Sports Management :: essays research papers

Sports Management   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Someone once said, â€Å"There are those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who wonder what happened.† I consider myself one of those rare people who really knows how to â€Å"make things happen.† I have gone from being a follower to being a leader, from being someone who was shy and uncertain to a person who is self-confident and assertive. It has been a remarkable metamorphosis, and it has changed my future professional plans and personal goals.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The awakening of my independence happened during the end of my softball season my freshman year in college when my head coach had cut my scholarship because of lack of funding. I was faced with making my first mature decision into what my future was to hold. The following year I transferred to Thomas College hoping to play ball again which did not materialize because there were not enough players recruited to start the softball program. At Thomas College, I realized that I was going to school for the wrong reason -- to play ball. The idea hit me that being at Thomas College was not going to get me where I wanted to go in life. I then transferred to the University of Charleston, where I am presently. I wanted to pursue a sport management degree, while using my athletic abilities to participate in softball. I have no regrets on the decisions I have made, because I would never be the person I am today or have met all of the key people along the way.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout my college career, I have attempted to learn as much as possible about the field of sports management through various work experiences with many different types of sports organizations. Through my experiences with people in a minor league baseball association, fitness club, public relations department, athletic departments, and various recreation centers, I have had the opportunity to develop and hone my communication and public relation skills in several different areas. These experiences have helped me gain a better understanding of my career goals in the sports industry.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In addition to the time spent out in the field, my education at University of Charleston has further developed my skills and knowledge of sports management, specifically in the areas of marketing, promotions, public and media relations, and management. I have also had the opportunity to be involved in various extracurricular activities that have provided me with the skills and knowledge that I have employed in my work experiences. Many concepts that I have learned from these activities were not taught in the classroom, but were

Iron Crowned Chapter 22

No one had to tell me the ways in which that exponentially complicated things. Jasmine's gasp confirmed my many realizations. â€Å"Two placentas,† said Veronica, pausing and typing something one-handed while still keeping hold of the paddle. â€Å"What †¦ what's that mean?† I asked. â€Å"It means they could be identical or fraternal,† said Dr. Sartori. â€Å"One placenta would be identical for sure.† I swallowed. The noise, that wavelike sound †¦ It was drowning me. My heartbeat, another heartbeat, and another still †¦ How was it possible? How could there be so much life in one body? â€Å"Can you still do the test?† I stammered out. Dr. Sartori was holding the needle but made no moves as his eyes flicked back to the monitor. â€Å"I can †¦ but it's not recommended in this situation. With twins, the risks are increased.† â€Å"I don't care,† I said firmly. â€Å"I still want it. I have to know. With my family history †¦Ã¢â‚¬  I prayed he wouldn't demand too many details beyond what Dr. Moore had sent over. He and Veronica discussed a few things, using medical language I couldn't follow. She used the paddle to check every angle, taking measurements on her computer as he occasionally pointed details out. Finally, after another warning against the procedure, he agreed to do it. It hurt as much as you'd expect from a giant needle being stuck into you. His hands were superhumanly steady, as his eyes held firm to the monitor so he could watch the needle's progress. I still couldn't make out much in the images but knew the challenge was to get to the placenta without touching a fetus. Placentas, in this case. They had to get another test kit, using another needle in order to sample from both babies. Babies. I still couldn't believe it. They helped me when they finished the test, loading Jasmine and me up with post-care instructions to reduce both self-injury and the risk of miscarriage. Does it matter? I thought bleakly. A miscarriage would take the decision away from me. It'd be out of my hands. For now, one tiny problem did present itself: getting home. I was sore and didn't feel like driving. In fact, I'd been advised not to. Jasmine helpfully offered to. â€Å"I know for a fact you don't have a license,† I told her. I was leaning against my car, baking in welcome sunshine. â€Å"No, but I can drive. Come on, it's not that far. And you certainly can't. What do you want to do? Call Tim and let him know what's going on?† she challenged. I wanted my mom, I realized. I wanted my mom to come and drive me home – to her home. I wanted her to take care of me and talk to me like she used to. I wanted her to fix all this. I blinked rapidly and turned my head, not wanting Jasmine to see me tear up. â€Å"Fine.† I held out the keys. â€Å"If we get pulled over, the ticket's coming out of your allowance.† To her credit, she drove responsibly, and she was right – it wasn't far. I tilted my seat back slightly, wanting to sleep for the next few days or however long it would take to get back my results. I didn't want to endure the waiting. I couldn't endure the waiting. The car's silence and rhythm nearly took me under until Jasmine spoke. â€Å"So,† she said matter-of-factly. â€Å"If they're boys, you get an abortion. If they're girls †¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Then I don't.† I hadn't realized I'd made my decision until that moment. When I'd heard those heartbeats †¦ well, it didn't matter if motherhood and drastic body changes scared the hell out of me. If I had two daughters, daughters unconnected to any prophecy, I would have them. I'd figure parenting out. â€Å"If they're girls, I'll keep them.† She nodded and said nothing more until we were turning down my street. Honestly, I was surprised she waited that long because I'd already known what else she was dying to ask. â€Å"Eugenie?† â€Å"Yes, Jasmine?† â€Å"What are you going to do if one's a boy and one's a girl?† I stared ahead at my house. I suddenly didn't want to sleep just for the next few days. I wanted to sleep for the next nine months. Or seven months. Or whatever. I didn't answer her question. â€Å"I can't have a son,† I said at last. â€Å"You know that. That's all there is to it.†

Compare and contrast the narrative techniques used in three or more of Edgar Allan Poe’s tales Essay

Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston on January 19th 1809. He became a writer unlike many others at that time, writing stores of crime or horror literature. Several people say his disturbing and unusual stories were the result of his own life and situations he had been through, and although he was an American, his writing strongly followed in the examples of European gothic stories. During his life he wrote many of the finest representations of gothic literature, these stories include many essentials that differ them from original stories, such as a melodramatic plot, themes of terror and torture, sinister locations, heightened emotions, and can they also be based on old superstitions or fears. Another example of gothic literature in the 19th century was â€Å"Dracula† wrote by Bram Stoker (1897), this genre of horror and torment has remained to be popular until the present day, with modern authors such as James Herbert and Stephen King. â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† is a short gothic story wrote by Edgar Allan Poe, about the narrator named Montresor, describing how his friend Fortunato has offended him repeatedly in the past, and how he is now planning to seek revenge upon him. Using a vintage amontillado as bate he guides him down to the catacombs below his house where a space in the wall has been created as a tomb. Locking the padlock, which strapped Fortunato who is now in a drunken state to the catacomb wall, he uncovers a pile of cement and bricks from beneath a mound of bones lying nearby, and row-by-row he begins to bury him alive, taking great amusement and satisfaction out of his crying. â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart† is again another famous piece of gothic literature wrote by Edgar Allan Poe, it shows a defensive man proclaiming that he is not insane, however has a fascination with destroying what he believes to be an â€Å"evil eye†. The beginning of the story begins with a flashback of when the old man was killed, immediately from this point we become aware that the narrator is actually mad, even though he continuously challenges the fact that this is not true. As the story continues the events are in chronological order as there is build up of suspense, and the mad man exposes that he has to murder the old man because of the threat from his eye, therefore every night he slowly places his head round the bedroom door allowing a tiny sliver of light to shine through upon the old mans sleeping face, searching for the eye which he greatly despised. However for seven nights the eye was closed, and since the eye was not visible, there was no reason to commit the violence, as it was not the old man he wanted to destroy, but it was instead this â€Å"evil eye†. On the eighth night he does kill the old man, but is soon terrified by hearing the old mans heart beat grow louder and stronger under the floorboards that he cannot cope with the pounding and madness any longer, so he screamed aloud his confession to the police. â€Å"The Pit and the Pendulum† starts with the unnamed narrator recounting hearing his death sentence from individuals clothed in black robes. Fainting after listening to this news, he awakens later in the darkness as the man finds himself disorientated about where he is. He cautiously explores the room, staggering because his body is so weak, expressing the fear that it could be a tomb where he has been buried alive. From this point he is subjected to mental and physical torture and great torment of not knowing when he is going to die. Above him hangs a swinging pendulum becoming gradually closer to his body with every swing, eventually near to death, he begins his escape plan, and is rescued by General Lasalle and his French army in an unanticipated conclusion to the story. The setting in gothic literature is very important factor for the success of the story, for example the settings used in Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories set the readers mood, and adds to the theme creating the correct atmosphere for the subject matter. The setting of the gothic literature â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† plays an important role with the development of horror and tension necessary for the reader to feel. The story is ideally set in catacombs under the main character Montresor’s house; the walls are covered with human bones, which immediately sets the scene for a gothic story. They are below in his house deep underground, and no one will be able to hear them because of the carnival going on above. In order to maintain that they were alone Montresor had tricked his servants into going to the carnival, â€Å"I had told them I should not return until the morning, and had given them explicit orders not to stir from the house. These orders were sufficient, I well knew, to insure there immediate disappearance, one and all, as soon as my back was turned†. The intense description of the setting in this story is very suspenseful and eerie. Edgar Allan Poe describes the men passing through â€Å"walls of piled bones, with casks and puncheons intermingling, into the inmost recesses of the catacombs†. The catacombs of death in this story provide an appropriate setting for the story’s suspense and inevitable ending. The overall mood of the story is one of impending evil, this mood is significantly helped by the description of the location and phrases that have been purposely chosen by the author such as, â€Å"the drops of moisture trickle among the bones† and â€Å"its walls had been lined with human remains†. â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart† is another story also wrote by Edgar Allan Poe, it is set in a different era as the author describes the character using lanterns and they have no electricity in the house, â€Å"I put in a dark lantern†. We also know that they are in a remote old house, from midnight to four in the morning. It is dark in the bedroom as the shutters are closed from fear of burglars â€Å"his room was as black as pitch with thick darkness (for the shutters were closed fastened, through fear of robbers)†. It is not clear but the setting for this story is probably European, as at the ending of the story Edgar Allan Poe describes â€Å"officers of the police† that appear knocking on the door; policemen are generally associated with England and Europe. Another example of a sinister setting in one of Edgar Allan Poe’s gothic stories is â€Å"The Pit and the Pendulum†. The story is set in Spain during the Spanish inquisition at some point in the sixteenth century, and begins in a courtroom where the protagonist is listening to his death sentence by black robed judges. This is where the character first realises his fate, and Edgar Allan Poe uses simple words and phrases to illustrate his foreseeable fate, â€Å"I trace these words – and thin even to grotesqueness; thin with the intensity of their expression of firmness – of immoveable resolution – of stern contempt of human torture†. For the remainder of the story the location is in a cell or prison underground, the narrator is in pitch black â€Å"the blackness of eternal night encompassed me†, he is isolated in the cell, being tormented and under examination by the Spanish army. The setting in this story shows the conditions the character is subjected to, the pit in the middle of the floor was intended for his death, though he tripped and exposed the ditch. Now subject to more torture, he is beneath a swinging pendulum, gradually moving closer towards his body. The floor is covered in rats as Poe portrays them as â€Å"fresh troops, hurriedly, with ravenous eyes†, which again adds to the disturbing setting of this story, which in turn helps the reader understand the situation the character is in. In all of these gothic stories wrote by Edgar Allan Poe, he has chosen to use a sinister setting, frequently in an isolated place such as the catacombs or a prison cell. As each story changes and develops, so do the surroundings, becoming more dark and threatening. In these three short stories Edgar Allan Poe uses certain characters to build up and develop the story. The main character in each story is called the protagonist, and the antagonist is the character who usually fights against him. In â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado†, the protagonist in Montresor, as he is the main character and also the narrator, he forms most of the story with the theme of his revenge. During the story Montresor explains what happened the night Fortunato was killed. Montresor is also perceived through the tale to be very intelligent, since he premeditated the murder so that no one would discover his plans, we can also tell of his intelligence by what he spoke to Fortunato. He asked for assistance in wine tasting, but says if he is busy he will ask Luchesi , this causes Fortunato want to help even more as Montresor is now using reverse psychology on him, â€Å"as you are engaged, I am on my way to see Luchesi. If anyone has a critical turn, it is he. He will t ell me†. Montresor knew that burying him alive would give the best reward in form of revenge, and the greatest satisfaction and fulfilment for him. Since the story is wrote in first person the author does not give a detailed description of Montresor as it is though the author is retelling the story. We are told however his feelings and emotions and the reader is then left form their own opinions on this character through studying their attitudes and actions. For example it is very clear to the reader Montresor’s hate towards Fortunato plus his determination for vengeance. The antagonist in â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† is Fortunato, as he fights for his life and is the opposition of the protagonist. The audience’s perception of the character has to be again determined from Montresor’s thoughts and feelings. Montresor’s opinion at the start of the story is evil and wicked towards him as he has offended him in the past, although the reader may agree with this at the beginning, near the end we begin to sympathise with Fortunato for being under torture. Much like the â€Å"Cask of Amontillado†, the story â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart† has both a protagonist and an antagonist. The protagonist in this story is the narrator, we do not know his name but he is a servant in the house for the old man. From the opening of the story the character is seeking to persuade the audience that he is not insane, because he believes he is exceedingly intellectual for slaughtering the â€Å"evil eye†. Later on in the story it comes apparent to the audience that this man is in reality insane, proof of this comes at the end when he believes he can hear the old mans heartbeat, â€Å"It was a low, dull, quick sound – much a sound a watch makes when enveloped in cotton†. From the description in the tale we can understand the narrator’s fear of the eye as he gives a detailed portrayal; he describes it as â€Å"one of his eyes resembled that of a vulture – a pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees – very gradually – I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye for ever†. Edgar Allan Poe does not give a in depth description of the antagonist, however we do know that he is an â€Å"old man† and that he has cataracts on his eyes, this is what is making the narrator think that they are evil. We are left with our own interpretation of what the man is like. We are however given a clue, which is that, we now that he is a pleasant man from the quote â€Å"He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult†. Again like the â€Å"Cask of Amontillado† the story is wrote in first person and is although the autho r is retelling the story. In â€Å"The Pit and the Pendulum† there is only one main character, this is the man who has heard his death sentence and is now being tortured in the prison, and he is also the narrator recounting what has happened to him. The only other characters in the story are the Spanish army who are torturing the man. The protagonist begins the story with a recollection if a previous trial in which he now finds himself in a dungeon room being held capture. Throughout the story the character is faced with many situations for example mental and physical torture also facing death many times until eventually he is saved and released by the French army. Again like â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† and â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart†, the Pit and the Pendulum is wrote in first person, and therefore gives the effect of the author retelling the story. All three of these stories share the same pattern of how the characters are used and represented in the gothic stories. Edgar Allan Poe has firstly chose to wrote all of the tales in first person achieving the effect of him retelling the story as if it has actually happened before to him, undertaking this has left the reader to make their own analysis and judgements about the characters, leaving uncertainties about the characters never actually knowing who they are and what they are like. Themes are very important in creating the right mood for a gothic story; they are used in all three of the short gothic stories by Edgar Allan Poe. It is very common of this genre to have themes of good versus evil, and light versus dark. â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† is a powerful tale of revenge. Montresor, the sinister narrator of this story, pledges revenge upon Fortunato for a past insult. At this time we also see many other themes projected to the reader by using Montresor, for example death, satisfaction and horror. He wanted to be satisfied that he had full revenge upon Fortunato; we know this from the choice of torture which was slow and thorough, watching him suffer. The themes in â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† are also shown using the setting of the story. When the two characters enter the catacombs, the setting represents the theme of death and horror as the tombs are described with key adjectives as being â€Å"lined with human remains† and â€Å"t he drops of moisture trickle among the bones†. In â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart†, Edgar Allan Poe has used very strong themes of murder, fear and insanity. The main theme in this gothic story is fear and this is mostly presented through the protagonist. The protagonist has been used to show his fear for the eye, which is often described through the way he talks and describes it as evil, â€Å"one of his eyes resembled that of a vulture†. Other main themes in this story are insanity and madness, immediately at the beginning of the story the narrator challenges that he isn’t mad â€Å"How, then, am I mad?†, nevertheless as the story continues we begin to see more of his mental illness awaiting the end of the story when the protagonist is drove exceedingly mad by the old mans heartbeat that he confesses his crime. The themes in this story are also presented though the characters, setting and actions. The theme of fear is shown through actions in the story; the main action taken place is murdering the old man, and the dissection of his body. From this we are able to see that the man feared the eyes so much, that he has to rid himself of the eye forever and take the old mans life. Fear is also represented through symbolism in the story, the author has made sure that the eye is illuminated in a wicked and fearful way, making sure that the audience understands the protagonists fear for the eye, and is also why the author chooses to keep his main focus on the description of the eye. There are also many themes in â€Å"The Pit and the Pendulum† however the main one being the theme of torture. This is presented through the key character in the story as he is the one being subjected to the suffering. We see his distress throughout the story when he is being put through mental and physical torture. The theme of torment can also be represented through the setting in the tale. The depressing atmosphere of an old, dark damp dungeon in Toledo helps towards the general theme of the story significantly. The writer uses words such as â€Å"damp† and â€Å"cold†, all of these helping to establish the theme, as many of them are associated with evil and horrific situations. After reading this story you are left with a message never to give up, this is clear in the story as the protagonist by no means hands over his life to death even in the situations he is under. Edgar Allan Poe has used the same techniques for representing the theme in all three of these stories. In each of them he has used the characters, setting, actions and symbolism to illustrate and help the audience recognize the different themes. An additional similarity between these three stories is that they all include a theme of death. By using a range of narrative techniques in all three of these short gothic stories Edgar Allan Poe has been able to make the reader aware of the circumstances the characters are in, being able to do this also makes the story more realistic and enjoyable for the reader. By using first person in all three of these stories it grabs the reader’s attention pulling them straight into what is happening in the story, making them feel involved. The language in a story is a very important narrative technique used in most gothic literature, and is carefully selected to construct a successful use of imagery and to build tension; this can also be done with various vocabulary and sentence structure. The â€Å"Cask of Amontillado† uses language techniques to build suspense and to generate an imagery of the deep dark catacombs. There is use of commas which make pauses is in the text, building up anticipation and adding to the tension, an example of this is when Edgar Allan Poe is describing the passage to the tombs â€Å"We passed through a range of low arches, descended, passed on, and descended again, arriving at a deep crypt, in which the foulness of the air caused our flambeaux rather to glow than flame†. The author also uses the effect of imagery in his stories; this is used to illustrate the setting that the characters are in. An example of this is â€Å"Walls had been lined with human remains†, which produces a dim and wicked atmosphere. Phrases such as these are essential for the readers imagination, it also helps build up the tension amongst the reader as it reminds them of the death that is soon to come later on in the story. Another story, in which Edgar Allan Poe uses language to build the effect of tension and to make the audience more cautious of the situation in the tale, is â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart†. Instantly at the opening, there are short sentences that make the audience slow down with their reading, which in turn builds up the tension in the story â€Å"Object there was none. Passion there was none. I loved the old man. He had never wronged me.† Another technique to develop suspense is by using lots of hyphens for long pauses. These have been used numerous times throughout the â€Å"Tell Tale Heart†, particularly when the author has to increase anxiety of when the character enters the chamber on the eight night, † I undid the lantern cautiously – oh, so cautiously – cautiously – I undid it just so much that a single thin ray fell upon the vulture eye†. Imagery has also been used in this story for the description of the eye, the effect this has on the reader makes them wary of the eye as it is described as â€Å"evil† and â€Å"vulture like†. The author has also used imagery when the man enters the bedroom on the eight night, he describes the room and every action by the character, â€Å"His room was as black as pitch with the thick darkness (for the shutters were close fastened, through fear of robbers), and so I knew that he could not see the opening of the door, and I kept pushing on steadily, steadily†.. The â€Å"Pit and the Pendulum† also has the use of imagery in the language, which is essential for the tale to be appreciate by the reader. The primary focus in the story is describing the setting; this has been done by using many powerful adjectives and adverbs. During the story Edgar Allan Poe has used a list of three commas to slow the text down, for example â€Å"then silence, and stillness, and night were the universe†. Yet again similar to the other stories wrote by Edgar Allan Poe, the â€Å"Pit and the Pendulum† uses imagery to build up the tension; an example of this is when the character first begins to see the pendulum swinging â€Å"down steadily down it crept†. By repeating the word â€Å"down† it represents the repetitive and continuous swinging of the pendulum from side to side. There is repetition in the â€Å"Pit and the pendulum† to emphasize the point that he is now free from the swinging pendulum, â€Å"For the moment, a t lest, I was free. Free! – and in the grasp of Inquisition!† There is also alliteration of â€Å"sidelong, shrinking, and slow – I slid from the embrace of the bandage†. To identify a gothic story from a normal tale there are certain factors which you recognize that can tell you the story is going to be of a gothic genre. â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart† has telling features so that the reader knows it is a gothic story, the first of these being is that it has both a protagonist and an antagonist, this is the main character and someone who fights against him. It also includes a subconscious fear that the man has of the â€Å"evil eye†, which continues through the story with heightened emotions, lots of terror and suspense. There is a sinister location of an old house isolated at night, and a theme of life versus death. In the â€Å"Cask of Amontillado† much like the â€Å"Tell Tale Heart† there is also both an antagonist and a protagonist, Fortunato and Montresor. The story is also based on an old superstition of being buried alive, as this is what happens to Fortunato in the catacombs. During the story there is heightened emotions and build up of terror and tension, there is a melodramatic plot and a sinister location of deep underground where no one can hear them in the family tomb. The protagonist in the â€Å"Pit and the Pendulum† is the man who is being tortured, heightened emotions are shown in this story through the terror and fear of death. There is lots of melodrama like in the other two stories as the torture is being dragged out. Once again like in many of Edgar Allan Poe stories the setting is very sinister, as he is in a damp black room containing a pit in the middle, covered in rats. There are themes of good versus evil and life versus death in this story. All these factors of the gothic genre are used to recognize and understand these stories, based in selective features which they contain. By looking at the three stories wrote by Edgar Allan Poe, â€Å"The Pit and the Pendulum†, â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart† and the â€Å"Cask of Amontillado†, I can see that there are many similarities between them. The main resemblance is that they have all been wrote in first person, the effect of this is that it draws you into the story and gets the reader involved, I think Edgar Allan Poe has chose to use this on all three of these gothic stories as the reader then has an advantage to understanding what is happening in the tale. Another similarity between all three of these stories is the setting. In a gothic story the setting is usually sinister and dark as this helps to the overall effect the story has on its audience, in each story the location is isolated and usually in a dark room. The use of language is also very similar in these three stories, in each of them there is use of hyphens and short sentences all to build up suspense and tension.

Miles Davis Research Paper

The King of Jazz â€Å"I’m always thinking about creating. My future starts when I wake up every morning. Everyday I find something creative to do with my life† (Davis 4). Miles Davis is the individual that made jazz the way it is today. Miles Davis still is a leading and influential figure in jazz ( Davis 1). When most people hear the word trumpet, they automatically picture Miles. His weird personality and his bizarre characteristics, make him a legend in the music scene. Davis explored many different sides of jazz, and went out of his way to be different.Growing up in St. Louis, he picked up the trumpet at a very young age. Shortly after picking up the trumpet, he enrolled at Julliard School of Music. After two years at Julliard, he left and started his career. His success escalated quickly (Davis 1). Miles Davis should be considered one of the most influential jazz musicians because of his weird traits, his ability to bring up young musicians, and his creation of ma ny styles in Jazz. Many people that Miles associated with speak of his interesting personality. He forced himself to hang with different crowds of people. Miles always seemed full of energy, and excitement when I talked to him. His words always had meaning, deep meaning† (Hentoff, Nat). These weird traits are what make Miles, Miles Davis. â€Å"I was a weird son of a bitch. Always saying the strangest things to Diz. He would always just look at me with this dumb stare. The cat eventually learned to not ask me questions no more† (Miles, 2). Miles Mckinney 2 talks about his interesting personality in his own autobiography. Davis was an interesting man, with many strengths and weaknesses, which eventually wrecked his life.His drug life was terrible; it was making him act weird, and develop traits that he wouldn’t have normally taken on. â€Å"The different drugs I was taking was messing me up. Even my idols looked down on me. They was disappointed at me, and the de cisions I was making,† says miles in his autobiography (Miles 2). Miles was well known for many things he said and did. His personality will live on, as well as his music. Different musicians were always going in and out of Davis’s band. He would always have the youngest, hotshot player in the area he was living in.All of the people that Miles was playing with brought something new to their sound. If he didn’t like the way they played, or if they didn’t bring anything new and complex to the table, Miles would have them out of there in an instant (Miles, 5). Kenny Garrett was only 18 when he started playing with Miles. I met Dr. Garrett in February of 2012, and got the chance to ask him many questions about his experience with Miles Davis. When I asked about his experience with Miles, he replied with an answer that was powerful. â€Å"Playing with Miles was unlike anything I have ever experienced in my life.Every note meant something to him. When we were p laying, there was energy unlike no other. If he didn’t like the way you were playing something, he would let you know exactly how to fix it. I learned more than I ever have before, playing with him†, replied Dr. Garrett when I spoke with him. He had the ability to make a musician grow, and develop unlike anyone. Although he gave them freedom, he allowed them to develop into fine musicians. He was an inspiration to them, and watched as they succeeded (Hentoff, Nat). Mckinney 3 Miles was at the forefront of many different eras of Jazz.Because all of the people in and out of his band, he always had a new sound. The different sounds that his band produced, called for new eras in jazz (PBS, 5). The most important style of jazz that Miles lead was â€Å"Cool Jazz†. His quartet, with the help of Charlie Parker, got heavy into bebop music. This style was widely copied around the United States, and became huge. Later in his life, Davis was big into the electric side of mu sic. He recruited electric piano player Chick Corea, and his band sounded unlike anything other. He started bringing in guitar players, and really used technology as a catalyst in his music (Miles, 5).In his career, Miles went through so many stages and styles. You can listen to his music, and tell what year the album was recorded. These vast eras that he was a part of makes him an extremely influential musician. Although Miles struggled with different obstacles in his life, he should still be considered one of the most influential people of all time. Many of the things he did in the old days, still live on in the music scene today. Not only did he have a unique personality but also was a fine teacher, and formed new styles of jazz in his playing.His songs still blast in many peoples’ homes, and his licks are still played by many musicians today. His most famous album, Kind of Blue, recorded and released in 1959, still sells five-hundred thousand copies a year. Davis died on September 28th 1991, in Santa Monica, California (PBS, 5). He died doing what he loved, and did best. His name, and his music will continue to touch people every day. Miles Davis will live on, in a legendary manor. He is by far one of the most influential people to have walked on this earth.

National Food Security Bill 2013 Essay

Only three percent of Indians pay income tax; our tax-GDP ratio is among the lowest in the world. This must change. Our elites must realise that India’s poverty has damaging consequences for them, and that they can help decrease it. The food security bill, with all its limitations, will hopefully contribute to generating such awareness, says Praful Bidwai. After vacillating for years over taking any pro-people measures, the United Progressive Alliance finally did something bold and worthy by having the National Food Security Bill passed in Parliament — a promise made in the UPA’s â€Å"first 100 days† agenda after its return to power in 2009. The Bill won a resounding victory in the Lok Sabha, with a margin exceeding 100, because non-UPA parties including the Janata Dal-United, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and even the Shiv Sena felt they had no choice but to support it. It sailed through the Rajya Sabha too. The stage was set by a rare, spirited speech by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, in which she described the legislation as India’s chance to ‘make history’ by abolishing hunger and malnutrition, and emphasised that India cannot afford not to have the law: â€Å"The question is not whether we can [raise the resources] or not. We have to do it.† The NFSB has invested meaning, public purpose and a degree of legitimacy into the UPA’s otherwise corruption-ridden, shoddy and often appalling performance in government under an increasingly right-leaning leadership. This at once put the Bharatiya Janata Party on the defensive. Its leaders were reduced to opposing a measure that represents genuine social progress, and making thoughtless statements about the Bill being about ‘vote security’, not food security. The BJP now has nothing to offer to the nation but obscurantist programmes like building a temple at Ayodhya, and parochial, and predatory pro-corporate agendas under Narendra Modi’s rabidly communal leadership. The Bill is open to the criticism that it doesn’t go far enough. Instead of universalising subsidised food provision, it confines it to two-thirds of the population, and truncates it further by limiting the food quota to five kilos of grain per capita per month instead of the 35 kg per family demanded by right-to-food campaigners. The per capita quota puts small households, such as those headed by widows and single women, at a disadvantage. A universalised Public Distribution System, covering the entire population, has been proved to be more effective and less prone to leakage than one targeted at ‘below-poverty-line’ groups — in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and even poor, backward Chhattisgarh. The relatively well-off won’t stand in queues at ration shops; they select themselves out of a universal PDS. Besides, a large proportion even of those officially defined as poor don’t possess BPL ration cards. The ratio can be as high as 40 percent in some highly deprived states. The latest National Sample Survey reveals that 51 percent of rural people possessing less than one-hundredth of a hectare of land have no ration cards of any kind; less than 23 percent have BPL cards. The problem of identifying the poor remains unresolved. Nevertheless, the broader coverage proposed under the NFSB — and the simple, attractive formula of rice at Rs 3 per kg, wheat at Rs 2, and coarse grains at Re 1 — marks a definite improvement over the current situation. It creates a right or entitlement for the poor, which can go some way in reducing acute hunger. However, right-wing commentators, including neo-liberal economists, credit-rating agencies, multinational and Indian big business, and writers/anchors in the media, have vitriolically attacked the NFSB as an instance of reckless â€Å"populism†. Some claim it will do to little to relieve malnutrition among Indian children, almost one-half of whom suffer from it. Yet others contend that the poor don’t want or deserve subsidies; they aspire to work, earn more and eat better. And almost all of them say the NFSB will entail excessive wasteful expenditure of Rs 1.25 lakh crores. This will aggravate India’s growing fiscal crisis and further depress already faltering GDP growth, now down to four-five percent. Eventually, this will work against the poor. Besides, if investment and growth are to be revived, India can’t spend so much on food security.

How to Raise Leaders at Every Level to Achieve Extraordinary Results?

How to Raise Leaders at Every Level to Achieve Extraordinary Results? Alaa Ahmed MBA Candidate Introduction Leadership is an important concept in every sector, in family, school, organization, company, and in every community. The secret behind the success of any organization is its leadership. Academic analysis has given us more than 850 definitions of leadership (bennis, 1997). All of them have the same factors but in different formulations. After I read many of these definitions, I saw leadership as guiding a group of people toward achieving a specific goal.Scholars researched and studied leadership styles, and leadership patterns, whereas Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner studied leadership from a different perspective. They dealt with leadership as a challenge and the leader who succeeds in facing the challenge and gets extraordinary result is considered exemplary. As a result, Kouzes and Posner started their journey since 1983 looking for how the leader becomes exemplary and achieves extraordinary results. Their study covered leadership in all sectors and on all the continents of the world. They collected data from different people and mangers during 25 years and analyzed them.They found that in order for a leader to be exemplary and able to get extraordinary results, he/she has to be able to transform values into actions, visions into realities, obstacles into innovations, separateness into solidarity, and risks into rewards (Kouzes & Posner, 2002). To get all this done, they outlined a mechanism that they called â€Å"The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadershipâ€Å" ; there are two commitments that go along with each practice which are the subject of our research. Model the way Model the way is aligned with two commitments .The first one is find your voice by clarifying your values. A leader must clarify the values that he believes in, look for the common values, and have the ability to transfer these values into actions. A clear guiding principle is necessa ry to follow and to gain the consensus about these principles from to be easily applied. These values must be reflected in the leader’s behavior to emphasize credibility which as Kouzes and Posner said is the foundation of leadership. Leaders’ clear values help them to practice the second commitment which is â€Å"set the example by aligning actions with shared values†.Telling stories helps others think about how to bring values alive. Giving rousing speeches is not enough; a leader has to go first and participate by doing what he asks others to do. Also a leader has to be (dwysywd) which is the acronym of (do what you say you will do). Followers will believe not what they hear from the leader but what they see the leader consistently do. For example, the director general of the company that I work for issued a decision that all employees must wear their ID on their chests as long as they were inside the company during the formal working time.The next day, we sa w him standing at the entrance wearing his ID as an example or a model for us. Undoubtedly, model the way is not enough to complete the picture of the exemplary leadership, consequently; leaders need to follow another practice in order to share the vision. Inspire a shared vision Leaders to inspire a shared vision with their employees, have to practice two commitments. The first one is to envision the future by imagining exciting and ennobling possibilities. Think for yourself and imagine the future that you wish for your organization.Ask, listen, and adapt mentally and emotionally the employees’ vision, their future imagination, and what they aspire for the organization. The second commitment is to enlist others in a common vision by appealing to a shared aspiration. A leader needs to analyze and discuss both aspirations to create a common aspiration which contributes in strengthening the work relationship and enlisting others to work on achieving the common aspiration. Welc ome any opinion or thoughts and give attention because innovation is created in this way. Francisco Magalhaes gives us an example through a story of his experience.When he had just started his new job at a railway workshop, he thought about something related to his job and concluded that there was a way to reduce the cost by more than half. He told his colleagues about that, but he did not get their attention. His colleagues’ reaction did not stop him; he went to his leader and told him about his idea. The leader immediately began analyzing Francisco’s proposal, discussed it with him and found that what Francisco proposed was correct. This direct leader continued supporting Francisco in order to implement this thought on the ground and he told the director general about Francisco (Magalhes, n. . ). This leader shared Francisco’s thought and gave him more attention. Without his leadership Francisco’s original idea would have failed. Inspiring and supportin g the innovative ideas of employees is what leaders have to do if they want to be exemplary; however, this exemplarity will not be completed without challenging the process. Challenger the process There are two commitments that can be used as strategies by the leader to challenge the process (Kouzes & Posner, 2002). One of these commitments is searching out challenging opportunities to change, grow, innovate, and improve.Leaders, who stay leading in the same way for a long time, will lose their employees’ enthusiasm. The great leader has to look for and create new ways to challenge the routine and encourage the team toward achieving its goals. Chip Perry, a president and CEO of AutoTrader. com, says that one of his powerful leadership techniques is to tell their employees that one of their main responsibilities is to challenge the status quo and work constantly to improve anything that may be used to get the work done (Yaverbaum, 2004)The second commitment is experimenting, t aking risks, and learning from the accompanying mistakes.The employees like to work with a leader who ventures into unfamiliar and uncertain situations and transfers risks into rewards because the best solutions are often found in these cases. Likewise, wisdom is gained through pain and reflection (Bennis, 2003, p. 134). Andy Stanly highlighted that if leaders stop challenging the process, they cease to be leaders and they become managers (Andy, 2006). This pushes us to split between leader and manger by saying that the leader is someone who guides and the manger is someone who drives.Besides, Bennis observed that â€Å"the manager is a copy; the leader is an original, the manager administers, the leader innovates, and the manager relies on control; the leader inspires trust† (Bennis, 2003, p. 45). However; leaders who search out opportunities, step into the unknown, are willing to take risks, and are prepared to meet whatever challenges may face them, are not always consider ed exemplary. The leader needs to empower others and support them, too. Enable others to act For leaders to enable others to act,they need to start with fostering collaboration by promoting cooperative goals and building trust.Create spiritual cooperation between all the organization’s members by emphasizing that you trust them and believe that they can do the best. Donald Evans, Secretary of U. S. Department of Commerce says â€Å"Nothing is important to being and effective leader that having an unshakable trusting relationship with those whom you work with and those you lead† (Yaverbaum, 2004, p. 232). Great work does not occur without active involvement and support. Achieving the purpose of the organizations must be everyone’s responsibility, and good leaders promote teamwork rather than competition as the road to success.Competition, which is trying to beat others, is vastly different in purpose from collaboration which is trying to do well. The cooperative relationships between members are assets of the organization. Leaders must know how to nurture them. In building a strong team out of people with diverse and sometimes conflicting interests, leaders must develop cooperative goals, seek integrative solutions and build trusting relationships. There is a truth that you cannot do it alone. A leader will ever get anything extraordinary done without the talent and support of others.You need others and they need you. Then, the second commitment to fulfill this practice is to strengthen others by sharing power and discretion. When you intend to make a decision, ask employees about their ideas and listen. Involve them in the decision-making process. Zenger and Folkman mention that leaders can find best recourses by asking people in work about their ideas and seeking details. Fell others that you are concerned about their ideas and opinions (Zenger & folkman, 2007). Enable others to act is considered a major forward step to the five practice which is encouraging the heart.Encourage the heart Encouraging the heart is the fifth practice set by Kouzes and Posner. Leaders who want to get extraordinary results should recognize contributions by showing appreciation for individual excellence. Thank employees who did a great job, surprise them by giving moral and financial support. Let them feel that what they did is considered something magnificent in order to push them to give more, at the same time, to encourage others who do not have contributions to compete with employees who have contributions. Continue by elebrating the values and victories by creating a spirit of community. Celebrate team success and pride in the accomplishments. There is a strategy to be a good leader is to explore and expect leaders around you (Zenger & folkman, 2007). By looking for leaders around you and giving them the feeling that they might be future leaders; you encourage them to do better. Credibility is the foundation of leadership The five pr actices that we have reviewed paint a partial picture of leadership. These practices are like a body without soul, so there is no benefit from this body.They are like pillars built on the sands which quickly will fall down. According to research done by Kouzes and Posner for more than two decades, they were looking for what people admire in their leaders. Findings were that credibility is the characteristic that employees admire in their leaders, as the research showcase that the top four characteristics that employees look for in their leaders are; honesty, forward-looking, inspiring, and competent, consequently; these four characteristic are the core of the credibility. The research ranged across the world and years .It shows that honesty is the number one trait then forward looking, competent, and inspiring (Kouzes & Posner, 2002). Employees follow you as a leader when they believe and trust you. But without credibility which is the foundation of the leadership, there is an uphil l battle will face you because you will try to pull the employees to your site and as you are the only pulling, soon both sites are being weary and give up (Brown, 2011). Without credibility, you as a leader will fail to transfer your values into actions then you will lose your employees’ trust.Table 1 Characteristics of admired leaders Percentage of Respondents selecting that characteristic Characteristic| 2002 edition | 1995 edition | 1987 edition | Honest | 88| 88| 83| Forward looking | 71| 75| 62| Competent| 66| 63| 67| Inspiring | 65| 68| 58| Intelligent | 47| 40| 43| Fair-minded | 42| 49| 40| Broad-minded | 40| 40| 37| Supportive | 35| 41| 32| Straightforward | 34| 33| 34| Dependable | 33| 32| 33| Cooperative | 28| 28| 25| Determined | 24| 17| 17| Imaginative | 23| 28| 34| Ambitious | 21| 13| 21| Courageous | 20| 29| 27| Caring | 20| 23| 26|Mature | 17| 13| 23| Loyal | 14| 11| 11| Self-controlled | 8| 5| 13| Independent | 6| 5| 10| Source: The Leadership Challenge by Ji m M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner , 2002. The Five practices of exemplary leadership are distinctive When we review all studies and research about leadership, we will find that Kouzes and Posner studies and findings are different. What distinguish their findings are the followings: 1- The length of the study period which more than two decades. 2- Collecting data from different people (employees, managers, CEO’s, leaders). – They made their research more than one time in different periods in order to determine the constants. 4- Their surveys covered the world. (Africa, North America, South America, Asia, Europe, and Australia ) 5- They transferred their findings into clear concepts. The five practices of exemplary leadership Exemplary Leadership Encourage the Heart Enable Others to Act Challenger the Process Inspire a Shared Vision Model the Way Credibility Conclusion: The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership Make Extraordinary ResultsTwo recent research reports confirm the importance of the five practices of exemplary leadership (Kouzes & Posner, 2002). One of those reach was done by Richard Roi (2006). He asked the executives of 94 companies to rate their company’s senior leaders on the five practices of exemplary leadership. He analyzed those leaders with strong consistent application of the five practices; their companies had significant growth in net income and stock price by comparison with companies that has leaders with weak implementation for the five practices.There is a direct proportion between the five practices and the financial performance for the company. The second research consisted over 66,000 survey responses completed over the past two years. The finding is that the organizations that their leaders engaged in the five practices of exemplary leadership have significantly high levels of important employee attitudes (International leadership associates , 2007). The evidence is clear that the main reason behind the success of any organization is the strength of its leadership.Also, the evidence is strong that what make the leadership strong are the five practices of exemplary leadership. By these practices, leaders get extraordinary results and make significant differences in performance of their organizations. References Andy, S. (2006). challenge the process. ministry today magazine . bennis, w. (1997). leaders. new york: harper Business. Bennis, W. (2003). On becoming a leader. Cambridge, MA: Perseus Pub. Brown, M. (2011, 9 23). Credibility: A Critical Foundation of Leadership. Retrieved 2 23, 2012, from http://www. brownassociates. com/Blog/about International leadership associates . (2007). The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership. International leadership associates. Kouzes, J. M. , & Posner, B. Z. (2002). the leadership challenge. San Francisco: Jossey Bass. Magalhes, F. B. (n. d. ). Leaders and Followers. Emerging Leader . Yaverbaum, E. (2004). leadership secrets of the world's most successf ul CEOs. chicago: dearborn trade publishing a kaplan proffessional company . Zenger, j. , ; folkman, j. (2007). the handbook for leaders.

The aspects of inclusion on the children with the special needs Essay

The aspects of inclusion on the children with the special needs - Essay Example The term ‘inclusion’ has been driven into different layers; it is different from segregation, integration, and mainstreaming. In its general sense inclusion is â€Å"the philosophy and practice of providing learning opportunities for all children according to their needs† (Inclusive Practice: Study Guide, p.6). Inclusive practice takes into account all the children and the learning activities are arranged in satisfying the various needs of the children. For Lesley Lyons each child has the â€Å"fundamental right to be a part of a family, a community and a society that will enrich their lives and be enriched by the presence of theirs† regardless of their similarities and differences (Lyons, 2005, p.16). Similarly, National Association for the Education of Young Children considers inclusion as embodying â€Å"the values, policies, and practices that support the right of every infant and young child and his or her family, regardless of ability, to participate in a broad range of activities and contexts as full members of families, communities, and society (Early Childhood Inclusion, 2009, p. 2). The benefits and challenges of inclusive practice for all involved The Child: Inclusive practice places the children with different needs together and it is framed in accordance with their needs. Inclusion allows and facilitates the overall growth of a child. As the course is in accordance with the needs of the child, it is highly result oriented.