Citizens United V. Federal Election Comission

Resolved: On balance, the Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission harms the election process. My partner and I stand in firm negation of today’s resolution. If my partner and I uphold that the Citizens United decision does not directly harm our election process, then we win today’s round. Contention 1: Citizens United has negligible effect on public participation in elections. In fact, the decision actually supports voter turnout. Many would argue that a bombardment of ads and excessive spending discourage voters, but this is not the case.In fact, there aren’t any studies that back up this claim sufficiently. There are many studies however, that say that ads pique the interest of voters and encourage them to educate themselves about the candidates. The Journal of Politics reports that respondents in 2000 were as much as 10 percentage points more likely to vote if they watched much television (particularly daily news shows) in medi a markets that were bombarded with presidential ads. Exposure to the ads increased intentions to vote by 18 percentage points.Clearly, campaign ads are very helpful when it comes to voter turnout, and after the case, there was a major increase in the amount of ads aired during a campaign according to a Wesleyan study. We have seen a 40% increase in ads since 2008. In addition, the number of ads only increased by 10,000 from 2004-2008 compared to the 300,000 increase from 2008-2012. Allowing corporations to fund ads and Political Action Committees raises awareness for elections, and potentially increase voter turnout. Contention 2: The decision by the court actually prevents corruption.Matthew Melone, a professor from Depaul University, notes that, â€Å"To believe that corporate advocacy will distort the political process and lead to public lack of confidence in the system is to miss the point that influence will continue to be sought by other means. As long as elected officials of fer themselves up for sale there will be buyers. Even if one believes that corporate express advocacy will become a currency for influence peddling, it is less objectionable than other forms of currying political favors: at least corporate advocacy is transparent. Indeed, the type of fairly easily monitored campaign contributions that Citizens United has legalized are the most transparent, least corrupt way for corporations to exert their influence. As a result, according to the Sustainable Investment Institute, 84 percent of large corporations now acknowledge and report their campaign contribution (up from 78 percent before Citizens United). In short, corporations have been given a legitimate, non-corrupt means of contributing to political campaigns and they are taking that opportunity instead of relying on back-door deals and other illegal methods.In fact, transparency after Citizens United was increased. The New York Times says, â€Å"An often-overlooked part of the Citizens Uni ted decision actually upheld disclosure requirements, saying that ‘transparency enables the electorate to make informed decisions and give proper weight to different speakers and messages. ’ Lower courts have embraced the ruling, relying on Citizens United to reject challenges to disclosure laws, often in cases involving political spending related to social issues. † So Citizens United actually made it easier for courts to reject challenges to disclosure laws, and thus creates more transparency.The New York Times also said, â€Å"None of this means that existing disclosure laws are necessarily adequate. But if they are not, the fault lies with Congress and state legislatures, not the Supreme Court. † What many people fail to realize, is that these transparency issues we currently have were around long before the Citizens United decision. Citizens United is not to blame when it comes to corruption, because it actually helps keep corruption out of the electio n process. Contention 3: Our democratic approach in elections is upheld through the decision.The court decision also better upholds the democratic ideals our election process is based on. Our 1st amendment rights give us the freedom of speech. This right does not only apply to individuals, but corporations as well. This is supported by the Supreme Court in such cases as Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad Company which dictates that the term person, in the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment, applies to corporations as well as people. In addition, the Supreme Court also ruled in Buckley v.Valeo that money to influence elections is a form of constitutionally protected free speech. So BCRA denying corporations their constitutional rights to donate and spend on elections harms democracy, and goes against our election process. Further, government regulation would inhibit the flow of information from corporations. Justice Kennedy upheld in the decision that â€Å"b y definition, an independent expenditure is political speech presented to the electorate that is not coordinated with a candidate. † It is for the aforementioned reasons that my partner and I urge a con ballot. Thank you.

Everest Report Essay

The Everest simulation is a group and team exercise that encourage us to play a unique role of a team of hikers, attempting to reach the summit of Mount Everest. The simulation is designed so that members are dependent on each other and are encouraged to work collectively in order to achieve the highest team goal outcome possible whiles simultaneously completing as much personal goals as the members can. The purpose of the report is to anyalyse the team experience while applying a range of subjects, concepts and theories that is learnt in the course â€Å"managing people and organization† to out experience, illustrating the 1. Group and teams 2. Power and Conflict 3. attitudes, perception and personality The simulation requires team members to be able to lead, to participate and to communicate and motivate each other effectively while making critical decisions in response to different situations and circumstances in each stages of the simulation while considering the different information each members received and the conflicting or opposing interests of each members. The experience gives us a first-hand insight into working as a team, it has enabled us to identify the benefits and the potential problem of working in a team or work group in the contemporary and dynamic business environment. We experience how conflict, power, collective thinking, and attitudes can be managed and influence to either benefit the team performance or hinder it. The Everest group simulation is a web-based simulation/ exercise produced by the Harvard Business School Where five or six students are placed into a formal group and each are assigned individual, unique and vital role to play by the system. Additionally, each individuals are given specific goals/mission in respect to their roles. The students are encouraged to work collectively as a team of hikers attempting to reach the summit of Mount Everest, whilst completing as many team and individual goals as they possibly can. The simulation covers a range of subjects, concepts and theories that is learnt in the course â€Å"managing people and organization†, illustrating the 4. Group and teams 5. Power and Conflict 6. attitudes, perception and personality The simulation requires team members to be able to lead, to participate and to communicate and motivate each other effectively while making critical decisions in response to different situations and circumstances in each stages of the simulation while considering the different information each members received and the conflicting or opposing interests of each members. GROUPS AND TEAMS Using Tucker’s five stages of group devleopment as the basis on describing the Everest Simulation. The forming stage began when every students were randomly assigned to a temporary team of 5 or 6 for the purpose of completing the everest simulation. During the tutorial, the team members had the chance to briefly introduced themselves and then proceed to discussing the team contract and at the end, members exchanged personal information as described by Tuckman (Maples 2008) . There was anxiety as we were stangers at first, curiosity of how the simulation experience will look like, and positive expectation for the team, as desrcibed by Lacoursiere and Spitz (Tuckman 1977). It is important to note that when using Tucker’s five stages of group development(Tuckman 1977) to describe our team experience, our team did not proceed sequentially from one stage to the next ie. from forming to storming, norming performing and lastly adjourning, as described by Tucker (Tuckman 1977). Rather, our group tends to occasionally regress back to previous stages of group development; as our team is always moving back and forth between the storming, norming and performing stage. The storming stage occured when our team were discussing the team contract. This stage is described by Tuckman as characterised of intragroup conflict (Tuckman 1977) For example, Everyone had their own opinions on which communication tool to use before, during and after the simulation and had their own preference on the location to meetup to run the simulation. We proceed to the norming stage when conflict of opinions are identified during the team contract. Noting that we were all strangers, the team contract discussion went smoothly as everyone was demonstrating a positive attitude and behaviour with agreeableness driven by the desire to get along and to be accepted by one another, and to avoid any serious potential conflict.Tuckman described this procces as devleoping group cohesion (Tuckman 1977) (Maples 2008) .The day and time to meet for the simulation was established rather quick as no one was traveling or had conflicting schedule. Although there were few suggestions of location to meet up prior the simulation, a solution came up rather quickly. The team decided to use communication tool, i.e. mobile phone or email before and after the  simulation as to discuss any further issues/problem prior and after the simulation. However most of the time our communication is via email. For the day of the simulation, the whole team member agreed on meeting and communicating face to face. We regressed back to the storming stage when prior to the first stage of the simulation, roles are given to us i.e. Leader, Marathon runner, environmentalist, photographer, physician and observer; and individual and team goals are assigned. In this stage, new problems and issues are addressed and conflicting opinions are voiced out by each member. i.e. How is the team going to simultaneously meet the team goals and personal goals as well as reaching the summit while avoiding being rescue. We move forward to the norming stage again when when roles and relationship has been accepted and familiarized, and personal goals has been reviewed as described by Tuckman (Maples 2008); team contract was also refereed back to in order to remind some members of how we are going to proceed throughout the simulation. During this stage, there was cohesiveness, cooperation and collaboration as described by Maples (maples 2008) between members as everyone wanted to achieve our primary goal of reaching the summit as a team. Our team undergo the performing stage when completing round 1 of the simulation after problem have been solved and final decision have been made (maples 2008). However, our team regressed back to the storming stage when new problems occurred at round 2 and new conflicting opinions are raised by team members. This trend of going back and forth between storming and performing stage continue to occur as our team progresses to each new rounds, new problems are presented such as frostbite or changing health condition forcing our team to regressed back to the storming stage. Unfortunately the end results of team goals and my individual goals indicated a bad performance by our team. This is the adjourning stage of our temporary group where the Everest simulation is completed, roles and duties are terminated as described by Tuckman (Maples 2008), and the members are concern with the disengagement and termination of the group as described by Braaten (Tuckman 1977). To some  members, there is some sense of achievement i.e. 2 out of 5 reached the summit, to others, there might be some sense of regret as we know we could of done better. After the simulation, we continue to discuss about the simulation experience via email and face to face. Analysis on experience based on groups and teams It was beneficial that our team agree to meet face-to-face rather than communicating virtually when running the simulation. It reflects the fact that our team is considered a future team described by Algae as having little experience as an intact team or share no past history with team members but expects to have an extended future with fellow members. (Algae 2003) Furthermore, the simulation is designed so that each members are interdependent of each other due to their roles and task in the simulation; as a result, our team is motivated to be open and trusting with one another during the simulation and tend to share information prior the simulation and during the early stages of the simulation similar to the argument of Algae. (Algae 2003) Our team has also set certain standards and norms during our team contract discussion which members are expected to follow, i.e. expected individual attendance, being punctual and participate and engage in discussion and active listening; we believe that the later(participation) will benefit our team decision-making process during the simulation. While our team tends to be open and communicative during the early stages by expressing their opinions and generating diverse alternatives for decision making, we tend to be less engage in decision making during the later stages of the simulation. Consequently, 3 out of 5 of our members were rescued off the mountain after round 3. I suspect that we have fallen into the trap of group-think where some of the members adopt an agreeableness personality and therefore may have contribute to poor decision making as described by Charles (Charles 1997). As we are a self-managing team, evidently we tend to be cohesive and emphasized excessively on majority voting and support our team goals rather than our own personal opinion therefore contributing to  the occurrence of group-think, and this is similary argued in Charles article (Charles 1997) Additionally, I felt that we have also forgotten about the team contract and the norm that we have set which states we must contribute to the decision-making process, as we do not occasionally refer back to the contract. What could have been done to reduce group-think is to develop a strong group norm/culture that values debate and disagreement from group members and to continuously promote and encourage team-think characterized of divergent views, open expression and discussion of collective doubts (Charles 1997). Power and Conflict Analysis of experience based on power and conflict To what extent of power each member has wasn’t important as members were treated with equal importance as the simulation is designed so that we are interdependent on each other. Furthermore, we agreed to adopt a shared leadership therefore everyone would feel equal, valued and involved. Although the leader was assigned to have the higher power due to his higher position in the hierarchy within the team, team members did not express any concern or demonstrate any negative attitude in response to his role. According to Bachrach, Baratz and Dahl, power is define as the ability to influence others to do something that it would not otherwise have done (politis 2005). By accepting this definition, our team did not exercised power enough to promote conflict during the simulation. Our team tends to hold a strong traditional view of conflict where conflict is seen as a problem that should be minimize or suppressed rather than the contemporary view of conflict where differences in opinions, alternatives and opposing views can be a positive sign teams in terms of decision making, as stated by Hellriegel (Darling 2001). As a result, our team only engaged in numerous minor level of conflict. For example, during the team contract discussion, members freely and comfortably expressed their different opinions of locations that they find suitable to meet up. The fact that we  are all strangers, gives us the incentive to avoid high level of conflict that may offend personal feelings and threaten relationships. As we progress through further rounds, I notice how it took a relatively shorter amount of time to make the final decisions in response to new problems and to proceed to the further stages. For example, when distributing the canister prior to proceed to the summit, there wasn’t a single opposing view by any of the other team members. This may indicate that the team members have continuously avoid conflict. Consequently, we did not achieve a high proportion of our team goals and my own personal goals. This trend supports Chen’s study and Song’s argument that adopting an avoiding conflict management behavior reduces team’s innovation performance. (Chen 2012) Culture may also play a part in our attitude towards conflict as we are all of Asian heritage; as Chen argued that â€Å"Chinese managers rely on an avoiding style because of their relatively high value on conformity and tradition; but US managers rely more on a competing style because of their relatively high value on individual achievement.† (Chen 2012) Something that is noteworthy from our team experience is the connection between avoiding conflict management and group-think which both occurred during our simulation, Cheng argued that adopting an avoiding behavior makes it very difficult for team to create open discussions or generate alternatives for decision making as seen in our team experience and therefore leads to the occurrence of group-thinks. (Chen 2012) As a result, What was lacking in our team is the persistent promotion of conflict in the later stages of the simulation; Consequently, it lead to a avoiding behavior and higher occurrence of group-think. Amason noted 2 types of conflict, cognitive conflict, that improve team’s effectiveness by encouraging team members to participate in decision making and generate variety of ideas and opinions; and affective conflict, that hinders team effectiveness by provoking hostility and distrust among members. (Amason 1995). The leader should have consider using his legitimate  power to promote cognitive conflict and encouraged members to comfortably and freely voice out objection or opinions. As I identify myself as an introvert, I tend to have a habit of not voicing out my opinion or express my view that may be in conflict with the other members decisions; this has happen in some occasion during the simulation. For example, when the environmentalist and myself are both in a weak condition, the doctor suggest that medicine should be given to the environmentalist and I agree without considering the situation for myself and the environmentalist. Another example, is when the leader announce the distribution of canister, I didn’t question his method however I was concern; consequently I did not make it to the summit as I ran out of oxygen. As Webb hypothesized, extroverted persons would participate more actively in group interaction than would introverted persons (Webb 1982) I find myself valuing personal feelings in surface level and tend to have strong view about traditional conflict therefore have the urge to avoid conflict. Attitudes, Perception and Personality Analysis of experience based on attitude, perception and personality During early stages of the simulation, our team was demonstrating a positive personality and attitude towards the simulation and other team members with openness and trust. Consequently, We were promoting organizational citizenship behavior(OCB) while simultaneously avoiding any workplace misbehavior. This is supported by Chiaburu findings that emotional stability, extraversion and openness promote higher citizenship relative to conscientiousness and agreeableness (Chiaburu 2011). This behaviors was partly due to the fact that the simulation was a one off event and therefore there is no second chances if we make a potential mistake due to any misbehavior; we don’t want to mess up or leave a bad impression especially since we are considered as future teams with no past history or relationship with each other(algae 2003). Another reason may be that we are all from an Asian heritage and therefore we tend to relate to each other easily. One of the problem with the design of the simulation is that the roles were assign to us without our preferences. Therefore the leader was unable to consider our personality and values that would best fit the 6 available roles and unable to initiate structure, that is, defining and structuring roles of group members ( Kerr 1974) For example, the observer was more involved in decision making and had a more proactive personality in comparison to myself and therefore may have done a better performance if assigned to another role. Although her role exclude her from running the simulation, she tend to be highly involved and felt that she had gain a job satisfaction. What some of the members such as myself lack is a proactive personality and attitude in later stages. This pro-activity that is characterized of people who identify opportunities, show initiative, take action. Perception can be a dangerous factor that may have hinder our team outcomes. Although there wasn’t a time limit established for the simulation, our team perceived a time limit for the simulation therefore felt a need to rush in the process. Evidently, in late stages, we tend to accept choices straight away without coming up with alternatives, decision making felt relatively faster as we progress through further rounds. In some occasions, information is perceived as of no relevance or we tend to underestimate or overlook the information given. For example, we think too highly of our health status and as long as we are not critical, we will be fine. Consequently we ignored the frostbite warning, our doctor got rescued due to a severe frostbite. The members also perceived that the leader know what is best for the team and has experience leading, and therefore we do not voice out. The same example, when our leader was distributing the canister, no one question his judgment. However, little do we know that the leader may be inexperience or have limited knowledge like us in regards to leading as he was only given the role during the simulation and had no time to plan. Additionally, while our team tends to be more analytical and calculative in the early stages, our team tends to be more risk taking in the later stage;  For example, we have strong support for our goal to reach the summit as a team rather than sacrificing any of our members therefore canister was distributed to everyone however subconsciously, I knew that both me and the environmentalist wouldn’t make in with the limited canister, neither me nor her would wish to offend each other by asking one another to sacrifice , as a result, both me and the environmentalist ran out of oxygen . Conclusion The Everest simulation was a beneficial experience by providing me insights into the team environment. Through the simulation, our team was able to apply theories and knowledge learned from the course Mgmt 1001 to practical use in team situations, demonstrating the relevance and logic behind these theories. The experience has enable us to identify the benefits and the potential problem of working in a team or work group. The benefit includes effective communication, collective thinking, cognitive conflict, generating diverse alternatives and opinions while the potential problem includes ineffective communication, conformity, group-think and affective conflict. Ultimately, it depends on the teams ability to manage this issues in order to achieve high performance and effective decision making..

Purpose of Education in Society Essay

Outline the functionalist view on the role and purpose of education in society Functionalists argue that education has three broad functions. Education teaches that solidarity and skills are required by a modern industrial society. Solidarity is being together, treating people fairly and going with the norms and values of society and stop discrimination, without it there would be a state of chaos where there are no rules. In order to prepare yourself for work you need the skills provision to help achieve your goal. These may be general skills that everyone need such as literacy and numeracy or the specific skills needed for the particular occupation. As the division of labour increases in complexity and occupational roles become more specialised, increasingly longer periods in education becomes necessary. You also need socialisation and meritocracy to maintain society by teaching young people the key cultural values, such as achievement, competition, equality of opportunities, social solidarity, democracy and religious morality. Parsons stated that education ‘bridges the gap between the family and the wider society’ – this is also seen in secondary socialisation where we are taught the universalistic standards which are judgments based on universally agreed principles, which is seen differently in particularistic standards which are judgments based on an exclusive view of a particular group. Socialising children to adapt the meritocratic view of achievement is when and individual has achieved something on their own with their own talent and ability. Functionalists also say school is a miniature of society as young people are expected to follow some norms and values within the school which is then applied to the real world. They are also both meritocratic and believe in an achieved status- which is working to grasp your goal with your own talent and ability which can move you up or down the social class ladder and gives social mobility. Functionalists disagree with having an ascribed status which is being born into a social class which could mean you wouldn’t have to work for anything as everything is already there for you. Davis and Moore are functionalists and believe that education is important for role allocation. This allocates people to the most suitable jobs for their talent; it does this through exams and qualifications. Education allows you to sort people into future work roles- some people are more talented than others- some work requires more skills than others. More talented students will eventually be rewarded by being allocated to these job roles. The human capital theory shows that a meritocratic education system is the best way to develop a skilled workforce to create a strong economy and higher living standards

The Breakup of the Eurozone is inevitable within the next five years Essay

The Breakup of the Eurozone is inevitable within the next five years. Discuss - Essay Example Countries in the Euro zone are restrained from pursuing their self- interest by mutually respecting each other’s sovereignty and independence rights. However, Euro zone must adhered to EMU operating principles. Good governance must be practice at all transactions to avoid future crisis2. January 1, 1999 saw the official launch of the Economic and Monitory Union (EMU). On that day, eleven European countries joined the EMU and five more followed suit years later. Now, EMU is comprised of sixteen member European countries. The first to join were Austria, Belgium, Germany, France, Ireland, Italy, Finland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Luxembourg, and Spain. Greece followed in 2001, then Slovenia in 2007 while Cyprus and Malta joined in 2008. The last to join was Slovakia in 2009. EMU countries adopted Euro as a single currency for transaction purposes. The chief reasons that lead to EMU were mainly to stabilize prices, macroeconomic environment, banking system, financial markets as well as increase trade competitiveness and boost flexibility in the member countries3. Before and after the official launch, different people had different views concerning the sustainability of the Euro Zone especially on areas of viability and desirability. Supporters of EMU claimed that commo n currency has the potential to improve trade, attract more foreign direct investment, stabilize wages and enhance business strategies of member countries. On the contrary, they are opponents who predict that Euro zone is heading for a disaster4. They pegged their arguments on the premise that countries in the Euro Zone are diverse and put individual interest forward at the expense of the EMU. There are benefits and costs associated with Economic and Monitory Union. If costs are more than benefits, EMU may not survive in future and if vice versa, union will endure the test of time. The first advantage is that common currency reduces costs

Summer School Study Abroad Scholarship Application Essay

Summer School Study Abroad Scholarship Application - Essay Example I believe these courses would help me attain my ultimate career goal. All good packages come with costs, so is the case of YISS. I belong to a middle class family with income that just suffices living costs and does not contribute to savings. A referral to financial statement will support my stance. I will be able to bear my expenses to some extent, but I will also require financial assistance. This is the reason why I have applied for need based scholarship programme. I believe that an individual has a give and take relationship with the society. Contribution to society is paid back in the form of a better & safe community for the future generations. I respect the fact that YISS is offering need based scholarship and desire to benefit from it. But this does not end here, as a helping hand extended towards me today will encourage me to help others in future. It will also develop goodwill of Korean society on international

Interactions of hazardous materials Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Interactions of hazardous materials - Essay Example minimized chances of interaction of the identified hazardous chemical with humid environment in the air (United States of America department of transport, 2012). In this case, I will use the sand and soil to cover the chemical to prevent any reaction between the chemical and the air that can lead to fire outbreak. Moreover, to prevent chemical reaction in the scene, I will also ensure that, the spraying activity in the nearby large irrigation field is stopped to minimize the level of humidity in the air. After minimizing risks of fire explosion and chemical reactions, I will request for external assistance from the community and community fire department. As I wait for external aid, I will put into place several restraint measures to prevent the unpredictable danger. To start with, I will ensure there is no contact between the identified chemical and the environment. This will reduce chemical reactions that can cause fire. Secondly, I will demarcate the area to protect people from tampering with the water reactive materials. Thirdly, for my personal safety, I will ensure that I have completely covered my body with a piece of cloth in order to minimize chance of body contact with the chemical (Manahan, 2012). Additionally, I will also make sure that, I have fully protected my respiratory systems to prevent inhalation of dangerous chemicals. To prevent any casualties in the accident scene, I will as well advice the incoming community members to avoid being closer to the incidence site. I will as well inform the community members about the presence of a dangerous chemical in the accident scene. Moreover, since I do not have emergency response guidebook and cell phone, I will inform the incoming drivers to inform the community fire department on the presence and nature of the incidence. To ensure maximum security in the area, I will also inform the community member to alert the police officers about the accident. Additionally, to minimize cases of fire outbreak, I

NASA's Mission to Asteroid Bennu Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

NASA's Mission to Asteroid Bennu - Essay Example Basically, the question being asked by the project, that they hope to answer is â€Å"can you go to an asteroid, collect material, and bring it back to earth?† (Algar, Jim â€Å"NASA Gets Go-Ahead To Build Spacecraft for Space Sampling Mission†)/ This paper will look deeper into the relevance of the mission to Bennu, the current status of the project, and finally, make conclusions about the possible success or failure of the space mission. This will be done by presenting the latest facts about the mission as taken from the latest news and scientific reports / updates related to the 2016 space mission. In order to fully grasp the importance of the mission to Asteroid Bennu, the public must first understand the key mission objectives of the project. All of which are crucial to the continued study of planet and life preservation on Earth. These mission objectives are: Having received financing and support from the government to implement the project, NASA has begun to develop the spacecraft that will be used for this unmanned mission. Known as the Origins, Spectral Interpretation Resource Identification Security Regolith Explorer, OSIRIS REx for short the unmanned explorer was approved at the Mission Design Critical Review at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company in Ohio this April (Myles, Robert â€Å"NASAs Asteroid Sample Mission Gets Go-Ahead†). With a planned launch date in the Fall of 2016, the craft is expected to rendezvous with the 493 meter asteroid in 2018. OSIRUS - REx will have 5 onboard instruments meant to help with data and sample collection. A task that is expected to last at least one year. The samples and data will then take a 5 year trip back to earth where NASA will collect the samples and other onboard data for long term experimentation, research, and study well into the 2020s (Myles, Robert â€Å"NASAs Asteroid Sampl e Mission

Learning and Development in Organisations Essay

Learning and Development in Organisations - Essay Example 64-73). However, for reducing expenditures, first it is necessary to spend money so that people can learn how to reduce expenditures and expand opportunities. Most companies and organizations in the world are arranging trainings, seminars, and other such things through which they can learn how to expand their profits. This paper would focus on Young Men’s Christian Association London South West. It is a registered charity working in many diverse areas; Supported Housing; Health & Fitness (Y+ Fitness); Children's Work (Space); Youth Work (Room) and community cafes (Canteen at YMCA). Working in partnership with other like-minded organization is something they have found to be very effective and current  partners include the  NHS,  Kingston Churches against Homelessness  and  Age UK. It provides housing to the homeless in southwest. Along with this, it also provides emotional help to the people who are going through a tough time. They help people who are emotionally dis turbed or lack some skills, which are necessary to survive. For these services, they require individuals who are expert in human skills. These individuals are not very easy to find and once found they need constant training and guidance because human behavior is unpredictable. YMCA also provides Fitness Facilities. They call their fitness facilities Y+ Fitness because they provide some extras that one would not find at other fitness clubs. These extras include ‘Get Started’ program, IFI accreditation and certain supple membership alternative including the choice to ‘pay as you go’.  The major extra is that YMCA uses all profits from Y+ to help run other YMCA projects and helpless young people. YMCA has also been providing childcare for years. It does not provide this care just for the sake of providing it but it also makes sure that children are happy with the services they get. The team that is responsible for taking care of children should get continuou s trainings regarding the activities, moods and habits of children so that they can easily handle them. Moreover, team should also be aware of first aid because children enjoy experimenting and they are hit during their experiments especially in summer camps (Kraiger, Ford, & Salas, 1993, pp. 31-32). Therefore, teams should be ready to treat them so that the injury does not get worsen. Even small trainings are very costly these days so YMCA needs to be very wise in spending the money on these trainings. YMCA does not need to bring professionals for this however, the people who have been doing this for years at YMCA can also give this training and save the funds for other activities. YMCA is doing a phenomenal job by giving youth opportunity to learn interesting activities such as dance, sports, and music. They have qualified professionals who make young people learn different instruments; these young people also get chances to talk to their coaches regarding their problems. People a lso get chances to complete their education if they left it without completing it or expelled from their institutions. They also have floors on which people have healthy discussions about religion, faith and other such topics. They do not charge any fees for these activities, they are completely free, and YMCA gets funds to sponsor these activities from donations,

Why it is important to support the National Rifle Association Essay

Why it is important to support the National Rifle Association - Essay Example These groups constantly portray our organization as one that seeks to return this great country to the Wild West era as we continue to lobby for each individuals right to bear arms. . Irresponsible gun owners have given our organization a bum rap over the years. The time has come to finally show people that the National Rifle Association is not an enemy but rather an ally in the quest for peace and order when pertaining to certain settings. The National Rifle Association is not an advocate of violence. Rather, we advocate peaceful co-existence with the non-NRA groups that share similar beliefs with our organization. While these anti NRA groups constantly delve on the fact that we support gun ownership and the right to use it when a threat to ones physical well - being is imminent as being a negative aspect of the group, the reality is that our organization does a great service to our government since we in the private sector can worry about the possibility of fire arm misuse and its prevention with a much wider breadth of movement. Our organization has never been one to advocate gun violence. Having been founded in 1878, we have always advocated the use of proper use of guns in the quest for relaxation and the protection of life and private property. Our quest has always been to promote the proper handling and use of firearms in public settings. The NRA has not once ever advocated any course of action that could be deemed as an endorsement of gun violence. Rather, our 4.8 million member strong group has done its best to sponsor responsible gun ownership programs during a point in time when our police force is beginning to dwindle due to budgetary cuts and the option, or rather need, to protect ones self is of the utmost importance. With the spotlight once again zeroing in on our organization due in no small part to the Trayvon Martin shooting, it has become of the utmost

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

Metamorphosis - Essay Example Some sort of psychological grounding will have to be found out for such an occurrence. The presence of an insect anywhere within the house, is the most unwelcome feature but Samsa is one (transformed into beetle perhaps with his own volition) and members in the household accept the fact for the reasons best known to them. The readers of the story are expected to go with the fact to enable them appreciate the developments that take place in the family consequent to the isolation of the prime member from the mainstream dispositions and activities of a normal household. Insects live a regulated life within the perimeters bestowed to them by Nature. Before his transformation Gregor lives such a life, comparatively lackluster and remains engrossed in his work. He does his best to provide for the secular necessities of the family. He has no friends circle, no hobbies that make his life passionate, and no close interaction with the family members except with his sister. Why the family does not involve him in day to day small incidents of happiness and sorrow is not explained in the story, but the fact is that he is a marginalized member and this realization intensely bothers him leading to his ‘transformation as the beetle.’ In fact, that is his mental sickness that shapes into a beetle and his cynicism is the cause for that to happen. The family expects of him to provide for them, nothing more, and nothing less. Just as an ant or the worker-bee labors without intermission for providing food for the rest of the members of the nest, Gregor carries on with his life solely for the benefit of others. His life becomes totally regimented devoid of any fun and sacrifice for others become the watchword for him. He just works, that’s all without any essential human dignity or charm. No thanks or words of gratitude for him and the family expect him to do what he does, as if it is his bounden duty. He owns total responsibility on his shoulders, for issues

Implementation of a Professional Development Plan to Address Assignment

Implementation of a Professional Development Plan to Address Differentiated Instruction - Assignment Example Differentiated instruction depicts a teaching theory reliant on the notion that instructional methods should differ and be assimilated with regards individual and variant students in classrooms. The approach of differentiated instruction demands the teachers to be variable with reference to their approaches to teaching and regulate the curriculum and giving the information to the students instead of anticipating the learners to adjust themselves for the course. Most of the teachers as well as their tutors have recently realized differentiated instruction as a criterion of assisting more learners in a varied classroom situation to attain success (Gregory 2013). This research evaluates the research the objectives, assessments, strategies, and the need for professional development for differentiated instruction at a school as a worksite. The differentiated instruction operates on the fact stipulating that the students can learn maximally when they are allowed to incorporate their own un derstanding in the curriculum and that the best learning can take place amongst the students when they are compelled to operate beyond the point of assistance (Levy 2008). This point varies amidst the students performing below the grade and those performing above the average limits. Differentiated instructions assist the teachers to attain the desired diversity instead of restricting their teachings to the middle levels that do not address either the higher or the lower extremities. This research intends to elucidate the fact that the students’ performance under differentiated instruction depends greatly on teachers’ operations on the learners. However, other parties such as parent groups, teacher leaders as well as the school staff are also crucial in the determination of learning outcomes (Lawrence-Brown 2010). Assessments Teachers have known their mandates and especially what to do to foster best teaching practices amongst the learners. Nonetheless, they have failed to incorporate some aspects regarding the differentiated instructions that would ensure outstanding learning outcomes amongst the students (Gregory 2013). Teachers avail numerous learning choices or variant directions to learning that enable the learners to assimilate the knowledge and make sense of ideas and techniques. However, they do not formulate a different lesson plan for the individual learners in the classroom. The teachers provide suitable assessments for all learners of all academic capabilities fairly. However, they do not moderate the syllabus to some learners. Strategies The differentiation of instructions can assume three different forms and areas such as the content of the instruction, processes employed in making sure that a particular topic becomes sensible and the products of students who manifest their learning (Gregory 2008). Based on content In this case the main focus is on the content delivered and that received. Use the pre tests in case the learners need t o begin to learn on a particular topic or unit. Promote thinking at different levels of the Bloom's taxonomy amongst the students to encourage openness of the mind (Gregory 2008). Use different instructional delivery techniques to elaborate on various styles of learning. In order to embrace content acquisition by the learners, there is need

Thought paper based on Buffalo Bill Essay Example for Free

Thought paper based on Buffalo Bill Essay William F. Cody (Buffalo Bill) was born on the 26th of February 1846 in Iowa. In Don Russell’s authoritative biography, The Lives and Legends of Buffalo Bill, William Cody’s lineage was traced to Philippe Le Caude of the Isle of Jersey, who married Marthe Le Brocq of Guernsey in the parish of St. Brelades, Isle of Jersey, on September 15, 1692. â€Å"Russell’s research was thorough and exemplary; the notes for his book in the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming, are proof of that. † (Carter, Robert A. p. 11)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Just like the way history was followed in Russell’s book, the movie also follows the basic facts in history and the life of William Cody.   Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Also the characters in the movie mostly bear the names of the real people involved in this piece of history, and their actions resemble those of their historical counterparts.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The movie does indeed convey the atmosphere and settings of the era which it depicts quite accurately. This is because in the film, the story was simplified to depict the narrative as accurately as possible, and not just only to add drama to the events.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to Russell’s book, â€Å"Buffalo Bill’s most remote ancestor who was definitely known was one Philip Legody. Philip Legody’s surname also appears in various surviving records in variations like Mocody, Lagody, McCody, Micody, Gody, Coady, Cody and even Codie. Although the family names are French, the Channel Islands have been British possessions since the middle Ages. No Irish or Spanish in sight; just good English stock. The Cody Family Association’s book The Descendants of Philip and Martha Cody carries the line down to the present day. Buffalo Bill was sixth in descent from Philip. Philip and Martha purchased a home in Beverly, Massachusetts, in 1698, and occupied it for twenty-five years, farming six acres of adjacent land. In 1720 Philip bought land in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, and he and his family moved there, probably in 1722 or 1723. When he died in 1743, his will was probated under the name of Coady. (Carter, Robert A.)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   William Cody’s family moved Kansas about 11 years after he was born, and they settled in what is currently Kansas Territory. Cody’s father died in 1857, and he had to look employment in order to be able to help provide for the family. He started working as a messenger out of Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, â€Å"and later was one of the youngest riders for the Pony Express until they were replaced by the telegraph.† (William F. Buffalo Bill Cody.)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Cody was soon to get work as a messenger boy for a company store at Leavenworth, Kansas which was owned by Majors and Russell. For 3 years, he tried his hand at trapping, and during the Pikes Peak gold rush, he also tried prospecting. In the end, he was not very successful in any of these ventures.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In 1860, Cody was hired as a rider for the Pony Express when Russell, Majors, and Waddell, went into partnership and formed the Pony Express in order to advertise and obtain a contract for a central route for mail to the Pacific. Cody, already acquainted with the principals in this partnership, was hired as a rider. The Pony Express operated from April 3, 1860 to November 18, 1861. The venture operated at a loss and failed to bring the desired contract to Cody’s employers, whose partnership ended in bankruptcy. (Don Russell 1960)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   William’s mother died on the 22nd of November 1863, and shortly after that, he enlisted in the 7th Kansas Cavalry at the age of 18, a decision that was apparently influenced by alcohol and his friends. During the Civil War Cody saw action in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Missouri. He served 19 months, including one year of active duty. He fought for two years against the Confederacy. In 1866 he married Louisa Frederici. After being discharged from the army he moved to Salt Creek Valley, Kansas where he soon started serving as a scout and guide. He also used his skills to provide meat for the crews working on the railroad. During this period he fought in as many as sixteen battles with Native Americans, and was hunting guide for the wealthy and famous visiting the West, including Grand Duke Alexis of Russia. (Shufelt, Catherine)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Cody wedded Louisa Frederici on the 6th of March 1866, after his army discharge, and he went to work as a scout at Fort Ellsworth for a short time. An old acquaintance of his, James Butler â€Å"Wild Bill† Hickok, was also an employee at Fort Ellsworth at the time. Cody was later to be hired by the management of the Kansas Pacific Railroad in a contract in which he was to kill buffalo to supply food for the company’s railroad track layers for eight months. This job is apparently where the nickname Buffalo Bill originated. A nickname that would later become known around the whole world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As a scout for the United States Army, Cody distinguished himself, and was valued so highly in the army that General Phil Sheridan insisted on keeping Cody on the Army’s payroll, even after the campaign ended. This was something unheard of for scouts in the army at that time, and it made it possible for scouts to become acknowledged, and also paved the way for the scout to become an established position in the Army, during the years of the Indian wars. In October 1868, General Sheridan made William Cody chief scout of the 5th Cavalry.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As a national figure, Cody first began to attract attention when a serial story about â€Å"Buffalo Bill† was published in a New York newspaper in 1869. Then he got the assignment to be a guide for a hunting trip embarked upon by the Grand Duke Alexis of Russia, in 1872. With the press following the Duke’s every move, Cody received a great deal more exposure. This experience was followed by his first trip to the eastern states. He attended a play about himself and was talked into taking part in the performance. Thus began a period of years when Cody alternated between scouting duties and theatrical tours. (Don Russell 1960)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Buffalo Bill realized his ambition of hosting a big outdoor exhibition that contained buffaloes, horses and wagon trains in Nebraska, in 1882. The show consisted partly of theater and rodeo. There were also some circus displays, and the show proved to be altogether a successful one. After that, Cody devoted his life to this show for 30 years, and traveled across Europe, Canada and the United States on the show. â€Å"He was received by European royalty, hailed as a hero, and given the Congressional Medal of Honor. He had diverse business interests, and founded the town of Cody, Wyoming as a tourist attraction.† (Catherine Shufelt)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   During the war, William Cody was awarded a Medal of Honor for action against Indians at the South Fork of the Loup River in Nebraska, in 1872. He was later to play an important role in assisting General George Crook’s campaign against the Sioux in 1876. In 1916, however, his name was removed from the record of Medal of Honor recipients, because he we was a civilian, and thus, considered ineligible for the Medal of Honor award. Cody became interested in developing the Big Horn Basin in Wyoming in the 1890s. The Cody Canal was built in 1895, as part of the Shoshone Land and Irrigation Project. The company laid out a townsite, first calling it â€Å"Shoshone.† With the Shoshoni Indian agency in the region this was rejected to avoid confusion. Therefore, in August, 1896 the Cody post office was established, with Buffalo Bill’s nephew, Ed Goodman, as postmaster. The water project led to the building of the Shoshone Dam, which was completed in 1910. The dam was renamed â€Å"Buffalo Bill Dam† in 1946. Buffalo Bill was also instrumental in bringing a rail line to the town of Cody in 1901. (Don Russell 1960)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   William F. Cody (Buffalo Bill) died on the 10th of January 1917, in Denver, Colorado, and was buried on Lookout Mountain, which is west of Denver.    References Don Russell. The Lives and Legends of Buffalo Bill. University of Oklahoma Press,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1960. Shufelt, Catherine. WHO was BUFFALO BILL? Carter, Robert A. Buffalo Bill Cody: The Man behind the Legend. William F. Buffalo Bill Cody. (Retrieved from http://wyoarchives.state.wy.us/articles/buffalob.htm)

Psycho Cultural Conflict Theory

Psycho Cultural Conflict Theory According to the psycho-cultural conflict theory, identity is the most important need in the hierarchy of human needs and, when denied, results in violent conflict. The satisfaction of ones basic needs is intricately related to his/her identity. The Psycho-cultural Conflict Theory is similar to the Primordial approach to ethnicity which emphasizes the fact that peoples ethnicity (identity) is deeply rooted in their past. Irobi (2005) argues that memories of past traumas magnify peoples anxieties. This is as a result of ethnic identity which produces fear, hatred and, consequently, ethnic conflict among two ethnic groups which have a history of ethnic discrimination and stratification. Irobi posits that when an ethnic group has a history of being stereotyped and discriminated based on their ethnic identity from another group, it results in violent conflict since ethnic identity remains part and parcel of the entirety of an individual. Ethnic groups which have been discriminated against and stratified into lower class citizens always habour a feeling of marginalization of their identity and this produces strong feelings of hatred and resentment towards the other group which did the discrimination. This is what Richardson Jr. Sen (1996) call victim mentality. Irobi (2005) criticizes the inadequacy of modernization theory which holds that modernity will result in the dissolution of ethnic affiliation. H e observes that ethnicity is fixed and part of the identity of individuals and groups. Therefore, any marginalization of an ethnic group or discrimination against it based on ethnicity will receive strong resistance (conflict). This is particularly seen in the mobilizing role of ethnic identity. Psycho-cultural conflict theorists like Ross (1997) and Horowitz (1998) believe that conflicts which are caused by identity are usually dangerous, violent, intractable and highly protracted, and often very difficult to resolve. This is because identity which is at the centre of the conflict, is an unshakable sense of worth, which makes life meaningful and includes the feeling that one is physically, socially, psychologically and spiritually safe (Faleti, 2006, p. 51). When this feeling of safety (identity) is threatened, there is a defensive reaction aiming at protecting this at all costs and the result is violent conflict which becomes a matter of life and death. This tends to affect development since violence is perpetually continued affecting productive sectors of local economies. The psycho-cultural theory of conflict argues, therefore, that resolving this type of conflict is usually very difficult and tends to defy any resolution mechanism. There is always constant outbreak of violence with such conflicts despite attempts at resolving the conflict. Their resolution takes long and sometimes, it is not possible to talk of resolution, but management. This is because the issue of ethnic identity is uncompromising and its denial is a complete affront to the groups very existence. The outbreak of consistent violence as a result of this type of conflict makes life and security fragile, thereby affecting human well-being and development. Thus, the link between ethnic conflicts, their resolution and development is clearly seen. Due to the deep-seated, protracted and intractable nature of conflicts based on identity (ethnic conflict), their resolution remains very difficult and takes very long, and this produces strings of violence thereby affecting meaningful develop ment. Seymour (2003) therefore emphasized that identity influences the process of conflict and must not be overlooked when attempting to understand the origins of conflict and when planning its resolution. The psycho-cultural conflict theory has been heavily criticized by many scholars. The theory has been criticized for attributing the main basis of conflict and violence to identity based on ethnicity. Critics are quick to point out that there is a tendency for many people to label any conflict as ethnic identity based when that conflict exceedingly has a different cause (Tonah, 2007). Bowen (1996) contends that those conflicts which are said to be based on ethnic identity are products of modern politics. He argues that although people have had many identities for long, which are based on their culture (ethnicity), these people only began to see themselves as members of vast groups, opposed to each other only during the modern period of colonization. Bowen (1996) mentioned that the Rwandan, Burundian and Bosnian conflicts are politically based conflicts rather than ethnic identity conflicts, but these conflicts later assumed ethnic identity dimensions. Osaghae (2005) also argues that what is seen as ethnic conflict is not so, but elite manipulation of people to gain advantage of their political and personal ambitions. Ethnic identity, to him, is elitist manipulation of ethnicity to gain control over political power and what is seen as conflicts emanating from ethnic identity are not at all, but politically based conflicts. It is possible for elites to manipulate a group of people against each other. It is even possible for conflicts in some parts of Africa and other places to take ethnic dimensions even if the initial cause of the conflict is political, resource, religious or any other cause (Tonah, 2007). Ernest Penan (cited in Bowen, 1996) believes that ethnic identity is constructed by intellectuals for their personal interests and that ethnic identity is a set of ideas rather than peoples values in conflict. Chandra (2006) believes that ethnic identity does not matter or has not been shown to matter in explaining most outcomes of violence. Fearon Laitin (2000) also argue after an enquiry into the relationship between ethnic identity and violence that the mere observation that ethnic identities are socially constructed is not so. In conclusion, the Psycho-cultural Theory simply argues that identity based on ethnicity explains the main reason for conflicts in society. The weakness of the theory makes it imperative for this study to be able to properly identify the sources of ethnic conflict in the Bawku Traditional Area in order to devise appropriate resolution mechanisms to them. Conceptual framework It remains evident that development is meaningfully achieved through the existence of peace. Peace here refers to the absence of violent conflict and effective conflict resolution which both border on security. Ethnic conflicts, very often, are intractable conflicts which involve values, claim to status, identity, deprivation of needs and external factors such as political infiltrations (Coleman, 2000). Thus, ethnic conflicts are often protracted and remain very difficult to resolve and their continuous existence poses danger to local level development and they tend to seriously hinder security which is needed to ensure peace for development. Ethnic conflicts as shown in Figure 1 primarily result from past historical and colonial experiences which are further exacerbated by factors like lack of access to power, resources and ethnic marginalization/stereotypes which are magnified by peoples struggle for their ethnic identity. The continuous ethnic polarization through these factors leads to violence (conflict) which results in low investments in local economic activities/commerce, decreasing agricultural, educational and health standards, insecurity, high dependency ratio, loss of lives and low incomes for individuals and families. The end result of all these, as seen in Figure 1, is decreasing levels of socio-economic development. The effective resolution of ethnic conflicts can have positive implications for development. Schoeman (1998) argues that a society in which people are secure (when violent conflict is properly resolved or is absent), will: Enable people to develop their communities; Enable people to be architects of their own lives; Enable people to come together to pursue economic and other development; and Enable people to participate in the development of the society. In resolving ethnic conflicts , one needs to focus on satisfying the basic needs which have been deprived (UN DESA, 2001) and also creating a proportional equality in deep-rooted cultural and identity issues (Richardson Jr. Wang, 1993) using third party intervention and inter-group cooperation (Horowitz, 2000; Lipchitz Crawford, 1995). All of these can be done by effectively engaging the conflicting parties in mediation, inter-group dialogue and third party intervention using indigenous methods. Issues which are mostly root causes of conflict when tackled properly results in effective conflict resolution thereby trickling down to sustainable peace which has implications for local development. Effects Core Problem Low Investment due to insecurity Destruction of Property and infrastructure General Insecurity Low Agricultural Production Low commerce Refusal to accept posting Low Income Decreasing Educational and Health Standards Retarded Development Ethnic Conflict High Dependency Ratio Low Income Loss of Lives Low Income Poverty Struggle for Ethnic Identity Lack of Access to Power. e.g. Chieftaincy and Political Connections Past Historical and Colonial Experiences Ethnic Marginalization Causes Lack of Access to Natural Resources. e.g. Land Decreasing Levels of Social/Economic Development

Causes Of Mental Health And Bullying In Prison Criminology Essay

Causes Of Mental Health And Bullying In Prison Criminology Essay Prisons as places of deprivation of liberty have existed since time immemorial, yet prisons as we know them today places where offenders are sent by the Criminal Justice System as a punishment for their behaviour -are a product of the industrial age (Maguire et al, 2005). Ideally the reason behind the imprisonment is according to Section 142 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 (cited in Elliott and Quinn) to punish ,deter and rehabilitate the offender . The main aims of these three areas is concerned with the recognition that the criminal has done something wrong. It then locates them in an institution which by taking away their freedom, is designed to deter them from further offences upon release, punish them for the offence already committed, and then tries to rehabilitate them, so that they are less likely to commit further offences upon release, either because they learn to see the harm they have caused, or because, through education and training, they find other ways to spend thei r time. The process of rehabilitation would change them into law abiding citizens. What is more it is believed that it would persuade other potential criminals that such activates are not beneficial in other words it would deter people from committing further crime ( Elliott and Quinn,2008). While in theory such an idea seems to perfectly fit the purpose of punishment, in practice significant amounts of negative experience such as intensive growth of bullying and mental health problems, are present within the prisons environment, together with overcrowding and poor living conditions, failing to deliver the successful processing of such a plan (Elliot and Quinn, 2008). The aim of this essay is to compare and contrast causes of mental health and bullying in prison, as well as detect any, if possible, links between bullying and mental health among prisoners Farrington defined bullying as the repeated oppression of a less powerful person by a more powerful one. He claimed that it usually includes three different elements. The first element includes physical , verbal or psychological attack with intent to cause harm , fear or distress . The second is an imbalance of power , where a more powerful person is oppressing the less powerful one, and thirdly it includes a continuous series of incidents between these same people over some period of time. Mental health is defined in Section 1(2) of the Mental Health Act 1983 as Mental illness, arrested or in completed development of mind, psychopathic disorder and another disorder or disabilities of mind. Although as shown above there is a huge difference in what constitutes bullying and mental health, there is no doubt that both of them can be caused by similar factors such as social and environmental causes (for example overcrowding) , physical causes and psychological causes(Ireland,2002; WHO, 1998). The physical environment in prisons such as overcrowding, quality of accommodation, availability of contact with friends and family, lack of stimulation in the form of activities , may have an impact on the prisoners mental health as well as contributing to the development of bullying in prison. According to Maguire et al. (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) the imprisonment rate in England and Wales is the highest in Western Europe, and according to the official prison statistics for England and Wales the total prison population has increased from around fifty-one thousand in 1995 to over eighty-four thousand in 2009. What is more overcrowding in prisons may lead to increased depression, stress, boredom and nervous breakdown, leading to serious breaches of prison discipline, violence and riots. The cause of prison overcrowding and an increase in the prison population is a result of a greater number of convictions and the absence of the availability of prisons places. Further equally important factors are change in criminal justice policy, tightening of sanctions, resulting in longer prison sentences. Reducing funds for the prison also indirectly cause aggression among prisoners.(though less  staff,   causing  tension  among  overworked  staff, which then affects the inmates). Prisons have a limited capacity, and the prisoners have certain rights that should not be violated. Factors such as lack of liberty, as in many of the prisons where prisoners are locked-up for twenty three hours a day, lack of, or limited, communication with friends and family , usually without any privacy, all contribute to the problem. What is more, prisons take away the prisoners free will. They can no longer freely decided where to live, with whom to associate and how to fill their free time and must follow the discipline imposed by prison rules and prison officers. Physical causes such as their individual characteristics or biological make-up may have some influence on the causes of bulling and mental health in prisons. According to Ireland (2002) prisoners mostly come from social environments where emphasis is placed on toughness and the ability to protect oneself and when entering prison these characteristics are magnified. However such behaviour while being in prison may be linked with bullying other usually weaker and disturbed inmates ( Irleand, 2002) According to Farrington (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) the people who tend to bully are more likely to have children who will be bullies, and people who tend to be the victims of bullying tend to have children who will become the victim of bullying. The same may apply to prison inmates who tend to be weak, with low self-esteem and with a low capacity for coping with the prison environment and they are more likely to become victims of bullying than people who are characterized as strong , confident and agg ressive. Also individual genetic make-up might put some prisoners more at risk than others to suffer from mental illness or become victims of bullying because they are less able to adapt or cope with certain environments or they become one of the bullies as they possess the physical skills which give prisoners the ability to bully others physically , verbally or indirectly. Moreover those suffering from any injuries while being in prison, which may have been caused by being involved in a fight with another prisoner, can also experience changes to their personality and in some cases may cause the beginning of schizophrenia, psychosis or self harm. Psychological factors such as a prisoners emotional and mental state of mind , especially when the prisoner has experienced any form of physical or sexual abuse or there have been any other potentially traumatic events in the past can affect his behaviour in prison. While there is a huge proportion of prisoners suffering from such trauma prior to imprisonment, many will experience such trauma as an effect of imprisonment (Crighton and Towl, 2008). Generally prisons are harsh places , where discipline and routine are the essence of daily life causing being in prison to be a stressful experience . Additionally according to (Crighton and Towl, 2008) prisoners appear to be at a high level of risk with factors associated with poor traumatic responses from childhood onwards. . Psychological factors especially emotional responses (Irleand, 2002) in terms of bullying will probably be heightened for the victims . Prisons can be aggressive and threatening environments especially for the first time prisoners . They may be fearful of what may happen to them. Undeniably fear is seen as a necessary component in definitions of bullying in the prison environment. Moreover fear may impact prisoners other emotions such as anxiety, nervousness and feelings of unimportance which may display behaviourally through self harm or social avoidance. Despite the similarities in causes for mental health and bullying in prison we can also see differences . One of them is unquestionable the difference between the definition of mental health and the definition of bullying. Likewise once in prison , prisoners enter a highly structured social environment that negotiates for power and dominance, where dominance over other weaker inmates is one way of gaining acceptance , satisfaction , status and respect among other prisoners. Hence bullying is often seen as a normal part of prison life that helps to gain this dominance over other inmates. Furthermore bullies who remain at the top of the hierarchy among other inmates, through their dominance will often get other prisoners to run errands and do jobs for them which are against prison regime, and so they can remind unidentified and hence will not be punished . While the condition of an individuals mental health consists of a number of different factors and elements. mental health is primar ily our resistance to all of our difficult situations , events, phenomena and our emotional and psychological survival partly depends upon an individuals ability to tolerate the deprivations of prison. Additionally according to Viggiani (2007) most prisoners come from the poorest or most socially excluded tiers of society and often have the greatest health needs. Prison may therefore be the worst place to send them given that, in the main, they are likely to be highly vulnerable or susceptible to poor health, hence mental disorders. Mental disorder may also be the cause of committing the offence, and hence imprisonment. As Rubin (1972:398 cited inà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) says certain mental disorders are characterized by some kind of confused , bizarre, agitated, threatening, frightened, panicked, paranoid or impulsive behaviours and as a consequence they may lead to inappropriate , anti-social or dangerous acts. Individual mental health may be managed and treated either by medication or di fferent treatment programs (handbook), while in order to prevent bullying prisons should focus on making changes to the prisons environment which would include changing the supervision of the prisoners area, increased security for controlling and monitoring, educating staff and prisoners about bullying, improving communication between prison staff, or even increasing the stimuli for prisoners. This include raising the number and qualities of activities and programs available for prisoners. Undoubtedly, despite the similarities and differences between bullying and mental health, one may lead to the other ( Ireland, 2002; Farrington,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.) . As mentioned above bullying constitutes aggressive behaviour in which an individual manipulates and dominates others in order to obtain a goal, whether it is social or material. In order to classify the behaviour as bullying it must represent repeated and unprovoked acts of aggression , which include physical , verbal or psychological attack (Irleand,2002; Farrington, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.). Indeed bulling can cause immediate harm and distress to victims and have negative consequences on their mental health. Victims may feel psychologically or physically distressed and experience pain, and prisoners who have been the victims of bullying may experience a range of feelings such as anger, fear, anxiety ,paranoia , distress, hopelessness or depression (Ireland,2002) which can lead to avoidance, social isolation and therefore mental illness in prisoners. In conclusion despite the idea that prisons should rehabilitate and change offenders into law abiding citizens, we can see that prison is a modern form of slavery no matter what its ideological justification is. Prisoners mental health and bullying is a growing problem in prisons . Instead of rehabilitating and changing prisoners into well managed and well behaved citizens, in many cases it changes them into more aggressive and troublesome inhabitants very often with physical and mental problems, which makes it harder for them to reintegrate with the society and with present times.

Religion :: essays research papers

RESPONSIBILITY: By completing the reading assignments in a timely manner, you can have comments and questions ready for class in order to receive credit for class participation and to review for exams. Come to class prepared to make at least one comment. If occasionally you find the materials hard to understand or slow to read, let me know at the beginning of class so that we can discuss the style and the structure of the works for a clearer grasp of the writers’ ideas. Have questions ready to ask on those days so that we do not become frustrated by my trying to generate discussion about materials that have left you puzzled for whatever reason. All that I require proves a genuine attempt on your part to complete each assignment; such preparation will prevent the course from becoming a total lecture class. An excellent strategy to assist you in class participation and in studying for exams involves your making margin notes in your texts and on the study guides. Mark favorite or important passages; keep a summary of the plot and the characters at the top of each page. Jot down your questions and/or mark puzzling passages. Although Humanities does not require composition as a prerequisite, still as college students, you should have sufficient writing skills to express your ideas clearly and correctly. While I do not deduct for writing skills errors, frequent grammatical, spelling, usage, and/or punctuation errors can hurt your scores by interfering with the meaning of your sentences. I cannot credit you with what you do not say. Use spell check, grammar check, and your own proofreading skills to make sure you submit what you really mean. As a courtesy to any reader, you should always proofread your handwritten and your keyboarded work. INTRODUCTION TO THE HUMANITIES—FALL 2005 LEWIS—3 INCLEMENT WEATHER: Tune in to the area radio and/or television stations for updates about school closings. But, in any case, use your judgment of the roads you must travel. Just call or email me so that I know you are in a safe place. Try www.iowaroadconditions.com for road conditions. CLASSROOM CONDUCT: Each student has the obligation to use class time for learning. If a student’s conduct interferes with the education of others in class, that student could receive a request to leave class, with other consequences as well. LIBRARY ACCESS: Your WITCC library barcode and your current registration slip will allow you access to the Sioux City Public Library, the Morningside College

charant Character Changes in Sophocles Antigone :: Antigone essays

Character Changes in Antigone In Sophocles' Greek tragedy, Antigone, two characters undergo character changes. During the play the audience sees these two characters' attitudes change from close-minded to open-minded. It is their close-minded, stubborn attitudes, which lead to their decline in the play, and ultimately to a series of deaths. In the beginning Antigone is a close minded character who later becomes open minded. After the death of her brothers, Eteocles and Polyneices, Creon becomes the ruler of Thebes. He decides that Eteocles will receive a funeral with military honors because he fought for his country. However, Polyneices, who broke his exile to " spill the blood of his father and sell his own people into slavery", will have no burial. Antigone disagrees with Creon's unjust actions and says, " Creon is not strong enough to stand in my way." She vows to bury her brother so that his soul may gain the peace of the underworld. Antigone is torn between the law placed against burying her brother and her own thoughts of doing what she feels should be done for her family. Her intent is simply to give her brother, Polyneices, a proper burial so that she will follow "the laws of the gods." Antigone knows that she is in danger of being killed for her actions and she says, "I say that this crime is holy: I shall lie down with him in death, and I shall be as dear to him as he to me." Her own laws, or morals, drive her to break Creon's law placed against Polyneices burial. Even after she realizes that she will have to bury Polyneices without the help of her sister, Ismene, she says: Go away, Ismene: I shall be hating you soon, and the dead will too, For your words are hateful. Leave me my foolish plan: I am not afraid of the danger; if it means death, It will not be the worst of deaths-death without honor. Here Ismene is trying to reason with Antigone by saying that she cannot disobey the law because of the consequences. Antigone is close-minded when she immediately tells her to go away an d refuses to listen to her. Later in the play, Antigone is sorrowful for her actions and the consequences yet she is not regretful for her crime. She says her crime is just, yet she does regret being forced to commit it.

Volkswagen of America: Managing It Priorities

Matulovic who is the chief information officer of Volkswagen of America (VWoA) has a tough decision to make. Volkswagen’s subsidiary launched a new process for allocating budgets across the business. With the new process, they have derived at a list of approved projects that no one is happy about. Calls came flooding through to Matulovic with an informal request to insert an unfunded project into the IT department’s work plans. VWoA had projects requiring $210 millions and the parent company of VWoA (Volkswagen Group, VWAG) budgeted only $60 million. In choosing the right projects to fund was a process that consisted of three phases: Phase 1-Calling for projects, communicating process, and identifying dependencies, Phase 2-Formal project requests for business unit, and Phase 3-Transforming business unit request into enterprise goal portfolios. Phase I was able to reduce and re-categorize projects because business units realized that many of their initiatives were very similar to other initiatives throughout the company which lead projects to become grouped together into common enterprise projects. This phase identified dependencies among projects. Therefore, without completed projects, the other projects could not be started. This phase also involved members becoming exposed to information about proposed initiatives across the company which gave them a greater understanding and appreciation of different business units. This helps migrate away from the current silo thinking and start focusing on initiatives in an enterprise-wide level. At the end of this phase, the proposed $210 million was simplified to a list of projects that required $170 million. Phase 1 was a critical starting point in aligning all business initiatives and trimming down projects. With the list in hand, we now step into Phase 2. During Phase 2 each business unit was required to classify each proposal into the type of investment (stay in business, return on investment, and option-creating investment) and technological application type (base-enterprise IT platform, enterprise applications, and customized point solutions). These classifications would influence how particular investments would be treated in the selection and prioritization process. Business units had to rank projects by priority and associate projects with enterprise goals. There was criticism that projects were reclassified as enterprise, but they really weren’t enterprise projects. The is because business units had to think of ways to associate their project with enterprise goals to improve chances of funding since the stay in business projects were given high priority, then the enterprise projects and finally individual business units. So if your project wasn’t a stay in business or enterprise project then the business units were tempted to reclassify their project to an enterprise project instead of a business unit. This built frustration as managers are looking for their own funding but don’t have the overall view to properly prioritize which lead other projects get the funding. Finally, Phase 3 consisted of ranking business unit goals based upon enterprise goals/needs. The key concept of governance is to align organizational activity with corporate goals and strategy. The assessment of the new process is to align business goals with enterprise goals and fund the top priority projects that would support the next round of growth goal areas. The NRG program is the readiness program called â€Å"Next Round of Growth† it was aimed to define the goals, functions, and organizational changes required to support and enable the new global product diversification strategy. The Next Round of Growth Enterprise Goal Areas is to support expanded product portfolio which is customer loyalty, new vehicle value, pre-owned vehicle business, stable infrastructure, and optimize supply flow. In order to reach a final project list, VWoA had to simplify and categorize projects, assess their business impact, and distinguish their alignment with goals all while making trade-off decisions. The process is an improvement over the old process since the business units were required to prioritize based on the enterprise-wide goals instead of their own business unit. It also avoided the less organized and less centralized method in prioritizing projects. The new process led business units to work together and make decisions that would affect their unit using the overall company strategy. They would also recognize other business unit’s priorities and provide a greater appreciation of their business unit and the work that they do. This helps alleviate other business units ranking their initiatives as more important than another. As this being a new process at VWoA, this process failed to capture and fund the supply flow project. The unfunded supply flow project revealed a flaw in the new process system. The supply flow project did not get funding because it was recognized at the global level and not at the VWoA importer level. The loss of funding would constitute a major setback for globalization initiatives based in Germany so this particular project must be funded somehow and Matulovic had to think of options on how to make this happen. The recommendation at this point is to remain focus on the most important strategic goals of VWoA and proceed funding all projects in the final project list in the top-ranked portfolio. He should not take funding from other funded projects to try and help fund the supply flow project. That would lead to intense push back and affect working relationships since projects which are important to VWoA’s strategic goals will be neglected. He should also not leave it to the supply flow area to work out what to do about this project because that decision would lead to a project waiting to fail. Dumping a project on them to figure out, without the proper resources is nearly impossible to successfully complete. Re-opening the new prioritization process that took nearly 3 months to complete is unnecessary and wasted time. The process will not have to be reopened, rather to find alternative sources for funding to proceed with the supply flow project. Due to the global reach of the project, it is unreasonable for the project to be funded solely by VWoA, but rather allocating the funds under the parent company or among all companies under the umbrella of the parent company, Volkswagen Group. Volkswagen Group sets the budget at VWoA and several organizational entities at VWoA would play a role in controlling which projects are funded. There are four specific teams involved in this process: the ELT (Executive Leadership Team), the ITSC (IT Steering Committee), the PMO (Project Management Office), and the DBC (Digital Business Council). If they are unable to find alternative funding then they should consider this project as an exception or special condition to figure out a way to fund the project. This is common where successful businesses continuously create new opportunities which cannot be covered by existing IT decisions. Matulovic should reach out to the supply flow group in Germany to present and communicate the different options for alternative funding and the importance of funding the top-ranked portfolio and the supply flow project and get them involved in the solution process. In managing IT priorities in the future, there needs to be a change in the new process to include support and recognize the global level projects and not just at the VWoA level. This ensures other vital projects don’t fall through the cracks like the supply flow project in this case study. The Volkswagen Group should reevaluate that proper funding is allocated for both the VWoA and global level initiatives. Matulovic’s fellow executives that communicated the concern of unfunded projects were involved in the decision making process and if they thought these goals didn’t align with the company’s goals, then they should have voiced their concerns to the process teams, ELT,ITSC, PMO, and/or the DBC, not to Matulovic. The expectation of all VWoA’s employees should be in support of the company’s overall strategic goals, not just their own business units. Volkswagen of America: Managing It Priorities Matulovic who is the chief information officer of Volkswagen of America (VWoA) has a tough decision to make. Volkswagen’s subsidiary launched a new process for allocating budgets across the business. With the new process, they have derived at a list of approved projects that no one is happy about. Calls came flooding through to Matulovic with an informal request to insert an unfunded project into the IT department’s work plans. VWoA had projects requiring $210 millions and the parent company of VWoA (Volkswagen Group, VWAG) budgeted only $60 million. In choosing the right projects to fund was a process that consisted of three phases: Phase 1-Calling for projects, communicating process, and identifying dependencies, Phase 2-Formal project requests for business unit, and Phase 3-Transforming business unit request into enterprise goal portfolios. Phase I was able to reduce and re-categorize projects because business units realized that many of their initiatives were very similar to other initiatives throughout the company which lead projects to become grouped together into common enterprise projects. This phase identified dependencies among projects. Therefore, without completed projects, the other projects could not be started. This phase also involved members becoming exposed to information about proposed initiatives across the company which gave them a greater understanding and appreciation of different business units. This helps migrate away from the current silo thinking and start focusing on initiatives in an enterprise-wide level. At the end of this phase, the proposed $210 million was simplified to a list of projects that required $170 million. Phase 1 was a critical starting point in aligning all business initiatives and trimming down projects. With the list in hand, we now step into Phase 2. During Phase 2 each business unit was required to classify each proposal into the type of investment (stay in business, return on investment, and option-creating investment) and technological application type (base-enterprise IT platform, enterprise applications, and customized point solutions). These classifications would influence how particular investments would be treated in the selection and prioritization process. Business units had to rank projects by priority and associate projects with enterprise goals. There was criticism that projects were reclassified as enterprise, but they really weren’t enterprise projects. The is because business units had to think of ways to associate their project with enterprise goals to improve chances of funding since the stay in business projects were given high priority, then the enterprise projects and finally individual business units. So if your project wasn’t a stay in business or enterprise project then the business units were tempted to reclassify their project to an enterprise project instead of a business unit. This built frustration as managers are looking for their own funding but don’t have the overall view to properly prioritize which lead other projects get the funding. Finally, Phase 3 consisted of ranking business unit goals based upon enterprise goals/needs. The key concept of governance is to align organizational activity with corporate goals and strategy. The assessment of the new process is to align business goals with enterprise goals and fund the top priority projects that would support the next round of growth goal areas. The NRG program is the readiness program called â€Å"Next Round of Growth† it was aimed to define the goals, functions, and organizational changes required to support and enable the new global product diversification strategy. The Next Round of Growth Enterprise Goal Areas is to support expanded product portfolio which is customer loyalty, new vehicle value, pre-owned vehicle business, stable infrastructure, and optimize supply flow. In order to reach a final project list, VWoA had to simplify and categorize projects, assess their business impact, and distinguish their alignment with goals all while making trade-off decisions. The process is an improvement over the old process since the business units were required to prioritize based on the enterprise-wide goals instead of their own business unit. It also avoided the less organized and less centralized method in prioritizing projects. The new process led business units to work together and make decisions that would affect their unit using the overall company strategy. They would also recognize other business unit’s priorities and provide a greater appreciation of their business unit and the work that they do. This helps alleviate other business units ranking their initiatives as more important than another. As this being a new process at VWoA, this process failed to capture and fund the supply flow project. The unfunded supply flow project revealed a flaw in the new process system. The supply flow project did not get funding because it was recognized at the global level and not at the VWoA importer level. The loss of funding would constitute a major setback for globalization initiatives based in Germany so this particular project must be funded somehow and Matulovic had to think of options on how to make this happen. The recommendation at this point is to remain focus on the most important strategic goals of VWoA and proceed funding all projects in the final project list in the top-ranked portfolio. He should not take funding from other funded projects to try and help fund the supply flow project. That would lead to intense push back and affect working relationships since projects which are important to VWoA’s strategic goals will be neglected. He should also not leave it to the supply flow area to work out what to do about this project because that decision would lead to a project waiting to fail. Dumping a project on them to figure out, without the proper resources is nearly impossible to successfully complete. Re-opening the new prioritization process that took nearly 3 months to complete is unnecessary and wasted time. The process will not have to be reopened, rather to find alternative sources for funding to proceed with the supply flow project. Due to the global reach of the project, it is unreasonable for the project to be funded solely by VWoA, but rather allocating the funds under the parent company or among all companies under the umbrella of the parent company, Volkswagen Group. Volkswagen Group sets the budget at VWoA and several organizational entities at VWoA would play a role in controlling which projects are funded. There are four specific teams involved in this process: the ELT (Executive Leadership Team), the ITSC (IT Steering Committee), the PMO (Project Management Office), and the DBC (Digital Business Council). If they are unable to find alternative funding then they should consider this project as an exception or special condition to figure out a way to fund the project. This is common where successful businesses continuously create new opportunities which cannot be covered by existing IT decisions. Matulovic should reach out to the supply flow group in Germany to present and communicate the different options for alternative funding and the importance of funding the top-ranked portfolio and the supply flow project and get them involved in the solution process. In managing IT priorities in the future, there needs to be a change in the new process to include support and recognize the global level projects and not just at the VWoA level. This ensures other vital projects don’t fall through the cracks like the supply flow project in this case study. The Volkswagen Group should reevaluate that proper funding is allocated for both the VWoA and global level initiatives. Matulovic’s fellow executives that communicated the concern of unfunded projects were involved in the decision making process and if they thought these goals didn’t align with the company’s goals, then they should have voiced their concerns to the process teams, ELT,ITSC, PMO, and/or the DBC, not to Matulovic. The expectation of all VWoA’s employees should be in support of the company’s overall strategic goals, not just their own business units.

History and Chronological Order

Gunfire and Brickbats: The Great Railway Strikes of 1877 In this article Gunfire and Brickbats, Gerald G. Eggent shows the significant history of the railroad strike and went through the workers and company owners. The main reason of this article was to show the conflicts and resolution of the strike that occurred at the time. Also the article show’s how the strike made many suffers economically and how the country suffered. Many readers do not understand what they read but this article will be very difficult to forget.The article’s thesis is on why and how the workers lead to the strike and also what they had to endure during the process of the strike. There were very terrifying violence’s that occurred at the strike. It shows how stubborn the workers were that they didn’t give up as easy, but it also explains on how little powers the workers had compared to the company owners. This strike was very popular and had spread everywhere in the country, includi ng westward. This also shows how immigrants affected this strike. Like labor workers and the Chinese workers were targeted to do so.As well it was a concern to see that the government didn’t really care anymore. Eventually the strikes did lose to the poor imbalance but they did change the views of workers. After the strike the government helped both labor and capital. This article contributes my understanding of the historical period on the strike of 1877. After reading this article, I gained more knowledge and more descriptive events of the timeline. For example, how badly people needed jobs and the struggle they were going through. Articles like these are really the ones who teach everyone more precisely.In addition, this article was a perfect time to been given out, because this follow’s the timeline of the reading. This article has many strengths and weaknesses. The weaknesses are very weak, in other words weren’t that bad. One weakness was that the writing was too formal and hard to understand certain statements. Strength was the chronological order, and how everything was given out was just amazing. All the writing in this article was in control and it backed everything up. In conclusion, Gunfire and Brickbats was an odd and wonderful strike.

Of Kind and Cruel Fates Essay

Irony, in its essence, is the humor of contradiction. It is contradiction, in the sense that where we would expect events to lean on one way, events instead completely take the opposite direction. A crude example would be where a string of freak accidents occur at a factory where the manager is showing off to his potential clients that his company is â€Å"accident-free†. Irony is humorous because if one saw it with impartiality, one would find it funny. Having a car accident right after a road is â€Å"improved† to avoid further accidents, would be funny. To study irony further, one could study an average person’s sense of humor. While as a child, he may delight in the curiosities of the environment, eventually he becomes adjusted to seeing it everyday, and eventually his enjoyment of it fades. Humor takes on a different characteristic for him. There is the slapstick comedy, where he finds the antics of the performers as funny and absurd, and there is the situational comedy, where he finds funny ordinary people falling to ridiculous situations. The common thread to this humor is that it attacks at something. Whether it is to ridicule a person behaving out of the social norm (as the slapstick), or to ridicule a person’s belief or principle that is generally viewed as absurd (the parody), the higher the degree of abuse at the object of humor, the funnier. Irony, then, is humorous in the sense that it attacks something, through its contradiction. As an impartial viewer, we may find funny things that we know to be true as envisioned by the ironic set-up, but which is obscured in the minds of those who are involved in the irony. Humor moreover has intrinsic values it seeks to instill to its impartial witnesses, and consequently irony occurs as some way to inform the viewer of a cosmic lesson. We can delve in this further through the study of three stories, Tartuffe, The Princess of Cleves, and Nathan the Wise. There are several ironic situations that occur throughout the play Tartuffe. The story revolves around a household scandalized by having its head (the father) entertain and welcome as part of the family a man who openly and vocally shows his displeasure at what he deems as vices borne by the various members of the family and the house. One of the first ironic situations occurs with the son, Damis, who hides in the room while Tartuffe has a private conversation with his mother, Elmire. His intention is to unmask Tartuffe to his father as a hypocrite and get him out of the house (Moliere, 39-46). When he finally sees evidence of the man’s scandalous behavior towards his mother and reveals it to his father, not only does his father not believe (owing to the hypocrite’s skillful use of words), but has Damis instead kicked out and even encourages Tartuffe to continue his scandalous behavior towards his wife, in order to spite his family (47-51). The humor in the situation centered on how big a fool the father was to believe in Tartuffe’s virtue, and an even bigger fool not to see the truth when it is right in front of him. This is further stressed in the next ironic situation, where after Orgon (the father) finally realizes the extent of his friend’s deceit, he tries to tell his mother, who was also fooled by the hypocrite. For all his protestations she does not believe him until she sees it herself (Moliere, 68-71). The irony is that where he once ignored the loud protests of his family, likewise his mother does not believe him, even for his loud protests. The final ironic twist, however, turns out for the good as the hypocrite Tartuffe, having been unmasked and set his plans for revenge, intrigues on the King and plans to have them all arrested, only to have him as the object of arrest, as the King was â€Å"wise† to his intrigues (77-80). The play has these alternating reversal of fortunes, and its ironic humor attacks two things: that blind faith without reason in open Virtue is folly, and that any malice masked in virtue never remains unpunished. A more tragic tale of irony is that of the Princess of Cleves. Introduced to a court as Madam Chartres, she wins the affection of the Prince of Cleves, who endeavor to marry her despite the protests of his father; she falls, however for someone else, the Duke Nemours (Lafayette, 15-17). The story then centers around him trying to find the opportunity to confess his love, and she, now married, desperately tries to stave off his affections while suppressing hers. We do not see the irony unfold until the very end: the Princess anguishes over her affection for the Duke throughout her marriage, but following the death of her husband suddenly she has a change of heart and is convinced that her husband was a far better man than the Duke (101-107). It is only after the husband dies and they finally have an opportunity to be together does she decide not to be with the Duke. The irony here attacks the notion that love borne from adulterous intention will eventually bear fruit. It might have been attack towards the growing acceptance of the public towards the notion of infidelity, (almost every character is involved in an affair with someone else) and their giving it idealistic fervor. The Princess of Cleves, despite the best of her intentions, continued to bear her love to someone else, and pined for that other person, and consequently, in her husband’s death she realized her folly too late, and chose to suffer the rest of her life in that guilt. Nathan the Wise has such a complicated string of ironies, that one who skims through even the slightest of details would not appreciate the ironies that eventually occur. Originally, the story of the Jewish merchant Nathan centered around the Muslim conqueror Saladin trying to fool him out of his money—and this tale has found itself in the pages of Boccaccio’s Decameron. Nathan answers so skillfully that ironically it was Saladin who was put to shame by his own question and humbled before the Jew (Lessing, 90-97). This story is, however, expanded by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, and this encounter between the Egyptian conqueror and the Jew becomes the main theme. The tale then revolves around a Templar, who was pardoned by Saladin for the reason that he resembled the conqueror’s brother (Lessing, 36); the consequences of his rescue of a Jewish maiden (and subsequent encounter of the grateful surrogate father Nathan), and the intrigues of the Patriarch who would have him either kill Saladin or turn over Nathan, who he found had raised a Christian child to the Jewish faith (the same Jewess he rescued) (37-40). The irony, from an impartial point of view, might have been to some degree absurd. The Templar, in almost the fashion of Oedipus, tries desperately to seek the truth, and unmask what he sees in his prejudice as malice committed by the Jew Nathan (Lessing, 109-127). And, also in the fashion of Oedipus, not only does he discover that the girl he was trying to save (and hope to marry) was his sister, but Saladin who he would have killed had he agreed to the Patriarch, was his uncle after all (165-172). The irony also hits Saladin, as his pardoning the Templar Conrad because he looked like his brother, redounds to the truth that Conrad was his brother’s son. While the ironic twist might seem ridiculous to the trained eye, in the sense it fits to the lesson first imparted by Nathan to Saladin: that all men are equal before God, regardless of Faith. This is a happier chide at the Medieval sensibility of hostility between Faiths. Irony is humorous, because we find that the contradiction it creates makes sense. We might have felt our sensibilities offended when we saw that the Princess of Cleves did not end up with the Duke Nemours, but the cosmic twist was to show to us that infidelity was wrong. We would have preferred that the Templar should have instead ended up marrying the Jewess, but the irony was there to impart the lesson that prejudice has, after all, no place in the world. We sometimes do not find ironic circumstances that funny, as if we lived the life of Duke Nemours or became as aghast as the Templar Conrad. But eventually, we will learn that the contradiction was to impart to us that our plans may go completely the other way, because they may not have been right in the first place. And, the wiser we become to this truth, the more we will realize that irony, though it might strike sad for us, has a reason. The better we accept this, the more we will be prepared to just take a step back, take a view of the bigger picture, and laugh. WORKS CITED Lafayette, Madame de. The Princess of Cleves. New York: Project Gutenberg. 27 Sept. 2008 . Lessing, Gotthold Ephraim. Nathan the Wise. New York: Page, Curtis. Project Gutenberg. 01 Mar. 2003. . Moliere, Jean Baptiste. Tartuffe. New York: Project Gutenberg. 26 Oct. 2008. .