Comparing between Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Comparing between - Essay Example On the hand a conflicting conclusion has been raised by the study conducted by Cambridge University and Medical Research Council (CUMRC). This study concluded that saturated fat found in dairy protect against type 2 diabetes. The CUMRC only linked alcohol, red meat, carbohydrates and fried food as causal agents to diabetes but affirms that dairy food prevents type 2 diabetes risk. The CUMRC daunting challenge is only establishing how various food ate corresponds to fatty acid levels. The finding thus uproots an earlier notion of risks of Cheese products that were previously linked to higher amounts of cholesterol and type 2 diabetes and recommends its increased consumptions as a protective mechanism against type 2 diabetes. In conclusion, the two CUMRC’s findings have been affirmed by the chief coordinator of the Inter-Act project, Prof Nick Wareham. He has noted a lot of confidence in the CUMRC’s findings and hence thumps up the position that saturated fat in dairy products protect against type 2 diabetes hence downtrodden ‘Epic-InterAct Study’

Assignment 7(675) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Assignment 7(675) - Essay Example I suggest so because it is often healthier initially for an employee to evaluate and rectify himself based on what he believes he lacks, rather than giving an outright harsh list of complaints from students or supervisors like myself at the first stage. Therefore, my overall plan to help Mr. Smith is to get him to work on his self-assessment, followed by some feedback from students and fellow teachers, then formulating a plan to help overcome his shortcomings as an institutional performer. The central idea will be to identify and work on his strengths and weaknesses and to assess what more can be done to improve his performance. Step 1: Initiate self-assessment using instruments and inventories. For giving this process a push, I would arrange an informal meeting with Mr. Smith after school. In this meeting, I would outline with his help, the purpose of this activity and what we hope to achieve by the end of it. Next, I would hand over to him some documents which include his past appraisals and remarks of the principal, myself, the curriculum director and the students. These will give him an idea as to what to consider. Having prepared a list of skills and competencies required and expected of in our school from our teachers, I would ask Mr. Smith to assess the list and use it to perform his self-assessment. All the above inventory will act as a criteria for the self-assessment. Asking him to go home and work on the task handed to him, I would arrange a next meeting of a similar fashion with him after a few days. Before the completion of Mr. Smith’s task, I will need to gather some idea as to how well Mr. Smith is at his job by asking the students and his fellow colleagues. This can be done either on a one on one basis or by questionnaires handed out. This step will come in handy at a later stage. Step 2: Perception of self:Â   How accurate? An individual’s perception of oneself involves their knowledge of the

Post Colonial Society: Hamza Alvi

Post Colonial Society: Hamza Alvi In his influential article on the state in post colonial society, Hamza Alvi argues that the original base of the post colonial state apparatus lies in the class forces existing in the colonial era Metropole. The task colonial state apparatus was to subordinate all the indigenous classes (indigenous bourgeois, the Metropolitan neo-colonist bourgeoisie and the landed masses) in the colony. It did not rest on any of these classes. On the contrary, the colonial power established highly developed military and bureaucracy to control these classes, thus the state apparatus was overdeveloped. He further argues that if a colony has a weak and underdeveloped indigenous bourgeoisie, it will be unable at the moment of independence to subordinate the relatively highly developed colonial state apparatus through which the metropolitan power had exercised dominion over it. As an alternative, a new convergence of interests of three competing propertied classes will emerge. Under these circumstances, the bureaucratic-military oligarchy, that has a distinct relative autonomy, would play a role of mediator among these classes and will take a top position in the hierarchy of post colonial state. As a result, the state apparatus acquires relatively autonomous role and is not simply the instrument of any of these classes. Conversely, the demands and interests persist no longer contradictory. Since, this idea was proposed by keeping in mind the political dynamics of post colonial societies of Pakistan and Bangladesh, therefore, my contention is to draw arguments in light of political and social changes in these societies. To draw the role of bureaucracy and military in the colonial era, I will rely on Hamza Alvis accounts and lectures of Dr, Yaqoob K. Bangash. Bureaucracy and Military during Colonial era Hamza Alvi mentions that in colonial India the colonial power established the powerful institutions of bureaucracy and military to subordinate other three bourgeois classes. Therefore, the state structure of India was overdeveloped. This rhetoric is somehow correct in regard of bureaucracy, as it was the main source of policy making and issue resolution. The reason behind the supremacy of bureaucracy was that the colonial apparatus ensured the priority role of bureaucracy in solving the day to day issues of the masses- therefore, the masses accepted their authority. The other possible reason could be the psychological one as the politicians used to blame the bureaucrats in front of public to hide their own failures- so, the masses accepted the quality power of the bureaucracy. He assigns with military the same role in colonial state apparatus as he assigns with bureaucracy. However, the modern researches show that the military, in first half of the 20th century, was not as powerful as portrayed by Alvi. In-fact, the military had no role in decision making as most of the policies were articulated by either parliament or bureaucracy. Moreover, the masses did not know the dominance of military in the state apparatus. Besides, with the beginning of the 20th century the numbers of military personnels in the Indian colonial army were dramatically reduced. Therefore, it is plausible to say that the Hamza Alvi miscalculated the role of military in colonial state apparatus. Therefore, it can be assumed that if the state apparatus was overdeveloped than it would have been partially overdeveloped. In the next section, I will investigate, is there was continuity in the role of the bureaucracy? If not, then under which circumstances the military and bureaucracy took control of the state apparatus? To answer these questions I will draw a chronology of events in post colonial Pakistan with the help of Hamza Alvis and Dr. Ejaz Hussains accounts. Bureaucratic-military oligarchy and Pakistan Muslim League, as being the vanguard of the movement for national independence, inherited the mantle of legitimacy. The Muslim League initially provided the faà §ade of parliamentary government. However, Muslim League leaned heavily on the stature and authority of its leader, Quaid-e Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, who died soon after independence. Soon, it lost its bases and started to disintegrate dramatically. As a result, the powerful inherited bureaucracy took a central position. Even during his lifetime Jinnah preferred bureaucratic machinery over electoral politics as he might have thought that a well trained civil bureaucracy would solve Pakistans various problems, such as the settlement of refugees etc. (Hussain 2010, 280). The inherited military that was not fully developed at that time, adopted a strategic partnership with the bureaucracy to accomplish socioeconomic interests (Hussain 2010). Hamza Alvi calls this collaboration bureaucratic-military oligarchy. Bureaucratic-military oligarchy manipulated and installed and barred the politicians and political parties. In 1958, the prospects of the approaching general elections posed a challenge to the supremacy of the bureaucratic-military oligarchy, therefore, it seized power by abolishing the institutions of parliamentary government. Its noteworthy that the constitution was abrogated by ex military man-turned bureaucrat-turned politician Iskandar Mirza. And Later, Commander in Chief Ayub Khan assumed power. But, at this juncture the bureaucratic-military oligarchy employed politicians to extract legitimacy from the masses and in the 1962 spoof democratic politics under Ayub Khans system of Basic Democracy was introduced. Ayub Khan resigned in 1969 but left the reins of power securely in the hands of the bureaucratic-military oligarchy. President Yahya Khan promised restoration of constitutional government and an election was held in December 1970 which ended in the political crisis which culminated in the secession of Bangladesh. Assessments The cross examining of colonial and post colonial state apparatus of Pakistan, depicts that it was a failure of politicians and political parties rather than the weakness of three exploiting bourgeoisie classes to avoid the supremacy of bureaucracy and military. It is also apparent that there was not continuity in the bureaucracys principal role in post colonial state apparatus. Ironically, the political leadership itself invited the bureaucracy to adopt the role of the principal actor. Hence, it can be concluded that the Hamza Alvis overdeveloped thesis is null and void on the basis of two arguments. First, he miscalculated the role of the military in the colonial era that makes the basis of his theory ambiguous. Second, despite his emphasis there was no continuity in the key role of bureaucracy and military in a post colonial state apparatus that makes his thesis illogical. Overview Of Personality Humanist Theorist: Carl Rogers Overview Of Personality Humanist Theorist: Carl Rogers Carl Rogers (1902-1987) humanist theorist is best remembered for his nondirective method of therapy. His approach was based on a client-centered form of clinical work. He believed that a humans basic foundation was that of good and positive features. Rogers theory suggests that people aspire to achieve their fullest potential if unhindered. A trained therapist should only be involved with an individual that is willing to participate in the therapeutic process. This paper will review the theories that Rogers favored and how his research impacted the field of psychology. Rogers was born into a conservative family in a Chicago suburb. His early studies included agricultural, seminary and social philosophy. While pursuing his seminary studies he also took psychology courses at a nearby affiliated school. As his studies progressed he became frustrated with religion and more captivated with psychology. With the influence of psychology instructors he chose to transfer to the affiliated school to pursue his doctorate in clinical psychology where he first encountered Freudian thinking. Like Freud, Rogers became a clinician. However, his strategies in therapy were far different. In the early years of Rogers clinical and laboratory work he was frustrated with the then established forms of psychotherapy. Kirschenbaum (2004) noted that Rogers was impressed at how strong the human will is and how patients will resist even the most skillful therapist interventions when it goes against their purposes or they have not chosen to change themselves. Rogers had become acquainted with relationship therapy from students of Otto Rank, whose focus was on the patients self-insight and self-acceptance within the therapeutic relationship (Kirschenbaum). In 1939, Rogers published his first book, The Clinical Treatment of the Problem Child. This publication launched his career and gave him the opportunity to start communicating his own views on counseling and psychotherapy. Now students of Rogers were asking what his views on counseling and psychotherapy were. By 1942 Rogers published those views in his second book, Counseling and Psychotherapy: Newer Concepts in Practice. But Rogers pià ¨ce de rà ©sistance was the publishing the work that defined his place in psychological therapeutic theory, Client-Centered Therapy: Its Current Practice, Implications, and Theory, in 1951. Rogers received many awards throughout his life. He was the president for the American Association for Applied Psychology (1944-1945), of the American Psychological Association (APA) (1946-1947), and of the APAs Division of Clinical and Abnormal Psychology (1949-1950); and he was the first president of the newly formed American Academy of Psychotherapists (1956). He remained active in his work until his death in 1987. It was poignant to note that on the day of his death, February 4, 1987, a letter arrived to inform Rogers that he had been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Improving the strategies of psychotherapy was very important to Rogers. As a therapist he worked very hard to comprehend concepts available to him. As he began his practice he looked to improve the client-centered process, thereby lending to the development of the client-centered approach, also called person-centered psychotherapy. Rogers association with Sigmund Freud was short-lived and his similarity lies in their primary focus was clinical work. B. F. Skinner and Rogers agreed that they wanted to see approximately the same type of person in the future (Hergenhahn and Olson, 2007, p. 455) but Skinner argued that their differences were in the methods they were choosing to arrive at that future-behaviorism versus humanism. In addition, Rogers and George Kelly alike believed that humans sought, and were capable of, better personal . . . conditions (p. 408). There were several events in Rogers early studies and career that affected the development of his nondirective method of therapy. One of the earliest was that of watching his children grow up. Hergenhan and Olson (2007) discussed an early scrutiny of Rogers saying observing his children grow up taught him far more about individuals, their development, and their relationships than [he] could ever have learned professionally (p. 440). In pursuit of his PhD. Rogers learned that the psychoanalytic approach was often unproductive. The one event, however, according to Kirschenbaum (2004), that seemed to influence his historically noteworthy psychotherapeutic discovery happened while trying to help a mother find a solution to her delinquent sons behavior. Rogers theory that this mothers rejection of her son was the cause of his delinquency was met with no resolution. At the time that they agreed that they had both tried and failed, she queried Rogers about whether he took adults for counsel ing as well as youths. When he responded with assent, she asked for help for herself. It was this experience that Rogers realized that it was the client that knew the direction in which therapy should take. Kirschenbaum quotes Rogers saying that it began to occur to me that unless I had a need to demonstrate my own cleverness and learning, I would do better to rely on the client for the direction of movement in the [therapeutic] process. Additionally, it was at this point in Rogers theoretical progression that he encountered Alfred Adler from which he learned that a therapist could learn more by determining how the patient relates to the here and now (Hergenhan and Olson, 2007, p. 441), rather than focusing the patients history. Boeree (2006) commented on Rogers theories of fulfillment and satisfaction of the needs of all living organisms, even that of plant life-that it is in the nature of all life to expend effort to reach a definitive potential. He further stated that People . . . in the course of actualizing their potentials, created society and culture.   In and of itself, thats not a problem . . . But when we created culture, it developed a life of its own. Confessing that culture is not in itself evil, Boeree noted that culture for the most part has helped humankind survive and prosper, but at the same time it may have caused to hinder a persons self-fulfillment. Alfred Adlers concept of striving for superiority was a forerunner of Rogers suggestion of the incongruent self. Rogers believed that people, even infants, when given the chance, will choose what is best for them (Hergenhahn and Olson, 2007, p. 443). This is related to Rogers method of Organismic Valuing Process. He believed that experience was the authority on the developing personality. Rogers was noted as saying that Neither the Bible nor the prophets-neither Freud nor research-neither the revelations of God nor man-can take precedence over my own experience (p. 444). Rogers optimistic view of the human personality development fostered his belief that humans strive to positively enhance their own experience. He believed that experience took authority over all else, hence he pardoned persons that acted negatively attributing it to fear and defensiveness. Negative behavior was not in accordance with nature. Rogers believed that even those who acted out of fear and defensiveness had strong positive tendencies at deep levels which needed to be discovered. According to Hergenhahn and Olsen, the positive tendency Rogers was speaking of was the actualizing tendency (p.443). According to Rogers, actualizing tendency is the driving force as opposed to Freuds instincts as the driving force behind personality. Using actualizing tendency, humans evaluate their experiences with the organismic valuing process. This process, Rogers believed was within each human. It is sanctioned by a persons own senses. Other in the environment can devalue and even reject an individuals personal valuing process. When that occurs, many adopt other values to please external sources and the self-actualization goal is stunted. Cooper (2003) suggests this leaves the individual adapting to ideas and values conceived by others and thereby torn between what should be a fluid and malleable process, maximizing their ultimate development, and the rigid concepts of others. This can be particularly precarious because as Pescitelli (1996) suggests a person that is self-accepting is more accepting of others. That being the case, the individual may be overly influenced by the ideas of others, corrupting their personal fulfillment. Further, Cooper indicated that with Rogers and other humanistic psychologists the resolution came with reconnecting with the individual experience process. This process could be accomplished with Rogers nondirective, client-centered therapy that uses empathy, unconditional positive regard and congruence (p. 96). In Rogers phenomenological reality, Hergenhahn and Olson (2007) noted that the subjective world determines the behavior of people. When the environment interrupts the positive developmental process that takes place naturally, the individual misses experiences that enhance the self-concept that is positively valued and prepares for the emergence of the self. When an event or experience enters a persons awareness it becomes symbolized according to Rogers (p.444). Pescitelli (1996) commented on the value of an individual realizing their fullest potential and agreed that there needed to be an internal agreement within the individual and that the human capacity for awareness and the ability to symbolize gives us enormous power . . . but he also advised that care be taken, because if the self-awareness is distorted, then the growth may be unstable. Critical to Rogers person-centered approach to therapy is the clients receiving love, care, respect and acceptance from persons that are important the individuals life is the need for positive regard. People want to feel appreciated by the people that are most important to them. In the work of Rogers (1979), he stated that each individual has within him or herself vast resources for self-understanding, for altering the self-concept, basic attitudes, and his or her self-directed behavior. . . and that three conditions needed to exist to foster a growth-promoting climate in any situation which development of the person is the goal, (1) congruence, (2) unconditional positive regard, and (3) empathetic understanding. Incongruency occurs when people stop using their organismic valuing process. When people lose their sense of value, they begin to lean on society to make choices for them. This is when society begins to determine value over what their internal value system should tell them. Their frame of reference belongs to someone else. This is the first condition that Rogerss suggested was important between the therapist and the client-congruence. A genuineness and realness is imperative on the part of the therapist for the client to excel in their growth potential. Secondly, the unconditional positive regard was the means in which the therapist demonstrates acceptance of the clients climate at that moment. Moments change, attitudes change and the therapist needs to show nonpossessive [sic] caring (Rogers, 1979) for the client to flourish. Rogers believed that unconditional positive regard was an essential ingredient of psychotherapy (Hergenhahn and Olson, 2007, p 450). Thirdly, the precursor of the qualified therapist is achievement of empathetic understanding. It is vital that the therapist be so attuned to the client that they can clarify not only the meanings of which the client is aware but even those just below the level of awareness. According to Rogers, thi s was the ability to listen with real understanding, true empathy (1979). One noteworthy event that Rogers participated in was a video recording of an interview with a client, Gloria. This video recording was one of a three part film series comparing three forms of psychotherapy: (1) Client-centered by Carl Rogers, (2) Gestalt by Frederick Perls, and (3) Rational emotive by Albert Ellis. The client-centered approach ended with remarks by Rogerss interview with Gloria whereas, in essence, he was moved by the process that Gloria progressed through in her efforts of self-discovery starting with her description of her past and moving into her current situation. The evidence was demonstrated by Rogers-the value of the establishing the proper climate for the exchange of information, the genuineness of the therapist and the showing of empathy. These measures gave an observable impact on Gloria (Psychological Films, 1965). A study by Wickman and Campbell (2003) investigated the session between Rogers and Gloria. The study attested to the result of the client-cente red approach that Rogers employed. It genuinely made a difference in how Gloria felt about herself, when they reported that she made the statement Rogers had helped me to recognize my potential-my value as a human being gives credit to that concept. Additionally, Rogerss demonstration of empathy, genuineness and unconditional positive regard during the session helped Gloria see that she could be her own agent of change. As far as the analysis of Rogers work and impact on current psychotherapy is concerned, the overall desire of all type of therapy is that of taking care of the patient. In many cases, as Rogerss work showed it is that the patient that knows simply what is causing them trouble. The work of the client-centered therapist is to delve into the patients comments and to help them to uncover a workable solution to their problem on their own. The trained therapist should have the tools to help them to do so. Rogerss concept is very simplistic. There are occasions where a patient or client may have some physical limitation or mental illness that inhibits the progression to achieving a fully functioning person, i.e., schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder and others. Therapy alone may not be the solution, but therapy with medication may bring the patient very close. Hergenhahn and Olson (2007) observed that Rogers also felt strongly that a when person that does what truly feels good [that] is the best guide for action (p.462). They also remarked that Rogers said little about the developmental experiences that are conducive to healthy growth. I would posit that talk-therapy like what was demonstrated by Rogers with the patient; Gloria is a very effective strategy for someone like me. Intelligent, functioning persons that lack in positive self-esteem or reinforcement, benefit when tactical questions and conversational techniques like those of Rogers are used. It is also noteworthy that Rogers form of psychotherapy is still evident in the work of psychologists today. What is personally evident is that there are numerous therapeutic strategies available to psychologists that are positioned to help persons effectively grow and prosper in this fast-paced society that surrounds humankind today. The path that has been laid and that is being laid is vast. Personalities are challenging to decipher and it takes a psychologist willing to learn about and assimilate the plethora of information and patterns of therapy available to them to be able to benefit the many which ultimately becomes the few.

My Private Library Essay -- Descriptive Essay

Just like waking up in the morning and inhaling my first conscious-breath of the day, reading is something essential to me. As I child, I used to dream of having my own and private reading place where I would sit and spend my whole day reading my favorite books without any disturbance. Thanks to my dreams, I now have a wonderful private library in my house. This place is not similar to any other ordinary library but a mini place where you can find a massive number of interesting books of different varieties. Before you come into my library, you will have to obey a simple rule which is not that difficult to follow. Well, it is to be loaded with high reading spirit and I bet you that you will have no space in your heart to say good bye to this place. I can assure you on that as I myself experience the same thing everyday before I leave to work. As I sip my daily morning black coffee from my special coffee mug, I walk into my private library which has an automatic opening and a small hall as we enter. Just beside the couch which is in the hall, there is a mini map on the types of...

Post Modernist/Complexity Science Strategy

?There could be several conflicts that arise when working on a program to develop a new program for the hospital when adapting the program from the post modernist/complexity science strategy. Working with several different representatives from different aspects of the hospital, there will be different ideas, visualizations and outcomes for each group. The post modernist/complexity science strategy â€Å"focuses on the importance of connections and interdependencies for creating emergent order in networked systems†.When working with different populations of people, (in this case, the medical director, the chief of staff, and the medical staff) their focus and attention may be on different aspects of the new program. This could cause a problem for connections and relationships to develop and work efficiently. One group of people could be focused on the development of a nutritional program where as another group may be more focused on the medical aspect.All these representatives need to listen and compromise to be able to proficiently come up with a new program for the hospital. Without good connections and interdependencies to create order, this would be a very hard task. Second, when developing a new plan, each representative needs to understand that there will be change. The world is always changing and at any given time, one age demographic may need more services than others.If this new program was being developed today, this group of people would need to make sure that they took into account the large number of people who will be age 65 and older, and the explosion this population will continue to see for several more years. The post modernist/complexity science strategy states that â€Å"the search for equilibrium, a balance, a stable state, is futile†. The developers of the new program would need to make sure there is room for change within the new program.They would need to be able to understand that what people’s needs are for today w ill be the same for them tomorrow, or in 5 years. There must be flexibility, their ideas and the program must be built for flexibility. Both the post modernist/complexity science strategies do not â€Å"accept(s) the world as is; rather, both believe in the transformative power of events and ideas†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . If all parties involved do not follow these same ways of thinking, it could be very hard for a team to develop a new program that would thrive in the current times and the future. James, J. (2009). Post Modernist/Complexity Science Strategy There could be several conflicts that arise when working on a program to develop a new program for the hospital when adapting the program from the post modernist/complexity science strategy. Working with several different representatives from different aspects of the hospital, there will be different ideas, visualizations and outcomes for each group. The post modernist/complexity science strategy â€Å"focuses on the importance of connections and interdependencies for creating emergent order in networked systems†.When working with different populations of people, (in this case, the medical director, the chief of staff, and the medical staff) their focus and attention may be on different aspects of the new program. This could cause a problem for connections and relationships to develop and work efficiently. One group of people could be focused on the development of a nutritional program where as another group may be more focused on the medical aspect. All these representatives need to listen and compromise to be able to proficiently come up with a new program for the hospital.Without good connections and interdependencies to create order, this would be a very hard task. Second, when developing a new plan, each representative needs to understand that there will be change. The world is always changing and at any given time, one age demographic may need more services than others. If this new program was being developed today, this group of people would need to make sure that they took into account the large number of people who will be age 65 and older, and the explosion this population will continue to see for several more years.The post modernist/complexity science strategy states that â€Å"the search for equilibrium, a balance, a stable state, is futile†. The developers of the new program would need to make sure there is room for change within the new program. They would need to be able to understand that what people’s needs are for today w ill be the same for them tomorrow, or in 5 years. There must be flexibility, their ideas and the program must be built for flexibility.Both the post modernist/complexity science strategies do not â€Å"accept(s) the world as is; rather, both believe in the transformative power of events and ideas†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . If all parties involved do not follow these same ways of thinking, it could be very hard for a team to develop a new program that would thrive in the current times and the future. James, J. (2009). Health Organizations Theory, Behavior, and Development. Saudbery: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

Barbie: the Early History by Erica Wolf Essay

Do you know anyone who has their own dream house, super fun pool house, pink convertible, or their own magical musical movies? No, I’m not talking about Paris Hilton or Lindsay Lohan, This girl is more classic, and more of a role model to every little girl around the world. She’s a fun, outgoing character with an outfit for every occasion. She’s Barbie. Today we will learn about this amazing doll and the affect she has had on toy industry. First we will examine the pink and perfect history of Barbie, then we will try on the many different characters in Barbie’s family, and finally we will hit the shelves to examine the marketing of Barbie merchandise. First we will examine the pink and perfect history of Barbie. Barbie was first introduced at the American International Toy Fair in New York in February of 1959 according to â€Å"Barbie: The Early History† by Erica Wolf last updated in 2000. Ruth and Elliot Handler, the creators of Barbie, modeled her after the German doll known as â€Å"Lilli.† Ruth discovered Lilli while shopping in Switzerland and brought her home for her daughter to play with. This inspired Ruth to create an adult doll made specifically for little girls. Handler eventually had Jack Ryan, an executive of Mattel, purchase the rights for Lilli and make a deal with the company to create a doll similar to Lilli. The new doll would have a more â€Å"soft† look and didn’t look as made up with makeup as Lilli. Finally, in 1958, the new doll, Barbie Millicent Roberts (named after Handler’s daughter, Barbara) was born. At 11  ½ inches tall, debuted as a teenage model in a black and white striped swimming suit that came with sunglasses, high-heeled shoes, and gold colored hoop earrings. The body was shapely with a movable head, arms, and legs. Barbie would be the first doll in America with an adult-like body. Though Barbie was thought to be a huge success, some people in America had a terrible reaction toward this new phenomenon. Many female adults frowned upon her mature body figure. Mothers said they would not allow their daughters to play with Barbie because of her very grown up figure. The doll quickly caught the attention of little girls across the country. Soon, the small, sophisticated doll became a worldwide sensation, and remains the top fashion doll today. Next, I am going to talk about the many different characters of Barbie. Including some of her friends, the different types of Barbies throughout the years, and the many outfits of Barbie. During the first decade of Barbie in the 60’s, there were themes that went with Barbie. Such as â€Å"Barbie Goes to College â€Å". In 1961, Ken was introduced. He wore swim trunks and an unbuttoned shirt, and came with blond, brown or black hair. Alternative clothes included a sailor’s outfit, a college student look and casual ensembles for picnics or movies. According to â€Å"Barbies of the 60s† by Amanda Hermes last updated in 2013, in 1963 Mattel released Barbie’s best friend, Midge, who had brunette hair and wore a sleek red swimsuit and red heels. Barbie’s little sister, Skipper, appeared in 1964, along with her own boyfriend, Allan. A year later, Barbie’s family grew to include twins Tutti and Todd followed by her more modern cousin, Francie, who also came in Japanese and African American versions. Christie, the first African American friend of Barbie’s, came along in 1968. In Barbie Doll History, there have been numerous types of Barbies made since she was first introduced. With a rare exception here and there, Barbie’s body hasn’t changed much. Some may have more moveable parts, but the size and shape remains the same. Her face however, is a different story. Vintage Barbies were made from 1959 to 1966. Vintage Barbies made from 1967 to 1973 are considered to be Mod Barbies. One of the most notable dolls in this era was Malibu Barbie. She represented a shift in Barbie’s evolution. She was made from 1971 to 1977. The next big shift in Barbie Doll History happened in 1977, when in the era of the Halter Dress and Farrah Fawcett hair; Barbie underwent a dramatic transition in the form of Superstar Barbie. Barbie’s were made with the big toothy smile and tons of long blonde hair for the rest of the 1970s, all of the 1980s and a large part of the 90s. Well-known designers such as Bob Mackie created many of the early collectible Barbie Dolls. One of Barbie’s first transformations after so many years with the Superstar face was with the â€Å"Mackie Face.† In 2000, Mattel introduced the Fashion Model Collection, also known a Silkstones. They use the vintage Barbie face and have been very successful with Barbie collectors. Barbie has undergone many changes and a lot of diversity over the last ten years. Now a variety of different skin tones, hair colors and face sculpts are used. Mattel released a series of twelve Black Label Basic Barbie Dolls, the next step in Barbie Doll History, each featuring different types of Barbie face sculpt. Finally, we will hit the shelves to examine the marketing of Barbie merchandise. Every second 2.5 Barbie dolls are sold. This contributes to sales of more than $1.5 billion U.S. annually, making Mattel’s Barbie the most successful doll in history. Today, women have active lifestyles, balancing career and home activities creating a very different taste in doll buyers. Mattel first failed to realize the importance of this shift in 2001 when MGA Entertainment released their Bratz dolls, a doll with personality and attitude for the new generation of girls. Mattel is still suffering today due to the invention of Bratz dolls. Not only did Mattel not recognize these threats, they also thought it unwise to make major changes to Barbie; afraid consumers might not like the changes. It was too late when they finally realized that not changing the look of Barbie would be a bad idea. In 2006, sales had dropped 30% despite rushed changes being made to Barbie’s figure, looks, boyfriends and clothing. They also introduced their own new line of modern dolls called â€Å"My Scene† girls. It was obvious to consumers that this was an imitation of the Bratz dolls, so it never matched popularity.

The Cuban Revolution essays

The Cuban Revolution essays The Cuban Revolution was in various ways different from the American Revolution and in other ways similar to it at because it had the same purpose and it also succeeded. Therefore, it can be rightfully said that the Cuban Revolution is an example, among others, of revolutions following the steps and ways (set of guidelines) of the American Revolution, which led it to be a victorious one. It could also be said that this revolution also offered a number of contrasts to the American Revolution, thus making it clear that the American Revolution was a very unique and special kind of revolution that can never be exactly repeated by any other nation. One main similarity between the Cuban and the American Revolution is that they both held the same purpose, which was to overthrow the current abusive government and establish a new one that would serve the people rightfully and advance social and economic justice in the nation. Abuses of Batista's regime began on the same day that he came into power, when he suspended the constitution, dissolved the congress and instituted a provisional government, promising elections the following year. After crushing an uprising by a young lawyer, Fidel Castro, on July 26, 1953, the regime seemed secure and when the political situation had been calmed, the Batista government announced that elections were to be held on the fall of 1954.* That year Grau San Martin, Batista's opponent, withdrew from the campaign just before the election because he claimed that his supporters had been terrorized. Thus, Batista was reelected without any opposition since he brutally suppressed political opposition an d let his people live in appalling poverty. He crushed worker, peasant, and student opposition. Between 1952 and 1959, 20,000 Cubans were assassinated by Batista's henchmen. * The bodies of those assassinated were often dumped in public places with their eyes gouged out to intimidate the rest of the population; ...

Pricing Practices in the Denver, Colorado, Newspaper Market Essays

Pricing Practices in the Denver, Colorado, Newspaper Market Essays Pricing Practices in the Denver, Colorado, Newspaper Market Paper Pricing Practices in the Denver, Colorado, Newspaper Market Paper Beginning with the basics, economics is based on scarcity. Price has no connection to morality or â€Å"objective value†. Since everything has a cost, price is therefore a signal of how scarce a good is. The price also tells us how much the good is worth to the marginal consumer. Knowing that firms are greedy and want to maximize profits, the joint operating agreement between the Post and News will lead to one independent newspaper in Denver. If there is only one newspaper, then they are solely responsible for the advertising, circulation, and production. With the merger between two companies, there is obviously no reason to have two editors, two directors of each department, etc. Even the amount of people delivering newspapers will be cut in half. Therefore, jobs are going to be lost with the merge. With only one company, the Denver Newspaper Agency can charge any rate they want for circulation prices and they can increase advertising costs because they are the only newspaper to advertise in. At first, if all the consumers continue to buy newspapers, there will most likely be a shortage in supply. If P1 P*, then QD1 QS1. Therefore, a shortage exists and some consumers have incentive to bid up the price. As price increases, quantity supply increases, and quantity demand decreases. This will continue until equilibrium (P*) is met and the shortage will disappear. At equilibrium QD=QS=Q*, therefore no one has incentive to change behavior. Price remains constant. Figure 1 (attached) shows a graphical explanation. If consumers in Denver decide that the Denver Newspaper Agency is charging too much for a newspaper, then consumers will stop buying the product. If P2 P*, and QS1 QD1, a surplus exists. Firms can’t sell all goods, therefore price decreases, quantity demand increases, and quantity supply decreases. This continues until equilibrium is met again at P*. This relationship is shown in Figure 2. The relationship also explains if The Denver Newspaper Agency tries to charge high prices for advertising. Consumers will stop buying advertisements causing a decrease in quantity demand. Figure 3 shows the demand curve shift right as there would be an increase in consumers for the Denver Newspaper Agency since it would be the only supplier. The graph shows the initial equilibrium where QD1=QS1=Q1. The increase in consumers causes the shift in demand from D1 to D2. At initial price (P1), with new demand curve (D2), QD2 QS2, therefore there is a shortage. Consumers compete for scarce goods and bid up price, so price increases, quantity supply increases, and quantity demand decreases; therefore shortage disappears. This will continue until P* (Pt. B. ) where QS3=QD3=Q3. 2. Price discrimination occurs when the same product is sold at more than one price. In general, managers try to identify submarkets on the basis of an individual’s price elasticity of demand. There are three types of price discrimination: first, second, and third degree. The case of selling classified advertising that varies in price according to the value of the item advertised is an example of the most common form of price discrimination: third-degree price discrimination. This type of discrimination is most popular because although managers would prefer to identify the preferences of individuals, it is too expensive. Instead, they chose the next best alternative. This alternative is to identify individuals with similar traits and group them together. Buyers of the product must fall into specific groups with considerable differences in price elasticity of demand for the product. For example, a newspaper knows that an average person is willing to pay more to advertise a car than to advertise a bicycle. One reason to consider is the â€Å"return on investment†. I, personally, would be willing to pay more to advertise my car knowing that I would be making thousands of dollars off the sale. With a bike, it may not be worth it if the return is only a few hundred dollars. Like I mentioned in the previous answer, price has no relation to morality or objective value. Taking an ad out in a newspaper for a funeral is very expensive. However, the newspaper knows that consumers are willing to pay the price because it is one of the easiest ways to get the information out to friends and family in the community. Another reason may be that funeral homes usually take care of all the arrangements, so consumers don’t know how much the newspaper advertisement really cost until they see the bill of the entire funeral broken down. Simply put, the person advertising a funeral has a much less elastic demand than the person advertising a bicycle. The person selling the bicycle has more substitutes. Figure 4 (attached) illustrates third degree price discrimination. 3. Managers practice price discrimination either when they sell physically identical products at different prices or when similar products are sold at prices with different ratios to marginal cost. The strategy works best in markets with various classes of buyers who are differentiated in price elasticities of demand. In order for price discrimination to exist, there has to be two or more distinct groups, the groups must be identifiable, there must be market power, and the good has to be difficult to resell. In the case of airline fares, there are different types of travelers, identifiable groups (business and leisure), and the airline ticket cannot be resold. Once the flight has happened, the experience cannot be shared and the ticket cannot be used again. With local newspapers, there are different types of customers that have different reasons for advertising different items. Once the paper is printed and issued, the advertisement cannot be used again. It cannot be resold. I would argue that the example of airline fares is a better example of price discrimination. It is easier to identify different groups of people traveling than it is to identify different reasons as for why people want an advertisement. The experience of a flight on an airplane cannot be resold. Although an advertisement is only good for the one issue of a newspaper printed, it can still be seen by multiple people in a household or workspace. An airline ticket can only be used by one person. It is also easier to identify passengers as business or leisure. In the case of newspaper advertisements, it is harder to identify groups of people.

Accreditation

Accreditation can be viewed from two broad perspectives. It can either   be seen as a status and on the other hand, it can also be seen as a process. As a process, accreditation is the practice of certifying that an institution or a program has met some required standard and so, people are free to enjoy the facility. The institution to be accredited is subjected to such tests as to verify the veracity and authenticity of their claims. In this way, the institution therefore continues to seek ways by which it can improve in order to maintain its accreditation status. As a status, moreover, accreditation is the provision of notification to the general public that a process, or a program or an institution, as the case may be has met certain standards and the claims it is making are genuine. This is a sort of legalization as it gives them the right to operate their business. Accreditation is very important. it is necessary as it is a pointer to the quality of service an institution or organization is providing. Moreover, in situations where there are several providers of the same, or similar service, accreditation helps the consumer to be better positioned to make informed choices on which to choose from. Accreditation also gives room for continuous evaluation of the quality of products and services. Accreditation also ensures that the concerned corporations strive to continually improve on their services as they are subjected to periodic evaluation. This translates to a better quality of service to the consumers. The Joint Commission is a non-profit organization not affiliated to the government. it operates by scheduled surveys of hospitals. The hospitals are notified beforehand before the visits. The commission thereafter provides information as to the accreditation status of the hospital as well as the services that needs to be improved upon. The Healthcare Quality Association on Accreditation (HQAA) is also not affiliated to the government. It is a good substitute to the Joint commission as it also accredits health care facilities by surveying them. The accreditation option is tailored towards the Durable Medical Equipment. Community Health Accreditation Program (CHAP) is also a non-profit organization. it can also be seen as an alternative to the Joint commission. It accesses health care organizations that offer community based services. It is the first body created to perform this function. ACHC is another organization involved in the process or accrediting health care facilities. Its primary instrument is survey. There are a number of other agencies that are involved in accrediting health care. National Committee for quality Assurance: NCQA is also involved in the accreditation of health care facilities. It annually releases   a report on all accredited health care providers and facilities. Avmed is one of the health care providers in the country. It recently received an excellent rating from NCQAs annual ratings. This corresponds to the highest accreditation status that can ever be accorded a health institution for service and clinical quality. (Reuters, 2008) REFERENCES AvMed Receives Highest Quality Rating(2008) http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS133795+03-Jan-2008+PRN20080103 NCQA (2008) NAtional COmmittee for quality Assurance:Homepage http://www.ncqa.org/ The Joint COmmission (2008) About us. http://www.jointcommission.org/AboutUs/

What about drugs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

What about drugs - Essay Example Substance abuse is frightening and I pride myself on keeping my body as healthy as can be. Recreational drug users are filling certain needs when they take drugs and this is directly related to the addictive nature as well as the chemical properties of certain drugs. Accordingly, recreational drug users who need their â€Å"fix† are actually filling a need which they themselves have created. We are not born with addictions, such as an addiction to tobacco or cocaine, these addictions are created by us and they become self-fulfilling prophecies. It has been medically proven that physical activity helps people overcome the issues associated with drug use and chemical dependency. Promoting activity, whether it is going to the gym, going for a run or playing a sport, can help people overcome the challenges associated with drug addiction. Children need to know that drugs are out there but that there is a fundamental difference between drugs which are legal and drugs which are illegal. I will talk to my kids about drugs and aim to provide an open forum for them to ask any questions they may have about drug use. Children are naturally curious and many teenagers experiment with drugs in high school. It is important to keep them knowledgeable about the effects of drugs so that they are aware of the ramifications of drug use. Kids should not be encouraged to experiment but they should be given opportunities to ask questions about drugs and expert an honest answer in return. My personal opinion is that alcohol and nicotine are dangerous and that both should be illegal. More people are killed by alcohol related violence or accidents than those cause by drugs such as marijuana and we as a society should not be promoting alcohol as a good thing. Smoking as kills millions of people but it remains legal and the government continues to earn tremendous revenue from the sale of tobacco products. Dangerous drugs

The World According to Miranda July Research Paper

The World According to Miranda July - Research Paper Example While she attended U.C. Santa Cruz only for a few years, her subsequent move to Portland, Oregon began the catalyst that would push her career forward and convince her to pursue her creative impulses as a career, whether in film, writing, performance art or music (Durbin 2005). Â  Portland was an artist-friendly location where Ms. July could flourish and grow as a performance artist. In 1996, now an experimental filmmaker, she began a project called Joanie4Jackie as a way to inspire and showcase the works of female filmmakers, soliciting short films that would then be put on videotape and distributed as a cinematic chain letter (Wenclas 2010). She later created a second collection of submitted films called the Co-Star series. The Joanie4Jackie series would eventually find a larger audience through screenings at film festivals and DIY events. Her level of creative success and the productive nature of her portfolio would continue to grow. Â  Why the newly defined focus on filmmaking? For Ms. July, the move was a natural progression as she matured creatively and understood that the power of film allows the author a unique means of expression that other creative mediums may lack. As she told an interviewer for Believer Magazine: Â  I became really interested in how much I could show this hard-to-articulate, kind of magical or somewhat ephemeral things through really worldly, grounded ways. And it just seemed like this medium was good for that. (Horowitz 2005) Â  Artistically preoccupied with the human condition, primarily the weight of loneliness and our desire to relieve that burden through some type of personal connection, Ms. July breathes life into the mundane.

The culture of Burberry in Brazil Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The culture of Burberry in Brazil - Essay Example The company has established a brand vision by which all employees and managers are expected to adopt, which is to inspire, protect and explore in a creative and somewhat decentralised organisational model. Burberry follows the dimensions associated with transformational leadership, which involves building a shared vision, opening effective lines of communications between different power players and subordinates, and role modelling the most desired behaviours (Fairholm 2009). Burberry needs to stay focused and dedicated to its wealthy traditionalism in British fashion retail in order to build consistency in brand values, therefore executives, mid-level managers and lower-level service employees must work cooperatively to achieve mission and support a rich British brand. Britain is Burberry and the corporate culture must reflect these values to effectively service its target consumers that value this element of high fashion and national pride. Burberry has been able to support a consis tent brand by building systems and practices in human resources that provide employees with the set of cohesive business values necessary to achieve market share against competition. Burberry also attempts to make relationship connections with the digital generation which is evident in the presence of interactive electronic mirrors in the sales environment that illustrate a historical depiction of Burberry’s past as an iconic British brand. Internally, in order to effectively service the more modernised customer, the organisation must break down age-old autocratic leadership and engage more effectively with a generation of service workers that carry the same values of the... This paper dwell upon national and business culture in Brazil. The Brazilian culture is quite different from British culture which could cause problems with developing a cohesive internal culture that shares the same brand values of Burberry. In the United Kingdom, which is highly individualistic, it is commonplace for managers and executives to work cooperatively throughout the business model. In fact, in the individualist culture, it is an expectation, therefore the corporate culture at Burberry fits interpersonal needs of employees and managers. The Brazilian culture is very collectivist, which involves personal characteristics that favour group membership and building personal identity that comes from group opinion and values. Brazilian society is born into a social hierarchy that believes in the integrity of family members where loyalty to the familial group is demanded. Brazilian culture is also very tolerant of separation between authority figures in the organisation and lower -level employees. Known as power distance, this characteristic of the Brazilian culture tolerates and expects inequality between executives and service employees.

The New Employee Orientation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The New Employee Orientation - Assignment Example The fright of the newness often make one coil and feel withdrawn, yet at the same time there is the joy of joining a new workforce. Just like embracing what a new day presents, a new employee must seek to embrace the cultural climate in the new work environment before he/she can criticize or become judgmental like in the case presented by Schein (2009). The author presents a case of a CEO (Chief Executive Officer) who became judgmental few days after being posted into a new environment. The surest way of learning a particular corporate culture is by understanding one’s role and how that role fits into the whole organization (Lawson, 2006). Embracing the organization culture involves getting to understand the organization’s mission, objectives, policies and structure (Schein, 2009). The various challenges that come with each new day are like the giants in the â€Å"Giant Tales† which are there not stop one from sojourning ahead but they present a venue for growth and innovation (Cromie, 2008). Notably, the presented opportunities evoke every creative spirit as well as create the good working environment rich with experiences of others to learn from (Baek, 2006). It is worth noting that the success of one in the new environment is basically pegged on the willingness of the new individual to learn and so embrace the new work

Families in Lebanon Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Families in Lebanon - Case Study Example There are three characters involved in this series and involves a mother, father and their son. The son is the protagonist and cuts the figure of an audacious yet respectful child. He is also technologically savvy and sounds educated. The mother is a housewife and can be described as strict and keen to neatness. She is relatively open-minded as regarding religion rules, and this is seen when she intervenes for his son during an argument between her husband and son concerning the issue of a girlfriend. The father, on the other hand, is portrayed as a strict and conservative parent. He is the head and provider of the family. In the discussion, the major areas of interest will be on the characteristics and the structure of the family (Arab) in Lebanon as depicted in the videos outlined earlier. The study will also focus on the responsibilities of each member of the family as necessitated by the society and in part, religion. A little more focus on the protagonist (the son) will also giv e a clearer picture of the youthful stage of the children and how their parents influence their way of life. The style of communication in Lebanese families is also worth a mention and thus the study will also touch on the topic. The discussion, however, starts with an overview of Lebanon in regard to its demographic, cultural and social background. There has not been ample survey to determine the actual population size of Lebanon in the recent years; the most recent census was held in 1932 (Rolland 65). However, sample studies conducted by The National Survey of Household Living Conditions in 2004-2005, estimated the population at 4.2 million people. The country’s ethnic make-up consists of about 95 percent Arabs (Lebanese) and with the rest of the population largely made up of the Armenians (Mahdi 117).  

Speech Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Speech - Essay Example With this idea in mind, she further stressed that their own government, who is supposed to be the one protecting their rights as citizens of this country, is treating women unjustly. Per the Fourteenth Amendment that was adopted in 1968, no legal rights could be denied to any individual born in the United States. Anthony decided to question the government against the context of the amendment by stating that women born in this country are citizens, and are hence entitled to their rights including the right to vote. The ultimate purpose of her speech is to encourage all citizens, both women and men, to come together and fight for a cause. In the following pages, the different concepts of persuasive speech will be used to critically analyze Anthony’s speech. To obtain her purpose, one could say that Anthony used both pathos and logos effectively in her rhetoric. As a backgrounder, pathos is one of the three modes of a persuasive rhetoric. It is the element that appeals to the emotions of the audience. Logos, on the other hand, is the element that appeals to the logical side of the audience. It is also one of the three modes of a persuasive rhetoric. Anthony started her speech by saying â€Å"friends and fellow citizens† to appeal to the emotions and logic of the listeners --- â€Å"friends†, to connect to the listeners’ emotions, and â€Å"fellow citizens†, to subtly hint that they are all equal, holding the same set of rights and privileges, and governed by one set of laws. She stated her argument in a way that expressed her anger, disgust, and rationale. She referred back to the preamble of the Federal Constitution and stressed out that the â€Å"we† that pertains to the people of the United States m eans every individual regardless of gender. She emphasized it further in the fourth paragraph by repeatedly pointing out

Families in Lebanon Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Families in Lebanon - Case Study Example There are three characters involved in this series and involves a mother, father and their son. The son is the protagonist and cuts the figure of an audacious yet respectful child. He is also technologically savvy and sounds educated. The mother is a housewife and can be described as strict and keen to neatness. She is relatively open-minded as regarding religion rules, and this is seen when she intervenes for his son during an argument between her husband and son concerning the issue of a girlfriend. The father, on the other hand, is portrayed as a strict and conservative parent. He is the head and provider of the family. In the discussion, the major areas of interest will be on the characteristics and the structure of the family (Arab) in Lebanon as depicted in the videos outlined earlier. The study will also focus on the responsibilities of each member of the family as necessitated by the society and in part, religion. A little more focus on the protagonist (the son) will also giv e a clearer picture of the youthful stage of the children and how their parents influence their way of life. The style of communication in Lebanese families is also worth a mention and thus the study will also touch on the topic. The discussion, however, starts with an overview of Lebanon in regard to its demographic, cultural and social background. There has not been ample survey to determine the actual population size of Lebanon in the recent years; the most recent census was held in 1932 (Rolland 65). However, sample studies conducted by The National Survey of Household Living Conditions in 2004-2005, estimated the population at 4.2 million people. The country’s ethnic make-up consists of about 95 percent Arabs (Lebanese) and with the rest of the population largely made up of the Armenians (Mahdi 117).  

Developing poise is a question of developing confidence in ones personality Essay Example for Free

Developing poise is a question of developing confidence in ones personality Essay Developing poise is a question of developing confidence in ones personality. Look at all the people who lack this confidence. The noisy are unsure of themselves and trying to attract attention. The awkward are over-anxious, worrying about the impression they are making. The clumsy are self-conscious, scared of disapproval. Some people lack poise because it requires ability to wait for people and things to come to you, rather than straining after them. This action demands a degree of self-confidence which they have not managed to acquire. The first essential to poise is a sense of well-being. It is difficult to be poised if you are suffering from poor health; so many things are apt to upset you. One should try to be as fit as possible by living and eating wisely, having sufficient rest, and by getting proper treatment when something is wrong. A second necessary part of the sense of well-being is scrupulous cleanliness and freshness with regard to oneself and ones person. Allied to this is appearance. You must look and feel that you look your best. It is not necessary to spend a lot of money on clothes, but it is vital that you should think you look smart, and that your clothes should be so comfortable that you can forget about them. Now behavior comes in, including the way we walk and carry ourselves, sit down, stand up, and move around. The body should be upright and well-balanced, head up, shoulders back, tail tucked in. We should aim to look alert and interested, to walk easily from the hips, neither mincing along in short tight little steps nor striding. We should study the way we sit down and rise to our feet. We should place a chair in front of a long mirror and see how well- or how badly- we do it, asking a sympathetic friend or a family member to criticize. It is mostly a matter of how we carry ourselves. We should watch the way we open and close doors and cupboards. We should learn to sit well back on a chair instead of perching on its edge. By far the most important part of good manners is consideration for others- putting people at their ease, making them welcome, seeing that they are comfortable and have what they need, stepping into the background to give them a chance to shine. We should always practice unfailing courtesy. There is also a matter of the way we talk. A pleasant speaking voice gives its owner tremendous self-confidence. Every now and then, as a check, we should listen to ourselves talking. Nervousness may be making us gabble, or on the other hand, slowing us down until we seem pompous. Or we may be pitching our voices too high or too low. Because poise is primarily a question of self-confidence, we must have a sense of personal worth- the feeling that we are wanted and have something to give the world. A feeling that we are unwanted and that the world would be better off without us gives rise to a reaction to avoid people or to become aggressive towards them. Financial insecurity, job worries, dull routine work that seems important, work that others take for granted, or anything that encourages us to believe that we are of no account destroys our sense of personal worth and with it our self-confidence. It is hard to feel at ease with people when we are resenting being made to feel inferior. There is also an unpleasant sensation of being out of things and not belonging which, in our minds at least, sets us apart from other people and causes us to be anxious about the impression we are making. Students and adolescents generally are difficult to reach and to get at, as we say, because they are so uncertain of themselves and their future. They are gauche and touchy because they feel insecure. To develop poise we have to find value in ourselves and meaning to life. In plain words, we have to do a job that strikes us as being worthwhile and useful, and acquire the skill which this implies. To achieve real poise, one must be careful about people. They are remarkable for their unpredictability, which means in terms of practical living that it is unwise to depend on them too much. Like us, they are swayed by their moods and feelings. If we often surprise and horrify ourselves, why should we be hurt or angry when others react in ways equally surprising? We have to learn to be self-sufficient in the sense of being able to stand aloof, relying on ourselves when necessary for our happiness. This is not difficult if we have a sense of personal worth and satisfying interests. We should avoid becoming emotionally involved in other peoples quarrels, prejudices, dislikes, and arguments. If we are forced to take part, we may try to be a calming influence.

The Culture Of Creativity And Innovation Commerce Essay

The Culture Of Creativity And Innovation Commerce Essay Creativity and innovation are two inherent qualities human possess that may not be embedded in each and every individual. An organization acquires staff and individual with various different attributes. However, creativity, for one, may not be amongst their major attribute. I believe that it is not easy for an organization to create a culture of creativity and innovation in an organization due to the diversity among members and the organizational identity but it is not impossible either. Depending on the existing organization culture with an evolving organizational identity and using proper language and discursive elements to bring cultural incrementalism, a culture of creativity and innovation in an organization is achievable. A culture of creativity and innovation in an organization can be created by providing staff of the organization proper understanding of the goals and objective and creating an environment to try new ideas and the right to freedom and get support. I believe that simply implementing theories to an organization wont make it creative or innovative. In order to create a culture of creativity and innovation in an organization, the organization needs to understand the behaviour of the people and needs to be open to new ideas and the changes these ideas generate. In this essay, I have tried to focus on implementing culture of creativity into organizations whilst evaluating existing organizational structure and culture. All the theories discussed and argued will be based upon creativity for an organization. The Weberian Thought and Taylorism along with models of organizational structures have been analyzed to understand how people are provided with authority and how they behave in an organization. HAS and IS approach has been compared alongside Darwins Theory of Evolution to put light into the theory of creativity. In order to implement a new concept of creativity and bring change, Kanter, Stein Jicks Big 3 Model of Change and Lewins Model for organizational change has been compared and contrasted. Organizational Culture is an outcome of cultural processes at work in a particular setting and focuses on people and the shared meaning within them. An organization with a strong culture may find it difficult to adapt with changes. If they want to bring a culture of creativity then the organization may find it hard to cope with it. A strong culture will have people with commonalities and may lack diversity which is essential in generating new and different ideas. However, subcultures can exist in such organization with strong culture which may bring creativity as a result of diversity. Such divisions are responsible for giving a different option or a direction to the organization which can result to new frontiers. Diversity is an integral element of an organizations culture. A manager has to be aware of the differences that exist among various employees working in the organization. People in an organization do not always come from the same background. A manager needs to be aware of the differences between the employees in order to create a friendly working environment. Organization, today, has come a long way from the classical approach of Max Weber (Bureaucracy and rationality) and F.W. Taylor (Division of Labour and Scientific Management). Humans are appendage of industrial machines. Humans can be programmed to perform according to loads, pace and fatigue-Max Weber. In order to establish a creative culture, people need to be given freedom to think and work. Webers theory will bring restrictions on the way people think and work by comparing human with machines. Similarly, Taylors Scientific Mangement theory suggests that certain knowledge, belief needs to be predetermined to create a culture. However, creativity cant be moulded by certain rules and regulations. In such a case, the result would not be original and hence, not creative. Darwins Theory of Evolution states that culture is a process of cultivation, i.e., the improvement of human condition which helps create a creative culture as it focuses on betterment of the human condition. Similarly , HAS and IS Approach provides further light towards organizational culture. HAS approach states that culture is constructed by basic assumptions where as IS approach starts from a clean slate where culture is not defined which can help the creativity flourish as there are no boundaries that needs to be met by the people. In recent times, a symbolic-interpretative approach or a postmodern approach is more popular where people and their behaviour are given importance and actions carried out based on them. A symbolic-interpretative approach would create meaning by associating with human through shared values, traditions and customs whereas the Postmodern approach is where managers are artist in themselves who are open to new ideas and based upon these knowledge and understanding come up with a new perspective with reference to the past. The diagram below shows different elements which collectively form a culture. In order to create a creative and innovative culture in an organization, all the elements need to embrace creativity and work accordingly. Creativity injected in these elements will eventually exude the creative culture of the organization. An artifact who would like to be a symbol of the organisation Organizational structure shows the relationship between members within the organization and the distribution of responsibilities and ultimately power. An organizational structure doesnt necessarily influence the organizational culture. An organization may have a strong, bureaucratic culture or a creative culture regardless of the hierarchical structure. In large organization such as Apple, a creative culture exists despite a hierarchical organizational structure. However, creativity needs to fulfil the goals and objectives of the organization and proper communication is necessary between the staff and the managers. So, a flat organizational structure would help in better communication and instant reaction to any changes even if the organization has a Top-Down hierarchy. Organizational Control helps to create an order to the activities carried out in an organization but it can affect the creativity of an organization as the essence of creativity is freedom and we know that organizational control is quite the opposite. The level of control needs to be determined in such a way that it wont hamper the creativity of the staff. In order to create a creative environment, the control needs to be decentralized. Even though managers are in charge, the employees need to have space to come up with ideas without being controlled. Page 345, teamwork and a concern with employee creativity. Language in the form of narrative and storytelling is essential in shaping a culture of an organization. Narration is bringing experience or sequence of episodes coherently into language. From stories we derive meaning, knowledge and experience, and as a result, we are able to understand our own and others existence. Narration helps improve communication between the manager and the employee resulting to better productivity. It even helps to improve quality of management and leadership and understand the direction the organization wants to take in the future. Stories can help people understand and get new ideas which will create a creative and innovative environment. People can relate to characters of the narration and learn from the events. For eg, learning about how Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computers, works can inspire people to come up with new ideas and be more innovative. Organizational Change occurs when a new system is introduced and implemented. It is not easy to bring change to an organization. Changing any functioning of the organization will have to change the perception and attitude of the people as well. Such changes need to be handled delicately without upsetting any party. Cultural Change in organizations can be of three types: Apparent Change, Revolutionary Change and Cultural Change. Apparent Change adapts while preserving its identity whereas Revolutionary change is brought about by outsiders by destroying old ones and creating a completely new culture. However, if creative culture needs to be created, Cultural Incrementalism is a good choice. It incorporates the old culture from narratives along with new ideas to come up with a new culture. In our case, changing the way the people work by providing more freedom or brainstorming and discussion sessions incorporated in an existing culture results to cultural incrementalism and hence, a cre ative culture. There are various theories on how change can be managed. Lewins Model: Unfreezing, Change, Refreezing is one of the most popular theorys for managing change in an organization. However, we are focused on changing the culture into a creative culture. For this purpose, Big 3 Model of Change is appropriate rather than Lewins Model. Lewins Model is effective but it focuses more on the manufacturing and operational side of the organization and doesnt take into account the human perspective. It plans and directs change. However, creativity in an organization cant be planned or directed. Big 3 Model of Change focuses on change can be managed by responding, harnessing and provoking change. According to this model, there are three forces of change: Macroevolutionary (Environmental Level), Microevolutionary (Organisational Level) and Political (Individual Level). This model has been criticised to be too broad but due to its inclusion of behaviour of people at different level and responding acc ordingly, makes it a better option towards managing change than Lewins Model. While creating a creative and innovative culture, a manager should not stray away from the identity of the organization. A creative culture may not be suitable for all types of organization. The working environment needs to be understood before changing or creating a culture and the change needs to align with the identity of the organization. For eg, In a Cafe, creativity has very less to do. The employee has to perform task that is routine and there is no room for improvement in terms of creativity. The identity of the cafe is to provide good service to customers. Albert and Whetten beleive that organizational identity has central, distinctive and enduring features. However, Gioia, Schultz and Corley argue that the organizations identity is fluid and not stable. Balmer emphasises on using evolving rather than enduring because these school of thought believe that even the organizational identity doesnt always remain the same and keeps on evolving with time and environment. Culture an d Identity of an organization go hand in hand and Michael Wood has stated, Identity is not something genetic, safe and secure. It is shaped by history and culture: it is about group feeling; allegiance to the state, but in an open society that can be wide and inclusive. It is always in the making and never made. So, if the organization needs to create an innovative and creative culture, the identity can be moulded accordingly. Example: Creative Industry of Jewellery Design. I interviewed a friend, AKG, who assists her father in a family business in Kathmandu, Nepal. The organization is a family business which is basically a jewellery design outsourcing company for various jewellery shops in Kathmandu. The organization was started by her grandfather 34 years ago, to employ people with a passion for their art-jewel crafting while utilising their abilities to their benefits therefore benefitting the organisation. The people hired were people that were fired by her grandfathers friends because they didnt craft the jewellery according to the specified designs. This gave her grandfather the opportunity to bring the best out of his employees in terms of creativity who believed that happy people make better employees. The organization has AKGs father as in-charge and 14 artisans who were hired by her grandfather. These artisans are responsible for coming up with ideas or working on ideas provided to them by the clients. The designs or ideas from clients are translated to the artisans as some are stories and some are an old piece and brainstorming sessions are carried out to understand the story more deeply. Then this raw idea is given to all 14 artisans along with the old piece or the story. They translate it however they think is best. So, by the end of the time given, AKG and her father along with the 14 artisans come together, discuss and look through all the designs. Then, among the 16 people, voting is carried out and sometimes there is a clear winner. However, at times all the 14 translations are sent to the clients to pick the best which makes it much simpler and the winning craftsman receives 35% of the sales proceeds! All 14 artisans work in the workshops at their home. They work separately and each idea and design is unique. They joined this family business because they were able to express themselves and not work under any restrictions. Before, they had to design what was told by the client or the owner and their own idea would not be given value. But now, they can use their creativity and imagination and work on the designs providing a style of their own. However, despite giving these artisans freedom to come up with new ideas, the manager says it is important to keep sidelines. AKG says. When you have such a thing, you got to keep sidelines. They cant just go tinkering around with everything. We do encourage creativity but its got to be marketable and what we ask of them is to judge for themselves if they would be attracted by the design if they say it in a store. The above example is based on a family business which is different from regular corporations. This firm can be classified as a creative industry due to the nature of work. The organization has a flat structure with the manager looking after the 14 artisans and dealing with clients. Due to the group of artisans working for the company for more than 30 years, a culture has been set on how tasks are carried out. Artisans were hired due to their skills of creativity and with an agreement of freedom to go beyond boundaries and try out new things. Having said that, goals and objectives are predetermined and a basic criterion is set which will fulfil the basic demand of the client. Creativity is the organizational identity for this company and it is reflected in the organizational culture as well. The artisans are able to use their skills without compromising on their creativity. The opportunity to work at their own workshops gives them freedom. Hence, this is an organization based around c reativity of the skilful workers where they are given freedom to come up with new ideas that goes along the story provided by the clients. The added incentive makes the workplace more competitive which will motivate artisans to come up with their best work as per customers requirement. This organization depicts an existing creativity culture which was possible due to the identity that was set when the firm was established. The organizational culture of this firm can be seen as IS approach of the organizational culture as the culture was created and it centred on the creation of meaning. Here, the meaning was freedom to creativity for better satisfaction to the workers. This culture of creativity opposes the Classical approach and Webers Bureaucracy theories. Instead of specialising and setting formal rules and regulations, the artisans were given the freedom to work at their workshops and be creative. So, for a culture of creativity to exist, the organizational structure needs to be flexible and interactive and creativity needs to be an element of the organizational identity. The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What youll discover will be wonderful. What youll discover is yourself.- Alan Alda.

Anti-Federalist :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Most Americans were very suspicious of government, but the Anti- Federalist was really mistrustful of the government in general and strong national government. This mistrust was the basis of their opposition to the constitution. They feared it had created a government the people could not control. Many distinguished Americans were Anti-Federalists. Leaders included George Mason and Elbridge Gerry. Both attended the Philadelphia Convention but had refused to sign the constitution.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Anti-Federalist argued that the Constitution had many flaws. The thought that it should have been developed in meetings whose proceedings was open to the public. And it would undermine a republican form of government. It gave too much power to the national government at the expense of the powers of state governments. It gave too much power to the executive branch of the national government at the expense of the other branches. It gave too much power because of the â€Å"necessary and proper clause.† It did not adequately separate the powers of the executive and legislative branches. In addition, it allowed the national government to keep an army during peacetime. And also it did not include a bill of rights.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  They feared that because of these flaws in the Constitution, the new national government would be a threat to their national rights. They also thought that the constitution had been developed by an elite and privileged group to create a national government for the purpose of serving its own selfish interest. They thought the only safe government that if it had a local and closely linked with the will of the people. And controlled by the people, by such means as we have yearly elections and replacing peopled in key positions often.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Federalist knew that many members of Congress and the state governments were against the new Constitution, largely because it reduced their powers. So the federalist decided not to ask the Congress or state governments to approve the Constitution, even though they were expected to do so.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Today, now that the Constitution has worked successfully for 200 years, it would be easy to ignore the anti-federalist of 1787 and 1788 as an unimportant historical force, a collection of no constructive reactionaries and cranks. Actually, the anti-federalist may well have represented the views of the majority of the Americans, whose reasons for preferring the old Articles of Confederation were firmly within the democratic tradition.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Among the anti-federalist were fiery old patriot leaders who feared

Abortion :: essays research papers

Abortion, termination of a pregnancy before birth, resulting in the death of the fetus. Some abortions occur naturally because a fetus does not develop normally or because the mother has an injury or disorder that prevents her from carrying the pregnancy to term. This type of spontaneous abortion is commonly known as a miscarriage. Other abortions are induced—that is, intentionally brought on—because a pregnancy is unwanted or presents a risk to a woman’s health, or because the fetus is likely to have severe physical or mental health problems. Induced abortion, the focus of this article, is one of today’s most intense and polarizing ethical and philosophical issues. Modern medical techniques have made induced abortions simpler and less dangerous. But in the United States, the debate over abortion has led to legal battles in the courts, in the Congress of the United States, and state legislatures. The debate has spilled over into confrontations, which are sometimes violent, at clinics where abortions are performed. This article discusses the most common methods used to induce abortions, the social and ethical issues surrounding abortion, and the history of the regulation of abortion in the United States. II Abortion Methods Print Preview of Section Induced abortions are performed using drugs or surgery. The safest and most appropriate method is determined by the age of the fetus, which is calculated from the beginning of the pregnant woman’s last menstrual period. Most pregnancies last an average of 39 to 40 weeks. This period is divided into three stages known as trimesters. The first trimester consists of the first 13 weeks, the second trimester spans weeks 14 to 28, and the third trimester lasts from the 29th week to birth.

Cold War and for its continuance to1956 Essay

How far do you agree that ideological rivalry between the superpowers was primarily responsible for both the origin of the Cold War and for its continuance to 1956? Certainly, the ideological rivalry that existed between the East and the West, concerning Communism and Capitalism was the largest factor to fuel the lengthy cold war, but there were other smaller factors that inflamed the conflict and ensured its continuance. Almost all of these factors can be drawn back to the fundamental contradictory ideologies and most of which were reactions against the other’s respective policies, such as Comecome was the Soviet response to the Truman doctrine/ Marshall Aid, and the Warsaw Pact a reaction to the creation of NATO. As the Second World War came to an end in 1945 it became clear that pre-war revulsion for the respective ideologies was ready to once again rear its ugly head. The war time association between the US and the Soviet Union had existed simply to unite against an enemy that if faced alone, neither could have overthrown. By 1945 it was obvious that Hitler and Nazi Germany were reaching the end of their powerful and destructive lifetime. With the downfall of their enemy, the two superpowers had no common ground and were therefore left to return to their nations and their respective pre-war international policies. Both Russian and American ideologies can only be fully understood or explained by looking at their individual roots. America, as it stands today was founded less than two hundred years ago, with such a short national history and no legs to stand on, it is no wonder they are so scared of other ideologies, and insist on enforcing their bogus ‘democracy, liberty and freedom’ on other countries with no allowance or acceptance of other ways of living. The basis of US foreign policy since 1945 has been the idea of containment, sketched out by George Kennan in the Long Telegram of 1946. Kennan argued that the methods and goals of the US and the SU were ‘irreconcilable’ and therefore the US should prepare for a long struggle. At some point the ‘illegitimate’ government of the SU would collapse from within and the struggle would be over, as almost perfect prophecy of what was to happen years later. During the late Middle Ages, Russia had been isolated from Europe by Mongol occupation, once Russia gained it’s freedom from the Mongol yoke and attempted to become a European power, it found that it lacked the technology and culture of the West. Furthermore, it was an underdeveloped peasant society, embracing enormous geographical expanse. The challenge was to change and modernize the country. Russian leaders from Ivan the Terrible onwards were all faced with the problem of transforming this backward society. In 1917, the Bolsheviks inherited these traditional Russian preoccupations; however they also inherited a desire to define themselves and pursue her own unique national calling rather than simply follow in a Western pattern of development. The Soviet Union, Stalin declared, did not need the West, but could succeed on its own. Additionally, while the Bolsheviks embraced the Marxist vision of a universal pattern of development, they also inherited Marx’s ambivalent attitude to capitalism and his desire to see its destruction. Suspicion of the West thus came to be deeply embedded in the Bolshevik mentality; the West was the enemy against which Bolshevism defined its identity. It was therefore, essentially, a ‘reactive’ identity; Soviet socialism, constructed as a protest against Western capitalism, was ‘an anti-world to Capitalism’ (Kotkin 1995). Personality clashes between the two superpower leaders, Stalin and any of the US Presidents once again comes back to their completely opposing ideological beliefs and their individual fears of the other’s possible world domination. So when Stalin died in 1953 it was unclear how, or even if, Soviet politics could maintain its hard-line policies both internationally against America and internally. However, in 1956 Khrushchev, the new Soviet leader made his famous secret speech, clearly criticizing Stalin this, almost even more clearly than even Stalin’s death, signified the end of Stalinism. Khrushchev’s appointment marked the end of the relationship between Stalin and the West. Brimming with positive ideas for ‘peaceful coexistence’, and a much larger power base than Stalin’s dictatorship ever allowed, the relationship between Khrushchev and the west began, and that’s a whole other story. The Cold War was an ideological and geographical struggle between two opposing systems. Equally important, it was a struggle that took place during the first fifty years of the nuclear age, and the existence of nuclear weapons greatly affected the nature of the struggle. The black cloud of nuclear Armageddon hung over the entire cold war period. Yet, thankfully, the bomb was never used to attack after 1945 by either the United States or the Soviet Union. Although this war was nothing like either the first or second world war, the rest of the world was dragged in too. The Korean War was labeled ‘the cold war in the east’ by one historian†¦. (sorry know this bit should be much much longer) At no point in history, from before the 16th century have two superpowers been able to coexist, there has always been a single hegemonic power. Yet Holland’s influence in the 16th century and Portugal’s colonization of Spain and South America, and even the British Empire would never have been labeled ‘superpowers’. Perhaps this is because although these countries had influence, they did not have the power to destroy the world at the press of a button. Nonetheless in this nuclear era there is even less room for two major powers, and even though the ideologies are complete opposites, the cold war can be explained as a power struggle between two big kids, fighting for their right to be the biggest bully in the playground. Although this certainly wasn’t the first, or indeed the last, war that America has ‘won’ I feel that this is almost the most important win in US, indeed even world, history. The battle of two superpowers, both with the ability to destroy the world, and that only, by the collapse of the Soviet Union in the late 20th century, allowed the US to appear as the ‘winner’ and assume the position of the world’s only superpower and subtly declare itself ‘world leader’. I believe the cold war is one of the largest factors for causing the American superiority which had the cold war had a different outcome perhaps would have been suppressed or even seen the Soviet Union develop the ignorance and superiority that is so fiercely disliked by much of the world. I fully agree that fundamentally the cold war was a confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union, fuelled on both sides by the belief that the ideology of the other side had to be destroyed. It is because of this that co-existence was not possible- one side could only win at the expense of the other, no matter how long either side had to wait for their victory, the ideological hatred ran so deep that both sides that neither side was prepared to jeopardize their own way of life for the benefit of the other. The Soviet Union held to Lenin’s belief that conflict between communism and capitalism was ‘inevitable’. The United States believed that peace and stability in the world would only emerge when the evil of communism had been exorcised. At the ideological level Moscow’s communist world-view, which saw capitalism as absolute evil, fed off Washington’s world-view, which saw communism as an absolute evil, and in this way helped to sustain the others prophecy. Every action that either power took was followed by an almost immediate reaction from the other, the continuation of the Cold War not only until 1956 but until the Soviet Unions downfall in 1970/80s, was continually fueled by actions and reactions which were sometimes insignificant but which also brought the world closer than ever to a full scale nuclear war. Bibliography Stalinism, An Overview – P. Boobbyer 2000 The Cold War – John W. Mason Sarah Holtam Page 1 2/5/8/2007

First Breath Last Breath by Antler Analysis Essay

â€Å"First Breath Last Breath† is a poem written by Antler. The central theme of this poem is the beginning and the end of life. Antler manages to translate through words the cycle of life, using two characters the baby boy and the mother. The characters are connected in life through a strong relationship. The cycle is presented by the event of birth of a child and the death of the mother who gave him life. This poem is also about love, the love between a mother and her â€Å"baby boy†. The title of the poem â€Å"First Breath Last Breath† is composed of two parts. Breath† by definition it means the air inhaled and exhaled in respiration but it also means life, spirit or vitality. First part is â€Å"First Breath† means the beginning (â€Å"first†) of life (â€Å"breath†) and second part â€Å"Last Breath† means the end (â€Å"last†) of life (â€Å"breath†). The first part is also present in the first stanza in the ninth line â€Å"his first breath on Earth† emphasizing the topic of the first stanza – the beginning. The second part is present as well in the poem, in the second stanza, ninth line â€Å"exhales her last breath† emphasizing the second part of the title and also the topic of the second stanza – the end. An important aspect is the structure of the poem. It is composed of two stanzas, each stanza containing one sentence that is broken up at various intervals. Both stanzas have each ten lines. The intervals that the sentences are broken differ from line to line, the longest line being 8 syllables and the shortest being 3 syllables. This structure gives the author flexibility, writing this poem like he is writing a story. He is breaking up the sentence into various intervals in order to create â€Å"musicality† among the last words of each line. We could say that a summary of the poem can be composed of the first line and the last two lines of each stanza: â€Å"When a baby boy is born/†¦/his first breath on Earth/the Mother breathes it. † and â€Å"And when the Mother dies,/†¦/exhales her last breath,/her son inhales it. † The voice in this poem is the poet’s voice. He is invoking a sad, melancholic tone emphasized by the words â€Å"dies†, â€Å"last breath†, â€Å"grew up†. It is possible for the poet himself to transpose with the baby boy, showing his gratitude and love for his mother. It is just a supposition to say this because the verbs and pronouns are all used at the third person: â€Å"he†, â€Å"it†, â€Å"breathes†, â€Å"dies† etc. The third person mode along with the fact that there are no particular names given to the personages (â€Å"baby†, â€Å"midwife†, â€Å"Mother†) demonstrates that this poem is not about a particular story it is about every one of us. The place where all the events in this poem happen is unknown. The only word that answers the question: â€Å"Where? † is â€Å"on Earth† used in the first stanza ninth line. Although it answers the question â€Å"Where? the meaning of the words is to emphasize the importance of baby’s first breath. Putting into the equation the fact that the poem was written in 21st century and also the fact that the majority of events of this kind happen in a hospital, we can suppose that that is the location. One of the most important characteristic of this poem is antithetic view of the first and second stanza. In the first stanza it is about life, â€Å"baby boy is born†, â€Å"first breath† in comparison with the second stanza where it is about death, â€Å"Mother dies†, â€Å"last breath†. The poet creates a perfect antithetical symmetry using opposite words in the same location. For example: â€Å"When a baby boy is born† (location: first stanza, first line ) in comparison with â€Å"And when the Mother dies† (location: second stanza, first line), â€Å"his first breath on Earth† (location: first stanza, ninth line) in comparison with â€Å"exhales her last breath† (location: second stanza, ninth line). Another particularity of this poem is the transposition between the mother and the son used in the last line of first and second stanza: â€Å"the Mother breathes it† transposed into â€Å"her son inhales it†. In the first line of the first stanza we can identify an image of a baby boy born containing two monosyllable words â€Å"boy† and â€Å"born† that elongate the line with the help of the literary device alliteration: â€Å"baby boy born†. The first line also expresses the time when the next events will happen with the help of the adverb â€Å"when† identified at the beginning of the line. In the second line through enjambment technique â€Å"the story† it is continued with the presentation of an episodic personage, â€Å"the midwife† – the woman skilled in aiding the delivery of babies. As we continue with the third, fourth and fifth line the first important thing happens: the boy takes his first breath. Here we encounter the conjugation of the pronoun â€Å"he† – â€Å"he†, â€Å"his†, â€Å"him†. In the third line we encounter another alliteration â€Å"holds him†. The coma at the end of the fifth line delimitates the first event: the boy takes his first breath – from the second event: â€Å"the Mother breathes it†. It also expresses a short pause in speech. The fifth line is end stopped. The words â€Å"first breath† are also repeated in the ninth line in order to emphasize the importance of these words. First breath can also be translated into the beginning of life. If the first four verses were imagistic the fifth verse it is more auditory – the sound of breath. The second event starts with the movement of the child near his mother. This second event also uses the technique of enjambment and it is in symmetry with the first event having five lines as well. In the seventh line the author introduces the word mother with a capital M and using â€Å"the† an indefinite article. He uses this technique in order to express the connection between the Mother and her child and in order to particularize her as an important person in this poem. In the sixth and the seventh line the author shows how small the baby is by placing him near â€Å"the Mother’s face†. In the last line of the stanza the poet is using a figure of speech â€Å"the Mother breathes it† to show the connection that the baby just born made with his mother, to show the love between the mother and her child and to show how close the mother was to the baby. The second stanza starts with the conjunction â€Å"and† in order for the poet to emphasize the continuation of the story, to show what happens after, what is the next episode after the birth of the child. Through symmetry technique he again expresses the time when the events are occurring using the adverb â€Å"when†, but this time it happens â€Å"when the Mother dies†. The coma at the end of this line shows that there will be a short explanation, and also a short pause in speech. In the second line the poet shows us how much time has passed indicating that the â€Å"baby boy† from the first stanza is now a â€Å"middle-aged son†. The third verse expresses the admiration of the baby boy who grew up. The hyphen used at the end of this verse indicate a possible different continuation, indicate a longer pause where the reader can think about what the boy has become. The answer of the third line is given in the fourth line showing the admiration and love of the child for his mother: â€Å"†¦ grew up to be –/by her side,†. Through parallelism technique the author shows in the fifth line how the son placed his head next to his mother’s head: â€Å"his head next to her head†. Here are also present two alliterations: â€Å"his head†, â€Å"her head†. The hyphen at the end of the line indicates a longer pause. In the sixth line he again uses parallelism technique to show how close and how alike the mother and the son are: â€Å"follows her†¦with his†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . In the seventh and eighth line the author describes in a slower tone how the mother dies. In the last line of the second stanza the poet is using a figure of speech â€Å"her son inhales it† to express that the connection is never lost between the son and his mother. The poem is framed around the boy, because he is the one whom at the beginning of his life he is near his mother (â€Å"place him over/the Mother’s face†), during all his life he stands by his mother (â€Å"the baby grew up to be–/by her side†) and at the end of his mother’s life he is still near her (â€Å"And when the other dies/†¦/his head next to her head—â€Å"). When the baby boy takes his first breath it represents new life/vitality . The fact that the son â€Å"inhales† â€Å"her last breath† can have one other signification. By the definition breath means also spirit, and the son might inhale her spirit to always be with her, to always remember her. Both the mother and the son can be seen as a single organism, always close to each other, unity being powerfully emphasized in the words â€Å"follows her breathing with his breath†.