How to Win Friends and Influence People Essay

An Essay on Dale Carnegie’s â€Å"How to Win Friends and Influence People† Dale Carnegie’s book entitled How to Win Friends and Influence People explores various ways on how to communicate efficiently and professionally. Each chapter speaks about different scenarios encountered by the author as well as helpful guidelines on how to handle them. In this book, Carnegie focuses on the significance of having good communication skills. He applies ethics, skills, and behaviour as well as human relations to his ideas and principles. As a reader, I find this book, highly beneficial in enhancing one’s professionalism. It can likewise help readers learn how to cope up with the challenges in the corporate and business field particularly the ones that involve human relations. I specifically want to emphasize on these 10 areas; 1. Learn how to establish a good first impression. This is probably the most challenging part of entering any professional field. Earning the respect of others is not an easy task. However, it is not impossible to make people like you either. Applying sufficient knowledge in the field, understanding the market, willingness to explore various areas, creativity and resourcefulness all contribute to a good first impression. 2. Find a way to make people interested. One of the reasons behind the success of some businessmen and other professionals is that they know how to get the attention of others. This is a critical aspect for every businessman because it is necessary to make a mark in the field in order to be known. For instance, it is not enough for me to have a business going. I should know how to get the attention of my target customers and to keep them interested. In a business environment, it is not enough for me to have exceptional or unique ideas. I should learn how to communicate and implement them in an appropriate manner in order to generate interest from others. 3. Know how to handle criticisms. Handling criticisms can be very difficult. It can create a negative impact and can challenge one’s confidence. However, knowing how to handle criticisms very well can contribute to self improvement and better performance. In business scenarios, customers tend to criticize the products and services they get from companies. Successful businessmen should learn how to take criticisms and consider them as learning in order to create avenues for improvement. 4. Establish good relationship with employees. This book had made me realize that I can become a more successful businessman by establishing harmonious relationship with the people who work for me without necessarily crossing the boundaries of professionalism. Saying kind words and expressing appreciation can work wonders in establishing loyalty and work enthusiasm among employees. . Conquer fears. To become a successful professional or businessman, willingness to take risks is important otherwise, it would be impossible to move forward. I, for instance, should learn how to challenge myself and my capabilities in order to achieve more. Knowing how to make calculated risks can determine opportunities in order to make a business grow. 6. Develop confidence. This principle by Carnegie challenged me to believe in the things that I am capable of. This can be initiated by taking a few brave steps in order to become better. Self confidence comes from believing that all things are possible if they would be explored and given the chance. 7. Acknowledge own mistakes. It is not easy to admit being wrong. However, finding lessons in my mistakes and allowing my self to learn from others can work wonders in my career in the field of business. It is all about learning from mistakes and avoiding them in the future. 8. Explore other opportunities. Making a business work requires intensive market research, thorough understanding of trends and knowing exactly what customers need. There are many opportunities that can make a business grow and the best way to start is by developing a relationship with target customers. Knowing my customers and making their suggestions count can help me in finding feasible opportunities for my business. 9. Work on communication skills. Making the right choice of words can minimize conflicts and can lead to better resolution of problems. An ideal businessman always treats his people, clients and customers with respect by communicating professionally and by not uttering hurtful or inappropriate words. 0. Consider learning as an active process. Do not just read but rather apply the principles. Constantly applying what I have learned from this book in every opportunity that arises will allow me to master the skills. These are just some of the areas wherein I can apply the principles and rules that Carnegie has stated in his book How to Win Friends and Influence People. Learning how to apply them in different business scenarios can spell success in earning friends in the industry and in inspiring other people as well.

Vulnerable Populations in Current Events

Defining a Vulnerable Population A vulnerable population is any group that has been identified by an epidemiological or there study that classifies them at a higher risk than the general population from a specific or broad condition (Oxford Reference Online, 2011). The elderly population is considered a vulnerable population because they must face not only self-image disturbances related to an aging body, but also problems with mental and spiritual well -being as well. Barriers older adults must face are generated by these issues.Barriers of a Vulnerable Population According to Smith, et. Al (2010), is important for community and local governments to the aging population and provide age-friendly services (p. 15). As the population continues to grow, change, and age, there are numerous barriers the elderly face. Financially, the elderly population Is mostly surviving on a fixed or limited Income making It difficult at times to afford prescriptions. Doctor visits, and other healthcare related expenses. All of these issues place them in a state of vulnerability.Impaired or limited mobility creates yet another barrier especially for the elderly related to the side effects of an aging body. Consequently, they are more prone and apt to have injuries from falls leading to other serious debilitating healthcare issues. Many of the elderly population do not have the ability to drive safely or access to a vehicle due to their compromised health Issues related to aging such as poor vision, Alchemies, and severe arthritis: transportation becomes another barrier. According to Smith, et. L (2010), without proper transportation in place, communities will have a higher incidence of injuries and increased emergency response costs. Life experiences with Vulnerable Persons My parents are both of the elderly population. They both suffer from symptoms of an aging body. My dad Is hard of hearing, has chronic renal failure, terribly severe artless, thinning skin, and Impaired vision. My mother has Just recovered to a double knee replacement surgery because she had become immobile related to her severely arthritic knees.I have spent several years caring for them both and helping them through these difficult times of aging. I have noticed various discriminations by society of the elderly and the poor attitude towards them. People have very little patience, understanding, and compassion. I have also seen the moments of sadness, frustration, and depression that my parents have encountered related to having to race ten Tact's Nat teeny are aging; teeny are no longer addle to phonically ay want teeny used to be able to do and think that they can still do.This has been the hardest for me to witness because I can remember when they were able to do anything they wanted to physically. They have both overcome many barriers, but continue to be vulnerable and I know that they're level of vulnerability will continue to increase with the passing years to come. Knowing this, I continue to learn and look for ways to help and advocate for them. Summary With the aging population, it is important to assess what vulnerabilities the elderly faces and address them to improve the quality of life.

Work Life Balance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Work Life Balance - Essay Example As the discussion declares deciding and maintaining a specific balance by an individual between work and personal life is an individual responsibility and the employer cannot decide for the employer. However, workplace environment can affect the choices, this is due to whether the work has unpredictable demands and schedule that is rigid, in this case balances work and life can be complicated.This paper discusses that  the article on the work life balance in a business environment covers all the aspects that pertain to work balance in an organization. It even gives a step by step checklist for human resource managers to check so as to provide their employees with a humble time to balance work and life. The strategies given are simple and conclusive towards achieving work life balance. Apart fro m discussing on the strategies, the article also explains how both the individual employee and the organization   gain in terms of productivity if work life balance is a success as it will result in a stress free employee who will therefore perform the work more effectively. Work–family conflict research also have been used to investigate how people meet the expectations of multiple roles and how one should divide between the roles that one has in life. Failure to balance the different roles other than the paid work can also result in stressors in life; Banwell gives working solutions on how to balance the roles relating to work and family

Write a paper on everything that rises must converge Research

Write a on everything that rises must converge - Research Paper Example One of the major themes in Everything That Rises Must Converge is the theme of race as one of the key social and cultural concerns in the American society in 1960s, and it is addressed and analyzed in many ways in the piece. As it is follows from the short story, there are two views on the situation that took place in the society, and they depended on people’s belonging to a particular generation. Specifically, Julian’s mother as a representative on an older generation adheres to old cultural norms of the society, meaning she does not accept any changes regarding race and social classes. In fact, she grips hold of her old-fashioned views and wants to impose them upon her son. In particular, at first convenience she tries to remind her son and, perhaps, even herself that they come from a good and respected southern family and that their ancestors were wealthy and powerful: â€Å"Your great-grandfather was a former governor of this state†, â€Å"Your great-grandfather had a plantation and two hundred slaves† (O’Connor). That is to say Julian’s mother chooses to live on her family’s greatness, which is now gone, because that gives her a sense of being as powerful and renowned as her family used to be in the past. Her behavior and overtly racist attitudes show narrow-mindedness of her generation when it comes to changes and new social norms. Overall, from how O’Connor depicts it, it follows that for Julian’s mother there is a great necessity to separate herself from African Americans who have suddenly become the equal part of the society she lives in. this is one more reason why she is used to reminding about her roots and social standing of her ancestors. She separates herself and her son from those who is different from them, and this kind of separation suggests her attitude towards African Americans is of a discriminatory character.

In tune with the infinate by Ralph Waldo trine Essay

In tune with the infinate by Ralph Waldo trine - Essay Example Some have done it subconsciously and achieved this state of being while some have achieved this through reading of scriptures written by people who have done it and have been able to achieve it through discipline (Waldo, 2007). This article tries to analyze the view of one author of a book that enumerates steps that a human being can follow to achieve this state of being while I investigate these views and offer my personal take on the steps that this author gives. In his book, â€Å"In Tune with the Infinite Self†, Ralf Waldo is trying to point out the steps on can take to be able to be a complete human being. He starts by offering that there is a golden thread in all human beings that when a human being discovers it, it will change the person`s life forever. However, this golden thread can only be realized by those who reach for it; those who are willing to trade their weakness and suffering for strength and health, their pain for peace and calmness, and their poverty for fu llness. Waldo looks at this state as the state of being in oneness and in tune with the inner self or the part of oneself that cannot be seen because according to him, everything starts from the unseen before it becomes seen and it is the unseen that controls the seen and thus getting to know the unseen is what every human should aspire to know. To achieve this the Waldo has highlighted the following aspects: Human beings should understand the: 1. Supreme facts of the Universe. 2. Supreme facts of Human life. 3. Fullness of life i.e health and vigor. 4. Secret, power, and effect of love 5. Wisdom of interior illumination 6. Realization of perfect peace. 7. Coming into fullness of power. 8. Laws of prosperity 9. Ways that men have followed to become prophets, seers, and saviors. 10. Basic principle of all religion In so doing, a person will be able to enter into full realization of lasting riches. Most of these things are visibly clear from a human point of view and it takes a step b y step self discovery to realize and understand the next level. The writer says that everything is right but what differentiates these things are the different points of views that we as human beings have, it is however worth noting that if all human beings achieve this state of being in touch with the inner self, the point of view will be one; what the writer calls â€Å"oneness† (Waldo, 2007). One example he gives is that of optimism and pessimism, according to Waldo, both a pessimist and an optimist are right in their own sense with the difference being that a pessimist`s point of view is dimmed by ignorance while an optimist view is illuminated by wisdom. To start understanding one self, Waldo advises that an individual should first understand the supreme fact of the Universe; that there is an infinite source of life and all things be it spirit, wisdom, hope, to mention but a few. According to him, there is only one source of all this and that source is God. Being certain that some would disagree with this opinion, Waldo says that to him God is a name that can take different forms like the â€Å"provider†, the â€Å"omnipresent† for the believers and thus even the non-believers would agree that there is someone in their own understanding that provides for them but they chose to have a different name for that someone (Waldo, 2007). On human beings understanding

Analysis of Vitamin C content of Soft Fruit Drinks Coursework

Analysis of Vitamin C content of Soft Fruit Drinks - Coursework Example Titration is a commonly performed experiment which is used to determine the exact concentration of a particular substance in solution. This is achieved by adding increasing amounts of a standard solution of known concentration (the titrant) to a measured quantity of the solution whose concentration one intends to ascertain (the analyte), and determining the end point of the reaction by means of a substance termed as an indicator. Titration can be used to determine the concentration of various substances including several acids and bases. Vitamin C has been found to turn a blue dye clear. Thus, the amount of Vitamin C in a solution can be worked out by titrating the different soft drinks against a fixed amount of the blue dye, which serves as both the titrant and the indicator in this experiment.   Materials Available: Blue dye A solution containing a known amount of Vitamin C (Solution A) A selection of old products: a lemon, orange and blackcurrant drink A selection of new product s: a lemon, orange and blackcurrant drink Equipment needed: Burette Pipette, graduated Pipette filler Ehrlenmeyer flask or Beaker Distilled water Burette clamp Stirring rod Procedure: To begin the experiment, the amount of solution which has a known quantity of Vitamin C (labeled as Solution A) needed to turn 1 cm3 of the blue dye colorless has to be determined. To achieve this, a measured quantity, i.e. 1 cm3 of the dye is added to an Ehrlenmeyer flask or beaker with the help of a pipette. Before using the pipette, it is important to  ensure that it is thoroughly cleaned and conditioned before being used  in order to remove any water droplets or impurities.  Conditioning  is achieved by rinsing the pipette with  a small volume of  the solution being transferred  (the stock solution) and disposing of the rinsing solution. The pipette is then filled up to the calibration mark with the help of a pipette filler. It is important to remember that most solutions would form a concave meniscus. Thus, while reading a meniscus, the bottom of the meniscus should be read and the meniscus should be kept at eye level in order to avoid parallax errors. Moreover, the meniscus should be read against a uniform background, which can be achieved by placing a white sheet of paper behind the level of the liquid. The dye is now transferred to the conical flask. Once all the solution has drained, the experimenter should touch the tip of the pipette to the side of the flask. This helps in removing the last drop of solution from the pipette and helps in avoiding errors. It is important to keep in mind that one does not need to blow the last drop of solution out of the pipette. As pointed out previously, in this experiment the blue dye serves as both the titrant and the indicator. An indicator is a substance which indicates the pH of a substance and is commonly used to determine the end point of a reaction, which is denoted by a color change of the indicator. The next step is to add the solution A into the beaker drop by drop by means of a burette. The burette is an apparatus which helps in slowly and precisely deliver small measured volumes of a solution to another. It is most commonly used in titration experiments and measures solutions up to an accuracy of

The Regulation of the Internet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

The Regulation of the Internet - Essay Example The internet has become one of the most widespread technological advancements which have gained popularity in recent years. Since its inception, its use has expanded and its coverage has grown extensively. Most everything can now be found and done online. Business transactions can be carried out online, so can social interactions, buying, selling, and even dating. Various individuals use it for both their professional and personal needs; it serves purposes which mostly relate to convenience and easy accessibility. In recent years however, due to its widespread use, issues on censorship have been raised. Due to the delicacy of internet materials which have become widespread in their use, the idea of internet censorship has been suggested. However, issues on the application of democratic ideals seem to clash with the idea of internet censorship. This paper shall answer whether or not internet censorship is compatible with democratic values and ideals. Body Internet censorship is defined by Colthorp as â€Å"internet material that is examined and then removed or suppressed when it is considered morally, politically, or otherwise objectionable†. This includes a very wide range of materials which can be considered censorable; defining what is morally or politically objectionable can spawn various materials in the legal, ethical, religious, liberal or the conservative sense. Nevertheless, materials often defined to be subjects of censorship include pornographic, politically seditious, and even criminally offensive materials. The purposes of censorship in different countries often have various motivations. Three main regions in the world engage in internet censorship, including East Asia, Central Asia, and Middle East/North Africa (Misa, 60). Other countries like Germany, France, and even the US also implement some form of censorship against certain websites and under specific settings. The US for example, filters internet activitie s in computers in libraries as well as K-12 schools (Reichman and American Library Association, 39). In France and Germany, materials about Nazism and Holocaust denial are also blocked (Deibert, 190). Child pornography and other pornographic sites are also banned by various countries in the world, including China, Singapore, and most countries in the Middle East (Deibert, Palfrey, and OpenNet Initiative, 5). Some of these countries are actually democratic countries and have long respected the freedom of speech and of expression, and yet are involved in some form of internet censorship. The practice of internet censorship has been supported, to some extent, by governments because various reasons. The significant growth of the Internet has led to a new realm of human communication whose ease is facilitated by cyberspace, its low cost in participation, as well as its potentially vast audience (Malakoff, 1). In many ways, it actually represents a purely democratic forum where any litera te person can express his thoughts, feelings, and opinions. On the other hand, electronic communication and the internet also have negative consequences owing to the fact that most people can now access any morally and politically pervasive materials on the internet (Malakoff, 2). This is the primary reason driving some governments to implement regulatory practices for internet use. Countries which have historically suppressed the transmission of data in an attempt to control and suppress any civilian dissent have found the internet to be a particular problem. These countries have an innate fear that materials that their people would read and obtain

Human relations theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Human relations theory - Essay Example Mainly, the Human relations theory in organization and management has been attributed to Elton Mayo. Mayo's major theoretical stand point, according to Wood (2004, p.35),is that " in the absence of an explicit understanding of the determinants of co-operative effort, rapid technological and scientific advance tends to be associated with increased social disorganization." Wood (2004, p.36) has added that "by social disorganization, Mayo means, a disruption (loosening, weakening, impoverishment etc.) in the social ties, codes and established routines."Wood (2004, p.36) has further clarified this position of Mayo by dileneating that these social ties, codes and routines are the factors that "regulates the relations of individuals to one another in a group and they foster a strong identification of the individual to the group." So, when these are disrupted, as predicted by Mayo, the "essential conditions for cooperative efforts among individuals and groups" are destroyed.(Wood, 2004, p.3 6)Mayo (1975, p.32))also has observed that when these elements are present, the act as an atmosphere where "non logical bases for co-operation" are present and from which, "rational bases for cooperation can also emerge". When the kind of social disorganization as observed by Mayo (1975, p.31) happens, "obsessive thinking" replaces "rational thinking." According to Mayo (1975, p.32), obsessive people are "those who have not been trained for co-operative effort." The rational people, on the other hand, have "explicit skills of communication required by the adaptive society (Wood, 2004, p.36).Mayo has analysed that as for obsessive people, there is no turning back unless they learn the skills to relate to others, modern societies without understanding of the importance of cooperative efforts and with rapid technological and scientific growth, also have no way to return from chaos (Mayo, 1975, p.33). Mayo has not put forth any magic solutions to this problem. He has instead suggested some indepth and longterm measures. One such measure is to observe the relations within a group, develop these observations into a systematic social science study, just like physical sciences and then incorporating sociology with psychological thought by an involved researcher (not a detached one) (Mayo, 1975, p.113). The Hawthorne experiments conducted by Mayo was a major milestone in the study of industrial behaviour (Mayo, 1975, p.60). He conducted an interview based research in Western Electric Company, Chicago, to analyse the development of employee attitudes and how that influences the outcome. He was searching for an optimal situation which could bring about highest productivity. Hawthorne experiment findings included observations like, "an individual's identity is strongly associated with his or her group' an individual's affiliation or sense of belonging to the group can be more important to him or her than monetary rewards' groups can be formal or informal'both can exercise a strong influence on individuals at work'(and) managers and supervisors would do well to take this group behaviour into account when seeking to extract the maximum amount of work from their subordinates" (Campbell and Craig, p.16). This was part of Mayo's efforts to develop a new approach which he named, "clinical sociology." (Mayo, 1975, 65-70). In this way, Mayo wanted to add sociology to the group of natural sciences. A second experiment, named, 'relay assembly test room' was conducted by Mayo, in which a group of women, whose work was to assembly telephone relays, were subjected to various changes in their conditions of work, payment, rest pauses etc. (Crowther &Green, 2004,p.35). And he found that workers' productivity depended less on their objective conditions and more on "communicating with them well, helping them become involved in the organization and making them feel wanted and important (Crowther &Green, 2004,p.35). This experiment was a major breakthrough in management studies. From his studies, Mayo inferred that "every social group

Corporate Philanthropy Essay Example for Free

Corporate Philanthropy Essay It is easy to estimate what corporate America is pulling in by simply looking at the amount of money they spend on advertising and celebrity endorsements. The evidence of increased affluence can also be seen in the kind of lifestyle exemplified by the CEOs of said companies. In this era of billion dollar industries the question has to be asked on the necessity or the responsibility of for-profit organizations to engage in and support philanthropy? An initial reaction would be the affirmative as there is almost no negative consequence to the idea of receiving a gift. But then again there is no such thing as a free lunch so to speak. This study will attempt to get a basic understanding of corporate philanthropy and what it means to the donor and to the receiver as well. Spirit of Giving Even before tax deductible corporate charitable contributions became part of business strategy, there were already businessmen and organizations imbued with the spirit of giving. In the early year of the twentieth century Milton S. Hershey, a deeply religious man belonging to the Mennonite sect took great pains in order to bless others as he was blessed and this was explained by Andrew Savitz: Hershey [†¦] wanted his wealth to be used ‘for a purpose of enduring good’, [†¦] Through his Hershey Improvement Company, he founded most of its leading institutions, including local bank, department store, zoo, and public gardens modeled on those at the French Versailles [†¦] He even founded a community college that local residents and company employees could attend free of charge (2006, p. 5-6). When the Great Depression ravaged corporate America in the 1930s this same spirit of giving has alleviate the suffering of many people. After this time the Federal government has seen the potential of corporate giving in helping the government during times of crisis and even in providing assistance for economic growth. The government then made decisive steps to harness this potential. Wilkinson et al. , described the rationale, â€Å"1n 1935, during the height of the Great Depression, corporate giving to private charity was welcomed as a means to reduce the taxation that would otherwise be required by local communities shouldering the burden of caring for unemployables† (2006, section 1-4). Thus, in a way the spirit of giving was regulated and before while the gift was given freely without any prodding, now those who gave are rewarded with incentives such as the â€Å"tax deductible contributions† that many are familiar today. Social Responsibility In times of crisis it is understandable why the help of businesses are required to help prevent an economic collapse or a major breakdown in the social system of this country but what about in the times of peace and less turbulent times; where can corporate philanthropy come in? Louis Boone, writing about the realities of 21st century businesses asserted that corporate success is not only about dollars and cents but by abiding with an unwritten code of corporate ethics which includes contributing to increase the well being of society (2006, p. 51). The author adds that philanthropy is one of the ways which a corporation fulfills its social responsibilities (Boone, p. 51). Impact of Generosity Robin Pogrebin in his New York Times article illustrated the ability of for-profit organizations to help create awareness for the arts, â€Å"The Brooklyn Academy of Music recently closed a $200,000 deal with Visa’s signature card to sponsor its coming production of the dance-theater piece ‘Edward Scissorhands’†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (2007, par. 21). In the same article Pogrebin clarifies the significance of such donations to places like museums and cultural groups. In a succinct way he was able to show that dance and theater groups could never compete with NASCAR or the NBA for example in terms of reach which makes Visa’s contribution more meaningful. Another good example would be the philanthropic activity of Krispy Kreme that allow them to donate to Foster Friends – a charity that works with foster children with special needs. According to one of their executives, â€Å"We want our company to establish deep roots in the community† (Boone, p. 152). Sometimes one can only appreciate things when it is already gone. This is what happened to a historical site in Sussex County, New Jersey when funds dried up and the foundation managing the 19th century site that featured a 19th century town and a Lenape Indian Village (Hughes, 2007, par. 1-5). In the same way the benefits of corporate philanthropy can only be appreciated when the donations have stopped. In the case of Sussex County school children would be denied the education and joy derived from visiting historic sites such as this one. Bottomline Not all agree to the positive impact of corporate giving. When receiving gifts from corporate sponsors one could almost feel the strings attached the moment free money is being handed out. A realistic view of the world should automatically alert beneficiaries of donations to the fact that something must be given in return. But it must also be understood that corporations does not necessarily demand for the soul of the fundraiser and is only interested with a partnership that would work both ways. There is no need to be paranoid and say, â€Å"†¦if companies have a say in some decisions, might they eventually demand it in others? † (Pogrebin, par. 12). Ms. Perkins, a fund raising consultant asserts that corporations are less interested in â€Å"dictating programming than in exploiting it† (as cited in Pogrebin, par. 13). This makes a lot of sense since no CEO or corporate staff for that matter will have the time and energy to spare in tinkering with something they have no proficiency in like say tap dancing. Mr. Will Maitland Weiss, executive director of the Arts and Business Council of New York agrees with this assessment and he said, â€Å"The challenge isn’t that evil Mr. Businessman is trying to trick you into doing something you don’t want to do. The challenge for an arts group is to go into a meeting thinking strategically: We want to reach this audience, you want to reach this market, and we’ll both win† (as cited in Pogrebin, par 14). An example of the dynamics described by Weiss can be seen in the partnership between Time Warner and City Center’s Fall for Dance program which the media giant has sponsored for the past three years. The mutual relationship produced exposure for Time Warner and the six figure gift from the conglomerate was translated into 160, 000 festivals brochures, 400 subway posters and 5,500 bus advertisements (Pogrebin, par. ). If the cultural center tried to carry all the promotional and operational expense all by itself there is no way the production could have taken off the ground. Conclusion In the final analysis there is no significant objection to the idea that for-profit organizations should indeed participate and engage themselves in charitable causes and other philanthropic activities. The reasons for supporting such an activity are numerous. It starts with the fact that these organizations are earning millions of dollars. It is just proper for them to give back to the community or to the people that patronized their product, service or whatever it may be they are selling. The second major reason is the positive impact of giving, which has resulted in helping others reach their full potential. In the examples given previously one can see the numerous social problems that were solved because of corporate giving. There is even a deeper reason for the need to give. As pointed out by Boone, a lot of businessmen believe that it is ethical to give back to the community. And that many CEOs and entrepreneurs view themselves as failures if they only focus on the dollars and cents instead of making their world a better place. Third reason for an affirmative answer to the query on corporate giving is its ability to jumpstart projects that may not be as important as feeding the poor but is equally significant in feeding the soul. Examples were given of arts and culture groups that could not compete with sports and would have no chance of staging production without the aid of corporate sponsors. The objection to corporate philanthropy is baseless and could not hold water when stacked up against the benefits of generosity. Obviously, foundations and charitable institutions are never at a loss for programs and activities that will efficiently spend money given by for-profit organizations. Moreover, the examples given earlier has proven that corporate giving has evolved into a highly sophisticated system of partnership between donor and beneficiary that illustrates the paradox of making profit while giving away money. This is only possible in the world of corporate giving.

The Roles of a Citizen in a Democracy Essay Example for Free

The Roles of a Citizen in a Democracy Essay A Democracy is a type of government that is for the people to choose their leaders and to hold their leaders accountable for their policies and their conduct in office. The people are the ones who decide what they want and who they want to represent them, usually by a majority vote. But who exactly are these people? We refer to them as citizens of where ever they are from. We are citizens of the United States of America and we also live in a democracy. As citizens in a democracy we have many rights but also many duties that we have to fulfill such as to actively participate, to use nonviolent pressure to speak our opinions to the government and to follow laws but, to not follow unjust laws. One of the only ways a democracy can work is to have active participation from all the citizens. A reason this is especially important is when we are voting for a governor or president or even just a city mayor. If some people decide that they dont want to vote, then maybe next time some more people will decide not to vote and then next time even more people are not voting, soon enough there are only a few people holding all the votes. This is not what democracy is about. In a democracy, all the citizens are supposed to have a say in everything. When only a few people are voting and only a few people are getting there opinions across then its only a matter of time before they are the ones holding all the power and the citizens who did not say anything before will have no choice. This is why there needs to be active participation from all the citizens in a democracy. If a democracies officials are beginning to stray then it time for the citizens to use their nonviolent protests and actions. Nonviolent actions are simply ways to get your point across with out causing any harm. The Government is much bigger and more powerful than the citizens and if we tried to fight using gun power and other physical means then we would eventually get crushed by the overwhelming forces of the government. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said I must say to you that we have not made a single gain in civil rights without determined legal an d nonviolent pressure(letter from a Birmingham Jail, 1963). He was very true in a sense that nonviolent actions are what has peacefully brought us how far we are today. The government can sometimes become corrupt and it is our duty as a citizen to counter whatever the government is doing with our power of legal and nonviolent pressure. A citizen in a democracy must also follow the laws provided by their government but also they have to not follow the unjust laws. The government officials give laws in order to protect us from other people or even from ourselves. There may come a time however, that we will be handed a law that is very much unjust. How can we tell if a law is just or unjust? Martin Luther King, Jr., said Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust.(letter from a Birmingham Jail, 1963). When the government put out the segregation statutes, people were saying it was a unjust way to treat other humans. It makes the segregator feel superior and the segregated feel inferior. The citizens decided not to stand this treatment so they began using nonviolent protests and petitions and eventually won out. This example shows that in a democracy it is the citizens voice that must come out and they are really the ones that will make it work. In a democracy a citizen must use nonviolent actions to show their opinions, follow just laws, and actively participate in the government. A democracy is a great way to run a group of people but it will really only work. Although some people say that a democracy is not the way to go, I would have to disagree and say that a democracy can and will work. The citizens in a democracy are really the ones that make it work. Without the citizens doing their responsibilities and using there rights then it will quickly turn into a place where the government controls everything and then they ways of a democracy are lost.

The Stepford Wives Film Analysis

The Stepford Wives Film Analysis With the birth of Second Wave feminism in the 1960s women started to ask the questions of what their roles in life are. A generation of future housewives wondered that if they continued to keep doing the chores and giving their undivided attention to their husbands they would not be living a life they really wanted. The Stepford Wives (Forbes, 1975) addresses these concerns with a terrified and gloomy look at the perfect woman. The Stepford Wives (Forbes, 1975) portrays the feminine condition in a bourgeois, patriarchal society (Boruzkowski, 1987). In the film, liberated females who are equal to, if not more powerful than their husbands and hold on to their own sexuality are murdered and changed with supposedly superior copies who supposedly embody perfection. These robotic copies have the best figure, do chores, they are extremely maternal, and are willing to satisfy their husband sexually whenever he wants it. With women being forced into becoming domestic housewives being dominate d by men sexually, this essay will textually analyse the final ten minutes of the film in relation to these issues.   Sexuality and mans desires play an important part in the final ten minutes of The Stepford Wives (Forbes, 1975). The scene starts with the character of Joanna searching for her children in the Mens Association building. After having a conversation with the robotic wife creator Diz, in which he tries to persuade her that conforming to a male oppression is the right thing to do and she should embrace the male dominated is society, she then flees from him. The darkness does not allow the audience to clearly see her actions, but a room with a life-sized female replica is seen briefly. Finally she opens a door and is greeted by an exact replica of her bedroom, including Fred the dog she thought was dead. The existence of him can be read as a metaphor to what the men of Stepford want their wives to be like, mans best friend; to be well-trained, faithful, passive, and subservient, to want for nothing, and to always be there. The camera slowly pans to Joannas robotic double brushing her hair in a three-way mirror. As she turns we see that her eyes are completely black. This reiterates that this double is not a real person; she has no life in her eyes. When Joanna meets her replacement, we see her sitting at her dresser. As the robotic Joanna stands, we notice through her see-through clothes that she isnt an accurate representation of Joanna, but a new-fangled superior version. The double has clear skin, perfectly wavy hair, a fake smile and black robotic eyes. Joannas shock is revealed and soon the audience sees why; the camera reveals a shot the robot has perfect and significantly larger breasts, a narrower waist and fuller hips. The camera then pans back up to the human Joanna. Joanna stares in horror as the robot stands up with a pair of tights stretched tightly in her hands. The camera shows a close-up of a very satisfied Diz, distractingly petting Fred and watching the scene with genuine voyeuristic pleasure. The scene ends with a close-up of the tights stretched tightly between the robots hands and the see-through lingerie that reveals the perfect abdomen.  This scene clearly demonstrates to the audience that the robo tic females are not for any scientific method or anything other than to be used for the pleasure of men only. When Joanna is talking to Diz he explains this viewpoint; if the roles were reversed, wouldnt you like some perfect stud waiting on you around the house praising you, servicing you, whispering how your sagging flesh was beautiful no matter how you looked (Forbes, 1975). Desire is a main focal point for the scene between the real Joanna and the robotic Joanna created by Diz. Dizs creation falls into what MacKinnon would say is typical gender division and inequality. Male power takes the social form of what men as a gender want sexually, which centers on power itself, as socially defined woman is defined by what male desire requires for arousal and satisfaction (MacKinnon, 1991, p. 131). Diz creates what he believes to be the perfect woman, to meet his sexual desires and has marketed his product to all the men in Stepford. They believe the women have become too successful, powerful and independent , while the robots are the completely opposite to this, lacking ambition and are repressed and submissive . The fantasy that Diz creates is not meant to be woman but instead sexuality. When the robot is shown the focus is not on her mind or anything immediately beautiful, like the eyes or the smile, instead the focus is on her breasts and her stomach and her female body as a sexualized form. The object of desire is the artificial beauty man created. Artificial beauty is a theme that is recurrent throughout The Stepford Wives (Forbes, 1975), focusing on dolls or other subjects that relate to childhood innocence. The robotic domestic Joannas blatant sexuality reveals her submission to male desire. The camera emphasises the object of desire multiple times, lingering on the breasts, abdomen and full body. In the scene between the two Joannas, the liberated female must die in order for the domesticated female to exist. With womens liberation becoming more culturally excepted, the number of women who chose to stay at home was decreasing. Women were beginning to become less submissive to men. In the film this process had to be reversed so that in order for mans perfect creation to exist, the threat of womens liberation must die.   The final image in The Stepford Wives (Forbes, 1975) shows the robotic wives in their best dresses doing their shopping and talking to each other. The dress that the robotic women are wearing hides the sexuality she possesses. The women to be under complete control of the men need to be both sexual and in need of a man to be there. The robotic females have been programmed to please their husbands physically; they are vain and self-absorbed because of this. The robotic wife has become an à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ isolated, glamorous, on display, sexualized property (Mulvey, 1975, p. 9). She is weak, hopeless, and unable to protect herself. However as she has been reprogrammed it could be argued she no longer has a self to protect. The ideal housewife is an ardent consumer who buys endlessly new things for the home, and gains satisfaction from doing so (Frieden, 1963, p. 206). In The Stepford Wives (Forbes, 1975), women shop systematically and neatly, discuss and consume products with devouring interest and gratification. The robotic wives are almost at one with the supermarket, the woman are merchandise available for any man, just like the products available for purchase on the shelves in the aisles and in there trolleys. In this clip from The Stepford Wives (Forbes, 1975) we see men forcing their dominance by creating new and improved versions of their wives in the shell of a robot. The robot serves as mans ultimate fantasy, a beautiful and subservient wife with the perfect figure and a sex drive constantly set to on. The fantasy doll created in Joannas image kills her competitor in an act of sexuality. The ending to the film is very negative. Women have lost both the battle of the sexes and a battle for their lives. What were once very educated women are now obedient consumerist automatons (Inness, 2003, p. 38) who all think the same, and are nothing but sexual objects for their husbands.

Christian and Pagan Influence in Paradise Lost and Beowulf Essay

Christian and Pagan Influence in Paradise Lost and Beowulf  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   In Paradise Lost, Milton is adept at drawing from both Christian and pagan sources and integrating them in such a way that they reinforce one another (Abrams 1075). Of course it is a commonplace for critics to believe that Milton valued his Christian sources more highly than the pagan ones (Martindale 20); this is most likely due to the fact that he regarded the Christian sources as vessels of the truth. His classical allusions, on the other hand, served as references for things fallen or damned. Thus, as seen in the invocation to Book 7 ("Descend from heav’n Urania, by that name / If rightly thou art called" [7.1-2]) wherein Milton places his muse Urania, the Greek muse of astronomy, in Heaven and distinguishes her as Christian, Milton works to integrate the Christian and pagan throughout Paradise Lost. Although a detailed account of the reasoning behind his form is beyond the scope of this essay, because "a strict Classicist might resent the intrusion of the Bib lical models, [and] a strict ‘Puritan’ might equally resent the degradation of the Word of God to the status of a source of precedents for literary composition" (Lewis 5), perhaps Milton’s choice of form was a political as well as a stylistic one. On the other hand, the reason could be as simple as Milton himself states in the invocation to Book 1: "Things unattempted yet in prose or rhyme" (1.16). In this one line, Milton borrows directly from Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso, thus acknowledging the epic tradition, yet also challenging that very tradition by promising his readers greatness and originality (Abrams 1476). Paradise Lost, however, is not the first epic to integrate both Christian and tradi... ...ilik, J. T., ed. The Books of Enoch. Oxford: Claredon, 1976. Milton, John. Paradise Lost. Elledge 3-304. Mollenkott, Virginia R. "The Influence of the Apocrypha in Milton’s Thought and Art." Milton and the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Art of Sacred Song. Patrick and Sundell 23-43. Niles, John D. "Pagan Survivals and Popular Belief." The Cambridge Companion to Old English   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Literature. Ed. Malcolm Godden and Michael Lapidge. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1991. 126-41. Patrick, J. Max, and Roger H. Sundell, eds. Milton and the Art of Sacred Song. Madison: U of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Wisconsin P, 1979. Sandner, David. "The Uncanny in Beowulf." Exploration 40.2 (1999): 162-70. Shawcross, John T. "The Hero of Paradise Lost One More Time." Patrick and Sundell 137-47. Steadman, John M. Milton’s Biblical and Classical Imagery. Pittsburgh: Duquesne UP, 1984.      

Essay --

B00466902 Introduction to African History (AFST/HIST 283A) December 16th, 2013 1. (a) Africans and Europeans have relations that date all the way back to the origins of humans and human migrations. Scholars have hypothesized that Homo erectus found in Europe about 800,000 years ago originated and migrated from Africa Europeans and Africans also had religious relations; which is evident from the spread of Christianity, introduced by the Byzantines, throughout Africa specifically in North Africa, the Nile Valley, and the Horn of Africa. Aside from religious relations, Africans and Europeans also had economic and political relations as a result of European colonization and conquest of the African regions. Economic relations were a result of Europeans coming into Africa and taking natural resources to benefit from in the production of goods and trade. Another specific example of economic relations between Europeans and Africans is the practice of mercantilism, in which European nations were the mother countries and countries of Africa were the colonies. As the moth er country, Europeans, would take natural resources from the colony, African regions, to produce goods, which would then be sold back to the colony. This also attributed to the political relations between Africans and Europeans because the economic desires of the Europeans often led to them controlling the Africans to maximize profit and their own personal benefits; which is directly related to slavery, one of the biggest relations between Africans and Europeans. Slavery and the slave trade in turn created social relations because slaves were considered to be a class of their own. Another social relation that resulted from slavery was the creation a â€Å"new race† known as the... ...ural resources. Post independence Africans although not ruled by Europeans nations such as Britain, France, and the Dutch were still dependent on these nations for goods and other trading purposes. Culturally, post independence Africans and precolonial Africans were different because post independence Africans were greatly influenced by the mother countries that ruled them because their mother countries cultures were inflicted on them whether it was language, food, religion, or even clothing. Precolonial Africans and post independence Africans also differed politically in the aspect that precolonial African governments were more tribe like, while post independence Africans governments had western influence and some cases lead to dictatorships as seen in Liberia dictated by Samuel Doe, Zaire dictated by Mobutu Sese Seko, and Somalia dictated by Muhammad Siad Barre.

History of Private Security

History of Private Security Cortez Jefferies Introduction to Security: Operations and Management Gayle Fisher-Stewart University Of Maryland University College 23 October 2011 Private security industry in the United States can be traced as far back as the mid nineteenth century, where they were primarily used to help fill the gaps created by public police forces in major cities that were just forming. Over the years the role of private security has changed, from its simplest form of protecting people, property, and information to a more complex form, of individuals and businesses that provide, for a fee, services to clientele to protect their persons, their private property, or their interests from various hazards. Early in its existence training for private security was non-existent or inadequate at best, over the years training has evolved and with that evolution came strict standards and guidelines. Unlike in Europe, where public law enforcement emerged out of private security, in the United States private security emerged out of public law enforcement. Europeans brought many of the methods they used to protect people and property with them when they immigrated to the United States in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. The positions of constable, watchman, and sheriff were borrowed from the English and were used to establish the first system of public law enforcement in the United States. As rapid growth occurred in the West throughout the early 1800s, it became clear that constables and watchmen weren't going to be able to provide the expansive services necessary to protect people and their property (Stone, 2002). It wasn't until the late 1700s that municipal police agencies were implemented in major American cities. Established in 1844, the New York City police department provided twenty- four-hour police protection to its citizens. Thirty years later, most large cities had a similar system of public law enforcement; yet this system was not enough to keep pace with the rapidly growing American society (Stone, 2002). One of the first private security agencies to come into existence was Pinkerton's North West Police Agency in 1855. The agency offered private watchmen services for rail yards and industrial complexes. In 1859, Perry Brink started Brink's Inc. as a freight and package delivery service. A few decades later, Brinks Inc. evolved into the country's first armored car and courier service. By the early 1900s, numerous former federal agents and detectives had opened up their own private security companies to include the first burglar alarm service (Maine, 2011). Between 1929 and 1939, private security employment declined as a result of the Great Depression but rebounded between 1940 and 1945, due to the need to protect the United States infrastructure and military and industrial facilities during World War II, the use of private security increased. After World War II, private security once again began to grow, due to many returning veterans, with military police experience selecting police work and private security as occupations (Ortmeier, 2009). In 1955, a group of security professionals formed the American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS). Today, ASIS International’s membership exceeds 37,000, making it the preeminent organization for security professionals (American Society for Industrial Security [ASIS], 2011). Private security is a fast-growing industry. The Department of Labor predicts a healthy double-digit growth rate through 2016. Statistics on the number of individuals involved in this market are difficult to ascertain because of an extremely high turnover rate and because the term â€Å"security worker† admits of different interpretations. However, there are some credible approximations (Maine, 2011). The U. S. Department of Labor estimated the number of private security workers in 2007 at slightly over one million-about twice the number of police officers in the United States. Private security agencies themselves are often quite large. The largest security firm operating in the United states is Securitas, whose employees number more than 125,000 worldwide and whose revenues exceeded $7 billion in 2002. Human-Rights First estimate that there are almost 180,000 security workers in Iraq alone (Maine, 2011). The median wage for security workers in the United states is $10. 85 per hour ($22,570 per year), this might account in part for the high turnover rate. Salary seems to be proportional to risk. Blackwater security employees are alleged to have earned close to $1000 per day to guard U. S ambassador to Iraq Paul Bremer (Maine, 2011). Although training for the private security sector has come a long way over the years. Many of the personnel working as private security agents and guards are inadequately screened, trained, and supervised to ensure effective police work. Due to these reasons, there has been a big push for improvements in the quality of private security training. Private security organizations are being encouraged to pursue accreditations for the company as well as its employees. Private security organizations are being required to carry general liability insurance or that security personnel be bonded following a minimum level of training and certification, with the amount of training and size of bonding dependent on the degree of risk associated with the nature of the job (Forst, 2002) . Virginia Security officers are required to be licensed by DCJS (Department of Criminal Justice Services). To be licensed as an unarmed security officer one must go through 18 hours of classroom training from a licensed instructor in order to obtain this card and it must be done by the end of their 90 days after hire with a Security company. Every two years the card must be renewed, by completing an in-service with a licensed instructor. To be licensed as an armed security officer one must complete an additional 16 hours of firearms training, 6 hours of training n conducting a lawful arrest, and qualification with the type and caliber of weapon they intend to carry. Firearms endorsements must be renewed annually by completing an in-service and passing a firearms qualification. Licensed armed security officers are authorized under state code to arrest for any offense committed in their presence while they are on duty at the location they are hired to protect. They may also be granted t he authority by the chief law enforcement officer in their jurisdiction to issue summons to appear in court for felonies and misdemeanors. As the security field diversified in the 1980s and became more responsive to the needs of business, a management model quickly began to dominate how security was perceived and what its functions would be. Security practitioners and innovative business managers began to view the functions of security as an essential component of business. As a result, security departments were incorporated into the organizational culture of many companies, and security managers were hired to oversee the security department and work collaboratively with other department managers. Security managers began to be perceived as professionals in their field, and this helped to enhance the image of security personnel, giving them greater credibility with their colleagues and the public (Stone, 2002). Given this long and varied history, it is not surprising that private security continues to undergo significant changes in its form and function. Still, agreement among academicians and practitioners about what its form and function should be remains elusive. References Stone, Mischelle Taylor. (2002). Private Security. Encyclopedia of Crime and Punishment. Retrieved October 23, 2011, from http://sage-ereference. com. ezproxy. umuc. edu/view/crimepunishment/n327 Forst, Brian. (2002). Police Privatization. Encyclopedia of Crime and Punishment. Retrieved October 23, 2011, from http://sage-ereference. com. ezproxy. umuc. edu/view/crimepunishment/n307 Ortmeier, P. J. (2011). Introduction to Security: Operations and Management (3rd ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Maine, E. W. (2011, March 6). Private Security Industry. American Business Organization. Retrieved from http://maerican-business. org/

Renzo Piano †Favourite Artist Essay

Renzo Piano is a famous architect renowned for his unique approach to design and his philosophy. He was born into a family of builders and he continued on the tradition of â€Å"making things† as he puts it, by designing some award winning & famous buildings, including the Georges Pompidou Centre in Paris, France, the San Nicola Stadium in Bari, Italy, the Kansai International Airport, Osaka, Japan and the Jean Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre in Noumea, New Caledonia. Renzo’s work is highly regarded as art. Each building is innovative, well detailed and each designed with a unique approach. Renzo views light as a â€Å"building material† and this is obvious throughout all of his projects. Born in 1937 in Genoa, Italy, Renzo studied at the University of Florence and the Milan Polytechnic. Following his graduation from architecture school in 1964, he worked in his father’s construction company where he got the chance to design, under the guidance of Franco Albini. Renzo formed his own practice in 1965 before joining Richard Rogers in 1971. It was his last collaboration with Richard Rogers on the controversial Georges Pompidou Centre, in 1977 that initially brought him fame. In 1978 Renzo began a long period of collaboration with Irish engineer Peter Rice, which would produce many fine buildings. Renzo then created the Renzo Piano Building Workshop in 1981, with studios in Genoa and Paris. He received the RIBA Gold Medal in 1989 and the prestigious Pritzker Prize in 1998. Inspirations Renzo lists the Renaissance architect, Filippo Brunelleschi among his many inspirations. Brunelleschi, who is famous for inventions including heavy lifting mechanisms based on the inner workings of a clock and linear perspective, was a true innovator and experimenter. In addition to his 15th century idol, Renzo pays homage to Jean Prouvà ©Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ of France with whom he formed a friendship while working in collaboration with Louis Kahn in Philadelphia and Z. S. Makowsky in London. Louis Kahn was regarded as a philosopher among architects, he didn’t have many projects (only 25 or so) but he has inspired hundreds. His work infused the â€Å"International Style†. Two other important influences he acknowledges were Buckminster Fuller and Pier Luigi Nervi. Family Renzo was born into a family of builders. His grandfather, his father, four uncles and a brother were all contractors, and he admits, he should have been one too. He was seventeen when he approached his father with the idea of going to architecture school. â€Å"Why do you want to be just an architect? You can be a builder,† was his father’s response which has never been forgotten. Renzo states that as the main reason for naming his architecture studio the Renzo Piano Building Workshop, rather than Piano Architects & Associates. While still studying in Milan, Renzo married a girl he had known from school days in Genoa, Magda Arduino. They have three children, two of which have carried on the Piano family tradition, with their son Matteo becoming an industrial designer and their daughter Lia an architect. Renzo & Magda separated during construction of the Georges Pompidou Centre as Magda preferred to be in Genoa, but Renzo was required in Paris. Renzo met Emilia Rossato when she came to work for him. They were married in 1992 by Jacques Chirac, then the Mayor of Paris who supported the construction of the Georges Pompidou Centre through the many crises. Renzo’s first important commission was in 1969 to design the Italian Industry Pavilion at Expo ‘70 in Osaka. His late brother, Ermanno, built and installed the pavilion and a number of other projects before his premature death in 1993. Georges Pompidou Centre, completed 1977. Renzo Piano’s association with Richard Rogers led to many interesting buildings, but it is the Georges Pompidou Centre, in Paris which brought them fame. One of his original ideas for the Centre had been to build a giant inverted pyramid but his clear belief in functionality and logic led him and Rogers to opt for the clarity of the giant rectangle of a city block. Initially, all of the functional structural elements of the building were colour-coded: green pipes for plumbing, blue ducts are for climate control, electrical wires are encased in yellow, and circulation elements are red. Although in recent renovations, this colour coding has been partially removed, and many of the elements are simply painted white. During the planning and construction stages of the project the Pompidou was very controversial, with various court cases and public protests holding up completion, but it has since become exactly what Piano and Rogers wanted it to be, â€Å"a joyful urban machine.† Despite often being described as â€Å"High Tech† Renzo gets very annoyed if the Pompidou Centre is described as such. Instead he prefers it described as â€Å"a double provocation: a challenge to academicism, but also a parody of the technological imagery of our time†. The building itself created over a hundred thousand square meters in the heart of Paris, devoted to the figurative arts, music, industrial design, and literature. In the three decades since it opened, over a 200 million people have visited it, averaging more than 25,000 people per day which shows its overwhelming success. San Nicola Stadium completed 1989. Renzo Piano and Peter Rice collaborated on the design of the San Nicola Stadium in Bari, Italy which was built for the World Cup, Italia ‘90. The stadium was built of one basic material, concrete. The shape of the stands and the beams clearly reveals the modularity of the structure. The entire ellipse of the stadium is made up of 26 â€Å"petals†, each assembled out of 310 crescent shaped elements, which were prefabricated on site. Each petal is supported by just four pillars. Although these supports are fairly massive, the well thought out design makes the petals appear to rise above the banked ground as if they are floating. The gaps between the petals let the light and colour of the landscape into the stadium. Usually, concave structures tend to induce claustrophobia however the transparency achieved with the vertical cuts reduces this effect, and contributes to a more relaxed enjoyment of the sport. Renzo Piano Building Workshop, Genoa The Renzo Piano Building Workshop was built in 1989 on the coast west of Genoa. Perched on the rocks and surrounded by the sea and mountains, Renzo describes this creation as â€Å"half rock, half ship†. In fact, the place is called Punta Nave, meaning Ship Rock. Renzo believes â€Å"Creating something is difficult enough, but putting yourself in the right state to create something is even more difficult† and says of this studio, â€Å"here I find calm, silence and concentration†. Overlooking the Mediterranean and surrounded by beautiful scenery, the setting provides an â€Å"inspiring ambience†. Renzo and his brother Ermanno’s firm collaborated with UNESCO to build a plant research station and workshop on the same site. UNESCO scientists are now growing and studying bamboo, agave and cane in the building and the surrounding lands. Kansai International Airport, completed 1990. Before entering the competition for the Kansai Airport, Renzo, wished to visit the site, as is normal procedure. In this case it involved a boat trip which led to a moment of embarrassment, as at a certain point on the open sea, one of Renzo’s party asked where the airport was to be, only to be told, â€Å"Here.† Since Osaka had no room for an airport, the local authorities decided to build an artificial island for it in the bay. Not a small island either, on completion it would be 15 square kilometres. Renzo describes the structure as â€Å"a missing link between ground and airplane† as it â€Å"spreads over the island like a glider†. At 1.7 kilometres long, it’s one of the world’s largest buildings and as the terminal caters one hundred thousand passengers per day, it’s also one of the busiest. A testament to Renzo’s quest for technological and site sensitive design considerations is that during the Kobe earthquake of 1995, there was not a single pane of broken glass at Kansai, despite being exactly the same distance from the epicentre as Kobe, which suffered severe damage. Jean Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre in Noumea The Renzo Piano Building Workshop won an international competition in 1991 to design the Tjibaou Cultural Centre in Noumea, a Pacific island territory in New Caledonia. The French government built this centre which is named after the late Jean Marie Tjibaou, to record and exhibit the culture of the Kanak people. Renzo’s concept is a genuine village composed on ten structures of different sizes and functions, the largest being as tall as a nine story building. The ten structures of the centre are organized into three villages: one is devoted to exhibitions; another is for administrative staff & historians; the third is for creative activities such as dance, painting, sculpture and music. The buildings are, as Piano puts it, â€Å"an expression of the harmonious relationship with the environment, that is typical of the local culture. They are curved structures resembling huts, built out of wooden joists and ribs; they are containers of an archaic appearance, whose interiors are equipped with all the possibilities offered by modern technology†. As Colin Amery (Special Advisor to the World Monuments Fund) put it, â€Å"there was a real danger that a western architect could have presented a scheme that was a kitsch rendering of traditional styles, but Renzo and his colleagues were more than aware of this possible pitfall and it is a tribute to their approach that their design appears indigenous while being contemporary†. Renzo won the competition because he did not arrive in the islands imposing his designs and ideas on the community. He listened to the client’s requirements, traditions and ideas in order to create a personalised design that is sensitive to the delicate and beautiful setting. Renzo states â€Å"There is always the temptation to impose one’s own design, one’s own way of thinking or, even worse, one’s own style. I believe, instead, that a light approach is needed. Light, but without abandoning the stubbornness that enables you to put forward your own ideas whilst being permeable to the ideas of others†. Conclusion Renzo Piano’s architecture has been described as a â€Å"rare melding of art, architecture, and engineering in a truly remarkable synthesis† and he has been compared to Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo for his innovation. While his designs incorporate the most current technology, his roots are clearly in the classic Italian philosophy and tradition. He is also intensely concerned with issues of habitability and sustainable architecture in a constantly changing world. Renzo’s designs are the result of analysis and research and are the best, practical answers to specific problems. As Colin Amery said, â€Å"there is a sense in all his works of a problem solved† and â€Å"He may try an experiment to solve the problem but he will not build anything that is not an intelligent solution†. What is Architecture? This is a topic on which Renzo encourages open discussion. In his words he describes architecture as â€Å"a service, in the most literal sense of the term. It is an art that produces things that serve a purpose. But it is also a socially dangerous art, because it is an imposed art. You can put down a bad book; you can avoid listening to bad music; but you cannot miss the ugly tower block opposite your house. And architecture is an ancient profession; perhaps the world’s oldest, a little like hunting, fishing, farming, exploring the seas. These are man’s original activities from which all others stem. Immediately after the search for food, we find the search for shelter; at a certain point, man was no longer content with the refuges offered by nature and became an architect†. In my opinion, Renzo Piano has more to offer than beautiful, purposeful buildings. I believe that his philosophies can be applied to all design disciplines. My interpretations of Renzo’s beliefs are: Embrace technology, but respect the theories, practices and traditions of the past. Good design is a union of technology and art. Listen to the client’s requirements rather than imposing your own ideas. You’re designs should be practical, innovative and effective. Pay attention to detail, for it’s the finest details that have the longest lasting effect. Don’t stick to one style; treat every project as a new adventure. If you don’t, you risk becoming bored and will gradually loose inspiration. Experiment with materials and processes in order to gain an understanding of what is possible, rather than abiding by the limits imposed by what you already know, or think you know.

Utilitarianism and Happiness

The philosophical theory that I choose to do is called â€Å"utilitarianism†. In a brief sentence, utilitarianism means the greatest good for the greatest number of people. Basically what this means is, doing the right thing is based on how many people your action benefits rather than how much it benefits you. According to the Oxford American Dictionary utility means â€Å"the state of being useful, profitable, or beneficial†(oxford dictionary,2013). The whole theory is all about how much it benefits and how useful or profitable an action or an idea is. For example: if killing one criminal brings forth happiness to a hundred people, then killing that one criminal is not a bad idea. Simply because it makes one hundred people happy. According to utilitarian’s the ultimate goal or the most important part of life is to seek happiness. But the happiness that you seek must not only benefit you, but it has to benefit a large sum of the people. This is called the â€Å"greatest happiness principle†(Wikipedia, Feb, 11,2013). Now this is the main idea of utilitarianism, but it does branch out in the different direction due to many philosophers that thought of this theory. Utilitarianism is not discovered by just one person, it’s made up of many ideas from many different philosophers. Although many people believe that utilitarianism started with Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill, there were philosophers that came up with similar ideas as utilitarianism. Before we talk about the authors of this theory, we must really understand the history of utilitarianism and how it came to be. Way back in history when humans invented writing in the Sumerian Civilization of the Old Babylon, the ancient Mesopotamian people wrote a poem/story called the â€Å"Epic of Gilgamesh† about a friendship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu. In this story there’s a character by the name of Siduri that tells Gilgamesh â€Å"Fill your belly. Day and night make merry. Let days be full of joy. Dance and make music day and night†(Wikipedia, Feb, 3, 2013). This quote dates back to the very first advocacy of hedonistic philosophy in the human civilization. It is believed to be written during 2500 – 2000 B. C. A little forward in time and we come to meet Aristippus of Cyrene (435 – 356 BC). Aristippus is a student of one of the greatest philosophers to ever oam the planet, the father of philosophy, Socrates. Though Aristippus didn’t follow in the footsteps of his teacher, he had his own ideas and own theories of philosophy, one of them being hedonism. Aristippus idea of hedonism is that all people have the right to do anything to achieve the greatest amount of pleasure. For example: if drinking and doing drugs bring you the greatest amount of pleasure and happiness, then there is nothing wrong in doing so. You may be asking yourself, why I am telling you about the history of hedonism. So let me explain, in the 18th – 19th century. The British philosopher’s by the name of Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill came up with the theory of utilitarianism by taking hedonism of Aristippus and adding the â€Å"greatest happiness principle† (Kerby Anderson, 2012). The hedonistic theory of doing anything to achieve the greatest amount of pleasure turned into doing anything to achieve the â€Å"greatest good for the greatest number of people† which is now called utilitarianism, this philosophical theory is basically an innovation of hedonism. Though many philosophers had part in its discovery, Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill brought utilitarianism to its true glory, if they didn’t explain their philosophy in the way they did. Perhaps I wouldn’t be writing this essay right now. So the ones to be credited for utilitarianism is Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill. But its not to say that this theory doesn’t have its advantages and disadvantages. Like all things in life, there are benefits and there are hindrances. The Advantage of utilitarianism is simply the happiness that you gain from doing something, whether the happiness is for you or someone you care about. In the end, someone is happy. If you’re in confusion on a certain decision and don’t know what to do, you can simply apply the greatest happiness theory and make your decision based on that. That way, you don’t seem selfish only thinking about your happiness and people will respect that choice and someday repay your kindness by sacrificing their happiness for yours. By sacrificing your happiness for someone else already makes you good human being. Its fits to show that our actions have consequences. If someone cares only about his/her actions alone, he/she wouldn’t have many friends ue to the lack to affection and concerns that he/she shows towards others. Another important advantage of utilitarianism is when you’re faced with a challenging and difficult task; it gives you the methodology of choosing the right path, the one that will benefit the most people. Instead of questioning how beneficial it will be for you. You begin to value other peopleâ⠂¬â„¢s happiness over your own. Therefore giving you the best possible option. Though it is good to put other before you, utilitarianism has its disadvantages as well. This particular philosophical theory has many disadvantages, but the one that matters to me is. Utilitarian’s only care about happiness, whatever brings the greatest amount of people the greatest amount of happiness. Sure, happiness is good, but what about people who don’t get that happiness. For example: out of 50 people, 35 of them get happiness. What happens to the other 15 people? Are we to just ignore how they feel? They are humans too, they have feelings as well. We can’t abandon them just because the other 35 people are happy. Secondly, if we care about others more than we care about ourselves. How can we possibly be able to live with ourselves? We can’t always be looking out for other people. We have to take care of ourselves as well. In the end, it’s our life. We have to look out for ourselves and make the decisions based on how well our life is going to be. There’s a saying in the famous movie pirate of the Caribbean â€Å"Even a good decision if made for the wrong reasons can be a wrong decision†(Jonathan Pryce, 2003) So, I strongly believe that when it comes to making life changing decisions, we must always put ourselves before others.

Development of a PSYOPS Plan

Human beings are social beings and are involved in a lot of activities to either sustain them or perform them for their own interests and image. Some of these activities need a lot preparation for them to be accomplished without a hitch. Preparation of future activities may involve equipment, psychological and all other resources that may be vital in the successful accomplishment of the planned activities. The most important is the mind set of each and every person who is present in the activity which is usually called the psychological operations plan (PYSOPS).This plan has been widely utilized by the armed forces and religious groups to influence a group of people’s way of reasoning or their emotions. This plan is also utilized by intelligence groups and the main objective of the plan is to induce immediate response to the target group. This may also involve conveying information that has psychological effect to the community. The main objective of this plan is to create con ditions for the well being of the human body by reducing stress and hardening or teaching people on how to cope with certain situations.Community survey in development of PYSOPS planFor the purpose of reducing insecurity in a society there is need to establish community based organizations or programs with the aim of protecting the individuals within that society. As a result, highly specialized security personnel protect the society from crimes by obtaining information on the possible criminal activities in the future there by enhancing security in the society. Private security personnel are the ones with the responsibility of collecting all the necessary information to protect the community from future criminal activities.Private security is increasingly becoming popular in many societies because it has enhanced reduction in criminal activities. Private policing is advantageous over public policing in that the former is not influenced by constitution principles thus independent. T here are limitations to the PYSOPS plan which has limited the delivery of the PYSOPS mission and objectives for instance there is a limitation of the funds required to pass information to a large mass of people.This is because the PYSOPS plan projects are greatly underfunded thus unable to afford the funds needed for advertisements thus unable to reach many people. Lack of sufficient funds means that the PYSOPS is unable to provide the relevant information and there fore the organization is unable to protect the community from future criminal activities since the private security will not have enough personnel to cope up with the crime rates.PYSOPS is lack modern equipments and therefore will be unable to meet the objectives that ought to be accomplished. This is because of the fact that there is under funding of psychological operation plan. There are also cases of equipment failures because the PYSOPS personnel is not adequately trained on the equipments that they should utilize a nd therefore unable to operate these equipments effectively.This factor is attributed by the fact that the personnel to be recruited to PYSOPS barely cover half of the course they are supposed to cover and therefore naà ¯ve in the way they should operate. The plan is therefore unable to pass the influential information to the target groups. PYSOPS management is poorly planned as the executives are less trained and therefore translates to their inability to strategically plan on how to meet the demands of the community and the nation at large.Planning is a vital aspect in all organizations and there fore poor planning will mean that even the laid down missions are poorly planned and there is no way poorly planned projects will prosper or be accomplished.ConclusionP YSOPS is a plan that requires a lot of attention from the government and should be funded accordingly with the necessary equipments. The personnel working in these plans should be adequately trained to ensure that they co me up with viable planning strategies to ensure that the demands of the community are accomplished effectively.

90s vs. 2000s

Both decades are different in that the 1990’s had less technology, kids were well behaved and it was a more peaceful time; the 2000’s now have all kinds of technology, everyone has to have the newest phone or computer, a lot of kids are brats who want the newest video games and there’s a lot of security at places like airports because of so many terrorist attacks. The technology difference from both decades is huge, because all there was back then was vhs, cassette, and standard cable with 50 channels or so, a couple different types of cellular phones, dial up computers and so on. With technology today, everyone has a cell phone, most people have some type of computer or lap top, there are blu ray and DVD players, either cable or satellite television with high definition, smart phones with touch screens, high speed broadband, and cars that can tell someone when there veering onto a side lane. Next is a big difference which is how different children act whether it is to adults, each other, or in public. In the 1990’s most kids had parents who were physically able to play with them; kids were creative and found so many different games or activities to do’ they were respectful to whomever they came into contact with because they were raised well. Now when looking at most children they either are crying in public with their parents screaming at them, playing on their parents’ phone or tablet, prefer to stay in the house to play video games online, and most parents don’t play with their kids anymore because they are either too hung up on their laptop or too tired from being fat. Finally going back to the 90’s everyone felt safer or not worried about some kind of terrorist attack like people do now. Back then airports didn’t need so much security; people didn’t have to worry about a crazy person shoot up a movie theatre or mall. Now on weekends certain malls require teens under age 18 to be accompanied by an adult over the age of 21 because of gang violence over the years. These decades differences are very different, but are only a few contrasts between the two decades. The music and social era between these two decades is another difference. In the 90’s was an era that was mainly dominated by rock and booming hip hop music industry. This music was brought on to people with baggy or tight fitted clothing. People would walk around with their cassette players jamming out to their new favorite artist. Now in the 2000’s people mainly listen to their iPods or phones because it’s easiest to acquire music that way via wireless connection from the Internet. They also listen to rap or pop because everyone is about what’s mainstream and popular. People like to wear tighter and shorter fitting clothing now because that’s also what the popular fashion is. People in the 90’s communicated through telephone or just drove or walked to each other’s house to talk or do something. Now people rely on texting each other to find out where they are located and what they want to do rather than going to each other’s house, or calling because it’s not the same type of communication; a lot has changed. Technology and music has definitely made a huge impact on how people socialize and act. Overall I think the 90’s was a great era filled with a lot of memories and seeing a lot of changes happens. It was great being able to also grow up into the 2000’s because that was when technology really started to grow and so much was happening with the world. The advantages and disadvantages of growing up in each era are very different mainly because of all the changes, but a lot of them were good and some were bad. References The 1990’s. (2013). History of the 90’s. Retrieved from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/1990s The 2000’s. (2012). Americas best history – U. S. Timeline 2000’s. Retrieved from http://americasbesthistory. com/abhtimeline2000. html

Nursing - Special Care of the Newborn Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Nursing - Special Care of the Newborn - Essay Example I have one other midwife working with me in the SCN. The workload was not much. It was 11 pm, and there were 8 infants under our care. There was a call from the Delivery Suite about a patient, Suzy who presented to the Labour and Delivery accompanied by her husband John. They wanted SCN midwife to attend the delivery. I enquired about the history. The Delivery Suite personnel told me that Suzy is a primigravida at 33 weeks of gestation. This was an unexpected presentation to the Labor and Delivery for her. There was onset of established labour pain. On examination, it was found that labour has progressed already to the extent that the cervix was fully dilated, and Suzy would birth soon. After talking to John, her husband, Suzy was admitted, and the birthing would occur soon. Since this was a preterm delivery, there is a high chance that the baby would be low birth weight, premature, and would have every chance of many catastrophic events during delivery putting the baby at risk. Ther efore, the Delivery Suite wanted SCN presence there for immediate resuscitation of the baby post delivery and assessment and arrangements for admission to the SCN. This was a very rational approach on the part of the Delivery Suite personnel to contact Special Care Nursery on the verge of this preterm delivery. Newborn period encompasses the first four weeks of extrauterine life, but it is an important link in the chain of events of transition of the fetus to adulthood. The morbidity and mortality rates in the newborn infants are high, and most occur during the newborn period. Any neonate born before 37th weeks of pregnancy irrespective of birth weight is termed as preterm. Since the fetus had not had enough time to grow appropriately within the uterus, the birth weight of the baby will be low. Along with that, a preterm baby will be small in size. There

Argumentative research paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Argumentative research paper - Essay Example Another negative effect of cyberbullying is that it causes emotional damage to the victims, pushing many of them to commit suicide. The suicide rates among teenagers alone as a result of cyberbullying has increased drastically over the years. This shows how cyberbullying crimes are not confined to the virtual world, but can spread out to reality. Finally, one of the major problems with cyberbullying is that the bullies do not recognize that cyberbullying is wrong, unaware of the seriousness due to a lack of face-to-face interaction. Since people do not recognize the dangers of cyberbullying, many people have become bullies simply because they know they won’t get caught. However, some people believe that cyberworld is just virtual reality, and that cyberbullying does not affect reality. This attitude makes it difficult to put an end to cyberbullying, which can bring crime to the real world. As such, cyberbullying should be treated seriously and be punishable by law. One of the most common forms of cyberbullying is an invasion of privacy, which is more commonly known as identity theft. When bullies on the Internet obtain the social security and credit card numbers of their victims, they use this information to purchase expensive items that the bullies get to enjoy but the victims have to pay for (Stickley 147). As a result of identity theft, the victims not only lose money, but their credit is damaged, making it hard for the victim to make purchases for themselves in the future. Since identity theft is a tough crime to solve, many of the bullies get away with their misdeeds. Invasion of privacy reveals how cyberbullying is not a victimless crime, which is a concept that those who engage in cyberbullying seem unaware of. The damage being done may be accomplished by means of a computer and the Internet, but people in the real world are affected by their actions. There have also been some instances of privacy invasion in which the phone numbers and addresses obtained by these bullies were used to harass, stalk, and harm the victims in the real world (Bocij 76). When this happens, not only is the life of the victim placed in danger, but so are the lives of their friends and family. Cyberbullying that takes place over the Internet is a horrifying experience, the terror of which is intensified due to the anonymity of the bully. Not being able to see the face of one’s enemy, not knowing who is victimizing them, can be nerve-wrecking but there is little fear that something will occur beyond the Internet. However, when this danger seeps into the real world and the cyberbullies have access to their victims outside of the Internet, the horror becomes more pronounced, and the victims risk losing more than just money or their credit score, but their lives. Cyberbullying is also not limited to monetary and potentially physical damage, but to emotional damage as well. As further proof that cyberbullying is indeed a victim-centered crime, the individuals who find themselves on the receiving end of attacks of cyberbullying risk severe emotional distress. When the bullying is taken too far, many victims feel that they cannot handle the abuse, even

The Article by Atul Gawande (2009) New Yorker Term Paper

The Article by Atul Gawande (2009) New Yorker - Term Paper Example Some scholars suggest that the system has drifted out of control: â€Å"Through no planned design or evil intent, our health care system has evolved in ways that better serve a myriad of economic, professional, and political interests than those of patients and families, and the larger public† (Mechanic, 2006, p. ix). Gawande, however, sees a much bleaker picture, and suggests that there are areas in America where doctors and administrators are financially tied into provision, and that this encourages massive amounts of over-treatment, with no benefit to patients. Gawande’s article describes a huge discrepancy in the per capita costs of medical care in two comparable districts, McAllen and El Paso, Texas, while there is no evidence that the higher cost location (McAllen) offers better care or achieves better results. This gives rise to a serious ethical problem: in El Paso patients have much lower rates of access to all kinds of tests and treatments, while in McAllen, t hey have much higher rates. The variation is due to doctor behavior, and not down to the demographics of the citizens, since the two regions are very similar. This is the kind of situation that led to the passing of the 2010 Health Care Reform bill which aims to extend health coverage to from 83% to 95% of the legally resident population. (Tumulty, 2010, p. 1) Unfortunately, however, huge variation in the way that this money is spent will mean that a fair and equal service is not likely to happen. From the point of view of justice, or fairness, such unequal practices cannot be defended, since all American citizens should have equal access to the benefits of our modern technologies. From a utilitarian point of view, there is a deviation from best practice, since in the McAllen hospitals there is little effort to gain the greatest benefit to patients for the lowest cost. Increasing the amount of testing in order to maximise revenue is the very opposite of ethical behaviour on the part of institutions where doctors earn more for ordering more procedures and tests. Gawande suggests that the problem lies with the structures of delivery, and describes the McAllen healthcare model as â€Å"as system that has no brakes† (Gawanda, p. 14). He cites the example of the Mayo clinic, where doctors receive a fixed salary, as a potential solution. Fewer scans are done, and more discussion between doctors takes place to minimize unnecessary treatments, all of which come with risks as well as benefits, and to try to ensure that patients have what they need, rather than what can be sold to them for profit. There is little incentive to cherry pick patients in this kind of system, and hospitals which follow this style find that overall costs are lower, and quality of care goes up. This analysis takes a refreshing look at the way the whole system is set up, and this gives the reader an overview of things rather than just the view of an economist, or a health professional, or an administrator. It highlights the error that patients, and some doctors, often make, in thinking that more testing is always good. The point is to do what is the best for the patient, and not what sustains the system. If there was more of this kind of benchmarking across hospitals with comparable patient characteristics, then perhaps more could be done to eliminate wasteful

To What extent has the world trade Organisation achieved its Essay

To What extent has the world trade Organisation achieved its objectives What are its greatest failures and how might these be a - Essay Example This paper is presented in four main parts. The first part of this paper provides a brief overview of the WTO and its objectives. The second part of this paper considers the arguments suggesting that the WTO has met its objectives. The third part of the paper analyses the arguments that suggest the WTO has not met its objectives. The final part of this paper will consider the greatest failures and identify where the WTO can go from there. ... Body, the Preamble to the WTO must be constructed as to include an objective for sustainable development.3 The cumulative value of the objectives contained in the Preamble to GATT 1994 can be described as an overall objective for promoting shared advantages among the international community for economic and political cohesion.4 Those who argue that the WTO has achieved its objectives in terms of international cohesion argue that the WTO has represented an automatic trajectory toward international cooperation. Those who argue that the WTO has failed to achieve its objectives are generally sympathetic toward developing countries and argue that the WTO has only succeeded in highlighting the inequities between nations and strongly favours developed economies.5 This research paper considers both sides of the debate and will therefore be presented in four parts. The first part of this paper provides a brief overview of the WTO and its objectives. The second part of this paper considers the arguments suggesting that the WTO has met its objectives. The third part of the paper analyses the arguments that suggest the WTO has not met its objectives. The final part of this paper will consider the greatest failures and identify where the WTO can go from there. Background and Overview of the TWO and its Objectives The WTO has its origins in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War in which a period of global economic depression followed. Leaders from Britain and the US led the charge and held a conference at Bretton Woods in the US in 1944 as a means of drafting the charter for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) also known as the World Bank. The following year, the US and Britain moved for the charter