Liberal democracy Essay

As a citizen of a democratic country, we depend too much in our newspapers, magazines, tabloids and all kinds of media for information, mainly because almost everything is shown in it, we don’t even know whether it is true or not, but because this is our flow of society we believe in it. But isn’t it invading our privacy? And our right to live in security? This is journalism the science of ruining or building lives. But primarily its purpose is to expose certain events, critical issues and mainly the lives of people, their private lives that they don’t want other people to know, the exaggerated tales and the gradual destruction of ones life. It is like showing your cards in a poker game without you knowing it, people taking advantage of it and using it against you. Look at the Valerie Plame scandal. After her career has been ruined by exposing her identity as a CIA agent, saying that she have leaked some information as an intelligence officer and making herself a public icon by showing herself in the front page of vanity fair other magazines and newspapers, professional journalists just took off the scene after the case have been dismissed instead of clearing their mistakes. Another example is the paparazzi, they make celebrity lives really difficult and even drive some of them to their deaths because of the stories that they fabricate, the pictures that they took, the private stories and pictures that shouldn’t be known by the public which creates an even more stress and pressure on them. Just like what happen to Princess Diana, who died because of a car accident in Paris, France due to the never ending chase of the paparazzi. In the war between US and Iraq, the progress of the US was certain, the US was reluctant to stop the attacks though the Iraq parliament appealed for a month long cease of attack, what do the media do?! They ignored all the press releases of Iraq and launched a â€Å"shock and Awe† campaign to expose and insult the Iraq parliament, making the situation worse. As what Lt. Col. Oliver North said that the media won’t make them (military troops) safe in the war that has been going on in Iraq, and he also said that it has become a weapon which attacks Iraq that supports the media’s claim that our democracy has attained its limits. Freedom in every little way has also its limitations, though we have equal rights and some believe that it’s the journalist right to do his job, I do also believe that freedom, our liberal rights meets its limits when we are actually hurting somebody because of our so called freedom of expression. Journalism, for the sake of its name creates not only destruction of lives but also of believes and relationship. Little by little, journalism is slowly ignoring our freedom of privacy, it cares for nothing except a good story, an interesting story that may destroy a life, it cares for no one, it exposes everything without even thinking the results of such act and mainly some of stories are exaggerated to give it a more interesting twist. Privacy is an experience that people should have the luxury of using, it is not a piece of data that we can tell everybody whenever we want to, we live in a democratic country, with democratic rights and equal opportunity, we must let everybody have their own piece of security as we do, who would want to live in a world where everything is exposed and there is nothing that you can keep to your self? I wouldn’t and I think no one would want that because if so, why would the government create liberal policy? Why do we want to have security? Journalism is really powerful, it can manipulate us in every way that it wants, it can even made us believe the things that they say; which may and may not be absolutely true, it also create a world of doubts, where we no longer know whether this piece of information is reliable or not, is it true or is it just a fraud? The word fair is not in its vocabulary and even respect. Exposing everything that creates interest to them and to the people, every thing will be exposed with or without consent, launching stories that shouldn’t be known by the public that may cause trouble not only to them but also to the innocent people around. Like when they publicize the American Iraqi war, when they follow people around etc. Isn’t this a clear violation of liberal rights? We must be skeptic of everything that we are told, because we are critical beings, we have our brain enlarged and neurons to use in such cases, we have our own set of opinion, let us become non-conformist and stop the inevitable exploitation of journalism in destroying our liberal rights. What’s the use of liberal democracy if we would allow this journalism to uncover every little piece of information about us? Journalism is like a disease seeping in every hole in our liberal rights, it is a cancer, a malignant one that we can’t seem to fight easily, but it is possible, I’m not saying that journalism only has disadvantages, we know that everything has two sides yet as we weigh their cons and pros we should know that it is slowly killing our democratic rights as a person and as citizen of this country. Let us prove that we value our freedom more than the interesting stories that this journalist made, let us have a world where there is security and freedom to have a private life that every one of us should deserve. Cure the disease that slowly deteriorates the country and make it a place where there will be no lives that are ruined due to exaggerated stories and expose that the media and journalists made. This is a free country, yet freedom in order to remain real should be handed down not only to those who can afford it but to everybody in this nation and in every nation around the world. Journalism should limit their scope and make our lives easier. Stop the exploitation and the lies, journalism must be honest and it should respect our liberal rights so as to avoid misunderstanding and destruction. Works cited: Connors, Michael. Howard’s Australia: The Democratic Paradox. 19 April 2006. August 21 2007. < http://www. newmatilda. com/home/articledetail. asp? ArticleID=1510> Leiby, Richard. Valerie Plame, the Spy Who Got Shoved Out Into the Cold . Saturday, October 29, 2005; Page C01. Aug. 20 2007: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/28/AR2005102801172.html

Management in Organisation Essay

A NEW DIRECTION FOR THE UPSTAGE THEATRE The board of the Upstage Theatre Company had assembled to hear the Artistic Director’s proposals for the following year’s season. Mark Buck, the Artistic Director, had built a reputation on his staging of popular comic seasons, and most members of the board expected a similar proposal this year. Buck entered the boardroom, and after a few general remarks, began to speak about his plans for the season. As he spoke, the board members began to look at each other with astonishment. Buck was proposing a radical departure with a Shakespearean tragedy and working up to a piece by Arthur Miller. At the end of this totally unexpected proposal he looked around at his audience. ‘Any questions’ he asked rather blandly, while privately enjoying the obvious bewilderment on the part of the board. He loved surprising people! Jean Carlisle, the chair of the board, was the only one not surprised by the proposal, as Buck had approached her several weeks ago and dropped some hints about his idea. Buck, she had a shrewd suspicion, was out primarily to promote his own career. Known as a ‘comedy man’ first and foremost, he was in danger of being typecast within the industry. Only by rounding out his production experience could he hope to progress. Carlisle, however, could see a lot of possibilities in the proposal for a ‘serious’ season, even though she knew it would be dismissed as foolhardy by a number of the established board members. Her involvement with the Upstage Theatre was based on a sincere commitment to the cultural development of the community. Lately, she had been coming under some fire from her family and friends for not urging that more ‘culturally significant’ work be performed by the Theatre. When she had first heard of Buck’s proposal, she had decided to support it and had accordingly begun to consider how best to get the board to support it as well. Now she turned to Robert Ramsay, a board member who had been brought in for his connections with the business community. ‘Well, Robert, it’s an interesting proposal we have in front of us,’ she said. ‘What do you think?’ Ramsay, she happened to know, had been considerably embarrassed in front of the board recently, as a result of his inability to raise money for the Theatre. She also knew that much of the resistance to the corporate support of the Theatre had come from the fact that its plays were not considered serious enough. Thus, Ramsay, she reasoned, would support the departure proposed by Buck. This was indeed the case. ‘I think it’s a marvellous idea. And I’m sure it’s the kind of season the financial community would support’ said Ramsay. Several others on the board protested strongly against the proposed season. The most vociferous of these was Olaf Vickers, a local playwright of some repute. Vickers had had several of his comedy works performed by the Upstage Theatre Company over the years. The argument presented by Buck, Carlisle, and Ramsay managed to quiet these objections, however, at least to the point where the board voted to examine the marketing and financial implications of the proposal and meet again in two weeks’ time. When the board met again, a month later, the battle lines were more clearly drawn. Olaf Vickers spoke first. ‘I move that we dismiss the proposal for a â€Å"tragedy’ season,† he said. ‘The Theatre has always had a reputation for comic works, and this reputation should not be thrown away lightly. I feel that our artistic director should go back and rethink his proposals.’ Jean Carlisle, however, was ready with an answer. ‘I know how you feel’, she said. ‘But I think we have to consider some other factors too. For a year now our theatre has been losing money, and how long the various arts councils will go on funding us is an open question. As I told you last year, some of the government people are very concerned that we develop more in the way of box office support and outside funding. Now, as I see it, this proposal may give us a chance to do just that. I’ve asked Mark Buck to do an unofficial survey among the town’s theatre community, and I think you’ll find the results interesting.’ The artistic director now stood up. ‘We’ve been able to put together a random sample of Theatre goers from the subscription lists of other theatres in town,’ he said. ‘I had a couple of people in the administrative office phone these people and do a straw poll survey of their preferences. The results indicate that a majority would patronise a new tragedy season. So I think we can expect some box office support for this proposal.’ He sat down and amid murmurs from the board members Carlisle then asked Ramsay to address the meeting. ‘I’ve canvassed the business community,’ he said. ‘A number of corporations have indicated their interest in supporting a â€Å"serious season† here. I think it’s safe to say that we could count on fairly generous corporate support should we decide to go ahead.’ A heated debate followed these announcements. While many of the previously uncommitted board members now leaned toward acceptance of the proposed season, a significant minority, lead by Olaf Vickers, opposed it. As the by-laws required a two- thirds majority to approve a policy change, the meeting adjourned without any decision being taken. It was decided to meet again the following week to resolve the crisis, if possible. During that week, Jean Carlisle paid a visit to Olaf Vickers. After some polite discussion of theatre matters, she came to the point. ‘You know Olaf,’ she said sadly, ‘it’s rather a pity you don’t support the proposal for a ‘serious’ season.’ ‘Why’s that?’ inquired the playwright suspiciously. ‘Well’, explained Carlisle, ‘it’s just that I was talking to Buck the other day, and he wanted to commission you to write a work to wrap up the season. He says he’s sure a serious piece by you would be just the thing to cap the year.’ ‘I’m glad that at least he remembers part of the Theatre’s original mandate,’ growled Vickers. ‘After all, the Upstage is supposed to be committed to the development of new local authors.’ ‘And it’s a commitment he takes very seriously,’ replied Carlisle. ‘And, so  do I, I can assure you. That’s why if we were to go ahead with the season he suggests, I would move that your new play be commissioned immediately. I hope we can come to some agreement when we next meet,’ she added, as she rose to go. ‘Maybe,’ Vickers replied thoughtfully. At the next meeting, Vickers announced that after some thought, he had changed his Mind, and would now support the new season. Several weeks later, it was announced that as local playwright, he had been asked to write a serious work to be performed as season finale. Questions 1. What do you perceive to be the primary problem in this case? 2. Do you believe that the board has made decisions according to the rational decision making model? Why? 3. Do you think that using a group such as this one was the most effective way to make the decision? 4. What might you have done differently, in order to facilitate more effective decision making

It's in the instructions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

It's in the instructions - Essay Example The product is now one of the most popular gaming devices in the world. The first playstation was developed on the technology of the cancelled Super disc, which was upgraded and developed into a product of its own. This new product was by far superior to other gaming devices such as the Sega or the Nintendo as it possessed a CD-ROM gaming system which was new in this era and easier for manufacturing. The first Playstation launched had a lot of development potential due to the CD-ROM system it used. The approach by the company to introduce third parties for marketing made the product even more appealing. The design was also modern, sleek and was superior to the other gaming devices. Playstation further enhanced its reach by gaining control of several franchises in the gaming word such as Spyro, Crash Bandicoot and Twisted metal which were all very popular games. These were made the faces of the console which was also an excellent marketing strategy. The next console to be introduced was Playstation 2 which was introduced in 2000 (Donovan et al., 10). This console had a superior appearance to the first Playstation and had record breaking sale figures. This is because Playstation had already acquired a loyal fan base and many people were awaiting the upgrade of the already successful Playstation. The sales of PS2 were more than 150 million in total. The success of PS2 also lies in the fact that they kept in touch with the requirements of the customers and introduced the popular characters from the first Playstation. In addition, there were new characters that were introduced. Particularly the first Killzone and God of War were all introduced on Playstation 2. These were also influential and helped in boosting the popularity of PS2. These games also enabled to create loyalty among gamers as they would be waiting for upgrades in the future versions. PS2 Slim was the next to be released and the selling feature of this console

The process of risk categorization inspection Assignment

The process of risk categorization inspection - Assignment Example Profile factors are those that put into consideration population served, type of operation, extent of handling food and its complexity. Performance factors on the other side touch on commitment practices that contribute to food safety. In addition, performance factors also cover operator’s performance that complies with regulations and the extent of food safety plans. Each board of health must, at any time, put into account requirements and standard approach as outlined in the guidance document for Food Safety Program Practices of Operation. When operating at minimum, standard approach implementation would include the following. Standard approach entails implementing and developing a plan for reviewing as well as giving updates of standard operating procedures. It also covers categorization forms, tools, or templates for new approach incorporation (Public Health Division 4). A standard approach, in addition, train all staff who have either supporting or direct role in monitoring, reporting, or conducting categorization of the risk process. Finally, a standard approach also implements and develops an outcome reporting system from the categorization process of risks. The outcome reporting system is essential to monitoring changes and trends to risk classes. Furthermore, it also provides data that acts as a summary of profile and performance factors used for evaluation reasons. The first step in risk categorization of food premises process is assigning risk categories. Boards of health use assigning risk categories of food premises in when assessing annual onsite risk of every food premises (Bai 215). Subsequently, the health board completes categorization of risk assignment as they carry out the first inspection in every calendar level. However, assigning to risks categories is not applicable in recently established premises that are less than a year old. Assigning of risks is useful in planning towards meeting reporting requirements. It is important to

LANGUAGE TESTING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

LANGUAGE TESTING - Essay Example This form of direct oral testing is known variously as "oral interview", "oral test", or "oral examination". I will refer to it here as "oral examination", as I am dealing mainly with examinations in a university context. The literature on language testing has identified a number of unsolved problems with oral examinations. Much of the discussion has centred on the issues of validity and reliability, but problems in the practical administration of oral examinations have also received comment. The fundamental problems with oral examinations are those of reliability (i.e. the consistency with which different examiners mark the same test, or with which the same examiner marks a test on different occasions) and validity (i.e. whether or not an oral test assesses what it sets out to assess). The reliability of oral examinations has been seen as a serious problem right from the start of research on this topic. Spelberg et al. (2002) report very low correlations, averaging only .41, between the marks of different examiners, although Taguchi (2005) points out that "the nine examiners who marked sixteen candiates [ . . . ] in this study did not have marking schemes, were given no training, were unstandardized and were given no criteria for judging candidates ability", so the discrepancies in their judgements are perhaps not such a surprise. Spelberg (2000) describes the usual ways of testing oral ability as "impressions from memory or haphazard interviews" and writes that "the vast majority of cases [ . . . ] are not reliably separated into levels of speaking ability by this approach, because of the complexity of the language and non-language factors involved". Michael (2001) states that for tests based on free conversation "the problems of sampling, and reliable scoring ar e almost insoluble, unless a great deal of time and many

Love Styles By John Lee Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Love Styles By John Lee - Essay Example Love means different things and emotions to different people and one person's love could be meaningless to another. Love could be heady, and many have compared it to be under the influence of strong drugs. In his autobiography "Love's Gay Fool" Lee gives vivid picture of his pursuits of love. His commitment to gay and lesbianism are well known. It is told that in personal life 'he followed the advice of the ancient Greek poet, Homer: "Let love be the business of our lives." In 'Models of Love' (1974), Lee argues that all the styles of love are equally important and valid. His theoretical test of love's styles is authentic, authoritative, and his description of six love models had not been questioned or bettered. Conceptually speaking, Lee has presented love in almost all its splendors. He has not hesitated to show its obsessive and ugly side. He has been pragmatic about its diverse approaches and endings. When he says Eros is 'quick to decay' it brings to mind a flower of rare beauty, but limited life. Ludus presents a playful, teenage, ever-young, always refreshing side of love that could be divine and passionate simultaneously. Storge could be seen more in older couples, where compassion is the basis of love instead of physical attraction. Mania comes under the psychological problems of love, where partner or partners could be obsessed beyond reasoning and this irrational desire for the other person could lead to violent endings.

Competing with Giants Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Competing with Giants - Essay Example For example, Honda had to spend aggressively in order to identify customer needs and wants. While the local manufacturer of scooters, Bajaj had a competitive advantage over Honda as the company was aware that consumers in India wanted a low cost, durable and easily accessible and maintainable machines. Bajaj had been around for so many years that it was able to establish and maintain a good relationship with customers and was well aware about society trends. Another distinguishing factor between Bajaj and Honda was the element of supply chain. Bajaj relied on itself to distributing motor scooters while Honda relied on local producer. â€Å" Strategic intent is to provide the company a focus for developing strategic plans that allow the firm to move closer to achieving the strategic intent. Strategic plans focus on means to the end, while strategic intent clearly defines the ends and leaves the means unconstrained. Strategic intent leaves room for improvisation and opens innovation opportunities†. These plans have to be understood by every employee in the company to unite than and follow the company’s commander, in order to attain firm’s goals. It also provides an indication of the firm’s techniques which make the firm unique in managing business or outlines an organization’s priorities. It can be distinguished through experience or by knowing how the firm is tending to handle business in comparison to its competitors. For example, Starbucks has realized the importance of high quality of coffee beans that are imported from Brazil and a lovely atmosphere enables a customer to enjoy their coffee. The organization offers a variety of coffee and has employed highly experienced coffee producers while employing specialized equipment’s in order to meet consumer expectations. It even allows consumers to buy their products from anywhere. These are signs of a firm’s

Article Review #2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Article Review #2 - Essay Example The writer is the author of several books on German and Soviet history during the World War II period, so he draws upon a thorough knowledge of the history of the region and period concerned but does also make use of some other valuable sources such as foreign affairs documents. In On August 22, 1939, Adolf Hitler directed his foreign minister, Joachim von Ribbentrop, to go to Moscow for a nonaggression pact with Soviet Union involving the signing of a treaty and a secret protocol for immediate effect. The German delegation conversed with Stalin and his commissar for foreign affairs at the Kremlin, and â€Å"an agreement was reached on all points†. The pact, to initially last ten years, and the secret protocol were both signed, and this occasion was celebrated as it marked a new era of German-Soviet friendship. The terms stipulated that neither country would attack the other subject to certain conditions. The secret protocol carved Europe into German and Soviet spheres of interest. Some remaining details were settled a month later along with another friendship treaty, â€Å"later supplemented by a boundary protocol†, â€Å"a confidential agreement on the exchange of populations across the borders separating the Soviet and German spheres in Ea stern Europe†, a secret protocol pertaining to non-tolerance of Polish agitation, and extensions of several economic agreements. These agreements were seen as providing â€Å"the Germans with a green light for an attack on Poland†, and whereas previous nonaggression pacts signed by the Soviets were invalidated in the case of either party attacking a third country, this was not the case in this pact. Moreover, the economic agreements were designed to maintain the German war effort through acquisition of raw materials, and enabling Germany to concentrate all its forces on the western front. It is pertinent to note that the friendship was actually â€Å"cemented with blood† given that both had attacked and divided Poland

Emerging trends in Human Resources Management Essay Example for Free

Emerging trends in Human Resources Management Essay Session Outcomes: †¢ Discover the global trends affecting human  resources management, †¢ Describe the impact these trends are having on  organizations and the management of human  resources, †¢ Develop an appreciation of the changing role of  human resources management in supporting  organizational strategy. Emerging Trends in Human Resources Management (HRM) †¢ How would you define or describe Human Resources  Management (HRM)? – What is it? – How do you define it? †¢ Turn to the person next to you and share your thoughts  regarding what you think what Human Resources  Management is. †¢ I will select a number of people to share what they came up with. †¢ You have 2 minutes to do this.

How to Cooking Essay Example for Free

How to Cooking Essay Mmmhm Can you smell that? The aroma of gooey gorgonzola cascading down a mount of al dente bow tie pasta. Have you ever been stuck in a rut and had no clue what to cook for your date or in general? Why not cook pasta? Not just any pasta, but bow tie pasta with creamy gorgonzola sauce that will take your taste buds on a ride! Mmmhm Now let me take you on an excursion through culinary excellency and show you step by step how to make this exquisite meal and some tips how to make your meal extra special. There? s no such thing as pasta without a boiling pot. To achieve the best taste pallet possible out of this dish I use my lucky ceramic boiling pot. You might think, why isn? t that silly, a lucky ceramic pot. Well just like how singers and actors have there lucky charm, I have my pot to make this pasta dish extra special. Once you get the pot on the stove you want to make sure the stove is set on high to ensure that the pasta gets cooked fast and easily and add about two cups of water and a dash of salt for ?avor. In a few minutes you would start to hear the sudtle POP POP of the water and that? s your que to add the bow tie pasta. Now there are many varieties of bow tie pasta to chose from but when making it with gorgonzola sauce you want to choose one with crunch to controvict with the creaminess of the gorgonzola and the best pasta for this job is ronzoni because of its low sodium level. As soon as the pasta is in the pot, i get to work with the sauce. For this you? ll need a nice chunk of gorgonzola cheese,milk,pepper, and of course butter to add that fatty taste to the sauce. Put all of these in a separate pot than the pasta and set the How to do essay ~ stove to medium for a slow and easy cook. Slowly the cheese disappears into a thick blue and white sauce. The aroma of the cheese slowly creeps into your nose causing you noseHere comes the hardest part. The agonizing and tantalizing wait for the pasta to cook.

Sources of stress in elite football players

Sources of stress in elite football players Sources of stress in elite football players. Abstract In this piece we shall look at stress, its definition, and its potential occurrence in the world of the professional football player. We will examine the possible sources and use current literature sources to support our assertions. Having done that we shall examine in detail the case of Mr Vasey, a youngster who embarked on a professional football career but did not make it onto the elite circuit. We shall examine his personal account for evidence to support or refute our assessment. If you read some of the tabloid newspapers, you could be forgiven for thinking that an elite footballer’s life is little more than huge amounts of money, fast cars, a succession of pretty women and endless adulation from mindlessly adoring fans when performing on the football pitch. Some of the more disreputable papers may also dwell on a slightly different (but generally equally false) aspect of their life, the drink, drugs, sordid sex romps in hotel rooms and gambling. The truth of the matter, in the vast majority of cases, is that the elite footballer is a finely honed athlete at the peak of his training. He is required to perform daily in training routines and in the gym, less frequently on the pitch, and put himself at risk of career threatening injuries on a regular basis. All this is done in the full knowledge that he has worked his way up a professional ladder to a comparatively short window of elite performance and that there are always many more hopefuls who are climbing up behind him either waiting to push him off or to watch him as he falls. You may regard the introduction as rather melodramatic, but it is intended to illustrate the very different perceptions that are commonly held about the lifestyles of the elite footballer. In this piece we are going to review the stresses and pressures that are commonly experienced by this elite group and also how they (generally) manage to cope with them. We also intend to illustrate the theoretical problems faced by the elite footballer with a real case study of a young man, Mr Peter Vasey who has gone a long way to becoming one of the elite group and then, for various reasons, which we shall discuss, decided not to pursue it further. Stress and Stress management We all think that we know what stress is and that we can easily recognise it. It actually proves to be a very hard item to define as firstly, it is important to distinguish between physical (biological) stress and psychological stress. The two are clearly related but fundamentally different. Secondly, stress is a multitude of different responses to a multitude of different potential causes. In this piece we are going to consider the various causes of psychological stress on elite footballers. In this context we can look for a definition of stress in a particularly informative article by Crampton et al. (1995) . She reviews the various definitions of stress. â€Å"Hans Selye (1956), a pioneer in stress research, has defined stress as the non-specific response of the body to any demands made upon it (Kreitner Kinicki, 1992, p. 597). It is considered to be an internal state or reaction to anything we consciously or unconsciously perceive as a threat, either real or imagined (Clarke, 1988). Stress can evoke feelings of frustration, fear, conflict, pressure, hurt, anger, sadness, inadequacy, guilt, loneliness, or confusion (Cavanagh, 1988). Individuals feel stressed when they are fired or lose a loved one (negative stress) as well as when they are promoted or go on a vacation (positive stress). While many individuals believe they must avoid stress to live longer, Freese (1976) argues that it is the salt and spice of life and that to have no stress we would have to be dead.† Selve defines the basic â€Å"biological† interpretation of stress while the Kreitner definition starts to incorporate the possible psychological elements that generate the biological responses. Clarke adds to our understanding by considering the psychological responses that can be produced by various stresses and Cavanagh modifies the definition further by introducing the concept of positive and negative stress. Freese makes the very perceptive comment that stress is an integral and inevitable feature of life itself. This particular insight can be taken rather further insofar as there are some individuals who find stress hard to cope with (non-copers) and others who appear to positively thrive in stressful situations (copers) In terms of our footballers under consideration, we must accept that stress can, and does affect performance as we shall discuss (see on). Basic psychological   theory shows us that individuals who are less than optimally stressed may not make enough effort to achieve their designated goal whereas those who are overstressed may not be able to concentrate on the task in hand and perform to their maximum capacity. In either eventuality it is clear that optimal performance is impaired. Equally it follows that there is an optimal amount of stress to achieve optimum performance. In practical terms, that â€Å"optimal amount† is only really possible to quantify in retrospect, and that is why many would describe the work of the team manager, coach and trainer as an art rather than a science. Haspels (2004) looked specifically at the levels of stress in pre- and post-match footballers. Unsurprisingly, he found that the highest levels of stress were found pre-match in an International game. One of the standard measures of stress in the resting subject is the cortisol level. Unfortunately physical activity also puts up cortisol levels so one of the major predictors of stress was rendered useless in this study. Haspels also found that the players performed best when their stress levels were controlled before the game   Work by Anshel (2001) looked at the causes of acute stress on the playing field and came to the rather surprising conclusion that the major causes of stress in that particular situation was consistently found to be receiving what was perceived to be a bad call from the referee and making a major physical error (missed kick etc.) When these eventualities occurred, the athletes concerned tended to make negative cognitive appraisals followed by an avoidance coping strategy. The same study also found that approach coping was most commonly seen after positive appraisals. These observations clearly support the transactional coping model. The use of appraisals and coping strategy was directly dependent on the perceived nature of the stressful event. Stress is an inherent part of football. It may, in part, be added to by the unrealistic expectations of the coaches, managers and the fans. Every team in the league is told that â€Å"this year the cup will be ours† at the beginning of the season and all the training, playing and motivation will be directed towards winning it. The reality, of course, is that only one team will win it. Continued stress has been cited as the main reason for many of the younger players (including our study subject) for their lack of enjoyment and subsequently leaving the game. It is interesting to note that many sources cite youth as one of the causes of acute stress on the grounds that the youngster may not yet have developed the physical sports skills and coping strategies that the older, more experienced players have. We will not consider this element further as our concern in this piece is primarily the elite footballer who, by definition, has already mastered his game. In broad terms, according to Lazarus (1999), coping with stress consists of a person’s conscious attempt at managing the demands and intensity of events perceived as stressful or improving ones personal resources (e.g., positive affect, confidence, self-control) in attempting to reduce or manage ones perceived stress intensity. He also observes that one of the critical factors in an athlete’s adoption of a particular coping strategy is their cognitive appraisal of the stressful event or situation. Lazarus sums up his appreciation of the coping response as an athlete’s ability to accurately appraise the situation and the subsequent use of an appropriate coping strategy as the critical factor in explaining an athlete’s physiological and psychological adaptation to stress in sport.  Ã‚   Method Our method of investigation falls into two parts. In terms of the stresses faced by elite footballers and their coping mechanisms, we have consulted, appraised and quoted authoritative literature on the subject. In terms of the real problems faced by Mr. Vasey, we have interviewed him and the results of the interview are appended to this piece as appendix I Sources of potential stress Clearly there are a great many sources of potential stress that our hypothetical elite footballer may face. Broadly speaking they can be categorised into:- Sport related stress.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Performance anxiety  Ã‚  Ã‚   Alpha male problems in a team game  Ã‚  Ã‚   Age  Ã‚  Ã‚   Competition stress   Ã‚  Ã‚   Constant motivation  Ã‚  Ã‚   Exercise dependence   Ã‚  Ã‚   Constant levels of fitness  Ã‚  Ã‚   Injury concerns   Ã‚  Ã‚   Dietary concerns  Ã‚  Ã‚   Drug monitoring concerns  Ã‚  Ã‚   Premature retirement Financial  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Living up to a perceived lifestyle  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Transient nature of   income  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Income dependent on continued performance Publicity related  Ã‚   Media attention  Ã‚   Family intrusion  Ã‚   Privacy intrusion Direct stress-related problems  Ã‚   Drink  Ã‚   Drugs  Ã‚   Relationship problems   Ã‚   Cognitive functioning   Let us consider each one of these potential stresses in turn Sports related stresses Performance anxiety In a well written and comprehensive article, Poczwardowski and Conroy (2002) discuss the stresses and coping mechanisms of elite performers. They categorise the various coping mechanisms into 36 sub-categories on the basis of direct interviews. The standard categorisations of problem-focused, emotion-focused, appraisal-focused, and avoidance-focused etc. were amplified and extended to cover a greater rang of detected strategies. For example   greater motivational changes after failure was reported by one athlete as a stimulus to train harder so as not to fail a second time. Stress can affect different sportsmen in different ways. Some appear to thrive and perform well, others find that it is a bar to optimum performance. Those elite footballers in the first category do not need any intervention as far as their performance in the game is concerned but an interesting study by Solberg et al. (2000)   looked at the use of different relaxation techniques pre- and post performance in elite athletes. They found that athletes who practised meditation-related relaxation techniques had their blood lactate levels returning to normal quicker than their non-relaxed counterparts. Contrary to expectation however, they found no significant difference in their levels of pre-exercise anxiety. Alpha-male problems in a team game This is an anecdotally reported phenomenon which does not appear to have been investigated from a scientific perspective. The typical alpha-male personality type is over represented in the elite footballer community. Aggression, speed, firmness of decision making, independence and rapid responses are all prized attributes of the elite footballer. These are seldom attributes that are seen in the personality types that are happy playing as an integral part of a team. Football, by its very nature, is played by a team of eleven on the pitch and off the pitch, a very much larger team is involved. Prima Donna behaviour, typical of the alpha-male, cannot be easily accommodated in such circumstances. It may be tolerated as long as the player concerned is delivering the results, but it can be an enormous cause of stress when the results stop being delivered. Age Footballers get older. In terms of their professional use, they age perhaps faster than professionals in other fields. There is a very narrow   â€Å"window of opportunity† for them to be at the top of their chosen field. To play at elite level for more than a decade is considered to be quite unusual. Part of the reason for this is the natural ageing process which is present in every other individual, but also there is the ever-present problem of both career threatening injury and also the huge wear and tear on the joints (see on) which can give rise to significant health impairment in later life. Turner et al. (2000)   examined this problem in some detail and their results make impressive reading. Their cohort were all professional footballers. 32% of whom reported having surgery on at least one occasion. Of those, over half had knee surgery and a quarter of those had complete joint replacements. 15% reported having hip surgery with another 9% awaiting surgery. Others in the group were having non-invasive treatments. Nearly half had physiotherapy in one form or another for injuries sustained during their career and over a quarter were having some form of analgesia or anti-inflammatory drugs for pain associated with football injuries. Osteoarthritis (OA) was diagnosed in at least one site in nearly half of the respondents and the vast majority of those were hips and knees. Significantly nearly 10% were registered as disabled due to OA and, very significantly, 72% of all respondents agreed with the statement   I am concerned with how OA may affect my body in the future, clearly a major source of potential stress.(Barlow et al. 2000) Although joint problems were, predictably, seen as the most common pathology, other morbidity was found. Neuropsychological problems were not uncommon, presumably related to episodes of concussion or repeated trauma such as heading the football. 10 of the group reported problems such as memory complaints, dizziness and headaches. Sport related problems included early retirement, enforced reduction in working hours or even a change to a sedentary occupation. Not only can all of this be viewed as a major source of stress to those who are suffering because of it, but also it must be stressful for the still-active player who may know what may be in store for him. Competition stress This is an area that has been extensively studied. Competition stress can be an enhancer for some players but equally it can be an inhibitor for others. There is a distinction to be made between the trait of anxiety and the state of anxiety which is quite significant and, to a large extent, is a reflection of the ability of the individual to cope with and handle the stress levels. Sanderson and Reilly (1983)   did the classic study in this field. Their target group were elite athletes. They found that the group of athletes who had the anxiety trait correlated highly with those who had high pre-race anxiety states and this correlated highly with the actual race performance. Very significantly, the greatest reduction in post-race anxiety levels was seen in those runners who performed well in their races. Constant motivation In order to maintain elite footballer status a player must find a source of constant motivation. Initially, in his adolescent training days, the motivation may be personal glory and the goal orientated drive that comes with wishing to achieve professional status. Having achieved that goal however, the player must then find other motivational drives to maintain his progress. For some, it drive comes from considerations of status and wealth, for others it could be the need for adulation and fame, others may have personal goals of achieving the pinnacle of their chosen profession, these are the achievement-junkies that are seen in any professional walk of life. Whatever the motivation, success invariable comes at a cost. Decisions, and therefore usually sacrifices, have to be made along the route of attainment and achievement. In this piece we are considering specifically the elite footballer who, by definition, has managed to achieve the peak of his career. We should perhaps also consider the   other athletes who by virtue of circumstance, situation, lack of motivation or perhaps even random differences in pre-natal myelination patterns, do not actually achieve the top of their profession. We shall discuss one such case in the case-study at the end of this piece. For every elite footballer, there are many who do not make the top echelon of players. There are arguably even more stress factors in this group who what to achieve but for one reason or another, cannot. As far as motivation is concerned, this is a major concern of every coach and manager in the country for reasons that we have set out above. Most premier teams will have psychologists who are motivational   specialists. Motivational theory is evolving at a rapid rate and reversal theory is the current â€Å"idea of the moment†. A particularly good book on the subject is edited by Apter (2001) . It deals with not only the current thinking on the subject but also the actual evolution of the reversal theory from its conception in the 70’s through to the applications of the present day. Significantly it also deals with the specific subject of stress engendered by the motivational process. It is a highly technical book and therefore we do not propose to enter into detail about its contents, but it highlights the psychological issues of burn-out, apathy and depression that are commonly seen in constantly ( and inappropriately) motivated players. In the context of elite footballers, there is a fascinating and short article by McNair (1996)   which looked at the effect of verbal encouragement on maximal effort output.   The game of football is anecdotally renowned for the aggressive verbal abuse beloved by many trainers, coaches and managers. One may argue that it is only a manifestation of their own frustrations and stresses that causes them to behave in this way and it is certainly a cause of stress to the players (clearly it is intended to be). McNair’s paper produces a cast-iron rationale for this â€Å"encouragement† as he found, by means of a very simply designed study, that verbal encouragement does increase the maximal output of skeletal muscle. Interestingly, while measuring the actual power output, he also measured the EMG tracings of the afferent nerves supplying the relevant muscles and found that verbal encouragement did not change the EMG readings, so the actual cause of the improvement was not ascertained but it was nonetheless real. Constant levels of fitness Constant levels of fitness are clearly a pre-requisite for an elite footballer. There may well be periods of injury where the fitness levels fall, but they must be quickly re-established in order to achieve optimum performance levels. Fitness, in general terms equates with earning power and job security for a elite footballer, so the overriding goal must be to achieve peak fitness at all times. This, in certain circumstances, can become an obsession (See on – exercise dependence) Exercise dependence Many studies have shown the exercise can give rise to demonstrable health benefits – both chronic and acute. There are some people for whom exercise actually becomes an obsession (Hurst et al. 2000). This is a real disease entity resulting in behaviour patterns that compel an individual to exercise despite the presence of obstacles. It also can produce both psychological and physical symptoms of withdrawal, if exercise cannot be taken (Pierce, 1994) ( Veale, 1995) (Thaxton 1982). These patterns are commoner in women and often associated with eating disorders but they are also seen in male athletes. Bamber et al. (2000)   has authored a paper which   produced a qualitative analysis of the whole issue. She found that elements of an eating disorder were always present to a greater or lesser degree, but that this was hard to quantify as many athletes will pursue closely monitored dietary regimes in any event. This syndrome is commonest in women, but does occur in men, particularly   it seems in those who have low self-esteem or a poor self-image. It may be thought that such traits are unusual in the context of elite footballers but perceived body image does not always reflect the true physique. Any experienced healthcare professional will tell you about the anorexic or muscle dysmorphic who perceives something quite different when they look in the mirror. It is commonly believed that such conditions are a result of compensation syndromes. People may have a need to try to excel in one area if they feel that they are in some way failing in another.(Bamber 2003) Injury concerns Injury is the footballer’s constant fear. Football is a fast and occasionally violent game with frequent body contact being an intrinsic part of the game plan. Injury can vary from trivial to catastrophic or even life-threatening. Most injuries will have an impact on the elite footballer either at the time of the injury or, as we have seen above, at a later stage in his life. We have referred earlier to the comparatively short earning window of the elite footballer and clearly there will be considerable stresses involved if that window is cut short for any reason. Because of the huge investment that the average elite footballer represents to any club, a huge amount of energy and resources are employed to get an injured player back onto the field of play. It has to be said that the vast majority of professional clubs act responsibly in allowing injuries to heal properly before returning the player to training, but there will be the inevitable pressure on the less-than-scrupulous coach to get the player back on the field before full recovery has taken place. This has costs to the player in terms of impaired performance and also in terms of long term problems arising from an incompletely healed injury. Ekstrand et al. (2004)   looked at the problem as a result of the 2002 World Cup. They cite one of the major reasons for injury as being the frequency of the matches in a packed calendar for the top players. Injuries which would normally be regarded as comparatively minor did not get the usual chance to heal completely before the next game was due to be played. This resulted in a rising accumulative total of injuries above what might otherwise be expected over a comparatively short period. The study found that, over the ten months of the World Cup games the average player played 36 matches. The top players form each team played, on average, 46 matches over the same period. The survey showed that the players who played in the World Cup matches sustained 29% more injuries than players from the same teams who did not play. 32% underperformed when compared to their normal standard. These players had played statistically more matches than those who were felt to have played better than expected. One major finding was that 60% of the players who had played more than one match in the week before a World Cup match were either injured or underperformed during the World Cup game. The clear inference from this study is that tiredness and physical burnout affects performance in elite footballers. At the highest levels, players, clubs and coaches should be aware that this is a real phenomenon. And, at the very least, is a considerable cause of stress to the players. Orchard and Seward (2002)   Took this concept a stage further and looked at the injuries sustained by the entire Australian Football League over seasons from 1997-2000. Their findings are a major source of concern to the elite footballer world. In a season each team of 40 players would expect to receive 39 separate injuries. Clearly some players would be injured more than once (The major predisposing factor for injury is a pre-existing injury). The injury prevalence of players missing through injury in a week was 16% with a recurrence rate of 17%. They found that the commonest injury was to the hamstrings, followed by ACL strains and then groin injuries. For an elite footballer who depends upon his ability to play for his income, these figures represent a great cause of potential stress. Before leaving this area, we should consider one other area of injury which we touched upon earlier, and that is the sequelae of concussion. Bloom et al (2004) looked at this particular problem in great detail with particular reference to the psychological changes that were observed to occur after the injury. After suffering a concussive injury, the elite footballer was found to suffer from a greater incidence of symptoms of isolation, pain,anxiety, and disruption of daily life as a result of the injury. The investigators found that a source of added stress was, unexpectedly, from other team members who appeared to be giving support but were subliminally putting pressure on the injured athlete to return to play. The investigators found a worrying number of unexpected psychological symptoms including anger, denial, depression, distress, bargaining, and shock. Clearly this needs to be both recognised and addressed if the impact of the injury is not to be a further source of stress to the injured footballer Dietary concerns The elite footballer must always be at peak fitness and as a result his diet must always be under scrutiny. Fitness generally needs a BMI in the region of 20-23. Significant weight gains beyond this range not only reduce performance levels but also increase the wear and tear on the joints. We have already discussed the extent to which the knee joint is stressed during football training and playing. Adding weight to this joint is clearly only going to add to the degenerative changes that occur. An elite footballer needs to be able to accelerate his body mass rapidly in a given direction. It follows that the greater the body weight, the greater effort is needed. He will know this both at a cerebral level and also at an instinctive level. He will know that if his weight goes up significantly then it becomes harder for him to run as fast and to turn as efficiently. The average elite footballer is therefore very careful with regard to his diet. The average man in the population can afford to go out for an occasional extravagant meal or the odd evening or two at the pub without worrying too much about the consequences. The consequences for the elite footballer are that, in doing such things he would have to reduce his calorie intake over the next few days in order to maintain the status quo. This again can become a major source of stress for many. As the years go by, the average male tends to become slower and to put on weight as a natural process. This insidious reduction in the body’s efficiency is obviously a concern to a footballer who will often try to combat this trend with ever more aggressive training programmes and dietary regimes – again another source of stress. Drug monitoring concerns A number of elite footballers have hit the headlines lately as a result of random drug tests, either through failing or missing them. Doping and drug-enhanced training is a fact of professional football life in the current climate. It follows that the regulatory powers have to be ruthless in their quest for a drug-free sport. The fact that some players do gamble against the odds and take performance enhancing medications and drugs is a reflection of the stress and pressure that they feel under to constantly perform. It equally follows that they must feel that their performance is not good enough if they need to resort to such measures. The problems do not stop at performance enhancing drugs. Stress and other factors may tempt a player to use drugs of a different sort. Recreational drugs are common in elite footballer circles. In support of this statement we would consider the paper by Turner (2003)   In which he states that a recently retired elite footballer claimed that 80% of elite footballers in Australia had either been offered or used recreational drugs. This statement was extensively reported in the Press and other sources quoted the figure as being nearer 30%. The truth of the matter will clearly never be known but it can be contrasted with the figure from the UK which shows that over 18% of all the positive drugs screening tests done on athletes are currently for recreational drugs. This can be put in perspective against the 35% positive findings for stimulants and 25% for anabolic agents Premature retirement Retirement is a fact of life for all workers.   As we have discussed earlier, retirement from active playing – and therefore from a high earning capacity tends to come at a much earlier age for a footballer. It is therefore a major incentive to keep playing at a high level for as long as possible. Retirement through the natural ageing process is something that the elite footballer obviously has to come to terms with. It is comparatively unusual for a top rank footballer to be playing into his forties. He may have the experience to play well, but he is always judged on his results, and the fact of the matter is that there will always be younger players who will generally be faster and filled with raw enthusiasm ready to jump into any vacant slot at the top. The elite footballer therefore knows that his playing days are always numbered. We have discussed earlier the problems faced by the elite footballer in respect of the ever-present danger of injury. Clearly a career-ending injury can come at any time. It can be career-ending because of a dramatic incident such as a major fracture of a major bone or it can be a more subtle process, a bad tackle gives rise to an ankle injury which, in turn gives rise to an unstable ankle that does not allow the pivoting action necessary for efficient play. It becomes obvious that the player is not performing as well as another player in the squad and therefore he is replaced with greater frequency and then he becomes dispirited and eventually dropped from the team. The end process is just the same in either eventuality – cessation of an active playing career and the concurrent loss of high earning capacity. The result can be devastating for a man who, in order to achieve elite footballer status, may well have devoted a substantial proportion of his adolescent and adult life to improving and perfecting his football skills. He finds himself effectively out of a job at an age where most men are still looking forward to at least twenty more years of productive work. The immediate openings for him are limited to training, coaching or managing, all of which are highly competitive as they have been filled by his footballing predecessors and generally, they are not as well paid as his previous career. The stresses and psychological traumas are all too easy to see if the elite footballer has not been particularly level-headed in his approach to the profession. The unlikely body of Windsor Insurance Brokers Ltd. published a study of an investigation into the career-ending incidents of professional footballers in the UK (1997)   which makes interesting reading. They did not analyse the actual levels of stress that we are concerned about in this piece, but their findings make sobering reading to the current generation of elite footballers.   It would appear that few elite footballers actually reach retirement age without a significant injury. That injury is responsible (either directly or indirectly) for the eventual d

Metaphor, Sociobiology, and Nature vs. Nurture: The Biological Battle o

Metaphor, Sociobiology, and Nature vs. Nurture: The Biological Battle of the Century Ladies and Gentlemen! I am proud to present one of the biggest and longest-running biological battles of the century! Tonight we recap the surprising nature vs. nurture fight. The following pages will explain the highlights, but if you want to learn about this war in its entirety, you’ll find the blow-by-blow account available to the public in Connie Barlow’s collection, From Gaia to Selfish Genes, in a chapter entitled "Nature, Nurture, and Sociobiology." What began this brawl of the biologists? Was it a woman? No. Was it a war? No. It was a metaphor. And the metaphor states that society is an organism. This metaphor believes that individuals in a society work together in order to function like an organism. But this isn’t the dispute—the real fight lies within the question, How is this organism organized? In other words, do we inherently possess the knowledge to function like an organism or are we taught this skill? Here come the returning champs now! In the Blue Corner—The Returning Champs: The Anti-Sociobiologists Weighing in with a professor from Harvard, a chair of neurobiology from the Open University, and a chair of psychology from Northwestern University, the anti-sociobiologists defend the idea that genes and environment work together, much like a dance, in which the individual is taught social behavior. In an excerpt from their book, Not in Our Genes, theorists Richard Lewontin from Harvard, Steven Rose from the Open University, and Leon Kamin from Northeastern University propose, as the title suggests, that social behavior is not genetic. Rather, it is taught or influenced by an individual’s surrounding environment... ...as hard, scientific evidence, both are lacking. For example, the sociobiologists cannot prove that altruism is a gene, yet the anti-sociobiologists cannot prove otherwise. Thus, the both the sociobiologists and the anti-sociobiologists attempt to answer how an organism is organized with theory—and neither have produced a hypothesis that is agreed upon by a consensus. Yet both positions assume that the metaphor that society is an organism is a commonly accepted idea. Robert Wright reflects my skepticism perfectly when he warns, "this blurring of the line between society and organism is a delicate matter" (150). It appears that, at least for the time being, both sides are going to have to agree to disagree. Work Cited Barlow, Connie, ed. From Gaia to Selfish Genes: Selected Writings in the Life Sciences. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT University Press, 1991.

Particularly within the leisure centre environment it is important :: Business Management Studies

Particularly within the leisure centre environment it is important to identify and address those factors which improve the safety of the customers , maintain high levels of services , quality of facilities and promote a healthy safe work environment. In the various activities of modern life social domestic, work or leisure the cost of work place accidents and incidents is immense in terms of wasted costs, loss of revenue, insurance claims and premiums and a host of unquantifiable indirect costs. Its is incumbent upon all organizations to identify and evaluate the environment within which they operate regardless of whether they are in manufacturing , services transport or leisure ect .however , within each of these sectors there are specific issues to be address and actions to be taken in relation to health and safety and customer satisfaction . Particularly within the leisure centre environment it is important to identify and address those factors which improve the safety of the customers , maintain high levels of services , quality of facilities and promote a healthy safe work environment. When considering the customers of a leisure centre the factors which are likely to affect health and safety and promote a high level of customer satisfaction must be identified first. Then what must be determined is the ability to control this risk, after risks have been identified an effective prevention policy must be prepared for implementation. Within the physical confines of a leisure centre there are certain aspects of the environment that are of particular important when trying to balance the paramount need of a safe environment ,a pre set budget and the desire to maximize customer satisfaction. These factors include essential housekeeping issues such as maintenance on buildings and equipment, factors affecting by legislation including noise, light, air temperature and renewal and statutory requirements on electrical risks, chemicals storage etc and other external issues such as customer confidence in staff commitment and ability to become professional in areas such as First Aid. Initially the leisure centre management has to develop a Health and Safety policy in conjunction with the public. Usually a framework for identifying risk bearing activities, this can be done by a mixture of staff questionnaires, monitoring and through customer satisfaction surveys. The next step is to develop risk avoidance procedures which in a leisure centre may include preset policies such as manning levels in pool areas, storage of equipment/chemicals etc. Next it is important to evaluate these risks and combat them at source such as â€Å"no running in the pool area†; chemicals to be kept under restricted access, and all electrical equipment to be inspected and approved at regular

Pope John Paul Xiii Impact on Christianity Essay

Pope John XXIII played a vital role in shaping Christianity as we know it today. He contributed socially, politically and liturgically and was a major influence in the establishment of ecumenism and interfaith dialogue between other churches and religions. He advocated Christian unity, social justice, human rights and the promotion of world peace, and his openness to all people led to him obtaining the name â€Å"Good Pope John†. The early life of Pope John XXIII shaped his morality and future ideas, and his travelling made him tolerant towards other people, cultures and beliefs. He believed that â€Å"No one is excluded by love† and pursued this belief throughout is papacy, even visiting prisons in order to forgive those who had sinned, considering them all his children. He had a strong personal spirituality that was central to his character and he promoted obedience and peace in all that he did, becoming a role model for many. The will of God was central to his belief and Pope John XXIII defined himself as a man of action, not an authority figure, allowing Christians to connect and relate to him personally. Pope John XXIII promoted the openness of the Catholic church, establishing the second Vatican Council which worked to modernise the liturgy and Catholic Church organisations. He changed the language of the mass from Latin to Vernacular, allowing adherents to develop a greater understanding and a more active role in their worship. The Council increased the role of the Laity and women in church, allowing them to participate in readings and also removed altar rails and made priests face the congregation, eliminating the physical barrier between the priest and the congregation. His hospitality to Communists was highly controversial amongst the Catholic church, and showed how he believed strongly in developing ties in order to discuss human rights and encourage peace. During his Papacy, Pope John XXIII published several encyclicals promoting world peace(Pacem in Terris) and increasing the consciousness of one’s dignity and rights of workers, women and newly independent nations (Mater et Magisterum). Pacem in Terris was addressed to the whole world and received warmly by Christians and non-Christians alike. It altered thinking about the Cold War and initiated the resurgence of Catholic social teaching. John Pope XXII’s main contribution to Christianity was for human kind rather than Catholics. He affirmed human rights as the basis of peace. He explicitly praised the Declaration of Human Rights which had been issued by the UN in 1948 and has helped to recapture the Christian sense of family. By initiating the Vatican II Council, John Pope XXIII contributed to sweeping changes and widespread reforms with the Catholic church which set in motion forces that were to affect Catholics, Christians and non-Christians alike. His emphasis on world peace and creating a dialogue between Christian variants and other religions impacted Christianity’s development and expression, and created unity. He was respected and loved by many and after his death Pope John XXIII was honoured by many Protestants organisations as Christian reformer. â€Å"To the entire world Pope John has given what neither diplomacy nor science could give: a sense of unity to the human family. † – Time Magazine, article on Pope John XXIII – Man of the Year.

Factors of a reaction lab Essay

Hypothesis According to the collision theory, the rate of a reaction depends on the frequency of collisions between reacting particles. The more frequent the collisions, the faster the rate of the reaction. However, in order for the collisions to be effective, the particles must collide with sufficient energy (activation energy). Furthermore, the particles must collide with the proper orientation. The aim of this lab is to increase how often collisions occur. Theoretically, we should be able to achieve this by increasing the HCl concentration. However, we will instead decrease the HCl concentration just because it’s easier by diluting it with water. We thus predict that by decreasing the HCl concentration, it should take longer for the reaction to produce the predetermined amounts of hydrogen gas that we are observing. Variables Independent- the concentration of HCl Dependent- the rate of the reaction Controlled- Size of test tube Syringe type Timer Mass of Zn Volume of HCl Size of the stopper Controlling Variables size of test tube- we used the same test tube for most of the trials syringe type- we used the same syringe for all the trials timer- we used the same timer for all the trials mass of zn- we kept the mass of zn constant 1.00g size of the stopper- we used the same stopper Procedure 1. Grab a test tube rack, a test tube, a stopper that fits snuggly into the test tube and a syringe. 2. Place the test tube into the test tube rack and attach the syringe to the test tube. 3. Using an electric balance, obtain a sample of powdered Zn that weighs 1.00 g exactly. 4. Pour the 1.00g sample of powdered Zn into the test tube. 5. Grab two beakers. Fill one with HCl and the other with non-distilled water. BE SURE TO LABEL THE BEAKERS APPROPRIATELY! 6. Using a 10ml graduated cylinder and pipette, measure out 10 ml of HCl. 7. Pour the HCl into the test tube, quickly cork the test tube with the stopper, and pull slightly on the syringe’s end to make sure the hydrogen gas will flow through. 8. Record the how long it takes for the marker on the syringe to reach, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 cm3. 9. Repeat with HCl concentrations of 0.8 mol dm-3 and 06 mol dm-3. 10. Repeat steps 3-9 a second time in order to obtain a second trial. Data Collection and Processing Raw Data Table Hydrochloric acid, 1.0 mol dm-3 Time taken for corresponding volume of hydrogen gas to be produced/s Volume of hydrogen gas produced/cm3 Observations – Zn clumps together at bottom of test tube – Bubbles are produced – No longer powder – Nothing happens for a while and then all of a sudden there’s like this outward burst of energy which results in small intervals btw the given volumes produced Data Processing Overview I will first determine the average time it took for the different HCl concentration to react and produce the given volumes of hydrogen gas. Next I will calculate the standard deviation for each set of trials to determine the accuracy of the average. Finally, I will graph the average times using a scatter. Sample Calculation Average of different trials for time taken for 1cm3 of hydrogen gas to be produced with 1.0 mol dm-3 of HCl: (118 + 123)/2 = 120.5s Hydrochloric acid, 1 mol dm-3 Volume of hydrogen gas produced/cm3 Average time taken for corresponding volume of hydrogen gas to be produced/s 1 120.5 2 152.0 3 190.5 4 227.0 5 274.0 Hydrochloric acid, 0.8 mol dm-3 Volume of hydrogen gas produced/cm3 Average time taken for corresponding volume of hydrogen gas to be produced/s 1 137.0 2 226.0 3 330.0 4 439.5 5 552.5 Hydrochloric acid, 0.6 mol dm-3 Volume of hydrogen gas produced/cm3 Average time taken for corresponding volume of hydrogen gas to be produced/s 1 202.0 2 209.0 3 242.0 4 309.5 5 382.5 Standard deviations of the averages were determined by using the following formula in a Microsoft Excel program: Standard Deviation for different HCl acid concentrations HCl acid concentration/mol dm-3 Standard Deviation Average time vs. Volume of hydrogen gas produced Conclusion and Evaluation Conclusion: – Hydrochloric acid, 1 mol dm-3 concentration, the highest concentration used in this experiment produced the given volumes of hydrogen gas the fastest out of all three HCl concentrations. – Hydrochloric acid of 0.8 mol dm-3 concentration did produce 1 cm3 of hydrogen gas faster than hydrochloric acid of 0.6 mol dm-3 as predicted. – Hydrochloric acid of 0.6 mol dm-3 concentration produced hydrogen gas faster than hydrogen gas of 0.8 mol dm-3. – Limitations Suggestions for Improvement Some of the Zn powder got stuck to the side of the test tube as we poured it into the test tube. Maybe use a straw or something like that to make sure the Zn gets to the bottom of the test tube. And like blow into the straw (softly!) to ensure that none of the Zn gets stuck to the inside of the straw. We didn’t use the same syringe for all the trials because we were trying to get all the trials in on the same day. Use the same syringe for all trials. We didn’t get all the trials in on the same day. I think it took us three classes. As a result, each day we were working in different room temperatures. Organize ourselves better so that we get all the trials in on the same day. We couldn’t dry the test tube correctly. Each time we dried it there was still water at the bottom of the tube. Maybe like attach a paper towel to a stirrer and swap it around inside the test tube to dry it out. Zn is impure. As a result, the HCl acid could be reacting as well with whatever impurities present are thus slowing down the reaction, perhaps.

Globalization Argumentative Paper Essay

Is globalization good or bad in the business world today? There are good and bad sides to everything now days. It’s just weighing your options out to see what fits better. In the next couple of paragraphs we will go over what is good and what could be bad in globalization in the business world. Globalization Good The good side to globalization is all about the efficiencies and opportunities open markets create. Local producers can sell their products worldwide. This creates more business for them. Globalization has made the flow of money around the world easier. Creating more jobs around the world. (1 Premise) Globalization is great to the markets around the world. They have been able to expand their businesses. Globalization Bad The bad side to globalization is new uncertainty and risks that have risen. It has made the competition between markets intensify. (2 Premise) Companies that we enjoying this globalization are now facing unpredictable demand and business opportunities. With there being so much competition and being under constant pressure of new competitors, leaves the current companies with little to no pricing power. Another bad side of globalization is declining money flows across local and national boundaries. Conclusion Is globalization good or bad? There are many advantages and several disadvantages to globalization. But it is each individual’s personal opinion. (1 Conclusion) Globalization is good and can continue to be good for the world. Everyone is going to look at this issue in a different way. Although globalization is good in many individuals eyes, it is still bad in many others eyes. (2 Conclusion) There are many risks that come with  globalization, and so many uncertainties. This is why this will be an ongoing debate to whether globalization is benefitting us locally and nationally, or if it’s hurting the entire world. References 1. www.forbes.the-good-the-bad-the-ugly.com 2. www,geography.about.com > globalization

The Glass Ceiling

This paper addresses two articles, Women and the Labyrinth of Leadership written by Alice H. Eagly and Linda L. Carli, and A Modest Manifesto for Shattering The Glass Ceiling, written by Debra E. Meyerson and Joyce K. Fletcher. The phrase glass ceiling is described in many articles as a barrier that prevents women from achieving success in their careers. Women are found at the top of middle management and are being denied of higher positions in the corporate ladder and are getting paid less than men for similar type of work. Both articles address the question whether is the glass ceiling the reason why women are not getting advancement in their careers or it is the sum of many obstacles that hold women back into the high level jobs. According to the authors of both articles, the answer to this question is that it is not the glass ceiling the barrier for women’s advancement. To understand and overcome these barriers, the authors of the articles have used terms such as labyrinth and small wins strategy. According to Meyerson and Fletcher, it is not the glass ceiling but the organizational structures and its hidden barriers to equity and effectiveness what are holding back women. This paper will explore the author’s recommendations for overcoming these barriers and for helping women prevail by changing workplace’s practices in organizations. Overview The two articles chosen to write this abstract have been selected from the Harvard Business Review. In the first article, Women and the Labyrinth of Leadership, the word labyrinth is described as a contemporary symbol that â€Å"conveys the idea of a complex journey toward a goal worth striving for† (Walls all around section, para. 1). If women are able to understand the barriers in this labyrinth, they will be able to overcome many obstacles they encounter. Throughout awareness and persistency during the process, women will have a much better chance to obtain their desirable goals in their careers. In the article A Modest Manifesto for Shattering The Glass Ceiling, the authors mentioned that is very rare to find women holding high evel positions in organizations. Women represent only 10% of senior manager positions in Fortune 500 companies. According to Meyerson and Fletcher, the best way to destroy this glass ceiling is throughout the use of the small wins approach. Main Issues In the article Women and the Labyrinth of Leadership, the term labyrinth is described as what wo men have to go through in the workplace to be able to occupy high level roles. Woman who desire top positions, will encounter barriers during the journey, and some of them will be able to find solutions to those obstacles to improve the situation. Some of the obstacles or barriers named in the article are (a) prejudice; (b) resistance to women’s leadership; (c) leadership style;(d) demands of family life; (e) underinvestment in social capital. Prejudice The beginning of the labyrinth starts here with prejudices that hurt women and help men. Women in this country, with full time positions, earn 81 cents for every dollar than men earned (Vestiges of prejudice section, para. 1). Research has been done by many professionals seeking an answer to explain the difference in pay between genders. One of the most comprehensive studies, from the Government Accountability office, showed that men worked more hours per year and also had more years of experience (Vestiges of prejudice, para. 3). Even though variables such as marriage, parenthood and years of education were adjusted for both genders, the study showed a gender gap that lead to wage discrimination (Vestiges of Prejudice section, para. 4). According to Eagly and Carli, men are promoted more quickly than women with equivalent qualifications even in female settings such as social work and education (para. 5). The authors add that â€Å"White men were more likely to attain managerial positions than white women, black men, and black women† (Vestiges of prejudice section, para. 5). Resistance to Women’s Leadership The author describes women as having communal associations and men with agentic ones. Women are compassionate, affectionate, friendly and sympathetic among other communal qualities. On the other hand, men are described with agentic qualities such as aggressive, ambitious, controlling, etc, which are associated with effective leadership (Resistance to women’s leadership section, para. 3). Eagly and Carli consider that women are at a tough place, which she describes as the â€Å"double bind†, because people perceive women as lacking the right traits to be effective leaders (Resistance to women leadership section, para. 4). Women who are described by the peers as effective managers possess the following traits: insincere, avaricious, and pushy amongst others ((Resistance to women’s leadership section, para. 11). Leadership Style Women are struggling with people’s perceptions about by being compassionate and caring. Qualities such as assertive and controlling are perceived by people on great leaders. According to Meyerson and Fletcher, women are considered as transformational leaders. They encourage employees, and mentor them to achieve desired goals. It is described as the type of leadership that leads to a more innovating, productive and efficient for organizations (Issues of leadership style section, para. 6). Transactional leaders are described as leaders that reward employees for meeting their goals. Men are considered to be more transactional leaders than women. According to the article, the most effective type of leadership is the transformational style. Demands of Family Life. Studies showed that women are working less hours a year than men and have fewer years of experience due to family responsibilities. Women are confronted with the challenge of balancing work and family responsibilities. Many of them end up leaving their professional careers due to work-family conflict. According to the authors, in 2005 women devoted 19 hours per week to household work, while men just helped 11 hours a week (Demands of family life section, para. 3). Meyerson and Fletcher explain that married mothers increased their hours per week from 10. 6 in 1965 to 12. in 2000, and married fathers increased theirs from 2. 6 to 6. 5 week (Demands of family life section, para. 4). Underinvestment in Social Capital Women are trying to balance their responsibilities at home and at work which leaves them little or no time to build the social capital needed to succeed in the workplace. Another obstacle encountered by women is the fact that these networking activiti es are mostly composed by men who concentrate their meetings in male activities. The C-suite is described by the author as those positions such as chairman, chief executive officer and chief operating office. These positions are held mostly by men and only 6% hold by women (para. 1). The authors mention the following organization actions to help women obtain positions in the C-suites (a) Increase people awareness of prejudices against women; (b) change hours spent at work; (c) be more objective in the evaluations; (d) use transparent recruitment within the organization; (e) place more women in executive positions; (f) help women build strong social capital; (g) give women opportunity to return back to work when circumstances change. The second article, A Modest Manifesto for Shattering The Glass Ceiling mentions the difficulties women confront in organizations to work effectively: (a) women bear more responsibility at home than men; (b) women who have a set schedule missed important company meeting set after hours; (c) missing meetings made them look less committed; (e) meetings put women in a double bind (The problem with no name section, para. 5). Meyerson and Fletcher mention three different approaches that have dealt with the solution to the symptoms of gender inequity (a) encourage women to assimilate to minimize the differences. In other words to act more like men; (b) accommodates women’s needs and situations such as extended maternity leave, flexible work arrangements, etc; (c) emphasize the differences that women bring to the workforce such as their collaborative style (Tall people in a short world, para. 5). The fourth approach mentioned by the authors, deal with sources of gender inequity. This approach consists on the belief that a change is needed in the organization due to a gender inequity problem. After recognizing the issue, this fourth approach should be linked with the small wins strategy (A fourth approach: Linking equity and effectiveness, para. 2). The article mentions the reason why the small wins process is so effective for organizations (a) tied to the fourth approach help organizations to understand erroneous practices and assumptions; (b) make a difference in the big picture in the road to change; (c) create sense that a small change is a huge and systematic change and have great impact throughout the organization; (d) have a snowballing effect. By adding small wins, one by one, it will create a whole new system of revised practices and efforts; (e) defeat discrimination by accepting that change is needed and that it will help the organization’s effectiveness. Factual Impact of the Main Issues in Organizations Labyrinths can be thought of as a symbolic form of pilgrimage. As paths, women walk among its turnings confronting difficult situations that need to be managed along the way. What it is important for women it is to know that the passage for the labyrinth is not simple journey. It requires for women to be aware on their progress and also to be persistent to navigate it. Organizations need to be proactive about taking measures to understand the labyrinth that leader women confront in the workplace. Building unique leadership traits with a supportive work environment will help them to overcome the barriers to obtain the desire goals. To be more effective, organizations need to support women by becoming advocates for female to advance as managers finding endless opportunities for promotion. Organizations need to understand that women had slowed their careers and earnings for taking the majority of family responsibilities. Thus, the implication for organizations is that women are choosing to work part time, work from home or take many days off from work. Another implication for organizations, it is the need to address the challenge for women to be perceived as capable leaders. The article describes this challenge as the double bind term where women at the workplace have to please both expectations in organizations, one as leaders and one as females. Meyerson and Fletcher explain that â€Å"Most organizations have been created by men and for men and are based on male experiences† (The roots of inequity section, para. 1). Women have been entered in the workplace confronting the fact that organizations still embrace traits associated with men such as though, aggressive, assertive, etc. Organizations must develop a culture of fairness by creating practices that benefit both men and women where the division of labor by gender does not exist and where women feel that they add an enormous value and feel as competent as men. Also, organizations should foster a work environment that values working parents. It is crucial to create structures and policies where work and family complement each other and where women have the opportunity to fulfill their careers without felling guilty of abandoning their families. In the second article the authors described how important is to shatter the glass ceiling using the small wins strategy. Since this strategy initiates change using diagnosis, dialogue, and experimentation, it promotes efficiency and efficiency within the organizations. The authors add, â€Å"The strategy benefits not just women but also men and the organization as a whole† (para. 4). The organization during this strategy go through the follow steps (a) the diagnosis of the problem in which managers dialogue to find out what is happening within the organization culture; (b) experimentation where correctives practices are replaced to obtain real wins. Text Comparison According to Greenhaus et al (2010), the glass ceiling is â€Å"an invisible but impenetrable barrier that prevents qualified women and people of color from advancing to senior management jobs† (p. 321). The text agrees with the authors of the two articles, about the fact that even though the number of women in managerial positions had risen dramatically, women are experiencing difficulties in getting jobs above lower and middle managerial positions. For the authors of the article, Women and The Labyrinth of Leadership, the glass ceiling is a barrier which limitations are fading. Women are facing are not only barriers, but what they describe as a labyrinth. It has obstacles and turns. For the authors of A Modest Manifesto for Shattering The Glass Ceiling, the glass ceiling is not the reason why women are holding back. The main reason, they affirm, are the organizations in which women work. The authors state that it is â€Å"the foundation, the beams, the walls, the very air† (The power of small wins section, para. 7). Greenhaus et al (2010) identified factors that organizations can seek to support women advance in their careers such as (a) giving more authority; (b) inclusion to formal networks; (c) establishment of mentor relationships; (d) mutual accommodation; (e) elimination of access and treatment discrimination; (f) minimal intergroup conflicts; and (f) responsiveness to work-Family issues (p. 33). Eagly and Carli mention some these actions such as (a) establishing mentoring programs; (b) using job performance assessments that are not biased against minority employees; (c) using open recruiting tools; (d) implement family-friendly policies for both male and female employees; (e) emphasize the visibility of women in high-level leadership positions. Debra Meyerson and Joyce Fletcher explain the need for organizations to address the power of small wins since â€Å"they unearth and upend systemic arriers to women’s progress (The power of small wins section, para. 1). According to Greenhaus et al (2010), it is the glass ceiling that limits opportunities to minorities to develop and reach top management positions in America (p. 323). They authors add that â€Å"The small portion of women at senior management level suggest that many women do not move beyond jobs in lower and middle levels of management† (p. 323). For the text authors the glass ceiling, in contrast with the authors of the articles, is about managing diversity since organizations are in need to understand why women and minorities experience restricted careers opportunities. According to Greenhaus et al (2010), organizations must develop a culture where employees understand multiculturalism that is the heart of the organization’s mission that must be communicated and enforced at all levels (p. 349).ReferencesEagly, A. H., Carli, L.L. (2007). Harvard business review. Women and the labyrinth of leadership. Retrieved from http://hbr.org/2007/09/women-and-the-labyrinth-of-leadership/ar/2 Greenhaus, J. H., Callanan, G.A., Godshalk, V.M. (2010). Career management. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE publications Inc. Meyerson, D. E., Fletcher, J.K. (2000). Harvard business review. A Modest manifesto for shattering the glass ceiling. Retrieved from http://hbr.org/2000/01/a-modest-manifesto-for-shattering-the-glass-ceiling/ar/1

Born free generation

?It is not for nothing that the born free youth in 2013 has been named the â€Å"me generation†. Today’s people growing up are materialistic, self indulged and obsessed with themselves. This essay will explore that 19 years after the first the first democratic elections in South Africa, the young people of today are little different from their counterparts else where in the world. My argument will show that this is somewhat ironic because politically inspired school pupils were the catalysts for one of the most important resistances against the apartheid government. In 1976 the National Party attempted to modify the education act and insist that Afrikaans be the medium of instruction for Bantu education. On the 16th of June politicised and angry young teenagers poured into the streets of Soweto equipped with suitcases and stones. They confronted heavily armed policemen and the might of the South African military with the determination to express their outrage at yet another political injustice. Hector Peterson lost his life on this day and his limp body became emblematic of a politicised youth determined to make South Africa a democratic country. When President’s Kennedy, Nixon and Johnson involved the United States of America in a war across the globe, to minimise the influence of communism, young people in America took to the streets and protested vigorously across the land. Indeed, this event characterised popular culture to such an extent that protest music became a genre popular worldwide. Singers such as Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and Peter, Paul and Mary voiced the objections of the â€Å"Love Generation†. Music in fact became the medium for political resistance in South Africa as well; Johnny Klegg became the â€Å"white Zulu† and his anthropologist wrote resistance songs, which young people in South Africa promoted with much vigour and enthusiasm. Stephanie Powers too became a voice of political decent and her raspy voice with songs like â€Å"Last night when we were young† energised disco techs in which young South African’s danced the night away. However, 19 years after the demise of Apartheid, young South Africans are no longer interested in political and social protest music, in fact the pop genre has never enjoyed such wide spirit support in this country. Justin Bieber’s concert in Cape Town and Gauteng enjoyed unprecedented popularity and support. The columnist for the Sunday times exclaimed on the 14th of may that the hysterical behaviour of so many young girls was reason for great concern in fact anyone attending this concert could not have failed to be struck by one of the great ironies of one of the great â€Å"Musical bonanza† in Soweto, a bowl of poverty and deprivation. In fact, a sensitive appreciation of these ironies can be little other then down right embarrassing. However, if this were limited to one outing only, young people’s self indulgence and narcissism might be forgiven however, Johannesburg Stadium has been the host to Lady Gaga, The Red Hot Chilli Pepper and U2, in each case promoters smile at ticket sales and the amount of money made from each outing. Furthermore, it would be a little naive to believe that this is a characteristic only displayed by the youth of South Africa. Young people worldwide it would appear are pleasure seeking and selfish and are all too willing to emulate and worship celebrity culture. Charlotte Metcalfe in her article, â€Å"Where are all the role models, the real heroines we once revered† satirises adolescent hero worship of figures such as Cheryl Cole

The influence of the 2008 Olympics to China's sports tourism industry Essay

The influence of the 2008 Olympics to China's sports tourism industry - Essay Example sports facilities, an Olympic Park was built by the country with collaboration of foreign architects that will keep on contributing to local public for coming years. In addition, in order to host the sporting events in an efficient manner, more than thirty stadiums were constructed in Beijing alone, along with tens of Olympic venues in other Chinese cities. Beijing was reborn in a cultural and historical manner, as more than twenty historical sites of Beijing city were renovated. Another major sector that benefited from 2008 Beijing Olympic Games is tourism industry of China that influenced rapidly from this international multi-sport event. According to some statistics, more than 650,000 tourists visited the country from different countries before, during, as well as, after the Olympic Games until the year 2008. It is observed that this mega sporting-event has been able to transform the Beijing city into a high-tech and environmental-friendly city, and allowed China to prove itself a s one of the global powers of the globe. Since antiquity, sport has always been a significant and thrilling event that has played a vital role in the creation and development of sporting industry around the globe. History of Olympics goes back to 776 BC when ancient Greeks used to organize different athletic competitions in various cities of Ancient Greece. In present era, both summer and winter games are now organized under the banner of an international sport event that is referred as the Olympic Games. It is observed that Olympic is not only responsible for the development of sporting industry; however, it plays a pivotal role in the development and advancement of different sectors of the hosting countries. In order to understand the influence of Olympics on its hosting country, this paper will focus on the 2008 Olympic that was held in Beijing, China from August 08, 2008 to August 24, 2008. Its different effects will be discussed and analyzed with relation to the study of

Intercultural Communication optional Paper Essay

Intercultural Communication optional Paper - Essay Example Among theories of self and society is the high context vs. low context societal communication. Characteristics of communicative environment include cultural, socio-relational, physical, and perceptional environments. In this aspect cultural contexts entails features such as individualism and collectivism while physical aspect entails the geographical situation of interactions such s school, staffroom or at a dinner table. The extent to which communications and interaction depends on these features vary according to culture. In this aspect, a high context communication refers to the one that a lot of information either is in the physical or is within a self. Very little message in this perspective is coded. A low context communication on the other hand is the one that is explicitly coded. A cultural continuum helps in conceptualization of low-high context communication in which case there is no culture that appears exclusively to the extreme ends of the continuum. High cultures tends to have restricted communication code system such that users of a restricted code system rely most on the elements that pertains to context of communication setting for information as compared to the actual language code (Richard, 24). In high context cultures, since the parties understand each other, the words mostly do not necessarily convey meaning. People communicating in high context culture recognize that information from various elements of high context culture already exists and must not be codified further. Hence high context communication is fast, efficient, proficient and gratifies. In the low context culture, the verbal code is the primary source (Ian, 2). Thus people rely largely on the verbal code method to create an interpret meaning. The concept of face, the interactional self- image that a person displays which closely relates to the discursive images. Face refers to one’s image in a relational