My Personal Philosophy of Education Essay -- Teaching Progressivism Ca

My Personal Philosophy of Education "Some people make things happen, some watch while things happen, and some wonder ‘what happened?’ Which type of person are you?" author unknown. There have been times in my life in which I have sat back and watched things happen. I often wondered why they happened. I now realize that it is important to be a leader. Effective teachers need to take charge and make things happen. I am becoming a teacher to make things happen and not sit back and let them happen as I used to do. This is very important for a teacher to realize. I will take charge and make wonderful things happen in my classroom. Teachers immensely influence children’s lives. In my entire school experience I have found that teachers can make a difference in the lives of every child. I admire all teachers for their hard work and determination. I have seen students who, without the teacher’s love and guidance, would have missed out on so many opportunities. I chose to become a teacher to help those children less fortunate than others to look at themselves as worthy individuals. My father has been a constant source of encouragement in my life. He is a teacher at my local high school. He cares about his students, giving extra help to those who need it, and recognition to all students, not just over achievers. I have seen the hard work, long hours, and emotional stress that he goes through every day. Despite all of the difficult aspects, he enjoys his job. At the end of the school year as he sees his students achieve beyond the goals he has set, he is proud of each student and all of the pri or frustration was well worth it. He is the reason I chose to become a teacher. His teaching strategies are ones that I hope t... ... is the responsibility of the teacher to instill in these children the knowledge they need to be productive in the world. In today’s society it is important for children to have good role models. I believe teachers should be proper role models for everyone in the community. Teaching is one of the toughest jobs in the working world. It takes hard work, determination, much effort, and time to be an effective teacher. I believe I have these qualities and am prepared to keep practicing them in my classroom. The great Mortimer Adler, a father of perennialism, said "In the case of good books, the point is not how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you." I believe the same principle exists in regards to teaching. It doesn’t matter how many teachers a student has, what is important is how that teacher gets through to each student.

Humor within Leadership Theory Essay

The key to the success of any venture is strong leadership (Howe 1994). Courage, vision, and humor are key ingredients in the formula for success. Service to the community or communities also plays a critical role in the development of leadership potential. The importance of humor in this model is fundamental. Every leader has some selfdoubt, but using humor and spiritual authenticity to overcome self-doubt will lead to success and prosperity. And what is said for leaders also can be said for those who are led. Muslim humor is famous all over the Western world. There is an almost endless number of collections, anthologies, and treasuries of Muslim humor, bulging with tens of thousands of Muslim jokes and anecdotes. That the humor of every ethnic group mirrors its conditions of life, its economic, political, and social circumstances, its position vis-a-vis other population groups, is so self-evident that it needs but passing mention. What is perhaps not so apparent is that the jokes, the anecdotes, and the other manifestations of humor are keys to understanding the life of the people in question and can serve as peepholes through which we can look into otherwise hidden corners of existence. As far as muslim communities are concerned, treasuries of Muslim humor can and should be used, and humor should be applied to make the West more likable and admired by the young muslim communities of the world. The techniques and strategies of humor are equally relevant at several levels of living systems, as well as between levels. Thus, the study of humor in multicultural society is interdisciplinary and is becoming a discipline in its own right. The current work is toward methods of negotiation with humor in which the objectives are to obtain a more cooperative long-term relationship and a more rewarding substantive outcome for young muslim communities. Muslim humor is second to no other product of the Muslim mind in revealing the mental state of the Muslims in any given place and at any given time. Whether it contains selfcriticism, directing its barbs at a Muslim group from which the humorist wishes to distance himself, or whether it compares the Muslims and the Gentiles, most often to the latter’s detriment, the Muslim joke is a manifestation of Muslim thinking and feeling about the in-group and various categories of out-groups. For example, the actor Sasha Cohen in the movie Borat makes young muslims laugh by making fun of Israel, despite him being Muslim himself. It would be ridiculous to pretend that none of the people who found Sasha Cohen funny were laughing at him for the wrong reasons. Some would have been laughing at what they took to be his imitation, others at one further remove, were probably laughing at the black parts of his monstrous hybrid. They laughed louder and longer because he revealed it to be alien, eccentric, and absurd in its snobbery, stupidity, and perverse attachment to numerous forms of destructive hierarchy-class, race, religion. Those dismal qualities were not being exposed from the outside by a stranger but explored from the inside in a daring act of patriotic love. That laughter does not intersperse loathing and self-hatred with manic elation. It helps instead to cultivate the everyday, ordinary virtue involved in managing healthier relationships with otherness that are not deformed by fear, anxiety, and violence. The most powerful weapon for creative mind stretching and therefore for reconstruction is humor, especially when it is self-directed rather than outward bound. Humor directed at another serves to break the lifelong habits of a sickly (symbiotic) relationship between people. Self-directed humor is a real mind healer: By flooding the anxious mind with grotesquely exaggerated fears, it banishes phobias and obsessions. In general, it drastically corrects in the mind and in behavior habitual neurotic (self-sabotaging and destructive) patterns. Humor is a technique involves any action one take to cause the proposals, ideas, or values of another to be rejected in favor of own by getting group members to laugh at, ridicule, or scorn the other person’s proposals (Duncan, 1990). Rationalization is founded on trust and respect, and if respect is lost, so too is much of power. While power may abhor a vacuum, it equally abhors scorn. Without respect, dominance cannot be maintained. Getting others to laugh at or denigrate in any way the proposals of others that one oppose is another way to exercise power in the organization. Perhaps the ultimate in withdrawal of consent is laughter. Nyberg (1981) proposes that laughter, not revolution, is more common in overthrowing a regime. Authority fears rejection more than any other threat to its legitimacy. Especially in informal organizations, if the leader loses the respect of the fellows he or she is incapable of securing their compliance in even nominal organizational transactions. Humor is a motivated process of communication between living systems with the goal of reaching agreement about certain joint or reciprocal acts. These acts may involve management of conflict, exchange of resources, or cooperation on actions directed at the mutual environment. Behavior within a system is normally regulated by the template of that system. Internal conflict may indicate a need to amend the template. Humor can be used to modify the template so as to remove the source of conflict. For instance, when negotiation occurs between components or subsystems of a system, as in talks to manage conflict between two divisions of a corporation, the resulting humor may modify the template with respect to the roles and required behavior of the divisions. Three general stances facilitate reflexive humor: not-knowing, curious, and collaborative. They provide a way for individuals to explore, express, and share the views and meanings of situations that, otherwise, can drive them apart. Let us examine each in turn. Not-knowing Stance This stance involves taking the nonexpert position of not knowing. Taking this stance encourages humor by levelling the hierarchies of position and knowledge. While hierarchies exist in all organizations, emphasizing them discourages humor; deemphasizing them encourages humor. Reflexive humor emphasizes equal participation rather than hierarchical power, thereby bringing about a shift from hierarchy to collaboration. Humor is characterized by content and relationship aspects. We all are aware of the content aspect of communication – the information that a message is intended to convey. The egalitarian ethic of reflexive humor eliminates the positions of hierarchy and power in the humor. A not-knowing stance conveys the message that everyone is equally qualified to generate ideas, opinions, and perspectives about a situation or a problem. This means that the manager enters into the dialogue without any preconceived notions or ideas. The not-knowing stance also encourages listeners to attend to both the â€Å"outer† humor of others as well as to their own â€Å"inner† humor. This egalitarian approach encourages each participant to contribute to the mutual exploration of ideas. Curious Stance The curious stance simply means that one expresses one’s ideas in a funny manner. A dogmatic or assertive expression of ideas often hinders the creative process, but a comic mode of expression encourages others to take, leave, or develop ideas at will without vesting or territoriality. This climate encourages the free exchange of ideas on their own merit and without threat of penalty. Taking this stance helps to multiply varying perspectives on a problem and, naturally, leads to an evolved solution. A final advantage is that emergent solutions are usually not only the best thought-out and most fitting but also explored and designed by the individuals who will implement them. Collaborative Stance This stance is the result of the two preceding stances. The shared perspectives, ideas, and meanings contributed by the conversants evolve into common knowledge. This process filters many levels of perceptions and triggers deep involvement among participants making possible the co-construction of a jointly-owned outcome. They bring about better understanding among individuals whose culture and gender may create varying perceptions of the same reality. There is nothing simple about dealing with diversity. Diversity is one of the most complex and refracted areas of management because it involves the intimacy of the self with the impersonality. The first step in implementing reflexive humor in university setting is to form small, voluntary, diverse groups. Participants can come from either the same class or a variety of divisions. There are only two rules for membership in the group – commitment and confidentiality. One quickly comes to realize that the premises and stances of reflexive humor are not part of normal communication repertoire. People have learned to function in the hierarchical worlds of home, school, and, the university. In these settings they do not always relate to one another on an egalitarian basis. Much less accepted is the practice of communicating with others, whether colleagues or superiors, from a curious or not-knowing stance. Furthermore, assuming a collaborative stance in their dealings with one another is not an everyday occurrence either. One achieves competence in reflexive humor through learnable skills that require practice. One trains individuals in reflexive humor by introducing each premise and stance and allowing time for practice. The individual being trained acquires the command of one skill before moving on to the next. It may be difficult to begin the training by talking about diversity issues. To create a conducive climate, groups might begin by discussing study-related or other relatively neutral matters because such topics are more familiar and potentially less explosive. Reflexive humor is a general theory that lends itself to any communication context. Therefore, in any setting or on any topic, the process of reflexive humor will evoke multiple points of view and generate mutual self-awareness for the participants. Jointly concentrating on common tasks is an excellent way to begin diversity training. With practice, the process of reflexive humor will engender a sense of trust among its participants. The structure of reflexive humor creates an environment wherein participants can freely exchange their views and, eventually, communicate with one another on deeper and more meaningful levels. Trust and synergy. †¢ Trust reduces the amount of time and energy wasted in suspicion and politics. This time and effort can therefore be better deployed on added-value activities that help to deliver the purpose and vision. †¢ When trust, competence and alignment come together we can achieve synergy, and unlock high performance. †¢ To develop into an attuned team the members of the group have to be able to trust each other. Reflexive humor is a new approach to face-to-face communication. It offers a process by which one can access the uniqueness of each individual as well as each individual’s cultural paradigm. Through this approach, individuals can better generate information and co-construct those mutual realities that lead to enhanced problem solving. Reflexive humor is particularly useful to individuals from different cultures who wish to establish a common ground for mutual understanding and action. Humor is not just joking, and management is not just the bloodless supervision of humans in the machine-like achievement of goals. Human emotions and feelings are involved in many issues, especially in culturally diverse settings. The reflection of feeling captures the emotional aspect of human nature. The purpose of this microskill is to identify and make explicit emotions that are often concealed allowing the listener to tune into the speaker’s emotional experience. While nothing seems more ordinary than to empathize with another, the reflection of feeling has a specific structure. The reflection of feeling informs the speaker that you are aware of his or her emotions. This in turn encourages the speaker to clarify further the issue at hand. The listener needs to be cautious about inaccurately labelling feelings. Adequate time and care must be given to identify the precise feeling correctly. Mislabelling an emotion is a sure sign of misunderstanding the speaker. The reflection of meaning may be the microskill that is most relevant to the diverse workplace. It has to do with how different racial, ethnic, gender, or cultural groups organize life and experiences as well as the meaning they draw from those experiences. This microskill may appear to be very much like the preceding ones of the paraphrase (which restates thoughts) or the reflection of feeling (which reflects emotions). Indeed, the reflection of meaning combines thoughts and meanings. One should remember that both reflecting skills of humor deal with profound issues – emotions, values, meanings, and the particular sense each one of us makes of the world. Neither skill should be used insincerely or manipulatively. Inappropriate use can cause as much anger and distrust, on the one hand, as understanding and trust, on the other. However, used ethically, with a sincere attitude, no microskill is more useful, what joke one may make of situation, what values may motivate seemingly culturally different behaviors, or why an action or word that is unimportant (or important) to you may be important (or unimportant) to a colleague. Patterns of eye contact and gaze also play an underestimated role in sense of humor. White males have their own, unique, eye contact patterns. When speaking, a white male looks away from the listener most of the time, making eye contact with the listener to emphasize significant points. While listening, a white male looks at the speaker most of the time. Eye contact indicates that the listener is paying attention to what is being said. Another pattern of eye contact signals the moment when turn-taking occurs for speaker and listener. Generally, when the speaker is nearing the end of a statement, he briefly looks away from the listener. Then, upon finishing the utterance, he reestablishes eye contact to signal that it is the turn of the other person to speak. Major humor problems can result if eye contact patterns are not in synchrony. Without either conversant being consciously aware of it, at appropriate times in the white male style a trustworthy person looks in the eye, while an untrustworthy person does not. If both parties share this pattern, conversation flows smoothly. If the patterns are at odds, one may call the other shifty, while the other may feel uncomfortable. In such a situation, the humor becomes strained, and the participants are conscious of that fact. White males do not seem to employ or recognize the value of nonverbal communication, in general, or of eye contact, in particular. Yet, it is evident that eye contact patterns play a significant role in effective humor. The general white male pattern is for speakers to gaze less at listeners and for listeners to gaze more at speakers. This is how white male listeners demonstrate their intentional listening or attending behavior. One of the most significant characteristics of the Muslim verbal communication style is its oral tradition. Muslims were forcibly transported from traditional societies that were oral. The heritage of orality may be most evident in two areas of the Muslim verbal communication style: the mode of listening, and the importance of expressing feeling during interpersonal interaction. Comparative studies have found that Muslims and whites have different verbal communication styles. Whites tend to make more use of the attending or listening skills in their face-to-face communication by using a forward lean of the upper body or asking open-ended questions. Muslims tend to be more directive by giving advice or confronting. An earlier discussion of microskills noted that open questions are less direct and invite a conversational partner to provide more information on a topic while closed questions tend to retrieve specific pieces of information and limit dialogue. Depending upon the circumstances, each type of question is equally valid. However, a dialogue with predominantly closed questions can take on the tone of an interrogation. Similarly, humor replete with open questions lends a less tenuous tone by giving respondents more room to provide information at their own pace. Therefore, the type of question sets the tone of a conversation. The Muslim’s expression of feeling may also contrast with white expression of feeling. Whereas emotions may be more openly expressed according to the Muslim humor paradigm, they are more repressed by the mainstream white paradigm. According to the Muslim humor paradigm, one is more congruent when one expresses emotions. According to the norm of the white male humor paradigm, one expresses one’s reason and logic dispassionately. For many Muslims, the expression of feeling is crucial to genuine humor between individuals. Therefore, in the Muslim paradigm one is credible when one expresses emotions; one is more credible when emotions are expressed resolutely. Thomas Kochman, scholar of linguistics, holds that one achieves ultimate credibility when logic and affect harmoniously intertwine. Only then can there be congruence between one’s thoughts and verbal communication. When one represses thoughts and feelings and expresses only logical thoughts, the discrepancy is likely to emerge through nonverbal behavior, such as moving away or breaking eye contact. The meanings that may be attributed to such incongruencies according to the Muslim communication paradigm may range from deceit or hypocrisy to weakness. The Muslim style of greater and more open expression of feeling can result in behaviors that may seem overly assertive and even confrontational to many whites. In conflictual situations, Muslim nonverbals tend to include loud tones of voice, intense eye contact, and sweeping gestures. Verbally, Muslims may freely express their emotions and, according to Kochman, directly challenge not only facts or ideas but also the individuals who present them. Many may interpret such behaviors as not only confrontational but also preludes to aggression. However, for Muslims the expression of one’s mind and spirit only mean being true to oneself. Whether one stands close together or far apart can make people feel more or less comfortable in dealing with one another. Some research indicates that, while conversing, Muslim children tend to stand closer together (Baxter 1973). In her analysis of research on proxemics, Halberstadt found that Muslims tend to stand closer to one another when young but farther apart when older – Muslim primary school children stand closer together than Muslim junior high or high school students. Distances increased still more for Muslim adults. Additional research indicates that Muslim adults tend to greet each other and stand somewhat further apart than other ethnic groups. Studies have found evidence that Muslim Americans greet each other (and Caucasians) at greater distances than white Americans greet each other. A comparative study showed that Muslim Americans interact at the greatest distances, Mexican Americans interact at the closest distances, and white Americans interact at intermediate distances (Baxter 1973). Another study concluded that during interviews whites tend to sit farther away from Muslims than they do from other whites. Humor is particularly significant to Muslims. The heritage of humanism and person-oriented behavior as well as the tendency to express emotions freely inclines some Muslims to be more reliant upon humor. On the basis of her review of the literature, educator Janice Hale-Benson states that Muslims are more proficient than are whites in expressing and detecting emotions. Any sign of understanding what another person has told encourages him or her to say more. Paraphrasing more powerfully encourages continuing the humor and elaborating thoughts resulting in more details about concerns and issues. One paraphrases by restating, in one’s own words, the essence of what a colleague has said. Paraphrasing has three specific components: beginning stem; restatement; and concluding, checking stem. Men’s body postures tend to convey messages of gender power and dominance rather than of affiliation. Often such kinesic behavior discourages rather than invites humor. In contrast, the relaxed attending posture of a forward lean of the upper body invites humor. Such attending nonverbal humor reflects an individual’s openness and willingness to listen and enter into a friendly humor. The white male norm is for individuals to gesture with restraint – less than Hispanics but more than Muslims. Wrists and hands are used much more than arms to gesture. Except at times of great joy or sorrow, elbows generally are not raised above shoulder level. Those who gesture more than this norm may be considered flamboyant; individuals who gesture less than this norm may be considered uptight or cold fish. A new approach to managing diversity is necessary. Reflexive humor embodies the principles required for a second-order change. Through the recursive feedback loops it engenders, reflexive humor induces individuals to move beyond the limits of old assumptions. Furthermore, by flattening the hierarchy, its egalitarianism encourages the participation that unfolds to find new and creative solutions. This new approach to humor delineates how individuals can come together to work on constructing mutual realities. The process of reflexive humor establishes commonalities rather than magnifying differences. It provides individuals with the opportunity to come to know one another through a continuous process of mutual interchange. Such an approach inclines to modify subjective meanings and to create the common grounds that are the bases for common understanding. The reflexive process of sharing information creates the recursive loops by which one clarifies and reduces the uncertainties that all have about each other. Therefore, the nature of this change is both organic and evolutionary. The second-order change induced by reflexive humor is not the result of external injunctions by trainers to change one’s assumptions about groups, as may have been true of some previous training approaches. Rather, the change produced by humor is the result of a volitional, egalitarian, and mutually-induced process. The continuous interchange of humor creates the fertile ground where individuals studying together co-create solutions of a second-order change. This change emanates from newly-developed assumptions based on newly-generated realities. In effect, humor induces greater convergence in the thoughts, beliefs, perceptions, and meanings of the individuals who engage in it. As Johns Hopkins linguist Lawrence Kincaid puts it, an effective humor logically leads to the â€Å"state of greater uniformity, or the successive reduction of diversity† (Lawrence 1988). Thus, applying humor in the diverse society can lead to a place where the construction of new realities is possible. This is where cultural issues and cultural differences meld, and a new reality ensues as a result of the information-sharing process. Hence, myths about differences begin to diminish and common realities begin to evolve. From these emerge the common ground, the convergence that is essential for the shared understanding that common action requires. Humor is the missing link of diversity training. It is the second-order process by which individuals can mutually change themselves and each other according to their own pace and direction. Humor is perhaps the least tangible aspect of organizational life, but it seems to have very powerful and tangible effects on people from different cultures. In a high energy atmosphere one can sense people’s excitement just by watching the way they move, the way they interact and go about their business, and even the expressions on their faces. When one walks out of a very positive atmosphere, one wants to go back. If the atmosphere is stifling, unwelcoming, filled with tension, and not much fun, then one does not want to return. If the place happens to be one’s workplace, the effect can be very powerful. The microskills are specific tools that enhance the humor process. They are relatively easy to learn. The skills are best learned oneat-a-time. Following the presentation and discussion, practice provides a hands-on approach to the mastery of each skill. As one gains proficiency in one skill, another is added and practiced simultaneously. Thus, each remaining skill is added until the complete set of microskills has been acquired. The key to proficiency with the microskills is practice. While these skills are easy to comprehend and implement individually, making them part of students’ everyday behavior may not be as easy. Only through continued conscious effort in using and practicing the skills can we successfully make them part of our behavioral repertoire. They are skills that can be applied to any life setting to enhance understanding of one another and, hence, relationships. References Baxter C. ( 1973). â€Å"Interpersonal spacing in two-person cross-cultural interactions†. Man-Environment Systems, 3. D. Lawrence Kincaid. (1988). The convergence theory and intercultural communication. In Young Yun Kim & William B. Gundykunst (Eds. ), Theories in intercultural communication. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications. Howe, Susan E. S. (1994). â€Å"Exploring New Leadership Styles. † Pennsylvania CPA Journal 65, no. 1. Nyberg, David. (1981). Power Over Power. Ithaca, N. Y. : Cornell University Press. Thomas Kochman. (1981). Black and white styles in conflict. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Wedding Speech Written for Two Best Men Essay - 1896 Words

Wedding Speech Written for Two Best Men Brandon - Ladies and Gents before I continue I would like to point out to those of you who may be feeling the effects of the alcohol that there are actually 2 of us standing up here and no you are not seeing double. Firstly, I would like to say how pleasing it is to see so many of John and Rhonda’s close relatives and friends who have joined them on their wedding day. It never fails to amaze me the distance some people will travel for some free food. OK, Ladies and Gents it is an absolute privilege for Kain and me to be standing here as John’s best men. Since John asked us to perform this honor we have been seeking advice on the duties we have to perform. One of the main duties is†¦show more content†¦Kain - I must say when Brandon and I met up to prepare our speech I was a little disturbed to hear him say that he was going to sleep with one of the bridesmaids tonight†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..that was until I realised his wife Suzi was one†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.it was Suzi you were talking about wasn’t it Brandon Brandon – Well, as you know I’m not that fussy! Kain - Now if we were to follow tradition, we would delve into the lesser known stories of John’s life and bring up things about his ex girlfriends. I don’t think that’s fair however as they’re not here to defend themselves†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.foot mouth took it’s toll unfortunately. Brandon – John,†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Rhonda’s a lovely person. She deserves a good husband. Thank God you married her before she found one! Seriously though John, you are a lucky groom; youve got Rhonda. Shes beautiful, smart, funny, warm, loving and caring. And Rhonda, youve got..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦John. Brandon – We’ve known John for some 25+ years and I spent my entire schooling with John so as you can imagine when preparing our speech we had a mountain of material to choose from. However the main problem we were faced with was what to leave in. Thankfully, however I managed to come across a couple of John’s old school report cards and I would like to share with you a few of his old teacher’s remarks:- Guidance – In summary John is an ideal student who has excelled at most subjects, however on closer examination and once the tippex wasShow MoreRelatedThe Representation Of The Speaking Model949 Words   |  4 Pagesalso addresses the norms of an event, the norms address the shoulds and the should nots that can occur at a wedding. Although every bride and groom follows not each of these practices, there are many norms to a wedding held in America. Many norms followed start even months or years before the ceremony takes place. 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The supporting cast includes Melissa McCarthy, who plays Me gan, the butch sister of the groom, adding to the array of humor throughout the film. The film is set up with long gags, like the speech-off between Annie and Helen at the wedding shower and Annie’s intoxicated airplane fiasco in the attempt for a bachelorette weekend in Vegas. All of which add to the hysterical comedy of the film, while also adding depth to the characters and bring meaning to the surfaceRead More Humorous Best Man Speech Essay examples1972 Words   |  8 PagesHumorous Best Man Speech The hotel management have asked me to ask you not to stand on the tables or chairs during the standing ovation at the end of my speech. Now, I asked around for an idea of how long my speech should last, and the general response was about as long as it takes the groom to make love. So with that in mind, thank you, you have been a wonderful audience. (Sit and then get back up) I think an introduction is worthwhile. 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Many poets got involved in metaphysical poetry like: Samuel Johnson who wrote his book which is known as ‘’Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets’’, Henry Vaughan, Andrew Marvel, RichardRead MoreTaming Of The Shrew Character Analysis Essay1151 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"The Taming of the Shrew† was a play written by William Shakespeare in the late sixteenth century. The play features the characters Bianca Minola, who is the younger daughter that is loved by the city that she resides in for her beauty and is the female every non-married male in the city wants to marry; her older sister Katherina Minola, who is seen as a devilish woman that no one will marry due to her a nger and the fear she strikes into the men; their father Baptista Minola; who won’t let anyone

Did the Greek Warrior Achilles Have Children

Despite rumors of his homosexual tendencies, Achilles did have a child—a son, born from a brief affair during the Trojan War. The Greek warrior Achilles is never portrayed in the Greek histories as a married man. He had a close relationship with Patroclus of Phthia that ended when Patroclus fought in his place in the Trojan War and died. The death of Patroclus is what finally sent Achilles into battle. All of that has led to speculation that Achilles was gay. However, after Achilles entered the Trojan War, Briseis, the daughter of the Trojan priest of Apollo named Chryses, was given to Achilles as a war prize. When King of the Greeks Agamemnon appropriated Briseis for himself, Achilles expressed his outrage. Certainly, that seems to suggest that Achilles had at least a part-time interest in women regardless of whatever his relationship was with Patroclus. Achilles in a Dress? One reason for the confusion may arise from Achilles mother Thetis. Thetis was a nymph and a Nereid who tried many different stratagems to protect her beloved son, most famously dipping him in the river Styx to make him immortal, or at least impervious to battle injuries. To keep him out of the Trojan War, she hid Achilles, dressed as a woman, in the court of King Lycomedes on the island of Skyros. The kings daughter Deidamia discovered his true gender and had an affair with him. A boy was born from that affair called Neoptolemus. Thetis precautions were all for naught: Odysseus, after his own mad draft-dodging escapade, discovered the transvestite Achilles by means of a ruse. Odysseus brought trinkets to the court of King Lycomedes and all the young women took appropriate baubles except for Achilles who was drawn to the one masculine item, a sword. Achilles still would not fight—instead, he sent Patroclus into battle, and when he died in a battle in which Zeus stood by and let him die, Achilles finally put on the armor and was himself killed. Neoptolemus Neoptolemus, sometimes called Pyrrhus (flame-colored) because of his red hair, was brought to fight in the last year of the Trojan Wars. The Trojan seeress Helenus was captured by the Greeks and she was forced to tell them that they would only capture Troy if their warriors included a descendant of Aeacus in the battle. Achilles had already died, shot by a poisoned arrow in the heel, the only place in his body not made impervious by his dip in the Styx. His son Neoptolemus was sent into battle and, as Helenus foretold, the Greeks were able to capture Troy. The Aeneid reports that Neoptolemus killed Priam and many others in retribution for the death of Achilles. Neoptolemus survived the Trojan War and lived to marry three times. One of his wives was Andromache, the widow of Hector, who had been killed by Achilles. Neoptolemus and Sophocles In the Greek playwright Sophocles play Philoctetes, Neoptolemus is portrayed as a deceitful man who betrays the friendly, hospitable lead character. Philoctetes was a Greek who was exiled on the island of Lemnos when the rest of the Greeks went on to Troy. He had been injured and stranded as a result of his offending a nymph (or perhaps Hera or Apollo—the legend varies in several places) and left ill and alone in a cave far from his home. In the play, Philoctetes had been exiled 10 years when Neoptolemus visited him to take him back to Troy. Philoctetes begged him not to take him back to the battle but to take him home. Neoptolemus promised to do that but instead does take Philoctetes back to Troy, where Philoctetes was one of the men secreted in the Trojan Horse. Sources Avery, Harry C. Achilles Third Father. Hermes 126.4 (1998): 389-97. Print.---. Heracles, Philoctetes, Neoptolemus. Hermes 93.3 (1965): 279-97. Print.

Mistreatment of Land, Natural Disaster, and Drought...

The Dust Bowl was a time period in which many dust storms affected the agriculture and economy of the United States. Before the dust storms and droughts, the land being used by the farmers was already being damaged. Overuse had caused the soil to become useless, and by over-cultivating the land, farmers were no longer able to use the once fertile soil, causing a major impact on the lives of those involved in agriculture. Before the infamous Dust Bowl, the lands to the West were unknown until the exploration of Lewis and Clark. On the expedition of Lewis and Clark, they discovered and explored new land west of the Mississippi River, finding beautiful nearly unused land that was only being used by some Native Americans. When the lands were†¦show more content†¦Recently, we have had our own periods of drought and high summer temperatures, so in reality, yes, the United States could have their own Dust Bowl in this time period. However, I believe that after the Dust Bowl in the 1930’s happened, farmers were much more conscious of their actions. Because of the Dust Bowl, farmers tended to the soil with more care. For example, farmers use a method known as the Crop Rotation. Crop Rotation is the practice of planting different crops on the same land. Using the crop rotation method improves soil fertility, so that the risk of overuse similar to the 1930’s is not as high. Another exampl e of a simple method that promotes soil conservation that farmers use today is the planting of trees. Trees help prevent soil erosion with their roots and they also block the wind of possible wind or dust storms. Another method farmers use is the method of terracing. By using the terracing method, farmers decrease the amount of erosion going on. The terracing method is when farmers make short steps out of a large slope to reduce the erosion that would normally occur on such a large slope. If farmers were to not treat their land with care, then I would say that it would be completely possible to have another Dust Bowl in America, especially once you add in the time periods without rain and the highShow MoreRelatedModern History.Hsc.2012 Essay25799 Words   |  104 PagesUnited States originally pursued a policy of non-intervention, avoiding conflict while trying to broker a peace. - When a German U-boat sank the British liner Lusitania in 1915, with 128 Americans aboard, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson vowed, America is too proud to fight and demanded an end to attacks on passenger ships. Germany complied. - Wilson unsuccessfully tried to mediate a settlement. He repeatedly warned the U.S. would not tolerate unrestricted submarine warfare, in violation of

Issues with Juveniles Free Essays

Juveniles can break the law just like adults can. The difference is in the way they are treated after the fact, from the police interaction to the type of punishment they will ultimately receive. In most cases getting to the child before criminal behavior begins may stop a life of crime before it begins. We will write a custom essay sample on Issues with Juveniles or any similar topic only for you Order Now In this paper I will be going over the importance of child development, crime control, interrogation and Miranda warnings, crime prevention, deterrence, and punishment. Children that grow up in homes where the parents are not around or do not care about them are more likely to become caught up in a life of crime than the kids that have a loving family. Children that have parents that are criminals themselves will probably become criminals as well. â€Å"According to one researcher, 63 percent of boys with convicted fathers themselves had criminal convictions, compared to 30 percent among those who did not have convicted fathers†. (Worrall, 2008, p. 259) If a child does not have a positive role model to follow, they will follow the negative one. This is also true if the father is not in the home or part of their lives or if their parents are in to drugs. Lack of parental supervision, improper abuse, rejection, neglect, conflict between the parents and many other problems can also lead to behavioral issues in children. Domestic violence in the home, single family households and families with large amounts of people are also more likely to produce children that have behavioral issues as they develop. Lack of attention or negative attention is hard on a child and it has been proven to lead them to a life of delinquency. There are many steps that families can take to work on crime control before it becomes a problem. The first is parent training and education. â€Å"Just as there are good drivers and bad drivers, there are good parents and bad parents. † (Worrall, 2008, p. 261) Parenting does not come overnight. It takes time and practice and information. Sometimes the harm to children is done accidentally and knowing this, the government has started programs such as the Strengthening Families Program. The SFP was founded in 1983 and is for parents who are also drug abusers and teaches them appropriate parenting skills. Parenting classes can be done in and out of the home and appear in several forms. One such form is during pregnancy when a nurse practitioner comes to the home and gives the expectant mother information on her pregnancy and on things to expect when the child is born. Head Start programs are provided to poor African-American families so that their children are given extra help with educational needs. Research has shown that these and other programs have been successful in lowering the rate of delinquency in juveniles. The chance of child abuse is lower in families that have gone through treatment than those who have not. Mothers are bettering their lives through the programs as well so the rate of arrest is lower in the mothers and their children than those left untreated. Once a juvenile has police contact, the interaction is very different than it would be if it were an adult. There are several rights that a juvenile has to protect them. The first right is the Fourth Amendment. The Fourth Amendment to the U. S. Constitution states: â€Å"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. (Bartollas Miller, 2008) Juveniles have the same rights to privacy that adults do. If the police want to search a juvenile or their home or vehicle they must provide a search warrant unless the juvenile waived their rights, consented to the search, or got caught in the criminal act they were committing. Interrogation of a juvenile, confessions, and Miranda Warnings go hand in hand. Juveniles, as well as adults, are to be read their Miranda rights at the time of arrest. These Miranda Warnings give the juvenile six rights including: the right to remain silent, the right to an attorney, an attorney provided if they are unable to afford one, whatever the juvenile says to the police is fair game to be used later in court, if a juvenile starts talking they may stop at any time, and whatever the juvenile says to persons other than the juvenile officer or court personnel may be used against the juvenile if they are tried as an adult. The juvenile officer is responsible for providing the juvenile with these rights and must protect the interest of the youth. â€Å"A juvenile officer’s role in the interrogation process is the protection of the juvenile’s rights by initial explanation and subsequently by stopping the interrogation if it is so requested by the juvenile. Participation by the juvenile officer in the interrogation of a juvenile renders the confession and evidence discovered as a result thereof inadmissible [sic] in a subsequent adult prosecution. (McCarver, 2006) All questioning of the juvenile must be done by law enforcement. â€Å"The admissibility of a juvenile’s statement taken in the presence of the juvenile officer is determined from the totality of the circumstances on a case-by-case basis. The court will evaluate the juvenile’s age, experience, education, back ground, intelligence and whether the juvenile has the capacity to understand the warnings given to him, the nature of his Fifth Amendment rights and the consequences of waiving those rights. (McCarver, 2006) If a juvenile is tried as an adult they must have been made aware before his confession that it is possible that he may be tried as an adult and anything that any statements he makes can be used against him. Any officer that questions a juvenile must specifically state that he or she may be certified to be tried as an adult. â€Å"In the absence of an attorney, the confession of a juvenile which results from a custodial interrogation may not be used against the juvenile unless oth the juvenile and his parent, guardian or adult friend were informed of the juvenile’s rights to an attorney and to remain silent, and the juvenile must be given an opportunity to consult with his parents, guardian, adult friend or attorney as to whether he wishes to waive those rights. † (McCarver, 2006) Deterrence or prevention is very important in keeping juveniles out of trouble. In my opinion, one of the most effective preventative measures for preventing juvenile crime is community-based programs. These programs, such as, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Bully Prevention Program, and Functional Family Therapy allow youths to be part of the community in a positive way. â€Å"An eighteen-month evaluation found that compared with a control group waiting for a match, youths in the mentoring program were 46 percent less likely to start using drugs, 27 percent less likely to start drinking, and 32 percent less likely to hit or assault someone. † (Bartollas Miller, 2008) In single parent homes where the parent works it is hard to keep tabs on your child at all times. Getting them into a program will keep the youths occupied and out of trouble in a perfect world. With the statistics listed community-based programs are effective and do a good job of reducing juvenile crime. There are many, many programs like these I listed. The problems that arise are a lack of funding and volunteers. It is important for the communities to sponsor and volunteer for these programs or they really cannot complain about children running the streets, learning negative behaviors, and committing crimes. Another effective preventative measure is programs like the Chicago Area Projects. The projects have three basic goals: Frist, they provide a forum for local residents to become acquainted with new scientific perspectives on child rearing, child welfare, and juvenile delinquency. † (Bartollas Miller, 2008) Second, they open up lines of communication between the community and the institutional representatives of the larger community, the ones that help influence the local youth. Third, they allow local adults to come in to contact with local youths, â€Å"especially those having difficulties with the law†. (Bartollas Miller, 2008) This and programs like this one have the local communities take responsibility or the youths before they are sent to the juvenile justice system. The adults in the community can speak on behalf of youths in court and they organize programs to keep the youth out of trouble. If a child is distracted in a positive way, they are less likely to act out in a negative way. When punishment is needed, probation is usually the answer. Probation is the number one sentence in the juvenile court. â€Å"About 400,000 youths are placed on formal probation each year, which amounts to more than 60 percent of all juvenile dispositions. † (Bartollas Miller, 2008) This number has increased greatly since 1993. Probation is a judicial disposition under which youthful offenders are subject to certain conditions imposed by the juvenile cou rt and are permitted to remain in the community under the supervision of a probation officer. † (Bartollas Miller, 2008) Juvenile probation focuses on programs for the offending youth in order to keep them out of jail. A probation officer is assigned and will work with the juvenile to help meet the conditions of their probation. Some think that the purpose of juvenile probation is to give the child a second chance. This is not necessarily correct. The main focus of juvenile probation is provide programs and services so that the youth will learn to stay out of trouble with the law in the future. There are several reasons why probation is the most desirable alternative to jail time. Juveniles are able to remain free of incarceration but society has protection from further law breaking. â€Å"It promotes the rehabilitation of offenders because they can maintain normal community contacts by living at home, attending school, and participating in community activities. † (Bartollas Miller, 2008) It also costs less and allows the juvenile to avoid the negative impact of confinement. While treated differently than adults in most cases, juveniles still break the law and encounter the justice system. Juveniles are afforded the same rights as adults but are handled in a way that usually allows them to have a second chance and become a productive member of society. While stopping a life of crime before it begins is the more favorable approach, it is not always a possibility. In this paper I have discussed child development, crime control, interrogation and Miranda warnings, crime prevention, deterrence, and punishment. How to cite Issues with Juveniles, Papers

Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill free essay sample

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was one of the most infamous industrial environmental disasters ever. On April 20, 2010, a marine oil-drilling dig called the Deepwater Horizon exploded, releasing hundreds of millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. This explosion resulted in the loss of human life, massive environmental damage, and widespread damage to the livelihood of people living along the Gulf Coast. The organization with the largest share in the oil drill, BP (Beyond Petroleum), is still facing consequences of this spill and lost millions of dollars as well as national support. The Obama administration also received criticism for not responding to this crisis quickly enough. This monstrous oil spill created environmental, health, social, and economic problems that were unprecedented, and the rippling effects of the spill are still being felt today. To fully understand the story behind the incident that incited massive worldwide ramifications, one must get a better understanding of the company in charge of the oil rig and what their fault was. BP, which stands for Beyond Petroleum, is, as they state, â€Å"one of the world’s leading international oil and gas companies, providing its customers with fuel for transportation, energy for heat and light, lubricants to keep engines moving, and the petrochemicals products used to make everyday items. † (BP, 2013). This now world-leading petroleum company was created in 1908 in England, and has since expanded to employ over 83,000 people in 30 different countries, and has broken records with its quarterly net income of $16. 86 billion in the first quarter of 2013. On their website, BP states that they have â€Å"five values that express [their] shared understanding of what [they] believe, how [they] aim to behave, and what [they] aspire to be as an organization. † These values are, in order: 1. Safety: â€Å"We care about the safe management of the environment. † 2. Respect: â€Å"We respect the world in which we operate. 3. Excellence: â€Å"[We] are committed to excellence through the systematic and disciplined management of our operations. † 4. Courage: â€Å"We explore new ways of thinking and are unafraid to ask for help. † 5. One Team: â€Å"We put the team ahead of our personal success and commit to building its capability. † To understand how at fault BP is for this spill, we must look into what exactly the explosion was and the main events contributing to the spill, as well as how BP may have gone against their own regulations in their protection and cleaning schemes. The Deepwater Horizon was a 9-year-old drilling rig in the Mississippi Canyon Block 252 of the Gulf of Mexico. It was a semi-submersible, mobile, foating, dynamically positioned rig that could operate into waters up to 10,000 feet deep. The machine, shown below, was built by Hyundai and owned by Transocean, and the rig was chartered to BP from March 2008 to September 2013. The oil well it was drilling in was 35,050 feet deep, in about 5,100 feet of water. The well is located 41 miles off of the coast of Louisiana. BP, the principal owner of this well (known as the Macondo Prospect), owned a 65% share, while Anadarko Petroleum Corporation owned 25% and MOEX Offshore 2007 owned 10%. A waterline view of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig prior to explosion. The majority of the rig’s mass is below water. On April 20, 2010 at about 9:45 pm, high-pressure methane gas from the well expanded into the drilling riser and rose to the drilling rig, where it ignited and created a huge explosion that engulfed the platform. This explosion killed 11 out of the 126 people on board, and injured 17 others. The oil rig burned for 36 hours until it sunk, and hydrocarbons from the explosion continued to leak into the Gulf of Mexico for 87 days. A statement from BP read â€Å"The accident involved a well integrity failure, followed by a loss of hydrostatic control of the well. This was followed by a failure to control the flow of the well with the blowout preventer (BOP) equipment, which allowed the release and subsequent ignition of hydrocarbons. Ultimately, the BOP emergency functions failed to seal the well after the initial explosions. † (BP, 2010). Immediately following this explosion, a series of investigations took place by a list of teams of investigators. The two most prevalent investigations were made by a team of investigators sent by BP and the White House Oil Spill Commission. The investigations brought up a plethora of reasons for the spill and focused on a number of different failures that led to the explosion. Both investigations cited that two pieces of machinery which were built to isolate hydrocarbons from entering the well—the annulus cement barrier and the shoe track barriers—failed to do so. This resulted in hydrocarbons entering the well and the control of the well being lost. The investigations also cited that although well integrity had not been established, the BP team leader accepted a negative-pressure test, the results of which were taken from a process that is not the BP preferred method. The White House investigation differed from the BP investigation, however, because the White House panel was able to place blame where they felt was necessary: on BP and its contractors. The report issued by the White House Oil Spill Commission reads â€Å"Whether purposeful or not, many of the decisions that BP, Halliburton, and Transocean made that increased the risk of the Macondo blowout clearly saved those companies significant time (and money). † (Oil Spill Commission, 2011). The report faults the communication between BP and its contractors, as its contractors were short of effective training, and the key engineering capabilities of the rig personnel. Who was truly responsible for this incident? BP took the blame, but was it really entirely their fault? Here’s a list of the companies involved in the process and their respective responsibilities for the accident. BP: Beyond Petroleum was the general contractor for this oil rig, and therefore naturally the bearer of the heavyweight responsibility. The responsibility of the total operation of the Deepwater Horizon was run by BP and they were therefore responsible to oversee all activity that would affect the safety and effectiveness of the drilling process. Transocean: Transocean is the world’s largest offshore drilling company, and was the owner of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig. Transocean leased the rig to BP for the span of March 2008 to September 2013, and they were given the responsibility of monitoring safe working practices and the protection of the personnel on board. Halliburton: Halliburton is a company that offers a broad array of oilfield services and products to oil and gas customers worldwide. Halliburton was a contractor as well as the cementer for the project. Halliburton’s job was to establish the cement barrier for this Deepwater Horizon drilling rig. Halliburton came under fire after an investigation reported that the initial fault of the accident occurred in the annulus cement barrier. Cameron International Corporation is a Fortune 500 company and a global provider of pressure control, processing, flow control and compression systems, as well as project management and aftermarket services for the oil and gas and process industries. Cameron was the builder of the rig’s BOP (blowout prevention device). This device failed to seal the well, which caused continuous spillage of oil into the Gulf of Mexico for 87 days. Although BP did take responsibility verbally and politically for the oil spill, the company proceeded to file $40 billion worth of lawsuits against these three companies. But exactly how at fault was BP for this? Shouldn’t they have suspected something like this may happen? Was this just a freak accident, or was this a chain reaction of mismanaged events? Interestingly enough, it was the latter. BP led a series of mismanaged and misinterpreted operations prior to the explosion. Apparently, a lead was spotted on a crucial piece of equipment in the oil rig’s blowout preventer just weeks before the explosion, and both BP and Transocean were notified about it. In an interview for 60 minutes, one of the employees on the rig named Mike Williams stated that a reason that much of the normal drilling process was not adhered to was because there was a large amount of pressure to speed the project up to maximize profits. â€Å"Pieces of a rubber annular were round in the drilling fluid and brought to the attention of management, yet they deemed this unimportant. † (Williams, 2010). Also, the White House Oil Spill Commission reported that regulators of the rig didn’t have sufficient knowledge to recognize poor management and decision making by the companies in charge of the rig. While these examples of mismanagement and carelessness should have been caught by a more educated eye, they went unnoticed. The results of this oil spill were widespread and disastrous on many fronts. The spill was damaging from fronts concerning financial issues to business problems, to human health risks, and (most prevalently) the environment. As of March 2013, BP has already paid $14 billion in clean-up osts for the damage as well as $10 billion in compensation for companies and surrounding habitats. The spill was absolutely massive; here’s a list of some of the stats from the spill. * 4. 9 million barrels of oil (205. 8 million gallons) spilled from the Deepwater Horizon well into the Gulf of Mexico. * 62,000 barrels of oil leaked per day when the well first broke. * Roughly $400 million worth of oil was spilled. * You could drive a Toyota Prius around the Earth at the Equator 184,181 times with the oil that was lost by the spill. * 13,208 homes could have been heated for one year using the lost oil. (Popular Mechanics, 2010) The National Wildlife Foundation recently issued a report suggesting the environmental effects of the oil spill are far from over. The federation’s report gave grades to environmental concerns that the federation has tracked during the past three years. These concerns included: * Poor coastal wetland condition: 1,100 miles of shoreline were oiled, including coastal wetlands that were already rapidly eroding. The federation recommends fining BP and using the money to restore barrier islands and paying for sediment diversions. Poor conditions for sea turtles: Over 1,700 sea turtles (predominantly the Kemps Ridley turtles, the most endangered species of sea turtles in the world) were stranded in just two years after the spill, which is over three times the biannual rate of stranding. Approximately $1 billion of BP fine money has already gone to turtle-driven causes. * The report gave â€Å"fair† ratings to the conditions of the bottlenose dolphin and the deep sea coral: Although an estimated 650 dolphins and several deep-sea coral colonies were killed because of the accident, the money BP has given for recovery have significantly improved conditions. The report gave â€Å"good† ratings to the conditions of shrimp and brown pelicans. According to the report, the populations of these two marine-centered animals shifted very slightly due to the oil spill, although the report did point out that 826 brown pelicans were collected from the spill area, 577 of which were either dead or later died. A diagram of the geographical extent of the spill. 1,100 miles of Gulf Coastline was affected by this spill, most predominantly in Louisiana. The oil rig was located just 41 miles off the coast of Louisiana. In addition to the extreme amounts of direct consequences this oil spill had on surrounding areas, it also had many indirect consequences that BP was not forced to pay for. Fishing regions in the gulf coast area were destroyed, and many commercial fishermen in the area were thus forced to look elsewhere for jobs. Mental health and tourism in the gulf coast area was hit especially hard; after Katrina, the Deepwater Horizon spill pushed many in the area over the edge into a state of anxiety and depression. There is a constant feeling of pain, grief, and fear of the future shared by the residents of cities and towns bordering the Gulf Coast, as well as a declined interest to visit there because of oil-ridden beaches and waterfronts. This BP disaster has brought valuable lessons to the workfront involving large companies and the environment in which they work. First and foremost, big businesses cannot view their projects and operations as separate from the communities they serve. The BP oil disaster brought to light how economic advantages in speeding up an operation may lead to complex and unthinkable disasters. Of course, accidents happen – and they always will. But accidents like this, when at the root of it is greedy American speed-consumerism, must be taken as a lesson rather than just as something a company needs to â€Å"clean up. † When looking at this spill, the American people and the American big businesses, as well as people and businesses around the world, should take a step back and think about how their accelerated greed and profit management could end up disastrously, both for the environment and for the economy.