Friday, December 27, 2019

Getting an Associates Degree in Paralegal Studies 2019

You may be able to find a position in a law office at some level with an associates degree in paralegal studies. With an associates degree, you will be exposed to general education classes that will improve your communication and writing skills, as well as help you feel more comfortable in a professional setting. An individual with an entry level position at a law office that doesnt necessarily require training, might be able to take on a more critical role with an associates degree. There are also certificate programs available that can offer the basic preparatory training for a paralegals job. There is an online associates degree program in paralegal studies available through Kaplan University. The classes required under this program provide a comprehensive background in liberal arts as well as classes that focus on specific skills that paralegals will need. Courses include writing and composition, basic mathematics, history and social science. With this degree, you will have a more well rounded education than with a certificate program. .u3e5e79d6b84530929067795f962986f7 { padding:0px; margin: 0; padding-top:1em!important; padding-bottom:1em!important; width:100%; display: block; font-weight:bold; background-color:#eaeaea; border:0!important; border-left:4px solid #34495E!important; box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); -moz-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); -o-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); -webkit-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); text-decoration:none; } .u3e5e79d6b84530929067795f962986f7:active, .u3e5e79d6b84530929067795f962986f7:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; text-decoration:none; } .u3e5e79d6b84530929067795f962986f7 { transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; } .u3e5e79d6b84530929067795f962986f7 .ctaText { font-weight:bold; color:inherit; text-decoration:none; font-size: 16px; } .u3e5e79d6b84530929067795f962986f7 .post Title { color:#000000; text-decoration: underline!important; font-size: 16px; } .u3e5e79d6b84530929067795f962986f7:hover .postTitle { text-decoration: underline!important; } READ Online Education Options in HealthcareThis course of study that Kaplan University offers also provides in-depth classes that introduce law and the business of law. Classes cover various issues that a paralegal may encounter on the job such as legal research, civil rights, and criminal law. Some tasks that a paralegal may be required to do while assisting an attorney may be drafting trial arguments, interviewing a client, preparing and filing court documents, writing a court pleading, or perhaps interrogating on behalf of counsel. Anything that takes place in a law office can be handled by a paralegal, but they would not represent a client in a courtroom. Are you interested in an online associates degree program in paralegal studies? Here is an outline of how the course of study might run: First Semester: Introduction to Business, Paralegalism I: Business Communications, Paralegalism II: Business Law Second Semester: Personal Finance Torts, Business Communications II, Civil Litigation, American Government .ube15c4bf747f77575424943e98f61bba { padding:0px; margin: 0; padding-top:1em!important; padding-bottom:1em!important; width:100%; display: block; font-weight:bold; background-color:#eaeaea; border:0!important; border-left:4px solid #34495E!important; box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); -moz-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); -o-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); -webkit-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); text-decoration:none; } .ube15c4bf747f77575424943e98f61bba:active, .ube15c4bf747f77575424943e98f61bba:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; text-decoration:none; } .ube15c4bf747f77575424943e98f61bba { transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; } .ube15c4bf747f77575424943e98f61bba .ctaText { font-weight:bold; color:inherit; text-decoration:none; font-size: 16px; } .ube15c4bf747f77575424943e98f61bba .post Title { color:#000000; text-decoration: underline!important; font-size: 16px; } .ube15c4bf747f77575424943e98f61bba:hover .postTitle { text-decoration: underline!important; } READ Roads to an IT Career - Institutes of ITThird Semester: Business Mathematics, Introduction to Psychology, Law Office Management, Criminal Law and Procedures, Real Estate Law Fourth Semester: Introduction to Computers, Family Law Administration of Wills, Trusts and Estates, Income Tax Fundamentals, Legal Research and Writing As you can see, there is a mix of general education classes and legal issue related courses. The length of time each semester takes will depend on which online institution you are enrolled in. There are some programs that move at a much more accelerated pace than others. The job description of a paralegal is far from uniform, and can vary from place to place. Some paralegal degree or certificate holders may run a law office or serve as a clerk for a judge. Other paralegals may focus on handling trial pleadings and arguments. There are many different career paths to take with an associates degree in paralegal studies. .u1a484c3abec960382bc029809a043633 { padding:0px; margin: 0; padding-top:1em!important; padding-bottom:1em!important; width:100%; display: block; font-weight:bold; background-color:#eaeaea; border:0!important; border-left:4px solid #34495E!important; box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); -moz-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); -o-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); -webkit-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); text-decoration:none; } .u1a484c3abec960382bc029809a043633:active, .u1a484c3abec960382bc029809a043633:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; text-decoration:none; } .u1a484c3abec960382bc029809a043633 { transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; } .u1a484c3abec960382bc029809a043633 .ctaText { font-weight:bold; color:inherit; text-decoration:none; font-size: 16px; } .u1a484c3abec960382bc029809a043633 .post Title { color:#000000; text-decoration: underline!important; font-size: 16px; } .u1a484c3abec960382bc029809a043633:hover .postTitle { text-decoration: underline!important; } READ Career in Sociology Potential Occupations for the Professional with a Sociology DegreeRelated ArticlesParalegal Career EducationAssociates Degree in Paralegal Studies On the InternetDegree Programs for the ParalegalParalegal Degree Options OnlineFind Law, Criminal Justice, Social Science Degree ProgramsFind Online Law and Social Science Degree Programs

Thursday, December 19, 2019

The Power Of Knowledge Is A Fundamental Component Of Being...

The Power of Knowledge Knowledge is a fundamental component of being human. The ability to comprehend information, apply it to the future as well as understand the past, is remarkable. Without knowledge, there could be no critical thinking, empathy, or technological progress. This is an incredible ingredient of our makeup that touches every aspect of human life, and arguably the ingredient that makes us human. The great scholars and philosophers have understood this for thousands of years and have documented as such in their works. The Biblical Genesis, which purportedly describes the first humans, shows how knowledge was first obtained, showing from an early age that man understood its importance. Aesop’s fables from ancient times use the acquisition and application of knowledge as a cornerstone for their construction. Homer’s Odyssey and Dante’s Inferno, both great recognized works, demonstrate protagonists with prudent minds, and the rewards that follow their actions. Prudence was a highly valued attribute to these authors, in which knowledge, both possessing and applying, is the key to the successes and failures of their characters, and also from a religious aspect, a determiner of their ultimate fates. Genesis tells the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. These are said to be the first humans in God’s Earthly creation. They are given all they need to survive and live in a world of paradise. In addition to the trees used for sustenance, God placesShow MoreRelatedThe s Belief System A Worldview1744 Words   |  7 Pagesdiffering worldviews. Noting the differences between various forms of faith is extremely important in the health care field in order to promote healing within the patient. The health care professionals must be able to ensure that the form of care being provided does not offend or go against the patient’s belief system. Two major religions that exist in the world today are Christianity and Scientology. In Christianity, faith is centered on God. These individuals are devoted to the word of God throughRead MoreThe Human Race : A Great Deal Over The Course Of Recent History Essay1050 Words   |  5 PagesAbstract The human race has advanced a great deal over the course of recent history, particularly so since the 18th century. Countless of these developments in society can be attributed to the achievements of engineers - however, despite this, many do not realise their contribution and importance. One of the fundamental bases behind these engineering feats is the harnessing of energy sources, such as electrical and heat energy. This has allowed for many innovations, for example power stations, transportationRead MoreThe Structure and Agency Debate987 Words   |  4 Pagessocial actors. This essay takes the position that structuration solves the problem of this much contested debate. Initially key concepts and elements of structuration will be pointed out .These elements include structure, agency, social systems and power amongst many others. Subsequently, there will be engagement of a discussion of different schools of thought and finally it will be demonstrated how structuration prevails ov er the structure-agency debate. Socialization Socialization is an ongoing processRead MoreWilliam Golding s Lord Of The Flies1745 Words   |  7 Pages1954 novel, Lord of the Flies by Nobel Prize-winner William Golding is a dystopian allegory indicative of vast aspects of the human condition. Set in the midst of a nuclear war, the text details a group of marooned British school boys as they regress to a primitive state. Free from the rules and structures of civilisation and society, the boys split into factions - some attempting to maintain order and achieve common goals; others seeking anarchy and violence. The novel is based on Golding’s experienceRead MoreSocrates946 Words   |  4 PagesApproaching Philosophy Deirdre Cuyler AIU ONLINE Metaphysics: Metaphysics is a derivative of philosophy that examines the fundamental configuration and nature of that which is genuine and authentic (real). At the existing time, we as mortals have no forthright way of discerning what is real. Reality consists of everything we encounter. Our thoughts, perceptions, feelingsRead MoreConstructing A Good Human Being : Ethics By Aristotle1594 Words   |  7 PagesConstructing a Good Human Being: Ethics by Aristotle Aristotle’s philosophy of ethics reflects the complexity of human action, deliberation, and human life in general. His philosophy provides a flexible basis for integrating the subjective and the objective. In the books Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle describes five intellectual virtues that help man to be a good human being: technical knowledge, scientific knowledge, philosophical wisdom, intuitive reasoning, and practical wisdom. These intellectualRead MoreThe Main Assumptions Underlying Bourdieu s Conception Of Language1213 Words   |  5 Pagesof language. †¨ Pierre Bourdieu was a sociologist who was concerned with mainly the dynamics of power in society. Bourdieu believes language is a mechanism of power alongside a method of communication. According to Bourdieu, the language one speaks will vary across different social backgrounds. By this we mean that if an individual is from a lower social class, they are expected to speak the fundamentals of the language however, if an individual is from an upper social class they are expected to speakRead MoreLeadership Analysis : Joan Gallos Compiles A Collection Of Authors That Examines The Integral Parts Of Leadership Essay1122 Words   |  5 Pagesimportant constituencies—customers, stockholders, employees—and how easily it can be translated into a realistic competitive strategy† (as cited by Gallos, 2008, p. 8). In other words, an effective vision will include a commitment to the desire of key components of an organization. Furthermore, an effective vision will provide a blueprint for success. Leadership Preparation In the second section, Gallos arranges credible works that explores the preparation of leadership. Gallos (2008) argues, â€Å"An importantRead MoreNursing Profession: The Five Integral Components of Nursing Practice873 Words   |  4 PagesThere are five integral components to nursing practice that reinforce the framework of the nursing profession. The conceptual framework pillars are the following: Caring, Communication, Critical Thinking, Professionalism and Holism. Further, Caring is an essential pillar in the nursing profession and is defined as embracing empathy for the patient and being able to interpret the principles of altruism, integrity, human dignity, autonomy and reflect sensitive, compassionate, safe and outstanding qualityRead MoreWhat Veterinarians Know That Doctors Don t Dr. Natterson Horowitz1552 Words   |  7 Pageszoobiquity, or the connection of animal and human health. Her speech describes how a phone call introduced her to the world of veterinary medici ne and, consequently, led her to promote the concept of physicians and veterinarians working together to further their understanding of medicine and health. In the speech, she provides examples of various instances where human doctors applied animal doctor knowledge to human patients and where animal doctors had the answers human doctors had not yet found. The overarching

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Future of The Retail Store-Kogan Case Study - myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theFuture of The Retail Store-Kogan Case Study. Answer: It is over a decade since Kongan.com was created. The company has grown fast and up to today has delivered over three million products globally(Junglist Simpson, 2015). Currently, the Kogan.com retailing operation involves both physical store and online platform. To overcome the potential competitor, Amazon.com, threat Kogan.com has embarked on expanding its product range. This has been accomplished through expanding its warehouse and other stores to be able to offer a range of products. Besides, the company has diversified its distribution channels by opening stores alongside the online platform. It appears the company has recognized that there is more in the retailing industry than the only online platform. Besides customers who embrace ordering products online, other would prefer to pick them from the store directly. (Junglist Simpson, 2015). This is a customer behavior that Kogan.com has observed and therefore, ending adopting both the physical retailing and e-commerce strategi es. However, the company has given more emphasis on the e-commerce business than physical stores. The appreciation of physical store by Kogan.com, a retail that is known as a leading advocator of the e-retailing is an indication that online platform is not only the solution of doing retail business. As much as businesses need the online retailing the same applies to the physical stores. Based on the Kogan.com case study, this paper will focus on critiquing a journal article on retail stores by Bilal Ahmad Rather. In the journal article titled The Retail Stores: Are they still relevant Rather strives to investigate and establish the relevance of the retail stores in todays digital era(Rather, 2016, p. 394). It is evident that customers want to purchase products with ease by saving time where possible. As a result, e-retailing has entered the retail industry to meet the rising customer demands. It is quite clear that the Clicks are replacing Brick based on the diversified assortments and price benefits associated with the online platform(Rather, 2016, p. 394). This leaves the analysts in the retail industry with the question whether there are still opportunities for the physical stores. Bearing in mind that mobile phones and internet are fast changing the business era, the role of the physical stores in the retail era may never be realized(Rather, 2016, p. 395). Howev er, this paper differs with the Rather's argument and try to hold that businesses need physical stores as much as they need an online platform. To elaborate on the arguments, against the Rathers position; first, this paper opines that there are many security issues associated with the online retailing. For example, consumers, especially the conservative ones are concerned about the security of their debit or credit cards as well the information they provide online when making the purchase. To safeguard their information, they prefer to walk to the store and buy products direct from the shelves. Now, the question remains, how will the online platform cater for these customers? Bearing in mind the goal of the business is to serve a wider market as possible, the online retailers will be left with no other than to embrace the existence of the physical stores. The security issues are accompanied by other issues such as appreciating the culture of going out for shopping as a family over the weekend, the nature of the target market, the available technology in the target market geographical area and many others. Importantly, business thrives by showcasing their products. The online retailing may be unable to show the products being sold by the company. This will force the customers to walk to the stores to view the brands being sold by the company. If the company operates only on the online platform where will the needs of these customers catered for? This the question that Rather's article has appeared to ignore. As noted by Saha (2013, p. 75), it is true that online saves customers a lot of costs such as reduced buying costs and time to walk and from the stores, but with the elimination of the physical stores, it may be a big blow to the retailers. For example, the e-retailers may be forced to incur extra costs by paying the manufactures to showcase products on their behalf. If this strategy is employed, then the retailer may lose the connection with the retailer. Besides, not all customers may be able to reach the manufactures especially for the international retailers like Kogan.com. Add itionally, it is very difficult for this strategy to apply to small and medium business retailers. Therefore, this paper holds that physical retail stores are still relevant even in today's internet era. It is indisputable that technology has greatly transformed the retail industry. However, this not does render physical stores irrelevant. According to Desai, et al., (2015 p. 2) future and the success of the retail industry is tied on both on e-retailing and physical stores. This argument is supported by(Lau, 2017) who notes that, the retailers who ignore both the physical and the digital aspects in the retail industry they may be kicked out of business in future. This because customers appear to appreciate both online and offline retailing. Colliers International GlobalData, (2017) notes that the success of the retail store lies largely on the physical stores. Profitable and huge stores such as Walmart, Woolworth and Macy stores success can be ascribed to the physical stores. These stores started first by establishing physical stores before entering online. Upon entering in the e-retailing business, their online sales have grown even faster than that of Amazon Inc., a giant in e-co mmerce. Besides, it has come as evidence that Amazon, has realized the importance of physical stores by opening a physical retail store in Australia(Blair, 2017). In conclusion, this paper holds that no retail business will be able to thrive without embracing the role of the physical stores. This paper will go further to establish that physical stores should be a priority for all retailers, and therefore, e-retailing will come later as a compliment. From the observation of the stores that started with physical stores such as Walmart and Macy before going online, it is an indication that the success of the retail business lies both on offline and online strategies. E-retailing is still a new strategy that cannot be compared with physical stores in the retail industry. References Blair, D., 2017. Why are online retailers falling in love with physical stores?. [Online] Available at: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/connect/better-business/online-retailers-falling-in-love-with-physical-stores/ [Accessed 23 September 2017]. Colliers International GlobalData, 2017. Why Online Isn't the End of the Physical Retail Store, s.l.: Colliers International GlobalData. Desai, P., Potia, A. Salsberg, B., 2015. The Future of Retail Grocery in a Digital World, s.l.: McKinsey Company. Junglist Simpson, C., 2015. Kogan Is Actually Opening A Brick And Mortar Store. [Online] Available at: https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2015/12/imagining-kogan-as-a-brick-and-mortar-store/ [Accessed 23 September 2017]. Lau, R., 2017. Physical retail stores are still relevant in today's digital world. [Online] Available at: https://www.theborneopost.com/2017/06/28/physical-retail-stores-still-relevant-in-todays-digital-world/ [Accessed 23 September 2017]. Rather, B. A., 2016. The Retail Stores:Are they still relevant. International Journal of Applied Research, 2(7), pp. 394-396. Saha, A., 2013. A Study on "The impact of online shopping upon retail trade business." Journal of Business and Management, 5(2), pp. 74-78.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Presuppositions Of The Game Theory Essays - Pragmatics, Semantics

Presuppositions of the Game Theory Soloman believes that as the game theory gets more sophisticated, we tend to lose sight of the problem rather than solve it. He sees the problem as how to get people to think about business and about themselves in an Aristotelian rather than a neo-Hobbesian (or even a Rawlsian) way, which the game theoretical models simply presuppose. Soloman discusses seven presuppositions in the first section of his "Ethics motivation and self-interest; money and measurement; the anomaly of altruism; good and goals; the open-ended playing field; and the role of the rules. Soloman rejects each presupposition and gives his reasons why. This essay will discuss two of these presuppositions and either agree or disagree with Soloman and then give reasons as to why. The two presuppositions that will be discussed are money and measurement and the role of the rules. Money and Measurement In business, as in most games, we like to keep score. As one of Soloman's businessman friends told him "in business you always know how well you are doing. You just have to put your hand in your pocket." People often think the more money one has, the happier they are. You often hear people say "if I only had more money, I would be happy." Frequently the perceived level of success is compared to the size of one's bank account, the location of their house or the amount of cars in the driveway. People seem to perceive money as being happiness. Soloman says that keeping score, although it is not an essential feature of games, seems to be one of the most durable features of game theory. He thinks that the best way to keep score is to have a dependable point system, a definite unit of worth, which is money. Soloman rejects this presupposition by first stating that "money isn't the only or even primary social good", and "money is only a means and not an end." Soloman agrees with these statements but to further reject this presupposition, he goes on to discuss another example involving money. Social theorists, in general, "like to talk about money, because money is a readily measurable utility, a readily comparable measure, and apparently clear basis for comparison." But even some of these unrefined theorists recognize that equal amounts of money do not have equal significance for different people, therefore money is not an absolute readily measurable utility. Soloman states that various ends are hard to compare and so success and "maximum utility" may be hard to measure. "If we were to assign every end a monetary value, however, and rate various preferences according to their exchange value on the market, we would indeed have a single scale on which to compare and evaluate ends and means and determine utility." I agree with Soloman's reasoning. I do not think that success and "maximum utility" can be so easily measured with money. Almost everyone in the world values money, but not all at the same rate. The importance of money varies from person to person, therefore the "utility of money" varies. Some people rate money as the most important thing to them. These people usually get lost in their everyday work life, doing everything for money and measuring everything with a monetary value. Some people perceive money as important, but not more important than such things as their families, health and freedom. Then, there are some people who are happy with what they have. I was once told that the wealthiest people in the world are the people that are happy with what they have. These people need only enough money to be reasonably comfortable and they believe in the importance of self-esteem and peace of mind. People have different wants and different values, which makes it very hard to use money as an absolute means of measurement. The Role of the Rules We generally conceive games as rule-defined. Almost all games have rules that must be followed in order to play. There are usually steps and strict rules that define games and they are mostly played the same each and every time. Businesses also have rules. They are also defined by

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Free Essays on Parents And Their Children

Parents and Their Children Robert Hayden’s â€Å"Those Winter Sundays† and Adrienne Rich’s â€Å"A Woman Mourned by Daughters† are poems that are based on only one parent. In â€Å"Those Winter Sundays† the parent is a father. In â€Å"A Woman Mourned by Daughters† the parent is a deceased mother. While reading both poems it is clear that both speakers show regard to their parents; however, there is a concrete difference portraying both speakers with different attitudes towards their parents. In both poems the speakers reflect on memories from the past that involve their parents. In â€Å"Those Winter Sundays† the speaker is a child that treated his or her father badly. In â€Å"A Woman Mourned by Daughters† the speakers are the departed mother’s daughters. The speaker in â€Å"Those Winter Sundays† was reminiscing about everything that the child’s father did for their family, in describing a Sunday â€Å"Sundays too my father got up early / and put his clothes on in the blueback cold, / then with cracked hands that ached / from labor in the weekday weather made / banked fires blaze† (Hayden 1-5). The speakers in â€Å"A Woman Mourned by Daughters† were reminiscing about how their mother raised them and how they treated their mother. â€Å"Nothing could be enough. / You breathe upon us now through solid assertions / of yourself† (Rich 21-24). The daughters realize, now their mother is gone, that all the things the mother taught them are forced on them more than it was when she was living. The parents in both poems are equally strict but they also have distinguishing characteristics. â€Å"Cracked hands that ached from labor in the weekday weather† (Hayden 3-4). This made it obvious that the father in â€Å"Those Winter Sundays† was a working man. â€Å"You are puffed up in death / like a corpse pulled from the sea; / we groan beneath your weight† (Rich 8-10). The mother in â€Å"A Woman Mourned by Daughters† is departed but... Free Essays on Parents And Their Children Free Essays on Parents And Their Children Parents and Their Children Robert Hayden’s â€Å"Those Winter Sundays† and Adrienne Rich’s â€Å"A Woman Mourned by Daughters† are poems that are based on only one parent. In â€Å"Those Winter Sundays† the parent is a father. In â€Å"A Woman Mourned by Daughters† the parent is a deceased mother. While reading both poems it is clear that both speakers show regard to their parents; however, there is a concrete difference portraying both speakers with different attitudes towards their parents. In both poems the speakers reflect on memories from the past that involve their parents. In â€Å"Those Winter Sundays† the speaker is a child that treated his or her father badly. In â€Å"A Woman Mourned by Daughters† the speakers are the departed mother’s daughters. The speaker in â€Å"Those Winter Sundays† was reminiscing about everything that the child’s father did for their family, in describing a Sunday â€Å"Sundays too my father got up early / and put his clothes on in the blueback cold, / then with cracked hands that ached / from labor in the weekday weather made / banked fires blaze† (Hayden 1-5). The speakers in â€Å"A Woman Mourned by Daughters† were reminiscing about how their mother raised them and how they treated their mother. â€Å"Nothing could be enough. / You breathe upon us now through solid assertions / of yourself† (Rich 21-24). The daughters realize, now their mother is gone, that all the things the mother taught them are forced on them more than it was when she was living. The parents in both poems are equally strict but they also have distinguishing characteristics. â€Å"Cracked hands that ached from labor in the weekday weather† (Hayden 3-4). This made it obvious that the father in â€Å"Those Winter Sundays† was a working man. â€Å"You are puffed up in death / like a corpse pulled from the sea; / we groan beneath your weight† (Rich 8-10). The mother in â€Å"A Woman Mourned by Daughters† is departed but...

Saturday, November 23, 2019

TELS 3340 Case Studies Essays

TELS 3340 Case Studies Essays TELS 3340 Case Studies Paper TELS 3340 Case Studies Paper Narmin Azizli Case study 2-A 1 . What is Marilyns responsibility to her present employer regarding her knowledge that several employees are planning to seek positions with the new company? Marilyn is an experienced supervisor, and she is responsible to report if there are any problems with employees. In my opinion, she should inform middle or top management that there is possibility that some employees might leave. By doing this she is not telling on her employees. She is making sure that management will be prepared if someone leaves. In addition, if Marilyn informs top management about he issue, they might consider higher pay rates and better benefits in order to keep their current employees. 2. How should Marilyn reply to the recruiter who is asking her to come in for an interview? Does this constitute an ethnical decision for her? This does constitute and ethical decision for Marilyn. First, she needs to decide if she wants to stay with her current employer, or work for a new company. I believe that it is not unethical to take a Job interview, or find out more about benefits this new company might offer her. In my opinion, she needs to inform her current employer hat she is considering other options before taking an interview. 3. Is it ethical for one company to receive funds to move into an area when other companies struggle to keep Jobs from going offshore or from being lost to automation? First, the company that is moving into an area specializes in computer parts. Other companies which struggled with Job losses were in the textile field. There is a possibility that computer parts manufacturing plant has better chances of succeeding in that town than textile company. So why not? I dont think this is unethical. Especially, if new Jobs will be created in a small town that was hit hard ith Job losses. Community will benefit if there are new Job opportunities. Case study 3-A 1 . Outline the specific steps Cliff should have taken with Sonja prior to their meeting with Cindy to ensure the meeting went smoothly with no surprises. First, if the company had problems with Cindys performance at work they needed to follow certain procedures. Supervisor needs to identify the problem, once it is clear, so is the procedure to handle it Procedure is a standardized way ot responding to repetitive problems. Cliff is the corporate property manager; Sonja is corporate assistant property manager. Cliff should have been the one talking to Cindy, not Sonja. In my opinion, Sonja was not even supposed to be in the room. In this case, Cliff was supposed to tell Sonja if she wants to sit in, she can, but he will be the one talking to Cindy. He has the firing power, not Sonja. In addition, it was Just simple meeting to discuss sales expectations for Cindy. Cliff showed that he is a weak supervisor by letting his assistant to fire an employee during sales expectations meeting. 2. As supervisor, what should Cliff have done when it became apparent Sonja was overstepping her authority during the meeting with Cindy? Cliff was supposed to stop Sonja and let her know that she doesnt have that power. Moreover, he also could ask her to leave the room. He did not follow company protocol during the dismissal, which is very bad for company image. 3. What steps do you believe Heather should take with Sonja? With Cindy? I believe that Heather, as a seasoned veteran of HR needs to talk to Sonja and let her know that she needs to apologize to Cindy, and never overstep her authority again. In addition, I also think that it would be appropriate for Cliff and Cindy to have another meeting, where Cliff should apologize for what happened to make sure that this ncident does not affect the company and all members of the executive committee. Case Study 4-A 1. Explain how work specialization is important to Jack as a building and grounds supervisor. Work specialization means that rather than an entire Job being done by one individual, it is broken down into a number of steps that are each completed by a separate individual. Jacks main Job is to ensure that the inside of the buildings and the grounds are clean and in good repair and are pleasant places for students, faculty, staff, and visitors. This sounds like a simple description of his Job, but it includes a lot more responsibilities. He has to make sure that everything is working fine, take care of plants, snow removal, heat and air conditioning, and maintain constant level of humidity in the greenhouse for biology department. He manages seven other full time workers. Each of them has their own responsibilities. He also hires part time workers depending on the need. Jack cant possibly do it all alone. He needs at least one person for each Job. In addition, he monitors their work, makes sure that everything is getting done. Work specialization is very important for Jacks job. It is very beneficial, but it also has its cons. Boredom, fatigue, stress, low productivity, poor quality, high turnover are all negative things that can come with work specialization. Jack needs to motivate his employees, make sure that they are nappy and nave no problems. A good way to do this is to make them teel I ike DOSS of their Job, he needs to show that he trusts them and they can make good decisions. Moreover, it will be beneficial to involve them in decision process too. For example, one of the employees has specialization in heating and plumbing. He is more experienced in this field. So listening to ideas he has to offer will be beneficial to Jack nd will show to that employee that his thoughts and ideas count. 2. What type of organizational structure does this community college have? What are the strengths and weaknesses of this structure? This community college has functional organizational structure. Functional structure is defined as an organization in which similar and related occupational specialties are grouped together. The strength of this structure is work specialization. Putting like specialties together results in economies of scale, minimizes duplication of personnel and equipment, and employees are satisfied because they are working ith people Just like themselves. The weakness of this structure is that organization focuses on functional goals and loses sight of its best interests. In other words, this can lead to complicated communication and long decision making processes. No one is responsible for end results, so members within individual functions have little understanding of what people in other functions are doing. In addition, employees can neglect the larger view of the company and its goals and objectives. When an employee has understanding of future goals, and visions of the company he/she can contribute more. When you are doing one Job and not seeing how it benefits the organization in long term can lead to burnout and low productivity. It is important to feel and see that what you are doing matters and benefits the company. 3. Discuss the factors that determine the size of Jacks span of control. Span of control stands for the number of employees a supervisor can efficiently and effectively direct. However, there is no universal answer. The factors that determine the size of Jacks span of control are his experience and competency, level of training and experience of his employees, how complex are employee activities, how many ifferent types of Jobs are under the supervisors direction, how extensive the departments formal rules and regulations are. Since each of Jacks full time workers specializes in different areas, it shows that the Jobs are more varied which leads to the narrower span of control. Each worker is responsible for different types of things that needs to be done around campus, which makes their activities more complex. More complex activities lead to narrower span of control. Since each worker does different things Jack needs to review each task that is completed separately, it takes more time. I think seven full time workers and part timers depending on season is enough for Jack. Case study 5-A 1 . Why is it important for Jameel to know about the laws and regulations that affect human resource practice? Since one of Jameels responsibilities is to coordinate the part-time temporary work needs of several local companies, it is very important for him to know about laws and regulations that affect human resource practice. He needs to know about equal employment opportunities laws, and selection process which must be handled without regard to race, sex, religion, age, color, national origin, or disability. 2. Why is it important for Jameel to know how to determine staffing needs? Demand for human resources is a result of demand for what the department produces. If company needs to complete certain amount of work, and there are not enough current employees to complete the work, the company will need more employees. By assessing current human resource and future human resource needs and developing a program to meet future human resource needs which is employment planning, Jameel can know exactly how many potential employees he needs to recruit. 3. What are some recruiting methods that Jameel might use to ensure that he has the ight employees to match the needs of employers? Some recruiting methods Jameel might use are employee referrals, advertisements, school placements, temporary help services, and employee leasing and independent contractors. In addition, he could also use online recruiting websites which are very popular. . Research the employment selection process of three businesses in your community. Ask questions like these: What type of and how much testing do they require? Is an application, resume, or work sample required? Who conducts the interviews and how long are they? Who makes the final decision to hire a new mployee? How long is the process? Three businesses that I researched are Kroger, Starbucks, and Mason Nails. In order to apply for a Job at Kroger you need fill out an online application. First part of their application is designed to collect personal information, and second part is assessment. The assessment is 17 pages long with 5 questions on each page. The assessment helps them to determine if you are a good fit for the company. Moreover, they also do background check and drug testing. Once your application is selected local manager of Kroger in the area where you live will conduct the interview. The nterviews usually lasts 15/20 minutes. Local manager makes the final decision to hire an employee. The process can take 60 to 90 days (including application processing time). In order to apply for a Job at Starbucks an application process is required. They dont require any testing. Usually branch manager conducts the interview and it is approximately 20/30 minutes. Branch manager makes final decision to hire a new employee. The process is 20/30 days long. In Mason Nails usually potential employee does not need to till an application. It someone is interested they need to come in and talk to the manager. If manager needs additional employees he/she will set up and interview with interested person. They would do skills test on potential employee (to see if they can do manicure/pedicure). In addition, license from cosmetology school is required. Manager/owner makes the final decision to hire. The process is short, it can be a week or two. Case Study 6-A 1 . Refer to the steps of the control process. Where in the process do the steps taken by the Florida resort hotel fall? The steps taken by the Florida resort hotel fall into the first step of control process which is measuring actual performance. Managers started evaluating room leanliness based on the instructional video information. Because of economic turmoil hospitality industry has been hit hard. Since clean rooms are critical component in customer satisfaction, managers of Florida resort hotel decided to use $10 test. This test worked and guest rooms cleaned to an impeccable standard. 2. As a supervisor, do you think the $10 test is a fair and appropriate method to measure the performance of the housekeeping staff? Why or why not? I think the $10 test is appropriate and fair method to measure performance. Housekeepers usually do their Job, but they dont clean every single little spot. They are not motivated to do so. If you fire them and hire new staff, the new staff will do the Job, but it wont be perfect. Perfect clean rooms are essential for customer satisfaction. Therefore, for housekeepers to have motivation to clean to perfection $10 test works. I look at it like tips, for good service you get tips. Same can be applied to this situation. 3. Describe which type of control is illustrated in this case. How do you know? Corrective control is a type of control that provides feedback after an activity is finished to prevent future deviations. Corrective control is illustrated in this case, ecause after the room has been cleaned, the manager would walk in lay 10 one dollar bills on the bed and take a dollar for each mistake. The manager gives feedback after the cleaning has been done. Case study 7-A 1. In her new Job, how might Toby make use of the knowledge she has about decision-making styles? Toby can use her knowledge about decision-making styles by examining how her boss, and other supervisors make their decisions. Once she knows their styles, she could find the best style to introduce her new ideas and take actions that she thinks will work better in the call center. 2. How would Toby benetlt by examining the styles ot ner boss and those ot the other supervisors? By examining the styles of her boss and other supervisors Toby can understand how two different people, with access to the same information, can differ in the ways they approach decisions and in the final choices they make. In addition, once she fgures out their decision-making styles she will know exactly how to approach them with new ideas and offers. 3. In a popular television show The Apprentice, we see a particular style of decision making. Identify other public personalities by their decision-making styles. George W. Bush the 43rd president of US has directive decision-making style. Most of his decisions are quick and made with minimal information. On the other hand, Barack Obamas decision making style is analytical. He tends to be more careful with his decisions, considers more alternatives, and reviews a lot of information before making a decision. Moreover, Jimmy Kimmel famous talk show host has behavioral decision making style. He works well with others, tries to avoid conflict, and seeks acceptance. In conclusion, Marc Jacobs who is a famous designer has conceptual decision making style. He tends to consider many alternatives, his focus is long range, and he is creative. Case Study 8-A 1 . Describe the behaviors (stealing) by these employees in terms of their needs, the organizations effect on them, equating their inputs and outcomes, and what employees expect from their employer. Need is a physiological or psychological deficiency that makes certain outcomes seem attractive. When your needs are unsatisfied it leads to tension, which sets off a drive to satisfy that need. These plant workers are unhappy with decisions that their company is making, they cant do anything about it. If they quit, they will have no income at all. Stealing seems like a revenge for them. In order to satisfy their needs they steal. Moreover, the organization was too busy with its own problems that they forgot about their workers. According to Herzbergs research if we want to motivate people in their Jobs, we need to emphasize on achievement, recognition, the work itself, responsibility, and growth. The organizations decisions had negative effect on the employees. Organization made them feel like they dont have a voice. Equity theory states that employees perceive what they can get from a Job situation outcomes) in relations to what they put into it (inputs), and then compare their input-outcome ratio with the input-outcome ratio of others. These plant workers were getting paid certain amount of money for their Job, suddenly their salary decreased. Naturally, they are very angry about the situation. They know that they are getting paid less for the amount of work they are doing. Finally, according to expectancy theory, an employee will be motivated to exert a high level ot e ttort when ne or sne believes that effort will lead to a good performance appraisal; that a good appraisal ill lead to organizational rewards such as a bonus, a salary increase, or a promotion; and that the rewards will satisfy the employees personal goals. In this situation, plant workers are definitely not expecting anything from their company. All they got is salary decrease, and there will not be any bonuses or salary increase. They have no motivation to put full effort in their Job. 2. What do you believe supervisors could have done differently to avert this potential problem? I believe that, the idea that pay cut would cause less harm than eliminating several obs altogether was a bad idea. Reducing pay levels in order to prevent layoffs is not a solution. It will bring more harm to the company, Just like it did in this case. Imagine you are making certain amount of money at your Job, and one day your supervisor announces that you will be making less. It is definitely not fair for you. A company provokes anger of all of its employees by decreasing their salary, whereas layoffs are hard and sad but they dont affect work productivity of remaining employees. Layoffs could have been hard but better decision to make.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

The Regional Transportation District in Denver Essay - 1

The Regional Transportation District in Denver - Essay Example Through research and analysis, it has been shown that the project is feasible and the only thing needed to be done is the making of a dream into reality. Probably, the strength seen in this proposal is the consideration of its weaknesses so that preparations could be made for a positive response to problems that may arise. Foreseeing what could happen in the administration of the project makes one be prepared to face not only those which are expected but to anticipate things that have never been brought to mind during the course of planning. It is true that there could be other problems to be met in the future in the process of realizing the dream of a quality-based parking space and one could not know what to prepare for in such case but having an attitude of preparedness can evade unsolved problems. As all ideas have their strengths and weaknesses, it is also true in this thought of making a parking space to solve the current problems in Denver RTD. Not disregarding the weaknesses but considering them to make the plan even better, the team who will be working on this is encouraged to unite in the realization of a traffic free and parking space problem free community without even going against the law nor putting the burden on the citizenry. This author believes that everyone would love to live in a world where there is less stress in the streets and in the workplace and this proposal is not just a solution to the most evident problem on the parking spaces but also extends help to make our days go well in school and at work. It is then concluded that the proposition is not only feasible but also very helpful in the society, affecting many aspects of our lives, making the expenses and trouble we will all go through in realizing our desire. It is then my desire to encourage the actions of those who are in the position to approve review all the information presented in this paper and with the same passion as this author has, may you all become one in mind to exte nd the best that you can to have a Denver that can take pride in its Regional Transportation District.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Discipline Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Discipline - Essay Example The long range results of punishment may be negative. Discipline is more than just administering punishment whenever rules are broken, its more about the upbringing and general guidance that’s given to an individual that can enable him choose right from wrong. In order to have effective discipline, love and not anger should be the guiding factor. Most parents are expected to punish their children whenever they misbehave. They end up using physical punishment as a form of discipline when irritated by their children. Physical punishment is just a temporary measure of correction that does not teach the children right values. Physical punishment can cause physical, mental or emotional injury. It can even lead to death. Children learn from adults and can take this as the only way of solving conflicts. Once punished, a child may feel he has paid for the misbehavior and may want to do it again. It’s also hard to use physical punishment once a child grows up. It is common knowledge that eliminating undesirable behavior without having a desirable strategy to stimulate more desirable behavior is generally ineffective (American Academy of Pediatrics, 724). Mistakes committed are good avenues to learn if children are guided properly without us ing physical punishment. Consequences can be used as one of the positive ways to instill discipline in children. Consequences are different from punishment since they involve learning through experience. It teaches children to make their own decisions and take responsibility for their behaviors. Consequences can only be positive discipline if parents can learn to be calm, attentive and to be good listeners. The parents should be ready to accept the solutions of their children as it’s a learning experience. Parents need to communicate clearly the consequences of breaking certain rules to their children. Children can learn from natural consequences or logical consequences

Sunday, November 17, 2019

British decolonisation in Africa Essay Example for Free

British decolonisation in Africa Essay Within the context of 1880-1980, to what extent did British actions accelerate British decolonisation in Africa? In the later years of the 19th century the scramble for the African continent by Western imperialist powers was reaching its climax. It appeared that the dark continent was to be no longer dark, but to be the product of Western colonial expansion with several European countries dividing up the land. No where was this more apparent than with Britain whose Empire was at its height at the turn of the century. Egypt, for instance, was a colony for 40 years (1882-1922) with its pinnacle at the turn of the century; however the decolonisation of the country as early as this is an anomaly in itself as only South Africa had previously been granted independence by the British, albeit as a self-governing dominion. In a bizarre turn of events which historians still debate today, the Empire crumbled and by the 1970s only two African states remained British colonies: Rhodesia and South West Africa. The Empire had taken the best part of a century to amalgamate, yet was mostly swept away in just over a decade. Many reasons have been proposed for the vast acceleration of decolonisation including economic difficulties at the metropole (Cain and Hopkins)1 and the rise of local nationalist movements (Hodgkin)2. More recently the actions of the British have been cited as a possible factor for the acceleration of decolonisation in Africa, marking a change in the historiography of the period. Turner3 and Lapping4 are promoters of this theory, which is gaining credence in the academic world. The 1945 election of the Labour party is a watershed in decolonisation acceleration. WW2 had recently ended which marked a shift in British culture and society, including a changed attitude to Empire. Interestingly, whilst many of the new Cabinet were anti-imperialists, the new government did not have a direct plan to fully decolonise. It was more a case of the Empire having to take a backseat to far more pressing matters: imperialism, in effect, slipped through the cracks of government. The party was elected on the mandate of and closely focused upon British welfare; the African colonies were working and therefore the governments attention was deviated, however it was one of the actions directed at the metropole which accelerated independence for many colonies. The introduction of the Welfare State in 1948 led many Britons to consider the priority and indeed the importance of the Empire when compared to home-grown issues. WW2 brought increased globalisation and it is possible that through this many British citizens saw their needs ahead of the colonies: an archaic and out-of-date segment of British foreign policy. If the colonies had representation in the British Parliament and were a province of, rather than simply a colony of Great Britain, this attitude may have been different: French Algeria, for instance, was certainly more respected at the metropole then any of Britains African colonies. There is a debate however, as to whether the British public had undergone a liberal revolution or were simply acting with self-interest. White has theorised that the latter is true, citing that the reason as to why the colonies were ditched was to release resources for domestic welfare spending5. Moreover, the fact National Service was revoked in 1960 reduced Britains ability to defend its colonies against uprising nationalist movements: conscription was ended through self-interest, as the majority of British youths didnt want to have to fight in the far off terrains of Sub-Saharan Africa. This further implies that the average British citizen was becoming disinterested by the Empire or, at the very least, impartial to its future. I will cover nationalism in greater depth below, but with such a lack of metropole interest, the Empire could not be expected to last long. The British action of electing a Labour government effectively, in an indirect form, accelerated decolonisation for ma ny of the African colonies. WW1 expanded the Empire both geographically and as a world power, with Britain gaining several new mandates from the Ottoman Empire. The geographical expansion of the Empire post-WW1 and the reluctance of the metropole to grant these new mandates independence6, imply that attitudes had not changed and many (both in government and in society) saw the Empire as a credible and useful segment of British politics: therefore, with the exception of the more economically advanced Egypt, African decolonisation by the British did not occur between the wars. Rather, many African colonies developed and became more stable societies. Take the Gold Coast for instance: between the wars its economy, communications and education became, to a certain extent, Westernised and the country flourished. Admittedly this led to the acceleration of nationalist movements in the area which, in turn, accelerated decolonisation, but the country was undeniably prospering due to the British-led government of the time.7 Many citizens of the African colonies (including Egypt and the Gold Coast) fought alongside British soldiers in WW1 and the respect and prestige for the peoples increased because of it. Indeed, the 1914-1939 era can be seen as one of the strongest periods of the British African Empire. This implies that a post-1945 factor (e.g. the Suez Crisis, see below) accelerated decolonisation. In comparison, World War 2 accelerated decolonisation at a far greater rate than many could have imagined just a few years prior. Effectively, the war established rather paradoxically that imperialism (both British and otherwise) was both positive and negative. Ferguson has noted that the British Empire sacrificed itself to stop the spread of the evil empire of Nazi Germany: indeed, the British Empire had never had a finer hour8 than when it was self-sacrificing. During the war it was inevitable that Britain would have to, to a certain extent, neglect the colonies to focus on defeating the enemy. Through this the colonies became more independent having to, for example, source resources and engage in trade without the aid of the metropole. Moreover, the colonial peoples had a greater influence on the running of their societies; in effect, many became informal dominions. This, combined with the policies of the 1945 Labour government, further fuelled nationalism which accelerated decolonisation; in a way similar to how the two World Wars improved womens rights in Britain, the wars seemed to suggest that many colonies could govern effectively on their own. Previously, only the more economically and politically stable societies had been granted independence (e.g. South Africa, 1910) and several colonies (e.g. the Gold Coast) seemed to show similar traits during the war. The Second World War didnt lead directly to decolonisation, but it is this British action which occurred because of the conflict that accelerated decolonisation in British Africa. The end of WW2 bought increased globalisation and a new world order, where the enemy didnt appear to be Nazism or Fascism, but rather the expansion of the Soviet Bloc and the spread of communism: the Cold War was just beginning to ignite. Along with the notion of changed attitudes of the British people, there is also the argument that the Empire really didnt fit into the new world. Now, the split between East and West had never been more apparent and British Africa looked like an oddity: along with the passing of new welfare legislation at the metropole and the changing attitudes of the British people, Britain needed to abolish the Empire for two reasons directly related to the Cold War: to concentrate efforts on halting the spread of communism and to appease the anti-imperialist US, who Britain now required as an ally more than ever before. Moreover, the world order was now unclear and Britain had far greater problems to worry about than what their small African colonies were up to: put bluntly, the new threat of nuclear inhalation seemed more important than the political shortcomings of, say, Somalia. While WW2 does spell out more crucial factors for the acceleration of decolonisation, the Cold War is another smaller factor which just added to the need to decolonise. The post-WW2 economy is a further crucial factor in the acceleration of decolonisation. Britain was no longer able to withstand the fiscal costs of Empire; this was coupled with a lack of substantial profit coming into the metropole from the African colonies. Economically, WW2 was a great strain on Britain with the country coming out of the war in great debt; she required a loan of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½145million from the US alone9. Britain was exhausted and worn down, both figuratively and physically. Many cities required money to rebuild, some from scratch, plus food badly needed to be imported following years of intense rationing. Moreover, the introduction of the welfare state (see above) required significant funding. As said, attitudes to Empire were changing which, combined with the need for intense spending on the homeland, led to many seeing the African colonies simply as a drain on Britains already scarce resources. Britain made the situation worse: during the war she had understanda bly concentrated on producing munitions for her troops, resulting in fewer exports to the colonies. Many turned away from the metropole and looked to alternate suppliers, including their own land which inevitably fuelled nationalism further. Moreover, two acts (The Colonial Development and Welfare Acts of 1940 and 1945) were passed during wartime which forced the British government to further invest in the colonial economies10, therefore making an already problematic economic situation worse. It is possible that the government felt it was backed into a corner and simply did not have the patience or money to rebuild the colonies and the metropole: they had become, or at least had the potential to become, a major rupture on the British economy a rupture Britain could not afford to fix, but only to cut out completely. In the early 20th century when British imperialism was at its height, Hobson11 saw the expansion of Britain in Africa as purely economic and an underhand method to help capitalists at the metropole this opinion was endorsed by Lenin in 191612 and, in an albeit modified form, by the historian Darwin in 1984: more completely than ever before, economics and empire had come together13. More recently, Cain and Hopkins14 have suggested that imperialism in Africa was established by gentleman capitalists15 who were simply aiming to make profit out of the African land. Of course, if this is the case, then with the post-war debt experienced in 1945 it would have been difficult to make money from these colonies, leading to decolonisation. The decolonisation of African colonies would effectively make Britain a richer country, therefore agreeing with the views expressed by Cain and Hopkins and others: the Empire had served its purpose of aiding Britains wealth but now it was draining it and, as such, it was time for it to go. The Suez Crisis of 1956 was one of the most decisive British actions in the 20th century to accelerate decolonisation in Africa. Former Prime Minister Harold MacMillan once remarked that it is events, dear boy, events16 which determine the success of a premiership. The term event is almost too light of a phrase to use when considering the Suez Crisis: not only did it annihilate Anthony Edens administration, but it was also the launching pad for many factors which saw British decolonisation vastly accelerated. There are two key elements of the crisis which paved the way to said factors: the deception employed by the imperialist powers of Britain and France, plus the apparent overreaction to a simple act of nationalisation by a head of state. Both these factors led to the reputations of the countries involved and international relations been damaged, as well as a decrease in trade. Britain was the driving force behind the attack hence she was particularly wounded with the political and economic fallout: for one, the special relationship with the United States was harmed (Secretary of State John Foster Dulles claimed the British government had explicitly lied to [him]17) and, more critically for this inquiry, her reputation within the African continent was damaged. Britain looked small and corrupt, a mere shadow of her former colonial self; she was attempting to throw her imperialist weight around in a world which it didnt seem to fit. Nasser had successfully stood up to the Western powers and won, thus undermining Britain and France, plus providing inspiration to the many oppressed colonies. However, it is possible that the reaction did not provoke the level of international condemnation that is contemporarily considered, showing a difference in historiography. To the African colonies, former British dominions that had experienced colonialism and anti-imperialist powers such as the USA, then yes, it is likely that Britains reputation was damaged. However, to other imperialists it is possible that the government simply appeared to be standing firm with a tyrant. World War 2 had been won only 11 years prior, hence the memory of what tyrannical dictators can achieve was still fresh in most leaders minds. Eden may have appeared noble and selfless, destroying not just his own political career but a carefully-crafted reputation built up over more than 20 years18 for the greater good of a safer world, or at least a more economically stable Great Britain. White has proposed that there [were] a number of lacklustre continuities, rather than dramatic discontinuities19 in imperialist policy following Edens departure: a government memorandum circulated in the immediate aftermath of the crisis, for instance, made no mention of impending decolonisation20. Suez was not so much a watershed, but a temporary setback in Britains imperial decline, indicating other factors are responsible. Economically, the Egyptian nationalisation of the canal posed a significant danger to Britain as 2/3 of the countrys oil utilised the waterway. The chief reason as to why Britain intervened in the first place (and, indeed, retained the Canal Zone in 1922) was that the government simply did not trust the Egyptians to efficiently control the windpipe21 of the British economy. Post-crisis, Britains humiliation resulted in a trade decrease and a catastrophic22 run on the pound, resulting in her appearing not only politically and militarily weak but also financially weak. This situation, which was caused by the Suez Crisis, meant that Britain could no longer afford to support the African colonies, implying that the British action of invading the Suez Canal Zone led to one of the factors which brought about the Empires collapse. Combined, these factors inspired nationalist movements within the colonies and general condemnation of imperialism, which also accelerated decolonisation. The crisis is unique as not only did it, to a certain extent accelerate decolonisation, but it is also one of the very few examples of where a British action greatly damages the standing of the Empire. Prior to Suez, Britain was surprisingly cautious with decolonisation (with regard to Africa, only 4 of her 24 colonies had been decolonised at this point); arguably this was to retain an Empire, but also to ensure that the new societies were ready to govern. It was only following the Suez debacle that decolonisation accelerated, implying that previously Britain had took great care over the handovers of power. South Africa was a stable society when decolonised in 1910 and, looking further afield, so were Australia, Canada and India. To many other countries and colonies, Britain appeared now unable to continue to be the metropole of a successful Empire. After all, if the dictator of a former colony could cause a country such ridicule, how could they be expected to carry on maintaining a successful Empire? Comparatively with White23, Turner has called the crisis a military failure and political disaster24, whilst Lapping has referred to it as the imperial cataclysm25 in decolonisation acceleration. The crisis was highly influential in the eventual collapse of the British Empire in Africa but it did not lead directly to decolonisation, rather greatly accelerated it. The rise of nationalism within the African colonies inevitably accelerated decolonisation; advocates of this theory argue that for decolonisation to occur there needs to be an opposition force to the status quo government (in this case, colonial British rule), thereby giving the people a choice. Looking throughout history at the Empire as a whole gives this theory credibility: look at the violent independence battles of the 13 North American colonies in 1783 or India in 1947, and compare that to the peaceful colony of the Falkland Islands which still exists today. The previous decolonisation record of the British government, plus the 1947 granting of independence to India, no doubt sent the message that it was only a matter of time before the African colonies were decolonised. India specifically was the jewel in the crown of the British Empire and as such its decolonisation will have led many, both in the colonies and abroad, to see the Empire as deteriorating. This accelerated nationalist movements within the African colonies, with India referencing the beginning of the end. After all, if India could be granted independence through a powerful and violent nationalist movement, then why couldnt the other far less prestigious colonies? Indian independence inspired others to rise up and attempt to take back control of their lands, accelerating the decolonisation process for British Africa. Similarly, plus to reiterate an earlier point, the Suez Crisis accelerated nationalism: Nasser appeared to be the David who had managed to annihilate the imperialist Goliath. This inspired nationalism in other colonies to grow and attempt to take back control of their lands: after all, if Nasser could manage it then why couldnt they? Harold MacMillans Winds of Change speech four years later further inspired this nationalism as, for the first time, the government officially acknowledged the inevitability of decolonisation. The speech sent the message to many colonial peoples that nationalism was acceptable: for the first time in almost 100 hundred years, power was given to the Africans. MacMillan was acknowledging that the British government could no longer afford to sustain an Empire and would be willing to pass power to the local peoples if they should so wish. The speech had a great effect as over the next ten years 88% of Britains remaining African colonies were granted independence; by 1968, only two remained. Nationalism was suddenly acceptable which encouraged those who may have been content to be a colony to rise up against imperialism. This speech, combined with Britains poor economic situation and damaged credibility following Suez, vastly accelerated decolonisation. Moreover, the vast majority of British colonies were underdeveloped both economically and socially which further advanced nationalism. Take Nigeria for instance: the peoples were so against colonial oppression many began to strike from work a surprisingly Western phenomenon implying the people were more integrated than they may have wished to believe. It is estimated that from 1945-50, over 100,000 working days were lost in Nigeria to strike action against colonial rule26. Even the Gold Coast (the very model27 of a colony) was not free of such demonstrations against imperialism: February 1948 witnessed a violent protest, resulting in the deaths of two British servicemen28. One only has to look at Kenya and the Mau Mau rebellions to see further evidence of increasing dissent with British imperialism. It had, to use the words of one modern historian, turned into a rapid scuttle29 of local nationalism. The Gold Coast was decolonized in 1957 but had been allowed to gradually master the art of modern government over many years, leading to a much more stable society post-independence, making it the very model of decolonisation30. In comparison, when Nigeria was swiftly decolonised in 1960 the government was a weak coalition with limited power two army coups followed in 1964 and 1966. Britains damaged reputation in the continent prevented stable governments from being created, resulting in far more fragile states today. French Algeria (despite been a province of the metropole) saw terrible violence between the FLN and colons: to use a term of warfare, the Algerian nationalists utilised violent guerrilla tactics to spread their cause, resulting in a great amount of destruction and loss of life. Algeria bullied itself into independence in 1962 further showing that imperial metropoles were not as powerful as they once were. It is an exaggeration perhaps, but it can be said that the Suez Crisis was the first instance which led to these new states political and economic troubles which still exist today. Look at Egypt and South Africa today or, from a more international perspective, India and Australia, all of which were granted independence pre-1956 and compare them to the troubled states of Nigeria, Kenya (1963) and Somalia (1960). The acceleration of British decolonisation in the latter half of the 20th century is the opposite of what the government and imperialists like the legendary Cecil Rhodes would have imagined just 60-70 years previously. They had fought sometimes bloody battles for the expansion of the British Empire into the less civilised areas of the world, yet now the government was seemingly trying to get rid of the Empire in as rapid and inefficient way as possible. Multiple factors account for the sudden acceleration of decolonisation, but most come back to the actions of the British: if Britain had, for instance, provided more support and direct governance in a Westernised style (as seen in the Gold Coast), her colonies would have developed at a greater rate leading to a greater level of content from the colonial peoples. However her neglect and exploitation of her own people led to dissent within the colonies, leading many to want out before they were politically ready. The most pivotal British action which is continually referred back to is the 1956 Suez Crisis: for the first time in the Empires history, the British appeared militarily, politically and economically weak, causing many in the African colonies to quite fairly believe they could run their countries better. Nationalism was inevitable, and the international conflicts of the Cold War and the two World Wars couldnt be stopped, implying that Britain herself was responsible for the downfall of her own Empire. If the crisis hadnt occurred then the Empire would have faded away through gradual decolonisation as each territory became more economically, politically and socially developed; instead, the Crisis turned decolonisation of Africa into a rapid scuttle31, with Britain almost retreating into a corner trying to distance herself as far as possible from the embarrassment of 1956. Today, it is easy to see that decolonisation was inevitable; the Suez Crisis just accelerated that inevitability. One of the worlds greatest Empires was established by one of the most powerful countries in the world, so it is only fitting that it was destroyed by one of the most disgraced it is just unfortunate they were both Great Britain. 1 Cain, P. J. Hopkins, A. J., 1993, British Imperialism: Crisis and Deconstruction, 1914-1990 2 Hodgkin, T., 1956, Nationalism in Colonial Africa 3 Turner, B., 2006, Suez 1956: The Inside Story of the First Oil War 4 Lapping, B., 1985, End of Empire 5 White, N. J., 1999, Decolonisation: The British Experience Since 1945, Pg 32 6 Thorn, G., 2008, End of Empires: European Decolonisation 1919-80, Pg 16 7 McLaughlin, J. L., 1994, The Colonial Era: British Rule of the Gold Coast 8 Ferguson, N., 2004, Empire: How Britain Made the Modern World 9 Rohrer, F., 10/05/2006, BBC News [Online] [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4757181.stm] [Accessed 25/04/2010] 10 Chamberlain, M.E., 1985, Decolonisation: The Fall of the European Empires, Pg 35 11 Hobson, J.A., 1902, Imperialism: A Study 12 Lenin, V., 1916, Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism 13 Darwin, J., 1984, British Decolonization since 1945: A Pattern or a Puzzle?, Pg 197 14 Cain, P. J. Hopkins, A. J., 1993, British Imperialism: Crisis and Deconstruction, 1914-1990 15 Cain, P. J. Hopkins, A. J., 1993, British Imperialism: Innovation and Expansion, 1688-1914 16 Beckett, F., 2006, MacMillan, Pg 97 17 Wilby, P., 2006, Eden, Pg 79 18 Wilby, P., 2006, Eden, Pg 128 19 White, N. J., 1999, Decolonisation: The British Experience Since 1945, Pg 85 20 White, N. J., 1999, Decolonisation: The British Experience Since 1945, Pg 128 21 Wilby, P., 2006, Eden, Pg 96 22 White, N. J., 1999, Decolonisation: The British Experience Since 1945, Pg 84 23 White, N. J., 1999, Decolonisation: The British Experience Since 1945 24 Turner, B., 2006, Suez 1956: The Inside Story of the First Oil War 25 Lapping, B., 1985, End of Empire 26 White, N. J., 1999, Decolonisation: The British Experience Since 1945, Pg 48 27 Thorn, G., 2008, End of Empires: European Decolonisation 1919-80, Pg 50 28 White, N. J., 1999, Decolonisation: The British Experience Since 1945, Pg 49 29 Lapping, B., 1985, End of Empire, Pg 227 30 Thorn, G., 2008, End of Empires: European Decolonisation 1919-80, Pg 50 31 Lapping, B., 1985, End of Empire, Pg 227

Friday, November 15, 2019

The Soviet Union, Communism, and the Vietnam War Essay example -- Commu

A quarter of a century after the Fall of Saigon, Vietnam continues to exercise a powerful hold of the American psyche. No deployment of American troops abroad is considered without the infusion of the Vietnam question. No formulation of strategic policy can be completed without weighing the possibility of Vietnanization. Even the politics of a person cannot be discussed without taking into account his opinion on the Vietnam Ware. This national obsession with Vietnam is perfectly national when viewed from a far. It was the only war that the United States has ever lost. It defined an era of American history that must rank with the depression as one of this nation’s most traumatic. It concluded with Watergate and led many to believe that the United States was in decline. Even with the sobering effect of time, passions concerning American policy and behavior in Southeast Asia reach a level normally associated with sensitive social issues. To understand why, one must look at Vietn am in the proper context. American involvement occurred in the middle of, and was the most visible engagement, of the defining paradign of the post World War II era, the Cold War. Only through this prism can the Vietnam experience be defined.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the seven global powers entering World War II; the United States emerged as an undisputed â€Å"superpower.† Her economic and military night was overwhelming in a world ravaged by five years of total war. The only adversary of comparable power was a notion at the opposite end of the ideological spectrum, the Soviet Union. As the vanguard of the communist world, the U.S.S.R.’s raison d’etve was the facilitate the overthrow of the global capitalist system and replace it with a â€Å"dictatorship of the proletariat.† Thus the explicit mission of American Foreign policy after 1945 was opposition to communist advancement anywhere in the world. This took many forms and was backed by key assumption.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Central among then was the avoidance of a direct military confrontation between the Unites States and the Soviet Union. With the U.S.S.R. achieving nuclear capability in 1947 and both sides expanding their armed forces, a full out war was deemed unacceptable. The result of such a war was seen to be catastrophic to the survival of the planet. The lesson of the Korean War only reinforced this assumption. The infusion of Chinese troops quickly escalated ... ...rs. In fact, relations between Vietnam and China cooled considerably and even led to a brief border war between the two in the late 1970s. Vietnam also never became a threat to its region. While undoubtedly communist, Vietnam has never become a stridently aggressive Marxist state in the mold of North Korea, or even Cuba.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Cold War was to the rubric with which America Foreign Policy was formulated during the post World War II era. Confrontation and what was thought to be an inevitable war with the Soviet Union became the starting point of all American Strategic thinking. In this context, the U.S.’s relations with all countries had to be looked upon with the Soviet Union and communism in mind. This particularly held true with regards to Vietnam. Having â€Å"lost† China and gone through a war on the Korean peninsula, American policy makers felt that any more communist aggression had to be stopped at all costs. Mixing in the fact that an important ally was intent about keeping her colony, and distrust of Ho Chih Minh and his regime all combined to draw the Unites States into a conflict that was neither winnable or so unimportant as to allow the United States to disengage itself.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Interpersonal Relationships Paper

There is evidence that a motivation for helping is feeling empathy for the other person. Researchers hypothesize that people are altruistic as long as the result is reducing another's stress. Unfortunately, some researchers believe that altruistic helping is instrumental egoistic response. Providing evidence of this is difficult as egoism and altruism are motivational concepts, and they cannot be directly observed, (Nier, 2010). Summary of Issues The arguments in contention deal with altruism and whether people feel motivation for pure altruism or empathy. C. Daniel Batson and his colleagues believe that people have a motivation to help not for what they can receive but for pure altruistic reasons. Nier (2010) states that people who are altruistically motivated to help do so with the goal of increasing the welfare of others, (Nier, 2010, p. 379). Batson, Duncan, Ackerman, Cuckley, and Birch performed an experiment using similarity information to manipulate another's empathy. With 44 female introductory psychology students as the subjects the women are randomly selected to fill out a personal and interest questionnaire. The subjects were assigned to four conditions of easy versus difficult escape and similar versus dissimilar victim design through a random block procedure with 11 people in each cell. One participant from each cell is excluded because that person can suspect Elaine was not receiving shocks. They participants are told to wait for a second subject, Elaine, who is a conspirator of the experiment, and given an introduction while waiting. Drawing roles after signing a consent form is next with the 2 drawing rigged. They measure the level of arousal on a monitor to determine accurately the worker’s emotional response as well as help to form an impression. They manipulate the difficulty to escape a situation by letting every subject know that Elaine will complete all 10 trials. This gives the subjects a chance to help her by trading places with her after the second trial. They use similarity manipulation and need situation to determine the subject’s level of empathy. The experimenters give the subjects a chance to trade places with Elaine if they so choose to do so. The results suggest to researchers that suggesting that empathic motivation to help can be altruistic. Batson et. al. conclude that the easy-escape-dissimilar-victim condition is lower than the other three conditions. The difficulty to escape from the situation has a big effect on helping. Robert Cialdini and his colleagues believe that people have a motivation to help others so that they can feel better themselves rather than empathy. Those egoistically motivated to help others help so that they can increase their own welfare and personal gain. The idea is that those with low empathy should help less but when a person’s empathy is high, the sense of escape minimizes by the person’s primary altruistic motive to help the victim. Cialdini and his colleagues sought to test alternative explanations separating subjects’ feelings from empathic orientation. They replicate the Batson et. al. procedure presenting a gratifying event, allowing the subjects a chance to help a victim or escape the situation, finally assessing the subjects’ helpful tendencies against Batson’s measure of empathic concern. The results find that subjects with a high-empathy-set had elevated helping scores except when they got a sadness-canceling reward. This shows that they are no more helpful than those with low- 3 empathy. It seems that it was personal sadness that causes a person to have an increase helping motivation. Evaluation of Arguments Each argument proposes hypotheses about altruism and if it exists or not and how much altruism plays in motivating others to help another. Empirical research with a basis of self-interest provides limited and often insufficient explanations for some helping behaviors meaning that altruism can be another separate construct, (Burns, et. al, 2006, p. 83). It is not necessarily just altruism that encouraged the participants to help but a sense of sadness over the victim’s plight. By relieving the sadness of the victim, the subject’s sadness can disappear. Helping can have rewards for most adults it can restore mood. Rather than helping for altruistic reasons, people help others for their own reasons such as personal mood management. Batson and his colleagues identify an empathy-altruism model, which involves one person witnessing another’s distress elicits personal distress and empathic concern from the witness. Personal distress can promotes an egoistic need to help another’s distress and empathic concern develops an altruistic desire to reduce the other person’s distress, (Dovidio, Schroeder, & Allen, 1990, 249). The other determination of some researchers is that people who have high levels of empathy have high levels of helpfulness. Empathy can enhance prosocial behavior. Selfishness and egalitarianism are important for interpersonal settings, whereas the outcomes for another, or altruism, are important for enhancing joint outcomes, (Van Lange, 2008, p. 767). The 4 participants saw Elaine’s distress and wanted to eliminate it as their need to escape the situation decreased. Support of a Concept After analyzing both arguments and evaluating them, it seems that the most plausible argument is that altruism does exist, but it is not the biggest motivator for helping others. Some researchers believe that there are several volunteering activities where altruism is not a particular motivator, (Burns et. al. , 2006, p. 82). Involuntary volunteering is one. A person can have a court order to volunteer for example. People can start out with altruistic reasons for helping but altruism is not always the main motivator. In some ways helping another when they feel a sense of connection cannot be selfless because by helping another would be helping the helper, (Maner et. l, 2002, p. 1602). Some studies have evidence that suggest that when people appear altruistic that the motivations are ultimately egoistic by nature. Conclusion Altruism is about doing the greater good without any expectations back. Unfortunately, whereas altruism does exist many researchers determine that helping others is not for purely altruistic reason as people help others for many reasons. People can start out with altruistic motivations but they do not always stay altruistic.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Fundamental Positions

Carinosa †¢Is a Philippine dance of Hispanic origin from the Maria Clara suite of Philippine folk dances, where the fan or handkerchief plays an instrumental role as it places the couple in romance scenario.. Folk dance †¢Is a form of dance developed by a group of people that reflects the traditional life of the people of a certain country or region. Folk dancing originated in the 18th century to distinguish dance forms of common people from those of the upper classes. Folk dances, unlike most other dance forms, tend to have no stringent rules, and are sometimes formed spontaneously among groups of people.The steps of folk dances are passed through generations, rarely being changed. Folk dancing is usually associated with social activities, although some folk dances are performed competitively. Terminology †¢Is the study of terms and their use. Terms are words and compound words that in specific contexts are given specific meanings, meanings that may deviate from the m eaning the same words have in other contexts and in everyday language. The discipline Terminology studies among other things how such terms of art come to be and their interrelationships within a culture.Terminology differs from lexicography in studying concepts, conceptual systems, and their labels (terms), whereas lexicography study words and their meanings. Terminology is a discipline which systematically studies the labeling or designating of concepts particular to one or more subject fields or domains of human activity. It does this through research and analysis of terms in context for the purpose of documenting and promoting consistent usage. 5 Fundamental Positions †¢Standing Fundamental Position †¢Knee-standing Fundamental Position †¢Sitting Fundamental Position †¢Lying Fundamental Position †¢Hanging Fundamental Position

Friday, November 8, 2019

Duffy depicts women as victims in the worlds wife Essays

Duffy depicts women as victims in the worlds wife Essays Duffy depicts women as victims in the worlds wife Paper Duffy depicts women as victims in the worlds wife Paper Essay Topic: Carol ann Duffy Poems The Worlds Wife by Carol Ann Duffy depicts women as victims Analyse three poems showing how far you agree with this statement.  The Worlds Wife explores Duffys strong and, at times, controversial views on the women who have been traditionally overshadowed by their husbands. Duffy deliberately chooses to study women who are ignored or despised by their husbands or lovers, making it easier to portray women as victims. However the victimisation of the women within this book of poetry is not nessacerily all down to men, Duffy conveys different types of victims, ones who are self deistructive and those isolated and neglected by their patner. By giving these unheard of women a voice, duffy provides us with a perspective and illustrates struggles which epitomize those that average women face. The poem Medusa by Carol Ann Duffy explores how a womans self destructive nature can lead to becoming a victim. The use of first person narrative gives the poem a monological structure similar to other poems by Duffy such as The Devils Wife. Duffy uses various linguistic and literally features to create an emotional account of Medusas thoughts and feelings, through doing so she suggests that she has become a victim of her own feelings and insecurities. The personal accounts within the poem help the reader to empathise with Medusa, she describes events in her life as terrifying this build up of sympathy is totalled with the use of rhetorical questions at the end of the poem Wasnt I beautiful, Wasnt I fragrant and young?. These questions make the reader view Medusa as a victim, rather then the common portrayal of her as a evil monster Duffy creates the air of innocence throughout the poem by having the character relate to human feelings such as love  . When the reader learns that Medusa cries There are bullet tears in my eyes it instantly creates a connection between the speaker and audience as crying is a human emotion that cannot be duplicated. The harsh consonants and jerky irregular pace emphasises the bitter remorselessness she feels towards her husband and reflects the negativity with which she views her world. Similarly a victim is also portrayed in the poem Mrs Quasimodo. Initially Mrs Quasimodo is presented as self contained, however very aware and insecure her deformities. The poem takes an abrupt, aggressive tone which mirrors her change of heart after her husbands betrayal. Duffy deliberately creates a character filled with self-loathing and plays on the destructive emotions she feels in order to create sympathy in the reader in the same way as she does medusa. Although we can empathise with the persona Duffy has created, we also feel uncomfortable with the brutality and crudeness within the poem. Duffy uses the ugly jarring words such as gargling and boiled to describe her appearance, juxtaposed dramatically to that of the bells long, sexy chimes. This contrast of beauty and ugliness shows the true extent of her self-awareness and allows the female audience to relate to her feelings. Soon the light hearted self pity turns to miserable anger after her husbands betrayal. He makes her feel worthless when he looks fondly on a beautiful gipsy and makes her feel no more love than stone. This comparison to a lifeless stone illustrates how cold hearted she has become and depicts her as a victim of her husbands mistreatment. In the poem Mrs Sisyphus, Duffy creates a persona for a woman suffering isolation from her husband in favour of his work, an issue that again, no doubt, a number of female readers can relate to. Mrs Sisyphus husbands interests and focus lie elsewhere, and due to this she becomes one of the books many female victims. The first 5 lines of the opening stanza serve to establish the bitter nature of their relationship. The rhyming couplets end with harsh sounds derk and berk mirroring her feelings of hatred and frustration towards him while quickening the pace of the poem. Towards the end of the poem the rhyming couplets become softer and reveal her changing emotions, she once felt angered and still does but her feelings of rage have developed into sadness and longing for her husband. By using a switch in tone, Duffy creates a more poignant atmosphere but I lie alone in the dark this suggestion of loneliness creates empathy in the reader and depicts Mrs Sisyphus as a victim of her husbands neglecting behaviour. The sympathy Duffy creates in her readers allows the poems to take a lighter tone and suggests possible humour in places. By dedicating her entire book the voice of women who have gone unnoticed for so many years she directly opposes the idea that masculinity has dominated history, fiction and myth. The three poems I have analysed and many others in the book put a humorous slant on feminism and suggest that the relationship between the genders and the sexes is not defined by a hierarchical of power, resulting in the impression that men are always oppressors with women as their helpless victims.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Mesoamerican Ball Game essays

Mesoamerican Ball Game essays The mesoamerican ballgame, known as ullamaliztli or ollamalizitli in the native language Nahuatl, was played for many different reasons and by many different people. The game was played all over what is now Mexico. It was played by two different groups, the Aztecs and Mayans. There is a very extensive history of the ballgame. Ranging from how it was discovered to whom discovered it to different personal accounts. The people who played the game were Mayan and Aztec. Some of the courts they found were in ceremonial centers. They know the game was very important because they were placed in the ceremonial centers. They also found other smaller courts. Since the game was played at different levels of skill, intensity, and religion, there had to be a wide variety of people playing. The ballgame was played by members of elite classes of society. They are the ones to whom the game was very important. It was also played on the informal earthen courts. They also played for fun. The game was played by nearly all the males in the community. They started playing at adolescence and stopped when they got too old. The mesoamerican ballgame was played all across what is now Mexico. Archeological evidence suggests that it may have reached as far north as Arizona. The earliest ball courts found are in south central Mexico. This leads archeologists to believe that this is where the ballgame originated. At first the ball courts in south central Mexico were scarce. Slowly, the ballgame started to spread farther north. As this happened, the ball courts began to become more abundant until they reached what is now southern Arizona. When they reached this area, the ball courts started to become scarce again. After this point the ballgame didnt spread any further. The reason for the decline of the ball courts in the northernmost areas is because of Cortes and his missionaries. When Cortes came to Mexico in 1519-1520 he was...

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Although Ashbery has said 'I do not think of myself as a gay poet', Essay

Although Ashbery has said 'I do not think of myself as a gay poet', critics such as John Emil Vincent and John Shoptaw offer rea - Essay Example Borrowing some elements form modernist poetry the poet has invented his own style keeping at par with the period he belonged. However the move of this great poet from the shadows to the limelight was quite sudden without giving any scope to the readers for deeper perception of his style. Though his style was simple and straightforward as declared by him, his poems raised puns and questions about the theme enfolded between the lines. His approach to poetry has often provided different scopes for interpretation form more than one angles. It is the aspect of hidden meaning which has raised the controversies against him amongst his critics and this relates essentially to the homosexuality and autobiographical content. Hence criticism of his work continued for the next decades till date and these works of criticisms have gained literary acclaim and worth overtime. some examples of such are â€Å"On the Outside Looking Out, by John Shoptaw, Five Temperaments, by David Kalstone, Beyond Ama zement, edited by David Lehman, John Ashbery: Modern Critical Views, edited by Harold Bloom, The Tribe of John, Ashbery and Contemporary Poetry, edited by Susan Schultz, and John Ashbery and American Poetry, by David Herd† (Hilbert). The nature of his poems comprise of changes in tone, speaker and voice randomly. They often seem to lack integrity and each line cannot stand out independently. The themes are often combinations of abstract expressionism, deconstruction and contain cultural components. Looking at the scenario of American poetry John Ashbery has made huge fame and smoothly made himself a delicacy for the critics to discuss. It is often hard to classify him under categories like romantics, an â€Å"abstract thinker†, or a gay poet without any autobiographical indication. His compositions began to be difficult to interpret over the 80s and often have been disjunctive and irregular. Although Ashbery picks up conventional topics to approach in an unconventional manner, some of them are actually â€Å"funny† where he mocks the life of a surgeon and the attitudes of poets like Homer and others who slept while writing. He borrows from the works of other poets and incorporates them in his writing and â€Å"untraceable borrowings from the wild variety of ordinary speech, filled out with fleeting parodies of humble written forms: the family Christmas circular, the letter from a consumer, the office memo† (Hammer). Even the first person tone of his poems is distracted by quotations and other voices. The speakers of his poems are represented collectively. In his own words, â€Å"Research has shown that ballads were produced by all of society / working as a team† (in Hotel Lautreamont) (Hammer). He wrote some poems in pantoum form and some in haibun (prose poems). The phrases used by Ashbery in his poems lay stress on providing verbal pleasure and revelation. He progresses from one phase to another and if read between the lines , then some apparently haphazard lines might have deep moral implications. His work contains â€Å"languor and urgency†. He does not adhere to any fixed pattern or rule, rather concentrates on creating meaning with the pattern of the lines. The poet himself invites criticisms in his lines in ‘