Saturday, August 17, 2019
Niccolo Machiavelli
Niccolo Machiavelli (May 3, 1469 – June 21, 1527) lived in Florence, Italy. Machiavelli was an Italian philosopher, politician, writer and perhaps one among the chief founders of political science. Since Machiavelli was a renaissance man, he acted in the capacity of a diplomat, a political philosopher, a musician, a playwright, a poet and a Florentine Republic civil servant. This paper therefore takes to ascertain the extent to which Machiavelli would consider the political ideologies of Thomas Paine, Karl Marx, Adolph Hitler and Franklin D. Roosevelt as feasible or meaningful. Thomas Paine Machiavelli would find the ideas of Paine’s political postulations in Common Sense agreeable to a larger extent. This is more so because; Paine (2006) perceives the government as a punisher, and this role being a derivative of the inherent wicked nature of man. To this effect, the government would act as the restrainer of human vices. The agreeableness with Machiavelli’s ideals is that this ideology marries well with Machiavelli’s postulations about the leader being able to move fast to quash political foes so as to consolidate power (Machiavelli, 1868). It is obvious that the means of extirpating the influence of a political enemy would be state’s instruments of coercion (Paine, 2000). Karl Marx In the same vein, Machiavelli would find the Marxist ideologies propounded by Karl Marx in the Communist Manifesto agreeable since: through Karl Marx’s teachings on the Class Consciousness and Antagonism, Marx explains on how the political elite, the bourgeoisie, exploits by using the state instruments and state forces, the working class (the proletariat) with the two dominant aims of: consolidating political power and ensuring profit maximization from the proletariats (Marx and Engels, 1955). This well agrees with Machiavelli’s political ideology of â€Å"The ends justifying the means†- a maxim Karl Marx crafts to buttress his argument that a ruler must use all means possible to seize and consolidate power, the killing of foes and friends alike, being inclusive of these means. Adolph Hitler Similarly, some ideas propounded by Hitler in his writings, Mein Kampf would be acceptable before Karl Marx. Hitler (1986) is reported as having posited that since the masses are always trivial and less smart, a leader should be one who is calculating, not having qualms to employ propaganda on the masses to achieve a political feat. This still underscores Machiavelli’s idea of the ends justifying the means. Similarly, Machiavelli espouses deeply the use of trickery (propaganda) to maintain power. Hitler’s plans to create more room (Lebensraum) for Germans by entering treaties with UK and Russia as an artifice to help in the recapturing of the Germany’s lost tracts of land confirms Machiavelli’s ideas that a leader must be calculating and very cunning. The cunningness behind this proposed Russia, Germany and UK treaty is that the provision would ward off Germany from the exhaustion of fighting concurrently both in the East and West (Manheim and Hitler, 1969). Franklin D. Roosevelt To a larger extent, Roosevelt’s postulations that are revealed in his inaugural speech that saw his transition from a New York governor to the 32nd US president would be considered as antithetical towards Machiavelli’s. The concept of political morality and stark allusions to values pervade all the spectra of Roosevelt’s speech. Roosevelt is spurred on by morality while Machiavelli on the other hand, political expedience. The only point Machiavelli would accept Roosevelt’s propositions is the fact that Roosevelt saw the need of broad executive powers being vested on the head of the executive in order to allow the occupant of this office deal with an invading foreign foe (Polenberg, 2000). Machiavelli talks of all the instruments at the disposal of the ruler being used to quash ruthlessly an enemy. Conclusion Nevertheless, it is important to consider that although comparing one’s political philosophy to another for scholarly proposes may remain as expedient, yet, any political philosophy has the merit to exist in its own right, provided the philosophy in picture captures the true identity of the state. It is by this virtue that al these philosophies which were advanced by Thomas Paine, Karl Marx, Adolph Hitler and Franklin D. Roosevelt were considered as legitimate in the eyes of respective citizens.
Bechtel and GE
DPC was a Joint venture with General Electric and Enron in India. 2nd slide Bechtel has strong corporate culture, values and ethics and it shows a great discipline in project management. It has a performance-based leadership and its latest performance-based leadership program is called ‘Employee Engagement,' which says that if you engage employees effectively in a good relationship with a supervisor, you will create a highly satisfying environment. Employees who are happy and believe they are treated well by the leaders, they perform well too.One of the ain organizational goals is the motivation and satisfaction of the employees and as Riley Bechtel has claimed â€Å"Give Bechtel's people a challenge and they'll make history'. Finally, Bechtel provides equal opportunities for everyone. However, employees usually complain about the fact that the majority of Jobs are in Asia and Middle East, which makes them relocate every so often. 3rd slide Bechtel's Corporation core goal is t o strengthen local economies, helping its customers, wherever their facilities are found, to achieve their objectives.It creates usiness-building opportunities for local firms, employing area workers and professionals, and advancing its customer's vision. Also, the company supports local growth, skills training, and supply chain development; The Company supports the protection of the environment and that's why it minimizes its construction footprint; lastly, it operates to maximize resource efficiency. 4th slide Let's talk about the Similarities and differences between Bechtel and GE. First, we will discuss the similarities.Both Bechtel and GE are decentralized companies, which ean that the power and the authority to make decisons delegate from head office to lower and local levels [Less uniformity, Decisions made in relation to local circumstances]. [Centralised: 1) Keep decision making power at the top of the hierarchy, 2) Don't delegate to local or lower levels]. Also, Bechtel ad opts the Six Sigma approach; indeed, it was the first EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) company to launch Six Sigma in 2000.Moreover, both companies want to foster and reinforce the performance of its employees as well as the working nvironment and so, they create projects teams. Another similarity is that the give emphasis on the cultural exchange, thus they work with local firms trying to provide them with the required knowledge on construction and engineering. Finally, both companies promote diversity. the employment of more than 350,000 people in both companies prove that they try to help and occupy local people, giving them the opportunity to produce, create and innovate; all these factors contribute to one of the Let's see the differences.Bechtel unlike GE alters its policies for local requirements, or example, through performance reviews as well as the employees have significantly influenced the cultural change. Another difference is the size of the company, sin ce GE is much bigger employing more than 305,000 people, while Bechtel has 53,000 employees. Finally, the last difference concerns the type of projects, since Bechtel adopts projects mainly to reinforce its employees, such as â€Å"Toward 2001†, while GE adopts different approaches to foster its working and corporate environment, such as Work-out and Six Sigma.
Friday, August 16, 2019
Dult learning Essay
Knowles adult learning theory is an attempt to develop adult learning in which he emphasizes that adults are mature people responsible for making sound decisions. There are certain assumptions about the design for learning by Knowles in his theory (Brookfield Stephen, 1994). First, it is assumed that adults need to know the reasons for learning something. Second, adults should learn through experience. Third, adults approach learning as a way of problem solving. Finally, adults learn best whereby the topic is of immediate value. These assumptions are important because they reflect the significance of Knowles adult learning theory. In health care organizations, Knowles theory is of paramount importance because it helps them to handle any form of health problem as a way of maintaining safety at work place. Experience and responsibility is of paramount importance and teaching adults on how to handle health issues at work place controls occurrence of health hazards. There are certain barriers to education or learning which include first, inability of adults to focus on topics. This is a major barrier because the adults have many things to attend to such as family, work and assignments. Second, weak study or critical thinking skills which do not allow the learners to concentrate in class are a major barrier. It is barrier to learning process because the tutor has to commit a lot of his or time trying to explain a simple concept to old adults (Taylor Edward, 1999). Third, unlearning old knowledge and low self-esteem is a major barrier to learning process because of old age which makes adult learners to have low esteem. Fourth, adults have very tight schedule during the day and this means that they have a challenge of time constraints and commitments. References Brookfield Stephen, 1994, Understanding and Facilitating Adult Learning: A Comprehensive Analysis of Analysis of Principles and Effective Practices, Open University Press. Taylor Edward, 1999, Adult Education Philosophy Informs Practice, Adult Learning.
Thursday, August 15, 2019
George Black’s “The Trout Pool Paradox†Essay
It’s hard to imagine that three rivers, running so purely for so many years could contribute to a damaged environment. The rivers were created by nature and there was nothing harmful about them. They only added beauty to their surroundings and who would have ever thought that such beautiful rivers could lend aid to the destruction of the environment? Several people of an older age were asked about the rives effectiveness, now, versus what they used to be and it would quite clear that industry has put a huge damage on our society.            Less than two hours from New York, the two Connecticut rivers run in parallel valleys only a few miles apart and they have charted the course of American, environmental, industrial, and our social history and they do have very different results as George Black explains.            The Housatonic, The Naugatuck and the Shepaug flow parallel to one another and they are a short distance apart; only a few mile separates the rivers. There are so many similarities connects these rivers. Very fast waters and rock filled, these rivers are surrounded by farmland that is extremely prone to flooding. The town was a great place to start a mill, which could easily turn a small, quiet town into a new revolutionized, booming factory town. Because, one river only was used, the Naugatuck, it became the brass and rubber world capital for the industry. The Shepaug, ended up being a rural idyll.            The main town of Waterbury, one of the towns and it was even named in (Money Magazine as the most unlivable city in America.) Reference Money Magazine, where the two valleys became polar opposites. The main town on the Shepaug is Washington, and it has become a terribly expensive get away for people on weekends for a vast amount of the higher classed people of New York.            George Black made a great attempt to study and explain the â€Å"trout pool paradox†and how these rivers became the focus of an environmentally harmful industry. George Black looks into the history of these three rivers and talks about the effect that the factories, from the Industrial Revolution affected the people who live near these rivers, and the population who fish, live and spend so much of their time fighting and working to protect the Housatonic and its tributaries, recently.            A hundred years ago the idea of the environment being in jeopardy was never even fathomed. It was assumed by the people of Connecticut that their way of life would continue, without interruption. They never imagined that the huge factories that were fed by a waterway could have such a great impact on society. If they could have foreseen the future, I’m sure something would have been done to discourage the development of the water powered mills that would operate the factories that contributed to the deterioration of the environment.            Man directly had a bad impact on the environment by building the factories and destroying the pureness of the rivers that were written about by George Black. He could see that society was directly impacted upon by the dangerous smoke and chemical hazards that were so worried about by him. He was attempting to study and in by writing about the three rivers in â€Å"The Trout Pool Paradox,†to unveil the dangerous hazards that were brought on my society’s incredible desire to make more money and revolutionize the town in Connecticut.            George Black says that it is important that we realize that we have come so far in realizing how everyone needs to be aware of steps we each must take to secure that are environment is being tended to and that we are aware of the hazards that the Industrial Revolution have brought upon our land and waters. He seems generally sincere in the aspect that he cares about our ecosystem.            In the last thirty or more years, great attempts have been displayed with concerned people who fight for the ecosystem and spend much of their time being sure that the hazardous pollutants are being directly made known to the public and George Black is one of these concerned individuals who spent time to give his thoughts on the crumbling of the ecosystem by writing â€Å"The Trout Pool Paradox.† He made us look at these rivers and the town in Connecticut and how they remained untouched since the beginning of their existence, and I think it hurt him to see the direct harm that was cast upon these.            The people of America must come together as a team, each agreeing that it takes an entire society of people working together and expressing their concerns about our stream, rivers and towns. We do have the power as a whole to speak about the dangers that are being forced upon our environment. If we work together and have meetings and television and radio time to discuss the environment and bring so much more awareness to the idea of protecting our ecosystem. If we really believe that we have the power to turn things around, I do believe that we can.            It only takes a few people to get things started. We can each do our part by speaking up and voicing our opinions. We can demand that hazardous factories be shut down and replaced by more economically friendly ran factories.            George Black delved into the thoughts of the public of the two communities that were two competing political cultures, and who were generally having a battle with each other over the meaning of running water. George Black found that each community, each with their own ideas about the way things should be. He searched into the question of what was the motives and how deep did their feeling run, concerning their environment. He realized how differently the two cultures had expressed their perception of what was going on around them. He realized that each had different views, and thought it to be incredible that their views could be so different. He felt after speaking to the people of the areas, that their stories needed to be told and felt that it was important to share his discoveries of the variance in opinions with the public.            I realize after gathering information that it was important for George Black to fish in the Shepaug watershed which is the main ideal of the trout stream. It is terrible that only miles away, the Naugatuck is nothing more than a â€Å"chemical sewer†and it even catches on fire, sometimes and it must have been terribly devastating for the community who had once know the river and loved the river for it’s clean flowing water and it’s popularity for fishing.            I don’t think any amount of money in the world is worth wasting a perfectly good river. There could and should have been a better idea than just destroying our environments and communities because of greed. The people who built and ran the factories in Connecticut should have take more time and should have performed in-depth studies before they so carelessly and directly aided in the destruction of our environment.            It isn’t too late to try to save our ecosystem. Even though so much harm has already been done to our rivers, we can still set forth actions by showing our concern for our environment. We can write to our Congress people. We can voice our opinion, just as George Black did.            When you view the Shepaug and the Naugatuck, you can’t really just see, with your eyes, their radically different evolution. The main important idea is to understand and to try to talk about how the currents of our natural history and our social history are connected. We must look at how each of these waterways and ask ourselves, â€Å"How are they intertwined and how do they influence each other in various ways. A great Revolutionary Revolution, or reindustrialization, does not run uniformly through an area in a community just like New England, one river valley and then the next. There are so many social issues and changes brought on by the rivers but it is evident that the social issues are the ones that are most important. Events in history have altered life, as we know it, and have made huge impacts on the way we look at these two intertwined rivers. Sometimes our natural history can be changed by a single natural disaster but the idea that one river can be untouched and the other so close to it can completely be destroyed is unthinkable!            In the Housatonic Valley, it is evident that the course of history has been altered to a great degree. The leaders of the Waterbury brass industry were able to devastate the Naugatuck Valley due to the fact that there was no effective checks on their power. This neglect has had an impact, as well.            The Shephaug continues to flow seemingly untouched, offering some of the best fishing in the country (Houghton Mifflin, April),â€Å"The Trout Pool Paradox†can be used as a way of exploring four hundred years of our history in America. You could point out different communities in America who have directly been affected by pollutants, and if they were written about and pointed out by other writers, as well as George Black, America could be a safer place to live in and their streams and rivers could be saved. Who knows how many rivers may be under great threat right now, and how one person could write a story such as â€Å"The Trout Pool Paradox†and bring immediate attention to the hazard that a beautiful river or stream might be threatened by. Just by George Black’s thoughts on the destruction of our environment gives me great appreciation for his concern about our natural surroundings and it gives me a sense of responsibility to my community and to all of American rivers, streams, ponds and lakes. Reference; George Black, The Trout Pool Paradox
Wednesday, August 14, 2019
Unnatural Killers Summary
The story is about a young couple that attempts murder twice, committing it once. The story is told by a lawyer that works in a small town in Mississippi. He meets a devout Christian and solid citizen, Mr. Savage. On March 7th, 1995, Sarah and Ben, a young couple on a road trip, entered Mr. Savage’s office and shot and killed Mr. Savage. They took his credit cards and cash. There were no witnesses. The couple made their way down to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. Running low on cash, Sarah entered a convenience store and shot the 35 year old mother that was working that night. She then took the money from the register. The clerk survived but was completely paralyzed. An anonymous informant identified Sarah from the video from the convenience store. Sarah and Ben were sent to trial. Sarah blamed Ben. She said that the movie Natural Born Killers brainwashed them and lead them to work out their â€Å"demons†. She said she didn’t see a 35 year old mother. She said she saw a demon so she shot her. Sarah is likely seeing a life sentence and Ben may see a death sentence. The lawyer from the Mississippi town believes that the maker of the movie is to blame for these crimes. There have been other murders that were linked to people watching the movie. The voice of Grisham is shown towards the end of the story where he calls for the writer of the movie to be tried in court.
Tuesday, August 13, 2019
Memory from the past ,Going somewhere you have not been before Essay
Memory from the past ,Going somewhere you have not been before - Essay Example Moreover, I knew I had to part with some little package of money for my mum and other family members; not that they would ask for it but because the Nigerian culture accepts and embraces such acts. I had booked a flight a fortnight earlier, and the procedure was not going to be long. I therefore, hired a taxi to the airport hoping to travel the same night. To my expectation, the flight authorities never disappointed me. We left the airport in a span of an hour. Within another few hours, we were at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport. We walked home happily with my mum who had been waiting at the airport. The life at home was full of fantasy. I enjoyed my favorite traditional dishes that I had missed so much. In addition, I met most of my friends that I had studied with in the local primary school. Each day was the same as the other, full of happiness, laughter and domestic chores. However, I was only to spend two weeks there in order to catch up with Paralympics, my favorite game in the Olympics. I therefore, travelled back to London. I had never attended any Olympics ceremony before so you can imagine how appealing it was going to be to me. However, I developed an interest in the leading international sports event in the year 2004 when it was held in Athens, Greece. Now here was the London Olympics 2012. I was going to watch nothing else but Paralympics. My favorite participant has always been the Briton, David Weir, and I was going to witness his victory. The 33- year old, known to many as the "Weirwolf of London", must have trained himself to gallop so well. He ended up winning four gold medals in the wheelchair marathon. I watched the 5000 meters race, which was his last race in the participation. He dominated the better part of the race battling it out with Switzerland’s Marcel Hug. It was unbelievable how he easily won the race, clinching the gold medal. Weir when being interviewed
Monday, August 12, 2019
Reflective Reading Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Reflective Reading - Essay Example According to one of the Chinese women, studying in the U.S. is good as it exposes a person to the rest of the world. In addition, staying in America enables one to live freely according her personality (Dongxiao, 2009). The young woman believes that her life is simple in U.S. since the country gives her room to do her things and explore life freely without many restrictions. However, she asserts that life can be very boring and lonely to someone who is not actively participating in social life. Thus, for students who are not very open or sociable, she advises that they should better not consider studying in the United States. According to the Chinese student, being socially active in the U.S. goes a great way in helping a person to know others. As there are many people from many countries of the world, remaining active helps someone to get a touch of different nationalities in the same land. Another Chinese woman asserts that although the educational system in the U.S. is enticing, prospective foreign students need to be Christians (Dongxiao, 2009). She says that without a strong Christian background, people tend to feel lost in the foreign country. A person may lose connections with her native country and end up becoming confused or engage in illicit behaviors. As earlier said, the U.S. learning institutions consist of people from many countries that come to seek quality education. Additionally, living away from home tends to give a student freedom to do what she pleases. Thus, the many cultures clustered together coupled with much freedom, can confuse a person who lacks a strong rooting in her beliefs. The Chinese student believes that Christianity enables a person to find peace in the land of confusion. A person will better handle any inevitable difficulties. According to (Dongxiao, 2009), the advice from the two girls gives a glimpse of their perceptions
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