Treatment of us pows by the germans in world war II

One of the significant features of World War II was a great number of prisoners of war (POW‘s) to be kept both by Allies and Axis. The way those prisoners were treated differed greatly dependently on the nation of a prisoner and the country of imprisonment.   This paper discusses the treatment of the American prisoners captured on the European theatre and compares it to the treatment of prisoners from other countries, such as Britain, Poland and Russia.In total Some 95,000 American and 135,000 British and Commonwealth servicemen were incarcerated in prisoners of war (POW) camps in Germany during World War II. The prisoners were held in some fifty German POW camps, of several types. These included the Stalag (Stammlager, permanent camps for noncommissioned officers and enlisted men), Stalag Luft (Luftwaffestammlager, permanent camps for air force personnel), and Oflag (Offizierslager, permanent officers’ camps). American POWs were found in many of the POW camps, but the majority of camps contained only a few Americans. In some camps (Stalags II-B, III-B, IV-B, XVII-B, Luft I, Luft III, and Luft IV), however, the number of American POWs ran into the thousands.The basic international instrument, regulating the POW‘s status at the time was the 1929 the Geneva Convention Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War, signed by 47 governments. Subject to this convention, no prisoner of war could be forced to disclose to his captor any information other than his identity (i.e., his name and rank, but not his military unit, home town, or address of relatives). Every prisoner of war was entitled to adequate food and medical care and had the right to exchange correspondence and receive parcels. He was required to observe ordinary military discipline and courtesy, but he could attempt to escape at his own risk. Once recaptured, he was not to be punished for his attempt.Officers were to receive pay either according to the pay scale of their own country or to that of their captor, whichever was less; they could not be required to work. Enlisted men might be required to work for pay, but the nature and location of their work were not to expose them to danger, and in no case could they be required to perform work directly related to military operations. Camps were to be open to inspection by authorized representatives of a neutral power.  Germany in general followed the 1929 Geneva Convention in the treatment of American and British servicemen in POW camps, with little difference to be found in treatment with Americans and British. POW‘s were not to be individually confined, and the food served them should have been equal to that served to German troops. The ration was reduced by the end of the war, but this was related to the general situation with food in Germany. Much greater problem for the POW‘s was the warm clothing, often not provided by the Germans, however the prisoners could receive acceptable clothes from th e Red Cross and from their families via the Red Cross.The prisoners were allowed to arrange recreational activities, such as sport games by their own, also some attention was paid to the religious demands of catholic and protestant POW‘s, the largest POW camps had chapels on their territory. The prisoners, involved in work received small payment (5 to 10 marks) for their effort, though the amount of money, which a POW could possess was limited. An important right for the British and American prisoners was a right to send and receive mail, although the delivery of mail was very erratic, and a letter or a parcel required several weeks to transit.American and British prisoners’ worst enemy was usually boredom. One of the most important activities which overcame this enemy was reading. The American and British peoples, through the various agencies which undertook the task of providing POWs with books, made it possible for prisoners to obtain books which were so necessary an d useful. It helped the prisoners to occupy their time and keep their mental capacity. When the American and British POWs left the prisoners of war camps, approximately 1 million books were left behind.One can notice, that the treatment of British and American POW‘s was tolerant enough, except for some cases of spontaneous violence, such as murder of USAF and RAF pilots by the German civilians, angry with their air raids. However, this human attitude was hardly applied to the prisoners from other countries, retained in Germany. Polish, Yugoslavian and especially Russian prisoners received the worst treatment ever imaginable.There were several reasons for it, and the most important of them was the notorious Nazi racial doctrine, which considered the Slaves to be Untermenschen or underhumans, almost equal to Jews. The Soviet Union was also not a party to 1929 Geneva Convention, and so could not count for Red Cross assistance. Finally, Stalin, being suspicious of everyone out of his control, proclaimed all the Russian POW‘s to be traitors and deprived them with any rights or aid.Dealing with Russian prisoners became even more complicated as the amount of captives at the first year of war reached 5 million, creating problems even with simple accommodation. Russian soldiers, captured in the great encirclements, were often left without food for weeks, causing starvation and typhus. Some categories of prisoners, such as Jews or Communist party members were usually shot immediately. The survivors were taken to the concentration camps on the territory of the Soviet Union, Poland and Germany itself.At the later period working with Russian POW‘s became more organized. Germans point now was to use the mass of people in their disposal in the most rational way. Those of the prisoners, who conformed with the racial demands (mostly originating from the Baltic or western regions of Russia) could voluntary join the Wehrmacht. Other volunteers, mostly recent ca ptives, were used as Hiwi Hilfswillige), or helpers in the army units.The fate of the others to be kept in the concentration and death camps, such as Auschwitz, Buchenwald and Dachau. Forced labour of the Russian POW‘s was actively used at the German civil an military enterprises, including aircraft factories and V-2 rockets production.  Another way of exploiting the Untermenschen was to use them for medical and military experiments. For example, 600 Soviet prisoners were gassed in Auschwitz on 3 September 1941 at the first experiment with ZyklonB.  Based on the overstated one can make a conclusion, that treatment of the American and British POW‘s, captured by the Germans was surely   preferable to the treatment of other POW‘s. General observance of international law towards allied prisoners by Germany along Red Cross activity, provided them with huge benefits in comparison with the Slavic, Jewish and other POW‘s.BIBLIOGRAPHYM. R. D. Fott, â€Å"Prison ers of War,† The Oxford Companion to World War II (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995)The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition.  Ã‚  2001.American Prisoners of War in Germany. Prepared by Military Intelligence Service, War Department 1 Nov 1945W. Wynne Mason, Prisoners of War (Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939–1945) (Wellington, New Zealand: War History Branch, Department of Internal Affairs, 1954)Antony Beevor Stalingrad (Penguin Books, New York, 1999) [1] M. R. D. Fott, â€Å"Prisoners of War,† The Oxford Companion to World War II (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995), pp. 913–915;[2] The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition.  Ã‚  2001. [3] American Prisoners of War in Germany. Prepared by Military Intelligence Service, War Department 1 Nov 1945[4]W. Wynne Mason, Prisoners of War (Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939–1945) (Wellington, New Zealand: War History Branch, Department of Internal Affairs, 1954), pp. 42–43; [5] Antony Beevor Stalingrad (Penguin Books, New York, 1999), pp.- 15, 60, 166 [6] Antony Beevor. Ibid. p.-59

Liberation War of Bangladesh Essay

Our liberation is the greatest achievement in our national life. The War of Liberation of Bangladesh took place in the history in 1971. We had been under Pakistani rule for twenty five years. The Pakistani rulers and their vested interest group began to treat East Pakistan as a colony gof West Pakistan. Therefore, under the leadership of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, a violent mass movement was launched against the autocrats of the West Pakistan. Subsequently, the Awami League won a landslide victory at the election of the National Assembly of Pakistan held in December 1970. Thus Bangabandhu acquired the right to form the government of Pakistan with his absolute majority in the parliament. Despite having absolute majority, Awami League could not ascend to power due to Yahia-Bhutto conspiracy. With the plea of discussion with Bangabandhu, President Yahia Khan began to collect arms and ammunitions from West Pakistan. Having taken all preparations, Yahia flew to Rawalpindi and signed the order for Bangalee massacre. On the black night of March 25, 1971, the Pak army got down the streets of Dhaka. Bangabandhu was arrested and taken to the prison of West Pakistan. In the mean time, Bangabandhu declared the independence of Bangladesh. The War of Liberation started and the Pakistani forces cracked down upon the innocent and armless people of Bangladesh. They continued to kill innocent people and intellectuals, torture innumerable women, burn houses, loot property and damage crops. One crore of people fled away and took shelter in India. In the meantime, new government was formed at Mujibnagar and people from all walks of life started to take part in the war obeying the call and order of Bangabandhu. As a result, the Mukti Bahini was organized and trained. They started counter attack on the Pakistani forces. During the Liberation War of Bangladesh, everyone was a freedom fighter and did his best to help the Mukti Bahini. Eventually the Mukti Bahini gained strength and efficiency and kept the occupation forces in extreme embarrassment. At one stage, the Mukti Bahini and the Indian forces formed a joint command and started severe attack on the enemy in every sector compelling them to surrender. On the 16th of December, 1971 they surrendered their arms to the Joint Command at a ceremony in Dhaka. Thus after long nine months of massacre, the War of Liberation came to an end and Bangladesh achieved freedom from the barbarous Pakistanis. In fact, it was the triumph of justice over tyranny.

The evolution of the central processing unit Research Paper

The evolution of the central processing unit - Research Paper Example In addition, the largest challenge with this type of central processing unit in the fact that it had to be programmed, in which case programming meant rewiring its circuitry to run designated tasks due to the lack of dynamism in automation. As such, all manners of programming done to the CPU were done manually through wiring and rewiring to suit the computational demands of each task. This took plenty of time to do thus was very challenging as was the case of the Harvard Mark 1 and EDVAC, which were amongst the earliest computers that used the custom made processors to execute programs. This can effectively be termed as the first wave of the first generation of processors as it marked a new wave in computing. Therefore, this is where the processors ran at a low clock rate of roughly 100 kHz to 4mhz. the low speeds of the clock rate were largely due to the speed of switching devices and circuitry, which were largely relays and vacuum tubes. Next in line was the transistor and integrat ed circuit CPUs, which was an upgrade to smaller electronic devices that had a higher level of reliability due to the use of transistors. It is these transistors that saw the CPUs of the 1950s and 1960s shrink in size due to the exclusion of electric relays and vacuum tubes, and instead the entire CPU was mounted on one or several printed circuit boards and each had individual components. These usually consisted of tens to a few hundred transistors and for a single to be built all these had to be soldered onto the earlier mentioned printed circuit boards. This is because of the numerous transistors required, there was need to have multiple boards and these needed to be interconnected in a chassis to create a complete central processing unit. In this case, each board consisting of soldered in transistors was known as a die or a chip, and it is only unspecialized digital circuits that were miniaturized into integrated circuits. Miniaturization into transistor integrated circuits were a large step since these did not need rewiring to conduct different due to their non-specialized nature. This phase of the evolution of central processing units was characterized by low power input due to advancement in microelectronic technology and the number of individual transistors required in making a single CPU reduced significantly. Furthermore, in the 1960s, IBM introduced a new standard of architecture and this saw the introduction of CPUs that could run similar tasks and programs at different speeds and performance levels. This marked the first processor that could show a variation in performance and speed as most processors and computers were incompatible with one another to extent that even those that were created by the same manufacturer were completely incompatible. IBM’s system/360 was the name of this architecture and it made use of micro programs that are also known as micro-code and these are still used inn modern CPUs (DejaVu Design, n.d). The reliability of these transistor-based central processing units was based on the lower switching times, which enhanced their speeds as compared to the time taken I the case of electric relays and tubes. The clock speed of these transistor based CPUs marked a new record in that they were double and triple in the dozens of first generation of specialized CPUs. It is after different companies created

READING OF ARTICLES for CHAPTER 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

READING OF ARTICLES for CHAPTER 2 - Essay Example l have been eÃ'•timated at $96 billion in loÃ'•t income to federal Ð °nd Ã'•tate governmentÃ'• Ð °nd $3 billion in additional welfare expenditureÃ'• (JoneÃ'•, 1977). In general, â€Å"students who do not complete school cost taxpayers billions of dollars in lost revenues, welfare, unemployment, crime prevention, and prosecution† (Joint Economic Committee, 1991 as cited in Lehr, et al., 2004, p. 7). PerhapÃ'• more importantly, on an individual level, thÐ µ failure to complete a high Ã'•chool education haÃ'• been aÃ'•Ã'•ociated with an individualÃ'• increaÃ'•ed likelihood to engage in criminal activity (FitzÃ'•immonÃ'•, Cheever, Leonard, & Macunovich, 1969; Levin, 1972; Ð…trothÐ µr, 2006; Ð…troup & RobinÃ'•, 1972) Ð °nd to live in poverty (Hahn, 2003; HeÃ'•Ã'•, 2006; William T. Grant Foundation, 2004). These assertions have been validated in the last couple of years as Cataldi, Laird and KewalRamani (2009, p. 1) state that high school dropouts â€Å"make up disproportionately higher percentages of the nation’s prison and death row inmates.† Furthermore, dropouts between the ages of 25 and older, regardless of income, have been proven to have worse health than their counterparts who finished high school (Pleis and Lethbridge-Çejku, 2006 as cited in Cataldi, Laird and KewalRamani, 2009, p. 1). These show that in the past and more so at present, a high school diploma is an enabling factor for success. ThÐ µ current work force, driven by a highly technical global economy, haÃ'• different demÐ °ndÃ'• Ð °nd complexitieÃ'• from thoÃ'•e Ð ¾f paÃ'•t agrarian Ð °nd induÃ'•trial economieÃ'•. Today, â€Å"almost 90 percent of the fastest-growing and highest-paying jobs require some postsecondary education, [so] having a high school diploma and the skills to succeed in college and the workplace are essential† (The Alliance for Excellent Education, 2009). And so, studentÃ'• who drop out Ð ¾f Ã'•chool today are confronted with Ã'•ignificant job competition, work environmentÃ'• driven by Ã'•ignificant technical

Proj Risk Mgmt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Proj Risk Mgmt - Essay Example Strategies to control the risks are identified, plans are established on how to deal with the risk, and the correct action is taken (PMBOK, 2008, pp 309). Risk audits are also carried out to examine the value of the risks responses when dealing with the cause of the risk, and how effective the risk management plan is. When conducting the risk management, trend analysis is used to monitor performance of the project. Technical measurements compare technical accomplishments during a project implementation to the project management schedule. Moreover, the technical performance can be used to compare the results of the management plan with the targets. In order for the risk management plan to be effective, reserve analysis is carried out to compare the amount of reserve that has remained to the total amount of risk remaining. In addition, the amount of time required to tackle a risk depends on the number of risks identified (PMBOK 2008, Pp 310). Project schedule slippage This term means t he delay in the completion of a project from the estimated time scheduled for completion. A project can be delayed due to various reasons such as; lack of proper planning, re-doing of a particular section of work for some time hence taking over the expected time, lack of enough resources for a project to be completed on time, proper planning and willingness to carry out the task. A lot of time is wasted when resources, tools, and equipments run out of stock, thus the employees have to wait for delivery. Indeed, this wasted time is not accounted for. Another factor to consider is the time wastage due to un-inevitable event, for instant, the illness of a coordinator will require waiting until he gets better or hiring a new one who will take time to familiarize with the project. Schedule delay may cause problems to the owners and contractors of that project in that, the additional time added may amount to many unplanned added costs. Therefore, it is important for every project to be ma naged to a schedule (Hullet, 2009, pp, 1). Diagnostic metrics This metric is used to provide information on a system. Diagnostic metrics assess the situation of a system, detect any anomalies, and forecast on future problems based on the latest date. The root cause of a variance is usually determined via the use of metrics. With the cause of each variance identified, it easy to know what measures to take. After dealing with the main variance problem, it is easier to tackle related problems that will arise in the project (Kendrick, 2010, pp 278). However, â€Å"metrics can be used to detect changes, make performance and progress visible, evaluate progress evaluation, and trigger process improvements† (Kendrick, 2009, pp 237). Since incorrect activity duration estimates may push all personnel into work too early or too late, how can a Project Manager motivate their teams by learning more accurate estimating? First, a manager can match a task to an employee depending on his avai lability, such that, he is sure that the task will be completed within the agreed time. This strategy makes it possible for an employee to dedicate his effort on the assignment since the manager relies on him. Secondly, the manager may reallocate assignments to those employees who have fewer assignments. This creates a sense of equality among employees. A manager can also assign critical part of an

Discrimination in employment and labour market segmentation Essay

Discrimination in employment and labour market segmentation - Essay Example This research aims to evaluate and present inequality in workplaces that has been observed as a global scenario. The level and seriousness of these inequalities are however dependant on specific cultural and social realties relating to the workplace. This resultantly forms inequality regimes within the organisation. These are basically organisational meanings, processes, actions and practices which lead to bias on the basis of gender, class or race. It has been observed that in due course of time organisations automatically tend to develop these kinds of regimes which are unequal with others at various aspects. In contemporary organisations in Europe and all across the globe, these inequality regimes are denoted generally by gaps in salaries, powers and respect. Kertesi & Kollo has reported that there was substantial growth in inequalities within the organisations in Central and Eastern Europe. It is interesting to note that these trends are observed in Europe even in organisations w hich work towards specific social causes. Ferree and Martin and Scott have provided evidences suggesting inequality regimes prevalent in egalitarian feminist organizations. This must be read together with the fact that the larger vision of these organisations are bringing in gender equality. This observation suggests the extent to which labour market is segmented inequality is prevalent in work environments and confirms the existence of labour market segmentation in Europe. ... In contemporary organisations in Europe and all across the globe, these inequality regimes are denoted generally by gaps in salaries, powers and respect. Kertesi & Kollo (2000) has reported that there was substantial growth in inequalities within the organisations in Central and Eastern Europe. It is interesting to note that these trends are observed in Europe even in organisations which work towards specific social causes. Ferree and Martin (1995) and Scott (2000) have provided evidences suggesting inequality regimes prevalent in egalitarian feminist organizations. This must be read together with the fact that the larger vision of these organisations are bringing in gender equality. This observation suggests the extent to which labour market is segmented inequality is prevalent in work environments and confirms the existence of labour market segmentation in Europe. Acker (2006) has defined organisational inequality as â€Å"systematic disparities between participants in power and c ontrol over goals, resources, and outcomes; workplace decisions such as how to organize work; opportunities for promotion and interesting work; security in employment and benefits; pay and other monetary rewards; respect; and pleasures in work and work relations†. As mentioned earlier the extent of disparities in these factors will differ with organisations. It has been observed that out of these factors the most reported ones are inequality over goals and resources. Inequalities in organisations are both direct and indirect in nature. The direct implication of inequality is the formation of inequality regimes as mentioned before. It has been widely approved by researchers that on the job inequality does not constrain its causal roots to the behavioural traits of the employees.

Human resources management (HRM) Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Human resources management (HRM) - Coursework Example e world’s leading electronics and information technology companies has sourced out their products to Foxconn which is based in China because of its cheap labor which is the country’s comparative advantage. Cheap labor allows companies to procure the components of their products at a lower cost making their companies competitive and more profitable (The Economist 2008). There is also another advantage in sourcing out to Foxconn in China although companies would be less eager to admit. This is the relative relaxed and less stringent labor laws in China making that makes the operation of its business less complicated. In the case cited, such suicides and deaths in the workplace would have been unforgivable in the United States, Europe or Japan had these companies did not source their component. These companies would have been embroiled with the regulatory authorities under the threat of lawsuit, sanction and hefty fines. But these incidents are tolerated in China to the advantage of these firms because the HRM function is no longer their responsibility when they outsourced the manufacturing of their

Taxation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 9

Taxation - Essay Example his study will also perform examples of calculation to demonstrate the actual effects of the tax payments on individual and limited company, considering the aspects of Insurance, capital gains and inheritance. When Sally realizes capital gain from the investment through the exercise of the share option, the capital gain ought to form part of the taxable income. Taxation exempts many specified benefits under this condition, including insurance and the application of computer and technology. The tax system operates with exemptions of certain income elements from taxable income for individual investors, which in the case of limited company, there is minimal exemption or no exemption at all. Income sources including interest, house rent and dividends are added to the income of the spouse with the highest earned income. The personal income tax will be charged a flat rate of 15% of the income per month from the earnings gained from investment (Melville 2014, p32). If sally operates in cash, she will have two alternative decisions, either to declare the entire income from the investment, or part of it, or she may decide not to declare the income of personal income in the tax return. In the case of registering a limited company, there is no decision to make on the income to declare. All the income sources including taxable income, forms part of the taxable income. The UK system of calculating corporate taxes operates on the basis of a single tax rate applying to all the taxable incomes.  The rate is decided on by the amounts of total earnings. Registration of a limited company will enable Sally’s investment to attract smaller tax rates applied to the taxable incomes lower than the minimum limit. Investment earnings between $10000 and $37000 are exempt from taxation in the individual investment, but in the limited company, the corporate tax return must contain all income elements, charged a flat rate of 15% (Melville 2014, p27). However, the company is allowed to

Are Public Protests in Public Places Effective Ways of Bringing Change Essay

Are Public Protests in Public Places Effective Ways of Bringing Change - Essay Example It was the largest ever seen demonstration in the capital that attracted over 250,000 people and one of the first to have extensive television coverage. The Cairo’s Tahrir Square, which was a protest against the country’s leadership, that is, revolution against former President Hosni Mubarak and his regime. The two events are memorable as they have some similarities and differences depicting the nature of public protests in the past and recent years. The two events being the best examples of public protest, indicating that public protest in public places can be an effective way of bringing change to the people. The atmosphere and conditions that led to the protest of Civil Rights March (Washington DC 1963) started way back in 1950s and 1960s where the civil rights movement in the United States was for political, legal, and social struggle to gain citizenship rights for black Americans and to achieve equality. A racial unrest of civil demonstrations was sparked off by th e police action in Birmingham, Alabama that had media coverage showing how dogs and fire horses were turned against protestors who were still young in their early teens (ABC, 2005). In The Tahrir Square (Cairo 2011) protest, around the year 2005 and 2006 after the re-election of Mubarak opposition started to demand for political changes. The protests were however, started because of a June 2010 incident in which a young man Khaled Said was allegedly beaten by police. This is the same period that there was unrest in Tunisia and protests in Egypt has been linked to this protest too. The high levels of unemployment of black people, the persistence racial segregation, the poor and minimal wages at their jobs, the disenfranchisement of many African Americans, and the slow or lack of any meaningful reforms by earlier protests led to this march of 1963. This led to demands for the passage of a meaningful and comprehensive civil rights legislation, the protection against police brutality on the protestors, and the ending of cultural separation in public schools. Further, it led to enactment of laws that prohibits racial unfairness in public and private hiring, a major program for public-works to provide jobs for the black Americans, a 2 dollar an hour minimum wage, and the call for a self government for the District of Columbia which had a black majority (Anheier, 2004). In the 2011 Egyptian protests, it were mainly for political and legal issues including; the main issue being the end of President Hosni Mubarak’s regime, uncontrolled corruption, lack of freedom of speech and free elections, economical issues including high unemployment, police brutality, food price inflation, state of emergency laws, and low minimum wages. More than 250,000 demonstrators descended upon the nation’s capital to participate in the march of Washington for â€Å"Jobs and Freedom† on August 28, 1963. The protest began with a rally at Washington Monument where several c elebrities and musicians performed and the protests became a collective celebration too. This was one of the largest demonstrations by various civil rights organizations in United States showing their unity in agitation for Jobs and freedom. The participants went from National Mall to the Memorial which was a mile long away. At the Lincoln Memorial, there was a three-hour long program, which included speeches from prominent civil rights and religious leaders. The two outstanding speeches came from came from John Lewis and Martin Luther King, Jr. The march was

Ancient Egyptian Art & Architecture Essay Example for Free

Ancient Egyptian Art Architecture Essay Due to the scarcity of wood the two predominant building materials used in ancient Egypt were sun-baked mud bricks and stone, mainly limestone but also sandstone and granite in considerable quantities. From the Old Kingdom onward, stone was generally reserved for tombs and temples, while bricks were used even for royal palaces, fortresses, the walls of temple precincts and towns, and for subsidiary buildings in temple complexes. The core of the pyramids came from stone quarried in the area already while the limestone, now eroded away, that was used to face the pyramids came from the other side of the Nile River and had to be quarried, ferried across, and cut during the dry season before they could be pulled into place on the pyramid. Ancient Egyptian houses were made out of mud collected from the Nile river. It was placed in molds and left to dry in the hot sun to harden for use in construction. Many Egyptian towns have disappeared because they were situated near the cultivated area of the Nile Valley and were flooded as the river bed slowly rose during the millennia, or the mud bricks of which they were built were used by peasants as fertilizer. Others are inaccessible (unapproachable), new buildings having been erected on ancient ones. Fortunately, the dry, hot climate of Egypt preserved some mud brick structures. Examples include the village Deir al-Madinah, the Middle Kingdom town at Kahun, and the fortresses at Buhen and Mirgissa. Also, many temples and tombs have survived because they were built on high ground unaffected by the Nile flood and were constructed of stone. Thus, our understanding of ancient Egyptian architecture is based mainly on religious monuments, massive structures characterized by thick, sloping walls with few openings, possibly echoing a method of construction used to obtain stability in mud walls. In a similar manner, the incised and flatly modeled surface adornment (decoration) of the stone buildings may have derived from mud wall ornamentation. Although the use of the arch was developed during the fourth dynasty, all monumental buildings are post and lintel constructions, with flat roofs constructed of huge stone blocks supported by the external walls and the closely spaced columns. Exterior and interior walls, as well as the columns and piers (landing place) were covered with hieroglyphic and pictorial (symbolic) frescoes and carvings painted in brilliant colors. Many motifs (design) of Egyptian ornamentation are symbolic, such as the scarab or sacred beetle, the solar disk and the vulture. Other common motifs include palm leaves, the papyrus plant, and the buds and flowers of the lotus. Hieroglyphs were inscribed for decorative purposes as well as to record historic events or spells. In addition, these pictorial frescoes and carvings allow us to understand how the Ancient Egyptians lived, statuses, wars that were fought and their beliefs. This was especially true when exploring the tombs of Ancient Egyptian officials in recent years. Ancient Egyptian temples were aligned with astronomically significant events, such as solstices and equinoxes, requiring precise (accurate) measurements at the moment of the particular event. Measurements at the most significant temples may have been ceremonially undertaken by the Pharaoh himself. Art Forms: Ancient Egyptian art forms are characterized by regularity and detailed depiction of gods, human beings, heroic battles, and nature, and were intended to provide solace to the deceased in the afterlife. Egyptian art in all forms obeyed one law: the mode of representing Pharaohs, gods, man, nature and the environment. Ancient Egyptian art displays an extraordinarily vivid representation of the Ancient Egyptians socioeconomic status and belief systems. Architecture: Ancient Egyptian architects used sun-dried and kiln-baked bricks, fine sandstone, limestone and granite. Hieroglyphic and pictorial carvings in brilliant colors were abundantly used to decorate Egyptian structures. Papyrus: Papyrus is a plant. Papyrus was used by ancient Egyptians for writing and painting. Papyrus texts illustrate all dimensions of ancient Egyptian life and include literary, religious, historical and administrative documents. Pottery: Ancient Egyptians used steatite (some varieties were called soapstone). Different types of pottery items were deposited in tombs of the dead. Some such pottery items represented interior parts of the body, like the lungs, the liver and smaller intestines, which were removed before embalming (the art and science of temporarily preserving human remains). Sculpture: The ancient art of Egyptian sculpture evolved to represent the ancient Egyptian gods, Pharaohs, and the kings and queens, in physical form. Very strict conventions were followed while crafting statues: male statues were darker than the female ones; in seated statues, hands were required to be placed on knees and specific rules governed appearance of every Egyptian god. Egyptian Art Ancient Egyptian art is the painting, sculpture, architecture and other arts produced by the civilization in the lower Nile Valley from 5000 BC to 300 AD. Ancient Egyptian art reached a high level in painting and sculpture, and was both highly stylized and symbolic. Much of the surviving art comes from tombs and monuments and thus there is an emphasis on life after death and the preservation of knowledge of the past. The quality of observation and execution started at a high level and remained near that level throughout the 2nd and 3rd dynasty. Paintings: Egyptian painting is said to be one of the most unique and mysterious attributes of Egypt. Egyptian painting is not oil-based or fresco-based, it is tempura-based. All Egyptian reliefs were painted on a flat surface. Pigments were mostly mineral, chosen to withstand strong sunlight without fading. The binding medium used in painting remains unclear. After painting, a varnish or resin was usually applied as a protective coating. The paintings were often made with the intent of making a pleasant afterlife for the deceased. Some tomb paintings show activities that the deceased were involved in when they were alive and wished to carry on doing for eternity. Egyptian paintings are painted in such a way to show a profile view and a side view of the animal or person. Periods in Art: The Ancient Egyptian art style is known as Amarna art. It was characterized by a sense of movement and activity in images. Also, the human body is portrayed differently in Amarna style artwork than Egyptian art on the whole. Faces are still shown exclusively in profile.

The History Of Listeria Biology Essay

The History Of Listeria Biology Essay Salmonellosis, Shigellosis, Yersinosis and many other infectious diseases were named after the one who discovered them unlike Listeriosis. Once the causative agent was discovered by Murray, Webb and Swann, generic names such as bacterium monocytogenes was used and finally Listeria (Pirie) to honor Dr. Lister, the discoverer of antisepsis. Hence, in the past the disease was known as Listeriosis until, Listeria came into the general usage. Listeria was first known to be the causative agent of epidemic and sporadic cases in 50 species of animals, now the disease has been appearing on an increasing rate in the population of mankind. In 1926, Murray, Webb identified Listeria Monocytogenes and the bacterium was named by Swann. The bacterium was then renamed by Pirie in 1927 and was given its current name, Listeria Monocytogenes. In 1891, doctors in France and Germany discovered a gram positive bacterium in samples of tissues of patients who suffered and died from a disease similar to Listeriosis. In 1929, Nyfeldt described the first confirmed report of Listeriosis in humans caused by Listeria Monocytogenes. Listeria was first known to be the cause of epidemic and sporadic cases in 50 species of animals. Characterization of Listeria Monocytogenes. Listeria Monocytogenes is a small highly motile gram positive rod. It is a non spore-forming cocco-bacillus, facultative anaerobe which is catalase positive. These ubiquitous saprophytes are widespread in nature that is they can be found in soil and water. Vegetables can get contaminated if the soil, manure or the water used is contaminated. The bacterium can also be carried away by both wild and domestic animals that may apparently appear healthy. The bacterium is an opportunistic pathogen. It is capable of surviving and multiplying outside animal hosts and in quite simple nutrient medium. (Chapman and Hall, 1996.). It grows under refrigeration conditions from 1 °C up to 44 °C. However, its growth rate decreases below 1C and it is easily destroyed by heat. Normally pasteurization and cooking kill Listeria, but in certain ready-to-eat food, it can be found. This is due to contamination which occurs prior to packaging. Serology: Listeria Monocytogenes can be further characterized based on the presence of specific heat stable somatic (0) and heat-labile flagella (H) antigens. Based on the O and H antigens, strains of Listeria Monocytogenes, isolated from pathological sources are subdivided into serotypes: 1/2a,1/2 b, 1/2c, 3a,3b,3c,4a,4ab,4b,4c,4d,4e,4f,5 and 6. Serotypes 1/2a, 1/2b and 4b are responsible for greater than 95% of all human infections (Frances Pouch Downee, Keith Ito, 2001). Factors affecting growth and survival of Listeria Monocytogenes. Listeria Monocytogenes is a psychotropic bacterium that is it has the ability to resist the cold temperature of refrigeration. However, Listeria Monocytogenes is also thermo tolerant when subjected to temperatures above the optimum. The broad pH range for growth for Listeria Monocytogenes allows it to survive. pH 7.0 7.5 is the optimum pH for the growth of Listeria Monocytogenes (Dean, 1990). The bacteria can resist a high concentration of salt that is an environment with a low water potential. It has been shown that the organism can tolerate environments of 25.6 % Nacl for at least 132 days at 22 °C and 5 days at 37 °C (Adams; 2001; Lovette, 1989). Moreover the presence of other microorganisms in the same medium (on the same contaminated food) can cause a decrease in the population of Listeria Monoctyogenes. Listeriosis: Also known as the Circling Disease or Silage sickness, Listeriosis is a sporadic bacterial infection caused by Listeria Monocytogenes. It is a worldwide disease and a serious food borne disease for humans. The term Listeriosis encompasses a wide variety of disease symptoms that are similar on animals and humans. Persons of advanced age, pregnant women, new born and adults with infected immune systems are normally prone to attract this disease. A normal person without those criteria mentioned above can also be affected. He can be infected by consuming contaminated food. Babies may get infected at birth itself if their mother had consumed contaminated food during pregnancy. According to the world health organization (WHO), outbreaks of Listeriosis have been reported from many countries, including Australia, S Switzerland, France and the United states. Two recent outbreaks of Listeria Monocytogenes in France in 2000 and in the USA in 199 caused by contaminated pork tongue and hot dogs. CASES IN MAURITIUS MISSING!!!!!!!!!! Health risk of listeria: Hayes (1992) considered Listeria Monocytogenes as a low grade pathogen since there is no clinical manifestation in healthy individuals upon ingestion of low numbers of viable cells. According to the center for food security and public health 1-10 % of the population is thought to carry Listeria Monocytogenes asymptomatically in the intestines (May, 2005). Vomiting, Nausea, Cramps, Diarrhea, severe headache, constipation ad persistent fever are the symptoms that may occur suddenly. Meningitis encephalitis is the infection of the brain and its surrounding tissue. Septicemia is the poisoning of blood caused by listeria. The overall mortality rate in the group of susceptible people mention in sectionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Are 20 -30%. Listeria Monocytogenes can be identified in tissues using ELISA, PCR and other molecular techniques. It is treated with antibiotics depending on the form of the disease. Mode of invasion and spread of Listeria in host cells: Listeria Monocytogenes is acquires by ingestion. The bacterium must find and adhere to the intestinal mucosa or the intestinal crypt cells, which are the only undifferentiated mucosal cells. Once the bacterium is phagocytosed, it becomes enclosed in a phagolysosome, a sub cellular organelle. Normally the low pH and the contents of the phagosomes are toxic to microorganism, however, environment of low pH causes Listeria Monocytogenes to produce hemolysin, Listeriolysin O (LLO).LLO lyses the cell membrane of the phagolysosome and this causes release of the Listeria into the cytoplasm. According to F.S Southwick and D.L Purich all pathogenic strains of Listeria produce Listeriolysin-O which is important for their escape and pathogenesis. Once in the cytoplasm, the bacteria multiply and proliferate and the bacteria become surrounded by an electron-dense material. The bacteria are then known to be polarized at one end. The electron-dense material give the bacterium an elongated protrusions form and filopods which are in turns ingested by adjacent cells and the cycle begins anew. Spreading from cell to cell without directly being in contact with the extracellular environment is how Listeria Monocytogenes invade the cells of its hosts. Isolation of Listeria Monocytogenes: Since there has been increasing interest in the presence or absence of Listeria Monocytogenes in foods, as a result of some substantial outbreaks of food borne listeriosis in North America and Europe, there has been a vital need to develop methods to isolate it in various type of food. Several methods such as ELISA, PCR and genetic hybridization technologies (Entis and Lerner, 1991, RMR Labs, 2000, certification, Report, 2000; Klein and Juneja, 2001) have been developed. Department of agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), are the two US agencies that made use of different protocol for analysis of Listeria Monocytogenes. The techniques for isolation of Listeria Monocytogenes involve two- stage enrichment, the pre-enrichment followed by enrichment and plating for isolation. The enrichment procedures helps to keep the level of contaminating microorganisms to a reasonable numbers and allow multiplication of Listeria Monocytogenes to levels that are enough for detection of the organism. Half Fraser Broth and the University of Vermont broth (UVM) are examples of broths for the pre-enrichment procedures. They allow revival of injured Listeria cells. The Fraser broth is used with a selective Fraser broth supplement in enriching for the enrichment steps after the pre-enrichment and for detecting Listeria. Both the Fraser and Half Fraser Broth contain sodium phosphate and potassium phosphate which are buffering agents. The presence of ferric ions acts as an indicator since the bacteria produces 6, 7- dihydroxycoumarin that reacts with the ferric ions thus resulting in the blackening of the medium. Lithium chloride, nalidixic acid and acriflavine give the broth a higher concentration of salt and inhibit growth of enterococci. However, it is only after 48 hours that there is blackening of the broth. For plating, PALCAM, Oxford and Modified Oxford (MOX) are used as selective agars for isolation of Listeria Monocytogenes. Lithium chloride, polymyxin B sulphate and acriflavine HCl, present in the PALCAM medium Base and ceftazidine found in the PALCAM supplement ensure the selectivity of the medium. These elements suppress other bacteria present in food except Listeria. For differentiation, the PALCAM medium provides esculin and mannitol. Hydrolysis of esculin by Listeria causes production of 6, 7, dihydroxycoumarin, which reacts with the ferric ions that are present in the PLACAM medium to form blacken halos. USDA method: The USDA method involve a two- stage enrichment procedure with a 24-48 hours primary enrichment with UVM medium followed by a second enrichment phase with Fraser broth. Black colonies on the MOX plates show the presence of Listeria Monocytogenes. FDA method: This method involves 48 hour enrichment at 30 °C in buffered Listeria Enrichment Broth (BLEB). Pre enrichment procedure is optional which is done 4 hours at 30 °C prior to the addition of the selective supplements. After 24 hours to 48 hours the culture is streaked onto Oxford, PALCAM, Lithium chloride-phenyl ethanol moxalactant (LPM). After 24-48 hours at 30 °C, black-halo colonies prove the presence of Listeria. ISO method: The ISO method and the USDA method are alike with only the difference of using Half Fraser Broth for enrichment in the ISO method. The enrichment is done using Fraser Broth. On PALCAM or Oxford agar, the Listeria colonies are gray green with the black halo and black respectively.

Representation of the Characteristics of Romanticism Essay example -- R

Romanticism is a philosophical and artistic movement of the eighteenth and nineteenth century that marked a change in the emotional core of literature, philosophy, art, religion, and politics in reaction on the enlightenment. It is a contrast to neo-classicism characterized by the predominance of imagination over reason and formal rules, the love of nature —nature is good; cities are harmful to humans—, the power of individual, an interest in human rights, sentimentality, childhood innocence, the revolutionary spirit and melancholy. Romantic writers reject most of traditional form and themes. According to the Musical Quarterly, probably no two persons may exactly the same conception of what romanticism is. Victor Hugo for instance, defines romanticism has â€Å"liberalism in nature† The Romantic Movement was marked by several authors including William Wordsworth, Alphonse de Lamartine, and John Keats. The following lines are going to introduce these authors by giving a brief background and detailed information about their works in accordance with romanticism characteristics. William Wordsworth, a major English romantic poet, born in 1770 and died in 1850. He writes his poetry as an analysis upon nature. Even though Wordsworth is very much into nature he still keeps his identity as human. He is a great romantic writer because his writings reflect characteristics of the movement. As a poet, he wrote numerous poems and odes—Lyric poems in the form of an address to a particular subject, meant to be sung—. In this part you are going to be introduced to one of his famous odes, Ode: Intimations of Immortality. This poem is long and complicated but shows the Wordsworth connection to nature and how he makes an effort to understand why hu... ...ve the most is Wordsworth for he always pay attention to the details of all that is physical around him Lamartine in The Lake implores time to stop. But we all know time cannot stop flowing; therefore we must enjoy the present while in the presence of our beloved ones. Nature is moral guide and universal mentor ( Wordsworth) For Lamartine, nature was a manifestation of divine grandeur. He believed that contemplating it could stimulate religious faith. Works-cited Bernbaum, Ernest, The English Romantic Poets, New York: The Modern Language association, 1950 â€Å"To Autumn†, The Norton Anthology of World Literature Bloom, Harold, William Wordsworth, New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1985 â€Å"The Musical Quarterly† 84, No.1-94, No.3 (2000-2011): 307 JSTOR. Web 23 April 2012.http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.martinmethodist.edu/stable/738059>

The South Pole, a comparison essay :: essays research papers

An arid tundra; temperatures so cold that limbs become black and immobile, land so barren that hardly anything can survive, this is the South Pole. Why anyone would want to go there may be hard to understand. Traveling to the South Pole isn’t just a lengthy process and an uncomfortable experience, it is extremely dangerous as going to far south provides several life threatening conditions. To survive in such cold conditions one would need specially made clothing designed for such extremely cold climate. Maybe the pre-planning part of the trip is what separates Amundsen and Scott the most. Both explorers have reached the South Pole but only Amundsen has returned, in good health. This can be mostly attributed to careful planning or as some would call, luck. Amundsen once said, â€Å"’Victory awaits those who have everything in order. People call this luck†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ã¢â‚¬  (517). It can be judged from this quote that Amundsen is not one to believe in superstition. He believed that luck is a direct result of cautious planning and careful decision making. Scott on the other hand had a more fate oriented outlook on luck. A note was found beside Scott’s body that read, â€Å"’The causes of the disaster are not due to faulty organization but to misfortune’† (522). Scott believed that several events could take place during a journey that were out of the control of the explorer, who in this case was Scott. Several events have occurred in Scott’s journey but not in Amundsen’s. Some of the misfortunes of Scott’s advent ure include having several supplies break through thin ice and become lost in the South Pole water. This mishap probably couldn’t have been avoided unless the utmost scrutiny was observed during the trip. Being so cautious and careful would take a large amount of travel time away however and one can not possibly expect to reach the South Pole while traveling so slowly. So perhaps Scott was right and Amundsen has succeeded by blind luck along with his careful planning.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Amundsen analyzed every aspect of the journey before setting forth. If he felt that any particular item wasn’t as efficient as it possibly could he would upgrade and modify it. This act of Amundsen can be attributed to his success as well as some other plans he made. Amundsen planned for a long time, he studied everything that was written about the South Pole.

Comapring Adolescence in A Separate Peace and Alices Adventures in Wonderland :: comparison compare contrast essays

Adolescence in A Separate Peace and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Through life, we travel down a yellow brick road, oftentimes meeting friends and foe, whilst dreaming of making our way back home. However, unlike Dorothy, or her friends traveling through Oz, our struggles on this journey as pilgrims to our fate cannot usually be solved by clicking our heels together, saying "There's no place like home." Instead, we must find our lost souls and confirm them into a new being, one with a defined name and role. It is much like purgatory, a time in which one cannot give alms to receive redemption, and where one must make decisions. This journey, our quest for confirmation, is much like that of love in that it is difficult yet cannot be forced into existence. It is difficult to say "Then I defy you, stars!" (5.1.24) when our futures appear to be solidly built, with little room for deviance from the precharted course. It also must be accomplished solely as "each man finds out for himself, in his own way, [that] each man is the world" (Saroyan 130). Adolescence is a time during this pilgrimage when many discover where their navigation system is leading them and who they are to be when they reach that place "like a rainbow after the rain" (Hansberry 151).    This pilgrimage is a difficult journey to attempt, and many are afraid of the process or the outcome. As children evolve into adults, there is a loss of innocence. No longer is one able to act in the same manner or perform the same actions; instead, as a body falls further into the more "mature" world, the individual is expected to perform at a higher level and to conform. To lose this innocence is a difficult procedure and often hurts as it leads to loneliness; so many try not to fall over the cliff into adulthood, or bite from the tree of knowledge as the serpent tells them to. After this experience, many people, like Salinger's Holden Caulfield, try to protect others from the experience by dreaming of becoming the "catcher in the rye." Once thrown over the cliff, a whole new world is placed upon a person's shoulders, where one realizes, "I knew a lot of things, but I didn't know the half of it, and maybe I never will either. Comapring Adolescence in A Separate Peace and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland :: comparison compare contrast essays Adolescence in A Separate Peace and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Through life, we travel down a yellow brick road, oftentimes meeting friends and foe, whilst dreaming of making our way back home. However, unlike Dorothy, or her friends traveling through Oz, our struggles on this journey as pilgrims to our fate cannot usually be solved by clicking our heels together, saying "There's no place like home." Instead, we must find our lost souls and confirm them into a new being, one with a defined name and role. It is much like purgatory, a time in which one cannot give alms to receive redemption, and where one must make decisions. This journey, our quest for confirmation, is much like that of love in that it is difficult yet cannot be forced into existence. It is difficult to say "Then I defy you, stars!" (5.1.24) when our futures appear to be solidly built, with little room for deviance from the precharted course. It also must be accomplished solely as "each man finds out for himself, in his own way, [that] each man is the world" (Saroyan 130). Adolescence is a time during this pilgrimage when many discover where their navigation system is leading them and who they are to be when they reach that place "like a rainbow after the rain" (Hansberry 151).    This pilgrimage is a difficult journey to attempt, and many are afraid of the process or the outcome. As children evolve into adults, there is a loss of innocence. No longer is one able to act in the same manner or perform the same actions; instead, as a body falls further into the more "mature" world, the individual is expected to perform at a higher level and to conform. To lose this innocence is a difficult procedure and often hurts as it leads to loneliness; so many try not to fall over the cliff into adulthood, or bite from the tree of knowledge as the serpent tells them to. After this experience, many people, like Salinger's Holden Caulfield, try to protect others from the experience by dreaming of becoming the "catcher in the rye." Once thrown over the cliff, a whole new world is placed upon a person's shoulders, where one realizes, "I knew a lot of things, but I didn't know the half of it, and maybe I never will either.

Models of Communication Essay

According to the authors of â€Å"Human Communication in Society†, communication occurs simultaneously between senders and receivers, with meaning co-created by all participants. The authors are saying that in communication the individual’s character affect the process of communication. Linear Model views communication as a one-way process in which the speaker speaks and the listener listens. The earliest model primarily involved the transfer of information from one person to another. An encoded message sent from the sender or the speaker to the person receiving the encoded message. Interactive Model of communication is a simultaneous or real-time exchange of information over a transmission medium, such as during a video conference. The linear model depicts communication as a one-way process. The speaker of sender of the message in the interactive model also listens to the feedback given by the receiver or listener. Both the speaker and listener take turns to speak and listen to each other. This method works better if the speaker and listener have common fields of experience. Transactional Model of communication shows that the elements in communication are interdependent. Each person in the communication act is both a speaker and a listener, and can be simultaneously send and receiving message. The interactive model does not indicate that communicators can both send and receive messages simultaneously. Transactional Model of communication shows that the elements in communication are interdependent. Each person in the communication act is both a speaker and a listener, and can be simultaneously send and receiving message. The interactive model does not indicate that communicators can both send and receive messages simultaneously. Transactional Model of communication shows that the elements in communication are interdependent. Each person in the communication act is both a speaker and a listener, and can be simultaneously send and receiving message. The interactive model does not indicate that communicators can both send and receive messages simultaneously.

Macbeth Murder Essay

Guilt is one of the hardest emotions to control. It implants itself in one’s mind and is almost impossible to get rid of. Shakespeare’s Macbeth as well as Edgar Allan Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart demonstrate how murder can lead to unexpected guilt. The main characters from both pieces commit murder and feel guilt for killing their victims, and also feel nervous about getting caught so much that they spell their own doom. Guilt is a very hard feeling to get rid of. Both Macbeth and The Tell-Tale Heart demonstrate how people live with guilt. After Macbeth murders Duncan, he feels like he made a big mistake. â€Å"Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand? No; this my hand will rather the multitudinous seas incarnadine, making the green one red. † (II, ii,ll 60-63) This quote reveals how Macbeth feels guilt about killing Duncan. He feels as if he will never get the blood, which is his guilt, off of his hands. Macbeth utters this quote out of sheer remorse for murdering Duncan because he believes that he was a good king and did not deserve to die. In addition, Macbeth feels like the dried blood stained on his hands is similar to the guilt fallen on him by Duncan’s murder, it is very difficult to get rid of, and will leave its mark if he tries to find someone to talk about it with to relieve his remorse. He must bottle up his guilt and only speak of it with Lady Macbeth who shows him no sympathy. In addition to feeling guilt, Macbeth is so nervous after he commits murder, that he ultimately spells his own doom by giving himself away. â€Å"O, yet I do repent me of my fury, that I did kill them. † (II, iii,ll116-117). Once it is found that Duncan is murdered, Macbeth says that he killed his guards because he was so angry with them. What really happened was Lady Macbeth killed them after Macbeth killed Duncan so that the evidence could not be traced back to Macbeth. Macbeth gives himself away by saying that he killed the guards, as there was no time to do it because he had just found out about Duncan’s death. This eventually leads to Macbeth being caught by Macduff who realized Macbeth’s mistake through the panic of the moment. The Tell-Tale Heart’s story is very close to that of Macbeth’s. The narrator also feels guilt after killing an old man because of his hatred of the old man’s â€Å"evil eye†. â€Å"Anything was more tolerable than this derision! I could bear those hypocritical smiles no longer! I felt that I must scream or die! And now—hark! Louder! Louder! Louder! Louder! †(Poe, 4). The narrator kills the old man and when the police come to interrogate him, he plays it off nicely and invites them in to talk. Eventually, the narrator’s guilt gets to him and he begins to hear the floorboards knocking, mimicking the beat of a heart. The narrator’s guilt comes back to him in the form of knocking floor boards, because he buried the man under those very same floorboards in his own house. He cannot get over the fact that he murdered the old man and hears knocking because of his grief and remorse. In brief, the knocking gets louder and louder as an expression of his grief that is growing stronger and stronger as he talks to the police. Moreover, the narrator of The Tell-Tale Heart, after assuring that he will get off scot-free, gives himself away due to how nervous he is. â€Å"’Villains! ’ I shrieked, ‘dissemble no more! I admit the deed! –tear up the planks! Here, here! – It is the beating of his hideous heart! † (Poe, 4). In this quotation, the narrator cracks under the pressure of being with the two police men so close to the old man’s body and gives himself away. The narrator is nervous that he will be caught, but plays the murder off well until finally his nerves cause him to hear the old man’s heart beating, and everything comes falling down from this point. The narrator feels so nervous that he finally shouts out where he hid the old man’s body and tears up the planks to reveal his body. If it were not for the narrators nervousness he would have got off scot-free, just as Macbeth could have as well. All in all, Both Shakespeare’s Macbeth as well as Edgar Allan Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart demonstrate how guilt is inevitable after murder and is very difficult to deal with. In addition, both pieces demonstrate how nervousness can cause individuals to crack and give themselves up. Unfortunately, guilt and nervousness are what caused both these characters plans to crumble to dust.

Appearance Vs Reality Essay

Throughout life we are constantly seeing new perceptions of things and in turn constantly changing our perception of reality. The Key concepts of Appearances and Reality were explored through the use of Paradox, Point of View and Verisimilitude, within the texts The Truman show (Peter Weir) and Relativity (Escher). These concepts were used to effectively portray the key differences, and deeper meanings of Appearance and Reality. The way in which we view an object, situation or concept, greatly affects how we interpret its reality. This concept is explored by using Point of view to change the viewer’s ideas about the True reality of within the Truman show. The whole idea and notion of our reality is based upon what we see, what we grow up with. We learn from a young age what we see isn’t always the truth, and therefore we adapt our reality to what we already know. This is the same for Truman Burbank, a 33 year old average man. He is the unknowingly star of a television show all of his life. Everything he does and says is recorded and televised uninterrupted 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Like us Truman has never questioned his life as his point of view has never been given the opportunity to change. That was until a series of incidents occurred that changed his Point of view. A key change in Truman’s point of view is when a series of onset glitches lead him to see a different reality that clashes with what he knows. These events lead him to become erratic and quite demented (Evident by the erratic car trip with Meryl), eventually leading to a point where Truman has Meryl by the throat with a set of dicers and Meryl screams’’ Somebody do something’’. This quote leads Truman to the core belief that there is something wrong with his reality and that he will not stop until he finds out what is real and what is not. This eventually leads him to the point in which he leaves the T. V set and has discovered the through a new point of view his true reality. This is Through the use of Point of view; the audience is able to observe how changing views can lead to a new reality. Reality or the Truth can be very hard to identify from an Appearance. The concept of Verisimilitude is very evident in Escher’s Relativity through the use of conflicting images and vectors to reveal the hidden truth. Escher’s relativity is an image that at first is very perplexing. A series of staircases intertwined in what appear at first to be impossible. The image can actually be viewed in different points of view, each of which changes the intention of what is real, and what is not within the image. E. g. persons are waking up/down a staircase and when the image is rotated, they are now walking upside down and defying gravity. The way, in which we observe it at any angle, an object within the image is wrong. The almost impossible picture, riddled with false appearances has still got reality within it. Using verisimilitude we are able to see that although the image has several false appearances, one of them must be the true reality, otherwise the image could not exist. The problem for the viewer though , is how can we judge one false truth as more real than the other, this means that no matter what our first appearances are always not going to reflect the true nature of the reality around us. The Truman show explores the Paradox of appearance and reality, and how that changes our final point of view towards a situation. In the Truman show we start off with the interviews of the cast, this is our first insight into how the show operates. A key quote which sets a paradox within the film is when Truman’s best friend Marlon says ‘’Nothing you see on this show is fake. It’s merely controlled’’. This is contradictory to the very nature of the show, it’s a show which is meant to have the Truth in it, e. g. (TRUE MAN), he is the reality of the show and yet his reality is a false appearance. How we never question the nature of reality is also explored when Christof the director says ‘’ we accept the reality with which we are presented’’. This is another paradox as we explored before a false reality is also representative of the truth. Truman himself is accepting of the reality he is presented because he initially never had a reason to change his point of view. But through the film the paradoxes of the false reality and the Truth clash, revealing a deeper truth, which is revealed at the end of the film to Truman. The use of a Paradox to reveal a hidden truth between Appearance and reality is effective within the Truman show as it allows the Audience to change their point of view and observe how it is changed in others. The composer Peter Weir (The Truman show) and Escher (Relativity) both used Point of view to change the perceived reality of the persona and the viewer. Paradox and Verisimilitude are both mechanisms for the changes towards a true reality and are used by each composer to explore effectively the differences and similarities of Appearance and Reality.

Relational Skills Reflection Paper Essay

The purpose of this paper is to allow me, the learner to analyze and reflect on a video created between an actor and themselves. Using my knowledge obtained I was to effectively incorporate trust, respect, honesty and effective communication, as they are key principles in establishing a relationship with a client (RNAO, 2002). During this experience, I encountered an issue that I believe is significant in my development as a nurse. I was placed into a scenario involving a 47 year old patient named John, who was waiting to be discharged after suffering his first heart attack. Finding the patients quietly sitting in a chair watching the floor as I entered the room, I felt the need to be in the moment with him. The issue that seemed significant to pay attention to in this scenario was my patient’s feelings of being overwhelmed by his medical condition and the changes that needed to be made (Appendix A). Sitting within good distance and showing respectable body language showed him respect, while acknowledging he had my full attention was displayed to the patient by making comments such as yes and I understand (Appendix A). Through the use of open-ended questions, I was able to identify what was meaningful and concerning to john. John showed a lot of concern around his ability to care for himself so this doesn’t happen again, and being able to support his family (Appendix A). Knowing his concerns, I was then able to acquire the necessary knowledge needed to participate effectively in our nurse-client relationship (RNAO). This experience has allowed me to develop further in my role as a nurse. My patients comment on how our encounter gave him more encouragement to face his challenges was proof that my communication methods were effective in developing a therapeutic relationship (Appendix A). The opportunity to set aside my own concerns and focusing on the patients, allowed me to be in the moment with the patients. In those moments, the experience helped me become a better nurse as my actions made me feel more confident after each successful encounter. Watching his facial expressions and drawing in his positive responses allowed me to watch him develop confidence in my ability to care and in turn, allowe d me to develop confidence in myself (Appendix A). The significant actors in this experience were the individual playing the part of â€Å"John† and myself, the nurse attending to the patients needs. My role in the scenario was to identify the concerns of the patient and help them to obtain knowledge. Providing  resources for my patient gave him options that were specific to his concerns such as a well balanced diet and proper exercise. The options of meeting with a nutritionist to help make healthy meal choices, and with a physiotherapist to help develop custom exercises to take with him on the road encouraged John to change his routines (Appendix A). Taking note of my patient’s feelings of being overwhelmed by his heart attack, I was able to give him some comfort when offering to find an individual recovering from a heart attack that would be willing to sit down and share their life stories and methods of coping (Appendix A). The patient’s role in this experience was to help create a therapeutic relationship. I first observed my patient with her arms and legs crossed and staring down at the floor with concerned look on his face (Appendix A). Comparing the first image to the end of the scenario showed an individual that was interested in making a change, a smile on his face and as he stated, an â€Å"encouraged† perception of his health (Appendix A). The client was in need of direction and help with making the appropriate changes to ensure a healthy lifestyle after having his heart attack. I was able to provide her with resources such as a nutritionist, physiotherapist and social support to adjust to life changes (Appendix A). While meeting the needs of my patient, I was successful in completing my own personal needs. Coming into the experience with knowledge of possible resources available, the anxiety present upon introduction had disappeared after gaining acceptance from my patient through effective communication. The development of a therapeutic relationship allowed both the pat ient and I to gain from the experience. The patient left feeling encouraged and satisfied, as I felt successful and confident in how I handled the situation (appendix A). Before the taping of the scenario began, I was trying to achieve the perfect scenario while presenting a professional image of a nurse. I acted the way I did due to the lack of experience in the spotlight and I allowed my nerves affect my thought process. This is demonstrated throughout the entire video as I kept returning to the same question â€Å"are there any concerns you have†, and trying to solve the patients problem instead of helping them understand and cope with the emotions that are attached to the experience (Appendix A). My feelings, thoughts and responses during this experience were influenced  by my personal view and the presence of my preceptor placed me in a nervous state to which I became unsure of how to respond properly to my patient’s thoughts. This experience allowed me to feel capable of my skill levels and feel confident as a nurse. Overall this scenario showed perception of my growth through the friendly gestures and facial expressions of the p atient. Anxiety and stress diminish communication, interpersonal effectiveness and empathy within a nurse-patient relationship (Beddoe and Murphy, 2004). Lack the knowledge and understanding of why I am feeling this anxiety, even with positive reflections on my experience, allowed me to evaluate what I did wrong. Future encounters will help me to reflect on the scenario and blindside my anxiety before it has an effect on my actions. Having a limited amount of empirical knowledge made it challenging to let the patient know exactly what to expect after having a heart attack and what daily routines have to be adjusted. Obtaining empirical knowledge from my education regarding the components of a nurse-client relationship reminded me that I needed to place the power into my patient and develop respect and trust within the relationship (CNO, 2004). Personal knowledge was limited in this scenario as it was my first time being placed in the spotlight with a patient and I was unsure of how everything would unfold. Introducing my aesthetic knowledge was shown when I offered to find John an individual recovering from a heart attack that he could speak with (Appendix A). Throughout the experience, I became more aware of the patients feelings as I picked up on Johns overwhelmed feelings and concerns around providing for his wife and son (Appendix A). This perception of the experience is seen as John believe that he should have seen the heart attack coming before it occurred (Appendix A). He stated the he felt encouraged by this experience and felt he had more options to seek. The wife was more of a background actor, but was said to be a â€Å"sweet woman†, who has helped a lot throughout the experience (Appendix A). Valuing ones beliefs and concerns based on an experience is something all nurses should consider. Giving John multiple options and resources to consider instead of telling him what he has to do, have given him the power to make all the necessary changes within his life with the help of his wife and son (Appendix A). If I was given the opportunity to be placed in a similar situation in the  future, I believe that my anxiety would still be present, but more control over the situation would be noticeable due to the knowledge I have developed on therapeutic relationships. The relationship skills that I could have performed differently during this experience, was my self-awareness of human emotions. My nerves had played a role in distracting my train of thought when trying to be in the moment with the patient. Repeatedly asking the patient if he had any other concerns he would like to address may have given him the feeling of being rushed and that I was not interested in how he was feeling emotionally (Appendix A). On a few occasions, I would finish my patients sentence for him as I felt he was stuck for words, this may have allowed the patient to know I was listening to what he was saying, but also might have given him the idea that I was being rude (Appendix A). During the introduction stage of the experience, my patient told me he was in the hospital due to a heart attack. Empathy is the appreciation of the patient’s emotions and expression of awareness of what they are presenting (Haslam, 2007). My nerves caused me to overlook his feelings and just right into asking him about any concerns he might have with his state of health (Appendix A). It is possible to slip into a task-and time-orientated way of thinking to get jobs done, thereby neglecting effective communication with patients (Cocker, 2008). Consequences that may have developed from overlooking the patients feelings was the challenge of developing a closer relationship with the client as I was interested in obtaining information to help me solve his problems. Rushing my patient through the experience may have caused him to close himself off from the relationship as he may have felt that I was not listening to what he was truly feeling. This would leave the patient in the same state he had entered the experience with. The sources of knowledge that I could use to enhance my relational skills in these areas, is to take the time to practice with a partner a variety of scenarios that would help me develop my communication skills and place more focus on the patients feelings. The outcome of this experience was positive as my patient left feeling more encouraged and had obtained multiple resources to help him incorporate any changes that he may need to adjust within his daily routines (Appendix A). Looking back at this experience I was able to reflect on all of the positive  and negative aspects of a therapeutic relationship. I feel that the next time I am placed in a similar experience, I will be able to blindside my anxiety and personal thoughts and feelings. In turn, I would have the ability to be in the moment with my patients and address not only how I can help solve his problems, but also the feelings and thoughts being experienced. I have learnt that having self awareness identifies what skills I possess and those I need to learn and develop on. Self awareness provides nurses with knowledge of their thoughts, feelings and what they do to become awareness of issues that may affect their ability to intervene effectively (Parsons & White, 2008). Ther e will always be room to learn and improve my skills, and with practice, I will get the chance to watch them become second nature to me. This experience has taught me to avoid all the barriers such as the presence of anxiety in new situations. With confidence in creating an effective therapeutic relationship, I can focus on being in the moment with the patient. I have learnt that my anxiety can affect my interactions with patients, and that it is more than trying to solve the patients problems, it is about showing you care and being there in the moment to listen. This experience has allowed me to realize how a nurse’s action can affect the development of a therapeutic relationship. My ethical knowledge allowed me to recognize my patients overwhelmed feelings due to his health condition and by following my values and beliefs, I knew that he was in need of someone to care and help guide him in the right direction. Using my aesthetic knowledge, I was able to think of possible resources for my patient, and the creative idea of finding a previous heart attack patient showed my patient that I was willing to take that extra step and comfort his feelings. The knowledge gained from this experience can be incorporated into future situations and will allow for proper adjustments and better relationships to be developed. Lacking empirical knowledge before entering the scenario was a barrier that challenged my patient care. Knowing more information on heart attacks would have allowed me to present the patient with more options and what he could expect in the future (RNAO, 2002). Acknowledging my personal knowledge gathered from previous experiences, I considered how I would like to be treated and that anxiety would be present. Knowing this helped me to reduce my fidgeting and respect my patient by actively listening and keeping eye contact (Appendix A). This experience  will influence my future practice as a nurse because I have learnt that nursing is more than working on fixing the patients physical needs, but is more of an ethical interaction where you can take the time to be there in the moment with them. Looking at each experience as a stepping stone toward my success as a nurse and with each successful hurdle crossed, I can confidently await the next. â€Æ'Reference Beddoe, A., and Murphy, S. (2004). Does Mindfulness Decrease Stress and Foster Empathy Among Nursing Students? Journal of Nursing Education, 43(7), 305-12. Retrieved April 4, 2008, from ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health Source database. (Document ID: 669281021). Carper, B.A. (1978) Fundamental Patterns of Knowing in Nursing. New York. Aspen Publishers, Inc. Cocker, J. (2008). Patient dignity. Nursing Standard, 22(25), 59-60. Retrieved April 4, 2008, from ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health Source database. (Document ID: 1440306621). College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO), (2004, January). CNO Practice Standard: Therapeutic Nurse-Client Relationship. Retrieved February 15, 2008, from http://cno.org/docs/prac/41033_Therapeutic.pdfHaslam, N. (2007). Humanising medical practice: the role of empathy. Medical Journal of Australia, 187(7), 381-2. Retrieved April 4, 2008, from ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health Source database. (Document ID: 1374608891). Parsons,A., and White, J. (2008). Learning from reflection on intramuscular injections. Nursing Standard, 22(17), 35-40. Retrieved April 4, 2008, from ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health Source database. (Document ID: 1413949861). Registered Nurses of Ontario (RNAO), (2002, Novemeber). Best Practice Guidelines: Establishing Therapeutic Relationships. Retrieved January 15, 2008 from http://www.rnao.org/bestpractices/completed_guidelines/BPG_Guide_C2_TR.asp

How should Today's Youth Combat Negative Moral Influences Essay

How should Today's Youth Combat Negative Moral Influences - Essay Example As the essay declares some youth have psychological problems that make social and academic success difficult. Some attend disorganized and disruptive schools and fail to engage in academic pursuits. Some live in chaotic neighborhoods with few resources or outlets for positive social activities. Some are excluded from peer groups and have few, if any, wholesome friends. These risk factors, particularly when several are present, increase the likelihood of negative behavior and indulging in violence. Conditions such as maltreatment or neglect by family members, friends, and society increase the chance that a youth will make unhealthy or unlawful choices. This paper stresses that several studies show that conditions such as poverty, unemployment, poor education, discrimination, and despair lay the foundation for alcohol and other drug-related problems. These conditions must be alleviated. There are several strategies identified that could help today’s youth to combat negative moral influences. The first and foremost is the willingness of the individual to change themselves. A coordinated effort from the family, schools and the society is essential in order to create such willingness among individuals. Besides, it is important to focus on increasing skills or abilities of the youth and it is equally vital to focus on changing and improving social systems that create these conditions. Parental care is one of the most important issues widely discussed in relation to shaping the future of children.

Animals in American History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Animals in American History - Essay Example Slideshow 4:2 contain a dog and horses coexisting with human beings. The picture demonstrates a democratic society where even animal rights are observed. The crowd seems to be busy with their own agenda and no one interferes with the freedom of the dog. Further, slideshow 4:3 demonstrates a free dog in the middle of a crowd. The picture is also an exclusive indication of a democratic society where animal rights are observed as those of humans. In the gilded age is characterized by championing the rights of children and animals in the society. The pictures in slideshow 7:33 of a child holding a horse statue, portrays the defenseless in the society. Children and animals needed protection from abuse in the eve of nineteenth century and in modern American society. In the slideshow 9:27, there is a police dog near a policeman inspecting a car. The presence of the dog in the picture resonates with safety claim of the car model. Dogs have been for a long period considered as a source of

Promoting Creativity and Creative Learning in Young Children Assignment

Promoting Creativity and Creative Learning in Young Children - Assignment Example It involves ensuring opportunities for children making connections within specific learning areas, and guarantee that these children relate to these learning areas. Creative learning activities may often be focused on specific goals. Creative thinking is free and open (Runco and Pritzker, 1999). It also uses both convergent and divergent thinking in ensuring creative problem-solving techniques. In thinking creatively, one idea may emerge from convergent thinking, and vice versa for divergent thinking (Runco and Pritzker, 1999). Creativity and creative learning support children overall development because creativity allows the children to be involved in a trial and error learning (Fasko, 2001). It also supports collaboration, curiosity, as well as experimentation, thereby allowing the children to be as free as possible in their learning process. Through creativity, more freedom is allowed for children, allowing them to make discoveries in learning for themselves (Fasko, 2001). There is a huge degree of play involved in learning as children explore a problem, as they think of abstract processes on how to manage such problem and how they can apply such solutions to the concrete issue. Games and creativity are often seen as frivolous activities; however, these activities often involve mental efforts, calling for the children’s participation in managing problems. It prompts them to collaborate and simulate actual scenarios (Thomas, 2013). Play allows abstract ideas to be more relevant in the children†™s mind, ensuring that an abstract idea would have more meaning to them. In order to support creativity in the classroom setting, some academics advise on the importance of leaving the concept of the teacher-authority figure behind. Students, therefore, have to be encouraged to ask their teacher questions. Where interaction sets in, collaboration follows, with possibilities for creativity being introduced.  

Comparative Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Comparative Justice - Essay Example tries to delve into the basis of the US legal system, it becomes lucidly clear that the US legal system as per the Judi-Christian tradition, traces its origins in relation to some divine power. The US notions of justice, fairness and honesty have their moorings in the Biblical texts. Similarly, the Islamic law traces its origins to the Holy Quran and the Islamic legal system believes law to be an expression of the will of God (Terrill, 2009). The other pivotal fact is that the US legal system tends to employ the tool of law to shape a specific type of society that is in consonance with the essential American values and ethics. In other words, In America, the law is also considered to be a means of shaping and constructing a desirable society. In that context, the purpose of Islamic law is also the same. The Islamic law also intends to shape a society that is in consonance with the quintessential Islamic values, ethics and aspirations. However, there exist also marked differences between the Islamic legal system and the US legal system. The US legal system tends to guide and restrain the actions of its denizens within a defined social domain. In contrast, the Islamic legal system not only pertains to the legal rights and obligations of its citizens but also tends to define their ethical aspirations. In other words an Islamic legal system not only governs as to what its citizens could do, but also defines as to what they cannot do (Terrill, 2009, p. 612). The second thing is that the US legal system is subservient to the requirements of the time and social circumstances that is the US law is open to relative interpretations. However, the Islamic legal system considers Sharia to be an expression of the will of God that is sacrosanct and unchangeable in all times and societies (Terrill, 2009, p. 598). As per the Islamic legal system, it is not the law that is subservient to the requirements of the society, but rather it is the society that is to mould itself as per

G-III Apparel Group Inc IPO Valuation Case Study

G-III Apparel Group Inc IPO Valuation - Case Study Example The growth looks impressive, but the firm should not expect that type of continuous growth since in the apparel industry prolonged above average growth is rare. The company operates in a fragmented industry, but its 10% market share is relative large which gives the firm a competitive advantage. The company is perfectly positioned to achieve further growth by utilizing an acquisitions strategy. A positive aspect of the IPO plans of the firm is that company plans on reducing its long term and short term obligations from $22.3 million to $6.4 million. This strategic move is very wise because the firm is reducing its fixed costs by lowering its total debt. The organization has a workforce composed of 235 employees. G-III generated in 1989 total sales of $98.78 million. A strategy that has helped the company generate revenues at different price points is the use of multiple brands. Three of the brands the firm owns are G-III, Siena, and Cayenne. 6. Who is Oppenheimer? What was the role o f Oppenheimer in the process? Was Oppenheimer’s role commensurate with its fees? Oppenheimer is the firm that handled the IPO. The person from Oppenheimer that was in charge of the IPO was Richard White. The IPO process began in September 1989 and it was completed three months later on December of 1989. The stock of G-III following the IPO was going to be traded in NASDAQ. The underwriter price obtained by Oppenheimer was $0.91per share. I believe the fees that Oppenheimer negotiated were reasonable. The $0.91 per share price was equivalent to a 7% commission. 7. Was $13 an appropriate price for G-III? What was the intrinsic value of a share of G-III? The intrinsic value of a stock can be defined as the actual value of the firm which may be different that the market value of the shares of a company. There are several metrics that can help an investor determine the intrinsic value of a company. The book value of G-III can be calculated by subtracting total debt from total asse ts (Little). Prior to the IPO the book value of the company was $18,923,000. The book value per share of the company was $4.07 (18923000 / 4644144). The market to book ratio assuming the $13 price is the market price was $3.19. The earnings per share of the firm in 1989 was $1.28. The price earnings ratio is calculated dividing the market price of the company by its EPS (Garrison & Noreen). Based on the $13 IPO price the price-earnings ratio of the company is $10.15. Due to the intrinsic value of the company I believe that the firm got a good deal by selling the stocks at $13, since this price is three times higher than the book value of the firm. 8. How would picking the wrong comparables influence estimates? Choosing the wrong comparable can distort the information which can lead to making bad decisions in regards to the valuation of G-III. One of the problems the company faced when it was choosing comparables was that most companies in this niche industry were not public which ma de it hard to find information regarding the industry financial performance norm. The problem with choosing wrong comparables is that it can undervalue or overvalue a firm. If the analysis undervalues the firm the company would be selling the stock at too cheap of a price. An overvaluation could hurt the company because investors might not be willing to buy at the high price which could lead to disastrous results in the IPO. 12. Did G-III display

The European sovereign debt crisis during 2010-2011 Essay

The European sovereign debt crisis during 2010-2011 - Essay Example Historically, when a sovereign nation’s governmental debt exceeds the annual GDP of the country, the risk increases proportionately that the country will default on all or a portion of the debt requirements, particularly in the circumstances where the debt instruments are held by foreigners or in another currency than the national coin. The ability of sovereign nations to generally print money without formal external control is well established and the example of Zimbabwe is an extreme example of this, but the United States has also reached a debt level that is over $15.5 trillion USD or near 100% of the annual GDP outlook, while the economy is also declining and recessionary,. The U.S. Federal Reserve may also print money to bailout banks in the U.S. and abroad, as it has done following the Lehman bankruptcy, but the Eurozone situation is more complex. Nations like Greece now have their debt valued in Euros rather than Drachma and the sovereign is no longer able to print mone y, deflate the currency, and cover government debts in the manner of the U.S. central bank. Instead, it appears as if Greece will either default or be bailed out by other Eurozone members, while Wall Street and stock markets around the world react daily to these events and news stories as they herald serious consequences for the international economy that is interconnected during the era of globalization. Political Dynamics of the Eurozone Economy The Eurozone is a political experiment that involves a common currency (the Euro) and a number of sovereign nations that retain their political autonomy in budgetary and domestic affairs while moving together towards ever greater unity in government on the supra-national level. This dichotomy has led to the nations of the Eurozone abandoning their national currencies, but still operating domestically with differing levels of economic production, taxation, social expenditures, and national debt levels. The U.K. and Switzerland remain outsid e of the Eurozone and under their own traditional currencies, the Pound and Swiss Franc. Germany, France, and other Northern European nations are generally seen as being economically stronger than the Southern European countries, with the acronym â€Å"PIGS† being used for the countries Portugal, Italy, Greece, and Spain with the worst economic outlook, budgetary problems, and largest national debt requirements in comparison to GDP. Ireland has been considered a part of this group by some (PIIGS), as the country experienced generally the same problems in an overheated banking, real estate, and finance sector which formed a bubble and popped, leaving the taxpayers and national government responsible for the bailout. Yet, while Ireland and Iceland have already crashed previously before the 2008-2009 meltdown in their national economies due to the problems in financial regulation and overextension of risk taking via leverage in investment banking, the

Naval Ground Strategy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Naval Ground Strategy - Assignment Example t, the security of a large and expanding system of international trade in the 20th century would depend on the creation of a transnational consortium of naval power (i.e., the U.S. and Britain).2 Mahan advocated for application of sea power through a big navy which according to him was significant in commerce and economic warfare. He believed that the nation or a group of nations that commanded the sea could be in a good position to draw trade, wealth, and economic resources of the world and was most likely to win wars3. During the civil war, naval weaknesses of the southern states led to seaborne assault. In the course of the four years of conflict, the territorial integrity and economic vivacity of the south were compromised by the union army and navy.4 In this regard, Mahan’s view of navy power could be seen as accounts of truth that were to happen. On the case of Britain, Mahan believed that in late 18th and 19th centuries, Britain had been better placed because parliament had been dominated by men with close ties to maritime commerce. In his view of naval supremacy in the 20th century, he believed that not a single democratized nation would be capable of commanding such supremacy and that this would only be exercised by a transnational group of navies.5 However, he insisted that the basis of such an arrangement would not be formal agreement but absence of political conflict. In his view, he believed that Britain and the United States would constitute such cooperation. However, in quest for superpower supremacy, the US has predominantly set its programs and doctrines to enable it attain this dream. In September 2002, the bush administration issued its national security strategy, which advocated for use of force to get rid of any apparent challenge to US global hegemony.6 This could be analyzed as grand strategy by the US to maintain its world dominance. However, in many situations, the US mission can be termed as a failed one. In fact, due to its dominance

Planned Approach to Change Essay Example for Free

Planned Approach to Change Essay The work of Kurt Lewin dominated the theory and practice of change management for over 40 years. However, in the past 20 years, Lewin’s approach to change, particularly the 3-Step model, has attracted major criticisms. The key ones are that his work: assumed organizations operate in a stable state; was only suitable for small-scale change projects; ignored organizational power and politics; and was top-down and management-driven. This article seeks to re-appraise Lewin’s work and challenge the validity of these views. It begins by describing Lewin’s background and beliefs, especially his commitment to resolving social conï ¬â€šict. The article then moves on to examine the main elements of his Planned approach to change: Field Theory; Group Dynamics; Action Research; and the 3-Step model. This is followed by a brief summary of the major developments in the ï ¬ eld of organizational change since Lewin’s death which, in turn, leads to an examination of the main criticisms levelled at Lewin’s work. The article concludes by arguing that rather than being outdated or redundant, Lewin’s approach is still relevant to the modern world. INTRODUCTION Freud the clinician and Lewin the experimentalist – these are the two men whose names will stand out before all others in the history of our psychological era.  The above quotation is taken from Edward C Tolman’s memorial address for Kurt Lewin delivered at the 1947 Convention of the American Psychological Association (quoted in Marrow, 1969, p. ix). To many people today it will seem strange that Lewin should have been given equal status with Freud. Some 50 years after his death, Lewin is now mainly remembered as the originator of the 3-Step model of change USA. Address for reprints: Bernard Burnes, Manchester School of Management, UMIST, Manchester M60 1QD, UK ([emailprotected]).dismissed as outdated (Burnes, 2000; Dawson, 1994; Dent and Goldberg, 1999; Hatch, 1997; Kanter et al., 1992; Marshak, 1993). Yet, as this article will argue, his contribution to our understanding of individual and group behaviour and the role these play in organizations and society was enormous and is still relevant. In today’s turbulent and changing world, one might expect Lewin’s pioneering work on change to be seized upon with gratitude, especially given the high failure rate of many change programmes (Huczynski and Buchanan, 2001; Kearney, 1989; Kotter, 1996; Stickland, 1998; Waclawski, 2002; Wastell et al., 1994; Watcher, 1993; Whyte and Watcher, 1992; Zairi et al., 1994). Unfortunately, his commitment to extending democratic values in society and his work on Field Theory, Group Dynamics and Action Research which, together with his 3-Step model, formed an inter-linked, elaborate and robust approach to Planned change, have received less and less attention (Ash, 1992; Bargal et al., 1992; Cooke, 1999). Indeed, from the 1980s, even Lewin’s work on change was increasingly criticized as relevant only to small-scale changes in stable conditions, and for ignoring issues such as organizational politics and conï ¬â€šict. In its place, writers sought to promote a view of change as being constant, and as a political process within organizations (Dawson, 1994; Pettigrew et al., 1992; Wilson, 1992). The purpose of this article is to re-appraise Lewin and his work.. The article begins by describing Lewin’s background, especially the origins of his commitment to resolving social conï ¬â€šict. It then moves on to examine the main elements of his Planned approach to change. This is followed by a description of developments in the ï ¬ eld of organizational change since Lewin’s death, and an evaluation of the criticisms levelled against his work. The article concludes by arguing that rather than being outdated, Lewin’s Planned approach is still very relevant to the needs of the modern world. LEWIN’S BACKGROUND Few social scientists can have received the level of praise and admiration  that has been heaped upon Kurt Lewin (Ash, 1992; Bargal et al., 1992; Dent and Goldberg, 1999; Dickens and Watkins, 1999; Tobach, 1994). As Edgar Schein (1988, p. 239) enthusiastically commented: There is little question that the intellectual father of contemporary theories of applied behavioural science, action research and planned change is Kurt Lewin. His seminal work on leadership style and the experiments on planned change which took place in World War II in an effort to change consumer behaviour launched a whole generation of research in group dynamics and the implementation of change programs. 978 B. Burnes  © Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2004For most of his life, Lewin’s main preoccupation was the resolution of social con- ï ¬â€šict and, in particular, the problems of minority or disadvantaged groups. Underpinning this preoccupation was a strong belief that only the permeation of democratic values into all facets of society could prevent the worst extremes of social conï ¬â€šict. As his wife wrote in the Preface to a volume of his collected work published after his death: Kurt Lewin was so constantly and predominantly preoccupied with the task of advancing the conceptual representation of the social-psychological world, and at the same time he was so ï ¬ lled with the urgent desire to use his theoretical insight for the building of a better world, that it is difï ¬ cult to decide which of these two sources of motivation ï ¬â€šowed with greater energy or vigour. (Lewin, 1948b) To a large extent, his interests and beliefs stemmed from his background as a German Jew. Lewin was born in 1890 and, for a Jew growing up in Germany, at this time, ofï ¬ cially-approved anti-Semitism was a fact of life. Few Jews could expect to achieve a responsible post in the civil service or universities. Despite this, Lewin was awarded a doctorate at the University of Berlin in 1916 and went on to teach there. Though he was never awarded tenured status, Lewin achieved a growing international reputation in the 1920s as a leader in his ï ¬ eld (Lewin, 1992). However, with the rise of the Nazi Party, Lewin recognized that the position of Jews in Germany was  increasingly threatened. The election of Hitler as Chancellor in 1933 was the ï ¬ nal straw for him; he resigned from the University and moved to America (Marrow, 1969). In America, Lewin found a job ï ¬ rst as a ‘refugee scholar’ at Cornell University and then, from 1935 to 1945, at the University of Iowa. Here he was to embark on an ambitious programme of research which covered topics such as child-parent relations, conï ¬â€šict in marriage, styles of leadership, worker motivation and performance, conï ¬â€šict in industry, group problem-solving, communication and attitude change, racism, anti-Semitism, anti-racism, discrimination and prejudice, integration-segregation, peace, war and poverty (Bargal et al., 1992; Cartwright, 1952; Lewin, 1948a). As Cooke (1999) notes, given the prevalence of racism and antiSemitism in America at the time, much of this work, especially his increasingly public advocacy in support of disadvantaged groups, put Lewin on the political left. During the years of the Second World War, Lewin did much work for the American war effort. This included studies of the morale of front-line troops and psychological warfare, and his famous study aimed at persuading American housewives to buy cheaper cuts of meat (Lewin, 1943a; Marrow, 1969). He was also much in demand as a speaker on minority and inter-group relations Kurt Lewin 979  © Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2004(Smith, 2001). These activities chimed with one of his central preoccupations, which was how Germany’s authoritarian and racist culture could be replaced with one imbued with democratic values. He saw democracy, and the spread of democratic values throughout society, as the central bastion against authoritarianism and despotism. That he viewed the establishment of democracy as a major task, and avoided simplistic and structural recipes, can be gleaned from the following extracts from his article on ‘The special case of Germany’ (Lewin, 1943b): Nazi culture . . . is deeply rooted, particularly in the youth on whom the . . . future depends. It is a culture which is centred around power as the supreme value and which denounces justice and equality . . . (p. 43) To be  stable, a cultural change has to penetrate all aspects of a nation’s life. The change must, in short, be a change in the ‘cultural atmosphere,’ not merely a change of a single item. (p. 46) Change in culture requires the change of leadership forms in every walk of life. At the start, particularly important is leadership in those social areas which are fundamental from the point of view of power. (p. 55) With the end of the War, Lewin established the Research Center for Group Dynamics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The aim of the Center was to investigate all aspects of group behaviour, especially how it could be changed. At the same time, he was also chief architect of the Commission on Community Interrelations (CCI). Founded and funded by the American Jewish Congress, its aim was the eradication of discrimination against all minority groups. As Lewin wrote at the time, ‘We Jews will have to ï ¬ ght for ourselves and we will do so strongly and with good conscience. We also know that the ï ¬ ght of the Jews is part of the ï ¬ ght of all minorities for democratic equality of rights and opportunities . . .’ (quoted in Marrow, 1969, p. 175). In pursuing this objective, Lewin believed that his work on Group Dynamics and Action Research would provide the key tools for the CCI. Lewin was also inï ¬â€šuential in establishing the Tavistock Institute in the UK and its Journal, Human Relations ( Jaques, 1998; Marrow, 1969). In addition, in 1946, the Connecticut State Inter-Racial Commission asked Lewin to help train leaders and conduct research on the most effective means of combating racial and religious prejudice in communities. This led to the development of sensitivity training and the creation, in 1947, of the now famous National Training Laboratories. However, his huge workload took its toll on his health, and on 11 February 1947 he died of a heart attack (Lewin, 1992). 980 B. Burnes  © Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2004LEWIN’S WORK Lewin was a humanitarian who believed that only by resolving social conï ¬â€šict, whether it be religious, racial, marital or industrial, could the human condition be improved. Lewin believed that the key to resolving social  conï ¬â€šict was to facilitate learning and so enable individuals to understand and restructure their perceptions of the world around them. In this he was much inï ¬â€šuenced by the Gestalt psychologists he had worked with in Berlin (Smith, 2001). A unifying theme of much of his work is the view that ‘. . . the group to which an individual belongs is the ground for his perceptions, his feelings and his actions’ (Allport, 1948, p. vii). Though Field Theory, Group Dynamics, Action Research and the 3-Step model of change are often treated as separate themes of his work, Lewin saw them as a uniï ¬ ed whole with each element supporting and reinforcing the others and all of them necessary to understand and bring about Planned change, whether it be at the level of the individual, group, organization or even society (Bargal and Bar, 1992; Kippenberger, 1998a, 1998b; Smith, 2001). As Allport (1948, p. ix) states: ‘All of his concepts, whatever root-metaphor they employ, comprise a single wellintegrated system’. This can be seen from examining these four aspects of his work in turn. Field Theory This is an approach to understanding group behaviour by trying to map out the totality and complexity of the ï ¬ eld in which the behaviour takes place (Back, 1992). Lewin maintained that to understand any situation it was necessary that: ‘One should view the present situation – the status quo – as being maintained by certain conditions or forces’ (Lewin, 1943a, p. 172). Lewin (1947b) postulated that group behaviour is an intricate set of symbolic interactions and forces that not only affect group structures, but also modify individual behaviour. Therefore, individual behaviour is a function of the group environment or ‘ï ¬ eld’, as he termed it. Consequently, any changes in behaviour stem from changes, be they small or large, in the forces within the ï ¬ eld (Lewin, 1947a). Lewin deï ¬ ned a ï ¬ eld as ‘a totality of coexisting facts which are conceived of as mutually interdependent . . .’ (Lewin, 1946, p. 240). Lewin believed that a ï ¬ eld was in a continuous state of adaptation and that ‘Change and constancy are relative concepts; group life is never without change, merely differences in the amount and type of change exist’ (Lewin, 1947a, p. 199). This is why Lewin used the term ‘quasi-stationary equilibrium’ to indicate that whilst there might be a rhythm and pattern to the behaviour and processes of a group, these tended  to ï ¬â€šuctuate constantly owing to changes in the forces or circumstances that impinge on the group. Lewin’s view was that if one could identify, plot and establish the potency of these forces, then it would be possible not only to understand why individuals, Kurt Lewin 981  Ã‚ © Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2004groups and organizations act as they do, but also what forces would need to be diminished or strengthened in order to bring about change. In the main, Lewin saw behavioural change as a slow process; however, he did recognize that under certain circumstances, such as a personal, organizational or societal crisis, the various forces in the ï ¬ eld can shift quickly and radically. In such situations, established routines and behaviours break down and the status quo is no longer viable; new patterns of activity can rapidly emerge and a new equilibrium (or quasistationary equilibrium) is formed (Kippenberger, 1998a; Lewin, 1947a). Despite its obvious value as a vehicle for understanding and changing group behaviour, with Lewin’s death, the general interest in Field Theory waned (Back, 1992; Gold, 1992; Hendry, 1996). However, in recent years, with the work of Argyris (1990) and Hirschhorn (1988) on understanding and overcoming resistance to change, Lewin’s work on Field Theory has once again begun to attract interest. According to Hendry (1996), even critics of Lewin’s work have drawn on Field Theory to develop their own models of change (see Pettigrew et al., 1989, 1992). Indeed, parallels have even been drawn between Lewin’s work and the work of complexity theorists (Kippenberger, 1998a). Back (1992), for example, argued that the formulation and behaviour of complex systems as described by Chaos and Catastrophe theorists bear striking similarities to Lewin’s conceptualization of Field Theory. Nevertheless, Field Theory is now probably the least understood element of Lewin’s work, yet, because of its potential to map the forces impinging on an individual, group or organization, it underpinned the other elements of his work. Group Dynamics the word ‘dynamics’ . . . comes from a Greek word meaning force . . . ‘group . . . dynamics’ refers to the forces operating in groups . . . it is a  study of these forces: what gives rise to them, what conditions modify them, what consequences they have, etc. (Cartwright, 1951, p. 382) Lewin was the ï ¬ rst psychologist to write about ‘group dynamics’ and the importance of the group in shaping the behaviour of its members (Allport, 1948; Bargal et al., 1992). Indeed, Lewin’s (1939, p. 165) deï ¬ nition of a ‘group’ is still generally accepted: ‘. . . it is not the similarity or dissimilarity of individuals that constitutes a group, but interdependence of fate’. As Kippenberger (1998a) notes, Lewin was addressing two questions: What is it about the nature and characteristics of a particular group which causes it to respond (behave) as it does to the forces which impinge on it, and how can these forces be changed in order to elicit a more desirable form of behaviour? It was to address these questions that Lewin began to develop the concept of Group Dynamics. Group Dynamics stresses that group behaviour, rather than that of individuals, should be the main focus of change (Bernstein, 1968; Dent and Goldberg, 1999). Lewin (1947b) maintained that it is fruitless to concentrate on changing the behaviour of individuals because the individual in isolation is constrained by group pressures to conform. Consequently, the focus of change must be at the group level and should concentrate on factors such as group norms, roles, interactions and socialization processes to create ‘disequilibrium’ and change (Schein, 1988). Lewin’s pioneering work on Group Dynamics not only laid the foundations for our understanding of groups (Cooke, 1999; Dent and Goldberg, 1999; French and Bell, 1984; Marrow, 1969; Schein, 1988) but has also been linked to complexity theories by researchers examining self-organizing theory and non-linear systems (Tschacher and Brunner, 1995). However, understanding the internal dynamics of a group is not sufï ¬ cient by itself to bring about change. Lewin also recognized the need to provide a process whereby the members could be engaged in and committed to changing their behaviour. This led Lewin to develop Action Research and the 3-Step model of change. Action Research This term was coined by Lewin (1946) in an article entitled ‘Action research and minority problems’. Lewin stated in the article: In the last year and a half I have had occasion to have contact with a great variety of organizations, institutions, and individuals who came for help in the ï ¬ eld of group relations. (Lewin, 1946, p. 201) However, though these people exhibited . . .  a great amount of good-will, of readiness to face the problem squarely and . . . really do something about it . . . These eager people feel themselves to be in a fog. They feel in a fog on three counts: 1. What is the present situation? 2. What are the dangers? 3. And most importantly of all, what shall we do? (Lewin, 1946, p. 201) Lewin conceived of Action Research as a two-pronged process which would allow groups to address these three questions. Firstly, it emphasizes that change requires action, and is directed at achieving this. Secondly, it recognizes that successful action is based on analysing the situation correctly, identifying all the possible alternative solutions and choosing the one most appropriate to the situation at hand (Bennett, 1983). To be successful, though, there has also to be a ‘felt-need’. FeltKurt Lewin 983  © Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2004need is an individual’s inner realization that change is necessary. If felt-need is low in the group or organization, introducing change becomes problematic. The theoretical foundations of Action Research lie in Gestalt psychology, which stresses that change can only successfully be achieved by helping individuals to reï ¬â€šect on and gain new insights into the totality of their situation. Lewin (1946, p. 206) stated that Action Research ‘. . . proceeds in a spiral of steps each of which is composed of a circle of planning, action, and fact-ï ¬ nding about the results of the action.’ It is an iterative process whereby research leads to action and action leads to evaluation and further research. As Schein (1996, p. 64) comments, it was Lewin’s view that ‘. . . one cannot understand an organization without trying to change it . . .’ Indeed, Lewin’s view was very much that the understanding and learning which this process produces for the individuals and groups concerned, which then feeds into changed  behaviour, is more important than any resulting change as such (Lewin, 1946). To this end, Action Research draws on Lewin’s work on Field Theory to identify the forces that focus on the group to which the individual belongs. It also draws on Group Dynamics to understand why group members behave in the way they do when subjected to these forces. Lewin stressed that the routines and patterns of behaviour in a group are more than just the outcome of opposing forces in a forceï ¬ eld. They have a value in themselves and have a positive role to play in enforcing group norms (Lewin, 1947a). Action Research stresses that for change to be effective, it must take place at the group level, and must be a participative and collaborative process which involves all of those concerned (Allport, 1948; Bargal et al., 1992; French and Bell, 1984; Lewin, 1947b).