Coming of Age in Mississippi Essay

â€Å"No one’s life is a smooth sail; we all come into stormy weather.† This statement has more truth to it than one may think. In life, everybody reaches a rough point, a point where the light at the end of the tunnel seems dim, or even nonexistent. But overcoming this adversity is what builds character. Accepting and prevailing over life’s obstacles are what separate strong, independent-minded and forward-thinking people from those who give up and avoid their problems. Anne Moody, author of Coming of Age in Mississippi, lived a life of great struggle in which she overcame adversity with great efforts and a dedicated heart and mind. As an African-American female, Anne Moody had one of the hardest battles to fight throughout her life. With limited rights as a woman and even further limitations due to race, she often found herself being subordinated by others. While in high school, she left her hometown of Centreville, Mississippi to spend the summer in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. While there, she worked for a local woman, Mrs. Jetson, doing housework. After working for Mrs. Jetson for two weeks, Anne wished to collect her pay. When Anne found Mrs. Jetson’s house empty, she recalled â€Å"On Monday I did call the shoe store, and was told Mrs. Jetson had quit on Friday. I had never before felt so gypped in all my life. Out of all the women I had worked for this woman was the worst† (Moody 150). Anne had been cheated out of two weeks’ worth of pay. She was astonished at Mrs. Jetson’s audacity in failing to pay Anne what was rightfully hers. It was difficult to find jobs where she was treated with some dignity, and almost impossible to find ones where she was treated as her employer’s equal. Anne was forced to change jobs frequently on account of being disrespected and used. Although no scamming experience was as impactful on Anne as the one with Mrs. Jetson, Anne experienced similar situations in jobs she had prior and jobs she took afterward. The summer after being in Baton Rouge, Anne went back to Louisiana; this time she stayed in New Orleans. There, she managed to land a job in a chicken factory. What she expected to be a large, intricate, and somewhat clean workplace turned out to be a dreadful nightmare. To her shock, she found herself gutting freshly killed chickens for over ten hours a day  without gloves or proper sanitation whatsoever. Near the end of the day, Anne recollected her â€Å"face, arms, and clothes were splattered with blood and chicken shit. I got so disgusted at one point that I stood there and let about a dozen chickens half full of shit pass me by† (Moody 178). Along with the other factory workers, Anne is treated with the utmost disregard to dignity and sanitation. She is forced to work excruciatingly long hours for minimum wage, exposed to grotesque dead animals and susceptible to disease. Unfortunately, because the pay was better than most other jobs in the area, Anne was forced to stick with her factory work. She worked in the factory for a month, saving her money and gaining exposure to the various stations in the factory. Although she did make very good money under the circumstances, she was deeply affected by her work; for years she could not eat chicken and for the rest of her life she refused to eat boxed chicken. The challenge of going to work every morning knowing what she was going to endure was tough, but her willpower and need for money helped her push through. After high school, Anne applied to and attended Natchez College in Mississippi. During her second year, she was eating in the cafeteria on campus when she and a few other classmates found maggots in their food. Disgusted, she and her classmates stormed into the kitchen to find an explanation for the repulsive experience. She â€Å"knew exactly where the grits were kept from the time I had worked in the kitchen. I went straight to the pantry and saw that there was a big leak from the showers upstairs. The water was seeping right down onto the shelves† (Moody 256). Anne and her classmates boycotted the campus cafeteria and its food, refusing to yield until some sanitary fixes were implemented. The challenge here was finding other ways to stay fed. The students did not have enough money to last them more than a week or so, so eventually they all started back, one by one, to the cafeteria and its semi-sanitary food. Still repulsed, Anne refused to go back and began losing a lot of weight. She became so thin and hungry all the time that she resorted to writing her mother who brought her enough canned food to last the remainder of the semester. The challenge in staying fed with healthy, sanitary food was one which presented itself on a large scale for Anne at college and otherwise. Had she been unable to obtain food from  her family, she may have starved to the point of fainting or even death. Overcoming this challenge was just about a matter of life or death for Anne. One of Anne’s most prominent memories and experiences in her early life was during her college career when she participated in a sit-in in Woolworth. The idea of the sit-in was to sit calmly at a white lunch counter and ask for service; thus, blacks wanted to show they wished to be treated equally. Of course, doing such a thing drew a lot of attention in very little time, and soon after the sit-in began a large crowd formed in the restaurant. After the crowd of whites realized Anne and her fellow sit-in participants would not budge until they received service, â€Å"the mob started smearing us [sit-in participants] with ketchup, mustard, sugar, pies, and everything on the counter. Soon Joan and I were joined by John Salter, but the moment he sat down he was hit on the jaw with what appeared to be brass knuckles. Blood gushed from his face and someone threw salt into the open wound† (Moody 291). The violence that occurred at the sit-in that Anne and her friends had to endure is almost unimaginable. The absolute disrespect, degradation, and cruelty shown to blacks by whites is virtually unbelievable, yet Anne was faced with challenges like these almost every day. Amazingly, Anne was courageous, intelligent, and controlled enough not to fight back and to remain nonviolent no matter what violence was shown to her. Her ability to not fight fire with fire is remarkable, and helped her to overcome the adversity which she so often found herself facing.

History of Psychology and concepts of human nature Essay

Since the beginning of the human civilization, there have been continuous efforts to explore the various complexities confounded in the human nature by our various philosophers. They have tried to bring out the various notions like fusion, interactions, integration or systems in relation to their environment and society. The study of the human nature began with various theories formulated by our classical economists like Sophists, and their contemporaries Socrates and Plato and then Aristotle. But before that, Thabes of Miletus of Greek (600 BC) studied the nature of Universe to predict solar eclipse. It is ardently clear that before the philosophical disposition towards the study of human beings started, philosophers were more delving into the mysteries of nature. Sophists were the first to fully formulate the study of human nature. Between 430 to 420, Antiphone in his essay â€Å"On Truth†, said that all men belong to human race, they are all fixed and in nature, they are all same whether they are non Hellenes or Hellenes. Other Sophists too described human nature as a â€Å"static essence†. (Reinhold 2002) They developed their concept while explaining their self -interestedness as the main essence of their human nature. Hippias too stated that, â€Å"it is human nature for the stronger to rule the weaker and to lead, and for the weaker to submit and follow†. (Reinhold 2002) Plato disagreed with this and stated that this law did not take into consideration the law for creation of humans, which they called nomos. He also always criticized relativism of knowledge and skepticism of Sophists. For Sophists, nothing existed and if there was something then, it was impossible for us to know it and if we knew it, we could not explain it. Plato explaining Sophists believed that â€Å"Man is the measure of all things, of those that are in so far as they are, and those that are not in so far as they are†. (Dillon 2003) He also did not agree on their conception of self-interestedness. He said that by understanding the man as self interested, Sophists had undermined morality, which is as much part of the human endeavors. All knowledge is based on contingent facts based on specific situation. Plato saw man’s nature as rational and civilized society must follow rational principles. Plato and Socrates both said that irrational desire should not over power reason. Following on the steps of Plato and Socrates, Aristotle too believed human as possession of two souls: the philosophical/ theoretical and the rational. Aristotle further stated that human nature could be divided into two parts: firstly â€Å"drives† and secondly â€Å"capacities†. (Leahy 2000) Human Nature cannot be defined as a nature of one person but for all human races on this Earth. There are some elements in human behavior which are common to all human beings, and by closely observing the actions of the people, one can see the reflection of this combined element of human behavior. Many philosophers consider this human nature as consisting of element which they called ‘power’ and it is this power that makes the humans behave in a way they ought to behave. For e. g. All human beings eat and it is hunger that induces humans to eat therefore hunger is a power and is common behavior in all human beings. There are two types of Powers- basic and secondary, for instance aggressive power is a basic power in humans, which might lead to aggressive conduct in normal situations. All living things Aristotle said are imbibed with inbuilt potentialities and it is natural among human beings to develop that potentialities to the full and from here arises the another question: what, however, is the potentiality of human beings? And the obvious answer to this question is the capacity to reason and to always strive to develop their power of reason is the ultimate aim of humans. The ability to reason is the best capacity and the power given to humans by nature and they should use it to the full capacity to make their life better. This power of reasoning enables humans to grasp their world around and this reasoning power starts with the children at young age. From the young age, they see in their behavior both the stability and change. Stability in the sense that they adopt themselves according to their environment yet see themselves modifying the environment and their behavior on the basis of their reasoning power which allows them to grow morally and physically. As compared to it, Jean Piaget of Switzerland born in 1896 studied the cognitive development of children in his what is known as Piaget’s theory to come up with the conclusion that children are not less intelligent than elders are. Children establish around themselves cognitive structures like mental maps, schemes, or networked concepts to better understand and reciprocate to his physical surroundings. With their most established inherent abilities, they try to modify themselves with their environment. But centuries later Freud contradicted this theory into notion that development takes place in the individual in the same way as in the other species like psychosexual changes in biological terms. Thomas Hobbes had been adequately presumed as most intricate materialistic philosopher who disbelieved in the concept that children are adoptable naturally to their surroundings. He believed that human beings are not free and they have to follow the pattern of this materialistic world of today. In Levathian in 1651, he said that, â€Å"Man is not naturally good but naturally a selfish hedonist —of the voluntary acts of every man, the object is some good to himself. † (Fonseca Online) All human beings are inherently selfish. Rene Descartes was a French philosopher and a mathematician (1596 to 1650) who delivered his voice on human nature when Renaissance was at its peak. He was the father of modern philosophy and believed that the essence of human nature lies in thought process and all things that we see or perceive are ultimately true. He had an ardent belief that it is the human reason or the power of reasoning that induces humans to entertain the certain knowledge and truth. Thomas Hobbes discovered the human nature more from his philosophical eyes and through his study on child development whereas Rene Descartes adopted scientific approach. As compared to Thomas, Descartes believed that truth could only be discovered through the process called as radical skepticism and analytical reasoning. He further said that the â€Å"Essence of human nature lies in thought, and that all the things we conceive clearly and distinctly are true. † (Cottingham 1986) Centuries later Karl Marx conveyed the society having a concrete definite pattern with a social formation, but with an interdependent economic, political, legal and cultural levels with several parts of modes of production and it is the relationship between these different modes of production that runs the society. Both Thomas and Karl Marx believed the nature and human behavior surrounding the concept of materialist wealth. During the Renaissance period, the scientific and technological developments lured the intricate selfish nature of human beings with the abundance of materialistic wealth at their disposal. Human behavior is not fixed but fluctuating and since centuries human beings have been cultivating their behavior according to the changes in the society and in the global world. Man is a social animal and it is ultimately the interaction between the man and his economical, social and political position on which his behavior depends. All the theories and studies on the human nature since the Greek time had been adopted and materialized looking at the adaptive nature of man to its surroundings and in the society in which he or she is living. Whether it is Sophists visualization of man as static personalities or Plato’s concept of man as rational or civilized or Aristotle’s man with great inherent capabilities, or Thomas Hobbes’s conception of man as selfish hedonistic or Descartes rational man and Karl Marx’s man as inherently and inborn social animal interdependent on society, all philosophers were the mouth pieces of their contemporary societies. And the study of the human nature has always been the study of society at large in context to the study of their relationships with their surroundings.

A Little Bit of Truth Essay Essay Example for Free

A Little Bit of Truth Essay Essay ? For a week, six days in a row I went snowboarding. It was then that I thought where did the snow come from. At first I thought of â€Å"god† but of course there were no gods there are only spirits! So later on that day I thought of a weird and crazy Native American story. It had a little bit of truth with some personifications and a weird and crazy reason for why things were. So this is it. When the world was created the sheep said to their mother cow, â€Å"Why is there always rain we want something warmer†? The big, fat, and ugly mother cow snorted with her big partly abomination snout. Then she spoke with her vampire teeth that scared everyone including her (when she looked in the mirror). â€Å"You want something other than my humble and awesome rain†? she paused for a second thinking about her next statement, and then she finally said â€Å"OK I’ll give you snow† and now this is why sheep love snow. But this isn’t the end, yet there is more to come. Instead of being really mean the mother cow didn’t just punish her kid sheep, she created a short summer and fall and spring this was only because inside she had a pigs heart including the cows heart and that is why the snow melts and arrives. My theory is very reasonable and that is why you should believe in this also the wind god told me this while I was on the mountain. In conclusion my theory has truth and the wind got told me I wasn’t crazy, so you have to believe. A Little Bit of Truth Essay. (2016, Dec 09).

Battle of kings mountain narrative Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Battle of kings mountain narrative - Essay Example After overpowering the revolutionary army and Major General Gates on September 1780 at Camden, Major General Lord Cornwallis proceeded towards north to invade Virginia and North Carolina. An outpost towards the British army’s West was occupied by Major Ferguson. The Tories succeeded in plundering the Whigs. Ferguson was known for his ferocity against the mutineers. The Whigs gathered in the West of Virginia and Carolina. For support, Ferguson sent on to Cornwallis. The Whigs attacked Ferguson and his army on 7 October 1780 on the King’s Mountain and won the Battle within an hour (Hammett). In the Battle of King’s Mountain, 300 Tories were killed and wounded and another 700 were imprisoned by the Whigs. 90 Whigs were killed in the Battle. The success of the Whigs caused Cornwallis to abandon the intention of invading North Carolina. The Battle of King’s Mountain was fought between Americans except for only one British man that was Major

Capstone Project Summary Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Capstone Project Summary - Coursework Example It allows them to share their work and ideas and access the wiki from anywhere. This allowed me to do my work even when at home. With ideas being shared and visible publicly, PBWiki allowed me to gather feedback on them and further improve. It is an easy to use tool, which can be used by students like us to post our work online as well (such as assignments). This idea is not only limited to classrooms but can also be used as a great tool for collaboration between teams, whatever their work and wherever they may exist. This is of the most useful tools that I learnt. It enables the user to combine pictures, words, symbols and various objects into a meaningful illustration for doing their work. Snagit is a great computer screenshot application which allowed capturing screenshots and customizing them using the powerful Snagit Editor. Moreover, image sharing is also easy using Snagit, where the images could be uploaded on screencast.com, directly. The third tool that I learnt is Camtasia which is also made by Snagit’s publisher, TechSmith. This tool is a video capture program and makes it easy for non-technical people to create training videos for presentation (TechSmith). It enables the user to define any area of the screen to be captured and the recording can be done. Once the video has been captured, it can be edited and in different parts. A voice over can also be given by the user for making illustrative videos which can be saved MPEG formats recognized by most computers. This tool designed to make the life easier of people who intend to develop a website (UWIT). It makes it possible for non-coders to create their own websites which can be easily viewed using local web browsers. One of Dreamweaver’s modes can also hide the HTML code details from the user, which further reduces the complexity of web development. During my study, I used Dreamweaver to create my own web pages easily and with great built-in features. The

Lower Limb Prosthetics Evolution Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Lower Limb Prosthetics Evolution - Article Example Presently, there has been the use of Carbon fiber springs in the prostheses that allows improved shock absorption and mobility without increasing any weight. Additionally, the carbon fiber have allowed active amputees to wear limbs that can help in the absorption of two to four times their total body weight. In 2004, the esteemed international event aided the drive of development of lighter and more functional devices such as the gait-adaptive knee and an artificial limb that can be modified for its users2. There has been the advancement of the technology today where scientists and developed with the advent of microprocessors, robotics and computer chips have allowed amputees to get back to their accustomed lifestyle. United States., United States., & United States. (1984). Journal of rehabilitation research and development. Washington, D.C: Veterans Administration, Dept. of Medicine and Surgery, Rehabilitation R & D

Capital Punishment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Capital Punishment - Essay Example Capital Punishment Whatever crime the person has committed, killing should be considered as the last result. He further argues that communal policy should respect the value of human life. When administering a severe sentence on someone, caution must be taken to avoid any error. This is because if flaws occurs which result to guiltless person falling victim, the situation cannot be reversed and this will be injustice to a guiltless person. He adds that different punishments should be administered for different offenses, and that slighter penalties should be considered where the situation warrants. However, there is always a dilemma in deciding the best penalty for specific offense. According to Bedau (424), the law offers protection to people responding to threat on their lives or protecting the lives of other people. In such situations, the person responding to a threat is considered guiltless even if he or she hurt the attacker. He says that there is no evidence whatsoever that the attacker would real ly cause any harm to anybody. He argues that the law should take into consideration the all the means which were at respondent’s disposal to avoid the attack. For example they should run away from the threats instead of counterattacking the person frightening them. By escaping, they would have avoided trouble with anybody and they could not hurt anyone.However, when they respond by attacking the person who was threatening their survival, they result to similar incidence of assault or murder before the law. After all there was no surety that they would really be attacked or injured, therefore, the fact that someone was threatening to assault them is not enough reason for committing a crime. Finally he argues that there is probability that even if they were assaulted, the magnitude of this assault would be less severe that the one they caused by counterattacking the other person. There should be no exercise of unnecessary power for personal protection. According to Bedau (428) capital punishment lack fairness from the manner in which it is executed. For example, if a person murdered another one and is taken to court, the execution of his death may be more lenient that which he or she committed. This may be the case if for example the penalty is executed through electrocution. This form of death may be more tolerable than killing by strangling or any other method which the criminal may have used. Also in some place like United States of America, substantial racism prevails because black Americans are likely to be killed compared to white counterparts even if they committed similar offense. This implies that the actual meaning of punishing the crime is not achieved due to failure to follow the right channel of charging for the crime (Newsweek, 0209). In addition, suspects of crimes are taken before the authority and legal processes followed to decide the case. This may take several months or year before it comes to completion. Even after the bench ruling th at the criminal will be hanged; the process may take some time. This will end up causing additional pain to the guilty person which was not the case with the victim of murder. This implies unfairness in execution on death penalty because delayed justice is justice denied. According to Haag (365) the law mandates police, judges and other parties

Reasons Why Free Trade Has a Negative Impact on a Country's Economy Research Paper

Reasons Why Free Trade Has a Negative Impact on a Country's Economy - Research Paper Example Sadly, their effort to make the country open to goods from other countries and the desire to lower tariffs on items sold by America in the market of other nations backfired big time on the U.S. economy. Rather than raising the standards of international manufacture and creating a most conducive international business market, the cheap products that flooded the market were of inferior quality and did nothing to help ease the high tariffs that was pegged onto U.S. goods by the other nations in the free trade zone. In effect, by opening up America to goods from other nations, most of which are imitation items that pass themselves off as Class A goods, the political and economic leaders of the country themselves helped crash the American economy. There are a number of reasons as to why the citizens of America may wish to buy foreign made goods. It could be that there is a demand for the item which is not manufactured in America. Or maybe the item cost is much lower if they purchase one t hat is not American made. Whatever the reason, a market exists for Americans who prefer to buy foreign made goods. ... The reason that the American economy has managed to survive all the years prior to the advent of free trade was really quite simple. The money was spent within American shores and thus helped move the economy along through taxes collected and the salary of the people working in the field of manufacture. The demand for goods and services actually spurred the economy by creating jobs and balancing both the local and national government budgets. But the U.S. is currently experiencing a massive trade imbalance that has resulted in a lop sided economy and has forced America to compete in a massive free trade scale. The competition is heating up and it seems like the United States is not equipped to compete at such a level. The country fails to compete because Americans have lost sight of what is truly important in a global economy, the survival of one's own economy. Instead, American corporations have resorted to off shore manufacturing in an effort to compete in the free trade market. Sa dly, a U.S. brand not made in the United States is a totally different item or level of service when compared with a U.S. brand created and maintained within the borders of the United States. American workers are considered a liability in today's free-trade market because of the high cost of labor that they demand. It is because of these over pampered work force that factories and support systems have been moved to countries where people can manage to survive on a dollar a day. It is more appealing to the owners of companies to pay slave labor wages rather than give in to the exorbitant cost of manufacturing goods and creating support systems for their company within the United States. (Snyder, Michael â€Å"55 Reasons Why

Control Mechanisms Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Control Mechanisms Paper - Essay Example Positive reactions accelerate the productivity of organizations. Positive reactions comprise of an increase in motivation among a company’s workforce, an addition in innovation and invention among employees, instill beliefs and values that build the company and an increase in output among others. (Conway, Andrew 42) On the hand, negative reactions are meant to decrease the output of an organization (Scott, John, 1971). The reduction is usually a previous level of productivity that might have been offset and increased to add the productivity of a company. The reduction in output decisions arise when a company’s productivity goes out of hand and becomes difficult to manage. Negative interpretation of a control mechanism by employees may be perceived as lack of independence. Negative control mechanisms that isolate some employees from others may demotivate the employees neglected by the mechanism. For example, a mechanism that separates subordinate staff from the senior staff may demoralize the subordinates and result to low productivity (Scott 21). Negative reactions are contrary to the positive ones as they decrease productivity of a company. Along with a decrease in productivity is a fall in motivation among employees and decrease levels of innovation. Set objectives of a company may als o have to be

Managing financial resources and development editing Essay

Managing financial resources and development editing - Essay Example The company can also increase or improve on its sales so that however much the payments are, the receipts will still be more in order to for the company to meet its current liabilities Net Present Value is the difference between the present value of the cash inflows and the present value of the net outflows. Project cash flows are discounted using an appropriate rate, which is the minimum rate of return required by the investor. In the case of these two projects; Alpha and Beta projects, the discounting rate is 10% which is used to calculate the discounting factors with the formula 1/(1 + r)n where r is the discounting rate and n is the number of years. The appropriate cash flows are the after tax cash flows, therefore the net cash flows should be estimated on the after tax basis. However, in these projects, there was no tax involved and no project had a residual value after the completion period of 5 years. Computation of cash flows requires a special treatment of non-cash expenses such as depreciation though in these projects, there is no depreciation considered. However, in case of depreciation, it has an indirect effect on the cash flow since it is a tax deduc tion expense. The general criteria for Net Present Value is that the project with a negative net present value should be undertaken since it increases the wealth of the shareholders and a project with a negative net present value should not be undertaken since it reduces the wealth of the shareholders. In a case where the manager is faced with several projects and would like to choose one to implement, then the net present values of all the projects will be calculated and compared. The project with the highest net present value should be preferred to the others with low net present value. Considering these two projects: the project Alpha and project Beta, both the projects will last for 5 years and will have a discounting rate of

Experiecing Cosmetology Essay Example for Free

Experiecing Cosmetology Essay Cosmetology is fun and It’s a great way to express your creativity. There are so many styles and ways to do things in cosmetology. I’ve always loved to do hair and make-up, I like to do a lot of experiments and that’s why cosmetology is so interesting to me. These past couple weeks I’ve learned so much about cosmetology. I had the chance to meet so many talented people. I’ve also had the chance to go to places that are known for their awesome work. I’ve even experienced the life before becoming a cosmetologist. Its been a great life changing experience and I’ve learned so much from it. Make-up is one of my favorite things to do. I thought I knew so much about make-up but the truth is that I didn’t. There are so many things to learn about make-up. When I was at M. A. C Cosmetics in the Lehigh Valley Mall I learned so many new things. I even learned about what to do when the make-up is off your face. When a girl is using make up she should constantly be taking care of her face. She should be cleansing her face everyday twice a day, day and night. There are cleansers for different skin types. Milk or cream cleanser is for dry skin and a foam or gel cleanser is for oily skin. She should also tone her face, toners refresh, hydrate, and soften the skin. Toners should also be used twice a day everyday; after cleansing and before moisturizing. Moisturizing should also be done; oil free moisturizer is for oily skin and richly emollient cream is for dry skin. Moisturizer should have UVA and UVB protection. Exfoliating is also another thing to do after make-up is off the face. Exfoliating scrubs helps smooth the skins surface. Last but not least, masking; masking soothes the skin and draws out all of impurities that have been deep in skin. It should be applied at least once a week. Now the fun part is putting on the make-up. Its fun but it also has to be done right if you want to look good. When using make-up the right shade of foundation needs to be used. There are three types of shades; fair, medium, and dark. When in process of choosing the right shade the client should start with two or three different shades that are close to skin tone. Apply a little bit of each shade on the cheek and start blending each one. The one that seems to disappear is the right shade. To apply the foundation the right way a dot needs to be applied on the forehead, nose, and both cheeks. Start blending downward and outward with fingertips, make-up sponge, or foundation brush. The downward motion prevents build up of make-up under fine facial hairs. There also a lot of different foundation types. We have sheer which provides light, transparent coverage. There’s also medium coverage which provides semi-sheer coverage; and last we have full coverage which provides opaque color and a great finish. The eyes are always the attention grabber when it comes to make-up. The magic behind eye make-up is so cool. To begin with concealer is needed to even out the shades. Concealer is also good to keep eye make up from smeering. To apply concealer its needed to start at the bridge of nose, under the eyes, and on the eye lids. Concealer is applied with a concealer brush. Another good thing to do is to apply concealer on the trouble spots so that they are less noticeable. There are also many different concealer types. There’s cream to powder concealer which provides medium-full coverage and a creamy finish. Theres the liquid concealer with a sheer coverage and a light finish. Finally, there’s cream concealer which gives full coverage and a dewy finish. The powder is the next step. Powder is applied with a brush across the forehead and down the bridge of nose. The brush is used in downward motion along the sides of the face to avoid buildup under the fine facial hairs. Then there’s the blush which is like the same process but gives a nicer color. Blush is applied on the apple of the cheek and outward towards the hairline. There are also a lot of different blush types. We have the cream, the powder, and the liquid stains. The powder is good for oily skin, the cream is good for dry skin, and the liquid stains are good for all skin types. Shadow casting to me is the best part because all the colors are available and this where creativity comes to use. There are so many styles possible when it comes to shadow casting but they have to be done right. First, start by taking a large shadow brush and sweep light color over the whole lid; it brightens the area. Then use a medium to dark color on the crease; starting at the outter corner and working inward. It turns out to look beautiful. Then the eyeliner comes in to make the eyes pop out even more. There are so many different ones to use. There’s liquid, to crayon, to pencil, its just so great how there’s so much variety. The one that fits the face best is the one to choose. Then after the eyeliner comes the finishing touch which is mascara. It makes the eyes look so fabulous! The way to get the best curls is by using a lash curler before applying the mascara on the lashes. The lips always make a statement and the one that goes best with lips is the right one. If a girl has big luscious lips and she’s going for a casual look its not a good idea to use a bright vibrant color. She’s better off going with something light. If her lips are small she can use a bright color to make them a little more live. She can have gloss which provides a great shine. The sheer tints go more for a natural look. The mattes are more a flat and opaque finish. I’ve learned so much with this experience and I even got to interview a real make-up artist! Her name was Kim Clouser, she showed me so many things. She’s actually a make-up artist for Clinique. Kim actually didn’t got to school to learn to be a make-up artist she just learned through on-sight training. Kim loves her career as a make-up artist. When I asked her if she loved her career as a make up artist she clearly stated, †yes, nothing better than making a woman feel beautiful. † I felt so inspired when I was interviewing her because she seemed liked she really loved what she did. Kim actually decided she wanted to pursue this career when she was in her â€Å"teenage years†. In her opinion she says that â€Å"M. A. C Cosmetics† is the best make-up. At M. A. C you can find the best quality make-up to feel beautiful! I use it myself and it’s the best I’ve ever used. Through my experienced I’ve also learned a lot about hair. I love doing hair but not as much as doing make up, because with hair you really have to be careful with what is being done. With hair a hair stylist is working with chemicals and irons and she really has to be good at what she does. I got the chance to spend a little time at empire beauty school and at a salon. Through my experience I learned how to wash hair. Washing hair is actually cool because it feels good on the person you’re washing it. Professional shampoo and conditioner has to be used. The hair has to be washed at least three times and it needs a good treatment as well. Then afterwards the rollers should be put in the hair. Putting rollers in is actually pretty complicated. Its not as easy as it looks. The hair has to be parted in different sections and they have to be even. It must be done with a small comb. Then when the rollers are done the customer needs to be in the hair dryer for at least 45 minutes. Afterwards the hair needs to be blow dried. I love the blow drying part because that’s when the end results start showing up. Blow drying is tricky; the Hair Stylist needs to know how to hold the hair blower and the brush at the same time! She also needs to know how to move the brush and what type of brush to use depending on the length and type of hair she’s blow drying. After that’s done she gets to straighten or curl the hair depending on what style. If curling the hair she uses a curling iron. That’s the tricky one because she needs to know what curls to do and how to hold the iron. Straightening is the easiest part. With curling she needs to know how to do convex curls and concave curls. Convex curls give a lot of volume and it lifts the curls. Concave on the other hand creates a hollow flat design. My favorite ones are the convex curls they’re so full of volume! I also had the chance to interview a hairstylist her name was Alexandra Pontoski. When I asked her if she loved her career she shouted† I love my career!! †. She was â€Å"21† when she decided that doing hair was what she wanted to do. In her opinion â€Å"Sebastian† hair products are the best because â€Å"it’s the brand that she was trained with†. Alexandra went to â€Å"Metro Beauty School† to learn how to become a hair dresser. Alexandra really loves her career and she’s planning on staying in the field for a long time. My experience has been great! I’ve met wonderful people who are passionate about what they do. I am so grateful that I got to meet all of those wonderful people and that I learned so much from them and that I got the chance to hang with them for a little. They took they’re time and dedicated themselves to helping me with this project. I really didn’t like the hair part because its so complicated. The make-up was my favorite and I’ve always loved to do other girls make-up. Like Kim said â€Å" nothing better than making a woman feel beautiful† that’s how I see it too! To me this is a life changing experience its something that I can look back at and tell my children and grandchildren about. I got to live one of my dreams for a little.

Developing management skills by David A Whetten Circumstances

Developing management skills by David A Whetten Circumstances Sitting at a corner table bathed in sunshine, I was enjoying reading the textbook Developing Management Skills written by David A. Whetten Kim S. Cameron. The cafe pub was not so busy at noontime. Unconscious distraction to the conversation at the adjacent table immersed me deeply in self-reflection. That was a conversation between a superior and his three subordinates, an usual coffee talk as I offered to my subordinates countless times in the past years, but now, an unusual talk as I concepted not a talk scene but a show of many vivid strategies and skills in practice. Easily and also unconsciously in my mind, things underlying the talk-show surfaced, coaching, counseling, motivation, reciprocity, reasoning, gaining power and influence, managing conflict, etc. Its amazing suddenly I felt. Why? There are something very different happened in me I know. Such feelings recalled me a piece of story from Chuang Tzu-Cook Ting Slicing Up An Oxen. Highly praised by Lord Wenhui for his superb performance, the Master butcher mentioned that, when he first began cutting up oxen, he could see nothing but the whole ox, but after three years, he no longer saw a whole ox. Now, reviewing my past six years working experience as well as management practice, on the basis of the systematic learning of the theories of management organizational behavior, I can see no whole images from my prospective, but more clearly the underlying driving forces of fragments formulated the whole story. In 2004, after graduated from the Southwest University of Political Science and Law, I became a wilder job hunter among millions of undergraduate in the HR market. Clearly I remembered that on the date of October 10, 2004, I stepped into this company named Teamhead Marine Surveyors Co., Ltd, and then stuck to the company (never think about jump-out) until taking the Bimba education here. Like watching a baby grow up day by day, during these six years, I have gone through her expansion from a group with 3 members only to a medium-sized survey company with over 20 staffs in the head office and three branch offices in Dalian, Shanghai and Huangpu, her development from the inception to the No.1 independent marine survey company in Tianjin Port, her metamorphosis from a merely self-employed to a normal company with her management system approved and certified by DNV ISO9000. Concurrently with the growing of our company, I have also experienced a remarkable period of my career life, promoting through the rank of an assistant and surveyor to the Deputy Manager of this team. In retrospect the beginning of my career, considering my lacking of maritime background, and also for attaining a better understanding about marine survey, I gave up all my Sundays and holidays for studying marine books and going through hundreds of veteran surveyors survey reports. From the second month of my join-in, I can manage my job as an assistant without making many mistakes. And as a reward for my quick integration to the marine survey society, my boss recognized and contracted me as a formal employee from the third month. In the following days, when there short of hands, I took another role as a rare female surveyor who burst into a mans field, examing the quality of steel tubes, bars and slabs in rural mills, participating in cargo dimension survey (climbing up and down for t he figures in the quayside yards), and fighting with stevedores for dunnage and cargo securing during stuffing operation to containers. I am not a genius. But in those processes, my spirit of perseverance, outstanding abilities, industrious efforts and continuously emerging ideas on improvements in work finally won me the trust of my boss, the respect of my colleagues and the approval of our clients. In 2007, I was promoted to the position of Deputy Manager of this company, with full responsibility for routine survey organization and supervision. However, a person with strong working abilities doesnt mean that he or she can perform management very well. In my understanding, management consists of only two parts, managing business and, managing men. I am good at managing business (narrow meaning), but really awkward at managing humans, those employees younger or older than me, those colleague graduates, Captains or Chief Mates with years of marine experience, and even those under-educated foremen or stevedores from ports. What confronted with me was a real harsh dilemma situation. On the one hand, I want to implement strictly the survey regulations on procedures and standards and ultimately to improve our service standard to clients; however on the another, the really challengeable complex employee composition for me a green-hand manager to cope with. Very soon all my disadvantage as of lacking experience in management exposed. Earthquake is a nightmare. Almost at the same time when the 2008 Earthquake happened, our company experienced our own Earthquake, which triggered by the intensification of accumulated contradictions and divergences to conflicts between I (as a manager) and majority subordinates. Deeply involved in the battle, I faced with a situation wholly out of my control. Then for solving the conflict, our boss stood out and, had to think about making a very difficult decision, actually focusing on whether to retain my position and let those dissenters go or otherwise. My boss choose the FORE option, though bearing a clear mind on foreseeable hardships the company would suffer immediately, from the extensive turnover. The only chance I appreciated throughout my life it would be. Valuing the chance and appreciating my bosss trust and efforts on cultivating me to be a good manager, I started to reflect on my doings of the past years and, try to implement improvements incrementally. Since then, simultaneously with my progress and gradual maturity in management, all atmospheres in our company renewed. Following my leadership, all my subordinates unitize harmoniously and contribute their best efforts to provide international recognized highest standard of service to our clients. Though unavoidably being impacted by the Global Economy Recession, our company still runs steadily with zero layoff and zero clients loss. With the guidance of theories I learnt from the Managing Organizational Behavior class, and marking our companys Earthquake as a watershed, hereinafter I would like to progress and deepen the refection on my personal management development. From Self-boast to Self-diagnosis To be honest, before attending this class, I am very boasted of past performance (exactly management performance after the company earthquake) and even self-definite to be already a good manager, being right person doing right things and in right ways, though most often being humble and modest in appearance. However, after finishing the first on-line Diagnostic Survey-Personal Assessment of Management Skills (PAMS), as well as comparing the result with the reports from the PAMS Associates (two previous assistants invited for the survey) and with those of a national norm group, I blushed actually at the first glimpse of the ratings that far behind my expectations. Score Categories Your Maximum Norm Group Norm Group Scores Points Comparison Mean Self-assessment 405 510 Second Quartile (395-424) 394.6 Associate I 413 510 Second Quartile (395-421) 394.6 Associate 2 447 510 Top Quartile (422 or above) 394.6 Skill Area Your Rater1 Rater2 Norm Score Score Score Group Developing Self Awareness 26 24 28 24 Managing Stress 28 29 31 26 #Solving Problems Creatively 62 58 59 53 *Communicating Supportively 39 44 50 41 Gaining Power and Influence 38 40 40 38 *Motivating Others 41 42 43 42 Managing Conflict 44 45 49 44 Empowering and Delegating 44 45 52 43 *Building Effective Teams and Teamwork 46 48 53 47 Leading Positive Change 37 38 42 37 Comparing my score against the maximum possible (510), I am in the second quartile only, not as outstanding as I thought should be in the top quartile and, there exists a WIDE gap between my rating to the maximum. Compared to a norm group of approximately 5,000 business school students, majority of my skills rate just NORMAL, even with skills for Communicating Supportively, Motivating Others and Building Effective rated BELOW the average performance. And, comparison between self-assessment and Associates version exposes obviously the difference on rating my skill for Solving Problems Creatively. In general, the most impressive, and also valuable lessons from the starting class are that, my realization of the fact that I am NOT AS EXCELLENT AS I thought to be; so be REALISTIC and MODEST; do careful diagnosis on my management practice as to identify skill strengths and weaknesses for further self-improvement and perfection. And, for carrying out the diagnosis as well as therapy work effectively, I tailored myself a reflection method and named it Match Patch. Match refers to basing on my past experience, match my behavior with what I have learnt from this class, to analysis definitely my behavior, its nature, causes as well as outcomes. And stepping further, apply the guidelines of strategies and skills to plan and implement a Patch necessary, filling the gaps identified out, and to enhance a successful career in management. Diagnosis and Reflection on Personal Skills Developing Self-Awareness Diagnostic Surveys for Scale Self-Awareness PRE Self-Awareness Scores Category My score Maximum Score Norm Group Comparison Norm Group Mean Total Score 53 66 I am in the second quartile 52.20 Skill Set Score Norm Group Mean Self-disclosure and openness to feedback from others 25 23.54 Awareness of own values, cognitive style, change orientation, and interpersonal orientation 28 28.67 Relying on seeking feedback information about my behaviors and sharing beliefs and feelings is really an effective way for me to pursue self-improvement. Admittedly, before the Earthquake, I am a quite self-centered person. I concepted management simply in the model of Give order Follow order, and seldom did I think about getting feedback about my behavior from my subordinates, let alone to create any chance to seek such feedbacks from them. At that time, I can see only their disadvantages and pin them with kinds of label such as lazy, tardy, low IQ, dishonest, passive, petty, thickheaded, etc., and from my inner heart, never prepared with real respect to those people I work with. The only channel I could get feedback on my behavior in the company was from my boss. And, I have a strong preference tendency to communicate with elder persons in both the work and life circumstance, or persons who perform better than me in scopes I am not good at but concerned with. From those people, I can accept even negative feedback willingly. However, habitually I would resist negative feedback from the younger and or the persons who I am not valued or appreciated very much. Different people have different prospective to feedback to you. Later after the Earthquake, in practice I realized that if I can seek feedback information from more people, I will have more mentors. And actually until that time, did I realize that I possess a great advantage-complexity of employee composition which I should value. There are not only young specialty students and undergraduate students, but also Captains, Chief Officers, Chief Engineers with years of sailing experience, Experts at maritime field, and even under-educated foremen and stevedores from ports. It is their continuous sincere feedbacks that expedite my improvements on work. Emotional Intelligence Assessment Total Overall Score: 85.00 Quartile Ranking: Second Quartile (71-85) Key Dimension: Emotional Awareness Points (1) When I get really upset, I. . . a. Analyze why I am so disturbed. a. 10 b. Blow up and let off steam. b. 0 c. Hide it and remain calm. c. 0 (5) On important issues I usually. . . a. Make up my own mind and ignore others opinions. a. 5 b. Weigh both sides, and discuss it with others before making a decision. b. 10 c. Listen to my friends or colleagues and make the same decision they do. c. 0 (9) In a situation when I have an important obligation and need to leave work early, but my colleagues ask me to stay to meet a deadline, I would probably . . . a. Cancel my obligation and stay to complete the deadline. a. 0 b. Exaggerate a bit by telling my colleagues that I have an emergency that I cant miss. b. 0 c. Require some kind of compensation for missing the obligation. c. 10 Key Dimension: Emotional Control (Balance) Points (2) In a situation where a colleague takes credit in public for my work and my ideas, I would probably. . . a. Let it slide and do nothing to avoid a confrontation. a. 0 b. Later in private indicate that I would appreciate being given credit for my work and ideas. b. 5 c. Thank the person in public for referencing my work and ideas and then elaborate on my contributions. c. 10 (6) When someone that I do not particularly like becomes romantically attracted to me, I usually. . . a. Tell that person directly that I am not interested. a. 10 b. Respond by being friendly but cool or aloof. b. 5 c. Ignore the person and try to avoid him or her. c. 0 (10) In a situation in which another person becomes very angry and begins yelling at me, I . . . a. Get angry in return. I dont take that from anyone. a. 0 b. Walk away. I doesnt do any good to argue. b. 0 c. Listen first, and then try to discuss the issue. c. 10 Key Dimension: Emotional Diagnosis (Empathy) Points (3) When I approach another person and try to strike up a conversation but the other person doesnt respond, I. . . a. Try to cheer up the person by sharing a funny story. a. 5 b. Ask the person if he or she wants to talk about whats on his or her mind. b. 10 c. Leave the person alone and find someone else to talk to. c. 0 (7) When I am in the company of two people who have diametrically opposing points of view about an issue (for example, politics, abortion, war) and are arguing about it, I. . . a. Find something upon which they can both agree and emphasize it. a. 10 b. Encourage the verbal battle. b. 5 c. Suggest that they stop arguing and calm down. c. 0 (11) When I encounter someone who has just experienced a major loss or tragedy, I . . . a. Really dont know what to do or say. a. 0 b. Tell the person I feel very sorry and try to provide support. b. 10 c. Share a time when I experienced a similar loss or tragedy. c. 0 Key Dimension: Emotional Response Points (4) When I enter a social group I usually. . . a. Remain quiet and wait for people to talk to me. a. 0 b. Try to find something complimentary I can tell to someone. b. 10 c. Find ways to be the life of the party or the source of energy and fun. c. 0 (8) When I am playing a sport and the game comes down to my last second performance, I. . . a. Get very nervous and hope that I dont choke. a. 0 b. See this as an opportunity to shine. b. 5 c. Stay focused and give it my best effort. c. 10 (12) When someone makes a racist joke or tells a crude story about a member of the opposite sex in mixed company, I usually . . . a. Point out that this is inappropriate and not acceptable, and then change the subject. a. 10 b. Ignore it so I dont cause a scene. b. 0 c. Get really upset and tell the person just what I think of what he or she said. c. 5 The overall score of my emotional intelligence assessment here proves only an important fact that, ones emotional intelligence CAN be enhanced. Previously as a stiff manager who knows only giving orders, I am rather autocratic and seldom think about listening first others opinions before making decisions. What I expected from them were their complete obedience and performance to my standards. However, if viewed from present prospect, all mentioned behaviors exposed nothing but my lack of confidence as well as the fear of lose control in management due to experience deficiency. On this point, later I changed my way of decision making on some important issues. With more team members participated in the decision making process, the risks of decision mistake or failure as well as members resistance on implementation were greatly lessened. Besides, it is true that in life I am aware of my emotion status and changes, especially demonstrating emotional control because my emotions would directly influenced my team members mood for work. And, I also try to sense others emotions through observing and capturing tiny signals such as their tone, gestures or facial expressions, and then give proper response appropriately. However, as shown in the survey, still I am not confident enough to handle the situation on the spot, especially when facing the public as well as recognize and attribute my own contributions. Besides, when presented in unfamiliar social group activities, though I aware of the emotional climate of the group, my behavior is passive and inappropriate. Cognitive Style Score Name my score (Mean) 5925 Young Mngrs 2215 Young Mngrs MBA Stdts Mean/Std Dev Mean/Std Dev Knowing Style 4.25 3.89/.65 4.06/.96 Planning Style 4.14 3.78/.77 3.81/1.16 Creating Style 3.71 4.01/.60 4.16/.80 As shown in the report, my cognitive style is very typical of knowing style and planning style, which proves my great preference on facts and data, as well as structure, preparation and planning as of basis for information interpretation and decision-making. Meanwhile, my score is low on Creating Style exposed my less creativity and, intolerance on uncertainty, novelty and ambiguity. Interpreting the Defining Issues Test Story Statement Chosen By Importance/Stage The Escaped Prisoner Every time someone escapes punishment for a crime, doesnt that just encourage more crime? (Stage 4) Would it be fiar to prisoners who have to serve out their full sentences if Mr. Thompson is let off? (Stage 4) Wouldnt we be better off without prisons and the oppression of our legal systems? (Antiauthority) Wouldnt it be a citizens duty to report an escaped criminal, regardless of the circumstances? (Stage 4) The Doctors Dilemma Can society allow suicide or mercy killing and still protect the lives of individuals who want to live? (Stage 5) Can society afford to let people end their lives whenever they desire? (Stage 4) What values has the doctor set for himself in his own personal code of behavior? (Stage 5) Should the doctor have sympathy for the womans suffering, or should he care more about what society might think? (Stage 3) The Newspaper Would the students start protesting even more if the principal stopped the newspaper? (Stage 2) If the principal stopped the newspaper, would he be preventing full discussion of important problems? (Stage 5) What effect would stopping the paper have on the students education in critical thinking and judgment? (Stage 5) Is Rami using the newspaper to stir up hatred and discontent? (Stage 3) On the case of Escaped Prisoner, most of the statement I chosen were in Stage 4, which indicates that I am in the conformity level of maturity. My moral reasoning is based on conforming to laws and authority. Whether or not Mr. Thompson did something benefit the society, he violated the law is undeniable and, punishment should not be counteracted. Regarding the Doctors Dilemma, most of the statement I chosen were in Stage 5, which indicates that I am in the principled level of maturity. Judgments are made on the basis of a set of principles or core values that have been developed from my experience, not on the basis of whether or not the action is violated the law. Sympathetic for the suffered people, I support mercy killing to relieve them from pain if they truly desire. For the Newspaper case, most of the statement I chosen were in Stage 5 again, which indicates that I am a principled individual and based my judgment on my own internal principles. Stopping the paper may not be an appropriate way to minimize the negative effective as well as to avoid unexpected side-effects. The Learning Style Style Score Concrete Experience 18 Reflective Observation 33 Abstract Conceptualization 33 Active Experimentation 36 According to the survey result, my learning style is flexible and diversified, with similar strength in reflective observation, abstract conceptualization and active experimentation, whereas less tendency to concrete experience. As I am weak in concrete experience learning style, I should apply and strength the skills by means of creative thinking, trial and error, personal feedback, or a study partner who are strong in learning styles where I am not, to experience fully the learning cycle as well as to deal more effectively a broader range of challenges and situations. Tolerance of Ambiguity Score Categories Your Maximum Compared to Norm Group Scores Points Possible Range 44-48 Total Tolerance to Ambiguity 63 112 Over Average Range of 44-48 Subscore My score Novelty 21 Complexity 31 Insolubility 11 My decision making preference actually proves my intolerance score to ambiguity to be reasonable. In practice, especially for the company business, I am habitual to make decisions on a basis of at least 70~80% predictable probability of success, otherwise I would hesitate to or feel uncomfortable to make any decisions. And, being somewhat intolerance to ambiguity, I am less adaptive behaviorally and non-flexible to cope with ambiguous or unstructured situations resulted from information-overloaded and or rapidly changeable circumstances. Hence, I should now focus on some ways to improve my tolerance for ambiguity and my cognitive complexity. Managing Personal Stress Diagnostic Surveys for Managing Stress PRE Stress Management Scores Score Categories My scores Maximum Points Possible Norm Group Mean Total Stress Management 49 60 44.69 Skill Area My score Norm Group Mean Eliminating Stressors 21 18.26 Developing Resiliency 19 18.18 Short Term Coping 9 8.25 This survey shows that there are still more promotion spaces for me to improve my competence to cope with stressful or time-pressured situations, though I have already make some progresses on stresses management. Now I keep close track of my time, set and check task priorities in due course. And also understood how to organize others to accomplish common goals, as well as to avoid upward delegations. However, as you know, the shipping industry is special and, it seems that we could never expect a stop of its engine and anchor-drop. Vessels call and departure at any time of a day. So just as our catch phrase goes, Plans go no faster than Changes. (à ¨Ã‚ ®Ã‚ ¡Ãƒ ¥Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ²Ã‚ ¡Ãƒ ¦Ã…“†°Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ Ã‹Å"à ¥Ã…’-à ¥Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ «), except for prioritizing some routine work or contracted service appointments, I seldom prepare myself to-do lists because I have no idea whats waiting for me before I stepped into the office door. Resiliency is the most under-developed skill for me to cope with long lasting stresses. Always in the excuse of busying and or being exhausted, seldom did I take exercise for body building and fitness, as well as participate in some social activities with friends to share feelings or seek any reliefs. No less than 90% my times and energies were occupied with work or at least thinking about business. Whats the worse, suffering from insomnia, I stood in the line of sub-health group. Definitely, my life lost balance at that time. Time Management Scores Overall Time Management Score 97.00 Your Quartile Ranking Second Quartile Norm Group Mean 95 As per survey instruction, as I am scored only 97, it is very necessary for me to consider improving time management skills. However, I disagree with it to some extent. On the first hand, I have very good sense of timing and understood how to utilize it more efficiently. For avoiding any delays, tardiness and expediting my work, my watch is set exactly 10 minutes faster than the standard time. I also prioritize the tasks according to their importance and urgency, and frequently check and make adjustment if necessary. On the other hand, I think here it is also a depend-on situation just as I mentioned-above. For me, as I was working in the shipping industry and vessels call and departure at any time, except for prioritizing some routine work or contracted service appointments, we can plan nothing in advance because the time is not in the hands of ours but in the tomorrow. The only thing we can do is to make ourselves well prepared for meeting any disruptive business occurred. But here, I do agree with idea that I should leave myself some time at least, to do plan, meditation, exercise, etc, so as to seek personal relief from stresses, otherwise, before any vessels calling at port, our engines stop first. Type A Personality Inventory Scores Behavioral Tendency My score Competitiveness 13.00 Life Imbalance 16.00 Hostility/Anger 8.00 Impatience/Urgency 7.00 TOTAL TYPE A 44.00 Quartile Ranking Third Quartile Before taking this assessment, I have never thought myself as a competitive person. From my prospective of view, I think it is a positive attitude to pursue better performance than others, or setup a higher benchmark for self-improvement. Then here again exposed the problem of imbalanced life in my past six years. Because of the great enthusiasm and interest in the job, I put all my efforts and energy to make the company better and I enjoyed fully in the process. However, being too obsessed in one thing just leads to ignorance of all other important things in life. I took work as life but in fact life is not work only. And, the imbalanced life sourced not only from being over engaged in one thing and lack of time, but also from very narrow scope of personal interests outside of work. Diagnosis and Reflection on INTERPersonal Skills Building Relationships by Communicating Supportively Diagnostic Surveys for Supportive Communication PRE Communicating Supportively Scores Score Category Your Score Maximum Points Possible Norm Group Comparison Mean Comparison Total Communication 93.00 120 Second Quartile (92-98) 92.05 Skill Area My score Group Mean Coaching/Counseling 16.00 13.88 Effective Negative Feedback 30.00 27.13 Communicating Supportively 47.00 51.04 Learnt from my past experiences, supportive communication is one of the key determinants of effective management. After the company Earthquake, this is the first thing I focused on to improve my interpersonal relationships, to stand up from the place where I fall. In the aspect of coaching, I began with setting complete and detailed standards covering each kind of our survey business. And in our self-developed MIS system, all those standards set were then well integrated into the Employee Performance Evaluation Section, which would automatically affect the scale/grade of employees working allowance as well as their year-end bonus on a case-by-case basis. Driven by such kind of economic force, team members actively study the work regulations and procedure guidelines to meet the standards, and also initially seek coaching chance to acquire more advice and information for better performance. We also scheduled some periodic training programs to them. Being open and make my support available, I gradually won their respect and trust in the company. Regarding to the Eight Attributes of Supportive Communication, my performance before the company Earthquake actually disobeyed most of the rules, especially when I giving negative feedback. When a guy failed to finish a task up to the standard, I always started our talk in this way, You made same mistake again. I have told you this matter many many times. You just one ear in and one ear out. Do have any hearing disorders or understanding problems? Why this happened again. Now, as our client asked me why, you tell me why Yes, I did act in this way, frequently in the first few years before Earthquake. Thinking in others shoes now, if I faced with a manager communicate in such manner, how could I expect building/enhancement of positive relationship between the two communicating parties? My first reaction to the unfavorable occurrence was not solving the problem but finding out who is to

Salmonella: Causes, Effects and Solutions

Salmonella: Causes, Effects and Solutions There are many causes lead to food poisoning such as chemicals, fungi and microbes. Salmonella bacteria are the most common causes associated with foodborne illness in the world. In Saudi Arabia, as result of the increase of temperature, the environment there is suitable to grow microbes in food and that lead to spoil food, thus occurrence food poisoning. In this research, salmonella food poisoning is discussed and the sources of these bacteria in Saudi Arabia are determined. The research also focuses on the relationship between some of common food with Salmonella, such as shawarma chicken sandwiches. Food poisoning is common among people specially children and oldsters because they do not have enough immunity to resist diseases. There are several definitions of food poisoning but it is simply defined as any illness disorder occur in human body specifically in the digestive system and that because of consuming food or drink which are contaminated with bacteria or toxins. The symptoms of food poisoning are various between people, for example (Gamarra 2008) notes that: The symptoms, varying in degree and combination, include abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and headaches; more serious cases can result in life-threatening neurologic, hepatic, and renal syndromes leading to permanent disability or death. Although the multiplicity of foodborne diseases which are transmitted through food, the food poisoning that occurs as a result of bacteria come in the fore. Furthermore, food is an important factor for growth of bacteria and it provides an appropriate medium for bacterial colonies. There are two types of microbial food poisoning; first one is real poisoning microbes and that caused by bacterial toxins which are secreted in food, such as Staphylococcus and Clostridium botulinum. Second type is food infection, and that because of the presence of microbes in food is greatly, such as salmonella. Definition Salmonella bacteria is objectionable guest in homes and restaurants and the infection occur when human eat foods which contain salmonella microbes. This bacterium was named after Dr. Daniel Salmon discovered it in 1885(Davis n.d) (7). In general, salmonella is a germ which exists in the intestines of people and animals and spread by their feces. There are different kinds of salmonella and all of them give rise to poisoning. Salmonella Growth survival The suitable temperatures for salmonella growth are ranging from 35 c to 37c, However (ESR Ltd Company 2001) points out that, salmonella TPHI can be survive at 5 c and over 45 c (3). On the other hand, freezing foods hinders the growth of the salmonella, but will not destroy it. Also, the pH of food influences the growth and survival of salmonella, the range in which salmonella will grow is about 3.8 9.5. However, salmonella bacteria can only be destroyed by cooking food for enough time with high temperature and each kind of food has a specific cooking temperature that enough to destroy the bacteria. Salmonella sources Normally, salmonella exists in different places, so there are several sources of salmonella infection. The natural home is the intestinal tracts of humans and other animals, including birds (Cliver 1990, p. 189). Salmonella are usually transmitted to humans by eating foods contaminated with animal feces. The major source is food of animal origin, such as meat, poultry, milk and dairy products, eggs, seafood, that have not been cooked properly, in addition to some fruits and vegetables. Certainly, contacts with animals as sheep and chicken or also pets transmit the bacteria. Although, chicks and young birds carry salmonella in their feces, they look like healthy and the symptoms are unapparent on the birds. (Cliver 1990, p 200) remarks that, the birds can coexist with the microbes naturally. Another source of infection is people and that due contact with salmonellosis people directly or by food handlers and that because of hygienic lack. Salmonella symptoms The symptoms of salmonella infection usually appear within 6 72 hours after eating or drinking contaminated food, and include; fever, stomachache, diarrhea, nausea and sometimes vomiting. The illness is usually takes from 1-7 days and treatment is not required, so most people recover without treatment. However, children and the elderly people have to see a doctor if affected. (Illinois Department of Public Health n.d) (8). Salmonella around the world In last decade, food borne illness are increased at the global level especially salmonella infections and that due to many factors. Gamarras perspective is that, changing food habits which is caused by travel and movement between countries is one of the essential factors ,in addition to that the International trade and the globalization of food production lead to transmission of food microbes between countries(2008). The Outbreak of salmonella food poisoning which is caused by contaminated tomatoes in many states in USA and Canada is an example. On the other hand, the emergence of new strains of salmonella which resist drugs is caused by excessive abuse of antibiotics and organic fertilizers. Table 3. Examples of Large Food-Borne Disease Outbreaks in some countries, salmonella in the lead (Gamarra 2008)(1) Country:Â  United Kingdom Year:Â  1985 Disease:Â  Salmonellosis Number of Cases:Â  1000 Country:Â  Saudi Arabia Year:Â  2005 Disease:Â  Salmonellosis Number of Cases:Â  3336 Country:Â  United States Year:Â  1993 Disease:Â  Salmonellosis Number of Cases:Â  224,000 Country:Â  Germany Year:Â  1993 Disease:Â  Salmonellosis Number of Cases:Â  1000 Salmonella in Saudi Arabia The causes of salmonella infection vary from country to country and that depending on the suitable surroundings. In Saudi Arabia, hot weather, which reaches to 50c in the summer, contribute to spread of salmonella. Under this level of temperature, it is difficult to keep any food outside fridge because it will spoil quickly. Participating women to men working outside the house in addition to changing the traditional food habits lead to depending a lot of people on restaurants. These transformations in Saudi society, contribute to spread fast food restaurants. In view of the Riyadh city, it is obvious that most of the international fast food restaurants such as McDonalds, Kentucky, and Pizza Hut have become many branches of them in last decade. As will as, traditional restaurants are widespread in the city. Regrettably, those restaurants, especially the traditional restaurants, are looking for profit without any consideration of the hygienic applications. Over and above, these restaur ants employ non-qualified staffs who do not have proper certification or experience in dealing with food. Chicken shawarma sandwich is a common meal among Saudis, particularly at dinner time. As a result, shawarma restaurants have spread throughout Saudi Arabia and, according to Environmental Health Office statistics in Riyadh City, the number of shawarma restaurants which had obtained a license by2000 was over 6127. There is a popular belief in Saudi Arabia that, the consumption of chicken shawarma is the major reason leading to outbreaks of salmonella infection cases and that belief without considering to other factors. Many of salmonella food poisoning reports which are circulated by newspapers and T.V refer to chicken shawarma sandwich as a culprit because the main component of shawarma sandwich is chicken, which is mainly the reservoir of this bacteria. Shawarma are slices of marinated chicken or some times lamb which are placed on a vertical skewer. The diameter of shawarma is up to 50 cm and its weight over than 60 kilograms, in some times spices and animal fat or oil is added. For cocking, shawarma is roasted slowly on all sides as the skewer rotates in front of or over a flame for a period of several hours. When the color of surface is change to brown, shawarma is sliced by special knives into small pieces. To make a sandwich, shawarma is packed inside Arabic bread which is Round and Flat. Some time shawarma is served in a plate as a meal with homemade mayonnaise, tomatoes, and green salad. Problem Saudi newspapers announce salmonella food poisoning incidences and they refer specifically to chicken shawarma with a great sensitivity, also it is blamed by journalists. (Rwaishid 2008) from the Hyatt newspaper reported that , about 33 people suffered from food poisoning after eating dinner in a famous shawarma restaurant in Jeffrey town (in the east of Al-Ahsa in Saudi Arabia). The patients were transferred by ambulances to Al-Jafari General Hospital to receive a treatment. Most of the patients left the hospital one day later after received necessary treatment except five patients; one of them was under serious condition and that according to medical sources at the hospital. Following that, shawarma restaurant owner was arrested by the police because they suspected that the cause of the infection is from the food which was cooked in his restaurant. The Environmental Health office said that, all beliefs about poisoning from chicken sahawrma are uncertain until the laboratory results appear. However, the shawarma sandwich involved a large proportion of salmonella bacteria and that according to the final laboratory result. In general, chicken in shawarma might be one of the reasons that occurring poisoning and transferring salmonella infection but, it is not the only reason. Laboratory result in previous event gave a general result without specification from which part of the sandwich was taken the sample. Although the chicken is the reservoir of salmonella, there are other factors that may be transferred salmonella, such as cooks, equipment and some additives to the sandwich as salad and mayonnaise. Basically, shawarma sandwich consists of chicken in addition to mayonnaise and salad. The salad could be the source of infection because may be irrigated it by contaminated water with that bacteria. Water sources in Saudi Arabia are scarce and rare, so water supply is depending on desalination of sea water; however in some areas which are away from the sea digging wells to provide water are common. Although all crops in Saudi Arabia depend on irrigation, consequently some farmers resort to irrigate crops by swamps or sewage especially in villages which are away from control. Irrigation crop by contaminated water is a serious health problem and transmit foodborne pathogens especially when spraying water on the plants and touch the fruit. When the crops are close to soil or under it as carrot and potatoes the possibility to contamination is more. There is an experiment conducted on tomatoes plant by (Jablasone et al, 2004) demonstrated that, there is a potential for transfer salmonella microbe from irrigation water by damage root to tomatoes fruit. On the other hand, when the salad was preparing in the restaurant may be it was not washed well, or could be left in unsanitary conditions which led to spoil. Cooks also may be carriers of bacteria and they did not apply the hygienic rules in work place. Usually in many shawarma restaurants, cooks are preparing sandwiches without wear hand gloves or face mask and that lead easily to infect shawarma. Unfortunately, some cooks do not have a health licenses, or they may have but expired, and this is illegal and contrary with health regulations. In Saudi Arabia there are no official sahwarma factories, as result for that it is manufactured in houses or in restaurants under unsanitary conditions. Primitive and unclean equipment are used and that is certainly an important factor to grow bacteria. To shorten the time some cooks thaw the frozen chicken directly, through hot water and that lead to spread of bacteria on chicken surface. Some times, shawarma is not sold on the same day thus it is leaved to the next day at room temperature which is up to 35 c and that is optimum for salmonella activity. On the other hand, the diameter of shwarma, whic h reach to 50 cm around skewer, is deterrent accessing heat to the center of shawarma and that provide worm clime for bacteria. Usually, shawarma is reheated on the flame for several days and that lead to spoil it, but cooks add more spices to obscure unpalatable taste. Mayonnaise is considered one of the most sensitive foods for poisoning because of the main component of mayonnaise is raw eggs. Moreover, there is a great potential for transmission of salmonella from chicken through the eggs shall .The microbe might penetrate the broken shell then reach to yolks. Widely, homemade mayonnaise is used in shawarma restaurants; however commercially-prepared mayonnaise is more safety but it is often served in luxury restaurants. Reducing the costs and preserving the flavor are the reasons for using homemade mayonnaise. Neglecting mayonnaise outside the refrigerator for a long time or in front of flame all the day during selling shawarma are unhealthy and lead to rapid spoil. In May 1996, Abha General Hospital (in Abha city, south-west Saudi Arabia) received 200 cases of salmonella poisoning caused by consumption dinner which bought from a restaurant specialized in fried chicken. The Investigations mainly suspected the chicken, but the laboratory result showed that the cause of poisoning was the mayonnaise and garlic which are made in the restaurant. The incident report which was conducted by (AL-Ahmadi 1998) demonstrated that: Only mayonnaise and minced garlic were associated with cases. Salmonella was isolated from 124 (84%) of the 159 persons with symptoms of food poisoning. Mayonnaise was prepared in the restaurant using a regular blender. Minced garlic was prepared with the same blender immediately after making the mayonnaise. Unsafe storage of the mayonnaise at room temperature for a median of 6 hours could have resulted in overgrowth of bacteria and a high infective dose of bacteria per serving. Solutions To reduce the incidents of salmonella food poisoning the problem is should be solved from all aspects and that trough manages of the factors which affect on spread of food borne. The solutions are shared between Environmental Health Offices and restaurants in additional to consumers. The applications of hygienic provisions are the most important things that can be observed when the consumer eating in the restaurant and that is apparently through staffs look and cleanliness of the place. Purchasing from open restaurants and small booth is unacceptable and must be banned. In food poisoning cases which caused by shawarma, Environmental Health Officers are usually take samples from the final meal that is containing chicken, salads and mayonnaise, and this way is not determine exactly the source of contamination in the meal. Sampling from each type of food separately gives a certain result to know the source of contamination. Likewise, visiting restaurants daily and sampling from all food and workers are also necessary. Preventing irrigation crops by sewage and creating new methods to provide water are the first step. It can be used alternative means of irrigation system which reserve water, such as drip irrigation system, or recycle swamps and sewage treatment system. In restaurant, salad must be washed and soaked in disinfectant solution for minutes because the bacteria, especially salmonella are sensitive to sterile solutions. Using homemade mayonnaise must be stopped decisively; it is preferable to use commercially mayonnaise. For (Omahen 1996), food scientists at the University of Georgia, Center for Food Safety demonstrated that, commercially-prepared mayonnaise actually reduces the amount of salmonella in foods because it has acid which come from vinegar and lemon. That result was approved by small test in lab, when commercial mayonnaise was added to foods inoculated with salmonella; the salmonella cells decreased. When shawarma is preparing, following proper hygienic application is required to avoid spoil. Establishing factories which make swhawarma under sanitary and clean conditions is a significant point. If swhawrma is preparation in home or restaurant, leaving the frozen chicken in the fridge until gradually thaw is the best way to slow bacteria activity. To avoid cross-contamination in chicken must be throwing off of liquid that resulting from the thaw. Shawerma must be kept in refrigerator at 4 c and it is not appropriate disregard it in room temperature more than one hour. It recommended to reducing the shawarma diameter to 20 cm and the weight to 30 kilograms and that to ensure access the flame heat into center. As well as, increasing acid proportion such as vinegar or lemon is salutary because it changes the pH of food thus prevents the growth of salmonella. When hiring cooks, they must have appropriate qualifications and adequate experience in their field. Qualifying courses for new cooks to familiarize them with hygienic application is necessary and health license is compulsory and basic for all cooks. Conclusion Shawarma may be responsible for salmonella food poisoning in Saudi Arabia, especially in the summer season because it contains three kinds of food which are easily spoilt, but is not the major cause. Mayonnaise, salad, and cooks are main factors contributing to the transfer of microbes and when applying the hygienic condition, salmonella food poisoning will be decreased. Restaurants license must be restudied again and change some conditions to suit modern life. All the solutions may be effective in reducing the incidents of poisoning, but it can not change one of the most important factors that is hot weather in Saudi Arabia.

Comparing Light and Growth in A Raisin in the Sun and Death of a Salesm

Light and Growth in A Raisin in the Sun and Death of a Salesman.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry and Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, both authors use motifs of light and growth within their settings to convey messages about the intrinsic values and potentiality of their characters. A Raisin in the Sun begins with a faint little light, filtering through the kitchen window. It's not much of a light, but it is successfully kindled by Lena Younger to keep her little plant alive and to help sow the seed of human dignity in her children. In Death of a Salesman, the physical light is blocked by the encroaching concrete jungle of New York City and the spiritual light is extinguished by Willy Loman's misguided, illusionary values. Willy and his family are trapped in the tiny shadow cast by his giant illusions and nothing grows in their world.    The opening description of the setting in A Raisin in the Sun states, "The single window for these 'two' rooms is located in the kitchen area. The sole natural light the family may enjoy in the course of a day is only that which fights its way through this little window." This window provides a view to the outside world which Walter Younger seeks to tame. Walter looks out of this window as he smokes his cigarette and comments on the people "running and racing to work." Lena Younger has what is described as a "feeble little plant growing doggedly in a small pot on the windowsill." She worries that "if this little old plant don't get more sun than it's been getting it ain't never going to see spring again." ( Hansberry, 856 ) The light from the window feeds the dogged little plant which Lena says "expresses me." Although they live in a small, cramped apartment... ...erry is saying that to find the pot of gold which lies at the end of a rainbow, man needs food for the soul.       Works Cited and Consulted:    Draper, James P. Black Literature Criticisms. Detroit: Gale Research Incorporated, 1992.    Field, B.S.   "Death of a Salesman" Twentieth Century Literature.   January, 1972. 19-24.   Rpt. in World Literary Criticism.   Ed. Frank Magill.   "Arthur Miller" Detroit: Gale Research, 1992.   2366-2368.    Gunton, Sharon R. Motifs in A Raisin in the Sun. Detroit: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986.    Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman,The Heath Introduction to Drama, Fifth Edition. Lexington, Mass.: D.C. Heath and Company, 1996, pp. 731-808.    Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun, The Heath Introduction to Drama, Fifth Edition. Lexington, Mass.: D.C. Heath and Company, 1996, pp. 841-914. Comparing Light and Growth in A Raisin in the Sun and Death of a Salesm Light and Growth in A Raisin in the Sun and Death of a Salesman.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry and Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, both authors use motifs of light and growth within their settings to convey messages about the intrinsic values and potentiality of their characters. A Raisin in the Sun begins with a faint little light, filtering through the kitchen window. It's not much of a light, but it is successfully kindled by Lena Younger to keep her little plant alive and to help sow the seed of human dignity in her children. In Death of a Salesman, the physical light is blocked by the encroaching concrete jungle of New York City and the spiritual light is extinguished by Willy Loman's misguided, illusionary values. Willy and his family are trapped in the tiny shadow cast by his giant illusions and nothing grows in their world.    The opening description of the setting in A Raisin in the Sun states, "The single window for these 'two' rooms is located in the kitchen area. The sole natural light the family may enjoy in the course of a day is only that which fights its way through this little window." This window provides a view to the outside world which Walter Younger seeks to tame. Walter looks out of this window as he smokes his cigarette and comments on the people "running and racing to work." Lena Younger has what is described as a "feeble little plant growing doggedly in a small pot on the windowsill." She worries that "if this little old plant don't get more sun than it's been getting it ain't never going to see spring again." ( Hansberry, 856 ) The light from the window feeds the dogged little plant which Lena says "expresses me." Although they live in a small, cramped apartment... ...erry is saying that to find the pot of gold which lies at the end of a rainbow, man needs food for the soul.       Works Cited and Consulted:    Draper, James P. Black Literature Criticisms. Detroit: Gale Research Incorporated, 1992.    Field, B.S.   "Death of a Salesman" Twentieth Century Literature.   January, 1972. 19-24.   Rpt. in World Literary Criticism.   Ed. Frank Magill.   "Arthur Miller" Detroit: Gale Research, 1992.   2366-2368.    Gunton, Sharon R. Motifs in A Raisin in the Sun. Detroit: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986.    Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman,The Heath Introduction to Drama, Fifth Edition. Lexington, Mass.: D.C. Heath and Company, 1996, pp. 731-808.    Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun, The Heath Introduction to Drama, Fifth Edition. Lexington, Mass.: D.C. Heath and Company, 1996, pp. 841-914.

Blaise Pascal :: essays research papers fc

The French mathematician, theologian, physicist and man-of-letters, Blaise Pascal is a mathematician who has a reputation that rests more on what he might have done rather than what he might have actually done. Pascal has devoted a considerable amount of his life towards the devotion of religious exercise. Blaise Pascal was born in Clermont-Ferrand, Auvergne. Which is now known as Clermont-Ferrand, on June 19, 1623. And he died in Paris on Aug. 19, 1662. Pascal was the son of the president of the Court of Exchequer. After Pascal's mother died in 1630 his father who also had a scientific reputation moved to Paris in 1631 to pursue his own scientific studies, and also to continue his children’s education. Pascal had displayed an exceptional amount of academic ability therefore he was kept at home to ensure his academic stability. Pascal had a natural desire for the science of constructing figures and determining the proportions between their different parts. He soon discovered that the sum of the angles of a triangle is equal to two right angles. By the age of fourteen he was admitted to the weekly meetings of Roberval, Mersenne, Mydorge, and other French geometricians; from which, ultimately, the French Academy sprung. At sixteen Pascal wrote an essay on conic sections. Blaise Pascal with Pierre de Fermat, they invented the calculus of probabilities, which laid foundation for Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz's calculus. In 1647 Pascal invented calculating machine, which made him one of the fathers of the Computer Age. Later he developed the barometer, the hydraulic press, and the syringe. In 1653 he had to administer his father's estate. Pascal's other important scientific contributions include the derivation of Pascal's law or principle, which states that fluids transmit pressures equally in all directions, and his investigations in the geometry of infinitesimals. Around this time he invented the arithmetical triangle, and in conjunction with Fermat created the calculus of probabilities. Pascal died at the age of 39 in intense pain after a malignant growth in his stomach spread to the brain. His most famous work is the Pensees (Thoughts); a set of deeply personal meditations in somewhat fragmented form on human suffering and faith in God. "Pascal's wager" expresses the conviction that belief in God is rational: if God does not exist, one stands to lose nothing by believing in him anyway, while if he does exist, one stands to lose everything by not believing.

Comparison of Book and Movie of One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest :: Movie Film comparison compare contrast

Comparison of Book and Movie of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest is a book written by Ken Kesey to accomplish a certain mood within it's chapters.   The feelings and moods given in the book differ greatly from those in the movie because of multiple changes in character development.   Each and every time a movie is produced from a book, the producers are forced to change parts of the story in order to suit the audiences needs for a faster paced plot.   It is impossible to capture every mood or setting which the author creates.   What is lost can sometimes be the real meaning behind the story.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The characterization of chief Bromden is a good example of the changes made from book to movie.   His past is a vital piece of information contributing to the mood and understanding of the story.   In the movie, Bromden is nothing more than a crazy Indian who doesn't want to talk so pretends to be deaf and dumb.   Much of the understanding and respect is lost in the transition between book and movie.   In the book, Bromden has flashbacks to his childhood, lighting on significant points in his childhood.   His background is never even brushed upon in the movie.   Of course it would have been nearly impossible to tell of Bromdens life in a movie, much less show the world from his point of view as in the book. Bromden is still a very interesting character but the real puzzle to his problems is lost.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   McMurphy is a very sly, cunning man.   He knows how to play his game and does it well.   In the book as McMurphy progresses, he goes through many stages where he is rebellious, then docile, then rebellious again.   This is due to the fact that he learns exactly what it means to be committed and what it takes to be released.   Then he begins to see that all his ward mates (I don't know what you want to call them) are counting on him so he becomes rebellious again.   These reactions to his environments encourage McMurphy to be not crazy but intelligent and quick.   This is exactly the way a character such as McMurphy should act.

Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart” Essay

Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart is a story based on the traditional beliefs and customs of the Ibo tribe. Achebe portrays a realistic view of Africans, particularly the Ibo tribe, which opposes the view that a reader may have formed after reading other works, such as Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. Although Achebe describes the fact that the tribe does not primarily consist of savages, the reader still needs to keep an open mind about the ideas that are presented. The reader may at first be appalled at some of the beliefs, but it should be brought into consideration that they are lead chiefly by traditions and customs. Many of these traditions and customs derive from their ideas on certain events, being patriarchal, and religion. The Ibo culture involves a number of celebrated events. The Week of Peace comes at the end of the relaxed season and before the harvest and planting season. This is a time where all members of this society shall live in complete peace no matter what the circumstances. If this peace is broken, it is to be called a great evil and consequently will be punished. Achebe provides a case in point, which will be discussed later in the essay. Another Ibo occasion is the Feast of the New Yam, which resembles Thanksgiving in the American culture. This feast is to honor their earth goddess, Ani, as the American holiday is celebrated to give thanks and honor our God. â€Å"Men and Women, young and old, looked forward to the New Yam Festival because it began the season of plenty-the new year†(page 36). This excerpt from the introduction of chapter five shows the significance of the occasion. Following the New Yam Festival is the popular wrestling match. This event is more of a tradition as it occurs annually on the second day of the new year. â€Å"There was no festival in all the seasons of the year which gave [Ekwefi] as much pleasure as the wrestling match†(39). This supports Achbe’s effort to express the excitement for the friendly competition. By these examples, the reader may infer that the Ibo tribe can be described as somewhat mundane, but Achebe also goes into detail about the people of the tribe. The Ibo tribe can be depicted as profoundly patriarchal. This is where the reader may begin to feel repelled as Achebe describes man as being venerated as leader and describes women as gentle, weak and obedient to their men. The  women’s job was in the house cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the children. The men’s job was out hunting, fighting, and raising difficult crops such as yam. The men were also allowed to beat their wives, who in return could not defend themselves. A prime example of this masculine dominance is the main character, Okonkwo. Okonkwo defies any sign of weakness, including the female race. The Ibo society defines a man who is weak or acts feminine as agbala, which means â€Å"woman†. â€Å"But [Okonkwo’s] wives and young children were not as strong, and so they suffered. But they dared not complain openly†(13). This quote reinforces Achebe’s idea of masculinity. Although the Ibo culture may express dominance in the male race, their power does not exceed that which is given to the many gods they worship. Religion in the Ibo culture can be illustrated as polytheistic. Their tradition has a God for every phenomenon. This society does not use kings or police to discipline its people, like many other societies, but instead they use spirits. Their highest spiritual and judicial authority is Egwugwu. There are not any written laws so the decisions on punishments rely on the gods. â€Å"Okonkwo broke the Week of Peace by beating his wife and was punished, as was the custom, by Ezeani, the priest of the earth goddess. Okonkwo was said to â€Å"have committed a great evil†(30). â€Å"The evil you have done can ruin the whole clan. The earth goddess whom you have insulted may refuse to give us her increase, and we shall all perish†(30). This shows how much the tribe respects and depends on their gods. The Ibo religion also comes with many superstitions. The largest of the superstitions is their personal chi, or Supreme Being. The chi is unique for each tribe member and allegedly determines his or her success and character. â€Å"Man could not rise beyond the destiny of his chi†(131). It would be of no value to challenge one’s chi. Other superstitions includes warning the children not to whistle on dark nights for fear of evil spirits. Achebe’s Things Fall Apart is about the specific culture of Africans, in this case the Ibo tribe. It portrays an accurate analysis for those who may have believed Africans as being savages. The Ibo society value an adherence to their cultural traditions, as do other cultures, which makes them greatly  civilized. Although some of the traditions practice may seem quite shocking to the reader, the society cannot be described as mindless or barbaric. The Ibo tribe is a very complex society with unique values and meaning. Achebe fulfills his purpose in disclaiming the stereotype of ferocious Africans.