Development Programs

Development programs are important for groups and organizations, as they support useful changes and improvements. The advantage of using development programs is that they structure the improvements in a way that is efficiently manageable and easy to implement. However, different circumstances make for a different approach for a development program to be effective. Thus, individuals, groups, and organizations as a whole have different requirements. In developing programs, there are also three important elements that can be taken into consideration. There is goal setting, behavior modification, and team building.Each can be used solely or complement each other for an individual, group, or organization to achieve its goals. Individuals Development programs for an individual give focus on the person and his differing needs. According to Miller and Osinski (1996), individual development programs aim to patch shortcomings and instigate improvements in an individual who needs development, a s well as institute improvement on all individuals for the benefit of himself and his role. In treating an individual, his needs and the way that these needs differ from those of other people are given consideration.This is an especially important fact when making a development program geared towards influencing individual persons. There should be more weight put on what can interest each of the target audience of the program to achieve success. A needs assessment begins the program. The individual is evaluated from which his needs are known. This needs become the basis of the training and development customized for him. The program is designed and implemented, though changes may be instituted from time to time to fit the changing individual.After the program, the individual and the program are evaluated to find out if the development program has been effective, and if improvements may be necessary. Groups Development program for groups, on the other hand, has a different focal poin t. Avelino and Lifton (2001) assert that group programs in organizations help increase the productivity of the individuals involved in the organization. However, the group shall have to be a work team first who is both effective and efficient. When this has been accomplished, the group which is now a team can start with their development program.A group’s development program begins with an acquaintance stage for the members of the team. It is only when the members already know about each other that they can effectively communicate. When this has been done, a brainstorming can be called to order. The brainstorming is where ideas and objectives come from. These ideas define what roles and tasks can be divided to each member on the next stage, the norming phase. When each member has been delegated, members start working and consulting each other about how the work can be done. Finally, members verbally accept or modify the tasks put on them.(Avelino and Lifton, 2001) Group devel opment programs focus on tasks. Thus, most items included in this program are based on job descriptions, assessments of knowledge, skills, attitudes, and abilities (KSA), identifying and evaluating the standards of performance, work performance observations, and identification of problems of each individual if there are any. (Miller and Osinski, 1996) In facilitating so, needed solutions can be instituted properly and timely. Organizations In organizations, development programs go through phases to be accomplished.There is also an assessment of the organizational needs, but apart from that there is a study of the objectives of development instruction, development instruction design, the implementation stage, and the evaluation of the program. (Miller and Osinski, 1996) The needs assessment creates a foundation for the development program. This is where topics of instruction or development focus will be based. The needs of the organization, however, differ from that of individualsâ⠂¬â„¢ and groups’ in such a way that many of their developmental needs are based on organizational vision and missions.This includes the needs of the individuals who are part of the organization as well as the need of the organization as a whole. Development programs for organizations also needs to follow a set of instruction objectives based on the organization’s assessed needs. These objectives are instructed following an instruction design which will be the way the program is carried out in the implementation stage. After the implementation, an evaluation of the program shall be done to identify the successes of the initiative as well as improvements that may be in order.Organizational development programs also take into consideration factors which are outside of the workplace such as political and lawmaking changes, organizational changes, environmental effects, and goals that the organization is ready to focus on. Development programs for organizations are led by senior administrators, human resources managers, or a group of people directly managing the organization. In all types of development program, whether it is for an individual, group, or an organization, the evaluation is a key developmental stage.The evaluation phase enables the proponents of a program to know if each of the target participants of development has been properly reached by the program, and if they learned anything from it. Miller and Osinski (1996) states that evaluations determine if the objectives developed in the beginning of the program were achieved, know how the participants of the program react to it, what the participants learned and how much, and how well are they willing and able to bring what they have learned from the program.There are many ways in evaluating a development program in an organization. There can be a written examination, a one-on-one interview/observation, an open-group discussion, a feedback solicitation process such as using a feedback for m or a feedback forum, or there is also the post-program observation to determine if objectives were met and if goals were absorbed by the participants of the program. Goal Setting Goal setting, behavior modification, and team building are necessary business processes that allow organizations and individuals to improve.They are essential in development program in that goals make focus possible, behavioral modification makes positive behavior remain, and teams allow for synergy and cooperation. While they may have interrelated and even similar purposes, each of them are different in their own respects. Each has different characteristics as well. Goal setting, for instance, gives a person, a group, or organization a focal point. With focus, it is easier for a person to know what his priorities are, and how these priorities can be implemented.Goals also give motivation, and helps one identify if the goals are smart, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). Goals may be in a personal, group, or organizational level. (Personal goal setting, 2007) On a personal level, goal setting is focused on what an individual assumes to achieve in a specific period of time. It may be a short-term goal he aims to achieve now or in a matter of days or weeks, or a mid-term goal achievable in a matter of months, or a long-term goal set for accomplishment in years.The goal may concern oneself or what oneself wants to do toward another person or thing. As well, the goals of an individual are often smaller in scale compared to those set by a group or an organization. (Personal goal setting, 2007) On a group level, goal setting takes the needs and wants of a group. Before these goals are set, it is important that disagreements have been reconciled. The group must have carried out an agreement of what their goals will be. This will avoid any later problems that may arise.When goals have been agreed on and set out, this is the time when the members can delegate tasks and commit to each. It differs from individual goal setting because this time the goals do not concern any one person’s interest but the collective interest of the members of the group. An organization goal setting is wholly different as it gives focus on the vision and missions of the organization. In the absence of this, the needs and wants that the management would like to achieve is where the organization can base goals.The organization may create these goals from the individual needs of the workforce, or of the company as a whole. Organizational goals, when set, are then studied so that implementation and instructional techniques are identified and put into place. These goals differ from individual goals because they have no focus on one person, yet differ from group goals as well because goals are based on the needs of many groups under the organization’s care. Behavior Modification Behavior modification, on the other hand, uses a rewards system.The thrust of this is that rewarding positive behavior increases the occurrence of such behavior. Thus, when individuals are productive and achieve results, behavior modification allows the, to enjoy the fruits of their labor through compensation. For instance, an employee who exceeds the standards required of their position receives bonus compensation. In doing so the management encourages them to continue their exemplary performance, while also influencing those who are underperforming, or just meeting their standards equally, to compete and do the same.(Behavior modification, 2007) Team Building Team building is done to make group function effectively, and avoid pitfalls as each of their members function together as one. For team building to be successful, each member should follow a singular goal and focus on it. Every member should be functioning towards the implementation of these goals. Each member of the team should have a clear task, and should know how to efficiently carry out these tasks. (Te am building, 1995) It is not enough for a group of people to assemble to be called a team.Teams require a special bonding and correlation. Otherwise, they are called plainly as a group. This also denies the members the opportunity to work in synergy with the other members of the group. Without this synergy, the group will have no focus and goals will be hard to achieve. Cooperation is the key premise of team building. Cooperation means that team members should be responsible of their assigned tasks, as well as be sensitive about other members who may need help. This is because should one of these assignments fail, the whole team will not work. References Avelino, J. and Lifton, H. 2001. How to develop a group into an effective work team. Retrieved July 28, 2007, from http://www.aednet.org/ced/feb99/people_points.htm Behavior modification. 2007. Retrieved July 28, 2007, from http://add.about.com/cs/discipline/a/behavior.htm Miller, J. and Osinski, D. 1996. Training needs assessment. Retrieved July 28, 2007, from http://www.ispi.org/pdf/suggestedReading/Miller_Osinski.pdf Personal goal setting. 2007. Retrieved July 28, 2007, from http://www.mindtools.com/page6.html Team building. 1995. Retrieved July 28, 2007, from http://www.teamtechnology.co.uk/teambuilding.htm      

Cointelpro and the Assassination of Malcolm X Essay

During the early 1950’s, Malcolm X was the top spokesman for the Black Nationalist Muslim group called the Nation of Islam (NOI). As the national representative of the NOI, Malcolm X attracted the media spotlight by speaking out against the injustices that were being inflicted upon black Americans in the United States (Haley 225). Malcolm later separated from the NOI due to accusations of immoral behavior he made against his leader, Elijah Muhammad, and went on to form his own group called Muslim Mosque Inc. 323). Malcolm was assassinated February 21, 1965, at the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem New York, by black gunmen who were alleged to be members of the Nation of Islam (442-443). According to the book â€Å"The Assassination of Malcolm X by George Breitman, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) under the direction of J. Edgar Hoover made Malcolm the subject of an intensive surveillance investigation by the Counter Intelligence Program known by its acronym â€Å"Cointelpro† (13). Malcolm, as a Muslim minister in the NOI, had become a powerful speaker equipped with the oratorical skills which provided him the ability to attract large followings of black people into his new organization. However, Hoover had labeled Malcolm a â€Å"subversive† and a radical black nationalist whom he felt needed to be â€Å"neutralized† (14). What did Hoover mean by â€Å"neutralize†? And did the Nation of Islam assassinate Malcolm X, or was this a government conspiracy? These two theories will be addressed in order to answer these questions and others that have been unanswered for 48 years. Cointelpro was a FBI top secret and illegal political agency, the main agenda of which was to target specific individuals and organizations whose ideas Hoover did not agree with (Blackstock, preface vii). Even though the program was initially started in 1956 to disrupt the activities of the Communist Party of the United States, policies were secretly changed under the direction of its founder, Hoover in order to target other organizations (9). Even though the name â€Å"Counterintelligence† may imply opposition to anyone who threatens the security of the United States through espionage, the targets were not enemy spies (10). The FBI’s main objective under this program was to eliminate all â€Å"radical† political opposition inside the United States by any means necessary (10-11). When traditional methods such as harassment and prosecution failed, the Bureau resorted to illegal and unconstitutional methods by taking the law into its own hands (11). Methods such as intimidation, job loss, violence, and forging letters in order to frame members were just a few tactics used by FBI agents and police informants who had infiltrated targeted organizations (12-13). In instructions to his FBI field operatives, Hoover displayed the outright contempt that he held for the Civil Rights Movement and its black leaders (28). In one specific memo dated August 25, 1967, he explains that the purpose of the program was â€Å"to expose, disrupt, misdirect, discredit, or otherwise neutralize† the Civil Rights Movement (30). Even though the memo was revealed by Hoover in 1967, two years after Malcolm’s death, tactics had been put into action long before it was distributed as a memo to his agents (30). On February 21, 1965, Malcolm X prepared to give a speech to a crowd of approximately 400 at the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem, New York (Evanzz xiv). As he approached the rostrum, a scuffle began in the rear of the ballroom (xv). One of the men yelled â€Å"Get your hand out of my pocket. † Malcolm responded by telling the two individuals who were scuffling to â€Å"cool it† and to not get excited (xv). As Malcolm tried to calm things down, a large explosion in the back was heard from a smoke bomb, and a man sitting in the front row pulled out a double barreled sawed-off shotgun from under his long coat and fired at Malcolm, striking him in the chest (xv). As Malcolm was falling and clutching his chest, two more men rushed the stage, firing pistols at him (xv). Betty Shabazz, Malcolm’s wife, and Gene Roberts, his close friend and bodyguard came to Malcolm’s aid along with others close by (xv). Meanwhile, a crowd of Malcolm’s supporters had caught two of the fleeing assailants and were beating them until they were rescued by policemen (xvii). One of the men rescued by police was Talmadge Hayer, a black Muslim, who had a gunshot wound from one of Malcolm X’s bodyguards and was taken to the hospital across the street from the Audubon (xvi). Malcolm X was pronounced dead 15 minutes after they got him to the hospital (xvi). Who killed Malcolm X? Examine the following scenarios. Initially, it was reported by Malcolm’s guards, the New York City police and local newspapers that two men were taken into police custody (xviii). In later newspaper editions, it was changed from two men to one. No reason was given for the sudden change and no admission of a mistake ever mentioned (xv). Police vehemently denied that a second man had existed and that Hayer was the only person caught at the scene (xviii). Five days later, Norman Butler, and Thomas Johnson, two well-known Muslims were arrested and charged with the murder of Malcolm X, even though they had concrete alibis placing them elsewhere, evidence the prosecutor withheld at the trial (Evanzz xviii). Hayer had confessed to his involvement in Malcolm’s death and testified that Butler and Johnson were neither present nor involved in the assassination but that four other gunmen were involved (xviii-xx). The question remains to this day: Who was the mysterious second man? Why did the first police report and witnesses inside the Audubon say they saw five men who were involved in the assassination, yet only three were accused and convicted at the trial (xv, xviii)? It should also be noted that many of Malcolm’s bodyguards and aides were Muslim defectors from the Nation of Islam and would have recognized Butler and Johnson immediately and prevented them from coming in (xv). Roland Sheppard was a journalist who regularly attended Malcolm’s lectures and was also a witness to his assassination. In his article â€Å"The Assassination of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. † he stated that he was told by one of Malcolm’s bodyguards, â€Å"You are not going to sit here today† and to move from the front row where he normally would sit. Sheppard, along with Malcolm and his group, always knew that there were police agents and informants in the audience. After Malcolm’s assassination, Sheppard was questioned at the Harlem police headquarters, where he saw a familiar face, obviously a police officer, walking freely around the office, whom â€Å"he had seen standing in the first row at the Audubon Ballroom, with other men, before the start of the meeting. This is where Hayer said he and his accomplices were sitting† (Sheppard). This was also the same row of seats Sheppard was told to move from. Sheppard also noticed that usually at Malcolm’s meetings, there would be somewhere between 30-50 uniformed police officers on site (Sheppard). But when Malcolm was assassinated, the police were nowhere to be found, even though Malcolm had warned them that an assassination attempt was imminent (Sheppard). Police officials claim that Malcolm had requested not to have police protection that day (Sheppard). However, when the police first spoke of this agreement with Malcolm, his wife, Betty Shabazz, stated that it was a lie, that Malcolm had not made the request for no police security (Sheppard). Malcolm knew from his experience with the Nation of Islam that his organization had been infiltrated by police agents who were undercover working for the government (Evanzz xxiii). But what would have shocked Malcolm the most is that his head of security and close friend Roberts, was one of them (xv). Roberts was a police agent working for New York Police Department’s Bureau of Special Services, also known as BOSSI (xxiii). This was the same bodyguard who told Sheppard to move from where he normally sits at Malcolm’s meetings. The night of the assassination, Roberts, as usual, posted guards in their proper positions and took his post as well (xv). Once Malcolm came to the rostrum and greeted the crowd with, â€Å"As-Salaam Alaikum,† Roberts subtly gave a signal that he needed to be relieved from his guard post (xv). As soon as Roberts walked away and stationed himself by the front entrance, the commotion started in the rear of the ballroom and shots were fired (xv). Is it just a coincidence that Roberts had himself relieved from the guard post and soon after, the shooting started? As Malcolm lay on the ground gasping for air, Roberts, who had changed guard post seconds before the shooting, rushed to the stage to Malcolm’s side and appeared to be administering mouth to mouth (Evanzz 295). Betty Shabazz, Malcolm’s wife, went his side and removed a piece of paper from Malcolm’s blood stained coat jacket, that had the names of the five men whom Malcolm believed were going to assassinate him (295). Finally, Malcolm was placed on a stretcher and as they started to take him to the hospital across the street, the police, who were not present during the shooting, appeared and took charge of Malcolm’s body (xvii). It is apparent to me that Roberts was there for the sole purpose of ensuring that Malcolm was dead. Was he actually giving mouth-to-mouth respirations to Malcolm? Or was he preventing him from breathing altogether? Why would Malcolm’s wife remove the paper with the names of her husband’s assassins on it and not reveal it to any of those present? Malcolm X had been under surveillance by the FBI since his release from prison in 1952 (Evanzz 28). Once Malcolm separated from Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam, he started reaching out to other Black Nationalist organizations and civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. (266-267). Even though they had opposing views, both men realized they were after the same common goal but with different means of gaining it. In his letter â€Å"A Call for Unity† from Birmingham jail, King made it a point to his critics that the Negro in America had been caught up by the â€Å"Zeitgeist† (spirit of the age), and with his black brothers of Africa, and his brown and yellow brothers of Asia, South America, and the Caribbean, the Negro in the United States is moving with a sense of great urgency toward the promised land of racial justice† (King 1303). Malcolm shared this viewpoint also, that injustice was universal, and Malcolm decided to take the plight of the American Negro to the United Nations (309). No one had ever brought the issue of racism to the United Nations before (310). This deeply disturbed Hoover and the FBI and gave them a definite reason to target Malcolm for â€Å"neutralization† (Evanzz 310). Malcolm’s fall out with Muhammad and the Nation of Islam was the catalyst needed to later help the FBI set the stage for Malcolm’s assassination (311). The question remains: who killed Malcolm X? Malcolm had initially and for good reason, thought that the Nation of Islam were plotting to take his life. After close analysis, he realized that this plot to kill him was deeper than the NOI. He expressed this to Alex Haley, who was in the process of finishing Malcolm’s autobiography, â€Å"†¦The more I keep thinking about this thing, the things that have been happening lately, I’m not all that sure it’s the Muslims, I know what they can do, and what they can’t, and they can’t do some of the stuff recently going on. Now, I’m going to tell you, the more I keep thinking about what happened to me†¦, I think I’m going to quit saying it’s the Muslims† (qtd. in Haley 438).

Development Through the Lifespan Essay

In brief form explain why knowledge of human development over the lifespan is important for counsellors to be aware of. Learning about human growth and development signalled, to me, the importance of assessing and considering developmental goals when working with both children and adults. Life-span development theories provide a useful place to start when offering emotional support as a Counsellor. Understanding an individual’s previous stages of development and environment can give the Counselor and Client a common place from which to begin the counselling process. Essentially, the life-span development approach addresses the basic ‘nature vs nurture’ debate by allowing for both. Just as our physicals selves are determined by both genetics and lifestyle, so are our emotional selves. Considering cognitive, biological, and socio-emotional development throughout life will provide context, guideposts, and reasonable expectations for Counsellors. Knowledge of human development over a lifespan is important for counselors to be aware of because it allows them to identify natural stages and cycles that individuals will commonly go through in their lifetime. This can help counsellors to identify what is normal and what is abnormal. Being aware of these abnormalities/normalities could save the counsellor a great of time in the assessment and interview process, the formulation of treatment goals and could ultimately change the treatment plan. As a Professional Counsellor, I plan to consider life-span development to specialize in counselling a specific type of person with hopes of becoming well-versed, and therefore more helpful, in the types of experiences that group faces. Personality can be better understood if it is examined developmentally† (Santrock, 2006, p. 45). Give two short examples of how developmental knowledge would help a counsellor deal with two specific types of adult issues. A client comes to me for stress related symptoms and during the assessment I learn that he is 22, halfway through his first year of graduate school and the first time he’s away from his home town, 2,000 kilometers away. Since he falls within the norm, I may want to delve into some related issues to also be able to cross them off a list that I use to form my diagnosis and treatment plan. Had he not been in the 19-25 age range, my assessment goals would be different. If I were asked to counsel a group, I could employ a standard set of questionnaires for everyone to fill out. From there I could ascertain many important characteristics, feelings, longings which they all had in common. I could use the lifespan to formulate a generational perspective to better relate to where they are at in this part of their life cycle. Acquiring a rich amount information in a short period of time could be very valuable in guiding the group towards their goal with compassion and empathy. Development through the lifespan is a concept of how people develop throughout the lifetime. Typically, this involves a sequence of stages and describes important factors that are likely to influence development. BENEFITS: Criteria for mental health, with characteristics of unhealthy or disordered emotional functioning either explicitly or implicitly stated. This information is important in helping people set realistic treatment goals and in assessing progress. Information on how to promote healthy development and help people reduce symptoms and enhance their coping skills and satisfaction with their lives. A description of the role of the effective counselor and the desired relationship between client and counselor. Nearly all theories of counseling currently recognize the powerful impact of the therapeutic alliance and offer clinicians ways to collaborate effectively with their clients. A safe and healing environment and a caring, skilled, and trustworthy counselor are essential to successful treatment. Strategies and interventions that counselors can use to help people achieve their counseling goals. Examples include reflections of feeling, modification of cognitive distortions, and systematic desensitization. Information on treatment parameters such as duration and frequency of sessions; whether to use individual, group, or family treatment; and benefits of medication and other adjunct services. Delineation of those people who are most likely to benefit from this treatment approach. Adaptation throughout life depends on how each of us negotiates the internal and external factors that enhance or constrain our abilities to reach our full potentials. The essence of lifespan development is in how we build on our strengths to transcend these limitations over time. While a developmental perspective has been at the heart of psychotherapeutic practice since its early Freudian beginnings, the view of development as a process spanning from birth to death is relatively recent. According to Sugarman (2001), the emphasis on childhood during much of the 20th century reflected prevailing restrictive notions of what constituted â€Å"development†, as only changes that were â€Å"sequential, unidirectional, universal, irreversible, and end-state or goal-directed† were seen to count as development. Developmental theories have increasingly expanded beyond these confines, however, and since the 1980s it has been possible to talk of a whole life-span perspective (Baltes, Reese & Lipsitt, 1980) which shares certain underlying principles, formulated by Baltes (1987, cited in Sugarman, 2001) as the seven tenets of this orientation. These can be summarized as viewing development as a lifelong process which is multidimensional and multidirectional, shows plasticity, involves both gains and losses, is interactive, culturally and historically embedded, and the study of which is multidisciplinary. While such a view of development broadens the scope both for the researcher and the practitioner, it also entails that there is no one â€Å"correct† way of development, something that places particular demands on Counselling Psychologists. We need to be open-minded and able to embrace complex and contradictory notions of development on the one hand, and be improvement-orientated on the other, so changes are inevitably evaluated, i. e. measured against some ideal. While these challenges are met differently by different approaches to counselling and psychotherapy, Sugarman (2001, p. ) points out that there is overlap between different perspectives, as they describe â€Å"common themes if not of perfection, then at least of successful ageing†. Across different therapy models, the practitioner – like the life span researcher – is involved in â€Å"finding, co-constructing and interpreting the stories people create and use to describe and understand their lives† (Sugarman, 2003,p. 316). How the story is constructed is influenced by the practitioner’s orientation, but the goal is ultimately to help the client make their own choices. Evaluating some events as negative does not entail being concerned with eliminating negatives, as, for example in a â€Å"disease† model (Sugarman, 2001). In the life-span approach, negative events are rather viewed as necessary parts of life that provide the opportunity for growth (Sugarman, 2003). The move from development as something occurring only in childhood to a continuous process spanning from birth to death brings the subject of death itself to attention. If death is merely the endpoint of the life span and of development, it could easily be discarded as a subject of interest. However, even if we see death as nothing more than the end of life, as its destination, then it follows that the life course is a movement towards death and that death is in some sense present throughout life. One fundamental existential truth is that we must die. This certainty in life is also the most incomprehensible truth for us to come to terms with, as, in the philosopher Herbert Fingarette’s words (1996), â€Å"in our consciousness [we] will never know death firsthand† (p. ). Freud (1915, as cited in Fingarette, 1996, p. 150) wrote similarly: â€Å"At bottom, no one believes in his own death. Or, what comes to the same, in the Unconscious, each of us is convinced of his immortality. † This also suggests that we have a tendency to deny death, something that according to Yalom (1980, p. 59) occurs not only in the client but also in the therapist and, as he claims, â€Å"there is collective denial in the entire field of psychotherapy†. There may also be denial in the study of life-span development, as Sugarman (2001) makes scarce mention of death throughout her otherwise authoritative text on the subject. This seems odd considering that not only the structure of the life course is determined by our expectation of death but also the meanings we attach to life. In fact, as Fingarette explains, our conceptions of life and death can be seen as mutually influencing each other: â€Å"A mirror, too, is empty, without content, yet it reflects us back to ourselves in a reverse image. To try to contemplate the meaning of my death is in fact to reveal to myself the meaning of my life. † (p. 5) Death awareness thus sharpens our awareness of life, and making sense of death involves making sense of life, as, for example, through constructing our life story, an activity that requires a sense of authorship. For Yalom (1980, p. 31), who bases his thinking partly on Heidegger, â€Å"death is the condition that makes it possible for us to live life in an authentic fashion†. Death awareness is then worth facilitating in Counselling Psychology practice, as it helps clients re-evaluate life and make important changes towards a more fulfilled life. There is ample literature promoting a positive view of death, e. g. Kubler-Ross (1975) who describes death as â€Å"the final stage of growth† and â€Å"the key to the door of life† (p. 164). She believes that growth is the purpose of living and that we all have an inner source of love and strength which connects us with the eternal and that we live more fully when we are aware of this source. Stephen Levine (1986) takes this perspective further and encourages the reader to prepare to die by letting go of their sense of self, something that can be practised through meditation and through accepting and even welcoming pain. Both authors may be over-optimistic but they have something to teach all practitioners of psychotherapy and counselling about openness and compassion. Levine thinks that therapists can only give what they have got themselves and that how they deal with their own suffering determines the depth at which they are available to the client. A completely open relationship towards pain and death may only be possible for a fervent religious believer, but Yalom (1980) warns that faith may also act as a defence against death anxiety. According to Yalom, we cope with death anxiety by employing more or less healthy defences, and it is neither possible nor desirable for the therapist to completely eliminate death anxiety in the client, as some anxiety is necessary for life-enhancing death awareness. Instead it is the rapist’s task to facilitate a â€Å"sense of certainty and mastery† (p. 189) through enabling the client to create a coherent structure out of their life events. This would be in line with the above-mentioned goals formulated by Sugarman (2003) and indicates how death awareness can enhance life-span awareness and promote a more conscious narrative re-framing in Counselling Psychology practice. While death awareness and anxiety are relevant themes throughout life, they assume particular importance in mid-life. The term â€Å"mid-life crisis† was coined by Jaques (1965), who conducted a biographical study of over 300 major artists and found a marked increase in the death rate between the ages of 35 and 39 as well as a definite change in the quality and content of creative output. It has to be noted here that due to an increase in longevity, â€Å"mid-life† would now occur at a later stage, so a definition of this phase in terms of a specific age range must be viewed with caution on account of historical changes alone. Furthermore, rather than trying to determine an exact period at which mid-life occurs, researchers now tend to see it as an â€Å"ageless† phase, characterized more by themes and on texts (Biggs, 2003). However, Jaques† general observations regarding the differences between an artist’s early productions and those later in life may still be of interest today. Specifically, he notices a â€Å"hot-from-the-fire creativity† during the artist’s youth and more of a â€Å"sculpted creativity† as of the late thirties (Jaques, 1965, p. 503). To achieve the greater serenity of mature work, the artist is seen to undergo a â€Å"mid-life crisisâ€Å". Jaques regards this crisis as arising from depressive anxieties due to an awareness of one’s own inevitable death on entering the second half of life. Coming from a psychoanalytic perspective, he views youthful idealism as arising from the unconscious denial of human mortality and destructiveness (what Freud called the â€Å"death instinct†) and argues that â€Å"constructive resignation† (p. 505) to these inevitable truths at mid-life can lead to mature creativity. However, this requires the painful working-through of a depressive crisis. While Sugarman (2001) comments that only a minority of people actually experience a crisis of such proportions, Counselling Psychology clients are more likely to be among this minority. However, Kleinberg (1995, as cited in Biggs, 2003) has observed that many mid-life clients enter therapy to deal with â€Å"stagnation† rather than a crisis, although issues around ageing and finitude are also present. A more comprehensive approach to mid-life has been presented by Levinson et al. 1978), whose stage theory of the „seasons of a man’s life? has particularly illuminated the developmental tasks of the â€Å"mid-life transition† (p. 191), a term based on Jung’s description of the divide between the first and second halves of life, the â€Å"noon of life† (p. 33). According to Levinson – whose theory is restricted to men, although much could apply to women too – this is a time of disillusionment, as the current life structure and the self need to be modified and some fundamental polarities, i. . young/old, destruction/creation, masculine/feminine and attachment/separateness, need to be resolved in preparation for middle age. Similar to Jaques (1965), Le Vinson emphasises that the illusion of one’s immortality must be given up, a painful process that may, however, lead to greater maturity: â€Å"Slowly the omnipotent Young hero recedes, and in his place emerges a middle-aged man with more knowledge of his limitations as well as greater real power and authority† (p. 218).

Why Hospitals should hire Patient Navigator Research Paper

Why Hospitals should hire Patient Navigator - Research Paper Example The populations with limited access on the healthcare system encounter difficulty in using the system leading to delay in cancer diagnosis, added costs, less efficient, and effective use of recommended therapies. The patient navigation programs provide support and guidance to people with the goal of improving access to the cancer care system and overcome barriers to quality care. This paper will present a conceptual model to evaluate cost-effectiveness of cancer patient navigation-programs, discuss challenges, and the best approach to address the challenges. Evaluating the economic impact of patient navigation has a wide array of activities that involves different settings while it suffers from inadequate of information. Different cost elements differ in the study perspective. Different researchers present interventions to determine the relevant cost measures that assess the economic value of patient navigation. The history of the patient navigation programs attributes to Harold Freeman the chair of American Cancer Society that commissioned the study of barrier to cancer among the poor in America. The success of the pioneer program and recognition of significant barriers to cancer diagnosis continue to exist among the minority and the underserved populations. Currently, many patient navigation programs work to reduce barriers to care at all levels. The growing popularity and publication of promising observational studies fail to evaluate the efficacy of navigator programs. Researchers are yet to establish the cost-effectiveness and the impact of navigation programs on cancer-related morbidity and survival. The patient navigator programs can be time and resource intensive. Similar to other interventions may improve the health of poor and underserved populations. One should view the navigation programs in the context of allocating resources to maximize health outcomes on limited budgets. It is important to

Inventory Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Inventory Management - Assignment Example The materials requirement planning of the company is already implemented yet the results showed that it is not effective. The main cause of such ineffectiveness is the inaccurate information that is entered into the MRP. It is important for Andrea to consolidate and coordinate with other departments of the company in order to control not only what item is purchased and in what quantity but also the timing of its arrival and its intended production consumption. Furthermore, Andrea should consider planning a Just-In-Time (JIT) inventory system for the company. JIT is a means of meeting customer demands with minimum delay. It is referred as the production of goods, assemblies, and subassemblies to meet exactly the customer's demand in terms of time, quality and quantity. JIT goes further than an MRP. It controls not only the right item, in the right quantity, at the right time, but it also brings the SKU to the right place. Under JIT, an item appears exactly when it is needed - not before, not after. (Muller, 2003) The volatile demand may cause inaccurate forecasts, which is one of the main sources of backlogs and markdowns in a market-driven manufacturing environment.

Liturgy Religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Liturgy Religion - Essay Example Reading the verses from the Gospel has been a tradition observed by the churches for centuries, where it is performed while standing at the seats, though the Bible is listened to by the people attending Liturgy while sitting on their seats It has frequently been witnessed that churches follow different religious traditions while delivering sermon during liturgy; sometimes, the priests deliver sermons, called homily, by concentrating upon the verses recited from the Gospel (Chadwick, 1975, p.259) . Similarly, many a times, the priests select the verses from one or more of the sixty two Books of Holy Bible to include in the church service as homily. Although the church ministers and priests had established the church decorum in the aftermath of Paul’s first letter to the church of Corinth (Latourette, 1975, p.196) , yet apostles and saints had not defined one specific rule to be applied related to homily. Consequently, both these traditions are followed by the ministers and prie sts at the churches. ... Consequently, homily in the UK churches contains the parts of Gospel already read by the attendants while standing. The supporters of applying the verses from Gospel in homily are of the opinion that since Eucharist is not complete without Gospel reading, and thus reading the same is compulsory and mandatory, continuation of the identical part of the Holy Scripture would be beneficial in understanding the verses already studied en masse earlier. Secondly, it is actually the Gospel, which could be stated to be narrating the sacred life of Jesus Christ, which the Old and New Testaments are unable to give account of. Moreover, being the sum of the message of the Christian Faith, according to Damascene, and especially the good news that Christ has saved mankind from the eternal consequences of sin, that He has overcome the central problem of the world—death, both bodily and spiritual—by means of His Incarnation, Death, and Resurrection, all have been described in the four b ooks of Gospel (2009, p.223)5. Since the is no other source more authentic, powerful and accurate than the Gospel, which could provide a detailed account of the life, sayings and journeys attributed to Christ, reading the same is the best possible way of communicating Christ’s holy message to his followers (Littleton, 2001, p.106)6. For instance, the Bible is unable to provide a detailed overview of the Sermon on the Mount, on which the foundation of the basic moral teachings of Christian faith is erected. Hence, the Christians have to consult chapter 5, 6 and 7 from the Gospel of Matthews7 in order to get acquainted with the sacred message the Holy Christ has communicated to entire humanity. Furthermore, it is Gospel that elucidates his noble mission, astounding miracles,

USING EVIDENCE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

USING EVIDENCE - Essay Example Leaving children unsupervised, ignoring their needs, and making them feel unworthy are forms of child abuse as well. Several myths are related to child abuse; for instance, abuse is related to violence, only strangers abuse children, and abuse does not occur in families (Saisan, Smith & Segal, 2012). Therefore, it is important for the staff to learn the symptoms and signs of child abuse, and as a result, making a difference in their lives. Schools are regarded as a second home for children; despite the staff being trained on their profession, training on signs of child abuse is also vital. Members of staff can have positive influence on the children’s lives once they detect signs of abuse at an early stage. This is because child abuse has serious effects on children, which affect their academics and future lives as well, such as, the ability to maintain a healthy relationship and lack of self-worth. This essay will discuss whether staff members are trained appropriately to rec ognize signs of child abuse. Both academic and online sources will be used to produce a literature review, and their outcome will be discussed as well. When child abuse is detected at an early stage, it gives room for recovery and effective treatment for the abused child. According to Children First (2011, p.8), child abuse occurs in different forms; neglect involves depriving a child his/her needs such as clothing, food, shelter, security, health care services and love. Therefore, neglect can be defined as ill-treatment of a child by depriving his/her needs. Signs of neglect include frequent absenteeism from school, stealing or begging for food, lack of clothing and medical care, and lack of personal hygiene (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2007; Cambridgeshire county council N.d, p.5). Secondly, emotional abuse occurs when a child is deprived affection, such as, unresponsive parent who neglects his responsibility to the child and unrealistic

Water Crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Water Crisis - Essay Example o global warming have caused major changes in precipitation globally which has affected the average amount of rainfall in several countries (National Resources Defense Council, 2010). All the above factors are collectively responsible for water constraints across the world. The natural water resources are being constantly depleted due to a combination of several factors such as increased demand, climatic changes and pollution. Rivers and aquifers which are a major source of clean water are being drained constantly. There is increasing withdrawal of water from groundwater, lakes, streams and manmade structures such as dams and water released from other reservoirs. With the annual population growth at 80 million people a year and projection figures indicating an addition of 3 billion people to the world population by the year 2050, the demand for clean and fresh water will see a manifold increase. Reports suggest that a majority of the population growth will occur in developing regions which are already facing water shortage. In addition, advances in science and technology have increased the use of renewable energy resources worldwide. There has been a huge increase in the generation of electricity from hydroelectric power. Other new innovations such as generation of nuclear energy and use fossil fuels for energy purposes have also affected water quantity and quality (The United Nations World Water Report, n.d). Apart from energy production water is also being used for agriculture which utilizes nearly 70% of freshwater withdrawals. The increase in world population has raised the demand for food. Subsequent rise in agricultural practices are using copious quantities of freshwater for growing crops and maintaining plants and trees (The United Nations World Water Report, n.d). Another reason which has posed serious constraints on water supply is the changes observed by scientists in the precipitation rates. This is likely to have a major negative impact on the amount

Homelessness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Homelessness - Essay Example These people include those who live in sub-standard housing or in overcrowded or undesirable conditions, persons who sleep in a public or private place not designed for human sleeping, those who reside in a homeless shelter, a domestic violence centre. Causes of homelessness vary from but generally include high unemployment rates, family violence, closure of large mental facilities, weak family ties, political instability, rising housing costs, poverty, drug abuse, natural calamities, and the cancellation of government-supported housing programs (Hargrave Web). In any given night in America, about 750,000 men, women, and children are homeless. Single men who are homeless amount to 44 percent, single women 13 percent, families with children 36 percent, and unaccompanied minors seven percent. In totality, about 50 percent African-American, 35 percent white, 12 percent Hispanic, 2 percent Native American and 1 percent Asian are homeless (Chicago Alliance Web). The big question remains t o be how we can remove the homeless from the streets in a reasonable manner. I strongly support that we can remove the homelessness from the American streets by offering financial, material, or informal jobs. Probable solutions are on trial regarding the issue of homelessness and there is a belief that this is possible. Indeed, Homeless International  supports slum dwellers to improve their lives and find lasting solutions to urban poverty and homelessness (Homeless International Web). Additionally, The Housing First strategy from a Harlem-based group proposes a solution to the homelessness menace by providing financial support. Moreover, the Project Downtown in Miami offers significant moral and material support to the homeless hence promoting their probable exit from the streets (Project Downtown Web). In fact, Atlantas Mr. Sibley argues that once a person has a decent place to live, then he can precede his life from there. In addition, The Everyone Deserves a Roof nonprofit

An analysis of an ad campaign of your choice Essay

An analysis of an ad campaign of your choice - Essay Example Just like every other seller in the market, jewelers also rely on Christmas to make huge sales. They have achieved this by giving out some of the best Christmas campaign advertisements to persuade people to invest in Jewells specifically their jewels. This paper is going to do a comparison of two globally renowned reputable jewelers Christmas advertisements. The jewelers are Cartier and tiffany and co. and their Christmas advertisements which appeared across a range of platforms that is on TV, online on YouTube and billboards. In addition, this paper is going to analyze tiffany and co and Cartier with the consumer buying process. The consumer buying process can be defined as the process the consumer goes through before deciding on what product to buy. This process is a very crucial process in that it determines whether a consumer is going to buy ones products or another brand. It includes five known stages which are product recognition, information search by consumer, evaluation of a lternatives, purchase decision and post purchase behavior. Tiffany and co and Cartier both have a campaign adverts which means a series of adverts with the same target. They both recognize the consumer buying process in their adverts in that in tiffany and co. Christmas advert the name of the brand is first shown to tell the customer what products is being advertised and even at the end the name is put on the screen solely which is product recognition (Pride & Ferrell, 2006, 235). The same applies to Cartier whose name is printed in all the products shown on the advert as small inscriptions on the jewel boxes. The end of the advert is also dedicated to the brand name solely on the screen thus both companies have produced product recognition in their adverts. Color has been utilized by the two reputable jewelers as their main form of communication as the colors are synonymous with these brands. This showcases the jeweler’s knowledge on the

Hominoids Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hominoids - Essay Example Another classification involves two tribes, Panini and Homini. Both Pan and Gorilla genera are divisions in the Panini tribe, while Homini tribe includes Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens, better known as human beings belong to the Hominidae family and the Homo genus. Hylobates, Pongo pygmaecus, Pan paniscus, Pan troglodytes, Gorilla gorilla and Homo sapiens are the six different species of Homonoids. Chimpanzees belong to the Pan genus. They spend a considerable amount of time on the ground and inhabit in large complex social groupings. They are specially adapted for knuckle walking. They also indulge in hunting as a group, sharing of food and tool making. They resemble our ancestors in anatomy as well as social behavior and are considered to be our closest living cousins. Orangutans belong to the Pongo genus. They are generalized climbers and are most isolated among the primates. Gorillas are the largest among primates. The male gorilla is larger and stronger than its female counterpart. The male gorilla has exclusive relationships with a group of females and keeps away male rivals from this group. The Old World species exhibit sexual dimorphism as a result of polygynous mating system. Hence, the males are bigger and stronger than the females to attract and sustain the pressure of defending multiple mates.

Qualitative and Quantative Research Method Essay Example for Free

Qualitative and Quantative Research Method Essay Globalisation in business is a historical process, the term â€Å"Globalisation† begun to use more commonly in 1980s, which happened due to of innovations and the research which has been done from a long time on improving the communication and technology. Just because of the fastest communication today more or less every business is dealing their customers using technology and having the communication with them using modern devices. Here in my assignment i will discuss about the globalization and what are the reason for the growth of globalization?. I will also discuss about the process of globalization and its effect in the market.In my case study i will take the Siemens AG company. Siemens AG is a global electrical and electronics business with a turnover of  £53 billion. The business employs over 450,000 people. Siemens is multi-national. It operates across 190 separate nation states. Executives in Germany and across the world must make decisions in the best interests of Siemens shareholders. Most multinationals have many capabilities. They must make decisions about where their separate activities should be. For Siemens it is not efficient to design and manufacture all products in all countries. It is more efficient to concentrate manufacturing to keep economies of scale through specialization. Products can be shipped anywhere within the group. Globalisation: According to modelski et al,(2007) â€Å"globalization† as (the process of) â€Å"emergence of institution of planetary scope† As readied by Isard (2005) in globalization and international financial system. Imagine the world twenty years ago when there were no personal computers, no laptops, no mobile phones the communication was very slow and because of not having the internet facility there was a limited communication not for the people within the country but internationally as well, as we do emails today which takes only few seconds to reach the recipient there was no concept like that and the messages sending and receiving was dependent on days and weeks, this all is changed now just because of globalisation. According to J.Ali (2000) â€Å"Firms across the world have recognized that globalization is a reality that creates unlimited opportunities while intensifying competitors and threats† Globalisation is the integration between the markets, nations, states and technologies it is the way which enables the individuals, corporations, organisations, nations and states to reach the world easier, cheaper, faster and safer than ever before, it affects everyone like the internet has enabled everyone to connect to each other at any time and to learn the aspects of any culture in the world, now the trade is much easier and is diversified, the ideas are being shared among all people of earth the cultures are being refined the globalisation is conquering markets and capturing hearts. There are a lots of organisations which are selling their products throughout the whole world the picture of international trade has been totally changed. Reasons for the growth of globalisation: As the communication barriers have been removed the need of international trade exposed, the company’s thought to expand their businesses for these reasons the globalisation has got the rapid growth. Growth of regional economic or trading blocs such as EU, NAFTA (north American free trade agreement) APEC(Asia pacific economic cooperation forum) has contributed in making the globalisation happen and to promote the trade between the counties the allowance of free trade between the members of the blocs countries, this helps the countries to grow together and that is the way of making the economy of different countries better and stronger. By this the countries are included in the same blocs or the member countries help each other country people to maintain their economic stability as well. The development of transport links and networks capable of moving goods, quickly and relatively cheap is also one of the main reasons behind the growth of globalisation, the shipping transportation has improved very much and the product are being shifted to one another countries in bulky amount. The advancement in technology and communication made the possibility of transferring the financial capitals due to which people were attracted to do businesses in other countries as well, the production cost is not same for any product all over the world so many businesses wanted to install their production plants in those countries which are more cheaper which tends the global market again to rise. Other then these every business wants their customers to be satisfied by their product for that purpose the feedback is necessary the feedback is being received by the companies by having the online feedback forms where the suggestions and recommendations are been given by the consumers for the product. The companies are providing the assistance services to their customers by giving them an option to call the assistance team at any time the services are provided through internet or phones, live chat, live calls and live video conferencing. Process of Globalisation and Effects To explain the effects of globalisation and the process we are adding a case study of a multinational company that how the company is handling the issues regarding the customers worldwide. A Siemens case study: Meeting global and local needs A Siemens case study: Meeting global and local needs by times100 As readed by Gills,bThompson (2006) globalization and global history: Multinational companies are the agents of globalisation the access of product from all over the world is a very good gift given by the internet to the companies who wants to have more potential customers. Globalisation has linked the first world countries to the third ones most of the manufacturing setups are in third world countries and this made a very beneficial impact on both as the first world countries are enjoying the cost minimisation by having cheap labour and low production costs and the third world countries are having the employments and jobs by having the plants in their countries on the other side mostly the service sector is being served by the first world countries. As explained by collier, dollar and lank in globalization and environment (2002): Keeping in view that what the customers actually need is the main aim of Siemens for this there is expertise working with Siemens form 150 years which makes the company to stand where it is today. The company has channels in about one hundred and ninety countries and the diversification of different cultures and different languages with different people is being keenly handled by the managers of organisation. As readed on Turchin,p (2003) why states rise and falls: However due to of easy trading throughout the world the outsourcing is happening that puts the positive impact on Siemens as they are producing electronic products so most businesses are using Siemens product because of the reliability and the company is also producing the power distribution and transmission equipments which are very popular with them the power generators are also being produced. The trade barriers has been removed by the governments and people are able to move from one to another country and can easily take their money with them to open business in other countries, Siemens has expanded their business in many countries and are running their businesses in 190 countries which is because of the innovative approach of organisation. Huge amount is spending upon the research and development sector to improve the company’s abilities to serve as good as they can. Technology is improving day by day new inventions are coming up, Siemens is also contributing in the technological sector as well by producing product related to latest technology. In the field of automation and control Siemens is one of the finest service providers for the industrial solution and services as the world has been globalised and innovation is very important for the survival of any company, Siemens has got a very huge success because of the innovative approach the company has adopted the trend of innovation and inventing more than thirty new inventions a day, the company is assumed second strongest power technologies worldwide. Conclusion: Well globalisation has given lots of benefits for mankind people are having much ease to get knowledge and having more opportunities, have the access to explore the whole world but there are few problems which globalisation has created but these can also be removed by using the globalisation itself. Any how the world has become a global village now the trade, communication and transportation is getting easier as the new innovations are being made by the information technology. Information technology played a very important and vital role in making the world as it is today, there are companies which products are so popular that everyone is known to them like the name which is most prominent in making the products related to electronics is â€Å"Sony†. This is company which sell their product to the whole world. The market for a product is now very vast because of globalisation, the products are being delivered to the consumers no matter where they are, marketing is done to the whole world and it is just possible because of the fastest communication and the credit is again going to technology. References: Modelski,Devezas and Thompson. (2007) globalization as evolutionary process modeling global change, Rutledge, USA and Canada ISARD(2005) globalization and international financial system: what’s wrong and what can be done, Cambridge university press,USA Gills,b. and w.r Thompson(eds.)(2006) globalization and global history.london:routledge. J.Ali globalization of business: practice and theory, International business press, NY Collier, dollar and lank.(2002) globalization, growth and poverty, oxford university press, Washington 2002. Turchin,p.(2003) historical dynamics: why states rise and falls,Princeton,NJ:Princeton university press. http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/siemens/meeting-global-and-local-needs/globalisation

Effect of Enlightenment on Punishment

Effect of Enlightenment on Punishment Punishment is a concept which is open to many definitions in a sense that, when looking at crime and punishment, the definition depends purely on the place, culture and beliefs that an individual associates themselves with. When we look at crime and punishment in particular, the meaning behind punishment differs due to it being a concept that can be defined in many different ways, for instance, a â€Å"the legal process whereby violators of criminal law are condemned and sanctioned in accordance with specified legal categories and procedures† (Garland, 1990, p. 17) or in a more general sense â€Å"the act of inflicting a consequence or penalty on someone as a result of their wrong doing, or the consequence or penalty itself† (Your Dictionary, 2015). Throughout history we have seen a drastic change in not only the way that a criminal receives punishment, but also the environment in which the individual is placed, shifting from the general public humiliation and intense p hysical punishment to punishment of one’s personal ability to think and reason in a private sphere. Furthermore, this paper is going to look further at the movement of intense punishment of the body in the public eye to seeing how punishment has lessened over time by punishing the mind in a private environment, also critically analysing what it is that we consider to be ‘punishment’ today. Throughout the early eighteenth century, offenders were prone to incapacitation devices and corporal punishment such as stocks, the pillory, flogging, stretching, etc. which were located in a public space in an attempt to humiliate or deride the offender hoping to prevent future offending or re-offending (Miethe Lu, 2005). In saying that, these systems did not only apply to those criminals who went against societal norms but they also applied to individuals or groups of people who did not follow the law properly in terms of religion. Classen (2012), mentioned that throughout the Middle Ages, it was known as the period that was filled with law-breaking criminals, violence, blood feuds, anarchy, vengeance and also exposing the people to groups of criminals such as gangs and murderers. In saying that, due to the shortage of surveillance and technology in this period of time, this meant that innocent people were more likely to be punished if there were no eye witnesses present at the ti me of the â€Å"crime†. Knowing that there was a lack of surveillance and technology meant that an innocent individual were more likely to be punished for a crime that they did not commit. Furthermore, when looking at the huge impact that violence had on this time period and combining it with the understanding that the law was not systematized, this could have welcomed not only the opportunity to use public corporal punishment in assorted ways but also punish an individual tyrannically no matter how severe the crime is (White, Haines, Asquith, 2012). As we begun to approach the eighteenth century, we not only saw the rise into the Enlightenment era, but we also begun see some movement in terms of punishment where it focussed on independence, reason and logic over tradition. Not to mention, that this was the time period in which we saw the arrival of Classical Criminology, which then gave the view that criminals were considered to be rational thinkers who committed an offence of their own accord. However, the main key here is that this idea saw punishment as being prompt and corresponding to the offence that was committed. Classical theorists created a starting point in terms of authority systems which contradicts tyrannical punishment by offering other ways in which they can punish an offender through non-violent means. One major example of this would be from that of Michel Foucault, who further developed Jeremy Bentham’s concept of the Panoptican. The make of the panoptican is seen as a circular structure which contains a surveillance tower which contains prison cells around it. In saying that, the main reason behind this panoptican was to try and prevent the occurrence of bad behaviour by presenting prisoners with the delusion that they are put under surveillance watch 24/7. Even though the inmate knows that they are constantly being watched, they still do not know when it is exactly that the guards are watching them. This ends up leading to why this model was created, to increase good behaviour (Foucault, 1977). In addition, it is evident that a plan set up to shift public corporal punishment to the mind and the private sphere through using Bentham’s notion of the panoptican model as one of the many alternatives, although, this then meant that inmates freedom was taken from them by punishing offenders through the introduction to prison. That being said, the delusion that inmates are being watched constantly could possibly considered to be a move toward the punishment of the mind in a way th at the prisoner knows that they are on watch 24/7, perhaps resulting in mental health issues, an example of this is paranoia. Furthermore, notions that were put forward throughout the Enlightenment era have been developed and are the reason as to why there is a huge emphasis on alternative punishment instead of corporal today’s society. Throughout the Enlightenment era, the work that was proposed by many theorists has had a huge impact on punishment that is seen in more modern societies. When looking back to the traditional way in terms of punishment and how much of an emphasis there was on the punishment of the body in the public eye and comparing it to the alternative ideas of punishment that had appeared throughout the Enlightenment period, this has introduced brand new and more effective notions which transform from punishments of the body to the punishment of the mind. In addition, this is evident in today’s societies with the increase in the number of offenders who are being sentenced to prison, illustrating the shift where instead of forcing pain on the body, it is instead inflicted on the mind through not only restricting an inmate’s rights and independence but also restricting them from coming into contact with the public. This idea is visible in combination with other forms of punishment that are exercised inside and outside of the prison. One of the many alternative ideas that are exercised in the prison is that of solitary confinement which is also known as an individual who is prohibited from coming in to contact with anyone outside apart from prison staff where one may be prone to conditions where they are sent to windowless or close-confined rooms. In addition, exercising this practice by depriving an inmate of contact with the outside world can potentially create mental health issues for this individual such as emotional damage, a breakdown in terms of language development and in a more severe case, it could possibly make an inmate hallucinate or become deluded. Solitary confinement is one of many practices which show that the change from the public corporal punishment to the mind in the private sphere is evident in contemporary societies. One can argue that the movement from public corporal punishment to an individual’s mental thinking in a private space has not changed and this can be seen in many modern societies where there are many faults in the system of punishment. Though the system is encouraged to punish an offender in a non-violent way, there are a lot of defects present in today’s society that negate the idea of punishment of one’s mind in a private location. This can be seen in the way in which the environment that an offender is sentenced to. In addition, whilst an offender is sent to prison, it may not be seen as â€Å"non-violent†, however, the conditions inside that environment may be the exact opposite. An example of this can be seen in movies like Shawshank Redemption, when the offender (Andy Dufresne) became exposed to violence and many other horrific acts, not to mention that he also became a target for other prisoners which, he then had no choice but to defend himself in order to survive. This goes to show that the environment in which an individual is exposed to in the prison, can force those who are non-violent to turn to violence in an attempt to defend oneself from the chance of being attacked. Therefore transforming a non-violent offender into a violent one (Gilligan, 2001). Moreover, in terms of what has been said, the real question that we must ask ourselves is what is actually counted as punishment? Is it the sentence that has been given or is it also the conditions that one receives inside the prison? Another defect that is seen in terms of the shift from punishment of the body to the mind is shown where, although capital punishment is known as pain forced on to the body through violent means, there is another way in which punishment may not be necessarily considered to be corporal but it is, it is just that the way in which they are dealt with are done through non-violent means. One example can be seen where an offender is designated a hard labour job (as seen in the 1800’s and still present today) for example, the treadwheel, building roads and stone breaking where although it may not be seen as physical pain inflicted to the body, as time goes on, it will show as the inmate gets older and their body slowly starts to break down (Scarre, 2003). A second example is seen where prisoners are also deprived of the necessities in life such as a clean environments and good nutrition. Although, this may not be seen as direct pain to the body, it does affect the individual in a way that eating choices and food preferences and food intake are limited whilst in prison. Not only does this limit the prisoner of the health and nutrition that is required to help them make it through the day but also it could expose the prisoner to problems in terms of the kitchen staff such as the concern of cooking standards, hygiene and illnesses. As mentioned by Smith (2002), majority of women that she had interviewed in prison were concerned about the effects that the food would have on them such as weight loss and gain, diarrhoea, vomiting and constipation. Again, this may not be considered as corporal punishment, but it still punishes the body in terms of health. Furthermore, we again have to question whether the sentence is the punishment or is it also the conditions that come with it. It can also be argued that there has not been a complete shift in terms of the punishment in the eye of the public to the private sphere. When looking at the history of punishment and comparing it to contemporary society, punishment is nowhere near is public as it used to be. However, punishment is still visible to the public. An example of this is seen in community service workers where they â€Å"serve their sentence in the community rather than in the prison† (Department of Corrections, 2015). This means that an individual is exposed to the community, knowing that the public know that they are on probation and they are not doing it voluntarily. This is seen in New Zealand where community service workers are put in front of public places. It is easy to distinguish community service workers from your average worker as they usually work in groups doing hard labour jobs but the main thing that gives it away is the clothing, usually you will notice that there is a strip on the b ack of their clothing mentioning â€Å"community service†. Another flaw that contradicts the idea that punishment has moved from bodily punishments in front of the public eye to the private sphere is seen within the court system. What is meant by that is, the courts are the main place in which sentences are usually given to criminals and also a location where the community are welcome to observe the sentence that is being given to a criminal. Moreover, this is the case in New Zealand where the public are able to, in a sense, contribute insofar by observing the punishment that is handed to an offender, bearing in mind that there are some cases in which the public are unable to view (Courts of New Zealand, 2015). In saying that, this just goes to show that in terms of punishment, although it may not physical, public humiliation is still present in modern societies but to an extent when comparing it to the eighteenth century. Social media and the media in general allows for punishment to become visible by allowing the public to gain access to it by using several mediums such as the radio, the internet through live streaming or looking at online news articles, television programmes, such as the crime investigation channel or by simply watching the news. Not only does this illustrate that punishment is accessible to members of the public but it also allows them to become more knowledgeable by being exposed to crime and punishment through what is used by individuals daily. Although the public may not observe the punishment that is given to an offender, they are given the opportunity to get up to date through news reports, articles or even if they are lucky, through a photo which is then taken of the individual receiving the sentence. In addition, we must keep in mind that reporters look in particular for crimes that are more gruesome or crimes that they know would be of public interest so they are more like ly to exaggerate the crimes to get more of a following from the public (Bradley Walters, 2011). Furthermore, these examples show that punishment in the public eye is still present in today’s society but not as bad as it was in the past. However, when looking at this example in particular, it shows the power that reporters have over people not only in terms of making punishment and crime visible to the public but also the way in which they can distort the crimes knowing that they will keep the public interested. In conclusion, this essay has shown how the enlightenment era has had a major impact on the practices that are seen in terms of punishment today. In addition, it has also looked at how punishment has altered over time and periods where the intensity of punishment has lessened by shifting from the traditional corporal punishment and public humiliation to a more modern shift of punishment of the mind and in the private sphere looking more at taking away an offenders rights and freedom. However, even though the shift of bodily punishments in front of a general public setting to the punishment of an individual’s mind in more of a private location is present in modern societies, it is still seen in some cases that this may not be true as mentioned in the examples given above. The question that still stands in my essay is in today’s society, has there really been a shift from public capital punishment to private punishment of the mind. Bibliography Bradley, T., Walters, R. (2011). Introduction to criminological thought. Auckland: Pearson. Classen, A. (2012). Crime and Violence in the Middle Ages: The Cases of Heinrich der Glicheares Reinhard Fuchs and Wernher der Gartaneres Helmbricht. In A. Classen, C. Scarborough (Eds.), Crime and Punishment in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Age (pp. 131-158). Berlin, Germany: Walter de Gruyter. Courts of New Zealand. (2015, April 03). The Role of the Courts. Retrieved from Courts of New Zealand: https://www.courtsofnz.govt.nz/about/system/role/overview Department of Corrections. (2015, April 02). In the Community. Retrieved from Department of Corrections: http://www.corrections.govt.nz/working_with_offenders/community_sentences.html Foucault, M. (1977). Discipline and Punish: The Birth of Prison. (A. Sheridan, Trans.) London: Penguin. Garland, D. (1990). Punishment and Modern Society. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. Gilligan, J. (2001). Preventing Violence. London: James Hudson, Ltd. Miethe, T., Lu, H. (2005). Punishment: A comparative Historical Perspective. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Scarre, G. (2003). Corporal Punishment. Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, 6(3), 295-316. Smith, C. (2002). Punishment and Pleasure: Women, Food and the Imprisoned 1. The Sociological Review, 50(2), 197-214. White, R., Haines, F., Asquith, N. (2012). Classical Theory. In R. White, F. Haines, N. Asquith , Crime Criminology (pp. 23-41). Sydney: Oxford University Press. Your Dictionary. (2015, April 02). Punishment. Retrieved from Your Dictionary: http://www.yourdictionary.com/punishment

Childhood Obesity: A Public Health Issue Essay -- Obesity Epidemic

Obesity rates in the United States are alarming, with more than one-third of U.S. adults and 17% of children qualifying as obese with a Body Mass Index greater than 30.0 (Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 2015). Even more frightening is the growth rate of this crippling health epidemic; between 1980 and 2014, obesity has doubled for adults and tripled for children (CDC, 2015). The physical consequences of rising obesity rates in our country include an abundance of physical ailments including type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, sleep apnea, arthritis, elevated cholesterol, and even some cancers. Additionally, obesity-related health care costs to our country are estimated at $147 billion annually, plus the costs of productivity lost at work and in the community (CDC, 2015). With 300,000 annual deaths attributable to obesity, it remains one of the leading causes of premature death in America (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (USDHHS), n.d.). While obesity is pervasive th roughout all socioeconomic and cultural groups, there are certainly social factors contributing to this state of health. Non-Hispanic blacks have the highest rates of obesity, followed by Hispanics and then whites (CDC, 2015). Additionally, links between obesity and poverty have also been suggested (Bellafante, 2013). Though this is a national crisis, the disparities in affliction between different socioeconomic and ethnic groups demonstrate the strong influence of social determinants of health and the need for upstream interventions to combat this growing disease, particularly in vulnerable children. The threat seems overwhelming to the youth facing the hurdles of poor nutrition and inactivity compounded by society’s failure to protect them, and wi... ...ies in their school lunches, lawmakers say. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from: http://articles.latimes.com/2012/oct/11/nation/la-na-nn-congress-school-lunch-20121011 Stanhope, M., Lancaster, J. (2012). Public Health Nursing: Population-Centered Health Care in the Community. Elsevier: Maryland Heights, MO. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (USDHH). (nd). Office of the Surgeon General. Overweight and Obesity: Health Consequences. Retrieved from: http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/calls/obesity/fact_consequences.html ‘We Are Hungry:’ Students protest lunch guidelines in YouTube video. (2012, September 26) FoxNews.com. Retrieved from: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/09/26/high-school-students-parody-new-school-lunch-guidelines-in-youtube-video/ We Are Hungry. 17 September, 2012. YouTube. Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IB7NDUSBOo Childhood Obesity: A Public Health Issue Essay -- Obesity Epidemic Obesity rates in the United States are alarming, with more than one-third of U.S. adults and 17% of children qualifying as obese with a Body Mass Index greater than 30.0 (Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 2015). Even more frightening is the growth rate of this crippling health epidemic; between 1980 and 2014, obesity has doubled for adults and tripled for children (CDC, 2015). The physical consequences of rising obesity rates in our country include an abundance of physical ailments including type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, sleep apnea, arthritis, elevated cholesterol, and even some cancers. Additionally, obesity-related health care costs to our country are estimated at $147 billion annually, plus the costs of productivity lost at work and in the community (CDC, 2015). With 300,000 annual deaths attributable to obesity, it remains one of the leading causes of premature death in America (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (USDHHS), n.d.). While obesity is pervasive th roughout all socioeconomic and cultural groups, there are certainly social factors contributing to this state of health. Non-Hispanic blacks have the highest rates of obesity, followed by Hispanics and then whites (CDC, 2015). Additionally, links between obesity and poverty have also been suggested (Bellafante, 2013). Though this is a national crisis, the disparities in affliction between different socioeconomic and ethnic groups demonstrate the strong influence of social determinants of health and the need for upstream interventions to combat this growing disease, particularly in vulnerable children. The threat seems overwhelming to the youth facing the hurdles of poor nutrition and inactivity compounded by society’s failure to protect them, and wi... ...ies in their school lunches, lawmakers say. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from: http://articles.latimes.com/2012/oct/11/nation/la-na-nn-congress-school-lunch-20121011 Stanhope, M., Lancaster, J. (2012). Public Health Nursing: Population-Centered Health Care in the Community. Elsevier: Maryland Heights, MO. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (USDHH). (nd). Office of the Surgeon General. Overweight and Obesity: Health Consequences. Retrieved from: http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/calls/obesity/fact_consequences.html ‘We Are Hungry:’ Students protest lunch guidelines in YouTube video. (2012, September 26) FoxNews.com. Retrieved from: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/09/26/high-school-students-parody-new-school-lunch-guidelines-in-youtube-video/ We Are Hungry. 17 September, 2012. YouTube. Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IB7NDUSBOo

Why Gas Prices Are Rising Essay -- essays research papers

Gas prices rising OR EVEN ABOUT SQUEEZING a few more miles out of each precious tankful. But among the special-edition Ferraris, bizarre Cadillac studies and a whole new crop of gas-guzzling SUVs, not all that many people were talking about cheaper and cleaner ways of getting around. The section of the show dedicated to ‘New Energies’ was a tiny corner on the second floor of Hall 2, behind the stands of the insurance companies. There were exactly two exhibits. The lull is deceiving. Never have so many automakers put as much money and effort into building a greener car. Not entirely without some prodding, mind you. Facing clean-fleet laws in the U.S. and â€Å"voluntary† restrictions in Europe, the industry is committing to cut emissions of its gasoline and diesel-powered cars. Gridlocked Italian cities like Rome and Milan may ban conventional cars altogether from their historic centers. In Tokyo, putting 30,000 natural-gas-powered taxis in the streets has already helped clean up the air. But most of all, carmakers have been whipped into action by California’s Zero Emissions Mandate that requires ten percent of all cars sold in the state to be pollution-free by 2003. Mention green cars, and most people think of some battery-powered buggy that the average driver wouldn’t be caught dead in. Electric cars have been around for decades and never caught on. Their problem: batteries aren’t very powerful, so the car’s speed, range and weight remain strictly limited. The typical result is Ford’s new TH!NK, already on the market in Scandinavia and about to hit a few dozen American dealers as well. The TH!NK is a tiny two-seater with a grubby-looking plastic shell that can go about 50 miles between recharges, at a top speed of 50 mph. A full charge takes eight hours, but costs only 50 cents. With a sticker price of $15,000, the car will win a small market niche at best. If you’re not willing to put up with the performance of a glorified golf cart, there are always standard cars powered by alternative fuels like propane, ethanol or liquified natural gas. Also around for decades, these cars have actually begun to catch on. There are 4 million cars in the world today running on a propane/butane mix, including 1.2 million in Italy alone. Many gas stations offer this cleaner fuel as well, so chances are you don’t have to drive very far for a fillup. GM’s U.K.-based Vauxh... ...drogen in favor of methanol, which is simpler to transport and releases hydrogen fairly easily. Trouble is, methanol leaves toxic byproducts that need to be disposed. BMW uses a different technology, burning hydrogen in a conventional combustion engine. Clean steam comes out of the exhaust pipe. As with any other technology, there’s a fierce battle for the standards that will define our hydrogen fuel-cell future.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  So while hydrogen may be what DaimlerChrysler CEO Juergen Schrempp calls â€Å"the great big alternative,† it’ll be a while yet before this technology is mature enough to replace gasoline-powered cars on a grand scale. The first models will roll out in a few years, but they’ll be expensive and hard to find a filling station for. But industry analysts predict that by 2010, the market will be ready; another ten years, and half the cars sold in the world could run on hydrogen. â€Å"Everyone is buying a ticket to the lottery because we all know that whoever wins will win big time,† says Paul Everitt, chief economist at the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. If he’s right, greener cars will start to be a much hotter category at the auto show.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Essays -- Literature, Douglas Ada

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy As the human race makes life-changing discoveries, it is made apparent that there is always more to learn as the universe, instead of becoming familiar, is becoming absurd. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, written by Douglas Adams, as well as the 2005 film adaption, portrays absurdity to be an all-encompassing system in the universe. Through the introduction and attempt to understand lack of reason, the narration of important elements and the human perception of the universe, the novel is as a whole, more complete than the film. With these points it is irrefutable that The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy develops the theme of absurdity with greater prowess than the film, resulting in a deeper understanding of absurdity, with an outlook the reader can connect to. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy introduces absurdity in a more compelling way than the film. The Infinite Improbability Drive "passes through every point in the Universe," (Adams 80). After being thrown out of an airlock, Arthur and Ford are rescued by the Drive with the â€Å"chance of rescue being 22079460347 to one against,† (Adams 67). Being rescued despite an astronomical improbability allows the novel to empower the theme of absurdity in a noteworthy way. The prominent focus the novel has on absurdity vastly differs from the minimal effort made in the film to evidently develop a source of absurdity in the universe, damaging The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Furthermore, the novel’s depiction of the search for reason among the predominant lack of reason adds a very important human element to the understanding of absurdity. While undergoing the effects of the Drive â€Å"A million-gallon vat of custard upended itself over ... ... of this ideology in a way the reader can connect to. Through the foundation and attempt to understand the lack of reason, clear narration of important text and a human perception of absurdity, the novel prominently transcends the absurdity presented in the film. Absurdity is conveyed to be a school of thought, wherein humans attempt to answer and quantify the grandest questions of the universe, but ultimately come to a conclusion that the greatest answers are beyond us. As George Bernard Shaw said, â€Å"The more you learn, the more you know. The more you know, the more you forget. The more you forget, the less you know. So why bother to learn?† Works Cited Adams, Douglas. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. London: Pan Macmillan Adult, 2002. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Dir. Garth Jennings. With Martin Freeman, Mos Def. Touchstone Pictures, 2005.

Exegesis: Jonah Essay

Jonah and the whale is a very popular children’s story, the classic Sunday school lesson. However, many children grow up with the idea and picture of Geppetto and Pinocchio being swallowing by the whale and sneezed out back onto shore. Though we may not want to tell our children every gruesome detail about Jonah, we can at least get the wording correct and say Jonah and the big or great fish, since there is no evidence that it was a whale in particular. Even though the story of Jonah has caused many scholarly arguments about the genre and the type of narrative it is, whether it allegorical, a fable, or a parable, in the prophet Jonah’s story there are many lessons to be learned about God.1 In Jonah 1:11-17, we find God brings good and punishment from our weaknesses and disobedience. In this paper there are several areas that will be explored. First, a content analysis of Jonah 1:11-17, then a brief history about Nineveh and Jonah’s decision, who the main characters are, Jonah’s rebellion and the good brought out of that, and finishing off with a practical application. Content Analysis In the New International Version, Jonah 1:11-17 reads, â€Å"11The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, â€Å"What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?† 12 â€Å"Pick me up and throw me into the sea,† he replied, â€Å"and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.† 13 Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. 14 Then they cried out to the Lord, â€Å"Please, Lord, do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, Lord, have done as you pleased.† 15 Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. 16 At this the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him. 17 Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.† In verse 11, the subject of the sailors thinking has turned from them to Jonah and what he has done to cause such a thing and how he can fix it.2 Since they know Jonah is a Hebrew and follows the Hebrew God, they have come to realize and fear his God. Since they asked what they needed to do with him in verse 11, Jonah’s response to them in verse 12 is not pleasing to them. If Jonah would die from being thrown over board then the blood of his life is on their hands and on their time. So in verse 13, the sailors exhaust their last option of trying their best to row back to shore. Earlier they were throwing the cargo overboard to lighten the ship, which considering what the Tarshish ships were famous for transporting, luxury items (see section: Nineveh and Jonah’s Decision, below) the cargo they discarded may have been of a valuable loss. The sea growing even wilder is an example of chaos and God’s willingness to upset the order of nature and his creation to draw humans closer to him and awareness of his existence. By verse 14, the sailors are crying out to God and asking for the blood of Jonah to not be held against them because they did not know what he had done. If they were to throw an innocent man overboard the blood of innocence would be worse than facing the storm they were in. After they pleaded to the God they now know is the true God, they throw Jonah over board and the sea grew calm and the sailors were able to continue on their way. In 16, the fact that the sea grew calm just as Jonah said it would after they threw him overboard made them fear God. They made a sacrifice, which would have been an animal sacrifice offered for the one they fear as act of worship and obedience. Fear in this case denotes an attitude or reverence and honor towards the Lord.3 In verse 17, having a fish arranged to swallow Jonah can be seen as something of a punishment or a lifesaver. After the last couple events, it is easy to say the fish is both punishment and a lifesaver. Punishment for running the opposite direction and the fact that God could have allowed something a little less severe to save him. Also, the fish was Jonah’s earthly lifesaver because sharks, sea urchins, or other things could have led to Jonah’s death from being cast into the sea. Nineveh and Jonah’s Decision Nineveh was a very important city in the Assyrian empire on the brink of destruction.4 It was not until 705 that the city was officially called the capitol of Assyria.5 It is often noted at the â€Å"great city.† It is often argued what the word, great, means in this context. The Greeks saw Nineveh as a wealthy and powerful city.6 Another view of â€Å"great† is that it was a big city with a large population, of about 120,000 with estimations rising all the way up to 600,000. 7 Great in these two senses is about the same, and though it seems to be the correct meaning in this context, it is import to note that it could also mean something else in a different context. Later on in Jonah it means that the city is great even in God’s eyes.8 Even though the Hebrews knew the city as being very evil, it was still a great city to God and mattered just as much. I have heard the actions of Nineveh be equated to the Holocaust. â€Å"The Ninevites followed a pagan path and practiced violence.†9 We find in Nahum chapter three, that Nineveh is described as a bloody city, full of lies and plunder, and many other evils. This city was known to be evil, so Jonah receiving the call to go preach repentance to the people instantly made Jonah mad. There were two things that could happen if Jonah would go, and neither of them were good in his eyes. First, if Jonah were to just prance into Nineveh with the message of repentance against the evil they were practicing the odds weren’t in his favor if the people rejected his message. Surely this call was an inevitable call to Jonah’s demise. He would be captured and tortured by the Ninevites. This scenario doesn’t even seem to be the worst case for Jonah. He is more concerned with the fact that if they do repent from their ways they will no longer have what is coming to them. For all the evil and bloody mess they have been a part of and have caused, they deserve to be harshly judged and punished! Jonah becomes very angry with this call to minister and wishes that he would rather be dead. God answers him in a very brief question about his right to be angry.10 This puts Jonah in check with his emotions and settles the point that it isn’t Jonah who gets to decide or judge the people. The sins of Nineveh were not necessarily against Jonah. Since neither situation of Jonah’s call seemed to fit his idea of fair, he fled the opposite direction of Nineveh. He paid to get on a ship that was on its way to Tarshish, which is generally thought to be a part of Spain.11 First of all fleeing to Tarshish from Israel, and away from Nineveh is interesting because Tarshish isn’t clean like the holy land of Israel, but it isn’t unclean like Nineveh.12 It almost seems like Jonah was trying to hide or just become part of a land that has no good or bad connotations. Second, there is the fact that is often not read into that Jonah was able to pay to get on the ship. Money handlings was a relatively new aspect to their world and only people who were well to do would have been able to afford ship fare.13 So it would make since that Jonah could just up and go to Tarshish, because he had the funds to do so. The boat Jonah paid to board was transporting cargo. Ships of Tarshish were famous for carrying large quantities of expensive metals and luxuries such as gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.14 Knowing this, it is safe to assume that Jonah is moving up in the world. He has money to board, and is now on a ship that is probably transporting some items that could be useful in gaining wealth, however, the text of Jonah repeatedly says that he went â€Å"down.†15 He was fleeing from the Lord, so this action of going down can be considered to have a symbolic meaning of falling or getting further from the Lord. However, just as we see in the very beginning in the Garden of Eden, we find that there is nowhere you can run to hide from the Lord. Main Characters GOD: In any motif, it is helpful to know who the characters are and a little about their history. The first words in the book of Jonah are the words from God. He is a very important person throughout the whole Bible, and in this book, he has many correspondences with Jonah. Throughout the story we see God’s character being reinforced from what one can learn in earlier books of the Bible. God is compassionate, caring for people no matter what they have done, and just goes to show his unpredictability. We see God’s compassion and caring nature through the sending of his prophet to them for a chance to repent before judgment comes. Though our human nature naturally wants bad things and punishment to be bestowed upon the evildoers, God sees this in a different perspective. He wants good things for all his people. JONAH: Jonah is the central character in the book of Jonah. God commands him to preach to Nineveh in the first chapter, and refers to Jonah as the son of Amittai.16 Throughout the Old Testament we see that anyone who is going to be important has a lineage i.e. son of. Though Jonah is only mentioned as son of one man, this is still significant. â€Å"Jonah’s name means ‘dove.’17 Doves have two meanings attached to them. It is a symbol of love and a sign of peace. Not only are they symbols of love and peace, they also carry the connotation of being a messenger bird. We see this in the Noah and the ark narrative when Noah sends out a dove and it returns, acting as a messenger, with an olive branch, acting as a sign of peace because the chaos of flooding the whole earth had ceased. Next, the meaning of Amittai is â€Å"truth.†18 So ‘Jonah son of Amittai’ can be translated into peaceful messenger of truth. Also, this name and son of can be cross-referenced in the Old Testament in 2 Kings during the reign of Jeroboam II, giving us a time frame reference for when this book was written or when these events took place.19 Though God commands Jonah to go to Nineveh, Jonah is never taken into God’s confidence.20 This means Jonah didn’t know what God’s intentions were behind this decree. Was God simply warning the Ninevites about their upcoming judgment day, or was this going to be what made them have a change of heart and accept Jonah’s message? This was left up to Jonah to grapple with, but as we see Jonah heads straight to anger in the fact that God is even considering giving them a chance to repent! SAILORS: The sailors on the ship going to Tarshish, were the first to come into physical contact with Jonah. This contact happened to be during Jonah’s fleeing from the Lord’s command. The sailors were Gentiles and having to deal with Tarshish puts them into the category of not being clean or unclean. They had their own gods and deities to which they prayed and pleaded too when the sea went chaotic. Though they are not particularly doing anything wrong from what they know, they handle themselves very well from the beginning of the story to the end of the story.21 They are just ignorant; yet carry out their duties as best they can.22 They cry out to their gods and cast lots and when they know it is Jonah, the Hebrew, whom they must throw off the ship, they do everything they can to avoid killing a man and having his blood on their hands. NINEVITES: The people of Nineveh is the evil community whom Jonah has been instructed to preach about the day of judgment coming to them and that they must repent or be punished. Nineveh was the capitol of Assyria, which was overthrown not long after their repentance. Jonah’s Rebellion and God’s Grace Jonah 1:11-17 is the after math of Jonah’s rebellion and what his punishment was, for not obeying the first time God commanded him to go to Nineveh. In the first part of Jonah 1, Jonah is called to go, but out of discomfort towards the idea of Nineveh getting off scot free from their offenses he flees the opposite direction. Thinking he can escape from the face of the Lord, God follows wherever he goes and creates chaos to show his anger and disappointment that he disobeyed. Jonah must be thrown overboard to save the sailors and their ship. However, it is because of Jonah’s rebellion that these sailors come to know of the Hebrew God’s power. If it were not for Jonah disobeying, these sailors may never have heard or experienced God in such a powerful way. They turned from their old ways and offered a sacrifice to the Lord and repented to the one true God. Though there is no further evidence, these sailors probably had families, so the rebellion may have led to a d omino effect and impacted their families and friends. Jonah’s missionary commission was not revoked just because of his disobedience.23 God’s resistance to letting Jonah get away with his disobedience act was enough to save Jonah by providing a fish to swallow him up and pretty much put him in timeout so he could think and pray about what he had done and what he will have to do. This fish conveniently spits him up on the shore of Nineveh so his journey there is not as long. Jonah completed what could have been an easy task when he finished his journey through the city of Nineveh. This journey of preaching of the soon upcoming destruction if they don’t repent and turn from their ways. In conclusion of Jonah’s disobedience, the Jonah’s negligence to accept God’s call the first time ended up bringing more good than if he would have just gone the first time. A whole ship crew was won over because of the stormy sea and the calming after throwing Jonah overboard. This ship crew would have told their families and friends which might have led to domino effect. Also, the city of Nineveh was won over by Jonah’s message. Whether it was because during the days of Jonah’s running, God was preparing their hearts to receive the message, or because of Jonah’s awful stench from being in the fish for three days and nights, God brought so much good out of Jonah’s mistake. Conclusion In an overall conclusion, the book of Jonah has some very unique and intriguing aspects about God and his divine plan. There is also no telling who is going to be used in God’s plan or who will accept His grace and forgiveness, so as we research the history of the characters in the Bible narratives we find many diversities. Even though those characters may screw up or deliberately disobey, God can bring good out of it, if we are willing to confess and do the write thing. God makes all things work together for good. He also cares for all of His creation, but He is willing to create some chaos in nature if it means bringing His creation, made in His image, closer to him. Practical Application A young woman, named Welma, was recently married to a man named Harry. All Welma ever wanted to do was to be a stay at home mom and be a loyal, supporting wife so she never went to college. She met Harry at a grocery store one night and one thing led to another. Now that they are married Harry has been feeling a great deal of passion to work in a prison ministry and felt particularly led towards helping men, who had sexually abused or assaulted someone, get over any shame or guilt they may have. Though Welma loves and wants to fully support Harry, she was a victim of sexual abuse and she feels as if Harry is betraying her by wanting to help men who have committed such a crime. She feels as if it is an unforgivable sin and they should have to suffer through the guilt and whatever punishment that comes their way. So though she agreed to be supportive in all Harry does, she can’t bring herself to come along side him and help in any way. Since this is how she feels she avoids the topics at all possible cost. They have only been married three years, and she doesn’t want him to feel like she is abandoning him, even though under the surface that was exactly what she was doing. She was running from the call to help her husband preach the good news of repentance and grace. It is during this time of running that she is forced to face some issues that she has been dealing with since this ministry came back up. While Harry is away at the prisons, she is reading her Bible and meditating on why she feels so hurt by Harry’s insistence on helping such bad people. She spends her time doing this at a local coffee shop and there are a group of young girls, probably in high school who have a class break during the time Welma studies at the coffee shop. Since the girls go in there on a regular basis they often see Welma studying. Two of these girls have been raised in the church, but weren’t living out God’s commands, and the other two girls had no clue what Welma was always intently studying and why should would often just be sitting there with a puzzled look on her face. One morning, while Wilma was just getting through her studies the girls decide to go say hi. Welma is somewhat surprised by this because she recalls wanting nothing to do with people her age when she was in high school. The girls ask her what she is always doing there and why she looked puzzled most of the time. Feeling bold, Welma decided to explain to her situation to the girls, and ask what they might do in that place. The two girls who were not raised in the church immediately said they would leave him. Let him do what he wants, if he is going to hurt her like that. However, the other two girls were slower to answer because deep down they had a feeling they knew what was the right thing to do. So one girl spoke up and told Welma to work it out with God and pray for the strength to forgive and move on from that incident. She told her to pray for her husband’s ministry and that God could slowly work Welma into helping him with small tasks at first, but gradually be brought in and help out with big things. The girl’s three friends were shocked at how their friend answered Welma’s question. They had never heard her talk like that or heard her talk about God. With this, being such a shock, the girls were instantly intrigued and in awe of this wisdom and advice, which sounded like there was more behind it. So together Welma and the two girls who had grown up in church were able to minister to the other two girls. Over time Welma was able to jump into helped Harry with what she could, but mostly just supporting him since it was mostly just a men’s prison ministry. Welma was able to let go of her past and let God heal her and even better, Welma was able to start a high school ministry with those girls and teens that were in abusive situations. Through Welma’s distress and discomfort with the Gospel message being brought to people who had done terrible things, God was able to mend Welma’s broken heart, strengthen her marriage, and start a whole other ministry with girls who had been in her same scenario. Bibliography Baker, D.W., T. Desmond Alexander, Bruce K. Waltke. Obadiah, Jonah, Micah: An Introduction and Commentary. Downers Grove, Ill.: Intervarsity Pr, 1988. Bolin, Thomas M. â€Å"Should i Not Also Pity Nineveh? Divine Freedom in the Book of Jonah.† Journal for the Study of the Old Testament no. 67 (1995): 109-20. Cary, Phillip. Jonah. Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2008. Ferguson, Paul. â€Å"Who Was the King of Nineveh in Jonah 3: 6.† Tyndale Bulletin 42, no. 7 (1996): 301-14. Forti, Tova. â€Å"Of Ships and Seas, and Fish and Beasts: Viewing the Concept of Universal Providence in the Book of Jonah through the Prism of Psalms.† Journal for the Study of the Old Testament35, no. 3 (March 1, 2011): 359-374.Sargent James E., Basic Bible Commentary: Hosea through Jonah. Graded Press, 1988. Jenson, Philip Peter. Obadiah, Jonah, Micah: a Theological Commentary. New York: T&T Clark, 2008. Lamb, Christopher. â€Å"Nineveh Revisited: Theory and Practice in Interfaith Relations.† International Bulletin of Missionary Research (October 1984): 156-58. Limburg, James. Jonah: a Commentary. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1993. Sargent, James E. Hosea through Jonah. Graded Press, 1988. Sasson, Jack M. Jonah (the Anchor Yale Bible Commentaries). London: Yale University Press, 1995. Timmer, Daniel C. â€Å"A Gracious and Compassionate God: Mission, Salvation and Spirituality in the Book of Jonah.† Westminster Theological Journal (March 1, 2008): 159-75. Wiseman, Donald J. â€Å"Jonah’s Nineveh.† The Tyndale Biblical Archaeology Lecture (1997): 29-51.