The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain - 2486 Words

Mark Twain, legendary American satirist, wrote many bestsellers highly acclaimed throughout the world. The literary establishment recognized him as one of the most influential writers in America since the publication of his masterpiece, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. At first glance, the novel appears quite innocently filled with wild escapades centered on two protagonists who embark on a journey together down the Mississippi River: Huckleberry Finn, an unruly young boy who breaks free from the confinement of his alcoholic father, and Jim, a black fugitive slave. Throughout their expedition, Huck and Jim encounter a variety of people and situations that were distinctively designed by the author to scoff at the society that existed during Twain s era. A closer examination of this novel reveals that a plethora of the comments are a great paradigm that Twain uses to mock different aspects of society and depict valid flaws of human nature in an effort to parallel the real world for readers. To grasp the author s cynicism in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, one must understand what satire is. Satire can be defined as a literary work in which a human voice or folly is attacked through irony, derision, or wit. Focusing on religion hypocrisy, racial inferiority, and romanticism, Mark Twain uses his enthusiastic style of writing and satirizes these three traits throughout the novel. Religious hypocrisy and its representation in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn constituteShow MoreRelatedThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain830 Words   |  3 PagesThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is â€Å"A Great American Novel†, because of its complexity and richness. Twain writes dialogue that brings his characters to life. He creates characters with unique voice and helps the reader connect to the book. Anyone who reads it is forced to develop feelings for each character. Even though there is a great amount of controversy over the use of some choices, such as the â€Å"n word†, it makes the book more realistic. In the beginning of the novel Huck,Read MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain1103 Words   |  5 PagesDmitri Van Duine Jr English Mr. Nelson November 27th The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Written by Mark Twain filled his stories with many examples of satire as to convey a message while also writing an interesting story. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn revolves around the adventures of a young boy called Huckleberry Finn, who is about thirteen years old. Tom Sawyer is Huck’s best friend and around the same age as Huck. He is onlyRead MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain Essay1055 Words   |  5 PagesZambrano Mrs. Patmor AP Lit-Period 5 28 September 2016 Adventures of Huckleberry Finn 1835 Mark Twain embodies realism in almost every aspect of his writing not excluding The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which in he portrays such a lifelike setting that it almost gives you this sense of reality through the point of view of a young man that has an urge for freedom yet struggles to conform to society s norms due to his adolescence. Twain s ability to unmask the true identities of the charactersRead MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain931 Words   |  4 PagesWolski Mrs. Goska English 2H Period 3 22 October 2014 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mob mentality is the way an individual’s decisions become influenced by the often unprincipled actions of a crowd. Mark Twain penned The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Twain grew up in America’s southern states during the early 1800’s, a time in which moral confusion erupted within the minds of humans. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn s protagonist is a young boy named Huck who freely travels alongRead MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain1375 Words   |  6 Pagesmention the years spent growing and maturing physically. Teenagers are stuck in an inbetween state where they must learn who they want to become and what they want to be when they grow older. The same is true for Huckleberry Finn, from the book â€Å"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn† by Mark Twain. This is a book that was written in a time of great confusion over moral codes and standards. It was a world split in half by two different worlds of people; those who opposed, a nd those who promoted slavery.Read MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain2083 Words   |  9 PagesSatire in Huckleberry Finn In the novel â€Å"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn† by Mark Twain, we are told a story about a young boy and his slave companion’s journey down the Mississippi River and all of their encounters with other characters. Twain constructed a beautiful narrative on how young Huck Finn, the protagonist in the story, learns about the world and from other adult characters, how he is shaped into his own person. At the time this book was made however, this novel provided serious socialRead MoreMark Twain and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn1575 Words   |  6 Pages Mark Twain and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Controversy Mark Twain, born Samuel Langhorne Clemens, is a highly recognizable figure in American literature. Born in Florida, Missouri Mark Twain and his family moved to Hannibal, Missouri where Twain discovered and fell in love with the mighty Mississippi River. The river and his life in Hannibal became his inspiration and guiding light in most of his writing. Although Twain loved the river and did a great deal of traveling, he eventuallyRead MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain1005 Words   |  5 Pages In the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn written by Mark Twain in the 19th century is about a young boy named Huck Finn and Jim, a runaway slave who go on an adventure. The two travel on a raft along the Mississippi river creating a bond and making memories. Mark Twain presents Huckleberry Finn as a dynamic character who at first views Jim as property and eventually considers Jim as a friend, showing a change in maturity. In the beginning of the book, Huck Finn clearly sees Jim as nothing more thanRead MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain1335 Words   |  6 Pagesyear The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is placed in the top ten banned books in America. People find the novel to be oppressing and racially insensitive due to its frequent use of the n-word and the portrayal of blacks as a Sambo caricature. However, this goes against Mark Twain’s intent of bringing awareness to the racism in America. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is classified under the genre of satire and is narrated by a fictional character named Huckleberry Finn. The novelRead MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain810 Words   |  4 PagesBefore Mark Twain started to write two of his most famous novels, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark was known to use his characters to display his own thoughts and opinions. â€Å"This device allowed him to s ay just about anything he wanted, provided he could convincingly claim he was simply reporting what others had said.† (Twain, 1283). Mark Twain used this process to be a foundation of his lectures, by manipulating his popularly with his readers. During the story

Fashion in the 1920s Free Essays

Fashion in the 1920’s Elias Casas Perez Period 3 The 1920’s is when fashion entered the modern era. Women decided to abandon the restricting and plain clothing that they wore and started to wear exoctic clothing and makeup. Men also abandoned the normal attire and began to wear athletic loose clothing. We will write a custom essay sample on Fashion in the 1920s or any similar topic only for you Order Now Coco Chanel was one of the most influential women of the 1920’s, she was one of the first women to wear trousers, cut her hair, and reject the corset. Coco Chanel did much to further the emancipation and freedom of women’s fashion. For the first time in centuries, women’s legs were seen with hemlines rising to the knee and dresses becoming more fitted. A more masculine look became popular, including flattened breasts and hips, short hairstyles such as the bob cut, Eton crop and the Marcel wave. The fashion was bohemian and forthcoming for its age. In menswear there were two distinct periods in the 1920s. Throughout the decade, men wore short suit jackets, the old long jackets being used merely for formal occasions. In the early 1920s, men’s fashion was characterized by extremely high-waisted jackets, often worn with belts. Lapels on suit jackets were not very wide as they tended to be buttoned up high. This style of jacket seems to have been greatly influenced by the uniforms worn by the military during the First World War. Trousers were relatively narrow and straight and they were worn rather short so that a man’s socks often showed. Trousers also began to be worn cuffed at the bottom at this time. By 1925, wider trousers commonly known as Oxford bags came into fashion, while suit jackets returned to a normal waist and lapels became wider and were often worn peaked. Loose-fitting sleeves without a taper also began to be worn during this period. During the late 1920s, double-breasted vests, often worn with a single-breasted jacket, also became quite fashionable. During the 1920s, men had a variety of sport clothes available to them, including sweaters and short trousers, commonly known as knickers. For formal occasions in the daytime, a morning suit was usually worn. For evening wear men preferred the short tuxedo to the tail coat, which was now seen as rather old-fashioned and snobby. During the 1920s, the notion of keeping up with fashion trends and expressing oneself through material goods seized middle-class Americans as never before. Purchasing new clothes, new appliances, new automobiles, new anything indicated one’s level of prosperity. Being considered old-fashioned, out-of-date, or worse yet unable to afford stylish new products was a fate many Americans went to great lengths to avoid. How to cite Fashion in the 1920s, Papers

Sammy Hagar - Marching To Mars free essay sample

Marching to Mars, Sammy Hagars first solo release since leaving as lead singer for Van Halen, is the kind of CD that makes you want to go out and buy a dozen copies if for no other reason than to help the guy out. There are more inspiring reasons to purchase this album, though. In all, the CD is made up of eleven songs, including the title track, Marching to Mars. The collection is filled with plenty of crazy, feel-good numbers, such as On the Other Hand and The Yogis So High. These and other rocking tunes are balanced out by songs like Amnesty is Granted and Both Sides Now. Although a bit slower paced, these songs are right on the money when it comes to delivering the combination of great tune and even greater lyrics. Two songs which really seem to stand out in this package deal with the miracle and value of human life. We will write a custom essay sample on Sammy Hagar Marching To Mars or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The first, Who Has the Right? cries out against the extress violence and murder in the streets. The second is a gentler song called Kama, which is about the birth of Hagars daughter by the same name. Included on this CD is the hit single Little White Lie, which has maintained a place on the modern rock charts for weeks. If you havent heard it on the radio already, youve missed out. It begins with a blues guitar sound and winds its way around into one jammin tune. It is definitely one of the highlights of Marching Actually, there is something good to be said for every song in this package. Its rare that an album can escape the recording studio without at least one less-than-spectacular, filler number, but Hagar seems to have accomplished that feat with Marching to Mars. If this CD is any indication of his future work, there is no doubt Hagar will succeed as an exclusively solo artist

Unity and Diversity in Spiritual Care free essay sample

Spiritual needs, and psychosocial needs are much less tangible than physical needs, because they are often abstract, complex and more difficult to measure. These more intangible needs have frequently been given a much lower priority than needs which are more obvious and more easily measurable. Spiritual needs, if expressed outside of a religious framework, are very likely to go unnoticed. So if we are to identify spiritual needs and provide spiritual care, its first necessary to have some understanding of the nature of spirituality and how it may be expressed by different individuals. In Australian society, and therefore in our health care setting, we encounter a diversity of cultures, philosophies and religious traditions, as well as individuals who have no clearly defined philosophy or belief system. Therefore its important that we develop some general definitions which can help us to recognise spiritual needs when we encounter them in our clients. We will write a custom essay sample on Unity and Diversity in Spiritual Care or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In recent years, a number of definitions have emerged which are helpful both for defining spirituality, and differentiating between spiritual needs and religious or psychosocial needs. Simsen defines spirituality by saying THE SPIRIT is that part of man which is concerned with the ultimate meaning of things and with a persons relationship to that which transcends the material. (Simsen, 1985:10) Moberg says it is The totality of mans inner resources, the ultimate concerns around which all other values are focussed, the central philosophy of life which influences all individual and social behaviour. (Moberg, 1979) SPIRITUAL NEED has been variously defined as, Any factor that is necessary (requisite, indispensable) to support the spiritual strengths of a person or to diminish the spiritual deficits. (Simsen, 1985:10). The lack of any factor or factors necessary to maintain a persons dynamic relationship with God/Deity (as defined by that person). (Stallwood, 1975: 1088), and That re quirement which touches the core of ones being where the search for personal meaning takes place. (Colliton, 1981: 492). I find all these definitions helpful because together they give a comprehensive (though not exhaustive) picture of what we are aiming to do in giving spiritual care. We need to realise however that spirituality may not always be expressed within a religious framework. Therefore we need to make a distinction between spirituality and religion. One definition of RELIGION is, a framework of spiritual beliefs, a code of ethics and a philosophy that governs a persons activity in pursuit of that which he holds as supreme, his God. In the book, Nursing and Spiritual Care, McGilloway says, Religion helps people answer basic questions about life and death and the unexplained happenings in the world around them. McGilloway, 1985: 23) As these definitions demonstrate, spirituality is not limited to religious affiliation and practices, but is a much broader concept. Another difficulty in identifying spiritual need is that we can fail to make the distinction between spiritual needs and psychosocial needs, since they are not always opposites, and may in fact overlap. A model I find helpful in clarifying this, is one that describes a person in terms of three di mensions. (1) The PHYSICAL or biological dimension which relates to the world around us through our five senses. 2) The PSYCHOSOCIAL dimension which relates to self and others, and involves our emotions, moral sense, intellect and will. (3) The SPIRITUAL dimension which transcends physical and psychosocial dimensions and has the capacity to relate to a higher being. (Stallwood, 1975: 1087) These three dimensions are distinct but overlapping. They cannot be sealed in separate compartments. A crisis or illness affecting our physical body will invariably affect the other dimensions as well. SPIRITUALITY IN NURSING TODAY How does nursing today view spiritual care? For a long time, nursing literature concerning spiritual care was directed towards belief systems and religious practices. If considered at all, it was largely defined in a very narrow way as relating to frankly religious functions and intervention limited (at least officially) to calling the hospital chaplain. Regardless of that, we were often confronted with spiritual need and recognised at least the more overt expressions of this. For example, statements such as God must be punishing me or questions like, Nurse, do you think there is anything after death? were recognised as indicating a spiritual concern. By the late 1960s and 1970s the nursing literature had begun to reveal a growing interest in the spiritual, as well as the psychosocial and emotional aspects of nursing care. Nursing theorists of this era saw the human person as an integrated whole with different dimensions or capabilities (as they put it) for discerning the world around and within. Their writings suggest that when they spoke of spirituality or spiritual need, they had in mind a much broader concept than just religious or denominational adherence and practice. In 1971, Joyce Travelbee declared, A nurse does not only seek to alleviate physical pain or render physical care she ministers to the whole person. The existence of suffering, whether physical, mental or spiritual is the proper concern of the nurse. 4 (Travelbee, 1971: 159). Here we see clear evidence of a return to the traditional focus of nursing, a concern for the whole person. This focus is even more evident today. The North American Diagnosis Association [NANDA] approved list of Nursing Diagnoses which is widely used in Australia, includes SPIRITUAL DISTRESS which is described as, Distress of the human spirit; disruption in the life principle that pervades a persons entire being and integrates and transcends ones biological and psychosocial nature. (Alfaro, 1990: 203) This classification, first approved in its present form in 1988, recognises that suffering extends beyond the physical, mental and emotional. Spiritual care can be a natural part of total care which fits easily into the nursing process of assessment, nursing diagnosis, planning, implementation and evaluation. Placing spiritual need and spiritual care within this framework, has proved to be very helpful, for both philosophical and practical reasons. Firstly spiritual care can become more tangible as well as more assessable. And s econdly, the types of knowledge utilised by the Nursing Process practice wisdom, ethics of practice, and scientific knowledge (Ziegler et al, 1986:14-18) are all relevant to assessing piritual needs and planning spiritual care. It can also then be documented in nursing care plans, to ensure a continuity of care. Like all other areas of care, spiritual care should be a team effort. If spiritual needs are accurately assessed and documented, all staff will be encouraged to see that care is provided. Members of the team who for any reason, dont feel comfortable about providing that care themselves, w ill be able to use referral. The result will be a united approach to spiritual care which is seen as a natural part of nursing practice.

The Power and The Glory essays

The Power and The Glory essays First, to prove to be admirable, one has to deserve praise for his or her excellence. In Graham Greenes novel, The Power and the Glory, the Whiskey Priest does not initially portray the qualities it takes to be recognized as that admirable person, but in the end he shines as a hero. In spite of the Priests continuous hiding, running, drinking, and other unethical activities, his virtues play a major role in why he engages in all the activities he does. We see evidence of the Priests despair in the beginning when we come to find out that he has a daughter, Brigitta, from a previous affair with Maria. The Whiskey Priest lives with continuous guilt throughout most of the book. Not only does the Priest hide from many people including his daughter, he also moves from place to place many times. Therell be another boat, in a fortnight, or three weeks. You are lucky, you can get out, states Mr. Tench to reassure the Whiskey Priest that he does not have to stay in Carmen (17). Running from his problems and hiding from different individuals, the Whiskey Priest moves from Carmen through various cities and then back to Carmen again. The one thing the Whiskey Priest wants to be pardoned from most, is his sinful and indecent act with Maria Give me my brandy, is a phrase spoken by the Whiskey Priest throughout the novel (17). The Whiskey Priest finds great pleasure and comfort in drinking. The Whiskey Priest turns to drinking to escape from the reality of life. The many drinks the priest consumes cause him some uneasiness with both himself and others. When you are older youll understand the difference between drinking a little brandy after dinner and well, needing it, was Captain Fellows reaction to the Priests continuous need for Brandy (38). The Whiskey Priest is continuously performing kind acts to benefit the parishioner ...

Nitrogen in Tires

Nitrogen in Tires Question: What makes nitrogen in tires better than air? I see a lot of tires with the green cap indicating they are filled with nitrogen. Is there any advantage to putting nitrogen in my automobile tires instead of compressed air? How does it work? Answer: There are multiple reasons why nitrogen is preferable to air in automobile tires: better pressure retention leading to increased fuel economy and improved tire lifespancooler running temperatures accompanied by less pressure fluctuation with temperature changeless tendency toward wheel rot To understand why, its helpful to review the composition of air. Air is mostly nitrogen (78%), with 21% oxygen, and smaller amounts of carbon dioxide, water vapor, and other gases. The oxygen and water vapor are the molecules that matter. Although you might think oxygen would be a larger molecule than nitrogen because it has a higher mass on the periodic table, elements further along an element period actually have a small atomic radius because of the nature of the electron shell. An oxygen molecule, O2, is smaller than a nitrogen molecule, N2, making it easier for oxygen to migrate through the wall of tires. Tires filled with air deflate more quickly than those filled with pure nitrogen. Is it enough to matter? A 2007 Consumer Reports study compared air-inflated tires and nitrogen-inflated tires to see which lost pressure more quickly and whether the difference was significant. The study compared 31 different automobile models with tires inflated to 30 psi. They followed the tire pressure for a year and found air-filled tires lost an average of 3.5 psi, while nitrogen-filled tires lost an average of 2.2 psi. In other words, air-filled tires leak 1.59 times more quickly than nitrogen-filled tires. The leakage rate varied widely between different brands of tires, so if a manufacturer recommends filling a tire with nitrogen, its best to heed the advice. For example, the BF Goodrich tire in the test lost 7 psi. Tire age also mattered. Presumably, older tires accumulate tiny fractures which make them more leaky with time and wear. Water is another molecule of interest. If you only ever fill up your tires with dry air, the effects of water arent a problem, but not all compressors remove water vapor. Water in tires should not lead to tire rot in modern tires because they are coated with aluminum so they will form aluminum oxide when exposed to water. The oxide layer protects the aluminum from further attack in much the same way chrome protects steel. However, if you are using tires that do not have the coating, water can attack the tire polymer and degrade it. The more common problem (which I have noted in my Corvette, when I have used air rather than nitrogen) is that water vapor leads to pressure fluctuations with temperature. If there is water in your compressed air, it enters the tires. As the tires heat up, the water vaporizes and expands, increasing tire pressure much more significantly than what you see from the expansion of nitrogen and oxygen. As the tire cools, pressure drops appreciably. The changes reduce tire life expectancy and affect fuel economy. Again, the magnitude of the effect likely is influenced by brand of tire, age of tire, and how much water you have in your air. The Bottom Line The important thing is to make sure your tires are kept inflated at the proper pressure. This is much more important than whether the tires are inflated with nitrogen or with air. However, if your tires are expensive or you drive under extreme conditions (i.e., at high speeds or with extreme temperature changes over the course of a trip), its worth it to use nitrogen. If you have low pressure but normally fill with nitrogen, its better to add compressed air than wait until you can get nitrogen, but you may see a difference in the behavior of your tire pressure. If there is water in with the air, any problems will likely be lasting, since theres nowhere for the water to go. Air is fine for most tires and preferable for a vehicle youll take to remote locations, since compressed air is much more readily available than nitrogen.

How new media has changed the way in which individuals communicate Coursework

How new media has changed the way in which individuals communicate - Coursework Example This paper discusses the ways and means through which the new media has been able to make its mark on the technological landscape and the leeway that it provides to the individuals to communicate with the rest of the world. The new media has sparked a lot of interest amongst the men and women in the present times. This has suggested for their immense growth and development amongst the related ranks. The need is to decipher the exact meaning of the new media before one moves ahead further. How this new media has manifested for immense growth and the related basis is something that shall remain in the coming times as well. With the arrival of the social networking websites like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and the like, the world has become connected in the sheer sense of the word. The new media has made all these tangents come into the reckoning with one another and the possibilities seem endless all the same (Hammer, 1999). The blogs, podcasts, webinars, ezines, bulletin boards, etc. a re just a way to get along with what’s hot and what’s in. It asks of the people to remain in touch with each other and be glued to their respective screens for a long period of time. This is an essential understanding that has come about with the passage of time. What remains to be seen is the fact that these blogs, podcasts, webinars allow the users of the Internet and the new media to experience individuality and uniqueness that they had never witnessed before. They get along with new thoughts and reckonings which were unexplored and untapped in the past, and this makes the entire exercise of getting along with the new media manifestations in a very ideal setting. The new media technologies have provided no boundaries at all to the users of such advancements and innovations. The limits seem endless and there are immense reasons to believe such premises. The introduction of the social networking tools and websites has basically put the entire emphasis on setting thing s right, on making available resources which were unheard of in the past, and in highlighting the shortcomings that were well-known in the yesteryears, prior to the induction of the social networking technologies and advancements. What is even more interesting is the phenomenon that highlights the very basis of attaining significance within the changing dynamics of the technological domains, and how users can collectively as well as individually gain their niche in the related scheme of things. Having said that, it is important to draw the line between what is termed as acceptable and what is deemed as otherwise. In today’s environment, the use of blogs, podcasts and webinars has provided amenities which no other technology in the past did. Now organizations can get in touch with other business domains or even individuals to find out about new business opportunities or to hire people from a different world region altogether. There seem to be endless possibilities in the waiti ng and the role of the social networking regimes has only highlighted the strengths that remain within such quarters (Grant, 2006). It is a fact that the world of Internet has brought about a giant paradigm shift within the understandings that are reached upon, as far as the methodologies of the social net

The Theories and Practices of Public Relations and Its Writing Assignment

The Theories and Practices of Public Relations and Its Writing - Assignment Example Writing in public relations is an important aspect and the success of any form of public relation campaign depends on the writing skills of the writer. Information has to be researched well, organized in a logical format so that the intended information is delivered effectively. Good public relation writing thus is important in ensuring relevant and correct information is communicated. Public relations is planned communication (Mahoney, 2008) TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 1.0INTRODUCTION 4 2.0PART A: 4 2.1Planning and Preliminary Research 4 a)Personal Study Checklist: 5 b)Timetable: 5 2.2Research Fact sheet   7 2.3Planning Template 8 2.4Planning Questions: 5ws and H 8 3.0PART B: 9 3.1Public relations is planned communication 9 4.0CONCLUSUION 12 LIST OF REFERENCES 15 1.0 INTRODUCTION Public relation is the practice related to the management of communication between the public and an organization (Zhao, 1999). It is the planned effort of establishing a mutual under standing between the public and an organization or an individual (Jovanovich, 1984). Public relation provides an opportunity of exposure of an organization or individual to a target audience. ... Public relation is a planned communication that involves research of relevant information, organization of the information in a clear format and the delivery to the target audience. The public relations practitioner has to identify the target audience and establish the form of information delivery that the audience will best understand. Written word is an important aspect in public relations that helps to communicate information to the public. The success of any public relation writing is in the writing skills of the writer and thus it is important to have good writing skills so as to deliver the information effectively (L'Etang, 2007). 2.0 PART A: 2.1 Planning and Preliminary Research Research and planning is a fundamental aspect of Public Relations writing. The following was the research plan that was formulated in preparation for the discussion, demonstrating planning, time management and organisation. a) Personal Study Checklist: I read and understood the assignment details and r equirements carefully Brainstorming for the assignment Noted the due date for the assignment ( 3rd June, 2011 ) Started a plan on how I was to complete the assignment Confirmed the due date from the unit guide provided by the lecturer The assignment had to be done by Friday 27th of May, before the due date Borrowed the Mahoney textbook from the library to aid in the assignment b) Timetable: 9th May, 2011 Started the assignment Read the assignment description carefully Made a note on how I was to do assignment 11th May, 2011 Brainstormed Read the instructions once again and noted the requirements Searched for documents that were necessary for the assignment Downloaded the fact

Transformatiomal Leadership Essay Example for Free

Transformatiomal Leadership Essay Leadership is the quality of an individuals behavior whereby he is able to guide the people or their activities towards certain goals. 1. INTRODUCTION Leadership is the ability to get work done with and through others, while at the same time winning their confidence, respect, loyalty and willing co-operation. The first part of this definition is the same as for management. It is the second half, which highlights the difference between a leader and a non-leader. Managers who possess the quality of guiding and directing the subordinates in an organization to perform their jobs efficiently can be called business leaders. A leader interprets the objectives of the group and guides it towards the achievement of these objectives. Leadership means different things to different people, and sometimes the most effective leaders can appear not to be leading at all. Good leadership is essential in all aspects of managerial functions whether, it be motivation, communication or direction. Good leadership ensures success in the organization, and unsatisfactory human performance in any organization can be primarily attributed to poor leadership. Total performance is the result of a host of factors and not of leadership alone, hence can be evaluated in the light of these factors. A leader influences others by his qualities, viz. confidence, communicative ability, awareness of his impact on others as well as perceptions about the situation and his subordinates. The effect of a leaders background experiences, his communication ability, self-awareness, confidence, his perceptions of subordinates, the situation and the self are shown below: SOCIAL VALUES ECONOMIC CONDITIONS LEADER STRUCTURE FOLLOWERS POLITICAL CONSIDERATIONS Fig. 5 Qualities of Leader [Source: Taken from, Prasad LM, (2006) Organizational Behavior, Fig 26.1 p 287] All these factors interact together to determine the leaders ability to influence others. 2. TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP The concepts of transformation and transaction leadership was first introduced by James MacGregor Burns (1978), what was once the treatment of political leadership is now widely used in the fields of organizational psychology. Leaders who raises the motivation of followers to reach far beyond their established standards and that promotes effective change individually and holistically in organizations are all characteristics of a transformational leader. In contrast, transactional leaders are extrinsic motivators, they accepts the given goals and just do it. In order for us to better understand what each of these leadership styles have to often and how effective they are we need to examine the makeup of these concepts According to Burns (1978) the style of transformational leadership is comprise of four components: idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration: 1. Idealized influence A leader who shows idealized influence is someone who is usually not affair to make very compelling conviction on a stand that they strongly believe in but not necessary the popular stand. Followers often admire idealized influence leaders as they have a clear set of values that they follow and demonstrate as a role model in which followers can identify with the leader by. This trait has a direct relationship to managing one’s own emotion in the concept of emotional intelligences (Barling et al., 2000). Leaders can serve as a respectable role model for their followers when they able to display self-control on their emotions which thereby enhances the trust of the relationship. 2. Inspirational motivation The second component of the transformational leadership style is inspirational motivation. As a visionary leader, they can articulate their vision in a powerful persuasive appealing manner that it is naturally inspiring to followers. They will consistently and optimistically communicate the meaning for the task at hand as well as challenging their followers to reach higher than the establish standards. By being able to understand and realize what a follower’s potential is, the leader can better set goals and push the follower towards success more effectively. This is directly related to the understanding of others component of emotional intelligences. 3. Intellectual stimulation The third is the art of intellectual stimulation. Leaders who are high in intellectual stimulation usually encourage creativity in their followers by setting up an aroma to permit trail and error. Furthermore, these leaders often encourage followers to take risk, follow their own instincts, and there is no such thing as a â€Å"stupid â€Å"suggestion. 4. Individualized consideration Lastly, the component of individualized consideration is the degree of the leader’s ability to listen, understand, and attend to the needs of their followers. Making sure that their followers are getting the respect they deserve for their accomplishment. Perhaps being there, as a mentor or a coach for their career advancements or to be a sympathetic support when problematic issues arise. Being able to correctly realize and understand the needs of followers a leader should be evident in the empathy component of emotional intelligences. In contrast the transactional leadership that is very often associated with laissez-fair leadership is more action oriented. It is comprised of two components: Contingent rewards and management-by-exception (Burns 1978). This type of leadership is very distinct in ways that it is very reward oriented. Leaders utilize the promises to reward for good performance and reorganizations to entice followers to perform at their best. Management-by-exception refers to a practice that leaders are there to make sure things continue to work as they are working now. The attitude around these leaders are â€Å"if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it†, they only intercept when something is going wrong. The management-by-exception leaders are leaders that are very detail oriented and are at a constant alert for things going wrong where they are quick to fix immediate problems. TRANSFORMING LEADERSHIP 3. Visionary Enabler Transforming leadership requires the leader to direct his energies outwards rather than inwards. The focus is on relinquishing the controller/ manipulator in favor of the visionary enabler. To do this, the groups full potential must be allowed to develop by always using the style congruent with their ability and willingness or one even slightly higher on the trusting side. Unfortunately, the opposite is often the case and the group is over led rather than under led. Over leading often-called macho using a style more controlling than appropriate for the groups ability and willingness. It can arise from both personal, psychological reasons and from forces in the organizational and hierarchical structure (Ahuja K, 2005, p.698). The feeling persists that management knows best and that true leadership means the exertion of authority in order to get a reluctant workforce to perform duties to which it contributes little beyond elementary, regimented skills. Managers with such an outlook consistently over lead groups by being more interventionist than necessary. The tendency to over lead is often compounded by the organizational climate. If the top management exhibits, macho, tendencies it is very difficult for a manager to pursue a progression of styles towards trust. If he does, it will be seen as weakness and an abdication of management responsibility rather than a positive process of development. 4. Organizational Constraints to Leadership Role Organizational constraints can be very powerful and, for that reason, it is important that any serious effort at leadership training should begin at the top to ensure that everyone in the hierarchy understands the philosophy and supports the new approach. Transforming Leadership is concerned with the choice of Leadership role, it is generally outward looking long term and proactive. Transforming leadership focus is on vision and values relating to individual and organization. It develops an individual and generates new ideas. It releases energy by creating a sense of belonging and excitement in the job. Visionary/Enabler is the transforming leader required in increasingly complex situation, where performance is difficult to measure directly. Visionary/Enabler creates a mental attitude in a team, creates a feeling that you can do it and ensures that things are possible and success is in all what we are doing. Visionary/Enabler creates a climate of success and a sense of belonging. Visionary/Enabler emphasis that the individual can create a feeling in them, that they will be developed. It promotes self-control and encourages the workforce by giving them responsibilities and ensuring success. Visionary/ Enabler creates a sense of excitement in the job (Ahuja K, 2005, 714). 5. Changes Transforming Leadership Due to changing technology and changing social expectations, industry and commerce is becoming increasingly complex and inter-dependent. As a consequence, work requires higher levels of individual skill and management expertise. These pressures make the, controller, style of management less and less appropriate. As the technical skill of jobs in industry increases, an increasing reliance must be placed on self-motivation of the workforce to ensure high performance. It is marginal effort that makes the crucial difference between satisfactory and outstanding performance. Whereas normal levels of output can be more or less controlled, the marginal effort, which is so crucial, is very much at the discretion of the subordinate. For this reason, the transforming leadership role is increasingly essential. Transforming leadership is required to get the best out of knowledgeable workers (Prasad, 2006, 294). In today’s, complex, knowledge based working environment it is increasingly difficult to measure the subordinates, output. Control becomes impossible and has to be replaced by trust and transforming leadership. As the world grows more complex, the individual is not able to understand it alone. Reliance has to be placed on the specialist knowledge of the team requiring creation of the right climate for that knowledge to be applied. The group must be developed to maximize learning and the increase of the knowledge base. Such a climate will also encourage synergy and the sparking of creative interactions (Ahuja K, 2005, 552). Transforming leadership is required to accelerate the shift of the point of congruence in the direction of the visionary/enabler. The transforming leader consciously fights the lure of the interventionist. He creates a sense of vision to inspire the group and place on the team members the responsibility for making decisions and solving their own relationship problems. The transforming leader adopts the visionary/enabler role and frees his followers from the dead hand of the interventionist and transactional routine. Transforming leadership concentrates on the leader in the visionary/enabler role and on avoiding the seductive alternative roles that tend to trap leaders into various forms of controller/manipulator behavior. The transforming leader acts as a visionary/enabler to develop the individual capabilities of his team members and to mould them into a fully functioning team. Above all, he is concerned to create a sense of mission, which will give the team a vision of what their job is all about. This vision carries the group beyond the narrow confines of daily routine and puts work into a context of meaning and value (Prasad, 2006, 364). The transforming leader acts-as a contributor or a catalyst, always-keeping to moderate levels of task and relationships behavior 6. Literature Review Leadership is he ability to get work done with and through others while gaining heir confidence and cooperation. Almost every aspect of work is influenced by, or dependent on, leadership. Leaders have three limiting factors- their own knowledge, and skills, their subordinate’s skills, and the work environment. Formal leaders (managers, supervisors) are appointed to groups by the organization, and group members choose informal leaders. Formal leaders aim to achieve organizational objectives, whereas informal leaders satisfy the group’s needs for friendship and recognition. There are four key sources of leadership: Legitimate power, which comes from being appointed by the organization into a leadership role; expertise or skill power, which comes from having knowledge or skills which will help the group to achieve goals; respect or affection power, where a leader who is liked and respected b subordinates, peers and superiors, will have influence over a group of people; and reward/ coercive power, which comes from the power to influence pay, promotion and recognition of followers. (Yvonne, 2003 196) There are three main approaches to understanding leadership: traits (which involves identifying traits which characterize successful leaders); behavioral (which focuses on leadership functions and style); and contingency (which focuses on situations, matching leadership style with circumstances). There are a number of factors influencing a leader’s effectiveness. These range from the leaders background, experience, and expectations, to the organization’s policies and procedures, and to the prevailing industry trends, and social norms. Bass (1978) suggested that transformational leaders exhibit three key characteristics. These are ïÆ'Ëœ Charisma ïÆ'Ëœ Individualized considerations; ïÆ'Ëœ Intellectual simulation. Transformational leaders are able to arouse enthusiasm, general energy and inspire respect. They also work towards helping others to realize their potential through attention to training and development and at the same time treating others with respect. They also stimulate the imagination of their followers and encourage them to stretch their capabilities. Transformational leadership isn’t a substitute for transactional leadership; rather it can be seen as going a step beyond transactional leadership. Transformational leaders are more likely to emerge in times of turbulence and rapid change. In today’s circumstances where we are experiencing accelerating change transformational leadership offers an opportunity for improved performance. (Yvonne, 2003 197) There is no set formula on how to be an effective leader, but research has highlighted some useful points relating to training style, nature of work and subordinates, and the need to act like a leader. 7. CONLUSION No one is a born leader. People may have certain abilities that enable them to develop into a leader, but they have to work at it. A successful leader is one who is keenly aware of those forces, which are more relevant to his behavior at any given time. He accurately understands himself, the individuals and the group he is dealing with, and the organization and the broader social environment in which he operates (Tannenbaum Schmidt, 1993, 178). However, merely understanding these factors correctly is not enough but he can be successful only when he is able to behave appropriately in the light of these perceptions and understanding. Thus,   The successful manager of men can be primarily characterized neither as a strong leader nor as a permissive one. Rather he is one who maintains a high batting average in accurately assessing the forces that determine what his most appropriate behavior at any given time should be and in actually being able to behave accordingly. Being both insightful and flexible, he is less likely to see the problem of leadership as a dilemma.† (Tannenbaum Schmidt, 1993, 178). Leadership in business is never a bossism because the leader is not synonym of the boss.   A boss depends upon his authority and as such always drives and orders, but a leader relies upon his confidence and goodwill and always believes in coaching and advising his subordinates. Leaders can enhance their performance by adopting a Transformational leadership approach. The successful leadership calls for   `The ability to comprehend that human being has different motivating forces in different situations, the ability to inspire, and ability to act in a manner that will develop a climate for responding to and arousing motivations.’ References Ahuja K. (2005) Personnel Management. Kalyani Publishers. Calcutta. 425-775 Barling, J., Weber, T. and Kelloway, E.K. (1996), â€Å"Effects of Transformational Leadership Training on Attitudinal and Fiscal Outcomes: A Field Experiment†, Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol 81, pp827-32 Barling, Julian, Frank Slater, and E. Kevin Kelloway. â€Å"Transformational leadership and emotional intelligence: an exploratory study.† Emerald Volume 21 Number 3 2000: 157-161. Bass, B.M. (1997), Does the Transactional Transformational Leadership Paradigm Transcend Organizational and National Boundaries?’’ American Psychologist, Vol. 52, pp. 130-9. Burns, J.M. (1978), Leadership, Harper Row, New York, NY David Buchanan Andrzej Huczynski. (2004). Organizational Behavior – An Introductory Text, Prentice Hall Hater, J.J. and Bass, B.M (1988), â€Å"Superiors† Evaluations And Subordinates’ Perception of Transformational and Transactional Leadership†, Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 73, pp. 695-702 Hersey P Blanchard K. (2002). Management of Organizational Behavior, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey Lowe, K.B. and Kroeck, K.G. (1996), Effectiveness correlates of transformational and transactional leadership: a meta-analytic review’’, Leadership Quarterly, Vol. 7, pp. 385-426. Prasad LM. (2006). Organizational Behavior. Educational publishers. Daryaganj. P. 262-387 Tennenbam Robbert Schmidt. (1993). How To Choose A Leadership Pattern. Harvard Business Review: May-June, 175-180 Yammarino, F.J. and Dubinsky, A.J. (1994), Transformational Leadership Theory: Using Levels Of Analysis To Determine Boundary Conditions’’, Personnel Psychology, Vol. 47, pp. 787-811. Yammarino, F.J., Spangler, W.D. and Bass, B.M. (1993), Transformational Leadership and Performance: A Longitudinal Investigation’’, Leadership Quarterly, Vol. 4, pp. 81-102. Yvonne McLaughlin.(2003).Business Management: A practical guide for managers, Supervisors Administrators. Synergy Books International. P.186-215

Loyalty in Julius Caesar :: Julius Caesar Essays

A Question of Loyalty in Julius Caesar Loyalty defined means faithfulness to one's friends, country, ideals, etc. What should one do when these loyalties conflict with one another? One would have to choose. A choice that can make or break a man, which I believe broke many men in the play Julius Caesar. One did not know who was friend or foe. One's dearest friends actually your foes? Not possible, is it? Yes, it is. That is the story of Julius Caesar. Julius Caesar, a great, noble man. A man for his country. A man loved by many and respected by all. Even respected by the men that cursed him with death. Why would men that loved and respected one kill them? Loyalty is the answer. A feeling of loyalty for your country that surpassed the loyalty of righteous virtues. Perhaps if loyalty had not been involved, the country of Rome would not have been torn apart. Or perhaps if loyalty to all and everything had been involved a great ruler named Caesar would have reigned for years. If the people of Rome would have remained loyal to Caesar perhaps a war would not have occurred, in fact, it most certainly would not have. After the death, the angry mob should have put the conspirators to death, not let them toy with their minds as they would a five year old. The mob, like a great many people, believe what is easiest to hear. In the mob of people did loyalty exist? Doubtful, little if any. What coexisted in the crowd with that little loyalty was ignorance, and much of it. I believe that Brutus showed the greatest amount of loyalty to his country. He just went about showing it in a corrupt manner. He sacrificed a great friend for what he thought would better Rome. Perhaps Brutus was one of the most noble in the play, but he was also the most misled. He was noble for assassinating not for selfish needs, but for the needs of the country. However, I believe he was weak. Weak for believing that Caesar was "ambitious". Brutus believed the one side of things that he heard, and that was from Cassius. Brutus is a prime example of people believing what

Payments Method

Fee-for-service is when a patient pays a fee for the services provided by a healthcare provider. According to Valerius et al. (2012), the more patients a physician sees in the fee-for-service, the more charges the health plan repays (section 1. 4, p. 11). On the other hand, capitation payment cycles involve the first party, which is the patient, policyholder or employer (Valerius et al, 2012). Also the capitation payment cycle includes the second party, which is the provider and insurance specialist, as well as the third party, which is the health plan (Valerius et al, 2012). Capitation is a fixed payment method, which a certain amount of money is reimbursed to the provider for patients enrolled for a specific time frame regardless of the services delivered or how many office visits(Valerius et al, 2012). In this situation of capitation, the money is received before the patient even visits the office, and if the patient does not receive medical services for that specific time (Valerius et al, 2012). Furthermore, the physician agrees to take on the risk that an insured individual will utilize more services than the fee covers, and use less services (Valerius et al, 2012). Nevertheless, the physician still only collects the contracted rate, even if their expenses are higher than the rate for the time frame, and the physician risks getting less per office visit revenue.

Environmental analysis Essay

Rivalry Competition in the US video rental industry is fierce. There are actually several different segments of players within the industry, like rentals who establish physical store locations and rentals who serve mail-orders, but these different segments are competing to gain the same market share. Blockbuster reveled that the business actually has a small profit margin, due to the high cost of building and equipment maintenance. Furthermore, the movie rental industry has a stagnant market condition, or in simple words, the market does not reveal any meaningful growth within the years. This means the only way to grow is by taking away a piece of competitors’ market share. Thus, competition is s serious issue for Blockbuster because in one hand, the company cannot afford to loose more market share due to its minimum profit margin, and in the other hand, Blockbuster would also need to experience some kind of revenue growth. Ironically, competitors of Blockbuster also possess the same obsession. As a result, price war is the only way to determine which player would lead the market. Unfortunately, most of the players in the industry has already sustain heavy operational and maintenance that they cannot afford to reduce rental prices. In addition, most of these players have also minimum promotion budget because of the small profit margin. Today, competition industry enters a stage where all the players are stagnant in most of its departments (Brem, 2002). Not all movie rental industry can survive in a long term, especially if the industry is online. With the recent tightening in the market, some executive and investor are challenging Blockbuster.com to show some results: higher revenues, more customers, perhaps even a profit. This is should become tough news for Blockbuster. com who have spent most of their money on expensive advertisements, PR campaigns, or websites that look attractive. The full integration of Blockbuster. com online and in-store programs planned for next year will enable them to provide their customers, young and old, with unmatched convenience, service, selection and value. If a customer is in their store and wants to return a movie they rented online, Blockbuster.com will be able to accommodate them. If a member rents primarily in-store, but wants a hard-to-find title Blockbuster. com does not typically carry in store, they will be able to go online and get it. It is a matter of maximizing convenience and choice (â€Å"About Blockbuster. com†, 2006). Blockbuster has not been watching these developments lazily. It has launched its own online rental service in response to the competition, despite the set-up costs and the fact that it could take revenue away from its retail operation. It has also introduced a number of initiatives, such as a part-exchange deal on VHS tapes, and is currently exploring offering an in-store download service. †¢ Buyer Power Due to the stagnant market and the need for huge economies of scale to reach profit, buyers of the video rental industry has quite an influential power. In a nutshell, by choosing to go to which rentals, buyers will determine which one will reach profit within the financial period and which one will fall below targets. The increasing use of Internet becomes the power of buyers that soon force Blockbuster to provide online services. To change itself from a zone of movie rental store into an â€Å"anywhere-anytime† entertainment destination that eventually will enable customers to rent, buy or trade movies and games, new or used, in-store and online, Blockbuster initiatives to continues their accomplishment as the online rental service company (â€Å"Blockbuster goes broadband, streams movies to TV†, 2001). Blockbuster. com becomes the business through information technology (I. T. ) marketing. Because of the online marketing Blockbuster can live and breathe. They can get more competitive, lower their costs, and provide better service through continuous improvement of the I. T. marketing (â€Å"BBI: Profile for BLOCKBUSTER INC. †, 2006). However, as online retail, marketing efforts of Blockbuster. com could be even more effective if they asked the consumer for a dash of personal information. So far, businesses were hoping that personalization technology would serve as the equivalent of a best friend who just happened to have all the same tastes in products and services. More consumers are choosing to rent online, which has no late fees and have the movies mailed to them. It makes Blockbuster. com has increased their membership (â€Å"Blockbuster goes broadband, streams movies to TV†, 2001). The only way for movie-rental stores to continue operations is to rise to the challenge and shift their business model to stay practical. To develop a substantial share of the online rental business by the end of next year, Blockbuster. com is providing rental plan and their practical understanding marketing. It should help Blockbuster. com to be more successful in the next period. Movie distributors and the large chains, such as Blockbuster, Inc.directly negotiate revenue-sharing agreements covering most titles distributed by the upstream (â€Å"BBI: Profile for BLOCKBUSTER INC. †, 2006). Personalization and community features are very important. Blockbuster. com should allow film fans to rate films and write reviews to help inform other users. In addition, Blockbuster. com need to have a management team with bags of expertise, which they believe differentiates us from the competition. †¢ Supplier Power Suppliers of the industry generally have little power over the Blockbuster. The prices of inputs are nearly identical for most suppliers and there is no price discrimination because of the widely available substitutes. †¢ Threats of Substitutes The video rental industry is actually facing quite significant threats from various substitutes. Examples of substitutes are: pay-per-view, video-on-demand, streaming on-line videos, etc. All of these alternatives are delivering the same product in a quite similar quality, which means that they contribute notably to the tension within the video rental industry (‘Videotape Rental’, 2004). Barriers of EntryAnalysis of the industry indicated that Blockbuster is actually enjoying significant level of entry barriers. First, as mentioned earlier, the industry generally has a small profit margin, which means that a huge economic of scale is required to create a profitable business. This is caused by the high operational and maintenance costs, profit sharing agreement with studios, etc. Second, Blockbuster enjoyed a positive image due to its long-time presence and its popularity within the US market. Both of these factors ensured the triumph of Blockbuster against any newcomer. Most of these conditions however, are now becoming obsolete. This is true partly due to the presence of internet. As internet shopping becomes more popular, mail-order rentals like Netflix gain notable attention from the market. In addition, Blockbuster made the mistake of not providing enough copies of popular and recent movies, which ultimately get customers to think of going to alternative rentals. Another factor that reduces the entry barrier is the popularity of DCDs over the old VHS which no longer require negotiating revenue gain agreements with studios (Brem, 2002; Wagner, 2003).

The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Tempest Analysis

The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Tempest Analysis The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Tempest are two masterpieces, which reflect the life of people who lived in the times when the works were created. The two works pertain to different cultures.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on â€Å"The Epic of Gilgamesh† and â€Å"The Tempest† Analysis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Thus, the former is an Ancient Babylonian story, while the latter is one of the most famous Shakespearean works created in postcolonial Europe. The epochs, when the works were written, are very different. Nonetheless, there are certain themes that overlap, which can be explained by archetypal nature of the thematic elements. One of such archetypal themes is supernatural. Thus, Gilgamesh interacts with gods and spirits. He has to fight against horrible giants and is punished by gods for some wrongdoings. Likewise, The Tempest is full of spirits who interact with people. One of the main cha racters of the play is a magician who knows some secrets of the universe. This overlap can be explained by humans’ desire to see mysterious things in something they do not understand. Admittedly, people have tried to explain natural disasters or some universal laws by acts of supernatural entities that rule the world. Therefore, the theme of unknown and supernatural can be regarded as archetypal. Even people, living in the twenty-first century where science has explained lots of the secrets of the universe, tend to practice some religions which also adhere to the area of spiritual and supernatural. Another thematic element that overlaps in the two works is the confrontation of civilization and human nature. Thus, Enkidu and Caliban are symbols of the human nature, i.e. creatures that have not been civilized. The two characters are closer to the nature and they know some secrets civilized people do not understand. At the same time, Gilgamesh and Prospero try to civilize the cr eatures and make them share their (i.e. civilized) values. This conflict has lots of dimensions and it is, by all means, archetypal as people have always experienced the necessity to suppress their desires to fit in the society.Advertising Looking for assessment on literature languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More More so, people have also acknowledged that civilization is associated with alienation from the nature. Thus, barbarians have always been seen as people (or rather creatures) who manage to live in harmony with the environment, while civilized people tend to alter the nature. Finally, the two works share another thematic element, i.e. the relationship between the man and the woman. This is also an archetypal topic as people have always wanted to understand the secrets of the difference between the genders. Thus, the savage loves the woman and cannot have her in the play. In the Babylonian story, a godde ss wants to win the protagonist’s heart but loses. In both stories, there is unshared love, which causes a lot of sorrow. Admittedly, people have fallen in love with those who love others for centuries and there is still no explanation for this peculiarity of human nature. To sum up, it is possible to note that the two stories and the two masterpieces share certain thematic elements. Some of these elements are supernatural, the confrontation between the civilization and the nature, and the secret of love and relationships between the man and the woman. These themes overlap as they are archetypal and recurrent in loads of literary works and cultures. People have always tried to find answers to certain questions. Nevertheless, the questions remain unanswered and this is unlikely to change in the future.

An Introduction To The Operations Management Concepts Business Essay

An Introduction To The Operations Management Concepts Business Essay Operations Management has been defined by Krajewski, et al. (2007) as the control and direction of the processes of the organization that changes its input materials to products and/or services for its customers. This report will compare how Mercedes-Benz and Honda manage their operations. The comparison might be useful because it would help identify various ways an organisation could be run in order to meet its goals and objectives. The report will give a brief background of the two organizations mentioned above and then would move on to the comparison of their marketing strategies and competitive priorities. Finally, the importance of frameworks such as capacity planning, inventory management, supply chain design, Total quality management and performance measures, would be discussed and how they could be useful in helping an organisation function efficiently and effectively. A) COMPANY BACKGROUND OF MERCEDEZ BENZ [MERCEDEZ-BENZ U.S. INTERNATIONAL, inc. (MBUSI)] and HONDA [HONDA MA NUFACTURING OF ALABAMA, LLC. (HMA)]. MERCEDEZ-BENZ (MBUSI) Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, Inc. (http://www.mbusi.com) was established for the main purpose of manufacturing the M-Class. The M-class was such a huge success that they decided in August 2000 to expand the facility not only to manufacture more units of It, but also to include the R and GL-classes to its product list. The expansion not only doubled the plant size but also the labor force. The plant consists of a body shop, paint shop and two assembly shops. MBUSI receives orders from their 135 worldwide markets. MBUSI uses the â€Å"Just-in-Time† (JIT) philosophy which implies that they do not stockpile large amounts of the inventory they use to assemble their cars. HONDA (HMA) HMA (http://www.hondaalabama.com) manufactures the odyssey, ridgeline and pilot models for the world wide market. HMA’s investment in Alabama is over $1.4billion with the construction of a new Honda Engineering facility, on-site con solidation center and steel blanking operation. One of their goals is to be able to produce goods with high quality and sell at a reasonable price. HMA can be referred to as a Zero Landfill Facility due to the fact that they are committed to the principle of â€Å"Reduce, Reuse and Recycle†. They have made efforts in curbing energy use during their production processes, and this has earned them an energy star award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). A.1) OPERATION/TRANSFORMATION PROCESS OF THE ORGANIZATIONS MERCEDEZ-BENZ (MBUSI) The manufacturing process for both models begins in the Body Shop where the components that comprise the metal body are welded together. From the body shop, they are taken to the ultra-clean Paint Shop where the cars are painted. Finally, they end up in the Assembly where it becomes a new Mercedes-Benz M, R, or GL-Class ready for shipping. From beginning to end, these vehicles are created with style, functionality, and quality in min d (http://www.mbusi.com). HONDA (HMA) Honda Manufacturing of Alabama (HMA) has the largest output for Honda light trucks. It has the capacity to create over 300,000 odyssey minivans, pilot sport utility vehicles, Ridgeline pick-up trucks and V-6 engines annually (http://www.hondaalabama.com).

Native American Cultural Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Native American Cultural - Research Paper Example However, these groups of Americans show inspirational inner strategies and reserves for survival. Some major concepts of the Native American’s identity, cultural context, perseverance, and adaptability include a desire to promote a group’s well being, a holistic approach to life, respect for all healing ways, and an enduring spirit. Cultural aspects widespread among Native Americans usually comprise of valuing cooperation, and being oriented in the present. They also place a great value on spiritual beliefs and family. To them, a state of health exists when an individual lives in totality with nature. Sickness is not viewed as an alteration in one’s physiological state, rather as an imbalance between the ill individual and supernatural forces or nature in general. Their medicine men or women, called ‘shaman’ are conducted in case of an illness (Barry, 2000). Traditional healing systems are meant for balancing the body, spirit, and mind within the com munity context of the Native Americans. Contrary to the Western advance to health and healing, this group of people finds it odd to isolate one part of a human being and try by all means to heal that part, a holistic approach that has been practiced for a long time. Their survival depends on their wisdom of the connectedness and interrelatedness of everything in the universe. Their holistic perception involves a sense of connection with land and place. It also entails the practical application of techniques of preventing illnesses that they believe are caused naturally, such as broken bones, as well as illnesses of the spirit and mind. According to Barry, 2000, conventional healing practices rotate around gains to the psychological, emotional, spiritual, and cultural facets of the tribal group. Systems of healing share the belief that huge, communal ceremonies act as a way to promote the well being of all Natives. The role of a healer is to reaffirm the cultural values of the group, combine all the pieces into the cultural framework, and to consider everybody in the community. To them, medicine is all about healing the patient but not curing the disease. Furthermore, some believe that inherited conditions like birth defects are a result of the parent’s immoral life and thus are not easily treated. To others, such conditions are a reflection of God’s touch and may consider them a sort of gift. Native American’s healing approaches aim to bring back wholeness and balance and restore spirituality and healthy pure state. From the cultural beliefs of Native Americans, severity of an illness is often judged with the pain, discomfort, and disability related to it. They also believe that no human part should be eliminated from the body but rather left to heal. For instance, a member of this group has to undergo a surgical procedure but when he reaches the physicians room, he informs him that he has already made peace with his creator and he is will ing to die. Some of the members who are strong believers in culture will not opt to take the patient to the hospital; instead take him to a spiritual healer or use herbs, which may have toxic effects to the affected body part. A Native American patient may not come back for treatment just because the therapist did not recognize the worth of traditional curing interventions. In such cases, a therapist may mistakenly believe that the patient is a victim of neglect or that he is not taking

Health Care Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 24

Health Care Leadership - Essay Example Kevin as a manager has certain flaws among which the most frequent is his inability to communicate in terms of clear vision, conveying strategy formulated, getting feedback and identifying priorities with staff. Also, he lacks trust over abilities of others and does not allow them to take risks or work freely and therefore actually performs their job instead of letting them work. He also lacks identifying future opportunities and ideas to improve the business process. 3. After comparison of Kevin’s strengths and areas of development, I would prefer not to work under Kevin at this stage i.e. before professional development. Instead of being a team leader and high level manager, he has opted to work as team member lacking ideas of development. I could make a role model even the person working under me, but select a boss who provides enough space to take risks adopting new skills and gain experience. Communicating effectively in terms of macro affairs is the basic task of top management, which otherwise would cause confusion and chaos. In order to create a vision it is important not just to consult the higher management rather workers at lower and staff level should also be discussed (Robert Lussier, 2012). They could also come up with bright ideas, goals and objectives which can be made a part of the organization’s vision. In order to communicate the formulated vision statement, it must be ensured that every single employee in the organization has totally understood its value from the scratch; it’s not just remembering it but driving the right meaning of the statement. Those whom Kevin followed regarding the development program played a very important role in his development as a leader. Any development program is a gradual process, and self development in terms of communication requires time and phases. Although the coach mentored Kevin in terms of vision creation and communication, but the ones to practically analyse him were his colleagues. Without their honest opinion, it was not possible for Kevin adjusts his development strategy.

Love - Culture, Technology, and Entertainment Essay

Love - Culture, Technology, and Entertainment - Essay Example d, when a talk show, a movie or a song are not entertaining then they have little chance of influencing culture on the people who either watched or listened. Additionally, since entertainment involves showing what is popular with people this helps in defining culture. The interesting nature of any form of entertainment greatly defines the culture of people who come across this form of entertainment. It can be stated in a different argument that themes in any form of entertainment are cultural (Cheok, 2010). Technology is hugely beneficial not only to entertainment, but also the entertainment industry as a whole. For instance, through technology, it is possible to produce high quality movies or record high quality songs. The most employed form of technology in the entertainment industry is computer technology. Application of computers in the entertainment industry has made production and distribution of any form of entertainment effective and efficient. Taking production of movies into consideration, there are advanced computer software, which are used in the production process, known as the green screen. Through the green screen, movie producers can impose non-existing images or features in a movie. Technology is also beneficial to the music entertainment in the production process. Music producers use computer software to create instrumentals instead of the traditional way of playing musical instruments. Manipulation of vocals is also possible through computer software, which brings ab out voice clarity. The other area in which technology has highly become beneficial is in the distribution process. In this case, the internet has proved to be very useful. Whether the entertainment is in the form of audio of video, its distribution to customers through the internet is very efficient. The internet has made buying and selling of any form of entertainment faster, since customers can pay for a song or a movie online and thereafter download it on their personal computers.

King Henry VIII of England: Wives and Legacy

King Henry VIII of England: Wives and Legacy Outline Henry VIII Reigned as king of England from the 21st of April in 1509 until his death on 28thof January in 1547, King Henry VIII who ruled for 37 years and 282 days was the second son of King Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. His older brother Arthur, Prince of Wales got married to Catherine of Aragon in 1501 when Henry was 10 years old. Soon after Arthurs wedding, his wife, Catherine, and he went to live in Wales, seeing that was tradition for the heir to the throne. However, four months after their marriage began, it ended with Arthurs death. Later on, An agreement was signed that would allow Catherine to marry the next heir to the throne which was Prince Henry. Until then, Catherines parents, Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain would send over 100,000 crowns worth of plate and gold as a wedding gift and Henry would pay the agreed upon dowry. It was viewed as necessary for a papal dispensation to be issued permitting Henry to marry Catherine, as she was his dead brothers wife, and this marriage was illegal in Leviticus. At the time Catherine denied that her marriage to Arthur had even been accomplished so no dispensation was needed. However, permission from the pope was wanted and received due to both parties in Spain and England who wanted to be sure of the legitimacy of the marriage. Arthurs death caused Henry to be the upcoming king in a very young age and that Henry was shy of 18 years old, but he did prepare himself for this situation after his brothers death. When people hear the name Henry VIII they would not want to see an 18 year old boy so he was not what people really expected. Henry was not the heavy and ill kind of person in his later years. Instead in his youth, he was handsome and athletic. He was tall as well as he had a bright red-gold cap of hair and beard balding and unhealthy man that is often remembered. Henrys marital career is probably the thing that he is most known for. Shortly after becoming king, Henry VIII took Catherine of Aragon as his bride on 11 June 1509. King Henry had inherited  £1.5 million pounds from his father and had succeeded in the first peaceful transition of power after the Wars of the Roses. He then brought a youth and vigor to the court that had long been lacking and that Henry dreamed of glory beyond the hunt and argues. Catherine of Aragon Wife # 1 Catherine of Aragon was rased in a family of kings and queens and she was intended to become one herself. As she was about four years old she was betrothed to the future king of England. After her first husband dies, Catherine of Aragon by 1505 married Henry VIII. She satisfied this destiny. Soon after their marriage, Catherine finds out that she is pregnant, but with a stillborn daughter. Subsequent to that she gave birth to a daughter called Mary. But Henry was scared that hell die before having a boy to take his name after him and at the same time Catherine could not really produce a male heir. After all she became a victim of Henry VIIIs inability to produce a male heir. For this reason, she was removed from her throne and her marriage annulled. Although, maybe not the most memorable of Henry VIIIs wives, she certainly had left a mark on history. Anne Boleyn Wife # 2 In 1528, Anne showed real interest in religious reform and may have gave some of her ideas to Henry, and gaining the hatred of some members of the Court. The legal argues about the marriage of Henry and Catherine of Aragon continued on. Anne was no doubt frustrated by the lack of progress. Her famous anger and tongue showed themselves at times in famous arguments between her and Henry for all the court to see. Anne feared that Henry might go back to Catherine if the marriage could not be annulled and Anne would have wasted time that she could have used to make an advantageous marriage. Sometime near the end of 1532, Anne finally gave way and by December she was pregnant. To avoid any questions of the legitimacy of the child, Henry was forced into action. Sometime near St. Pauls Day, Anne and Henry were secretly married. Although the Kings marriage to Catherine was not dissolved, in the Kings mind it had never existed in the first place, so he was free to marry whomever he wanted. On May 23, the Archbishop officially proclaimed that the marriage of Henry and Catherine was invalid. Anne later on recognized that it was urgent that she produce a son. By January of 1534, she was pregnant again, but the child was either miscarried or stillborn. In 1535, she became pregnant again but miscarried by the end of January. The child was reported to have been a boy. The Queen was quite upset, and blamed the miscarriage on her state of mind after hearing that Henry had taken a fall in jousting. She had to have known at this point that her failure to produce a living male heir was a threat to her own life, especially since the Kings fancy for one of her ladies-in-waiting, Jane Seymour, began to grow. Although Anne gave birth to a girl named Elizabeth, she got executed since she could not produce a male heir so he can come after the king. Jane Seymour- Wife # 3 In September 1535, the King stayed at the Seymour family home in Wiltshire, England. It may have been there that the king noticed Jane. Henrys love for Jane was secretly made that no one noticed but until February of 1536. By that point, Jane probably pegged to be in a position such as the one Anne was in as a queen, and that she would love to replace her, while Henrys unconcern in Anne was obvious. Within 24 hours of Anne Boleyns execution, Jane Seymour and Henry VIII were formally betrothed. On the 30th of May, Henry and Jane were married. Jane never had a coronation, unlike Henrys previous two Queens. King Henry was waiting for Jane to prove herself by giving him a son. It was not until early 1537 that Jane became pregnant. During her pregnancy, Janes every whim was indulged by the King Henry was convinced that Jane, whom he felt to be his first true wife, carried his long hoped for son. In October, a prince was born at Hampton Court Palace and was christened on 15th of October. T he baby was named Edward. Mary, daughter of Catherine of Aragon, was godmother and Elizabeth, daughter of Anne Boleyn, also played a role in the ceremony. Jane attended her sons christening, although she was weak. She died on October 24th, just two weeks after her son was born. Anne of Cleves- Wife #4 Henry VIII remained single for more than two years after his beloved, Jane Seymours death. Maybe he was giving some acceptance to the thought that he lost his previous wife, Jane Seymour. Henrys first marriage had been a foreign alliance of sorts, although it is almost certain that the two were truly in love for some time. His next two brides were love matches and Henry could have had little or no monetary or political gain from them. Henry did also want to be sure he was getting a desirable bride, so he had agents in foreign courts report to him on the appearance and other qualities of various candidates. He also sent painters to bring him images of these women. Hans Holbein was sent to the court of the Duke of Cleves, who had two sisters, Amelia and Anne. Holbein painted the sisters of the Duke of Cleves and Henry decided to have a contract drawn up for his marriage to Anne. At the end, Anne was probably smart enough to know that she would only be making trouble for herself if she raised any obstacles to Henrys attempts to annul the marriage. She testified that the match had not been accomplished and that her previous engagement to the son of the Duke of Lorraine had not been properly broken. So at last she got what she wanted, a divorce. Kathryn Howard Wife # 5 Katherine Parr Wife #6 Edward VI Mary I (and know as Bloody Mary) Mary Tudor is the daughter of King Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon, born on February 18, 1516.she was well educated and was able to speak and write in both Latin and French. Moreover she studied theology and history. At age eleven Mary translated a prayer of St Thomas Aquinas from Latin to English and under the tutelage of Katherine Parr learned to translate Erasmuss Paraphrases of the Gospel of ST John from Latin. One of her hobbies is playing music such as the lute and virginals like pro at an early age. After her father annulled his marriage to her mother in 1533 this had a heavy hearted affection on Mary. The child that was loved and adored by both of her parents wound up in hostile arguments with her father. Henry became a hard hearted man towards the daughter he was supposed to love and she felt she had to be her mothers champion and stand up for her mothers rights. Katherine always made it clear to everyone that she felt that she was the real wife of King Henry VIII and that she would not do anything to endanger her daughters and rightful place on the throne. In 1533 her father secret married Anne Boleyn and they soon expected a child. When her half sister Elizabeth was born on September 7th 1533, Marywas proclaimed a bastard and not eligible to inherit the crown. The favor was then passed on to her younger sister. Marys pride was humiliated even further when she was forced to be a lady in waiting to Elizabeth. Anne mistreated Mary and lowered her self esteem by uttering nasty threats at her and even tried to have her own father sentence her to death. Elizabeth Tudor Henrys second wife Anne Boleyn gave birth to a daughter named Elizabeth, born on September 7th 1533. When she was a year old an act of succession was passed in her favor, which made her heir to the throne in place of her older sister Mary. In her young life Elizabeth had a number of governesses one of whom was Lady Margaret Bryan who had to beg Cromwell for night gowns and chemises for the princess once she grew out of them. Clothes that had been ordered by the princesses mother Anne Boleyn. When Elizabeth was four Margaret Bryan was transferred to the household to become governess to Prince Edward. Elizabeth was taughtmathematics, history, geography, architecture, needlework, dancing, riding and deportment. Elizabeth spoke and read Latin, French, Italian, Flemishand Greek. The princess spent most of her child hood in different royal houses in the northern part of London. The first house in Hatfield was a redbrick palace built by Cardinal John Mortor between 1480 and 1497. As a child Elizabeth rarely visited her father at the palace. Henry VIII would send someone to make inquiries about her health and education. When Elizabeth was eight years old her second cousin Katherine Howard was beheaded for committing adultery which brought back the terrifying way in which her mother died. Henry never intentionally expected her education would prepare her to become Queen. Elizabeth was not beautiful, but she was appealing to the eye. She had inherited her fathers red hair and hooked nose. She inherited her long pale face, pointed chin and witty eyes from her mother. Elizabeth was well composed, well mannered and posed certain gravity and was described as a witty and gentile young lady. She was also a strong minded woman and strived to work hard in everything she did.

Angels Essay -- Spirituality Religion Christianity Essays

Angels An angel is a pure spirit created by God. The Old Testament theology included the belief in angels: the name applied to certain spiritual beings or intelligences of heavenly residence, employed by God as the ministers of His will. HISTORY Are Angels ambassadors sent from God to guide us, protect us or bring messages from heaven? The word angel comes from the Greek word "angelos" which means messenger. The Bible says that God has appointed many angels to those who love God and call to Him, "Psalms 91:11 For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways." The bible refers to different types of angels, with varying duties such as ugides, protectors, messengers and angels of the Lord, or as Cherubim, Seraphim, or Archangels, and not to be worshipped for they are "creatures" Col. 2:18; Rev. 19:10; 22:9. The meanings of angels, their appearance and purposes vary throughout history and the world. Artists have given us their visions of angels as winged creatures, usually beautiful figures that are glowing, shining, floating, in human form or as a voice. Saints as well as everyday people tell about being visited by or helped by angels In the bible, angels have appeared as messengers, guides, and healers. They also make up the celestial court. "And I beheld and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the number of them was thousands of thousands." - St. John, the Evangelist. Angels are even recorded in the Koran, "You shall see the angels circling around the throne, giving glory to their Lord". The world's great literature and art tell us about many angel characters - some we're familiar with and some obscure to us now. Yet, the common thread that weaves amongst the legends and the lore is the undeniable influence that angels have had upon nearly every culture and religion known to man Types of Angels There are different types of angels depicted in the bible that have varying degrees of divine missions, different names and descriptions. First of all they are said to be with God Angels are found throughout the Old Testament and also in the New Testament, though less often. Origen, one of the earliest biblical scholars living at the time of the first Century, recognized the notion of Guardian Angels. St. Jerome told us that each of us is given a Guardian Angel a... ...s a legend that Raziel is the author of a great book, 'wherein all celestial and Earthly knowledge is set down.' W hen the angel gave his tome to Adam, some envious angels stole it away and threw it in the ocean. After it had been recovered by the primordial angel/demon of the deep, Rahab, the book passed first to Enoch, who apparently claimed it as his own, then to Noah, who learned how to make his ark from it. Solomon, too, was thought to have possessed the book, which allowed him his unusual knowledge of magic and control over the demons." "The Zohar, the major work of Jewish mysticism, claims that set in the middle of Raziel's book there is secret writing 'explaining the fifteen hundred keys [to the mystery of the world], which were not revealed even to the angels.' Other Jewish mystics report that 'each day the angel Raziel, standing on the mount of Horeb, proclaims the secrets of men to all mankind'." "What we didn't know when we began this book, but what Abigrael, our recording angel, told us later, is that Raziel is its boss." SANDALPHON "The sonorously named angel prince Sandalphon, who some say, Elijah became after his death." Bibliography: www.angels.com

What must be done to protect New Zealand’s wildlife

There is much said about protecting native species all around the world and New Zealand is no exception. In New Zealand we are facing challenges of our own when it comes to protecting and conserving our native species. This challenges range from oil spills to climate change to over-harvesting (in particular whale hunting). It is common reality that more needs to be done to protect our native New Zealand species. And this needs collective effort from each and every one of us to protect our native species-the government, NGOs and citizens. in my essay I will be emphasising on what we can do as individuals to contribute to protecting and conserving the native species and these includes reducing our carbon footprint, considering our lifestyle and lastly speaking out. I will then conclude by emphasising these points. Brief Background Due to its long geological isolation since breaking away from the supercontinent Gondwana about 80 million years ago, New Zealand’s plant and animal life has developed down a unique evolutionary path. Many of our native plants and animals are endemic – that is, found nowhere else in the world. The level of endemism among New Zealand plants and animals is one of the highest in the world. The tuatara, moa, kiwi, kokako, saddleback, huia, kakapo, native frogs and giant carnivorous land snails are just some of the species that are uniquely New Zealand. This isolation in the absence of mammalian predators for millions of years also meant that many of our native species were virtually defenceless against attack – for example, many of our native birds like the kiwi are flightless and nest on the ground. When humans – first Maori and then European settlers – arrived in New Zealand, introduced mammals came with them: rats, possums, stoats, ferrets, weasels, deer, pigs, mice, cats, dogs and others. These introduced species quickly took a heavy toll as they preyed and browsed on New Zealand’s largely defenceless native species, or competed with them. Human activities such as felling and burning vegetation and draining wetlands also destroyed much of the native species’ habitats. Native species such as the moa, huia, and the world’s largest-ever eagle, the Haast’s eagle, the South Island kokako and many others became extinct. Many more, such as the Takahe, the Kakapo and the long-tailed bat were radically reduced in number and remain perilously close to extinction today. Against this backdrop, the protection of our native species becomes ever more urgent. Thus this brings me to my emphasis on what we can do as individuals to protect our native species. Protection of our native species doesn’t only mean big campaigns by organization such as green peace o world wildlife fund. It also concerns us as individuals to contribute in our own small ways in protecting our native species. Unfortunately, we as individuals don’t realise these. Therefore, there are three things that I believe we can do to help in protecting our native species. They are reducing our carbon footprint, considering our lifestyles and last of all speaking out. Reduce our carbon footprint Each and every one of us can help save the planet from runaway climate change. Carbon emissions have been scientifically proven to be one of the main contributors to global warming. And as individuals, we think that releasing of carbon to the atmosphere is mainly done by factories of all sorts without realising that we also contribute to that. Therefore I believe that we have a responsibility to ensure that we minimise this. So this is how it can be done. Ever wondered how much difference your small actions really make? If every New Zealand household took these three simple actions, it could have a big impact. First of all, go car-free one day a week. Transport is a major contributor to New Zealand's emissions (20%). If everyone in New Zealand who currently drives to work were to walk, cycle or take public transport on just one day per week, it would save up to 114,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year (Landcare Research’s carboNZero Programme Dec 2008). Secondly, we must switch our bulbs. If every household swapped their remaining old-style light bulbs for new energy efficient ones, this could save up to 0.6 billion kWh of electricity or 106,800 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year (Landcare Research’s carboNZero Programme in December 2008) Thirdly, we must turn un-needed appliances off at the wall. When not in use things like heated towels rails and appliances on standby account for almost 1 billion kWh of electricity per year or 165,700 tonnes of CO2 equivalent (Landcare Research’s carboNZero Programme in December 2008). If every household simply turned these off, we could make a big saving. So if all of the above actions are taken, it all adds up to us as individually contributing to reducing carbon emissions. According to Landcare research, the combined impact of these actions would be an emissions reduction of 386,500 tonnes CO2 equivalent per year. This is equivalent to over 839,000 car journeys from Kaitaia to Invercargill (Landcare Research’s carboNZero Programme in December 2008). Figures are based on work by Landcare Research’s carboNZero Programme in December 2008 commissioned by WWF-New Zealand. Consider our lifestyle Have we ever wondered how our lifestyles can contribute to carbon emissions which impact on the environment? In our pursuit of pleasure, enjoyment and expensive lifestyle we have become careless-careless in the sense that we are consuming things that we don’t really need. Carbon emissions are created by stuff – the more stuff you buy, use, consume and throw away the more you’re contributing to climate change. Did we ever known that? I guess no. Take a look at what we really need. Can we cut down on anything? By eating meat and animal products our carbon footprint will be higher than on a vege diet. Can we eat less meat? Garbage emits methane – a greenhouse gas – as it breaks down. Can we reduce our waste? Clothes, furniture, electrical goods – everything really – takes resources to produce and contributes to greenhouse gas emissions as it is moved around the planet. Can you buy less stuff and local stuff instead? Or above all consume only stuff that we really need. You can help – Speak out The last thing we can do is speak out. There are petitions made by organizations such as Greenpeace and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to the government. The best we can do to help is to sign up. One such petition is the Forest & Bird’s petition. You can help by signing Forest & Bird's petition to save sea lions. In this petition, WWF is calling on the New Zealand Government to immediately take the following action: 1. Determine the relative importance of the threats facing the sea lions. 2. Revise the Department of Conservations Sea Lion Species Management Plan. – (The revised plan should provide clear, time-bound actions to address the main threats identified in the comparative assessment.) 3. Develop an improved population model to guide sea lion mortality limits. – (The model should address the flaws in the current model and also consider the effect of food competition and epidemics.) 4. Set a precautionary mortality limit for sea lions in the squid fishery. – (This limit should be based on the improved population model and on a conservative assessment of the effectiveness of sea lion exclusion devices.) 5. Set an explicit sea lion mortality limit in the Campbell southern blue whiting fishing. 6. Set precautionary allocations of squid and other southern ocean fish stocks. – (These allocations should be ecologically based and explicitly considers direct and indirect effects of fishing on sea lions.) The numbers of sea lion pups are in freefall – estimates from the Department of Conservation show pup production has halved since 1998. So we can play our part by signing the petition. Conclusion To conclude, we must know that protecting native New Zealand species does not concern only the government or organizations such as WWF. It also concerns us as individuals to contribute in our own small ways. We need a collective effort to protect New Zealand’s native species.