Team Concept, Human Behavior, Persuasion & Diversity

1. The role of the leader in the team concept is very important. Research shows that success is enhanced, if an organization understands and effectively manages five team processes. List and discuss these five team processes in Chapter 17. The five team processes are: 1. Buy-in: how the work of the team is legitimized and goals are set. 2. Accountability: how individual and team performance is managed and rewarded. 3. Learning: how performance is improved and skills developed. 4. Infrastructure: how the work of the team is systemized and resources accessed. 5.Partnering: how people interact and work together to achieve success on the team and across organizational units (Manning & Curtis, 2009). 2. Physical and emotional needs are important determinants of human behavior, helping to explain why people work, why they have certain personal goals, and what they want in their relationships with others. Psychologist Abraham Maslow divides human needs into five categories, progressing from basic needs to complex needs. Discuss Maslow’s five â€Å"Hierarchy of Human Needs. † List and discuss each one. Maslow’s five Hierarchy of Human Needs are: . Survival. The needs that are taken as the starting point for motivation theory are the physiological, or basic body tissue, needs. Taking a breath of air and acting in self-defense are normal expressions of such needs. Survival needs are strong and natural forces within the person. 2. Security. Once survival needs are satisfied, security needs become important. Freedom from threat and protection from loss are major security goals, helping explain our interest in savings accounts, medical insurance, seniority rights, and burglar alarms. 3. Belonging.When survival and security needs are satisfied, the need for belonging emerges. This is true for people in all cultures, whether aggressive or peaceful, primitive or advanced. Every individual makes a distinct effort to belong to some aspired social group. 4. R espect. Once survival, security, and belonging needs are satisfied, people are motivated by the need for respect the need to be considered favorably by self and others. The pursuit of fame, regardless of the field business, government, and the arts can be explained only by the powerful need for respect. 5. Fulfillment.After physical and social needs are satisfied, people are motivated by the need for fulfillment, which Maslow referred to as â€Å"self-actualization. † These people may or may not please others by what they do, and their efforts may or may not result in the attainment of intended goals (Manning & Curtis, 2009). 3. Chapter 18 discusses â€Å"why people do what they do. † There are nine points to remember about human motivation. With these in mind, you will better understand why people do what they do. These points can also explain the complicated relationship between personal goals and work behavior.List and discuss these nine points for human motivation. The nine points for human motivation are: a. A satisfied need is not a motivator. It is not what people have that motivates behavior; it is what they do not have, or what they have done without. b. Employee motivation and company success are related. c. Psychological needs and social values are not the same. d. The same act can satisfy any of the five motivation levels. e. All people have the same needs, but to different degrees and accompanied by different wants. What it takes to satisfy motivational needs and how much is required are unique to each person. . A person can be deficiency-motivated, bringing harm to self or others. It is possible to have an extreme fixation on a natural need, so strong that it can lead to neurotic and even destructive behavior. g. Unsatisfied needs can harm your health, as surely as if you were physically stricken. If you feel the need for recognition, but no one respects you; if you feel the need for love, but no one cares; if you feel the need for self-expression, but have no outlets, you can develop a motivation condition as harmful as physical illness. h.Leadership is important in meeting employee needs and preventing motivation problems. What a leader does will vary with the circumstances. Sample actions include improving job safety (survival needs), clarifying job assignments (security needs), offering a word of encouragement (belonging needs), providing praise for a job well done (respect needs), and offering new skills development (fulfillment needs). i. The ideal is to integrate the needs of the individual with the goals of the organization. If the needs of the individual can be satisfied while advancing the goals of the organization, he ultimate in employee morale and organization effectiveness will be achieved (Manning & Curtis, 2009). 4. Managing diversity is very important for both the leader and organizational survival. List and discuss strategies and techniques that can help both individuals and organizations man age diversity effectively. What can individuals do:  ¦ Connect with and value your own culture.  ¦ Think about how it feels to be different by remembering times when you felt that you were in the minority.  ¦ Try to understand each person as an individual, rather than seeing the person as a representative of a group. Participate in educational programs that focus on learning about and valuing different cultures, races, religions, ethnic backgrounds, and political ideologies.  ¦ Make a list of heroes in music, sports, theater, politics, business, science, and so forth.  ¦ Learn about the contributions of older people and people with visual, hearing, or other impairments.  ¦ Learn more about other cultures and their values through travel, books, and films, and by attending local cultural events and celebrations.  ¦ Continually examine your thoughts and language for unexamined assumptions and stereotypical responses. Include people who are different from you in social con versations, and invite them to be part of informal work-related activities, such as going to lunch or attending company social events.  ¦ When dealing with people, try to keep in mind how you would feel if your positions were reversed. What can organizations do:  ¦ Include employees from a variety of backgrounds in decision-making and problem solving processes.  ¦ Develop strategies to increase the flow of applicants from a variety of backgrounds. Look for opportunities to develop employees from diverse backgrounds and prepare them for positions of responsibility  ¦ Show sensitivity in the physical work environment.  ¦ Form a group to address issues of diversity.  ¦ Implement training programs that focus on diversity in the workplace programs designed to develop a greater awareness and respect for differences.  ¦ Pay attention to company publications such as employee newsletters.  ¦ Evaluate official rules, policies, and procedures of the organization to be sure all employees are treated fairly. Develop mentoring and partnering programs that cross traditional social and cultural boundaries.  ¦ Talk openly about diversity issues, respect all points of view, and work cooperatively to solve problems (Manning & Curtis, 2009). 5. Historically, women in high leadership positions have come from nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and public office. However, over the last few years, they are starting to come from the business world. The Center for Creative Leadership has identified six success factors for women in high leadership positions. List and discuss these six success factors for women.The Center for Creative Leadership has identified six success factors for women in high leadership positions: 1. Help from above. Women in high levels of leadership have typically received the support of influential mentors. 2. A superior track record. Held to high standards, executive-level women have usually managed effectively and have develope d an excellent record of performance. 3. A passion for success. Senior-level women have been determined to succeed. They worked hard, seized responsibility, and achieved their objectives. 4. Outstanding people skills.Successful women executives typically utilize participative leadership, employee empowerment, and open communication to foster trust and high levels of morale among subordinates. 5. Career courage. Successful women leaders have demonstrated courage to take risks, such as taking on huge responsibilities. 6. Mental toughness. Senior-level women are seen as tenacious, demanding, and willing to make difficult decisions (Manning & Curtis, 2009). Applications Exercise 19. 2 1. 4 2. 4 3. 2 4. 3 5. 3 6. 3 7. 4 8. 3 9. 2 10. 3 11. 4 12. 4 13. 2 14. 4 15. 4 Domination = 12 Collaboration = 8 Compromise = 8 Avoidance = 11 Accommodation = 11

Disaster response and recovery

The terrorists attacks are most of the time unpredicted and a country even its utmost security may become vulnerable to terrorists attack. It’s as international problem which now and then is occurring in different parts of the world. The terrorist attacks such as 9/11 terrorists attack, Mumbai, India , Hotel Taj and Hotel Oberai terrorists attack, London terrorists bombing are few examples of this centuries terror attacks around the world. Terrorism is considered to be asymmetric form of warfare and is unlawful.It targets only on destruction and harm innocent people who are important resource of the nation. If I was the disaster coordinator of the city, as soon as I get the clues of the terror attacks I would have just tightened the security near the border of the country and call for emergency. I would cancel all the flights entering and leaving the country. The next thing which I would have done is publishing the news in the media and the media would alert the people as they can take care of themselves. The media would alert people about the places of vulnerability and the suspected time of attacks.Incident command system will be notified to prepare well for the attacks. These are the immediate steps which I would have taken. Later I would have looked into the list of vulnerable areas which is populated more. Most of the terror attacks happen in the places where there is maximum human intervention so as to kill many people as possible and take revenge against the country. I would provide accessibility to shortcut routes so as to reduce the vehicle traffic congestion and avoid people pass through the vulnerable areas of attacks.They will be made to reach their destinations as soon as possible before the disaster occurs. The transport of goods will be stopped as it will be the path for the terrorists to move their goods from place to place. All social gathering of people will of people will be stopped. All the offices and the schools and colleges will be declared holiday. People in the top floors of the building are evacuated. All the people who found to be suspicious are checked for their identity, country they belong, ethnicity and their back ground.Security would be ensured near the coastal areas and security checking all the ships coming in and leaving and the checking all the goods that are transported. The oil refineries, electricity power stations and nuclear power plants are given security alerts. These when bombed or destroyed cause huge loss and may result the city as the one which had happened in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. The city’s important monuments are safeguarded with tight security. It was daytime when Hiroshima and Nagasaki was bombed. People were preparing for offices and work. All the electrical appliances were on.It was a busy day in Hiroshima and Nagasaki and finally bombings rendered many places infertile and many people got health problems as they got expose to the harmful radiations of the bombi ng. I would ask people stop using electricity and switch off their appliances. Important people are provided with security as the terrorist may use them as hostages. I would ask media to act effectively and update people with the information of attacks and about the places which are vulnerable. I will ask them to avoid giving false information to make their news more interesting.I would make telephony and internet facilities such and intranet and ad other web based tools available for free at the moment to keep people in touch with their loved ones who are out station by calling or messaging them. Internet is one of the most reliable ways of communication in the times of disaster to mail their loved one and finding people who are missing. People will be asked to follow the instructions given by the Emergency team and Incident command system. The Red Cross people are advised to assemble the emergency kits.I would alert all the hospitals and mental health care concerns to prepare for the disaster to help people who become victims of the attacks. Health care units are informed to provide the medical facilities such as first aid, medicine and other voluntary organizations are encouraged to provide support. Rehabilitation centers are created and so the people can seek shelter. The targets of the terrorists and the potential vulnerable areas influence and affect the city’s emergency plan. It makes emergency planning team think of most vulnerable areas first.They will set priority of the vulnerable places as primary and secondary. It will make their work easier and provide full security to the places of primary concern. The Incident command system may sometimes do not operate efficiently. I think it has review the ways it operates and add most efficient ways to their current system of operation. It should plan efficiently such that their plans are turned into actions and will not remain just words. It should have better communication between its organizational parts. Its commands should be strictly followed by its organizational parts.The plan should be made on time and it should not be executed after the incident but on time. It should communicate with the people effectively and just not make people get afraid by telling consequences of the attack. But they should make feel safe and avoid false promises. The medical and health care units should be dedicated in their work and provide selfless service. There should be no discrimination on the basis race, age, ethnicity, sex and all people should be treated equally. All they can do is to They target terrorism, curb it, defeat it and make their country a peaceful place to live in.

A New Era Of African Women Embracing Sexuality

A New Era Of African Women Embracing Sexuality Sexuality is a concept that varies across different cultures and/or religions in the world. Female sexuality covers not only the female sexual identity but also female sexual behavior. Perception of female sexual experiences has evolved over the years from a cultural phenomenon that is almost like a taboo to talk about, to something being more frequently discussed today. The topic of sexuality has been silence in Africa for centuries. Because of the difficulty in embracing intimate and individual emotions and preferences, most women in Africa lose their voice in discussing sexual preferences and emotions with their partners. The issue is sexuality is a gender-specific social construct in Africa. Parents discourage children growing up in Africa from any sign of sexual stimulation with the idea that masturbation is sinful and morally wrong. Critiques about these ideas are normally non-existent because when the question of morality goes into play with an African, people shy away from these things. African men do not expect women to experience sexual satisfaction thus making women in African ignorant to sexual pleasures and orgasms. They only expect African women to have sex because of childbearing. This patriarchal construct has succeeded in making its way to the tradition of female genital mutilation. Of course with this practice, the cutting off of the woman’s clitoris will ensure a woman will never experience sexual pleasure in her lifetime. These practices represent a misogynist view of what the female body is supposed to feel or give for it deprives women of the opportunity to control sexuality and personal preferences. With this, we will answer four tangible questions surrounding this subject, about the sexuality and sexual experiences of African women. How to approach the experiences of sex and other sexual activities to women in Africa? Because of the moral construct of women and the sex, the experiences of sex are often left out of sex education. Even when professionals try to educate young people about sex, sexually transmitted diseases and, family planning is usually the topic focused on. The conversation of individual experiences of sex is usually ignored or forgotten altogether. Women in Africa are shy or careful to talk about their sexual experiences with their partners with the fear of judgment of their morality. Most African men in parts of Africa often labeled women with contemporary sexual flavors as wild, immoral and women not worthy of marriages, therefore, leading women neglecting to ask for, or initiate potential triggers of pleasure in the bedroom. Because of concurrent stereotypes, it is easy to be labeled as oversexed when you are an African woman. While this is not the case, the African woman has to struggle to correct the different narratives about her sexuality. To her, sexuality encompasses everything that the wider public believes it’s not. Like any other woman from any other race that doesn’t go through the same levels of disbelief constantly thrown toward African women like a bone to a dog, sexual experiences are just that something you experience and enjoy as a woman. Most African women struggle with desires that should be natural to them because of these beliefs that hide their sexuality. With the mindset of the female body being made for sex and procreation only, pleasure for many African women is stifled if not non-existent as it is seen as something to endure rather than explore or enjoy, as past occurrences and precedents have established the need to treat their sexuality that way. How to approach the experiences of sex and other sexual activities to women in Africa? There has always been a huge difference between the messages given to African men and African women about sex and sexual experiences. Even during sex, the society cautions women to allow the man to take the lead and made to believe there are limits to what she can get from it. Pleasure is only meant for the man in these cases, so much that a huge percentage of African women didn’t realize they were just as entitled to the pleasures men have had for a long time. We can approach these experiences by providing an educational platform that talks openly about sexual experiences, and activities without cultural criticisms. This can be done by teaching both young men and women to relearn the functions of the female body. If the African society can take out the guilt of morality from a womans sexual conquest, more women will begin to freely talk about their wants and needs with their partners. This could also start from the root of the cause and work its way up. Although this tactic m ight seem ineffective for most since older African women have strong beliefs about labeling the hyper-sexual experiences of a woman as bad and the older generation would less likely accept a change in idea contrast to what they have lived by all their lives, they need to have eye-opening scenarios painted for them, which encourages them to look beyond their baseless ideologies and consider speaking more to their daughters and young women about sex. How do you think, approach, and own your own orgasm? There is a stiffness that comes with believing men should be the sole beneficiaries of pleasure that has to go. As an African woman, you are well allowed to explore your body, and mind for sexual triggers and reach your climax without the fear of being judged by someone. Be it your mother’s tiny voice in your head telling you God is mad at you for masturbating, or that person in your family who makes you feel dirty every time you feel the need to experience sexual pleasure. You can never fully experience sexual pleasure at its greatest peak if you don’t figure out how to turn yourself on. No one can give you what you can’t give yourself. Learning about your body helps to guard your partner to take you to those places you want to go or even higher. Your sexual experiences are most definitely natural and you should always answer Mother Nature when she calls! When you do reach that place, enjoy it without caring about anything else and anyone. Your sexual health sho uld be as important as everything else you care for. How does the younger generation view polygamy versus how our predecessors viewed them? For the younger generation, it boils down to religious concepts that present polygamy as an option (however with conditions). Our predecessors stayed in marriages long enough to accept polygamy. Because of societal expectations on women, wives in the past had no problem staying in abusive marriages, struggling and taking in everything however worse they might be. The younger generations have begun to question certain standards and are taking their time with marriages. Women of today are less likely to accept, polygamy and abuses than women in the past. Any sign of these things would leave a wife packing out of her home for a single life where she doesn’t have to deal with a cheating or abusive husband. In conclusion, there’s still a lot more to uncover about the African woman’s sexuality. There are more things to learn and unlearn and more conversations to engage in. One thing is for sure. This is the era of African women embracing their sexuality.

African History paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

African History paper - Essay Example This is to the effect that the Libyans and Carthaginians are some of the people who sent complimentary embassies to Alexander the Great in 325 BC, while he was in Babylon. The diplomatic relations were imposed upon the people of North Africa through instruments of coercion. Precisely, Alexander the Great had in 324 executed a ruthless punitive expedition in the hills of Luristan, against the Cossaeans. It is this incident that spread fear around North Africa and the rest of the Mediterranean region into capitulation (75). It is also important to note that during the Hellenistic period, after the demise of Alexander the Great, North African kingdoms such as Egypt and Libya became Hellenized, to the point of taking on the Greek culture and language. For this same reason, urban centers in North Africa became Greek-speaking, though the rural areas maintained native traditions. Specifically, in Egypt, Ptolemy I Soter created a strong Hellenistic state that stretched from Cyrene to Syria and South of Nubia. Economically, Alexandria, the then capital of Egypt served as the capital city and the center of Greek culture and commerce. To perpetuate themselves in Egypt, the Ptolemaic kings arrogated themselves the names of Pharaohs, married from elite families in Egypt and had themselves etched in Egyptian fabric and

The Chinese Knight Errant Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Chinese Knight Errant - Essay Example However, the material realm is inadequate to construct a more complete definition of what it means to be a Knight Errant, as many of the qualities are the abstract concepts that go hand in hand with morality. The Knight Errant is a principle. It is the principle of right and wrong that guides our decisions as we pursue our ethical objectives. When faced with a moral dilemma, a solution could be forthcoming by simply asking ourselves; What would a Knight Errant do In the answer we would find truth, honesty, compassion, obligation, sincerity, respect, and a wealth of human spirituality that makes us genuinely and uniquely a moral human being. The Knight Errant is selfless in their pursuit of justice in the name of righteousness. This is not a half-hearted endeavor to settle a score or seek revenge for a wrong committed against oneself or one's family. The Knight Errant serves righteousness as a subject serves a master. The only purpose of their actions is to remain true to their moral code that mandates doing the right thing without regards to personal cost, loss, or gain. In the story The Sung Founder Escorts Ching-Niang One Thousand Li translated by LS Lieu, the protagonist Chao K'uang-yin escorts a beautiful young lady through treacherous territory on a journey back to her home. The Knight Errant is a perfect gentleman and never pursues the lady from an aspect of lust. Her family questions the fact that any man could be so pure of heart. Chao is genuinely miffed that anyone would question his motives for helping the beautiful girl. When asked about it he flies into a rage and shouts, "I came here out of righteousness, but you've insulted me with such words. If I coveted her beauty, we'd have been married on the way" (74). This was not a false sense of being forced to do the right thing, it was a genuine display of righteousness that transcends our everyday decisions to behave and act in an acceptable manner. The Knight Errant was not simply following his social norms; he was being true to himself and his beliefs. The acts of a Knight Errant, and the core principle of righteousness, carry over across time and culture as we view it from the perspective of our own value system and look at it through the lens of our current social context. While many of the acts may seem violent and gruesome, their horror is diluted by the principle of justice. Just as the Knight Errant is not a man, the deeds they commit are not the acts. A Knight that kills another man is not a murderer, but an instrument of faith that is correcting a past injustice or a current threat. The deed of killing is not murder, but an act that rectifies past wrongs or eliminates present dangers. In addition, the character does not have to carry the label of Knight Errant to perform as one. The entity and its acts are merely the results of the motivation that drives the action. It is not a formalized or well-defined schema. In the story The Lady Knight Errant translated by LS Lieu, a young woman is asked what she is carrying in the lea ther bag by her side. She replies "The head of my enemy" (80). Her friend curiously looks inside the bag. "He saw a bearded head, all smashed and smeared with blood" (80). The woman continues to

Career Choices in Alternative Medicine Research Paper

Career Choices in Alternative Medicine - Research Paper Example Like every other career-line, alternative medicine is defined by the typical duties it entails. There is also the education that qualifies one for a career in alternative medicine. This will determine how salaries vary. As time passes by, the outlook of every job changes as the market dynamics, and needs get redefined. Some have a better outlook than others and this is dependent upon the functionality of the career in the ever-changing world. The intention of this paper is to explain the career opportunities that are available in alternative medicine. Definition Alternative medicine involves the prevention and treatment of illnesses through methods other than the traditional western ways (Malhotra). A medic dealing in alternative medicine is different from those in mainstream medicine in one way; in alternative medicine, the person is addressed as a whole, while in western medical practices, only the symptoms are treated. Depending on what the field specializes in, the practitioners of a particular field may need different types of education. Alternative medicine consists of medical practices that originate mostly from the East. It is a system of medicine that involves treating of the cause of illness rather than the symptoms that reveal themselves, by use of natural, non-toxic methods. It is traditional medicine from India, China, Japan, and other countries mainly from Asia. It is deemed to be over 5000 years old with practices proven effective over generations. They are significantly older than modern medicine which is 150 years old (Natural Health Careers – Complementary & Alternative Medicine). Until recently, though, alternative medicine was viewed as obscure and encompassed in mysticism. Their importance has, however, had to be recognized as the means involved in alternative medicine have been able to cure chronic illnesses. The ways that are widely used in alternative medicine are naturopathy, homeopathy, and Ayurveda. In addition to these methods , there are also those methods whose use is increasing in the medical field. They include yoga, reiki, and chiropracty. Then there are those methods which are rarely used, and these are methods such as Tibetan medicine, Unani, and Siddha. It is imperative that these practices be used alongside conventional western medicine. This being the case, alternative medicine can now be referred to as integrative or complementary medicine (Seitzer). RESULTS â€Å"Suitability† Profile Most of these practices involved in alternative medicine have their origin in the Eastern communities. Knowledge of any of the languages of the Eastern countries is important. Knowledge of the traditional practices and beliefs of Eastern Ancient civilizations is also helpful since it forms the basis if the different practice methods. To increase the suitability of a person in pursuing a career in alternative medicine, a person needs to have the appreciation of methods of treating ailments, other than conven tional Western medicine. Duties and responsibilities Ayurveda in not so strict terms translate to â€Å"the science of life.† Practiced in India for 5000 years, this method insists that to prevent and treat diseases, body, mind, and spirit all need to be used. It includes diets and the user of herbal remedies. Naturopathy involves numerous practices such as massage therapy, use of herbal medicine, acupuncture, exercise, dietary modifications, and minor surgery (Malhotra).  Ã‚  

Justifying the Increase in Tuition Fees Research Paper

Justifying the Increase in Tuition Fees - Research Paper Example Spending on education has become a part of the family’s consumption. Parents would save a portion of their incomes for their children’s education. It is because they see a brighter future through education. Education promises a good job in the future. A good job will give a man a better position in his future life.  Ã‚   These were the cases before. Our world now is becoming demanding. It now requires more knowledge and skills for us to continue our existence. This means we need not only to have our basic education but also to enter a university and finish a degree. We have to pay for our education if we want a good paying job after graduation.The Government has withdrawn its support for undergraduate studies. This may be the result of a shortage in the Government budget not being enough to finance all the spending for its people’s basic education up to higher level. So, the private sector needs to help the government in providing higher education for the peopl e. As a result, annual tuition fees of top universities are expected to increase. Debates may arise as proposals for higher tuition fees enter the scenario.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      In our dynamic economy, the future is always uncertain. We never know what will happen next. We will never know where our decisions will take us. We will never know how other people will react to our actions. So there is always the risk. So in these times when everything seems to go high, from the prices of basic commodities up to tuition fees in universities, we are faced with tough decision making. A lot of questions now are playing on our minds. Will I continue my studies and accept the increase in tuition fees? Will the increase in tuition fees worth my stay at the university as I expect to land a good paying job after I graduate?   Or will I stop studying, leave the university and work instead? Will companies hire me against an applicant who has a degree? To help a school leaver decide under this uncertainty, we have to analyze the expected utility and the cost and benefits of going to the university.

Indigenous Peoples Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Indigenous Peoples - Essay Example It is also this roots that makes the term Indigenous Peoples, not just ambivalent, but highly paradoxical. Definition of Indigenous Peoples The term Indigenous Peoples has been a subject of much debate but mainstream understanding indicates that people who lived in an area before the conquerors arrive are indigenous. This understanding, however, is muddled with confusion. Indians, for example, were in Louisiana before the arrival of white Americans but ask any American and they would claim original ownership of the land. A further understanding would most likely present two concepts: 1) The First People pertains to the original settlers of a country or area. They are also often called ethnic group or aborigines. 2) Cultural Difference is also used as a major differentiating point between who is indigenous and who is not. Languages, religion or spiritual belief, and socio-economic structure define who is indigenous to the culture In a bid to have a universal understanding of indigenou s peoples, a defition was developed by Jose Martinez Cobo in the Special Rapporteur on Discrimination against Indigenous Populations. This was, for a time, accepted internationally (Sanders 214): "Indigenous populations are composed of the existing descendants of the peoples who inhabited the present territory of a country wholly or partially at the time when persons of a different culture or ethnic origin arrived there from other parts of the world, overcame them, by conquest, settlement or other means, reduced them to a non-dominant or colonial condition; who today live more in conformity with their particular social, economic and cultural customs and traditions than with the institutions of the country of which they now form part, under a state structure which incorporates mainly national, social and cultural characteristics of other segments of the population which are predominant." However, the definition resulted to many questions and challenged many political, cultural, and s ocial beliefs. For one, the acceptance of the definition makes the identity of indigenous peoples dependent on the chronology of its social development. Next, classifying conquerors as people from other parts of the world effectively eliminates neighboring conquerors which may have been more prevalent before recorded history. The definition fundamentally assumed and solidified that the formation of identity, history and culture were dependent on when Europeans started colonizing different parts of the world. It was beyond simple. It was, in fact, unreasonable as it ignored the more organic formation of culture, history and identity that started hundreds, if not thousands of years before European colonizers. Essentially, the definition that was supposed to uphold the identity of a country was based on discrimination. So much, in fact, that even their definition had to be around the axis of the colonizers. Europeans had to arrive before the presence of culture is recognized. The defin ition may have been well-intentioned but the result only lead to further marginalization of people that should have never had to fight for their land. There is also the lack of framework on how culture, tradition and beliefs continue to persist even in the face of modernity and continuous strengthening of global hybrid community. What the definition did, though, is make provide a better and stronger mainstream understanding of the

Totalitarianism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Totalitarianism - Essay Example Totalitarianism is defined as a political organization in which the state strives to control all aspects of public and private life of its citizens. Totalitarian regimes stay in power by employing widespread use of violence, disseminating propaganda through state controlled media, political oppression, denial of freedom of speech and control over the economy. However, Hannah Arendt perceives totalitarian as a system where the state transform class into mass movements, have the national police assume the role of the military to instill terror in people and establish a foreign policy with the intention of domineering the whole world (Cohen & Fermon 575). Arendt argues that totalitarian movements established by totalitarian governments depend on the sheer force of numbers and not proportionate strength like other political parties. With this understanding, it is clear that communism, socialism, liberalism, feminism, conservatism and fascism are totalitarian ideologies. This paper is int ended to show that in the idea of Hannah Arendt, Benito Mussolini; a fascist, Vladimir Lenin; a communist, and Emma Goldman; anarchist and feminist, were all totalitarians. At the end of the First World War, Italy was found entangled in economic and political challenges. Public servants went on strike in urban centers while, in the rural areas, landless peasants grabbed the property of rich landlords. Benito Mussolini used this unrest as an opportunity to climb to power. He formed the fascist party which supported hard line nationalism, and condemned democratic system of government on the belief that competitor parties separated the state. They also reject communism and embraced personal property ownership. In the early 1920s, Mussolini and his supporters had worn the support of most Italian citizens by attacking the communists and socialists. In1922 Mussolini led Italians on a protest march on Rome supposedly to prevent a communist revolution but in a real sense to scare the government into appointing him as the prime minister of Italy. Immediately he was in office he enlarged his power by appointing Fascists to high positions, censoring the press, org anizing secret police, and outlawing condemnation of the government. He controlled the army and the schools making Italian citizens embrace the slogan â€Å"Everything in the state and nothing outside or against the state† (Cohen & Fermon 571). Mussolini’s Italy was dominated by one party; Fascist party and all opposition parties were wiped out. Mussolini also had a lot of power over this party, until people argued that the party had no part in running of the country but Mussolini himself. He later decided that he wants to run the country for himself and that the party is no longer important for anything else than doing what he wanted. Mussolini believed in making Italy great by making Italians go to war by all means. On his coming to power, he made Italians to belief that he was their savior considering hard times they were facing. He replaced the class society with the masses so that he can avoid criticism and later ruled them with the iron fist. For this, his action s constituted totalitarianism as defined by Arendt. Mussolini faulted the American democracy arguing that people do not know what they want and the best for them. He swore that someday America will know that democracy is only beautifully theoretically but a fallacy practically (Cohen & Fermon 532). Mussolini would have been right here when he said that people do not know what they want during voting in leaders. It has always been known that most of the leaders win elections because of their influence and not their ideology. The best people with good ideologies are normally left out. Vladimir Lenin believed in a

The Mystery Surrounding the Bermuda Triangle Essay Example for Free

The Mystery Surrounding the Bermuda Triangle Essay My research question is â€Å"Is the Bermuda Triangle likely to be a cause of natural phenomenon?† My working hypothesis is based on the concrete evidence that scientists have put forth concerning the various unfortunate incidents related to aircrafts and surface vessels, there is more inclination towards the Bermuda Triangle being a cause of natural phenomenon rather than any other phenomena. After more extensive research, I might decide to narrow the working hypothesis to just one major incident that effectively backs up my claim. Working Bibliography (in APA form) Print sources Daniel Lexton. (2003). The bermuda triangle. Skeptic, 10(3), 96B. From this, I found out about a number of unfortunate incidents that occurred in the region that is named Bermuda Triangle. Lexton gives explanations for why these incidents may have happened. I believe that these will come in handy when I am trying to argue for natural causes. Njau, E. C. (1995). The bermuda triangle mysteries: An explanation based on the diffraction of heat waves. Renewable Energy, 6(8), 1017-1022. doi:10.1016/0960-1481(95)00098-X. This is specifically about the theory of diffraction of heat waves. It logically explains how the eastward-moving heat waves may be responsible for the mysteries noted in the Bermuda region. Audience: AUS students who have an interest in mysterious happenings and are perhaps curious of what the Bermuda Triangle is and would like to know the reasons behind it. Counterargument and refutation: Some people may argue that the cause of such happenings is due to supernatural explanations. However, I will present theories put forth by scientists that have a more concrete explanation. I will convince my readers that ‘coincidences’ do occur and resorting to supernatural causes is not a solution. After all, we see with experience that almost everything has a valid explanation. Time is what we need to officially prove it.

Young Gangs And Criminal Behaviour In Malaysia

Young Gangs And Criminal Behaviour In Malaysia According to the National Youth Development Policy in Malaysia (as cited in United Nations, 2002), people between the ages of 15 and 40 are considered youth. However, the United Nations defines youth, as those persons between the ages of 15 and 24 years. The Merriam-Webster (2010) defined youth as the time of life when one is young, the period between childhood and maturity. Statistically, youth aged 15 to 24 contribute to the largest proportion of the total population (Economic Planning Malaysia, 2010). The youths are the future leaders of tomorrow. Therefore, the government of value and stressed on the development of youth. Recently, the government had allocated RM20 million to the 1Malaysia fund for youth development under the Budget 2011 (Bernama, 2011). As youth constituted to the biggest section of Malaysias population, their involvement in youth gang and criminal behaviours has received great attention from everyone. According to the Oxford Advanced Learners dictionary (1997), the term gang can be described as a group of young people, who are typically troublesome; regularly associate together. Kennedy and Baron (as cieted in Ngail, Cheung, Steven, 2007) defined gang as a group oriented and committed to anti social, deviant, and criminal activities. Howard (1997) stated that youth gang is a self-formed association of peers having identifiable leadership and collective actions to carry out illegal activities. Background of Study The risk behaviour among youth is an ever growing problem in Malaysia. A study revealed the risk behaviour among adolescents revealed that truancy (34.4%) was the major risk behaviour and followed by loitering in public places (21.5%); bullying friends (14.4%), stealing (12.9%) and smoking (12%) (Hidayah, Hanafiah, Idris, Rosnah, Ibrahim, Nonnah, 2009). An academic analysis on the rise of crime in Malaysia showed that there is an increase of crime from 70,823 in year 1980 to 156,455 in 2004 (Sidhu, 2005) . This amount to an increase of 120 percent which indicated that crime rate has increased dramatically. The crime index continue to grow from 156,315 cases in 2003 to 224,298 cases in 2007 which indicated the increased of 45% over the past four years (Crime and Safety, 2008). The three major races of Malaysian are Malay, Chinese and Indian. The Economic Planning Unit of Malaysia calculated the population of Malaysia in 2010 stated that Malays (21%) constituted to the largest group; Chinese (22.6%); and Indian (6.8%). Although Indian represents a small minority group, they have contributed to the criminal and gang related problem. Mr. Ramli Yusuff, deputy national chief of detectives, disclosed that there were 38 Indian crime gangs in the Peninsular of Malaysia with a total membership of around 1,500 in 2000. Indians are a minority in the country but criminals from the ethnic group are committing the most number of serious crimes compared with other races, he said (Concern in Malaysia, 2000). Aliran (as cited in Suryanarayan, 2008) provided statistical details that 40 percent of serious crimes in Malaysia are committed by the Indians; furthermore, Indians recorded the highest number of those detained in prison. Chapter II Literature review Most gang members begin their involvement in gangs as youth. Snyder and Sickmund (as cited in Sharkey, Shekhtmeyster, Chavez-Lopez, Norris, Sass, 2011) reported that most gang members join between the ages of 12 and 15 years. Three former gangsters has been interviewed and reported to joined gang during their secondary school life (Alagappar, Len, George, Lee, Wong, 2005). These studies indicated the crucial developmental period of youth is during the high school period. The Social Activities of Youth Gang Youth gang engaged in various gang activities. Futrell (as cited in Yahaya, Boon, Buang) stated that activities carried out by the gangsters in school consist of being harsh to teachers, threatening acts, stealing, and bullying or beating students. Another study indicated that youth gang especially high school students reported to have high prevalence of alcohol use, engaged in physical fighting, drug use and drug selling (Swahn, Bossarte, West, Topalli, 2010). Gang members have found to have greater involvement in delinquent behaviors and the gang affiliation increases adolescents involvement in violence (Madan, Mrug, Windle, 2010). The youth gang issues in Malaysia have been frequently reported by the media. In 2006, news published in Daily Express regarding gang fights and police rounded up eleven boys, among them were four secondary school students. At the same year, a group school girls engaged in gang fight by bullying another student was reported (The Star, 2006). This year, cases have been reported over newspapers. Guang Ming Daily (2011) reported that a gang of youth has been engaging in theft behavior and three teenagers has robbed and injured a sergeant. Recently, five men, aged 18 to 30 were arrested in connection with a clash involving 40 members of two rival gangs. In the ensuing fight, at least five members were injured and two vehicles burnt (Tahir, 2011). Sin Chew Daily (2011) has revealed teenagers vandalized the public property; a group of Mak Rempit refused to listen to advice and stabbed innocent person. The news being reported has indicated the significance of youth gang problems and the sev erity of the problems can range from vandalism to killing people. Risk Factors for Gang Membership Strain theory The traditional strain theories stated that some individuals are drawn to crime when they are prevented from achieving cultural goals such as monetary success or higher social status (Froggio, 2007). A more conventional approach of strain theory suggested that if young people are treated badly, they become upset and respond with aggression, crime and other deviant behaviors (Agnew, as cited in Froggio, 2007). Agnew stated that strain refers to relationships in which others are not treating the individual as he or she would like to be treated. Poverty. Sharkey et al. (2011) stated that people living in poverty experience strain due to the inability to achieve the ideal economic success; consequently, people may grow to feel despair and turn into criminal activities in order to achieve sense of gratification. There were 41 percent vagrants and beggars in Malaysia has been reported by Aliran (as cited in Suryanarayan, 2008) to be Indians. This may indicate the higher poverty rate is among the Indian community; hence, they have higher risks to engage in crime. A recent research in Malaysia reviewed majority of bullies were from rural schools and families with low income (Uba, Yaacob, Juhari, 2010).Young people living in poverty may find it difficult to meet basic physical and psychological needs; one way to earn cash is to join a gang involved in the drug trade (Gang, 2008). Gangs provide the perfect structure and leadership necessary to maximal criminal success (Sharkey et al., 2011). Inequality. Malaysias social workers and politicians said that Indians turn to crime because they feel marginalized from government development plans and lack equal education, business and job opportunities (Concern in Malaysia, 2000). When groups of people are denied access to power, privileges, and resources, they will often form their own anti-establishment group (Gang, 2008). Regan (as cited in Sharpe, 2003) explained that individuals joined gang as the gang provides sense of acceptance to them. Social control theory The control theory suggested that entry into deviant peer groups is a function of a lack of social control experienced by youth (Hirschi, as cited in Hill, Howell, Hawkins, Pearson, 1999). Youth are less likely to join a gang if they are committed and able to adapt to the community expectations (Sharkey et al., 2011). School. School as a social control system contributed to a childs adaptability to community expectation. High academic expectation and teachers expectation tend to play the role. The risk factors identified in joining a gang included academic failure; negative labeling from teachers; low commitment to school; high delinquent in school (Hill et al., 1999). Social learning theory Social learning theory believed that people learn through modeling. The role models of family members and peers tend to be the most influential in youngsters. Family. Family members are important models from whom youth learn from. Howell (1997) indicated that family members in a gang will contribute to the risk factor of youth for gang membership. Other studies related to family revealed that students with no parents, students from broken family and poor family management had greater odds of joining gang (Hill et al., 1997). Consistently, the findings obtained from Alagappar et al. (2005) interviews indentified former gang members in Malaysia were from troubled and lack understanding family (refer to Appendix A; Appendix B). Peers. In self-report studies, association with deviant or delinquent peers is consistently one of the strongest predictors of an adolescents own delinquency (Esbensen, Peterson, Taylor, Freng, 2009). Affective ties to delinquent peers are also strongly and consistently linked with youth gang involvement (Sharkey, et al., 2011). Consistently, a study of gangsterism in Malaysia secondary school showed that friends were the most influences referred to by the students as compared to their family (Yahaya et al., 2001). Other peer-related factors included limited or lack of association with pro-social peers or low commitment to positive peers (Howell, 1997). Cognitive developmental theory Cognitive developmental theory regards inadequate cognitive development as a cause of delinquent behaviours and gang involvement (Ngai, Cheung, Steven, 2007). Cognitive development manifests itself in ones ability to process and analyze information in order to formulate solutions to problems (Husband Platt, as cited in Ngai, Cheung, Steven, 2007). Raine (as cited in Ngai et al., 2007) explained that the ability involves empathy, perspective thinking, and ethical reasoning which are cognitive guides of ones behaviour. Ngai et al. further discussed that delinquency arises out of ignorance of others. As a result, anger, quarrel, and even violence against others may happen due to inability to understand and tolerate others. Maslows hierarchy of needs According to Maslows model of hierarchy, people have basic hierarchal needs, which include physiological (hunger, thirst, shelter), safety (security and protection), belongingness (love, affection, family, acceptance, friendship), esteem (self-esteem, achievement, recognition, respect), and self-actualization (self-fulfilment; Maslow, 1970). Findings from several youth gang research have been found to support Maslows theory. Physiological needs. A focus group of youngsters who associated with gang, aged 17-21 were interviewed by Alagappar and her group in 2005. When the researchers asked the participants what makes them more likely to join gangsterism, majority of the participants answered in need of material goods and money. Safety. A recent study reviewed by Taylor, Freng, Esbensen Peterson (2011) demonstrated that most youth reported joining a gang for protection. Research in Malaysia has found that some students were victims of bully before they join into a gang (Alagappar et al., 2005; refer to Appendix C). Belongingness. In a qualitative analysis, an ex-gangster was asked why he joined gangsterism, he replied: 9 out of 10 of my friends are gangsters; I would be left out and alienated if I do not join them (Alagappar et al., 2005). This result further supported the social learning theory as youth obtain the sense of belonging and identity through peers (refer to Appendix A). Esteem. Alagappar et al. (2005) indicated that one of the reasons youngsters involve in gang is to gain popularity and recognition from other students in school (refer to Appendix A). Additionally, joining gang will provide higher privileged for youngsters to vent out their anger. Once in a gang, self-esteem is increased through power, wealth, and status (Sharkey et al., 2011). Sharkey and his group further described that gang provide members with self-esteem and respect that they do not receive from others. Gang can function as adaptive social mechanisms for satisfying needs of some youths that are not met through traditional and socially acceptable means. Gangs offer many benefits that are unmet in their homes, schools, and neighborhoods (Sharkey et al., 2011). Regan (as cited in Sharpe, 2003) explained that gangs serve a valuable role in the development and socialization of an individual as they seek the approval of their peers and their identities; acceptance and identity is provided by the gang and thus makes membership an attractive possibility. Studies postulated that failure in academic or social areas motivates youth to antisocial behavior and involve in gang provide self-esteem, peer acceptance, increased pride, feelings of empowerment, and a sense of family, where other institutions have failed to provide (Kee, Sim, Teoh, Tian, Ng, 2003). Youth Gang and Suicide Madan, Mrug, and Windle (2010) worked on a sample of 589 ethnically diverse adolescents indicated that gang membership was associated with suicidal behavior. As gang members reported higher level of delinquency and witnessing community violence, this will mediate the effects of gang membership on suicidal behavior. Thus, higher involvement in criminal activities and witnessing violence may be responsible for increased suicidal behavior in adolescent gang members. Adolescent gang members not only are at risk form harming others but also themselves. Additionally, violence exposure is associated with an increased symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder (Suglia, Staudenmayer, Cohen, Wright, 2009). As the gang members exposed to violence frequently, the risks for them to develop post-traumatic stress disorder is high which will in turn contribute to the suicidal behavior among youth gang members. CHAPTER III DISCUSSION CONCLUSION There was several risk factors found associated with youth gang membership. Although each risk factor has been reviewed independently, the exposure to multiple risk factors may increase the risk for gang membership. Analyses of the effect of exposure to multiple risk factors done by Hill et al. (1997) indicated that exposure to greater number of risk factors in childhood greatly increased the risk of joining a gang in adolescence. In other words, youths may be resilient to the disadvantage posed by several individual risk factors, but as these accumulate, this resiliency may deteriorate and delinquency may result (Esbensen, Peterson, Taylor, Freng, 2009). Thus, exposure to multiple risks factors will increase the probability of problem behavior such as violence or gang membership. The case studies in Malaysia indicated several factors that students joined gang (refer to Appendix A; Appendix B; Appendix C). The factors include family problem, academic failure, peer pressure, being bu llied, to gain protection, to earn recognition, being recognized and have privilege in expressing anger. From the developmental perspective, youth are experiencing physical and psychological changes. The period of youth has been recognized as transient, characterized by typical trials and tribulations (Idris, Yee, Tamam, Hamzah, Wong, 2008). In some circumstances, due to difficulties experienced, youth may manifest behavior that is deviant, abnormal and distressing. During this period, the socio-cultural milieu plays an important role in molding youths value and culture. Parenting, peers, school and society thus are vital in shaping youth. Western countries have contributed to the major part of intervention toward youth gang. A school-based gang prevention programme, Gang Resistance Education and Training (G. R. E. A.T.) in United States has shown positive preliminary results in reducing gang affiliation and delinquency (Howell, 1997). This programme provides students with age-appropriate skills to deal with life stressors. At the same time, the programme offers training for parents, schools and police officers to prepare them to deal with youth gang problem. Malaysia as a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic country, the use of intervention with youth should be wise and well considered. The major problem that needs to be addressed is the lack of awareness on Malaysian on the youth gang issues. The insufficient of youth gang research done locally has lead to the lack of prevention and treatment programme to deal with youth gang issue in Malaysia. This is the major limitation for the implication of intervention toward Malaysian. More studies involving the cultural diversity of Malaysians need to be conducted in order to get a better understanding of the profile of youth gang and the risk factors for gang membership, in turn enable better treatment and prevention protocol. PART B: INTERVENTION PROGRAMME Program Title: Esprit de Corps Aim: To prevent and reduce students from involving in gang As most researchers indicated that the risky age of youth to be involved in gang is during the secondary school years (Alagappar, Len, George, Lee, Wong, 2005), this intervention programme is designed to target secondary school students. This is a school-based programme that will be carried out during classes, in order to involve full participation of students in the school. Instead of naming the programme of anti-gangsterism, an attractive and unique name has been designed. The word Esprit de Corps means unity; to strengthen the bond among students, and teacher. Various programmes will be carried out during the month of April and May (refer to Appendix D, overview of programme). Programme 1 Educational programme According to Thraser and Lal (as cited in Yahaya, Boon, Buang, 2001), the occurrence of youth gang is often out of the sight of the teacher. Therefore, the first step to evaluate the occurrence of youth gang is to identify its existence. The programme will begin with an educational programme targeted on teachers. Training will be provided to teachers, in order for them to run activities during the month of Esprit de Corps. Purpose: to increase teachers awareness and understanding of the phenomena of youth gang and to equip teachers with the knowledge of youth gang in Malaysia and the skill to help student in need. Duration: 1 month (once per week) Week Duration Person In Charge Objective Description 1 9am-12pm Speaker: Social Worker Raising awareness The professionals served to provide information to the teachers Brief introduction on youth gang in Malaysia Prevalence Where, when, how, and why youth gang cases happen in school Risk factors QA session 2 9am-12pm Registered counsellor To equip teachers with the knowledge of youth gang in Malaysia and the skill to help student in need. Counsellors share their experience and skill while handling with the youth gang cases Role play session 3 9am-12pm Counsellor and Social Worker Help the teacher to be well prepared and be confident when handling the real situation Focus on case study to sharpen teachers counseling skill Information exchange with the professional to have a better understanding on handling the youth gang issues. 4 9am-12pm Social Worker and Teachers To prepare teachers to run activities To modify better activities before implementation Run activities (drama, debates, poster design, teambuilding games) that will be carried out with the students. share information and idea on how to strengthen the activities to match with the purpose. Month: April (every Saturday) Various activities that attempt to reduce students impulsive and risk-seeking tendencies are carried out by teachers after undergo the training. Programme 2: Ex-gang member testimonial Purpose: Create awareness about youth gang and consequences of joining youth gang through talks and sharing by ex-gang member. Target: Students Duration: 1 hour Venue: School hall Description: A former gang member will be invite to share his experience. There will be a brief introduction on the ex-gang member background. He will share about the reasons that he joined gang and his experiences as a gang member, as well as what makes him feel regrets and what had changed him. Due to his real life experience, his words may have greater impact toward students. Programme 3: Drama Purpose: Provide student a chance to involve with different character and understand the different roles of youth in different situation. Duration: 30 minutes Venue: Classroom (during moral class) Description: A class of students will divide into four groups. Each group will get a different title (bystander, cultural differences, vandalism and fighting). The students will be given a week of time to prepare for the drama. Each group will be presenting on each week. Other students will be the audience. Through this, the performer can get into the role and able to think as if they were in the shoes of others. In the end of the drama, pupils are invited to share their ideas and feedback will be collected. For example, the group with bystander will be assign to a scenario and it is accompany by the roles card which include Bully, Bullied, Bystander, Collude, and Challenger. The students will have to play different roles in order to enhance their emphatic feelings. Programme 4: Poster Design Purpose: Enable student to express their own view on youth gang and Esprit de Crops in drawing form. Duration: 1hour Venue: Classroom (During art class) Description: A3 drawing paper will be provided and students need to prepare their own drawing material. The best drawing will be voted by students in the same class and the best poster will be printed on T-shirts and sell to the public. The fund collected will be used in the next community caring program. Programme 4: Community Caring Program Purpose: increase youths moral convictions, social conscience/responsibility, and altruistic values through helping others; visiting underprivileged people may help students to be grateful. Duration: 5 hours Day: Saturday Venue: Orphanage, old folks home, center for disabled, rehabilitation centers, shelter home and other related places. Description: The teachers will discuss with their class to decide a place for them to visit. Students can buy some daily utensil through the collected fund or donate the money to the center. Besides that, they may prepare some activities to interact with the people at the center. Also, students may work together in cleaning the place and provide comfortable setting for the underprivileged one. Programme 6: Debates Purpose: Provide a setting to let student to freely speak out their mind at the same time enhance their critical thinking skill. Duration: 30 minutes Venue: Classroom (During moral class) Description: The title for debate is: youth gang, voluntary or involuntary? The title will be given two days prior the debates. Each of the panel has to prepare their own information. During the day of debate, each team is given three minutes to arrange their information. The first debater of each group is given 3 minutes to make his introduction. The second debaters will have 4 minutes to voice out their point. The third debaters will be given 5 minutes to argue the opponents point and affirm their stands. For the last debaters, 2 minutes will be given to restate their stands and conclude. An open discussion on the debate title will be held in class after the debate. Programme 7: Teambuilding games Purpose: To enhance teamwork among students; let them feel being involved, and accepted; strengthen the bond among peers. Duration: 30 minutes Venue: School field or basketball court (During physical education class) Description: All the students will be divided into small groups (8-10 people per group). Game instruction will be given. This game required team work where all members will have to get into the hula hoop which will be placed on the ground. The members in the circle can only stand with one leg. Group members need to help each other to ensure everyone is able to get inside the circle; the group needs to keep their position for at least 10 seconds. The game ends with an explanation on the purpose of game. Standing with only a leg is to illustrate that everyone has limitation and they need to tolerate and help each other in order to accomplish the given task.

A Violent Illumination Of Salvation :: essays research papers fc

A Violent Illumination of Salvation Flannery O'Connor uses violence to return characters to reality and prepare them to accept their moment of grace. The New Encyclopedia Britannica defines grace as the "spontaneous, unmerited gift of the divine or the divine influence operating in man for his regeneration and sanctification" (401). At any cost, a soul must find salvation. O'Connor states, "In my own stories I have found that violence is strangely capable of returning my characters to reality and preparing them to accept their moment of grace" (qtd.in Bain 407). Dorothy Walters, Associate Professor of English at Wichita State University, believes O'Connor's single theme is the battle between God and the devil "dueling for the human soul in the ancient clash" (105). The illumination of salvation through violent means is essential because "both O'Connor and her God are ironists [unyielding] . . . her heros are willful characters who must be humbled in learning that the will of God must prevail" (Master-pieces 497). O'Connor portrays two varieties of sinners who possess either excessive pride or aggressive evil traits. The price of redemption is high. O'Connor violently shocks her characters, illuminates their shortcomings, and prepares them for redemption as seen in: "A Good Man is Hard to Find," "Revelation," "The River," and "The Lame Shall Enter First." Walters reasons, "The instruction of pride through lessons of humility is, in each story, the means by which the soul is prepared for its necessary illumination by the Holy Spirit" (73). The grandmother in "A Good Man is Hard to Find" and Rudy Turpin in "Revelation" is each convinced that she is a lady of elevated status. When threatened by superior beings, their self-imposed facades fall. Inherent human weaknesses are not tolerated and the faulty soul is damned or violently returned to reality (Walters 72). In The Habit of Being, O'Connor emphasizes: "My devil has a name . . . His name is Lucifer, he's a fallen angel, his sin is pride, and his aim is destruction of the Divine plan" (456). The grandmother is extremely prideful and identifies herself as a "lady" as O'Connor reveals in the clothing description: The children's mother still had on slacks . . . but the grandmother had on a navy blue straw sailor hat with a bunch of white violets on the brim and a navy blue dress . . . trimmed with lace . . . In case of an accident, any one seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady. (A Good 11) When the grandmother's trivial scheming causes the family to leave the paved

Binding Arbitration Clauses :: essays research papers

First off, I do not think that binding arbitration clauses should ever restrict the arbitration to only one group of people (ex. Home builders association). If there ever is a situation in which a binding arbitration clause is acceptable, there should at least be a choice of who the arbitration is and the choices should be neutral parties (ex. In the BP credit card bill stuffer, it gave the option of the American Arbitration Association, JAMS, and the National Arbitration Forum). I do not think that binding arbitration clauses should be includable in employment contracts. There are too many laws and regulations regarding employers and the way businesses operate the I do not think an arbitrator would be anywhere near as knowledgeable in these matters as a court would be, even if it was their area of expertise. Between discrimination and work conditions, I feel that there is way too much at stake to put in the hands of an arbitrator. I do think that binding arbitration clauses can (no t should, but CAN) be includable in credit card agreements and cell phone agreements. I really do not think that binding arbitration clauses should be included in any kind of contract because the severity of charges can vary so much that the courts can decide which cases can be arbitrated. In both credit card and cell phone contracts, the majority of cases will only deal with small amounts of money. In contrast, there is so much at stake with home construction, that I do not think that construction contracts are an appropriate place for such clauses. I consider myself a pretty compassionate person. Therefore, I do not think that there should be ANY prerequisite to obtaining medical treatment, especially signing a contract with a binding arbitration clause.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I believe that every contract should have the option to be enforced by the courts. Arbitration should be something that parties agree to, not something they are forced into. I think that including a binding arbitration clause in an employment contract would produce undue influence. The applicant for employment may easily think that if they do not sign the contract that they will not get the job. In addition, since you would typically only sign an employment contract after you had been offered a job, it would be a bit harder to find another employer in a good amount of time.

Malcolm Barber Essay -- Religion, The Templars

The Christians were fortunate individuals in the Middle Ages; Christendom received its own religious military order to protect many Christians who undertook pilgrimages to Jerusalem after it (Jerusalem) had been overrun (5). This Western order endorsed and sanctioned by the Pope; and the papacy in general, was known as the Knights Templar. One of the Templars missions was to predominantly fight against the Moslems. The Moslems had been perceived as a polytheistic religion, that encompassed the worshipping of evil pagan Gods and a religion that encouraged illicit acts. This idea however is contrary to the true Islam; Islam is indeed a monotheistic religion that is categorized under Abrahamic religions as worshipping one God. The knights were affiliated with the crusades which remained popular within the 12th century (1). The Templars were respected within Western Christendom and; the order was given numerous economic advantages such as: land, the erection of fortifications and lucrati ve job positions such as bankers. Sadly, the Christians were expelled out of Palestine and the Templars ability to fulfill their duties to serve and protect Christians in the holy lands and elsewhere were in jeopardy. Support for the Templar Order and the crusaders caused an entity to fade. Furthermore, the respect level and the anticipation of wanting to become a crusader by individuals in Western Christendom declined drastically, disabling the order to fulfill its protective duties. Moreover, the King of France Philip IV who was deeply in debt; made it known that he was aware of the orders riches. He stated The Templars must make immense effort to relieve the acute financial problems of the reign through paying taxes, if they fail to do so I must f... ...were taking precedence or a two- century existence of the order did not merit much historical recording. Yet the wealth of information presented and the legal proceeding which climaxes this monograph are not only illuminating but articulated through print by Malcolm Barber. I would personally recommend this scholarly work to individuals who already have immense knowledge on the Templars and to individuals who are new to the whole idea of this historical event. This monograph, in my opinion, should be a course reader within post-secondary institutions that promote advanced education and Barber should be commended on tackling such a controversial subject. Because the crusades are a huge stain on how religion was advanced in the middle ages. Many ethnic groups suffered at the hands of Christendom however, this does not legate Barber’s wonderful scholarly work.

Junot Diaz Treflection

JuJunot Diaz Reflection From what I had previously read and heard from about Junot Diaz, I expected the typical speaker that usually stops by our campus: tall male, dressed in a suite, with a charming personality. Knowing he was a Hispanic author I felt like I would be exposed to nothing new during his readings or presence for that matter ( seeing as how being from Colombia and have had a lot of exposure to Hispanic authors).This immediately changed as a couple classmates and I got together to walk over to Sorenson Hall, and, as I we were walking to the auditorium, found multiple students heading to the same even but not because their curriculum required it but rather because they were so intrigued to hear him speak. Obviously, this triggered my own interest in what this author, that I originally found so predictable, had to say. From the moment he set foot on the stage to when he said goodbye, I was intrigued.Diaz evoked a casual atmosphere; through cursing and joking he made the cr owd feel comfortable. What I found most interesting was how he explained the different views between him and his family and how looked negatively it seemed for him to become an artist. He also explained multiple aspects about the cultural differences, and talked about the concepts of â€Å"trading your culture† he explained how crazy it is to realize at our age that everyone’s dreams aren’t your dreams.I agreed with everything he had to say and I found the way he evoked his opinions, through casual conversation and a comical tone, to be very effective. What I found most interesting though, is how he compared writing to an art form which says the stuff people don’t want to hear. As he was talking about this topic, I couldn’t help but compare his style of writing to that of graffiti art. He holds a rebellious attitude towards society that makes his writing appealing.Attending this reading taught me much about the topic of learning by making mistakes. My whole life, I’ve been raised thinking that mistakes shouldn’t occur, and the fact that he mentioned that one should take time out to learn through failure and making mistakes caught my attention immediately. Attending Diaz’s reading has been one of the most interesting things I’ve experience while at Babson and I know that when I type the last sentence of this reflection I am buying logging on to amazon and buying his book.

Invisible Man Essay

Portrayal of Women In Invisible Man women were primarily given the role of prostitutes, caregivers and sex objects that presented them as inferior to men. The author fails to reflect on the struggles of women in the novel but encourages reflecting on the struggles of black males. In Invisible Man, written by Ralph Ellison, women are intensely stereotyped by the author and could also be characterized as â€Å"invisible† based on the author’s description of the main character and his experiences in the novel. White women in the novel were something that invisible man thought to be forbidden; they could be characterized as the forbidden fruit.Invisible man saw a blonde white woman at the Battle Royal who was beautiful in his eyes. Unfortunately, he could stare at her all he wanted but couldn’t touch the white woman. At the end of the novel he decides to use Sybil for his own greed, later he feels guilty and calls what he did a sin. It seems that in the novel white w omen are presented with higher regard than black women. During incidences in the novel white women were usually there to help invisible man with his journey to figure out who he is. They are given roles that are basically more important than the black women in the novel; but this is not always true.In the novel he was saved by a white girl during his eviction speech, a white women seduced him when she lied about having problems with the Brotherhood and a white woman saved him when he was made to sing for the white people. Women characters are given minor roles compared to invisible man and lead him on his journey in the novel. Sybil was the women that invisible man decided to use for his own intentions. Sybil showed to have stereotypical opinions about black men and invisible man understood what type of women she was.Invisible man decided that she was perfect to take advantage of because she was lonely when the Brotherhood took a lot of time. Sybil is a very weak woman and needs cer tain attentions in order for her to be completely satisfied. Invisible man strived to improve himself in the novel, which Sybil failed to do. He seeks out and â€Å"chooses to use Sybil precisely because she is â€Å"lonely,† â€Å"misunderstood,† â€Å"neglected,† and â€Å"wistful† (Sylvander 78). Invisible man manipulates this woman and takes advantage of her. In this sense Sybil is stereotyped as a weak woman who doesn’t improve herself.There was also another women whose husband was a member of the Brotherhood; even though she didn’t believe in the Brotherhood. She was interested in satisfying her emotional needs and tricked invisible man in coming over by saying she had questions over the Brotherhood. Invisible man portrays white women in the novel as beautiful and sensual; black women fail to have these characterizations. Black women in the novel such as Mary are limited to being caretakers and serving without the beauty that he chara cterizes the white women with. Invisible man presents the way black women were viewed in society compared to white women at the time.The women who lived with Trueblood, Kate and Matty Lou, lived a harsh life and experienced no happiness. Trueblood impregnated his own daughter, which shows how horrible women were treated in this novel. Trueblood tries to explain what he had done and how he tried to move without moving; a mere excuse for his actions. Mary played a significant role in the novel because she was the main character who helped invisible man find his identity. Unfortunately, in order to truly find himself the narrator had to leave Mary. Mary immediately came to his rescue after he was released from the hospital.She was a mother figure in invisible man’s eyes who agreed to nurture him until he could support himself. This is proof that women in the novel were given minor roles . Invisible man uses Mary until he leaves her for the Brotherhood. But it was Mary’s l ectures of leadership and helping the society that drove invisible man to the Brotherhood. Mary was â€Å"something out of my past which kept me from whirling off into some unknown which I dared not to face† (Stanford 29). The women in this novel basically helped the speaker find himself in society. The black and white women in the novel gave to the speaker and helped him throughout the novel.They are not unimportant in the novel but do not play any major roles as human beings. The narrator’s opinion regarding women always focuses on their physical appearances, which supports how he thinks they are no more than how they look or make him feel. The women never make their own decisions and only act out to help the narrator in his actions. Ellison’s invisible man does minimize the female experience by not having a main female character. There is an absence of female perspective in all decisions made about invisible man. Invisible man silences the voice of women and stereotypes them in the novel.

911 and Pearl Harbor

Two Dark Days Pearl Harbor changed the lives of Americans; decades later 9/11 affected a new generation of Americans. Comparing Pearl Harbor and 9/11, written by Fred L. Borch points out inaccuracies of the comparisons that numerous individuals have made between 9/11 and Pearl Harbor. The author gives a unique perspective that has partial inaccuracies under the topics; whether or not 9/11 was an intelligence failure, was American unprepared, and military responsibilities. The author uses various facts and statics to support his cause, some creditable, some not.December 7, 1941 and September 11, 2001 are two of the darkest days in American History essay writer dubai. The attack on Pearl Harbor began at 7:55 a. m. when 353 Japanese aircrafts dropped bombs on the U. S pacific fleets (Borch 846). With 2, 403 dead, 1,178 wounded, and eight battle ships sunk or damaged and 165 aircraft destroyed, the Japanese had succeeded on their attack. With their success the Japanese only lost a few sh ips and aircraft, and only 185 were killed or wounded. On December 16, 1941 the joint congressional committee declared that Admural E. Kimmel and Lieutenant general Walter c. hort failed to prepare Americans at Pearl Harbor for the attack of the Japanese. On September 11, 2001 most of us were sitting in class while 19 members of Al Quida boarded four commercial airlines, intending to take over and crash all four planes into traditional American landscapes. The first plane to crash, crashed into the north tower of the world trade center. Shortly after a second plane crashed into the south tower of the world trade center. An hour later a third plane struck the pentagon, destroying a portion of the building (Borch 847). The fourth plane crashed into a ruel area of southeast Pittsburgh (Borch 847).By 12:00 p. m. there were 2,823 killed in Manhattan and 189 in Washington, D. C. Days after the attack the U. s government identified Osama bin laden and his Al Queda as responsible for the at tacks. All 19 Al queda high jackers had entered the United States legally. They had student and tourist visas’. They tried to blend into American life; they took flying training at civilian pilot schools (Borch 847). This helped them pilot the planes after they killed commercial pilots. As we continue to blame bin laden for the attacks, he has never claimed responsibility for it, but has released video tapes praising the 9/11 high jackers.He has also threatened more attacks against America. The author raises the question â€Å"was intelligence failure the reason for these attacks. He states that they knew a war with Japan was highly likely. This fact was backed up by a message received saying â€Å"this dispatch is to be considered a warning, negotiation with Japan†¦. have ceased and an aggressive move by Japan is expected with the next few days. † Also after taking command Kimmel and Short were informed that if an attack occurred it would most likely be an air b ombing attack.Borch states that if the Japanese diplomatic messages would have been decrypted, it would have shown there was going to be an attack occurring on December 7, 1941. He also says there was a lack of strategic intelligence. There was a 75 minute tactical warning, when the sinking of Ward, at the mouth of the harbor. Borch said could have made a difference, if Kimmel and Short would have acted upon that warning. Also at 7:02 a. m. radar detected a large number of aircraft approaching Oahu. Both of these warnings were missed.He says that Kimmel and his staff were still arguing about the significance of the wards attack, when the first bombs were dropped on Oahu. As for 9/11 they could have seen it coming because of the previous attacks of the world trade center in 1993, the bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen, in 2000, and other events. The federal Bureau of investigation and others knew there was going to be an attack on an U. S target. But says no information had been collec ted that could directly point to the Al Queda attacking the world trade center. Both events were said to have no information that existed that a terrorist attack was about to happen.The closest thing that could have helped was the message sent to Pearl Harbor, which was not decrypted. And although there was no imminent proof of both attacks, Kimmel and Short had more information available to them than those of 9/11. With 9/11 no one knew the terrorist themselves learned how to pilot a commercial aircraft there was no tactical warning of the Al Queda attacking. When the first plane crashed into the world trade center, many thought it was an accident. No one knew that terrorist had taken over American and United Airline flights until their suicide mission was too far along to stop (Borch 851).To me there are some difficulties with some of the evidence the author uses, mainly because he uses his opinions. For instance when he says that no one had any evidence about 9/11, false! The 9/1 1 commission report is the official report of the events leading up to the September 11, 2001 attacks. One of the things the commission reported states is that they had evidence that several of the 9/11 hijackers passed through Iran, and indicates that officials in Iran did not place entry stamps in their passports. This and other evidence told there was going to be an attack on the United States.So we did have the intelligence to prevent it, we just didn’t have to funding or resources. Borch says that we couldn’t have collected more information about the attacks and we didn’t have that much information in the first place. But with my prior knowledge and after reading his opinion, it raises the question on how much did they really know? I mean just a few days after the attack they already had suspects! This brings my attention to how secretive the government really is. Granted, they can’t release a lot of information in the fact that half America would go into panic.But as for 9/11 being intelligence failure I would have to disagree. True we didn’t know what day it would happen or how. But with the evidence we did have and the conspiracies, we could have better prepared for it. On the other hand we has Americans have a certain way we do things, and the American way is we can’t do anything till something happens. This brings up the authors next topic which is â€Å"was American unprepared? † Borch states that if Kimmel and Short could have prepared their troops better for this kind of attack.And in turn, might have prevented the attack from happening. Now the unpreparedness regarding 9/11 concerns only what could have been done to prevent a terrorist attack. The unpreparedness of Pearl Harbor existed because of Kimmel and Short. Some reasons would be they were not conducting long-range reconnaissance with the ships and aircrafts, had not integrated their command and control structures, failed to take passive defe nsive measures, and last has not instilled in their commands a sense of urgency or realization that war was upon them (Borch 855).Kimmel had forgotten to order the placement of torpedo netting around the ships and short rejected the use of barrage balloons over the harbor. They say both these measures would have decreased the damage caused by the Japanese. What we could have done to prevent 9/11 was to increase security at U. s airports, place â€Å"sky marshals† on all airline flights, train pilots and aircrews to resist rather than cooperate with high jackers and last infiltrate terrorist cells (Botch 856). Borch makes a very bold argument here.I do agree with him and in what they could have done to prevented these events from happening. But as I said before we are Americans’ and our way is we can’t do anything till something happens. Now, Borch says that attack on Pearl Harbor was because of Kimmel and Short had not taken adequate measures to prevent the atta ck. Just the fact that they were not ready because â€Å"had not taken prudent defensive measures either to repel an attack or to mitigate its effects on their commands† (Borch 858). Personal responsibility is said to be the failure at Pearl Harbor, 9/11 was said to be systemic.Rather a lack of preparedness of September 11, 2001 by the commercial airline security. They did not take the adequate steps to prevent a terrorist attack. Again the author actually has a very bold and logical argument on this topic. He uses logically reasoning in what Pearl Harbor and 9/11 could have done to better prepared, and in turn might have prevented, the attacks on Pearl Harbor and the world trade center. Military responsibility may have been a factor in these two events. With Pearl Harbor Kimmel and Short were to blame.Though they couldn’t have prevented the attack, their failure to prepare an adequate defense makes them-at least partly responsible for what happened (Borch 858). As for 9/11 the men and woman running the FFA and the airlines knew that commercial aircraft were vulnerable to domestic hijacking (Borch 857). They could have expanded security. But that would have cost a lot of money. And as I said before, Americans knew we needed the increased security, but weren’t willing to spend that kind of money. Some thought if they increased security, business would go down.As mentioned before we could have done some things that might have prevented an terrorist attack, but as for 9/11 it was an highly unfortunate event for American, that was conducted carefully and quite brightly by 9 Al Queda. The article as a whole was interesting to read. I don’t agree with everything he mentions because of the fact that it is his opinion, not facts. He gives a few bold statements, as I mentioned before. Borch could have improved this article by organizing it better and make it easier to follow. Instead of jumping from 9/11 to Pearl Harbor over and over, he cou ld have found a better way to do that.Pearl Harbor and 9/11 are both unfortunate events that is a big a part of our history. As my generation experienced 9/11 and our great grandparents and maybe grandparents experienced Pearl Harbor, there are questions that will forever go unanswered. A lot of questions I now have arose after reading this article. Will American learn from their mistakes? Will we think about the blood of innocent lives that was shed in a terrorist attack that may could have been prevented, but we as American’s were too greedy to spend money on increased security.Basically I believe the whole topic of this is that we has American’s have the intelligence but don’t have the funding or resources. And we don’t want to do anything till something happens. But the question is how many more times are we going to have to sit back and watch our fellow Americans bury their sons and daughters, and watch as what was once a famous landscape come fallin g to the ground 100 ft. in front of us, before we do something logical and not do something that is not out of our budget.

Personal Philosophy of Education Essay

Teaching is mostly a social activity; it begins with social interactions between teachers, students and their peers through conversation and demonstration. The information received in these social interactions is then processed cognitively in their working memory and hopefully stored in their long term memory. This learning process has two main stages the social stage and the cognitive stage which then can be broken down into many other stages. Given that that social interaction and cognition are in my opinion the most fundamental parts of learning I have gained much interest in Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory. The true direction of the development of thinking is not from the individual to the social but from the social to the individual’, (Vygotsky, 1986, p. 36). This idea argues that the social relationship between the teacher and learner is crucial in their cognitive development and that the information learned by the student is not simply passed down from the teacher but it is constructed internally through mutual social interactions. The importance of social interaction means that as a teacher I must use every opportunity I can to allow students to be involved socially while building their knowledge. This will involve planning lessons which involve carefully guided class discussions. This allows students to express their views while the teacher can guide their thinking and correct them if needed. I believe learners mostly process new information by comparing it to previously stored information. In many cases the teacher may need to show the student how it is related to the new information by comparing it to what the student previously learnt. It is the teacher’s job to bridge the gap between known and unknown and I believe this is best described using Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development. Vygotsky (1986) argues that it is the teacher’s job to assist the student to build on their previous knowledge rather than just provide them with new information, turning them into passive recipients. Allowing students to process information critically with some guidance leads to better understanding and allows students to regulate their own learning. In order for this to be effective the teacher must be aware of the different ability levels of the students as if the information is placed outside of their proximal development zone they will be only memorising information without truly understanding its meaning. In my classroom I would aim to have knowledge of all my students’ abilities so that I may pose questions within their zone of proximal development which will then deepen their understanding of the topic. There are many simple ways of doing this such as giving analogies that compare pieces of information in a way that they understand or by giving them hints about the correct method to solve the problem. Education is a lot more complex than having knowledge of relevant theories. This is due to the huge diversity among students who may have different ethnicity, socio economic status and moral values. These are all external factors which are mostly out of the teachers control and while it is important to consider these differences I believe motivation is the key to allowing students to get the most out of their education. Current views conceptualise motivation as a dynamic and complex phenomenon comprising many cognitive, affective and social processes that instigate, direct and sustain action (Pintrich & Schunk, 2002). Given that motivation is sustaining the student’s interest in their learning it is up to the teacher to keep them motivated. A cognitive approach to motivation is achievement motivation which allows students to build on their successes by motivating them to be successful in the future. This can only be achieved if the knowledge is within the student’s ability which once again reinforces to me the importance of being aware of my students’ abilities and using their zone of proximal development to its full advantage. Having the ability to motivate and understand students differences are traits which I believe are essential for a successful teacher but in order to possess these abilities the teacher must first be able to build a quality relationship with the students. When there are high levels of closeness and low levels of conflict and dependency, students are more likely to be motivated to succeed, to feel successful in educational pursuits and, consequently, to perform better than students without such supports (Koomen, Zee, Van der Veen 2013). The research shows that positive student teacher relationships not only improve academic achievement but allow students to work more independently. As a teacher I will strive to build these quality relationships in which I can allow students to work independently with some guidance. This will allow more freedom in their learning and will ultimately motivate them towards better academic achievement.

Inner-City English Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Inner-City English - Essay Example According to William Labov, the â€Å"English† being spoken in American inner cities is â€Å"not simply slang but a well-formed set of rules of pronunciation and grammar† that is capable of conveying complicated logic and rationalization – that is with sense and thoughtful meaning – and thus is not really rooted from or based on Standard American English but is a Black vernacular English (Labov 15). As aforementioned, the argument that Inner-City English lacks form and is therefore â€Å"sloppy† is merely an implication of a longstanding political issue. Blacks have always been the subject of discrimination and subordination for so many years. The Black Americans have been placed under a framework of pervasive and extreme violence, which carried on until today, and which has extended to the determination of the standards of American English. In the recent years, attention has been bent on the sociolinguistic aspect of the Inner-City English. Much c oncentration has been poured into the patterns of speech that is common among Black Americans in inner cities. As a matter of fact, in 1997, Labov testified before the Senate that most Black Americans in the inner employs an unusual pairing of spelling and sound or pronunciation – and this has become more difficult for speakers of other dialects (Labov 245). And this must have been the basis of the criticism that Inner City English lacks form and is sloppy. First of all, there is no general consensus as to how English should be pronounced or even as to the form or pattern of the English language and how to properly use it. Inner City English cropped up as a result of the cultural practices of the Blacks in the inner city, which are ritualistic in nature. The idea that Standard American English is much more systematic as compared to the Inner City English is misleading – the pattern and form of the Inner City English may be a tacit among the members of the Black communi ty, especially in the inner cities. But because