and visit once she moves out. In stanza 2 line 9 it says, â€Å"I do not want them to make my child into a princess.† The princess represents the childâ⠂¬â„¢s teen years. Again she refers to society as them. It is also repeated in line 16. The mother does not want society to turn her daughter into something she is not. She wants her child to have fun and play. The mother is fearful that her child will not sleep by her at night. In stanza 3 line 17 it says, â€Å"And I would like even less that one day they crown her queen.† The queen represents the daughter as an adult figure. The mother is frightened of the day her child is an adult, maybe married, and has a life of her own. She will not need her mother anymore. She will not be dependent on her mother anymore. Gabriella Mistral uses repetition in this poem.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Free Macbeth Essays: Character, Language, Atmosphere and Irony :: Macbeth essays

Character, Language, Atmosphere and Irony in Macbeth What kind of people are the characters in this drama? How can we decide? Characters in Shakespearean drama are judged by (i) their actions; (ii) what others say of them (iii) what they themselves say in public (iv) by what they say in soliloquy, i.e. when thinking aloud or in 'asides' . We tend to judge people by their actions and by what they say in public, but these are not always a true reflection of the real character; people do not always reveal themselves to others, so we can only accept this evidence with reservation. In 'Macbeth' we learn that Duncan has been deceived by the first Thane of Cawdor whom he considered to have been "a gentleman on whom I built An absolute trust" yet who was guilty of treason. Again Lady Macbeth's words to Duncan, Act I, Sc. vi "Your servants ever Have theirs, themselves, and what is theirs, in compt, To make their audit at your highness' pleasure, Still to return your own", are spoken shortly after she has decided that he will be murdered. Only w hen they think aloud,(soliloquy), can we accept without reservation what they say. "In soliloquy lies truth". At the same time there are different interpretations of a soliloquy, and of the tone in which it is spoken. It all depends on the reader's attitude. It is a good approach to be open-minded, to attempt to look at both sides of the question, before arriving at a conclusion. Language In Macbeth Language Language is made up of words and sounds; it is concerned with creating effect by producing images and by placing words. It includes syntax, diction and even tone. Imagery involves the working of the senses, the vivid description of an odour, a melody, a visual picture, of taste or touch. Syntax refers to the order of words in a sentence, the length of sentences. It is associated with diction and imagery, e.g. in the use of inversion (changing the normal order of words often for emphasis), eclipses (omitting certain words) and antithesis (setting one word or idea against another with the object of heightening the effect of what is said). Diction is the writer's choice of words. The dramatist may use religious terms, technical terms, dialect, or may even create words. He may use multi-syllabic words, or monosyllabic words. The imagery in Shakespeare has been discussed elsewhere.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Twilight 9. THEORY

9. THEORY â€Å"Can I ask just one more?† I pleaded as Edward accelerated much too quickly down the quiet street. He didn't seem to be paying any attention to the road. He sighed. â€Å"One,† he agreed. His lips pressed together into a cautious line. â€Å"Well†¦ you said you knew I hadn't gone into the bookstore, and that I had gone south. I was just wondering how you knew that.† He looked away, deliberating. â€Å"I thought we were past all the evasiveness,† I grumbled. He almost smiled. â€Å"Fine, then. I followed your scent.† He looked at the road, giving me time to compose my face. I couldn't think of an acceptable response to that, but I filed it carefully away for future study. I tried to refocus. I wasn't ready to let him be finished, now that he was finally explaining things. â€Å"And then you didn't answer one of my first questions†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I stalled. He looked at me with disapproval. â€Å"Which one?† â€Å"How does it work – the mind-reading thing? Can you read anybody's mind, anywhere? How do you do it? Can the rest of your family†¦ ?† I felt silly, asking for clarification on make-believe. â€Å"That's more than one,† he pointed out. I simply intertwined my fingers and gazed at him, waiting. â€Å"No, it's just me. And I can't hear anyone, anywhere. I have to be fairly close. The more familiar someone's†¦ ‘voice' is, the farther away I can hear them. But still, no more than a few miles.† He paused thoughtfully. â€Å"It's a little like being in a huge hall filled with people, everyone talking at once. It's just a hum – a buzzing of voices in the background. Until I focus on one voice, and then what they're thinking is clear. â€Å"Most of the time I tune it all out – it can be very distracting. And then it's easier to seem normal† – he frowned as he said the word – â€Å"when I'm not accidentally answering someone's thoughts rather than their words.† â€Å"Why do you think you can't hear me?† I asked curiously. He looked at me, his eyes enigmatic. â€Å"I don't know,† he murmured. â€Å"The only guess I have is that maybe your mind doesn't work the same way the rest of theirs do. Like your thoughts are on the AM frequency and I'm only getting FM.† He grinned at me, suddenly amused. â€Å"My mind doesn't work right? I'm a freak?† The words bothered me more than they should – probably because his speculation hit home. I'd always suspected as much, and it embarrassed me to have it confirmed. â€Å"I hear voices in my mind and you're worried that you're the freak,† he laughed. â€Å"Don't worry, it's just a theory†¦Ã¢â‚¬  His face tightened. â€Å"Which brings us back to you.† I sighed. How to begin? â€Å"Aren't we past all the evasions now?† he reminded me softly. I looked away from his face for the first time, trying to find words. I happened to notice the speedometer. â€Å"Holy crow!† I shouted. â€Å"Slow down!† â€Å"What's wrong?† He was startled. But the car didn't decelerate. â€Å"You're going a hundred miles an hour!† I was still shouting. I shot a panicky glance out the window, but it was too dark to see much. The road was only visible in the long patch of bluish brightness from the headlights. The forest along both sides of the road was like a black wall – as hard as a wall of steel if we veered off the road at this speed. â€Å"Relax, Bella.† He rolled his eyes, still not slowing. â€Å"Are you trying to kill us?† I demanded. â€Å"We're not going to crash.† I tried to modulate my voice. â€Å"Why are you in such a hurry?† â€Å"I always drive like this.† He turned to smile crookedly at me. â€Å"Keep your eyes on the road!† â€Å"I've never been in an accident, Bella – I've never even gotten a ticket.† He grinned and tapped his forehead. â€Å"Built-in radar detector.† â€Å"Very funny.† I fumed. â€Å"Charlie's a cop, remember? I was raised to abide by traffic laws. Besides, if you turn us into a Volvo pretzel around a tree trunk, you can probably just walk away.† â€Å"Probably,† he agreed with a short, hard laugh. â€Å"But you can't.† He sighed, and I watched with relief as the needle gradually drifted toward eighty. â€Å"Happy?† â€Å"Almost.† â€Å"I hate driving slow,† he muttered. â€Å"This is slow?† â€Å"Enough commentary on my driving,† he snapped. â€Å"I'm still waiting for your latest theory.† I bit my lip. He looked down at me, his honey eyes unexpectedly gentle. â€Å"I won't laugh,† he promised. â€Å"I'm more afraid that you'll be angry with me.† â€Å"Is it that bad?† â€Å"Pretty much, yeah.† He waited. I was looking down at my hands, so I couldn't see his expression. â€Å"Go ahead.† His voice was calm. â€Å"I don't know how to start,† I admitted. â€Å"Why don't you start at the beginning†¦ you said you didn't come up with this on your own.† â€Å"No.† â€Å"What got you started – a book? A movie?† he probed. â€Å"No – it was Saturday, at the beach.† I risked a glance up at his face. He looked puzzled. â€Å"I ran into an old family friend -Jacob Black,† I continued. â€Å"His dad and Charlie have been friends since I was a baby.† He still looked confused. â€Å"His dad is one of the Quileute elders.† I watched him carefully. His confused expression froze in place. â€Å"We went for a walk -† I edited all my scheming out of the story â€Å"- and he was telling me some old legends – trying to scare me, I think. He told me one†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I hesitated. â€Å"Go on,† he said. â€Å"About vampires.† I realized I was whispering. I couldn't look at his face now. But I saw his knuckles tighten convulsively on the wheel. â€Å"And you immediately thought of me?† Still calm. â€Å"No. He†¦ mentioned your family.† He was silent, staring at the road. I was worried suddenly, worried about protecting Jacob. â€Å"He just thought it was a silly superstition,† I said quickly. â€Å"He didn't expect me to think anything of it.† It didn't seem like enough; I had to confess. â€Å"It was my fault, I forced him to tell me.† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Lauren said something about you – she was trying to provoke me. And an older boy from the tribe said your family didn't come to the reservation, only it sounded like he meant something different. So I got Jacob alone and I tricked it out of him,† I admitted, hanging my head. He startled me by laughing. I glared up at him. He was laughing, but his eyes were fierce, staring ahead. â€Å"Tricked him how?† he asked. â€Å"I tried to flirt – it worked better than I thought it would.† Disbelief colored my tone as I remembered. â€Å"I'd like to have seen that.† He chuckled darkly. â€Å"And you accused me of dazzling people – poor Jacob Black.† I blushed and looked out my window into the night. â€Å"What did you do then?† he asked after a minute. â€Å"I did some research on the Internet.† â€Å"And did that convince you?† His voice sounded barely interested. But his hands were clamped hard onto the steering wheel. â€Å"No. Nothing fit. Most of it was kind of silly. And then†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I stopped. â€Å"What?† â€Å"I decided it didn't matter,† I whispered. â€Å"It didn't matter?† His tone made me look up – I had finally broken through his carefully composed mask. His face was incredulous, with just a hint of the anger I'd feared. â€Å"No,† I said softly. â€Å"It doesn't matter to me what you are.† A hard, mocking edge entered his voice. â€Å"You don't care if I'm a monster? If I'm not human!† â€Å"No.† He was silent, staring straight ahead again. His face was bleak and cold. â€Å"You're angry,† I sighed. â€Å"I shouldn't have said anything.† â€Å"No,† he said, but his tone was as hard as his face. â€Å"I'd rather know what you're thinking – even if what you're thinking is insane.† â€Å"So I'm wrong again?† I challenged. â€Å"That's not what I was referring to. ‘It doesn't matter'!† he quoted, gritting his teeth together. â€Å"I'm right?† I gasped. â€Å"Does it matter?† I took a deep breath. â€Å"Not really.† I paused. â€Å"But I am curious.† My voice, at least, was composed. He was suddenly resigned. â€Å"What are you curious about?† â€Å"How old are you?† â€Å"Seventeen,† he answered promptly. â€Å"And how long have you been seventeen?† His lips twitched as he stared at the road. â€Å"A while,† he admitted at last. â€Å"Okay.† I smiled, pleased that he was still being honest with me. He stared down at me with watchful eyes, much as he had before, when he was worried I would go into shock. I smiled wider in encouragement, and he frowned. â€Å"Don't laugh – but how can you come out during the daytime?† He laughed anyway. â€Å"Myth.† â€Å"Burned by the sun?† â€Å"Myth.† â€Å"Sleeping in coffins?† â€Å"Myth.† He hesitated for a moment, and a peculiar tone entered his voice. â€Å"I can't sleep.† It took me a minute to absorb that. â€Å"At all?† â€Å"Never,† he said, his voice nearly inaudible. He turned to look at me with a wistful expression. The golden eyes held mine, and I lost my train of thought. I stared at him until he looked away. â€Å"You haven't asked me the most important question yet.† His voice was hard now, and when he looked at me again his eyes were cold. I blinked, still dazed. â€Å"Which one is that?† â€Å"You aren't concerned about my diet?† he asked sarcastically. â€Å"Oh,† I murmured, â€Å"that.† â€Å"Yes, that.† His voice was bleak. â€Å"Don't you want to know if I drink blood?† I flinched. â€Å"Well, Jacob said something about that.† â€Å"What did Jacob say?† he asked flatly. â€Å"He said you didn't†¦ hunt people. He said your family wasn't supposed to be dangerous because you only hunted animals.† â€Å"He said we weren't dangerous?† His voice was deeply skeptical. â€Å"Not exactly. He said you weren't supposed to be dangerous. But the Quileutes still didn't want you on their land, just in case.† He looked forward, but I couldn't tell if he was watching the road or not. â€Å"So was he right? About not hunting people?† I tried to keep my voice as even as possible. â€Å"The Quileutes have a long memory,† he whispered. I took it as a confirmation. â€Å"Don't let that make you complacent, though,† he warned me. â€Å"They're right to keep their distance from us. We are still dangerous.† â€Å"I don't understand.† â€Å"We try,† he explained slowly. â€Å"We're usually very good at what we do. Sometimes we make mistakes. Me, for example, allowing myself to be alone with you.† â€Å"This is a mistake?† I heard the sadness in my voice, but I didn't know if he could as well. â€Å"A very dangerous one,† he murmured. We were both silent then. I watched the headlights twist with the curves of the road. They moved too fast; it didn't look real, it looked like a video game. I was aware of the time slipping away so quickly, like the black road beneath us, and I was hideously afraid that I would never have another chance to be with him like this again – openly, the walls between us gone for once. His words hinted at an end, and I recoiled from the idea. I couldn't waste one minute I had with him. â€Å"Tell me more,† I asked desperately, not caring what he said, just so I could hear his voice again. He looked at me quickly, startled by the change in my tone. â€Å"What more do you want to know?† â€Å"Tell me why you hunt animals instead of people,† I suggested, my voice still tinged with desperation. I realized my eyes were wet, and I fought against the grief that was trying to overpower me. â€Å"I don't want to be a monster.† His voice was very low. â€Å"But animals aren't enough?† He paused. â€Å"I can't be sure, of course, but I'd compare it to living on tofu and soy milk; we call ourselves vegetarians, our little inside joke. It doesn't completely satiate the hunger – or rather thirst. But it keens us strong enough to resist. Most of the time.† His tone turned ominous. â€Å"Sometimes it's more difficult than others.† â€Å"Is it very difficult for you now?† I asked. He sighed. â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"But you're not hungry now,† I said confidently – stating, not asking. â€Å"Why do you think that?† â€Å"Your eyes. I told you I had a theory. I've noticed that people – men in particular – are crabbier when they're hungry.† He chuckled. â€Å"You are observant, aren't you?† I didn't answer; I just listened to the sound of his laugh, committing it to memory. â€Å"Were you hunting this weekend, with Emmett?† I asked when it was quiet again. â€Å"Yes.† He paused for a second, as if deciding whether or not to say something. â€Å"I didn't want to leave, but it was necessary. It's a bit easier to be around you when I'm not thirsty.† â€Å"Why didn't you want to leave?† â€Å"It makes me†¦ anxious†¦ to be away from you.† His eyes were gentle but intense, and they seemed to be making my bones turn soft. â€Å"I wasn't joking when I asked you to try not to fall in the ocean or get run over last Thursday. I was distracted all weekend, worrying about you. And after what happened tonight, I'm surprised that you did make it through a whole weekend unscathed.† He shook his head, and then seemed to remember something. â€Å"Well, not totally unscathed.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"Your hands,† he reminded me. I looked down at my palms, at the almost-healed scrapes across the heels of my hands. His eyes missed nothing. â€Å"I fell,† I sighed. â€Å"That's what I thought.† His lips curved up at the corners. â€Å"I suppose, being you, it could have been much worse – and that possibility tormented me the entire time I was away. It was a very long three days. I really got on Emmett's nerves.† He smiled ruefully at me. â€Å"Three days? Didn't you just get back today?† â€Å"No, we got back Sunday.† â€Å"Then why weren't any of you in school?† I was frustrated, almost angry as I thought of how much disappointment I had suffered because of his absence. â€Å"Well, you asked if the sun hurt me, and it doesn't. But I can't go out in the sunlight – at least, not where anyone can see.† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"I'll show you sometime,† he promised. I thought about it for a moment. â€Å"You might have called me,† I decided. He was puzzled. â€Å"But I knew you were safe.† â€Å"But I didn't know where you were. I -† I hesitated, dropping my eyes. â€Å"What?† His velvety voice was compelling. â€Å"I didn't like it. Not seeing you. It makes me anxious, too.† I blushed to be saying this out loud. He was quiet. I glanced up, apprehensive, and saw that his expression was pained. â€Å"Ah,† he groaned quietly. â€Å"This is wrong.† I couldn't understand his response. â€Å"What did I say?† â€Å"Don't you see, Bella? It's one thing for me to make myself miserable, but a wholly other thing for you to be so involved.† He turned his anguished eyes to the road, his words flowing almost too fast for me to understand. â€Å"I don't want to hear that you feel that way.† His voice was low but urgent. His words cut me. â€Å"It's wrong. It's not safe. I'm dangerous, Bella – please, grasp that.† â€Å"No.† I tried very hard not to look like a sulky child. â€Å"I'm serious,† he growled. â€Å"So am I. I told you, it doesn't matter what you are. It's too late.† His voice whipped out, low and harsh. â€Å"Never say that.† I bit my lip and was glad he couldn't know how much that hurt. I stared out at the road. We must be close now. He was driving much too fast. â€Å"What are you thinking?† he asked, his voice still raw. I just shook my head, not sure if I could speak. I could feel his gaze on my face, but I kept my eyes forward. â€Å"Are you crying?† He sounded appalled. I hadn't realized the moisture in my eyes had brimmed over. I quickly rubbed my hand across my cheek, and sure enough, traitor tears were there, betraying me. â€Å"No,† I said, but my voice cracked. I saw him reach toward me hesitantly with his right hand, but then he stopped and placed it slowly back on the steering wheel. â€Å"I'm sorry.† His voice burned with regret. I knew he wasn't just apologizing for the words that had upset me. The darkness slipped by us in silence. â€Å"Tell me something,† he asked after another minute, and I could hear him struggle to use a lighter tone. â€Å"Yes?† â€Å"What were you thinking tonight, just before I came around the corner? I couldn't understand your expression – you didn't look that scared, you looked like you were concentrating very hard on something.† â€Å"I was trying to remember how to incapacitate an attacker – you know, self-defense. I was going to smash his nose into his brain.† I thought of the dark-haired man with a surge of hate. â€Å"You were going to fight them?† This upset him. â€Å"Didn't you think about running?† â€Å"I fall down a lot when I run,† I admitted. â€Å"What about screaming for help?† â€Å"I was getting to that part.† He shook his head. â€Å"You were right – I'm definitely fighting fate trying to keep you alive.† I sighed. We were slowing, passing into the boundaries of Forks. It had taken less than twenty minutes. â€Å"Will I see you tomorrow?† I demanded. â€Å"Yes – I have a paper due, too.† He smiled. â€Å"I'll save you a seat at lunch.† It was silly, after everything we'd been through tonight, how that little promise sent flutters through my stomach, and made me unable to speak. We were in front of Charlie's house. The lights were on, my truck in its place, everything utterly normal. It was like waking from a dream. He stopped the car, but I didn't move. â€Å"Do you promise to be there tomorrow?† â€Å"I promise.† I considered that for a moment, then nodded. I pulled his jacket off, taking one last whiff. â€Å"You can keep it – you don't have a jacket for tomorrow,† he reminded me. I handed it back to him. â€Å"I don't want to have to explain to Charlie.† â€Å"Oh, right.† He grinned. I hesitated, my hand on the door handle, trying to prolong the moment. â€Å"Bella?† he asked in a different tone – serious, but hesitant. â€Å"Yes?† I turned back to him too eagerly. â€Å"Will you promise me something?† â€Å"Yes,† I said, and instantly regretted my unconditional agreement. What if he asked me to stay away from him? I couldn't keep that promise. â€Å"Don't go into the woods alone.† I stared at him in blank confusion. â€Å"Why?† He frowned, and his eyes were tight as he stared past me out the window. â€Å"I'm not always the most dangerous thing out there. Let's leave it at that.† I shuddered slightly at the sudden bleakness in his voice, but I was relieved. This, at least, was an easy promise to honor. â€Å"Whatever you say.† â€Å"I'll see you tomorrow,† he sighed, and I knew he wanted me to leave now. â€Å"Tomorrow, then.† I opened the door unwillingly. â€Å"Bella?† I turned and he was leaning toward me, his pale, glorious face just inches from mine. My heart stopped beating. â€Å"Sleep well,† he said. His breath blew in my face, stunning me. It was the same exquisite scent that clung to his jacket, but in a more concentrated form. I blinked, thoroughly dazed. He leaned away. I was unable to move until my brain had somewhat unscrambled itself. Then I stepped out of the car awkwardly, having to use the frame for support. I thought I heard him chuckle, but the sound was too quiet for me to be certain. He waited till I had stumbled to the front door, and then I heard his engine quietly rev. I turned to watch the silver car disappear around the corner. I realized it was very cold. I reached for the key mechanically, unlocked the door, and stepped inside. Charlie called from the living room. â€Å"Bella?† â€Å"Yeah, Dad, it's me.† I walked in to see him. He was watching a baseball game. â€Å"You're home early.† â€Å"Am I?† I was surprised. â€Å"It's not even eight yet,† he told me. â€Å"Did you girls have fun?† â€Å"Yeah – it was lots of fun.† My head was spinning as I tried to remember all the way back to the girls' night out I had planned. â€Å"They both found dresses.† â€Å"Are you all right?† â€Å"I'm just tired. I did a lot of walking.† â€Å"Well, maybe you should go lie down.† He sounded concerned. I wondered what my face looked like. â€Å"I'm just going to call Jessica first.† â€Å"Weren't you just with her?† he asked, surprised. â€Å"Yes – but I left my jacket in her car. I want to make sure she brings it tomorrow.† â€Å"Well, give her a chance to get home first.† â€Å"Right,† I agreed. I went to the kitchen and fell, exhausted, into a chair. I was really feeling dizzy now. I wondered if I was going to go into shock after all. Get a grip, I told myself. The phone rang suddenly, startling me. I yanked it off the hook. â€Å"Hello?† I asked breathlessly. â€Å"Bella?† â€Å"Hey, Jess, I was just going to call you.† â€Å"You made it home?† Her voice was relieved†¦ and surprised. â€Å"Yes. I left my jacket in your car – could you bring it to me tomorrow?† â€Å"Sure. But tell me what happened!† she demanded. â€Å"Um, tomorrow – in Trig, okay?† She caught on quickly. â€Å"Oh, is your dad there?† â€Å"Yes, that's right.† â€Å"Okay, I'll talk to you tomorrow, then. Bye!† I could hear the impatience in her voice. â€Å"Bye, Jess.† I walked up the stairs slowly, a heavy stupor clouding my mind. I went through the motions of getting ready for bed without paying any attention to what I was doing. It wasn't until I was in the shower – the water too hot, burning my skin – that I realized I was freezing. I shuddered violently for several minutes before the steaming spray could finally relax my rigid muscles. Then I stood in the shower, too tired to move, until the hot water began to run out. I stumbled out, wrapping myself securely in a towel, trying to hold the heat from the water in so the aching shivers wouldn't return. I dressed for bed swiftly and climbed under my quilt, curling into a ball, hugging myself to keep warm. A few small shudders trembled through me. My mind still swirled dizzily, full of images I couldn't understand, and some I fought to repress. Nothing seemed clear at first, but as I fell gradually closer to unconsciousness, a few certainties became evident. About three things I was absolutely positive. First, Edward was a vampire. Second, there was part of him – and I didn't know how potent that part might be – that thirsted for my blood. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Lost in the Digital World

Lost in the Digital World Technology is everywhere in today’s society. It is how we communicate with others, sense of communication and even how we turn in our essays for an English class. It is beneficial to the world in so many ways but at the same time it also has many negative effects. In the article â€Å"Can You Hear Me Now? † by Sherry Turkle, she explores how technology is affecting our daily lives, especially communication. Before the article even begins there is a quote â€Å"Thanks to technology, people have never been more connected—or more alienated† (270).The author explains that through technology our bond with communication is getting weaker and more people rely on technology to control their lives, rather than having control of their own lives. First gives the example of her being at a conference and not a single person can get off technology to even pay attention to what they even came to the conference for. In my personal opinion it show s that we have lost respect for people and have gained more respect for technology and what is going on with the digital world more than the real world. Every once in a while audience members give the speaker some attention, lowering their laptop screens in a kind of digital curtsy† (270). How can we expect someone to listen to us if we cannot even pay attention to them in person? Technology is often the easy way out and it shows through business meetings, families, and how kids are being raised in society in this time. A business meeting is a very personal thing. It is not just what you talk about but it is also how the person looks, communicates in person, and just that vibe you get when you know how to handle people. Consultants used to talk to one another as they wanted to give presentations; now they spend that time doing email† (271). Technology is so impersonal that it makes people unconnected personally. I agree with the author as she criticizes the technology wo rld. â€Å"We are connected, tethered, so important that our physical presence is no longer required† (272). The fact that we do not communicate with people on a deeper level can cause makes trusting people too easy.Texting and emailing a coworker is so convenient for the life of a business person, but are you really going to get the same response or conversation when you could just do it in person? Not only are our careers getting taken over by technology, but our entire lives. The first thing I do whenever I wake up every morning is to check my cell phone to see who had texted me last night while I was sleeping. It never was brought to my attention on how horrible this habit is until I read this article by Turkle. â€Å"I look at my watch to see the time. I look at my BlackBerry to get a sense of my life† (273).A sense of life should not be a hand-held-size of internet and the people that consume your life. A sense of life is how you live it and the decisions and cho ices that you make. The personal connections that you have with the people you love and respect and most of all trust. I am also guilty of texting my mom when we are in the same house. Even though these ways of communication are so easy and most of the time effective; we lose a personal connection and reflect on just pure laziness. A cellphone gives someone a source of protection because they know someone is just a click away. Kids get cell phones from their parents. In return they are expected to answer their parents’ calls. On the one hand this arrangement gives teenagers new freedoms. On the other they do not have the experience of being alone and having to count on themselves; there is always a parent on speed dial. † (275). There are so many reasons why kids would need cell phones but if the world got by without them before, can they do it again? Technology with adolescents is such a touchy subject just because of how easy it is to abuse that power of connecting wi th the entire world.With being so impersonal in the world we have less fear of what we are showing to the public. Even though we are not communicating with people, they can simply get on a website to see what you have been doing for the past twenty-four hours of your life because of how little privacy is online. â€Å"If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear† (277) this quote is so impersonal because you are â€Å"hiding† something or simply do not want other people to know your personal life should not mean that you have anything to fear.In the past ten years technology has advances tremendously at a rapid rate and it will be crazy to see where it takes us in the next ten years. I am one to hope that it can become more personal and things more like Skype come into play. Reliance on technology has come too far out of hand and society would be a much better place if more people focused on how to run their lives versus who texted us. We need to focus on buil ding stronger connections with the people around us instead of the connection with the devices in our hands. ?

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Mothers Against Driving

This essay is about a nationally known lobbying group known as MADD or Mothers Against Driving. This is an organization that was first created by a woman named Candy Lightner whom in 1980 tragically lost her daughter to a repeat offense drunk driver. This organization or lobbying group works very hard and whose goal is to keep drivers off the road who have had too much to drink and to also make sure that drunk driving laws are enforced.The thesis statement is â€Å"Mothers Against Drunk Driving has arguably been one of the most successful public-health grassroots citizen dvocacy organizations in the United States in the past century. â€Å"(Fell and Voas). This whole idea of MADD started years ago when Candy Lightner's daughter Carl, was walking with her friend and was struck and killed by a man who left the scene of the accident, and was drunk driving. After she was told that he actually was only out of Jail for two days after being arrested for another hit- and- run drunk- drivin g crash.His record had reflected three other arrests-two resulted in convictions and one was reduced to a reckless driving offense. It was soon after this that Candy Lightner and a few friends started MADD to fight against drunk drivers. The first chapter that was started in Maryland was by another woman named Cindi Lamb who was trying to fight the fact that her five month old daughter became paralyzed by a repeat drunk driver offender as well. The two women were brought together by a press secretary to congress and had a news conference that brought a lot of attention to this impaired-driving problem that is everywhere.Soon all over the nation Candy Lightner was contacted to comment on high profile cases. This lobbying roup was incorporated in 1980 as a California corporation. † By June of 1981 it had achieved IRS tax-free status: later in the year, it received$100,OOO in private funds. † Articles on the organization appeared in many magazines and newspapers out there s uch as Los Angeles Times, Family Circle. Candy was the guest on many talk shows such as The Today Show, Phil Donahue and others. With the great increase in media attention to the impaired-driving problem and the surge in alcohol legislation in the 1980's, there was a heartening reduction in alcohol- related fatal crashes between 980 an 1995. â€Å"(NHTSA, 1995). MADD had developed a strong capability to respond to the growing press and interest in this ever growing problem. This part of the essay contains the claim and some of the background. There is a lot of evidence both qualitative and quantitative in MADD's effect on the impaired-driving problem we have in our America. There is general acceptance of the relationship between laws, their enforcement, and public education on driver perceptions of the risk of being caught for DUI (driving under the influence) which affect public attitudes toward impaired driving. (Gladwell, 2001). MADD founder Candy has been invited to speak at th e formal signing of each of the legislative bills. Six of the most important pieces of alcohol safety legislation are MLDA 21 laws, zero tolerance for youth laws,. 08BAC limit laws,ALS laws, illegal per se laws and increased adoption of the legislative laws.This is part of the three tiered approach to the ending of drinking and driving. At the community level, MADD has chapters that help support police enforcement activities when it comes to strong DUI enforcement and rewarding police officers who make the most DUI arrests. Before MADD offenders were given light sentences but now there is a lot of court monitoring by MADD to assure offenders gets there Just do. This part of the essay contains some of the background and body, along with supporting evidence and data and scholarly research.An opposing view to MADD comes from the American Beverage Licenses or (ABL). This organization represents beer, wine and spirits retailers in the U. S. They have made many anti-MADD statements as wel l as criticizing General Motors. One of the claims that the ABL has made is that MADD targets social drinkers†ABL claims hat MADD would have you arrested if you had a glass of wine with dinner and then driven safely home or if you had a cocktail with your friends after work before heading home.They also claim that MADD wants to criminalize the 40 million adults that responsibly enjoy a glass of wine with dinner or a beer at a ball game and drive safely home. â€Å"(Hingson and Winter, 2003) This is simply not a true statement. MADD is just in support to the lowering of blood alcohol levels to 0. 08 and that is not reached by a glass of wine or from one beer. This level is reached by an average male size ho consumes 4 drinks in 1 hour or by an average sized female consuming 3 drinks. Social drinking does not attain to a blood alcohol level of 0. 8. General Motors is viewed as being a support for MADD but ABL claims that General Motors should be held accountable for supporting MADD. This could be viewed as a rebuttal to the opposing view of ABL. In Conclusion there is a lot of evidence that MADD has helped so many victims of drunk driving and they give so much of their time providing not only emotional support but also victim assistance programs and court accompaniments and that is hy this lobbying group is so very important to a lot of people and in helping so many.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

My Leadership Style Analysis Essay

My Leadership Style Analysis WGU Leadership SAT2 Task 1 My Leadership Style Analysis A1. Leadership Style Evaluation There are many different leadership styles. After reading the assigned chapters for this task. I was able to identify my own leadership style as a result. In order to know my leadership style, I took a series of assessments in order to determine my personal leadership style. Assessments I took that helped me to determine my personal leadership style are: â€Å"the Emotional Expressive Scale, Personal Magnetism Deficit Inventory, Task Oriented Attitudinal and Behavior assessment, Clarifying your Work Values, What Style of Leader are you or would you be, What is your propensity of taking Risk, How Flexible are you, the Least Preferred Co-worker Scale for Measuring Leadership style, and Measuring your Situation and Perspective assessments (DuBrin, A. (2010). Leadership: Research findings, practice, and skills (6th ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western, Cengage Learning. ISBN-13: 9780547143965). After taking the above assessments, I was able to determine that my personal leadership style is Participative. A Participative leader is â€Å"a person in charge who shares decision making with group members† (DuBrin, A. (2010). Leadership: Research findings, practice, and skills (6th ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western, Cengage Learning. ISBN-13: 9780547143965). A1a. Strengths As a Participative leader, my leadership style advocates teamwork. Advocating teamwork is considered strength for my leadership style. This is strength for my leadership style because advocating teamwork gives team members opportunity to participate in the decision-making making process of developing team, and as a result, employees are empowered, and feel a sense of belonging as a result. Another strength that my leadership style has is that my leadership style strives for consensus. This is considered strength for my leadership style because having a consensus empowers employees, and provides them with a sense of belonging as a result. A1b. Weaknesses One weakness of my leadership style is that if team members do not agree on something, a decision cannot be made until all team members are in agreement with a specific decision. This can be considered a weakness for my learning style if team members are not able to Another weakness for my leadership style is the opportunity for wasting time. This is considered a weakness for my leadership style because if teams are not able to form a consensus for any reason, productivity stops, a valuable time is lost until a consensus is formed. A2. Comparison of Leadership Styles Other leadership Styles that I learned about and found interesting are the Autocratic Leadership Style, and the Entrepreneurial Leadership Style. The Autocratic Leadership Style is when the leader â€Å"retains most of the authority for himself or herself† (DuBrin, A. (2010). Leadership: Research findings, practice, and skills (6th ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western, Cengage Learning. ISBN-13: 9780547143965). Unlike the Participative Leadership style, the Autocratic Leadership Style retains most of the authority, while Participative Leadership Style allow team members the ability to make decisions based on policies and procedures develop by teams, with the final approval of management. In addition, the Autocratic leadership style are not concerned with the concerns of team members. While the Participative leadership style allows for team members to develop and form their opinions, and as a result, this privilege implies that this leadership style is concerned with the concern of t eam members. The â€Å"Entrepreneurial leadership style stems from personality characteristics and circumstances of individuals† (DuBrin, A. (2010). Leadership: Research findings, practice, and skills (6th ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western, Cengage Learning. ISBN-13: 9780547143965). The Entrepreneurial leadership style is a leadership style for individuals who are innovative enough to open and operate their own  business. The Entrepreneurial leadership style is completely different from the Participative leadership style. The Entrepreneurial leadership style tends to have higher achievement and is where the Participative leadership style tends to strive for consensus. The Entrepreneurial leadership style tends to be more creative and enthusiastic than the Participative leadership style. The Participative leadership style tends to negotiate demands of employees, and the Entrepreneurial leadership style responds immediately if a crisis presents. A3. Leadership Style Discussions Understanding different Leadership Styles can help me to become an effective leader by helping me to identify deficient areas in my personal leadership style. Being able to identify personal leadership deficiency will give me the opportunity of being aware. Being aware of deficiency in my leadership style will help me to gain new skills that will help me to improve and perfect deficient areas in my leadership style. This newfound awareness will allow me the opportunity to obtain knowledge, skills and abilities needed in order for me to become an effective leader. Another reason understanding different leadership styles can help me to become an effective leader is that it will give me the opportunity to think outside the box. This skill will help me to be more creative in my leadership style, and as a result, I will gain and implement new leadership skills to my personal leadership style. This new skill will allow me to future improve and perfect deficient areas of my leadership style , and will help me to become an effective leader as well. In addition, understanding the many different leadership style will also help me to become a effective leader by ultimately allowing me to understand the many different learning styles, this will allow me to improve my communication skills, which will allow me to effectively communicate with employees. This skill will improve my leadership skills, and help me to become an effective leader as a result. A4. Problems In order to minimize problems for leaders in the workplace, it is imperative that leaders are emotionally intelligent, know their own personal leadership  style, and understand the many different leadership styles in order to minimize problems for them in the workplace. Problems that can present for leaders in the workplace that do not have a complete understanding of differences in leadership styles are miscommunication, and a decrease in employee moral as a result. A4a. Overcoming Problems In order for leaders to improve miscommunications in the workplace, leaders should hold weekly meeting and encourage employee input. This will demonstrate to employees that the leader is concerned with team members and is accessible to employees when needed; this can improve communication in the workplace as a result. In addition, conducting weekly meetings will also establish an open door policy for employees. An open door policy demonstrates to employees that you are available, and as a result, communication can future be improved in the workplace. In order for leaders to increase moral in the work place, leaders should take the opportunity of the open door policy to get to know their employees personally, in addition, in an effort to increase employee moral, leaders should plan team building activities in an effort to increase employee moral as well. Taking the opportunity of the open door policy to get to know your employees personally will increase employee moral in the workplace. Employees will continue to believe that their organization appreciate them as employees, and as a result, communication will improve, and employee moral will increase as a result. Leaders can further improve employee moral by encouraging team-building activities. For example, leaders should incorporate quarterly activities such as employee luncheon, and or employee picnics in order to improve employee moral. These teambuilding activities will further demonstrate to employees that the company appreciates them and as a result, employee moral will increase as a result. A5. Synergies Three potential advantages that may be created between the Leadership styles are the ability to collaborate with other team members, obtaining a higher level of enthusiasm, and the ability to make decisions confidently. The Participative leadership style can create the advantage of allowing team members to obtain knowledge, and implement skills that are presented by  other team members as a result. . The ability to collaborate with team members will allow both employees and leaders opportunity to develop ideas as a result. The Entrepreneurial leadership style will give teams and leaders the opportunity to become enthusiastic while performing job descriptions. Being enthusiastic in the work place will allow both team member and leaders to become motivated while performing job descriptions as a result. The Autocratic leadership style will give leaders opportunity to make business decision more confidently. This ability for leaders to make business decisions confidently empowers leaders in the work place, when leaders are empowered, they develop self-confidence needed while making business decisions as a result. A5a. Increasing productivity The ability to obtain knowledge, and implement skills that are presented by other team members will increase productivity because employees will gain new ideas and skills that can help them to perform their job description with ease. When employees are confident with performing their job description, productivity will increase as a result. Being enthusiastic while performing duties in the workplace stimulates and motivates both team members and leaders the same, and as a result, team members are eager and happier while performing their job descriptions, and as a result, productivity increases when employees are happier in the workplace. When managers have the ability to make sound business decisions with confidence, leaders are empowered, employees become subordinate to their leaders, and as a result, productivity increase because leaders become responsible for administer employees performance appraisals that can provide raises for employees as a result. B. 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