Ethics on Abortion Essay

There are many ethical issues that are argued over in society. One highly controversial issue however, is the problem faced with opposing beliefs on abortion. Abortion, literally meaning â€Å"the deliberate termination of human pregnancy,† is the issue commonly addressed by the liberals and the conservatives. Each side has its own philosophical theory on the situation. The liberal theory suggests that a women has the right to decide what happens with her body. The conservative outlook would be that an unborn baby, as a human being, has separate rights from those of the mother. The arguments that are generally discussed involve that abortion is a personal choice, human life begins at conception, or that abortion can or can not be justified. The first argument on the ethics of abortion is that abortion is a personal choice. This idea on abortion intends to imply that a fetus is not a human life. The life of the new embryo is not forced to be carried out because of the rights women possess. If new life is growing in a woman, then it should be her decision as it is regarding her own bodily autonomy. Abortion should be in the best concern of the woman pregnant because it does not go out and affect those around her. Also if the women in situations where abortion is an option needed, then who is more correct to go and force them to carry out a pregnancy. The idea that people have some ethical claim to personal, bodily autonomy must be regarded as fundamental to the conception of any ethical, democratic, and free society. Given that autonomy exists as an ethical necessity, the question becomes how far that autonomy extends. The fact that a woman is going to proceed with an abortion does not affect the larger public so it should not be unethical for this action to take place because others think that it is wrong. Many people stand with the idea that abortion is ethically a personal choice because the situations can always be brought to the point where a woman is protecting herself. Mary Anne Warren’s stand on abortion is that of a liberal one. In her article, On the Moral and Legal Status of Abortion, she concludes that â€Å"†¦a women’s right to protect her health, happiness, freedom, and even her life, by terminating an unwanted pregnancy, will always override whatever right to life it may be appropriate to ascribe to a fetus, even a fully developed one. † (pg. 16, Mappes) Warren believes that abortion is permittable because the fetus is not a fully developed person with moral characteristics; they are human beings that are not yet a person. The opposing argument on the ethics of abortion is that human life begins at conception. The new human life that is growing should now have the right to live. If a woman consented to sex or did not properly use contraception, then she knew that pregnancy might have been a result. Whether the fetus is a human being or not, it is arguable that a woman has some sort of ethical obligation to the fetus. The obligation might not be strong enough to eliminate abortion, but it may be enough to limit abortion if it is morally chosen. Also consider abortion as the murder of a human being. When deciding on what decision is more correct many mothers would decide on having to keep their baby and not killing it. This is because no matter the situation, the actions taken consequently resolved in pregnancy and now the mothers are ethically responsible to care for new life. Abortion should not be an acceptable solution for a pregnancy because human life should not be terminated and the new life should have responsibility dedicated to itself. The final argument on the ethics of abortion is that abortion can or can not be justified. This directly relates to the status of the fetus and whether or not it is considered to be human life. In the early months of pregnancy, when the fetus hardly represents a human being at all, then abortion should be permissible to the pregnant woman if it is in her interests. When taking a step into the middle months, the fetus now comes to resemble a person. The situation changes due to the argument that the fetus may now be human life. Abortion in this case should only be justifiable if any economic, psychological, social or physical health would be presented through continued pregnancy. In the late months however, abortion would just be the wrong concept and unethical because the fetus is near the peak of becoming human life. If any pregnancy lasts into the middle months or later, then abortion should already be out as an option because the decision could have been made in the early months. Moreover, abortion should only be the decision made for a mother totally uncapable of caring for new human life. The idea of abortion is a wide spread ethical issue. Many morals are different among the people who think abortion is right or the people who believe it is completely inhumane. Abortion is right in the eyes of those who follow liberals. The mother has complete rights to protect herself and make a personal choice in keeping a fetus or not. For conservatives on the other end, abortion should not be the decision made due to the new life having full moral status and a serious right to live. There are also cases where abortion might not fall under strict rights the the mother or the fetus, which is why my position is in favor of the moderate way of thought. Pregnancies are in a wide amount of cases unwanted. But it is the situation of the pregnancy that should ultimately lead to the decision of abortion being ethical or not. For any unwanted pregnancies in the very early months, abortion should be acceptable because the fetus does not posses human like traits and it is in the interest of the pregnant woman. This might not be considered ethical because the mothers should have a dedicated responsibility to their baby but exceptions have to be made for situations where rape might have been the cause of pregnancy. The only time abortion should absolutely not be acceptable are for any pregnancies that have reached middle months or later. This is because the mother of the fetus has already allowed the pregnancy to last to the point where the fetus is now a lifelike human or baby. Also if the pregnancy was not aborted in the early months then there certainly should be no reason to change the decision so long after conception. Abortion will be a never ending argument for what is right or wrong to do in the case where a human life or possible human life is at stake. But abortion has many twists and turns that lead to uneasy decisions that have to be made. So there might not be a way to tell what is the â€Å"more† ethically correct decision to make when dealing with such a controversial issue as abortion.

Football Head Essay

Football is an all American sport that has led to the downfall of many great athletes who have suffered from the sport in a psychological and physical manner. Football is a dangerous sport that is only played by one country, the U.S.A. Realistically, banning the sport is almost near impossible, but there should be regulations to the sport if that people would have to meet in order to insure safety and knowledgeable facts about the sport. Football is not meant for children, the players should have a full understanding of the game and of the danger that it can entails. If a child would like to play football, the child should at least be fourteen years old, and at fourteen years old, the children must watch a film that fully describes and informs the participant of the dangers of football and the effects it can have on the brain and on the body. Football can start at a very early age, children as young as five are playing the sport in a league with other children where they beat, push, and knock down other children their age. This is very problematic and dangerous to the child’s long-term memory; the brain of an average person does not fully develop until the person is at least twenty years old. When children begin to beat each other at a young age, they are starting the decaying process of their own brains. Concussions are always trying to be avoided during games, but the pre-concussive hits are just as concerning and alarming as concussions. Football players who have never had concussions are now being diagnosed of chronic traumatic encepha lopathy (CTE). CTE is a degenerative brain disease that is caused from repeated constant head trauma. If children begin playing football as early as five years old, they will begin the process of CTE. Violent games are not suitable for children, at five years old, violence and aggressiveness should not be a priority of a child, and school and education should always be their top priority. If adults choose to play this sport, the NFL needs to accept and admit that football is a violent game and that it can cause long term damages to the brain and body.  The NFL refutes the arguments about CTE and long term damaging effects football has on the brain by stating there are fully aware of the risks. Football players report that it is their choice to play football and that they are fully aware of the risks that are in play. However, concussions are the breaking points to a damaging mind, football players often confess to playing a game injured and from suffering a concussion while playing. For example, Richard Sherman explains in the article, â€Å"Why We Chose the Profession†, that due to a concussion; he was left blind for half of an entire football game. However, he goes on to state that if he had taken himself out of the game, that the legend of the boom would never have been born, this was when he had his first in game interception. Another player who once raved and bragged about the sport was Junior Seau. Junior Seau was one of the greatest football players in the NFL, he was a legend and he too â€Å"fully understood† the risks and dangers of playing in football. He once bragged in a documentary about the perfect tackle, and how he understood that due to the love he had for the sport, his life would be shorten and that he would have limited mobility. However, he did not once ever consider that the sport would cause him to have irrational mood swings, suffer from depression and eventually cause him to take his own life. Football players claim to be fully â€Å"informed† of the sport and understand the consequences it can have on their lives, but the NFL is withholding serious information that players are finding out when it is too late. If a person chooses to play the sport, then they must fully understand the fame, the consequences, and discuss with their families, families can fall apart just as easily as the players mind and body. Football is known to cause CTE, but there are other long term damaging effects that players have still not been informed of by the NFL. Football has been detected to cause early signs of Alzheimer, Dementia, and physical disabilities. According to the article, â€Å"Study: No Proof that Football Causes Alzheimer’s or CTE† was posted in the Cincinnati Bengals, the NFL had a $765 million settlement with retired football players that claimed that they were not fully informed of the risks that came into play when they ran onto the field. Once football players heard of the first few cases of CTE that were diagnosed in retired football players, the players began wondering if the NFL was aware of the causes of football and the long term effects it had on the players. The NFL had also denied all the  claims of the relation from CTE, Dementia, and Alzheimer to football. However, the NFL later revealed a study conducted by themselves that later revealed that football had caused early cases of Dementia, a brain disease that could have been avoided if the NFL had bother sharing the information with their teams and coaches. The NFL however eventually denied their own study as well. In time, the NFL attempted to share information about precautions they were taking in order to ensure the players safety. In pamphlets they distributed to players, they attempted to underplay the dangers of concussions by stating that concussions cannot cause any type of long-term damage. The NFL also conducted their own study, in which they concluded that if a football player endures a concussion in the middle of the game that the player could return to that same game even play in the game where he experienced the concussion. The NFL conducted their own research and discovered the damaging effects of football and the toll it has on the body, and now that players are taking action against the NFL, they are denying the accusations and ignoring their repercussions that have been waiting for them for much too long. Football is a sport, nothing more, and yet it can change a person’s life severely. If a person chooses to play the sport, knowing the facts, the diseases, and the immobility they can endure later in life, then they should be allowed to play. Football is a dangerous sport, people can choose to play or choose to live, but that is a choice when a player decides to walk onto that field or when they decide to walk off that field. It is an American tradition that should not be banned, but it should be limited. This is a game with a lot of fans, and yet many of them who follow the sport have no idea of the football players that are suffering because of it, which is the real shame. Play football, but know the risks. Works Cited Gladwell, . â€Å"Offensive Play.† Gladwell.com. N.p., 19 Oct. 2009. Web. 9 Mar. 2014. Sherman, Richard. â€Å"We Chose This Profession.† The MMQB. N.p., 3 Oct. 2013. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.

It Strategy

B19 – IT Strategy Syllabus Start January 31, 2013 Ends April 25, 2013 Day and Time: Thursday 12-14 & 14-16 Instructors:Stefan Henningsson (sh. [email  protected] dk) Jonas Hedman (jh. [email  protected] dk) + guests Course Description This course uses the IVK Case Series to examine important issues in IT management through the eyes of Jim Barton, a talented business (i. e. , non-technical) manager who is thrust into the Chief Information Officer (CIO) role at a troubled financial services firm. The course follows Barton through challenges, mistakes, travails, and triumphs.We take this journey with him, commenting on and debating his choices and decisions. During his first year as CIO, Barton confronts issues related to skill and talent management; IT costs, budgets, value, and chargeback systems; priority setting and financial justification of IT investments; project management; runaway projects and underperforming vendors; security risks and crises; Web 2. 0 policies; com munications with other senior executives; vendor management; infrastructure standardization; support for innovation; and risk management. As Barton encounters these issues, we address them too, through associated readings.As we examine and critique both research and conventional management wisdom on these topics, we’ll derive a framework for managing IT as a business leader. Course Book The main text for this course is the book â€Å"Adventures of an IT Leader†, also called IVK after the company in the book. Adventures of an IT Leader Robert D. Austin, Richard L. Nolan, Shannon O’Donnell | Apr 21, 2009 Publisher: Harvard Business School Press (1 Mar 2009) ISBN-10: 142214660X ISBN-13: 978-1422146606 Among other places, the book is available from http://amzn. com/142214660X Obtaining Harvard Business School Publishing MaterialsSome of the readings in this course must be acquired online from Harvard Business School Publishing. You can access the site to download th ese materials here: https://cb. hbsp. harvard. edu/cbmp/access/17620259 At this site you will need to use a credit card to purchase copyrighted materials, which you will then download in PDFs and be able to print as is convenient. Please be sure to use this link, not the main HBSP website, so that you get the discount associated with the course. Course blog The course blog is the official source of information, where updates, session presentations, etc. ill be posted. http://www. itu. dk/courses/EB19/F2013/ Session 1: Introduction to the Case Method and the Course (Thursday, January 31, 12:00 to 12:00, ScrollBar) Reading (please read before class): â€Å"A Note on Case Learning,† HBS 899-105 (download/purchase from HBSP website) IVK 1 – The New CIO â€Å"Understanding Financial Statements† HBS 5238BC (download/purchase from HBSP website) Assignment Questions (think about and discuss with others before class): Consider the exhibits at the end of IVK-1; what do th ey tell you about the IVK Corporation’s business situation? Why has this company replaced its CEO?If you were Jim Barton, would you accept the CIO job offered by the new CEO? If he accepts, what should be his plan of action? What should he do first? Second? What would be your best single piece of advice to Barton if he decides to take the job? What should he watch out for? Where should he be careful? Session 2: Challenges Facing the New CIO (Thursday, February 7, 12:00 to 16:00, ScrollBar) *** IBM Guest Presentation *** Reading: IVK 2 – CIO Challenges IVK 3 – CIO Leadership IVK 4 – The Cost of IT Assignment Questions: How do you interpret the kid’s advice to Barton: â€Å"You need to know what you don’t know? †Davies predicts that Barton will be gone in a year; why does he say this? Do Maggie’s notes (exhibit at end of IVK-2) shed any light on Davies’ assertion? What should be Barton’s plan for reaching out to oth er CIOs and industry experts to gain expertise quickly about running an IT department? Whom should he talk to first? Do you agree with Ruben that IT is a â€Å"unique† business function, that it is different from other departments in the organization? What did Barton learn from his trip to the bookstore and subsequent night of studying? Session 3: The Value of IT (Thursday, February 14, 12:00 to 16:00, ScrollBar)Reading: IVK 5 – The Value of IT â€Å"Zara: IT for Fast Fashion† HBS 604-081 (download/purchase from HBSP website) â€Å"IT Doesn’t Matter† HBS 0306B (download/purchase from HBSP website) â€Å"Dog Eat Dog† http://online. wsj. com/public/article_print/SB117735476945179344. html â€Å"The IT Productivity Gap† http://ebusiness. mit. edu/erik/Optimize/pr_roi. html â€Å"Zara: IT for Fast Fashion† Assignment Questions: How would you advise Salgado to proceed on the issue of upgrading the POS terminals? Should he upgrade to a modern operating system? Should the POS applications be rewritten to include any additional functionality?If so, what functionality? What benefits does Inditex/Zara get from its IT infrastructure? How difficult would it be for a competitor to acquire these same benefits? IVK Assignment Questions: What is the â€Å"right† amount for a company to invest in IT? How should Jim Barton respond to the CEO when he asks: â€Å"What is the ‘right’ amount for IVK to spend on IT? ’ What is the purpose of a â€Å"chargeback† system for returning IT costs to business units? Why implement such a system? As we learn in IVK-4, at IVK business units control all of the IT budget; what do you think of this arrangement?Should Barton try to â€Å"pull back† some of the budget that is allocated to business units, to create his own discretionary budget? How does IT create or enable the creation of value within a company? How should we value IT capabilities requi red to keep us in business, but that do not differentiate us from competitors (so-called â€Å"qualifiers† in the discussion in IVK-5)? Session 4: Managing Projects (Thursday, February 21, 12:00 to 16:00, ScrollBar) Reading: IVK 6 – Project Management IVK 7 – The Runaway Project â€Å"Cisco Systems, Inc. : Implementing ERP† HBS 699-022 (download/purchase from HBSP website) Managing Project Uncertainty: From Variation to Chaos† by Arnoud De Meyer, Christoph H. Loch, and Michael T. Pich, MIT Sloan Management Review 42, 2, (Winter 2002); CBS Library Database: http://search. ebscohost. com/login. aspx? direct=true&db=bth&AN=5982685& amp;site=ehost-live&scope=site Cisco Systems Assignment Questions: Cisco was highly successful with its enterprise resource planning (ERP) effort. What accounts for this success? What were the most important things that Cisco did correctly? Did Cisco do anything wrong on this project? If so, what? Was Cisco smart or lucky wi th its ERP implementation?IVK Assignment Questions: Which side would you take in the debate between Henderson and Calder? What do you think of the approach that Davies seems to have used (judging from documents found by Barton) to managing uncertainty in projects? What should Barton do to get the IR initiative back on track? Should he fire NetiFects? How do you manage project problems you cannot anticipate? Session 5: Prioritization, Governance (Thursday, February 28, 12:00 to 16:00, ScrollBar) Reading: IVK 8 – IT Priorities IVK 9 – Governance â€Å"Volkswagen of America: Managing IT Priorities† HBS 605-003 (download/purchase from HBSP website)Volkswagen of America Assignment Questions: What is your assessment of the new process for managing priorities at Volkswagen? Are the criticisms justified? Is it an improvement over the old process? Who controls the budgets from which IT projects are funded at Volkswagen of America? Who should control these budgets? How sh ould Matulovic respond to his fellow executives who are calling to ask him for special treatment outside the new priority management system? IVK Assignment Questions: Should Barton try to take control of the entire IT budget? Should he ask for a percentage of the overall budget to be placed under his control?Or should he try to fix the committee structure put in place by Davies? What should Barton do about â€Å"managing Beckworth? † Managing Williams? Session 6: Crisis and Damage control (Thursday, March 7, 12:00 to 16:00, ScrollBar) IVK 10 – Crisis IVK 11 – Damage http://www. nytimes. com/2011/01/16/world/middleeast/16stuxnet. html Symantec Internet Security Threat Report: Executive Summary April 2010 http://eval. symantec. com/mktginfo/enterprise/white_papers/b-whitepaper_exec_summary_internet_security_threat_report_xv_04-2010. en-us. pdf Viruses and threats Questions: What type of malware is the Stuxnet, and how did it work?How did the Hydraq Trojan operate? Could it be a potential threat to IVK? IVK Assignment Questions: What is your assessment of how IVK handled the crisis during the event itself? Did they do a good job of crisis management? How would you recommend that Barton handle the analyst meeting? If you were on the team coming up with the strategy for the meeting, what guidelines would you suggest to Barton? Session 7: Communication (Thursday, March 14, 12:00 to 16:00, ScrollBar) *** Danske Bank Guest Presentation *** Reading: IVK 12 – Communication â€Å"The Lessons of ValuJet 592,† by William Langewiesch (March 1998) The Atlantic. ttp://www. theatlantic. com/issues/98mar/valujet1. htm â€Å"Ready to Acquire: IT resources for a growth-by-acquisition strategy†. To be distributed. IVK Assignment Questions: Which option for securing IVK in the aftermath of the attack would you choose? Would you recommend shutting the company down? If so, when? Do you agree with the CEO’s decision about what to disclo se about this possible hacker attack? How should Barton handle the CEO’s new tendency to offer him helpful but misinformed advice? How should Barton communicate with people outside the IT department to rebuild his and his department’s credibility?How frequently should he communicate with the CEO? With his peers? Should he rely on â€Å"The Doctrine of Completed Staff Work† as he formulates a communication strategy? Session 8: Emerging technologies and Sustainable IT (Thursday, March 21, 12:00 to 16:00, ScrollBar) Reading: IVK 13 – Emerging Technology â€Å"Three strategies for Green IT† by Hedman & Henningsson http://www. computer. org/portal/web/csdl/doi/10. 1109/MITP. 2010. 141 (see also course blog) â€Å"Organizational self-renewal: The role of IS in developing organizational eco-effectiveness† by Hedman, Henningsson & Selander. 2012. To be distributed in class. Green IT TBDIVK Assignment Questions: How would you respond to Bernie Rubenà ¢â‚¬â„¢s three questions concerning possible action on the blog issue? What technology can IVK use to improve business? March 28: Easter Break Session 9: Outsourcing, Infrastructure, and Vendor Partners (Thursday, April 4, 12:00 to 16:00, ScrollBar) Reading: IVK 14 – Vendor Partnering IVK 16 – Standardization and Innovation IVK Assignment Questions: Which vendor should IVK choose for the IR project? Which approach to an SLA? Service delivery model? How much technical expertise does a company like IVK need to keep in house if it plans to outsource much of it’s IT work?How can it retain expertise when most of the interesting work is being done by vendors? What information should a company like IVK ask for in a â€Å"Request for Proposal† (RFP) document? What questions should they ask a vendor to answer? Should the IR project implementation be â€Å"fixed price† or another sort of contract? Which approach should IVK take to infrastructure standardizat ion? Are IT standardization and innovation (or flexibility) in conflict in an organization like IVK? How do you interpret the kid’s story about the great man who went missing? Session 10: Managing Talent (Thursday, April 11, 12:00 to 16:00, ScrollBar) Reading:IVK 15 – Managing Talent â€Å"Bridging the Gap Between Stewards and Creators† (download/purchase from HBSP website) Online Streaming Video: â€Å"Panel Discussion: The Organizational Dilemma of Stewards and Creators† http://www. uwtv. org/programs/displayevent. aspx? rid=4858 Assignment Questions: What should Carter and Barton do about the Ivan Korsky situation? Should Barton seek a technological way of monitoring what his employees are doing? Why or why not? Should IVK have a management system for identifying its top value people assets? If so, how might such a system work? How would it interact with training and skills development?Should Barton reorganize the IT function so that the best talent is in a central â€Å"shared services† organization available to the entire organization (rather than just a particular business unit)? What are the pluses and minuses of such an arrangement? What might Barton be able to learn from the way jazz ensembles work about how to manage top notch IT talent? Session 11: IT Risk Management (Thursday, April 18, 12:00 to 16:00, ScrollBar) IVK 17 – Risk IVK 18 – Looking Forward â€Å"The Evolution of Security† http://www. acmqueue. org/modules. php? name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=478 â€Å"CareGroup† HBS 303-097 (download/purchase from HBSP website) The Myth of Secure Computing† HBS 0306J (download/purchase from HBSP website) IVK Assignment Questions: What do you think of CEO Williams’s explanation of his actions in the aftermath of the crisis described in IVK-10? How should a company like IVK approach its cost and risk tradeoffs? CareGroup Assignment Questions: What caused the network outage at CareGr oup? Consider the lessons learned that Halamka enumerates at the end of this case—are these the right lessons? Has he missed any? Session 12: Mini-project presentations (Thursday, April 25, 12:00 to 14:00, ScrollBar) ***Mini-project presentations ***

Case study on Expert Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Case study on Expert Systems - Essay Example â€Å"An expert system is an information system that holds and stores the expertise of human experts and then reproduces human reasoning and decision making† (Shelly, Cashman, & Vermaat, 2005, p. 729). According to (Laudon & Laudon, 1999, p. 446), an expert system can be defined as knowledge exhaustive computer program that captures the skills or expertise of human in limited fields of knowledge. An expert system can help decision making by creating related questions and describing the causes for taking definite action (Laudon & Laudon, 1999). This first example encompasses the implementation of expert system in the manufacturing industry. In this regard Lee (2009) presented a detailed overview of a new type of system development and implimentataion at US defense department. The new technology based expert system will be helpful in development of the new generation of weapons systems. This expert system is aimed to effectively manufacture the intended products through giving the advanced materials and current manufacturing techniques. This system is acknowledged as the Intelligent Processing of Materials (IPM) program (Lee, 2009). The implementation of the IPM is aimed to diminish the manufacturing expenditure by using expert systems as well as intelligent control over the major development areas. The main aim of this system is to be functional and efficient in greater stresses, higher temperatures, and harsher environments, for the reason that new material involves all these factors in the overall production and developm ent. According to development teams, IPM program will minimize the overall development time and make intelligent decision. This expert system will make use of analysis as well as synthesis tools to shape models of the material processes. During all these processes the expert system will also control the in-situ sensors to monitor real states of processes. This expert system will be a compensation of the

Christianity and Democracy in America Term Paper

Christianity and Democracy in America - Term Paper Example In democratic countries, society is controlled in a lesser degree than the government. Consequently, democracy leads to the creation of opinions, sentiments, suggests ordinary practices of life, and modifies what it does not produce (Tocqueville 5). â€Å"The more I advanced in the study of American society, the more I perceived that the equality of conditions was the fundamental fact from which all others seemed to be derived, and the central point at which all my observations constantly terminated. I then turned my thoughts to our own hemisphere, and imagined that I discerned there also something analogous to the spectacle which the new world presented to me. I observed that the equality of conditions, though it has not yet reached, as in the United States, its extreme limits, is daily progressing towards them; and that the democracy which governs the American communities appears to be rapidly rising into power in Europe. From that moment I conceived the idea of the book which is now before the reader.† (Tocqueville 6). According to Tocqueville, American democracy is the best example that should be followed by other countries. He considers democracy to be the greatest and the most important issue of his time. However, America was seen by both democrats and aristocrats as a force that tries to divide Europe. Democrats argued that democratic principles should be exercised in the society while aristocrats tried to withstand the democratic spirit. Jacques Maritain Maritain, who was a Frenchman, majorly reflected on the church and the state. The state, according to Maritain, is political and is concerned with the common welfare of the people, the public order, and administration of public affairs. Further, he states that the state is a part of a society that protects and promotes the interests of the people. The state is not a person or a group of persons but rather an institution or institutions working together (Dougherty 13). Maritain further explains th e importance of a spirituality or Christianity in the state. From a religious point of view, the common good of the politics in the state is in direct ordination of something which transcends it. The state is controlled and is under the order of a supreme being. From a secular perspective, the church is an organization or a set of instructions concerned with the spiritual well being of an individual or of a believer. In political perspective, the good activities done by the citizens have an impact on the lives of the members of a community. Therefore, the church is necessary for the common good of the state and to the society. He further states that the church and the state cannot work in isolation or the ignorance of one another. In the body of a person, there is a part which is a member of the church and another part which is political. An absolute division of the church and the state cannot occur. The state and the church must cooperate (Maritain 15). Further, Maritain says that the state owes its political authority to the people. Citizens must be given a right to self government. The right of self governance is foreseen in the constitution, whether written or not written. The citizens are the group of persons who unite under just laws to achieve their common goal. However, the citizens are concerned not only with politics. Every individual has a spiritual soul; therefore, the people are above the state, the sate works for them not the citizens working for

SS310 unit 6 Assignment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

SS310 unit 6 Assignment - Research Paper Example the single most potent and important step on the part of the women to win for themselves equal political, social, civil and moral rights (Dunlop, 1998, p. 246). The very fact that this convention was actually held, imbued the hitherto scattered women’s rights groups in the United States with the faith and the confidence that women were not only capable of politically organizing themselves, but were also capable of articulating their rational in an organized and forceful manner (Dunlop, 1998). The reverberations of the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention could well be felt in the drafting and ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920, representing the fructification of the political and social momentum unleashed by the Seneca Falls Convention. Hence, there is no denying the fact that the first Women’s Rights Convention of 1848 in a way constitutes the chronological and ideological epicenter of the Women’s Rights Movement right from its dawn to the present day. It repres ents a first socially and politically organized and symbolic dissent on the part of the women, against the hitherto existing system that denied to them the very basic civil, political and economic rights. It was the 1848 Convention that initiated a debate on the issue of women’s right and other related issues. This also needs to be mentioned that many of the women activists being actively engaged in the abolition movement, were for the first time able to unequivocally express their disenchantment with a society that extended to them less than equal rights and that too with a grudge. Hence, the First National Women’s Rights convention at Worcester in 1850, tends to be a worthy follower to the 1848 Convention, which intended to be a litmus test on the part of its organizers, to test if Women’s Rights Movement could accrue support from varied sections of the American society and whether the time was right for initiating and organizing this struggle. In that sense, the First Women’s Rights

Should Britain Adopt the Euro Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Should Britain Adopt the Euro - Assignment Example This transformation has been successful in meeting its goal. Greece has since adopted the Euro while Sweden, Denmark, and Britain, the latter of which is not considered a European country, have not. Many legislators and economists have suggested that it is simply a matter of when, not if, the UK will adopt the Euro. This discussion examines the benefits the UK will retain when this eventually happens and answers the legitimate concerns of those opposed to the transformation. Certain indisputable results have occurred following the conversion to the Euro. It has eliminated the costs and risks involved when exchanging foreign currency with other counties of the EU and made more transparent the cost of products. By adopting the Euro, Britain would be allowed a place on the European Central Bank (ECB) board thus being able to participate in the economic policy of the EU.   This would enhance the political influence of the UK which in turn would produce beneficial long-term opportunities for its economy. According to many published studies conducted regarding the effect of the Euro, using a common currency has already proven to augment trade and competitiveness within the countries that use it. One study that measured the influence of the Euro on trade discovered â€Å"countries that share a common currency trade about three times as much as countries without a common currency† (Micco et al, 2003). It is clear that trade between Britain and EU countries would escalate if the same currency was used. Differences in types of money present barriers to trade because of the cost factors involved in converting it. Large corporations would save significant amounts and open up previously unfeasible opportunities of trade to smaller companies. Reducing the cost of trade will make Britain more competitive as companies will be able to charge less for products yet yield.

Teaching Prediction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Teaching Prediction - Essay Example The first step encourages metacognitive thinking by having the students think about their own life experiences in relation to the article. A brief explanation of the article or story is presented and students pause to try and make connections with the topic to their own life experiences. This is also the step when students would think about prior learning if the reading were a summary or culminating activity relative to learning in another school subject. Making connections across the curriculum through reading has been shown to also help students retain more important information. The second step in the process is a question sequence that begins with a stated main idea. This is then followed with a question designed to get students to think about how this main idea is connected to their prior learning and experiences. Students are then instructed to write a prediction about what the article or story will say about the main idea based on the students personal experiences with the subject. The last step involves the independent reading of the story or article. They then discuss their predictions as a class and compare their past experiences to the information and experiences conveyed in the text. This method is especially appropriate for a sixth grade literature class. Children this age have had enough life experiences to have a broader range of existing knowledge to draw upon, allowing for a more diverse conversation about each topic. Also, as young adolescents, sixth graders have a growing awareness of themselves. Their metacognitive abilities are rapidly developing or ripe to be developed. Finally, I feel that this is an especially good method to use for sixth grade students because students this age a capable of sustained independent reading. Individual students will vary in their proficiency at this task, but most will be able to accomplish the third step

Management focused study and professional development plan (PDP) Essay

Management focused study and professional development plan (PDP) - Essay Example The importance of good leadership cannot be stressed enough with the number organizations and business entities that folded to the failure of its leadership. Leadership coupled with the tools of management, intends to reach or achieve the vision of an organization with its available resource in information, technology, materials, organization and personnel. In today’s very competitive business arena, leadership can spell the difference of an organization’s success or failure. Leadership is a critical element in ensuring the sustainability of an organization. Research in the field of leadership has never been saturated with theoretical and conceptual quests for leadership styles that work with any situation and followers’ condition. (Jamaludin, et al, 2011, pg. 73). One of the important attributes of leaders that attract the interest of many researchers is their leadership styles (Adeyemi-Bello 2001). Leaders lead through a combination of logical decision making a nd feeling. Depending upon the situation, it may require more emotional intelligence and less logical decision making or vice versa (Mayer & Caruso, 2002). ... Consistent with this observation, Al-Mailam (2004) argued that high-quality leadership is regarded as vital in bringing success to any group activity. One of the more recent and prevalent discussion about leadership is the emotional aspect of it as â€Å"leadership has been described as an â€Å"emotionladen process† (George, 2000, p. 1046), with the skillful management of followers’ feelings representing a critical leadership function (Humphrey, 2002, 2008). The ability to address underlying feelings and emotions is essential to effective leadership (Mayer & Caruso, 2002). This brings to the fore the relationship and emotional aspect of leadership which has been the subject of inquiry of many management theorist – emotional intelligence. This is quite interesting because the emotional aspect of human resource was used to be thought of as insignificant and irrelevant in the production line that management theorists relegated it as being trivial and unimportant. When science in management was first introduced in an organization and production line, the emotion of the people in the bureaucracy was never considered (Taylor, 1911). Organization then was viewed more of cohesive machine that works efficiently rather an structure that composes of people of different background, interest, predisposition and motivation. Recent management theorists however are looking at it at a different perspective. Mayer and Salovey (1997) elaborated the idea and defined emotional intelligence as "the ability to monitor one's own and others' feelings, to discriminate among them, and to use this information to guide one's thinking and action" (Grewal & Salovey, 2005 p. 332). Interpersonal

China Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

China - Research Paper Example Taoism, Confucianism and other traditional beliefs are practiced by a quarter of the population. We can also see a small number of them are Christians, Muslims and Buddhists. It should be noted that since the nineteenth century there has been active catholic and protestant ministries but the progress to convert Chinese people to this religions has not been that effective. China has seven main dialects; these are mandarin, Hakka, Gan, Xiang, Cantonese, Wu, and Min. Mainland China has Putonghua the type of Mandarin that is based on the speech as its official national language. When writing the language in text it is symbol based. Just as geographical aspects and ethnic diversity influence the Chinese life so does it also affect the cuisine aspect. Cantonese way of cooking is among the main styles and comprises of Sezchuan and stir-fried dishes. Sezchuan mostly relies on using peanuts, ginger and sesame paste, it is well known for its spiciness. Fan is the Chinese word referring to rice but it also means meal. Rice is a staple food for the Chinese as well as scallions, bean sprouts and cabbage. Their consumption of meat is little but they occasionally indulge in chicken or pork. Their main source of protein is tofu. The rich mystical and spiritual history surrounding China plays a great role in their art. Many of the artistic pieces such as paintings and sculptures depict spiritual Buddhism figures. Music is also an integral part in their lives and some of the instruments such as the flute-like xun and the guqin are evidence. These instruments are in the Zither family. Musical history of the Chinese culture dates back to the beginning of its existence. Many of the movies we watch in theaters and at times in the comfort of our homes by the Chinese people show the kung-fu form of martial arts which has its birthplace in china. Chinese ancestors from ancient times were philosophers and avid writers especially in the famous Ming and Qing dynasties which is clearly ref lected in the liturgical history of china that is very rich. The beginning of the lunar year is marked by the spring festival which is also the largest festival taking place between mid-January and mid February. This is considered a time to honor the ancestors. The celebration lasts for fifteen days during which the children thoroughly clean their homes signifying a new beginning or a fresh start. Fireworks mark the holiday together with parades of dancers dressed as dragons. A great number of people make pilgrimages to the birthplace of Confucius in the province of Shandong. This is mostly during his birthday on September twenty eighth. People in China also observe the birthday of the goddess of mercy, Guanyin by visiting Taoist temples. It takes place between the months of late March and late April. The goddess of the sea known as Mazu or Tainhou has her birthday being celebrated in the months of May or June. In September or October they celebrate the Moon festival with moon gazin g, paper lanterns and fireworks. Edward L Davis’s book, the encyclopedia of contemporary Chinese culture has a great deal of historical information that is very educative but on a more important note it enlightens the reader about modern China. This book is a plethora on diverse aspects of culture in regards to the Chinese people and the author also did not forget to put into light the major cities that are present in China such as

Chapter Guide for Twilight of Atheism Essay Example for Free

Chapter Guide for Twilight of Atheism Essay The classical version of atheism is vastly different than the atheism that is known today. Some consider â€Å"modern atheism† as one of the greatest achievements of human intellect. Immortalization in Greek myths meant â€Å"infinite extension of existence, not the infinite projection of moral qualities† Classical Greek atheism denied â€Å"traditional religion of the Athenian establishment† Protestant reformers wrote against church’s corruption and straying from â€Å"authentic models of the New Testament† Protestantism eventually gained popularity in Western Europe in 1600s -â€Å"Historical origins of modern atheism lie primarily in an extended criticism of the power and status of the church The 18th century was regarded the â€Å"most creative period of atheist experimentation and reflection† Historians date the birth of ‘avowed’ or intentional atheism in Britain to around the year 1782 Credit for the serious advancement of atheism on he eve of the Victorian era is most due to William Godwin. He believed that social vision rested on the assumption of the perfectibility of humanity through reason. Mary Robinson wrote that, â€Å"nature was emancipated from being God’s creation, and became a divinity in its own right. Percy Shelley argued that since compelling evidence for the existence of God is lacking, here is no intellectual obligation to believe in God. However, Shelley never explicitly denies the existence of a God in general. Shelley seems to argue against institutional religion. Mary Ann Evans aka George Eliot, grew up an evangelical, but turned into an atheist because she was of the increasingly dogmatic and impersonal constructs of the Christian faith. Evans/Eliot turned to a religion of human sympathy, she believed that the moral aspects of faith could be maintained without Christianity. A. C. Swinburne was more avant-garde and aggressive in his approach to spreading atheism. He visualized god as a birch-wielding tyrant that oppresses humanity. Swineburne believed that only the rejection of God would open the way to human self-fulfillment. By the middle of the Nineteenth Century Jesus was seen as a moral sage, or as a role model. George Tyrrell was appalled that Jesus was seen as less captivating, but conceded that the Christ was a â€Å"pale reflection† of his biblical self. Chapter 6 Dostoyevsky was a Russian novelist that wrote on a fictional Russia that turned to atheism to solve its problems. While he showed attractive of that choice, he also presented some of its more troubling features. His criticisms were directed more toward the world God supposedly created, more than critiquing God himself. Nietzsche emphasized that the belief in the Christian God became unbelievable. Nietzsche admits that the realization that â€Å"God is dead† will travel slowly because it is just too â€Å"unthinkable†. For nihilism, a religious worldview is oppressive because it insists that we will be held accountable for our actions. In a nihilistic view, there are no sins, because nothing matters in the end. Albert Camus argued that human life is rendered meaningless by death, which prevents the individual from making sense of existence. For Camus death is not to be seen as a realize but as a denial of all of our accomplishments. However Atheism did not materialize as well in the United States. Many thinkers believed that if God was not in heaven, he could be found somewhere else. Chapter 7 â€Å"new atheism† embraces those who question God; people who consider themselves Agnostic. McGrath writes that atheism is not about the suspension of judging whether God exists, he states that true atheism is a firm disbelieve in God. He writes that true atheists view religion as outdated, enslaving, and a self-contradiction. McGrath criticizes the idea that if there was a God, why does he allow suffering, by showing the fact that many of the atrocities committed to humans are caused by other humans the ones that are supposed to be the â€Å"new gods† In the 19th century people were invited to in-vision a world without God, but in the 20th it had already been attempted through the Soviet Union. But by 1980 it was obvious that this had not happened, in seemed to have reversed. John Henry Newman wrote that Christianity was a, â€Å"living organism still in the process of evolving and developing†. Pentecostalism seemed to become very popular in the years after the second World War. Pentecostalism stresses a direct, immediate experience with God, apposed to the more dry forms of worship in Christianity. It also uses a language that allows it to bridge cultural gaps easily. Chapter 8 McGrath believes that Protestantism helped Atheism develop in some way. -Durning the Reformation the distinction between nature and God were widened a bit. The idea that the natural world was not sacred spread amongst popular thinkers. -They believed that even if God did create the world, we could not conceive God through it. They believed that God had to be known indirectly. Protestant reformers suspected that that medieval Catholicism occasionally degenerated into a folk religion of nature. -They believed that God revealed himself through the bible and preaching. He states that Protestantism encouraged the notion that God was absent from human culture and experience. This idea seems to mirror some of the ideas the budding ideas of Atheism. McGrath argues that protestantism took away some of the creativity of religion, which in turn made atheism seem more appealing. Atheism had a view of universality and a notion that it was above the common person. Atheism has always been on the sidelines of American life and perhaps will remain there. Signs of loss of confidence in atheism. â€Å"Sun seems to be setting on an†¦Ã¢â‚¬Ëœempire of the mind’† Chapter 11 -Future of atheism lies in private belief, not in the public domain it once had. Proved situation specific, not universal, and oppressing and not liberating. -Radical religious change led to tinkering with vocabulary instead of eliminating vices. Atheism confirms this theory. Nietzsche wrote, â€Å"God is dead, as a meaningful reality, but the people had to believe in something else if that was the case†. -Sigmund Freud stated that, â€Å"religion encouraged unhealthy and dysfunctional outlooks on life†. -Growing awareness for spirituality instead. -Religion brings together groups of people such as immigrants, creating communities. -In the US, atheism spawns orga nizations, not communities. -Atheism has not learned from their leader’s mistakes, and needs to grow leaders to fix it Greatest virtue: moral seriousness. But atheism is in a twilight zone at the moment.

Kingdom of Life Essay Example for Free

Kingdom of Life Essay The Kingdom of Monera is the smallest in size in the biological world but are the most in terms of numbers. They can be found almost everywhere on earth. Monerans are the only kingdom of the prokaryotic type, organisms that lack a nucleus. The most common of this kind is the bacteria, which most people know are harmful for it causes illnesses and some degrees of food poisoning. The division of a single bacterium into two similar daughter cells constitutes the bacterial growth. This process is called binary fission which in turn promotes its population to grow exponentially. Bacteria are said to be the first inhabitants of Earth. Protozoa, fungus-like protists and the algae are the major categories under the kingdom of Protista. Members are categorized as colonial, unicellular or multi-cellular. Organisms under this kingdom are all eukaryotic, meaning they all have a true nucleus. Most undergo mitosis for their growth while some by meiosis and fertilization for their reproduction process. All organisms live in a water-based environment. Network forming which is called mycelia is the common process in which members of the kingdom of fungi grow. Fungi cause diseases in plant like smuts and rusts, while severe damage are from stem root and leaf rots. Most common in humans are athlete’s foot and ringworm among others. Animal diseases are very hard to treat because of its genetic and chemical similarity to fungi. Harmful as they may seem, some fungi members play significant roles in the ecological system. Some plants can’t grow without fungi. Breakthroughs in medicine are synthesized from fungi while others are used for food. The environment can not take form without plants. Humans can’t live without them. That is how important the kingdom of plantae is to our planet and to our lives. Said to lived 360 million years ago, plants vary in sizes, from very small kind to tall huge trees. Plants reproduce asexually and grow with the help of external factors. They are the only living organisms that are able to produce their own food through photosynthesis. Members of the kingdom Animalia are all heterotrophs. Animals, for their sustenance and survival, depends on other organisms around them. All organisms of the kingdom are eukaryotic and multicellular. Animals reproduce sexually through their special cells which when united form the zygotes that later grow into a new individual. The first recorded phyla of this kingdom was a marine specie some 542 million years ago. References: Windows Team, (1998, December 17). Windows to the Universe. Â   Retrieved, September 27, 2008 from, http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/life/monera.html Carter, Stein J., (2004, November 3). SC Links. Â   Retrieved, September 27, 2008 from, http://biology.clc.uc.edu/courses/bio106/protista.htm

Strength And Conditioning Programme Physical Education Essay

Strength And Conditioning Programme Physical Education Essay Strength and Conditioning is the combination of resistance training and endurance conditioning that is used by athletes and sports teams to improve and assist their performance (Driskell, 1999). Sport specific fitness can include a structured progressive program that could comprise of power, muscular endurance, strength, speed, aerobic or anaerobic conditioning (Steindler, 1955). It has been shown that strength and conditioning programs increase sports performance, producing better athletic results and reducing the incidence of injury (Burrows, 2007). Strength and conditioning programs are suitable for athletes performing at recreational levels, elite levels, sports teams or anyone else looking to ascertain new training methods that might raise their performance capabilities (Baechle Earle, 2000). The aim of this assignment is to undertake a needs analysis for a chosen sport and position and to design and outline a six week training programme suitable for the individual athlete. The assignment will consider periodization as well as an analysis of the macrocycle, mesocycle and microcycle sections of a training programme. The sport and position that will be discussed within this report is football and a central defender. Football is a demanding sports in terms of the effort the players need to put into the game. Football training and conditioning is essential. Players can cover around 8-12km during a match of which 24% is covered by walking, 36% covered by jogging, 20% coursing, 11% sprinting, 7% moving backwards and 2% moving whilst in possession of the ball (Reilly, 1996). Central defenders need a wide range of attributes, which include height, Strength, balance and a good mentality. Saif (2002) claimed that a defender needs to have good concentration during games and also require skill attributes such as tackling and heading. Football players need to have excellent endurance. They require a VO2max that has been reported to range between 55 and 70 ml/kg/min in elite performers (Bangsbo, 1991). The game is played approximately 80-90% of maximum heart rate (Helgerud et al, 2001). The greater a players aerobic capacity, the greater the distance they would cover during a typical game (Reilly Thomas, 1976). Many factors need to be considered to plan and implement a successful training programme. These factors include periodization, macrocycle, mesocycle and microcycle along with other essential phases. These are all factors that need to be taken into account in order for a successful training programme. Periodization is a planned execution of particular training phases (Bompa Haff, 1996). The training during the periodization phase is based on increasing and decreasing the volume of repetitions, time and amount of sets. In addition an increase and decrease in intensity. These measures are implemented when planning a structured training program. An important characteristic of periodization training is the scheduling of a recovery period. The principal attributes of periodization include creativity, tactical preparation and utilization of the recovery (Bompa, 2005). Examples of periodization programmes include, Stepwise where training includes high volume with low intensity and progresses to low volume and high intensity. In addition, Undulating periodization is used. This is where volume and intensity of training are changed throughout the course of a short period of time. Periodization is the most effective form of training when aiming to improve on muscle strength, motor performance and body composition. The macrocycle can be defined by four different components. These components include the number of competitions, dates of competitions, the recovery period between competitions and the preparation period before competition. (Dick, 2002) The microcycle is the smallest part of the overall program as it accounts for only one week of the training. The mesocycle is the part of the year that the athlete is in, for example mesocycle 1 will be the pre-season phase. The macrocycle is the overall program based over a year (Dick, 2002). The Anatomical Adaptation is established at the start of the season or immediately after the transition phase. It is introduced before the season starts as it adapts the body for future strength programs. The aim of this stage is to involve all of the muscle groups which prepare muscle, ligaments, and tendons and joins in preparation for training. These strength programs should look to include all parts of the body such as arms and legs but also for the core area, which includes the lower back, abdomen and spinal column musculature. The muscle areas present support for the arms and legs, to help absorb any shock during exercises that require landing or falling. This period is essential because it generates objective growth of the muscles. Maximum strength phase sets to develop the highest force possible. The training requires the athlete to train at 85-100 percent of 1RM. Many sports require power, muscular endurance or a mixture of both. This phase will last between 1 and 3 months depending on the athletes needs (Bompa, 2005) The conversion phase transforms the maximum strength that has been developed ready to use during competitive. This conversion occurs when specific training is performed. Throughout this phase an assured level of maximum strength must be acquired otherwise power will deteriorate. Weight training is the most appropriate method of doing this. The duration of this period depends on the ability being converted. The customary period is between 4 and 5 weeks. Conversion to muscular endurance is 6-8 weeks due to anatomical changes that take longer to transform (Bompa, 2005). The competition phase consists of work carried out during pre-season and must be maintained to reduce the probability of detraining. If an athlete does not maintain their pre season training then muscle fibres can decrease, power is lost as there is a decrease in motor recruitment and speed which can result in a decrease of power. These decreases can result in poor performance during the season. A transition period is commonly known as the off-season. The aim of this phase is to remove any fatigue a player has developed. It is a method of replenishing the energy systems by decreasing the volume of exercise. This can also be an effective way of reducing the psychological stresses that the player could experience during training and competition. This relaxation period can allow the player to loosen up and rest. Although this period has benefits it should last no longer than 4-6 weeks as there would be great deterioration of the players training. (Bompa, 2005). Training programmes can be developed to aid the development of the player.The goal set to achieve in the training program is to try to improve performance levels. This includes fitness and skill levels. To find the improvements of a player the measurements will be recorded through fitness testing as a marker to distinguish if certain component skills are improving or not (Fleck and Kraemer, 2004). When planning a training programme for a particular sport, Specificity must be considered. This associates to how much difference there is between training and performance. This is very important, as training inappropriately could ultimately have a negative effect on performance. Performance levels are measured through fitness testing. The levels will be assessed prior to the training program and after the training program to see if, there has been any improvement. Alternatively, the program may show signs of a decrease in skill levels because the training program did not work and therefore changes will need to take place to solve the problems immediately (Brooks, 2004). When designing a strength and conditioning program the experience of the player must be taken into account. This is because it would be easier to improve a player at a lower level such as amateur league or Sunday league than a player who is at professional level (Reynolds, 1982). This is because; to improve a professional player other factors must be taken into account such as the attitude of the payer. If the players attitude to improve is good then it will become easier to improve than if the player has a bad attitude towards it however this could also be a factor for amateur players (Magnusen and Rhea, 2009). Strength and conditioning programs must take into account the time of year such as if it is Pre season or in season etc. Moody (2007) suggests The 4 Phases of a football strength training program which includes, off-season, Off-Season/Early Pre-Season, Late Pre-Season and In-season. During the off season players should look to build functional strength. Football like any sport, places a lot of demand on the body. Most players kick the ball with a predominat foot and using the same motor patterns, some muscles develop more than others. Some joints are also experience more stress than others. The goals of this phase are to prepare the joints, muscles, ligaments and tendons for more intense work in subsequent phases. With a good foundation to build on after phase one the player is prepared to move into phase 2 which is the off-Season/early pre-season period where they set to build maximal strength. The goal of this phase is to develop the highest force possible. Since power is our overall outcome, it makes sense to develop strength first and then convert it into football specific power. The aim is to complete this phase before the start of the season. That way the latter stages of pre-season training can focus on power and strength endurance training. Phase three is the late pre-season muscular power and strength endurance. In this phase of football strength training, goal is to convert your strength gains into soccer-specific power and muscular endurance. Football is one of the few sports demands roughly equal amounts of explosive force and strength endurance. Plyometric training and/or circuit training should replace sessions in the weight room for this phase. It will last roughly 4-6 weeks depending on your schedule. Phase four is the in-season maintenance which aims to maintain the gains youve made during a strenuous pre-season period without over reaching or over training. This is not one big, continuous phase in your soccer strength training routine. Because the competitive season can last up to 9 months, it should be split up so the strength routine is in smaller cycles. Periodization of a player to perform maximally at competition level is crucial at times. For example, if the England team try to get maximum performance out of a midfielder for a world cup in four years time, they should make use of a young midfielder of 22, who would then be more of a mature player at 26 when the world cup begins. This Periodization is a long-term assessment; but for the amateur player a short-term assessment will be made (Bompa and Carrera, 2005) The program will focus on training pre-season for the player so that the player is prepared for the new season in our training program. In addition, the competitive status of which the player will be training for is the amateur league so it will be competitive for the player and with in reason. The strength of the player will need to be improved through free weights, as in a game situation the player will not be supported by any machines. Muscle groups that are a key in the sport are lower body muscles such as the quadriceps and hamstrings. The movements that will be involved with this are a squat position to strengthen quadriceps, hamstrings and calves. This may need to be done through maximum power. Tackles that the player makes needs to be explosive although the athlete also needs to be able to do this through out the 90 minutes. Upper strength also needs to be maintained to be able to keep balance and be strong enough to jostle for the ball and gain possession. Another key skill component that will be needed is maintaining cardiovascular endurance. This is maintained by running on a regular basis in an environment, which the player would be performing. This is so that the player is aware of the environment and surroundings. Although working in a regular environment can help with the development of the player, the use of treadmills can also be efficient. Kravitz et al (1996) has shown that heart rate levels are higher with the use of treadmills than is an athlete uses a cycle. These findings suggest that the player would work harder when using a treadmill than training outdoors. To assess an athletes performance fitness tests can be introduced to identify strengths and weaknesses. When tests are complete, the player can then assess what skill components they need to improve on and what needs to be maintained. It is important to decide the most suitable fitness test, which can be used to measure these skill components. After the tests are identified data can be collected so that analysis can be made to see where the weaknesses and strength are obtained. After this analysis decisions can be made as to what exercises are needed to create the training programme. Before any training can proceed, a medical of the player must be undertaken. This is to make sure they have no illnesses that can harm them during their training (Waehner, 2010) The facilities in which the player or a team may train in can vary a persons ability to train. For example, if a player is training their football skills in the rain on outdoor grass, then it can become very difficult to train indoors as the difference in the environment can affect their ability. Although training outdoors in the rain can be off putting. However it can also be an advantage because it replicates playing in a competitive game where the weather conditions vary. When assessing the individuals performance we need to fitness test them, so by doing this we are going to assess their cardiovascular system. This can be done by the 12-minute cooper test, which is a field test, which measures how far a person can travel in 12 minutes. This will be done prior to the training program and 6 weeks after the programme to see if there are any improvements within 6 weeks. This will be the same with all the fitness tests that are included to measure the skill components. Next thing we need to asses is muscular power. We can do this by fitness testing one repetition max test. There are a number of exercises we could use to test this fitness component such as handgrip dynamometer and maximum bench press. The exercise we will be using for this is a squat as it improves lower body for tackling and needs explosive power when in a need for short bursts in a game situation. Before a training programme can be created, the following training principles should be used. The principle is abbreviated to S.P.O.R.T which stands for, Specificity, Progression, Overload, Reversibility and Tedious as a way of guiding my training program. Specificity is the principle of training that states that sports training should be relevant and appropriate to the sport for which the individual is training in order to produce a training effect (Triplett, 2006) The athlete is going to be training over a 6-week period prior to the new football season. It is important to emphasise the cardiovascular system whilst maintaining key component skill factors. Trying to improve Muscular Power is also a key factor so that the player can sharpen up and be more explosive ready for the new season. The Principle of Progression implies that there is an optimal level of overload that should be achieved, and an optimal period for this overload to occur (Shepard, 2009). For the athlete to progress when training cardiovascular endurance, he will start off at a level that he is comfortable with and is able to perform such as running for a 10-minute period. For the progression, the athlete can add on 30 seconds each time he runs. Therefore, the next time this athlete runs it will be 10 minutes and 30 seconds, then 11 minutes and so on. To progress when performing muscular power exercises the athlete could add on an extra 2.5kg every session. This is because if the athlete added to much extra weight they could become injured so progress made should be slower. This should only be prepared if and when the athlete feels, it is possible. If the athlete struggles with the weight, it is highly unlikely that the player will be able to lift anything heavier. The principle of overload states that a greater than normal stress or load on the body is required for training adaptation to take place (Kavanaugh, 2007). To make sure that the athlete does not over load on his training programme we will be organising a programme that includes three training sessions a week for a 6-week period. This can reduce the risk of the player becoming fatigued and unable to train. The Reversibility Principle dictates that athletes lose the effects of training when they stop working out. Conversely, it also means that detraining effects can be reversed when they resume training (Powers et al, 2006). When a player has started to progress their skill levels, they could become injured. If injury occurs, reversibility is a big factor that can affect progress. If the player trains three times during a week and sticks to the training program then this should not be a problem. It is much harder to get back into the fitness levels that you once were if reversibility sets in. This is in particular a big vulnerability when working with cardiovascular endurance. Tedium commonly occurs in those who regularly perform monotonous exercise routines. Unlike fatigue, boredom leads to a lack of desire to exercise, rather than an inability to exercise. Boredom is one of the main reasons why people stop exercising and drop out of sport. It can be avoided if the type and location of exercise is varied, if achievable but challenging targets are set, and if exercise is made more fun (Baechle and Earle, 2000). Boredom sets in when the training program becomes the same every week and there are no goals or challenges for the player to try to achieve. If a training program becomes to boring for a player they may become jaded and therefore it will be very difficult for them to stick to the training program and be motivated for future sessions. When designing a training program it is important to make sure that the coach assesses the situation of the athlete and starts the program at the level the athlete has reached. For example, if an athlete is at a low level of training then the coach must start the program with easier ability exercises. The emphasis on the first week of the program is to get the athlete ready and motivated to become active. To achieve this, the program will include high intensity training to get the athlete ready and prepared for the new season and the program will start with Cardiovascular Endurance Training. The skill of the player will also need to be tested and this can be performed by the 12 minutes cooper run and finding out how far the player can run over a 12-minute period. The results are assessed after the test to create a suitable starting time for this player. The player will start running at 10 minutes. This will then be done 3 times in the first week whilst adding 30 seconds on each time. In addition, muscular power will also be assessed. To perform this test the player will use weight training and perform squats. Adams et al (1992) found that squats exercises enhance power production, which is why we are using squats as the main exercise in producing muscular power. The player will start off at a weight he can lift and add on 2.5k each time. This will overload the progression of muscular power. Low weights with high repetition would increase muscular endurance and high weights with low repetition would increase muscular strength, so we need to try to avoid this and balance the weight distribution evenly to try to increase muscular power. Firstly we need to fitness test his ability and by doing this we will do a maximum repetition max test on how many this player can squat. One set of ten squats at a high intensity, which would be a high weight so that muscular power can be strengthened. The following weeks are set for a progression from week one and to maintain football skills and team work the players must attend club training sessions which is held once a week for an hour and a half. When the player reaches the final week of the programme, he should feel fit and ready to perform at a high level. His skill levels should be higher as well as his attitude and motivation, this then acts as an indicator to show he is ready to compete in a competitive game situation for the new season ahead. The final cardiovascular training session should consist of a 12 minute cooper run again to find out if the player has improved or not. My prediction would be that the player would run further this time than he did the first time he ran the 12-minute cooper run, if the results show an improvement then the training program has been efficient. The Athlete should also repeat a muscular endurance test. The one repetition max test should be carried out during the last session to see if the player has improved. In conclusion, Strength and conditioning programmes can be very useful to the progression of an athlete. Whilst other methods of training have been found useful, a well-designed programme has been shown to improve an athletes ability greatly (Burrows, 2007). This could be because the athlete knows exactly what is needed from them and exactly when the effort is needed. The structured plan can give a big confidence boost for the athlete therefore, they will be eager to test their ability with the addition of a test to improve their ability for the season ahead. With the programme set up the athletes and coaches, can set targets and the athlete can then work within the programme to reach the goals. With a well-organised and constructive programme, improvements should be found. When improvements are not found, this indicates that the programme was not successful therefore; a revised programme must be made to aid the athlete. I feel that there would be great improvements in the athletes ability because the programme sets out to achieve goals that were set and was specific to what the athlete needed to work on. No ineffective training was performed leaving the athlete training only what was needed to play at a higher level of football that before the programme.

H.r. Gieger :: essays research papers

	H.R. Giger was born on February 5, 1940, in Chur, Switzerland. He was raised in a middle class environment, and his dad was a pharmacist. His dad recieved a human skull as a promotional peice from a pharmacy institution when he was very young, and this sparked H.R. Gigers interest in the strange and macabre. His mother encouraged his artistic ability, though she often failed to understand his strange fascinations. In 1953 he attends the cantonal school in Chur (a technical school), and in 1957 attends the Institute Haute Rampe, Lausanne. In 1958 he goes to Alpina College, Davos, and then in 1959 he becomes an apprentice to architect Venatius Maisen, Chur, and the developer Hans Stetter Chur. Later that year he joined the Military College in Winterthur - as a mortar firer with light mobilized troops. And finally in 1962 he attends the School of Applied Arts, Zurich, in the department of Interior and Industrial Design. 	As Giger went through college, he produced many drawings, with ink and other mediums like glue and chalk, and ink paintings with such a large amount of ink that a razor was used to scrape out the details. Underground magazines and the occassional reputational art magazines published many of his work, and eventually one of Giger's freinds helped him create posters. He even had a 10 minute interview done on him by a freind who was a movie director. Soon, Giger began getting work on movies, in creating the monsters and sometimes environments. His residences for the most part were all in condemned buildings, using the wide space for art studios. Giger also began using the airbrush, and has become known as the best aircrush artist in the world. 	After college Giger's interest expanded into sculpturing and he became a master of a very broad amount of mediums. His work uses dark tones, usually black, grey, dark greens, and sometimes dark blues. Light is usually only used in his work to accent the darker tones to the peice. He developed the "biomechanicle" style, where it seems to mix the feel of something living and organic with the technicality of a machine. As a result, his peices are always eerie and often disturbing. His style would be best described as surrealism. 	His two most interesting movie exploits were the series of movies "Aliens", and "Species". One of his sculptures was found by Ridly Scott, Director of Alien, and he decided it was the perfect model for the creature in the movie.

Berlin and Pettit: Can their accounts of liberalism be sustained when c

Laws have the capacity to infringe civil liberties however they also provide a forum for its creation and development. For Berlin, his conception of liberty is based upon the idea of positive and negative freedoms. Liberty according to Berlin is viewed as freedom from interference; therefore laws which respect our freedoms are preferable as they allow for different paths of self-actualization. Pettit however considers liberty in terms of freedom from domination and considers the role laws and democracy can play in assuring individual freedoms. In addition to considering the respective approaches of Berlin and Pettit, their theories will also be considered in relation to terrorism. By considering their respective arguments in the context of terrorism, it becomes important to conceptualize laws not in terms of those which respect or interfere with our freedom, but rather how they are able to balance the competing interests of security and individual freedoms. Considering an Appropriate Framework There are a variety of traditions which examine the relationship between the rule of law and freedom, which include Berlin’s positive and negative liberty, Republican Liberalism and concept of freedom as a Triadic relationship . Historically, liberalism has been viewed as an attempt to limit state power to preserve individual freedoms however this remains an oversimplification of liberal thought. Whilst liberal rights can be understood as the freedom to pursue individual interests, they are best considered the product of a strong liberal state and the rule of law. Therefore, when considering laws which respect or interfere with our freedoms, it may be problematic to consider them in terms of simple binaries as different laws affect... ...ewsletter of PEGS, vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 9, 16-17. Pettit, P. 1993, "The Ideal of a Republic", The Newsletter of PEGS, vol. 3, no. 3, pp. pp. 9, 16-17. Putterman, T. 2006, "Berlin's Two Concepts of Liberty: A Reassessment and Revision", Polity, vol. 38, no. 3, pp. 416-446. Riley, J. 2001, "Interpreting Berlin's Liberalism", The American Political Science Review, vol. 95, no. 2, pp. pp. 283-295. Sigler, J.A. 1966, "The Political Philosophy of C. Wright Mills", Science & Society, vol. 30, no. 1, pp. pp. 32-49. Stillman, R. 2003, "Too Much Negative Liberty? Too Little Positive Liberty? (Or Why Berlin's Idea All Depends on Its Cultural Context)", Administrative Theory & Praxis, vol. 25, no. 4, pp. pp. 581-583. Zedner, L. 2005, "Securing Liberty in the Face of Terror: Reflections from Criminal Justice", Journal of Law and Society, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. pp. 507-533.

Communication Breakdown Essay -- Communication

Ever wonder why a message that seems clear to us is not comprehended by someone else the way we think it should be. How can something we think is stated so clearly become misunderstood that the person we are stating the message to becomes confused? Let’s examine the definition of the word communication. Defined by the freedictionary.com, communication is the exchange of thoughts, messages, or information, as by speech, signals, writing, or behavior. Merriam-Webster, defines communication as an act or instance of transmitting and, an exchange of information. Simply stated we are sending a message to the person who is receiving it. The idea we want to send should be clear to the person who is receiving the message, but that is not always the case. There are several factors that can breakdown a message in the communication process. Communication is only successful when both the sender and the receiver understand the same information as a result of the communication . A transactive model suggests we send and receive messages concurrently. If any kind of disturbance blocks any step of the communication, the message will be destroyed. There seems to be an interesting and sometimes disastrous disconnection between what is said, what is heard, and what happens next. No matter how much detail is given, there is always space for individual interpretation. Think of how many times a teacher can give instructions in a classroom only to discover not everyone did the assignment on time and correctly. The way people interpret situations or sets of facts depends on their personalities, background, experiences, values, attitudes, motives, assumptions, and expectations of each individual. Each individual brings to the situation a diff... ... 2011 www.web-authoring.com Communication Strategies, Power-Ed Solutions, Inc, Carol Dickson-Carr Glenn Standly, Selecting a Topic, Feb 12, 2011 Words Mean Different Things to People, Communication Resource Center, Bacal and Association, work911.com Denise4wm, How to Talk So People Will Listen, ehow.com Glenn Standly, Report or Business Activity, Feb 24,2011 Getting Understood Skills, Communication Resource Center, Bacal and Association, work911.com Denise4wm, How to Talk So People Will Listen, ehow.com Glenn Standly, Class Rules, Procedures and Suggestions, Jan 13,2011 Donnell King, Four Principals of Interpersonal Communication, pstcc.edu, 2009 Kendra Cherry, Top 10 Non-Verbal Communication Tips, Psychology about.com Delia Thompson, Body Language and Communication, SelfGrowth.com Glen Stanley, Selecting Your Topic, Feb 12, 2011

Huntington’s Argument

In his work The Clash of Civilizations Samuel P. Huntington presents a new challenging vision of cultural conflicts in the modern world. In his view, the growing role of civilization identity is likely to become the source of the major cultural conflicts. Certainly, it is difficult to reject the truth: we are all different in our religious, cultural, and social beliefs. Simultaneously, these differences may not be as dramatic as Huntington (1997) describes them. Neither India, nor China would have become the sources of miraculous economic transformation, if not for the cultural change; and Huntington seems to make a mistake, when separating culture from economic and social areas of global human performance. Huntington’s Argument In his work The Clash of Civilizations Samuel P. Huntington presents a new challenging vision of cultural conflicts in the modern world. In his view, the growing role of civilization identity is likely to become the source of the major cultural conflicts. Huntington (1997) is confident that â€Å"differences among civilizations are not only real; they are basic. Civilizations are differentiated from each other by history, language, culture, tradition and, most important religion†. The author suggests that North African immigration to France and the process of Asianization in Japan are the bright examples of the ways culture changes civilizations and generates irreversible cultural conflicts at micro- and macro- levels. At first glance, Huntington’s arguments seem rather plausible, but at deeper levels, they generate a whole set of relevant and reasonable objections. Certainly, it is difficult to reject the truth: we are all different in our religious, cultural, and social beliefs. Simultaneously, these differences may not be as dramatic as Huntington (1997) describes them. â€Å"In the past, the elites of non-Western societies were usually the people who were most involved with the West, had been educated at Oxford, the Sorbonne or Sandhurst† (Huntington, 1997); and the current situation is not different from the way it used to be a couple of centuries ago. The simple fact that Islamic extremists come to the U. S. to study and learn suggests that knowledge and education can serve the basis for global unification of ideas, regardless the religion and culture to which specific learning groups adhere. Huntington (1997) writes that â€Å"cultural characteristics and differences are less mutable and hence less easily compromised and resolved than political and economic ones†; but what about the cultural changes brought into Eastern countries from the West? India and China are the two countries that have been able to adapt to the new cultural environments, and to utilize the best features of global culture for the promotion of their social, economic and cultural growth. Obviously, neither India, nor China would have become the sources of miraculous economic transformation, if not for the cultural change; and Huntington seems to make a mistake, when separating culture from economic and social areas of global human performance.

Kate Chopin Essay

Adrianna Edwards February 11, 2013 American Literature, hour 6 Mr. Mulligan Is there anything in your life that you just want so badly but you can’t have? It’s always out of grasp? In Kate Chopin’s stories, examples of this can be seen. The woman in her stories and her era of time wished to be free and independent from the men and the influences of society. It almost seems that she is defying the conventional role of women of that era in society with her stories. In three of her stories, The Kiss, The Story of an Hour, and A Pair of Silk Stockings, it shows the women struggle with the men in their lives and societies expectations on women.In Kate Chopin’s story The Kiss, a girl named Nathalie has two suitors, Brantain and Harvey. Choosing between them is difficult because Brantain is very wealthy, but she loves Harvey. She had to choose between one or the other because she could not have both. Then at her and Brantain’s wedding, Harvey comes up to h er and says, â€Å"Your husband, has sent me over to kiss you. † This shows that Brantain in a way has control over Nathalie and can just send people over to kiss her. However Harvey also says to her, â€Å"I’ve stopped kissing women; it’s dangerous. This shows that even though Nathalie thought she got exactly what she wanted, both men and the love and money, she in fact did not. Another story by Kate Chopin is The Story of an Hour which shows a woman named Louise finding out about the death of her husband and then sitting in her room acknowledging it. She knows that she will mourn her husband’s death of course, but she also sees his death as a good thing. She loved her husband but she also welcomes her new independence and so when she is alone in her room she thinks to herself about what the future will hold with her freedom and she says, â€Å"Free!Body and soul free! † When she finally leaves her room she starts to head down the stairs and she sees who else but her dead husband! By the time the doctors arrive, Louise has died from â€Å"heart disease,† purportedly from â€Å"the joy that kills. † She was so close to being free and then she dies. In the story A Pair of Silk Stockings, it shows how women were supposed to be exceptional mothers and be happing being so. However when the woman of the story, Mrs. Sommers comes across fifteen dollars, and even though she planned on using it towards her children, she ends up spending the money on herself.It says â€Å"she seemed to see her way cleary toward a proper and judicious use of the money† that she had found which she was about to spend on her kids but while she was out shopping she let â€Å"her hand lay upon a pile of silk stockings†, and after this she decided that the money would be spent on herself. This story shows her putting herself before her children and family for the day which to the society was not something that happened or should happen very often. The stories show the woman and how they went against society and the men in their lives.Nathalie went against society because she used her knowledge to get what she wanted, which was the money and even though she also wanted love, money was her main desire. Louise went against society when she declared independence for herself after the death for her husband. Mrs. Sommers went against society by using the money to treat herself and not put the needs of her children before hers. All these women in Kate Chopin’s storied defied the views of society and the men in their lives. Kate Chopin herself even defied the views of society by writing these stoies.

Leadership and People

Promoting Servant Leadership in the Youth Defining Leading and Leadership Leading is defined as: 1. Influencing others to take action toward specific goal. 2. Guiding and directing on a course, and as serving as a channel. A leader is someone who has commanding influence. Leadership is defined as: 1. It is the process of influencing and directing activities of members toward goal accomplishment. 2. It is about ordinary people who care. People who care enough to get extra ordinary things done. 3. It is the capacity and will to rally men and women to a common purpose and the character which inspire confidence. . It is simply not an art (emotional/instinctual) or a science (rational/acquired). It is a blend of the rational and emotional, the innate and acquired, the ideal and practical. (Source: Peter Northouse, Leadership Theory and Practice, 2001)Lecture 6 – Leadership Styles Let us compare leadership styles. We can do this best by contrasting two opposite styles of leadership: the authoritarian and the democratic (or participate) style. 1. The Authoritarian Style shows certain characteristics and we can sum them up by saying that leaders falling under this category: are generally strong-willed, domineering, and to some extent, aggressive. †¢ must have their own way, which for them, seems the only way. †¢ look upon subordinates more as functionaries than as persons, and the best subordinates, in their estimation, follow directions without question. †¢ ordinarily are not ready to listen to views and suggestions of others (although they may pretend to), if they offer different opinions. †¢ not encourage equal relationships (i. e. adult to adult with underlings. As a rule, they do not allow themselves to get close to employees.They do not like to see employees get close to one another, for such cliques, as authoritarian leaders perceive them, might endanger their authority. †¢ have business-like and task-oriented attitudes. The job c omes first. †¢ generally blame poor results on the inability of others to carry out instructions correctly. The following self-talk describes the attitudes of authoritarian leaders: I know best what is to be done here. After all, I am better trained, more experienced, and better informed on the matter than anyone else here. The others in the group expect as much of me.This is after all, my job as their leader. Because I cannot do everything myself, I need their help, not their ideas and plans, to implement what needs to be done. I can take care of the thinking, and I do more than my share of the doing too, but I shall need their help here. I suppose I’ll have to listen to them. These days, they expect that much of me. But I don’t expect to hear anything new. I’m quite confident that we will end up doing it my way. Of course, I’ll handle the proceedings during the meeting and I’ll manage to control the pace of things as well.After all, the agen da is mine and I’ve thought each point through already. I’ll also dispose of any disputes that may arise, since the task is the thing that counts, and we can’t be held up by any petty personal squabbles. That would be a sheer waste of time. Better that we all keep our feelings to ourselves anyway. As a member of this leader’s group, one might see things this way, whether one likes it or not: The leader is the real spokesman of the group. He usually does most of the talking and all of the actual planning and only wants our approval and cooperation. In fact, his credentials are good.He does have more experience and competence than I have and he seems to have our best interests at heart. During the meetings, he doesn’t like to waste any time. While he’s not a very personable man, he’s always ready to help any of us, whatever the hour and however serious the problem. In one way, I’m happy that the leader takes all the responsibilit y of the group upon himself. That leaves me to do more or less what I want, just as long as I do the job he asks me to do. And he is generous with his praise of my work – I guess, because this reflects well on his leadership in the eyes of outsiders.But at the same time and probably for the same reason, he comes down hard when we make mistakes or he feels that we have let him down. I sometimes resent being so uninvolved and feeling so unimportant. I would like to speak out and even disagree with the leader – for he is not right all the time, but I’m not sure how this would go over with the others in the group. While we spend a lot of time talking about the boss and his ways outside meetings, we tend to turn into lambs when he is around. I guess it is because we would not like to hurt and upset him. So things keep going on in the usual way. 2.Democratic or Participative Style Characteristics of democratic leaders can be summed up in the following: †¢ They ar e generally as concerned with maintaining group effectiveness as with completing the task to be done. †¢ They encourage members in their groups to express their ideas and feelings, because they believe that such a climate leads to greater creativity and commitment. †¢ If they encounter resistance or conflicts, they allow them to surface and they seek the help of their groups in removing the resistance or resolving the conflicts. †¢ They encourage joint decision-making as well as shared goal-setting. They rarely set policies without explaining the reasons and proposing them to their groups, when they can, for suggestions and criticism. †¢ They believe that responsibility for getting a job done depends as much on the group as upon themselves. They try to have this attitude shared by all group members. †¢ They allow group members a good deal of freedom in their work, once they have shown their ability to do it. †¢ They keep looking for better ways to do th ings and are open to change when convinced that such changes seem called for and would lead to greater effectiveness. †¢ They believe in the effectiveness of group work.They also believe that groups of committed individuals working together have greater potentials than when those same members work as individuals. When we characterize the attitudes of such leaders in the following bit of self-talk: I place a high value on sound and creative decisions that emerge from real understanding and searching within a group of committed people who take their life together seriously. I listen for, and try to elicit, ideas and opinions that differ from my own. I have clear convictions, but I am also open to change in the face of sound ideas and reasoning.I realize that, however, competent and experienced I am, I may not have all the information needed, and definitely lack the experience of others in the group. I am always ready to learn. When conflicts arise in the group, I do my best, with the group’s help, to identify the issues involved and to uncover their resources. When aroused by someone or something, I try to contain myself and stay in touch with whatever might be going on inside of me. I try to maintain a sense of humor to keep things in perspective. I put a lot of energy into group work, because I firmly believe in the effectiveness of teamwork.As a member of this leader’s group, one might see things this way: I find the other members of the group quite friendly and cooperative, including the leader of the group. We all seem to have a common stake in what we are doing and in the group we belong to. We have developed a true team spirit, along with initiative and creativity. We keep looking for new better ways and our leader encourages us to do so. As far as possible, we make decisions and set goals as a result of group consensus. We all share in the success or failure. In our working together, as a group, we have experienced a â€Å"circle of s uccess† more than once.That same group member might reflect on the circle of success this way: A shared commitment to the group and its task leads to – interdependent efforts from its members to find the best way to complete those tasks, which in turn lead to – a degree of shared success in achieving those targets, and this accomplishment leads to – confidence in the group’s potential and back to – renewed commitment to the group and to its ongoing tasks. You like the atmosphere, and you find your own role both interesting and rewarding. 3. Another type of leadership style is the laissez-faire. This is a leader in name only.He fails to provide any direction for his group. Members are left the responsibility of leading and directing. (Source: Peter Northouse, Leadership Theory and Practice, 2001) Lecture 7 – Indispensable Qualities of a Leader The following are the indispensable qualities of a leader: 1. Character – How a leader deals with circumstances of life tells you many things about his character. – Crisis does not make character, but it certainly reveals it. – It is more than talk. Anybody can say that he has integrity, but action is the real indicator of character. Your character determines who you are. – It is a choice.It is said that talent is a gift but character is a matter of choice. – The beginning of character repair comes when your face your flaws, apologize and deal with the consequences of your action. 2. Charisma – Most people think of charisma as something mystical, almost undefinable. They think its’ a quality that comes at birth or not at all. But that’s not true. Charisma, plainly stated is the ability to draw people to you. And like other character traits, it can be developed. – In order to gain charisma, one should love life. People enjoy leaders who enjoy life. Think of the people you want to spend time with.How would you desc ribe them? They are celebrators and not complainers. They are passionate about life. If you want to attract people, you need to be like the people you enjoy being with. 3. Commitment – It separates the doers from the dreamers. If you to be an effective leader you have to be committed. True commitment inspires and attracts people. It shows them that you have conviction. They will believe in you only if you believe in your cause. – It starts in the heart. Most individuals want everything to be perfect before they are willing to commit themselves to anything.But commitment comes before achievement. It is an antecedent. If you want to make a difference in other people’s lives as a leader, look into your heart to see if you are really committed. – It is one thing to talk about commitment. But it is another to do something about it. The only real measure of commitment is action. As quoted by Arthur Gordon: â€Å"Nothing is easier than saying words. Nothing is harder than living them day after day. † 4. Competence – Responsible people show up when they are expected. But highly competent people take it a step farther. They don’t show up in body only.They come ready to play everyday – despite of what they feel, what kind of circumstances they are in, or how difficult to expect the game to be. – Like Benjamin Franklin, All highly competent people continually search for ways to keep learning, growing, and improving. – Performing at high level of excellence is always a choice, an act of the will. As leaders, we expect our people to follow through when we hand them the ball. Constituents expects that and a whole lot more form their leaders. 5. Courage – It begins with an inward battle. Every test you face as a leader begins within you.The test of courage is no different. As quoted by the psychotherapist Sheldon Kopp: â€Å"All the significant battles are waged within self. † Courage is not the absence of fear. It is doing what you are afraid to do. It means letting go of the familiar and forging ahead into something new. 6. Passion – Researchers spend a lot of time trying to figure out what makes other people successful. They often consider a person’s credentials, intelligence, education, and other factors. But what goes beyond those is what we call passion. Your burning desire determines your destiny. Think of great leaders, and you will be struck by their passion: Gandhi for human rights, Winston Churchill for freedom, Martin Luther King Jr. for equality, Bill gates for technology. – Anyone who lives beyond an ordinary life has great desire. It’s true in an any field: weak desire brings weak results, just as a small fire creates little heat. The stronger your fire, the greater the desire – and the greater the potential. 7. Problem Solvers – Effective leaders always rise to a challenge. That is one thing that separates winner s from winners. While others complain, leaders rise above predicaments with creativity and tenacity.No matter what field a leader is in, he will face a problem. – Leaders with good problem-solving ability demonstrate five qualities. 1. They anticipate problems. Since problems are inevitable, good leaders anticipate them. Anyone who expects the road to be easy will continually find himself in trouble. 2. They accept the truth. People respond to problems in these ways: they refuse to accept them; they accept them and put up with them; or they accept them and try to make things better. Leaders must always do the latter. Effective leaders face up to the reality of the situation. 3. They see the big picture.Leaders must continually see the big picture. They cannot afford to be overwhelmed by emotion. Nor can they allow themselves to get so bogged down in the details of the problems that they lose sight of what’s important. 4. They handle one thing at a time. Effective leade rs never try to solve all the problems at once because they know it would be a ceaseless striving. If you are face with lots of problems, make sure you really solve the one you are working on before moving to the next one. 5. They don’t give up a major goal when they are down. Effective leaders understand the peak-to-peak principle.They make major decisions when they are experiencing a positive swing in their leadership, not during the dark times. To improve your problem-solving skills, do the following: 1. Don’t avoid hassles/problems. If you have been avoiding them you’ll never have the opportunity to solve them. You’ll only get better if you gain experience dealing with them. 2. Develop a method. Some people have a hand time solving problems because they don’t know how to tackle them. Try using the TEACH process: T IME– spend time to discover the real issue. E XPOSURE– find out what others have done.A SSISTANCE– have your te am study all angles. C REATIVITY– brainstorm multiple solutions. H IT – implement the best solution. 8. Team Player – If you get along, they’ll go along. Leaders should have a contagious cheerful and positive disposition. They should be able to create an atmosphere of oneness. – According to Mr. John Maxwell, people don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care. It is true the ability to work with people and develop relationships is absolutely indispensable to effective leadership. People truly want to go along with people they get along with.And while someone can have people skills and not to be a good leader, he cannot be a good leader without people skills. 1. Have a Leader’s Head – Understand people – The first quality of a relational leader is then ability to understand how people feel and think. As you work with others, recognize that all people, whether leaders or followers, have some things in c ommon. – They like to feel special, so sincerely compliment them. – They want a better tomorrow, so show them hope. – They desire direction, so navigate them. – They want success so help them win. 2. Have a Leaders Heart – Love people According to the President and CEO of Difinitive Computer Services, Henry Gruland: â€Å"Being a leader is more than just wanting as lead. Leaders have empathy for others and a keen ability to find the best in people†¦not the worst†¦by truly caring for others. † 3. Extend a Leader’s Hand – Help people – People respect a leader who keep their interest in mind. If your focus is on what you can put in at people rather than what you can get out of them, they will love and respect you – and these create a great foundation for building relationships. 9. Visionary – You can seize only what you can see. Vision is everything for a leader. Because vision leads the leader. It p aints the target. It sparks and fuels the fire within. Show me a leader without a vision, and I’ll show you someone who is not going anywhere. – To get a handle on vision and how it comes to be a part of a good leader’s life, understand these things: 1. Vision starts within. If you lack vision, look inside yourself. Draw on your natural gifts and desires. Look to your calling if you have one. 2. Vision draws on your history. Vision is not some mystical quality that comes out of a vacuum as some people seem to believe.It grows from a leader’s past and the history of the people around him. Talk to any leader, and you’re likely to discover key events in his past that were instrumental in the creation of his vision. 3. Vision meets other’s Needs. True vision is far-reaching. It goes beyond what one individual can accomplish. And it has real value, it does more than just include others; it adds value to them. 4. Vision helps you gather resources. One of the most valuable benefits of vision is that it acts like a magnet-attracting, challenging, and uniting people. It also rallies finances and other resources.The greater the vision, the more winners it has the potential to attract. (Source: Peter Northouse, Leadership Theory and Practice, 2001) Lecture 8 – Towards Transformational Leadership Society’s transformation requires transformational leadership (Stephen Covey, 1992), transforming people and organizations in a literal sense – to change them in mind and in heart, enlarge vision, insight, and understanding, clarify purposes, make behavior congruent with beliefs, principles, or values, and bring about changes that are permanent, self-perpetuating and momentum building.Transformational leadership for Covey basically means that we change the realities of our particular world to more clearly conform to our values and ideals. It focuses on the â€Å"top line† and is principle-centered, thus it: â⠂¬â€œ builds on man’s need for meaning – is preoccupied with purposes and values, morals and ethics – transcends daily affairs – is oriented toward meeting long term goals without compromising human values and principles – separates causes and symptoms and works at prevention – values profit as the basis of growth – is proactive, catalystic, and patient focuses more on mission and strategies for achieving them – makes full use of human resources – identifies and develops new talent – recognizes and rewards significant contributions – designs and redesigns jobs to make them meaningful and challenging – releases human potentials – models love – leads out in new directions – aligns internal structures and systems to reinforce over arching values and goals Leadership is the ability to influence others towards desired goals, but transformational leadership includes doing the right thi ngs.The following virtues are considered as the foundation of transformational leadership: 1. Prudence – the habit which enables man to direct his actions to human life’s goals of knowing the right thing to do and applying it. 2. Justice – the habit of giving each one his due with constant and perpetual will; gives stability which man needs to work without fear and anxiety in the search for happiness. 3. Fortitude – the habit of overcoming the difficulties and pressures of life in the pursuit of good. 4. Temperance – the habit of bringing the desires and natural inclinations of man under the control of right reason. . Industry – the habit of working hard and working under pressure. 6. Loyalty – the habit of remaining true to your friends and to your principles (goals) inspite of difficulty. 7. Responsibility – the habit of being accountable for one’s actions, duties, obligations; readiness to answer to the consequences o f our actions. 8. Cheerfulness – the habit of being optimistic, positive, always seeing the bright side of things. 9. Generosity – the habit of sharing the good that one has with other people; thinking first of the people around him and looking for ways he can help and serve them. 0. Magnanimity – the habit of having great ideals and ambitions of doing good; being concerned with doing great deeds of service to others by devoting his life to serve his country or to help people. Covey identifies the following characteristics of principled-centered leaders: 1. They are continually learning: – constantly educated by their experiences – read, seek learning, take classes, listen to others, learn through both their eyes and their ears – continually expand their competence and ability to do things – develop new skills, new interests make and keep promises or commitments – increase their personal worth as they elevate themselves to the next level of challenge and make their self-mastery grow 2. They are service-oriented: – see life as a mission not as a career – â€Å"yoke† up every morning, think of others and put on the harness of service in various stewardships – believe that the effort to become principled-centered without a load to carry simply will not succeed – have a sense of responsibility, of service, of contribution 3. They radiate positive energy: cheerful, pleasant, happy – attitude is optimistic, positive, upbeat, enthusiastic – spirit is hopeful, believing – have an energy field or an aura that charges or changes weaker, negative energy fields around them – attract and magnify smaller positive energy fields – tend to either neutralize or sidestep the negative energy they come into contact with – wisdom gives them a sense of ho strong the negative energy source is and a sense of humor and timing in dealing with it 4. They be lieve in other people: do not overreact to negative behaviors, criticism or human weaknesses – realize that behaviors and potentials are two different things; believes in the unseen potential of people – feel grateful for their blessings – don’t carry grudges – refuse to label other people, to stereotype, categorize and prejudge – seek the oak tree in the acorn and understand the process of helping the acorn to become a great oak – create a climate for growth and opportunity 5. They lead balance lives: – intellectually active, having many interests – healthy sense of humor, particularly laughing at themselves and not t other’s expense – open their communication, simple, direct, and non-manipulative – their actions and attitudes are proportionate to the situation-balanced, temperate, moderate, wise – live sensibly in the present, carefully planning the future and flexibly adapting changing circ umstances – genuinely happy for other’s success and do not feel in any sense that these take anything from them – see success on the far side of failure; the only real failure for them is experience not learned from 6. They see life as an adventure: savor life because their security comes from within instead of from without – see old faces freshly, old scenes as if for the first time, rediscover people each time they meet them – like courageous explorers going on an expedition into unchartered territories – their security lies in their initiatives, resourcefulness, creativity, will power, courage, stamina, protection, and abundance of comfort zones in their home-camps – completely present when they listen – basically unflappable and capable of adopting virtually to anything that comes along 7. They are synergistic: as changed catalysts, they improve almost any situation they get into – in team endeavors they build on the ir strength and strive to complement their weakness with strength of others – in negotiating and communicating with others in seemingly adversarial situations, they learn to separate the people from the problem – focus on other person’s interests and concerns rather than fight over positions – together they arrive at sybergetic solutions, which are usually much better than any of the original proposals, as opposed to compromise solutions wherein both parties give and take a little . They exercise for self renewal: – regularly exercise the four dimensions of the human personality, physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual – exercise their minds through reading, creative problem-solving, writing, and visualizing – emotionally, they can make an effort to be patient, listen to others with genuine empathy, show unconditional love, accept responsibility for their own lives, make decisions, and reactions (Source: V. Gonzales, Values Integra tion and Promotion, 1997) Part IV – Volunteerism Lecture 9 – Serving Others: VolunteerismVolunteerism is a cross-cutting social phenomenon that involves all groups in society and all aspects of human activity. Volunteer action directly contributes to economic growth, social welfare and protecting the environment. It also helps to build and/or consolidate social capital and to promote more participation and self-initiative, thereby, establishing or stabilizing democratic processes. Volunteerism opens wide doors of opportunities for other things. Serving others can lead an individual to new avenues which he can gain valuable experiences in life.Through volunteer work, one can expand his horizon and learn how to live with other people and can even gain new friends. The experience of living in a new environment can make him more understanding and compassionate while at the same time learning new skills to develop his self-esteem and interpersonal skills. Opportunities abou nd for him to share his skills and resources, but so much more to share his hopes and dreams, and in the process, make other dreams come true. Serving others through volunteer work can challenge one to tap his resources, get in touch with his inner self and discover latent abilities he never thought he had.Given the responsibilities of a volunteer, many people have discovered their deep sense of commitment and the heart to help others. Volunteerism recognizes the power of individuals driven by their commitment to make a difference wherever they are. (Source: VSO Leaflet) Part V – Life Skills Seminar 1 – Disaster Preparedness and Management Disaster management has a broad scope covering disaster preparedness, organization and training, construction of disaster reduction facilities, disaster response and rehabilitation, public information, and research and development.Over the past few years, various emergencies services necessary during disaster have been developed in a ll the region and provinces. Designated organizations have been oriented in their various roles in the disaster management. Specialized skills in search and rescue, evacuation, disaster medicine, vulnerability analysis, damage assessment and first-aid have been widely undertaken. In 1995 alone, 159 training sessions on various aspects of disaster management have been conducted all over the country.Organizations and training are continuing disaster preparedness tasks which are undertaken to equip staff in various government services agencies, including volunteers from private sectors who are engaged in disaster response. Recognizing the vital role of the youth in rescue, evacuation, emergency and relief services, they are also trained to have specialized skills in disaster response for future mobilization by the National Service Reserve Corps. (Source: NDCC; OCD) Seminar 2 – Basic First Aid Safety is an ongoing concern that must never leave your thoughts.There is a primal inst inct in many people to dash to the rescue of those in need. Basic first aid allows you to quickly determine a person's physical condition and the correct course of treatment. Basic first aid refers to the initial process of assessing and addressing the needs of someone who has been injured or is in physiological distress due to choking, a heart attack, allergic reactions, drugs or alcohol or other medical emergencies. First aid is the provision of initial care for an illness or injury. It is usually performed by a non-expert person to a sick or injured casualty until definitive medical treatment can be accessed.Certain self-limiting illnesses or minor injuries may not require further medical care past the first aid intervention. It generally consists of a series of simple and in some cases, potentially life-saving techniques that an individual can be trained to perform with minimal equipment. (Source: Philippine National Red Cross) Part VI – Community-building: A Community De velopment Challenge Activity 9 – Story Telling Friendship Rainbow – Friendship Value Once upon a time the colors of the world started to quarrel. All claimed that they were the best. The most important. The most useful.The favorite. Green said: â€Å"Clearly I am the most important. I am the sign of life and of hope. I was chosen for grass, trees and leaves. Without me, all animals would die. Look over the countryside and you will see that I am in Majority. † Blue interrupted: â€Å"You only think about the earth, but consider the sky and the sea. It is the water that is the basis of life and drawn up by the clouds from the deep sea. The sky gives space and peace and serenity. Without my peace, you would all be nothing. † Yellow chuckled: â€Å"You are all so serious. I bring laughter, gaiety, and warmth into the world.The sun is yellow, the moon is yellow, the stars are yellow. Every time you look at sunflower, the whole world starts to smile. Without m e there would be no fun. † Orange started next to blow her trumpet: â€Å"I am the color of health and strength. I may be scarce, but I am precious for I serve the needs of human life. I carry the most important vitamins. Think of carrots, pumpkins, oranges, mangoes, and papayas. I don't hang around all the times, but when I fill the sky at sunrise or sunset, my beauty is so striking that no one gives another thought to any of you. â€Å"Red could stand no longer he shouted out: â€Å"I am the ruler of all of you. I am blood – life's blood! I am the color of danger and of bravery. I am willing to fight for a cause. I bring fire into the blood. Without me, the earth would be as empty as the moon. I am the color of passion and of love, the red rose, the poinsettia and the poppy. † Purple rose up to his full height. He was very tall and spoke with great pomp: â€Å"I am the color of royalty and power. Kings, chiefs, and bishops have always chosen me for I am the sign of authority and wisdom. People do not question me.They listen and obey. † Finally Indigo spoke, much more quietly than all the others, but with just and as much determination: â€Å"Think of me. I am the color of silence. You hardly notice me, but without me you all become superficial. I represent thought and reflection, twilight and deep water. You need me for balance and contrast, for prayer and inner peace. † And so the colors went on boasting, each convinced for his or her own superiority. Their quarreling became louder and louder. Suddenly there was a startling flash of bright lightning, thunder rolled and boomed.Rain started to pour down relentlessly. The colors crouched down in fear, drawing to close to one another for comfort. In the midst of the clamor, Rain began to speak: â€Å"You foolish colors, fighting amongst yourselves, each trying to dominate the rest. Don't you know that you were each made for a special purpose, unique and different? Join hands with one another and come to me. † Doing as they were told, the colors united and join hands. The rain continued: â€Å"From now on, when it rains, each of you will stretch across the sky in a great bow of color as a reminder that you can all live in peace.The Rainbow is a sign of hope for tomorrow. † And so whenever a good rain washes the world, and a rainbow appears in the sky, let us remember to appreciate one another. Friendship is like a rainbow: Red like an apple, sweet to the core. Orange like a burning flame, never dying out. Yellow like the sun that brightens your day. Green like a plant that keeps on growing. Blue like the water that is so pure. Purple like a flower that is ready to bloom. Indigo like the dreams that fill your heart. Thank you for our friendship! Lecture 10 – Working Together through Community DevelopmentAn honest reflection on the many local and national issues that exist today can be intimidating, even discouraging. The present Filip ino community is beset with problems such as low level of living, low level of productivity, poor marketing system, oppressive and teneurial arrangements and practices, unemployment and underemployment, limited genuine support facilities for socio-economic development, poor health condition, low level of education, cultures of silence and poverty, personalized policies and community disorganization.These factors exist, and they play a part in shaping our society. But just as these limitations are facts of life, so too is our genuine concern to those in need. The ultimate goal of development is â€Å"to improve the quality of life. † To achieve this goal of development, this requires an integrative process of mobilization and the raising of the consciousness of the people and the building of community organizations. The development process to be truly responsive, effective, equitable and sustainable, must be people-empowered, people-centered and towards community empowerment.S uch empowerment implies that the decision-making must be given to the people involved, thereby incorporating into the development process their own needs and values (Dr. Vivian Gonzales, VIP-CWS, Laguna: Sikap Strive Foundation, 1997). Through community development, the students together with the people in the community develop a common feeling of solidarity and become aware that they can achieve positive changes not only for themselves but also for their community. Lecture 11 – A Brief History of Community DevelopmentCommunity development as a new discipline, grew out of an older concept – community organization. In the 1950’s a number of social scientists and educators formed the American Council on the Community, a relatively short-lived organization whose purpose was the institutionalization of scattered efforts throughout the United States to improve American community life. This effort was built on the experience acquired during World War II when millions of Americans participated in volunteer efforts and organized to deal with local problems.This was the time when United Unions agencies and the technical assistance programs of the West sought to help the developing countries (Third World countries) move along the road to economic progress (modernization). Community development became one of the models (strategies) employed toward the transformation. The term received so much attention and recognition not only in the developing world but also in the US that it came to replace â€Å"community organization† even in the US.Programs to help the impoverished areas of Appalachia or large metropolitan centers were legislated into existence and were labeled either as Community Development or Rural Development in the statutes. The essential feature was resource mobilization (people as well as material resources) at the community level so as to introduce a better quality of life. It included, among others, a new kind of stock taking by local residents, the use of outside consultants in interpreting the facts collected and in planning programs to meet the needs that were identified.In the 1960’s over sixty countries either had well-formulated national community development programs or were in the process of bringing them into existence. Leaders of nations in Africa, Central, and South America, and Asia/Pacific after World War II faced tremendous tasks of nation building. This was due to the long periods of colonization under European nations faced with large-scale problems and relatively inadequate resource-utilization (low technical-know-how) national leaders embraced the idea of mobilizing local people carry out community projects.The Community Development program of India, for example, was set up to aid the inhabitants of 558,000 villages attain a higher social and material level of well – being. Multi-purpose village level workers, especially trained for this new challenge, met with the village pe ople, helped them to recognize and identify their needs and potentials and offered technical and moral assistance to meet their needs. The technical assistance was given by specialists in agriculture, animal husbandry, road building, irrigation, education, health and sanitation, rural cooperatives, etc. The basic unit was the block which comprised 100 villages.Other countries, of course, worked out the kind of community development programs best fitted to their situation. The key common element to all countries was the thrust toward self-help and communal labor to undertake projects they considered important. Any compensation of labor was often channeled through the local community authorities by the external funding agencies so that other projects could be further financed (e. g. the â€Å"food-for-work† programs). These community development program were often fitted into national five-year to ten year plans to ensure the allocation of sufficient resources to these efforts at the â€Å"grass-roots† level.To many national leaders such programs seemed a way toward democratization and decentralization of the political process; they gave local people a feeling of being involved in nation-building and showed that the central government was actually beginning to show an interest in their welfare. In recent years, however, the central government is found wanting in this direction because the interest in this approach begins to wane due to greater focus being placed on urban development at the expense of rural development. (Source: ASI CD Monograph, 1998) Lecture 12 – Definition of the ConceptThere are many definitions of community development. The definitions vary according to type of agency, the setting, the method of operation and the purpose of the agency. Despite their differences, they share certain commonalities in their definitions. Thus, in defining the concept community development, these elements are evident: †¢ a group of people ; †¢ residing in a community; †¢ reaching a decision; †¢ to initiate a social action process (planned intervention); †¢ in order to have a desirable change in their social, economic, political, cultural, or environmental situation.Community Development is a planned, organize and evolutionary process whereby a group of people with common aims, needs and aspirations come together to initiate social action in order to improve their social, economic, political, cultural, and environmental conditions. The term â€Å"community development† came into international usage to connote the processes by which the efforts of people themselves are united with those of governmental authorities to improve the economic, social and cultural conditions of communities, to integrate these communities into the life of the nation, and to enable them to contribute fully to national progress.This complex of processes is made up of two essential elements: the participation of the pe ople themselves in efforts to improve their level of living with as much reliance as possible on their own initiatives and the provision of technical and other services in ways which encourage initiative, self-help, and mutual help and make them more effective in programs designed to achieve a wide variety of specific improvements such as health, environmental conservation etc. This definition was coined by the United Nations. (Source: ASI CD Monograph, 1998)Lecture 13 – The Aims and Objectives of Community Development Aim, is a term that is simply defined as a â€Å"clearly directed purpose†. It is sometimes used interchangeably to mean objective or goal. In the context of Community Development, the words â€Å"aim† and â€Å"objectives† are not easy to defined. However the aim of community development is refer to a community action. This does not help much to understand without referring to the reality of community development practice. In reality the p rimary objective of community development is to promote, sustain, support and maintain community action.Apparently, community development is related to community action, just as education, is related to learning. Hence, in promoting community development these must be some kind of community action to initiate or to guide the promoter to carry out either social or economic activities to improve their welfare or to solve their real problems. In order to arrive at a simpler understanding of the aims and objectives of community development, it may be worthwhile looking into the different types of community development and their respective objectives. Looking at each of them will underline both their differences and similarities.From this standpoint, it may be possible to infer a general aim of community development through the synthesis of their common element. 1. Community Work Type This can be regarded as a professional approach to community development which has developed within the field of social work. It came into being in response to increasing demand for social services for the age, the sick, the unemployed etc. The objective of this type of community development work ahs been given as the, â€Å"giving of aid and support to people who need more control over their lives. †Examples: a. When members of a community offer voluntary services to a victim of say, typhoon, who lost his/her house. Oftentimes, other people in the community may offer temporary shelter, food, clothing etc. to the victims. This is typical norm of the Asian people, specially in rural areas. b. Community voluntary work in the community such as clearing, or weeding the local market or repairing the streets. 2. Colonial Social Development Type This type came into existence when many colonized nations in the Third World attained self – rule (independence).The objective of colonial social development type was to integrate economic and social programs into education for self â⠂¬â€œ management programs and for the development of the political structure in the newly independent nations. Examples: a. Rural Rice Milling Cooperatives. b. Rural Thrift and Savings Societies. c. Educational and Health programs. 3. Urban Renewal Types The purpose of urban renewal type is to break down social isolation and give more meaning to personal existence by encouraging the formation of social groups of different kinds which will organize own affairs. Example:When urban squatters are re-settled, new residential associations are formed to undertake the provision of water, light, and sanitary facilities for their benefit. They are encouraged to undertake self-help projects to realize their own social activity goals. 4. Adult Education Types The aim of adult education type is to help in the identification and development of local leaders; to foster the concern life and enable communities to deal with existing problems. Example: The institution of skill training and livelihood development programs in order to produce people who will be more enterprising and entrepreneuring. . Institutional Type The objective is to encourage those who have been provided formal service, to take action on their own behalf and in addition, to accept responsibilities to render service to others. Example: Youth organizations provide social, recreational and cultural services for the community. 6. The Idealist / Political Activist Types It aims at giving practical expression to social justice through militant action in order to see beneficial change for the participants within the shortest possible time. 7. The Community Development Type This is known the â€Å"kampong-based† type.The aim is towards the development of the potential of individual members of the target group. It stresses on self-reliance and participation to bring about desirable socioeconomic transformations. It also stresses on cultural exchange between Kampong in other countries to stimulate globalizatio n. (Source: ASI CD Monograph, 1998) Lecture 14 – The Major Purposes of Community Development The overall purpose of community development is to help people employ the rights methods to organize self-help initiatives and to develop techniques relevant to their own situation for socio-economic and cultural progress.Specifically, community development: 1. Is designed to meet the learning needs of significant groups in the community e. g. community leaders or civic or special interest organizations. 2. Enhance the ability of groups of individuals so that they can work collectively to attain community social and economic goals. 3. Teaches about matters relating to community or region, generally associated with social structures and public as well as private and voluntary enterprises. 4. Emphasis on shaping infrastructure and social organizational support through involvement in the legislative, including formal financial and business enterprises. Source: ASI CD Monograph, 1998) Lec ture 15 – Basic Stages in the Community Development Process A process is something which has a beginning and an end, and it happens over time. In the community development process, certain distinct stages are essential for its promotion. There are various listings of stages or steps in literature on community development. But I shall somehow oversimplify it here. 1. The Problem Situation A situation may exist in a community which represents a need, a problem, an opportunity, or a challenge to a community group, or to the entire community.Usually it would be tackled as a community project. 1. The Will To Do Through discussion, diffusion of ideas and with information input, the group involved may reach a point where it is beginning to form a will to do something about it. 2. Organizing Some form of organization is established with a certain amount of commitment from individuals to some in-depth and specific thinking about the project. 3. Getting to the People At this stage, the process moves to the general membership of the community. Information is diffused and educational work is undertaken community-wide. The potential exists for conflict.Considerable discussion, and expression of viewpoints. General goals may become clear and some commitments may be made. 4. The Planning Process If the project is blessed by legitimizers, the planning process will begin. The definition of objectives, availability of options or alternatives, and availability of resources may be assessed. The end result may be a plan to approach the project with specific information. 5. Execution Phase Initiation of the projects is often an occasion to build community spirit and identity and to cement commitment depending on the project, it is often an important occasion in the community. . Evaluation Evaluation is an on – going process (monitoring) but the final assessment is undertaken upon completion of the project. Community members try to review their experience for strength and weaknesses. The experience gained may be used in future community development projects. (Source: ASI CD Monograph, 1998) Part VII. Understanding Community Organizing Lecture 16 – Defining Community Organizing Community Organizing (CO), as commonly used has already joined the â€Å"wagon of over-used† words both in the academic and non-academic circles.Every agency or organization has its own interpretation of things around its own interpretation of things around it and therefore it must be no surprise that CO, like other terms, has different definitions depending on who, where and for what. It is popularly used among development practitioners, social workers, health workers, agriculturists, forest workers, teacher and even students. There are those who use CO to promote en environmental protection while there are those who use environmental protection promotes community organizing.Some say that CO is building organizations, other say it is just one of the aims of C O. some practitioners say that tantamount to doing community development. Community organizing is not just physically gathering and organizing people so that they can collectively participate in solving problems. CO is more a process of community-based decision-making involving the intervention of a change agent particularly regarding the exploitation of community-based resources. As Paulo Freire noted in his participatory approach research, â€Å"Man is being who exist in and with the world.To exist is thus a mode of life which is proper to the being who is capable of producing, of deciding, of creating and communicating himself. † Let us now look at several definitions of community organizing: It is the process of bringing about and maintaining adjustment between the social welfare needs and resources in a geographical area or special field of service. This means that a community needs to be aware that their needs can be responded by what the community’s physical bou ndaries. Adjustment of these needs with the available resources will require: ) Identifying what resources are exploitable; b) Planning on how to tap, use and re-use them; c) Employing environmentally safe appropriate technology; and d) Promoting collective human action in the resource management/maintenance. That is, in the essence, organizing the people for a common purpose/goal. According to the Philippines Business for Social Progress (PBSP), â€Å"CO is a systematic, planned and liberating change process of transforming a complacent, deprived malfunctioning community into conscious, empowered, self-reliant and just humane entity and institution†.This means, the community as a social unit, needs to learn so that they become empowered to address problems confronting them. CO is a process forged along people’s empowerment and the eventual formation of a self-reliant organization that will facilitate development in a sustainable manner. Apart from the above definition s, I would like to re-visit the concern that has been expressed for sometime now on the misuse and abuse of the concept of CO. (Source: ASI CD Monograph, 1998) Lecture 17 – The Concept of Community Organizing 1. Of Means and Ends (Process and Result)As a process, CO is a series of interrelated activities with the aim of unifying the people into an organization process, characterized by people’s participation in all aspect or stages of the organizing process. CO is a complex process that goes beyond the mere setting up of a formal organization. It is a process which ultimately influences the patterns of relationships in the community through the development and maintenance of a normative system. Such norms are expected to affect the values, belief, attitudes and aspiration of the people in the community.As a radical approach in bringing development to the community. Being radical, CO employs coercion, advocacy and even threat to uproot the causes of social injustice in the development of the people. Although CO starts by addressing small and simple issues which the people can immediately act on or solve, its main focus is to dig into the root cause of the problems. As a result of the organizing process, CO refers to the resulting entity, which is the legitimate and real organization of the people.It becomes the real manifestations of the people’s collective wills to be able to participate, voice out and be heard and also to act and decide as unified body (group). The resulting organization mirrors the people’s interests, sentiments and aspiration. Does the end always justify the means? There is, without a flaw, the perennial question about the ethical considerations of the irreverent attitude and the unconventional methods that effective COs have employed in their practice. But Alinsky resorted thus:Conscience is the virtue of observations and not of agent of action; in action, one does not always enjoy the luxury of a decision that is consistent both with one’s individual conscience and good of mankind; action is for mass salvation and not for individual’s personal salvation – particularly in the midst of society’s innate hypocrisy, its contradictions and apparent failure of almost every facet of our social and political life. 2. Of Power By giving power to the people we bring about â€Å"the future secured in the people’s hands†.Power is the basic element in the community organizing process. People’s power in CO is not based on material wealth in status in society. A powerful people’s organization (PO) is, therefore, an important means to find redress for their grievances and act against those conditions that appear and dehumanize them. People’s empowerment is making the people more assertive and advocative to face and fight human rights violations and exploitations. It is a process involving the recognizing and building upon innate capacity.It is not a program or activity but a process of enabling people, especially the weak, the poor, the unorganized, the illiterate, the oppressed to learn to surmount their powerlessness and to try to develop their God-given capacity to reach their in-born potential. Becoming vocal, they may be guaranteed basic freedom, opportunities and self-governance at the grassroots level. 3. Of Conflict (And Controversy) In CO, dissatisfaction or discontent (discontentment) is viewed as a positive ingredient that nourishes the enlightenment and development of a community.This is because it motivates people to come together and discuss and determined to solve problems affecting them. CO sees confrontation as a necessary and useful tool in solving social injustice. Change is part of human life and conflict (or friction) indispensable in social change. To live is to change. Change and conflict are fraternal twins in societal change. One functional aspect of conflict is that it leads to a search for solu tions. It is an instrumental for innovative change.It also helps to release the latent socio-psychological frustration. 4. Of Praxis (Theory and Practice/Reflection and Action) By a praxis here, it means that theory and practice o0f community organizing. In the day-to-day community improvement or organizing work, it is difficult to identify or separate the theory from the practice. Theory and practices should be so inter-woven and complementary, each testing and strengthening the other. It also refers to reflection and action. 5. Of Conscientization (Critical Awakening)Conscientization refers to the process in which men (humans) are not recipients, but as knowing subjects, achieve deepening awareness both of the socio-cultural reality which shapes their lives and their capacity to transform that reality (Paulo Freire; 1972). Conscientization involves reflection and action occurring simultaneously in the process of organizing wherein critical reflection becomes form of action. Featur es of Conscientization: 1. It is people’s organized response because the system it contends (struggles with) is organized. . It mirrors and unmasks the different aspects (realities) of the system so that the people see them for what they are. 3. It changes attempts by elites to petrify (solidify) the culture of poverty and galvanize (electrifies) within people the spirit of critical awareness and mass protest. At the same time, it promotes the spirit of cooperation, unity and sincerity among the people to fight against the individualistic, competitive, exploitation and selfish characteristics of the elites. (Source: ASI CD Monograph, 1998)Lecture 18 – Goals of Community Organizing Community organizing aims at achieving the following broad goals: 1. People’s Empowerment CO helps the community to become better equipped with appropriate skills, ethics to assert and advocate for their rights, towards social equity, fairness and human dignity. 2. Building Organizatio n The organizing process brings into being relatively permanent structures that can better serve the needs and aspirations of the community. A viable, self- reliant and grassroots-managed organization (PO) is one of the aims of CO. hrough formal or non-formal set-ups or structures, the community acquires the skills of community management. 3. Building Alliances Community organizing aims to give the people, skills in intra and inter organizational management and processes through group linkages and networking among the various groups in the community. 4. Popular Democracy Popular democracy entails such attributes as consensus-building in decision-making, planning and participation in community projects. It gives rise to â€Å"one man one vote† system, freedom of speech and freedom of religion, among others. . Social Transformation CO seeks to change the life of a community and the whole society into a democratic, nationalistic, self-reliant and self-governing entity. An entity to address the needs of individual members as well as community-based concerns such as environmental degradation. 6. Development of Local Leaders It aims to identify local leaders and equip them with the necessary skills to better serve their people. (Source: ASI CD Monograph, 1998) Lecture 19 – The Guiding Principles of Community OrganizingCO like other concepts, has set of principles to guide the practice. It is people’s organized response because the system it contends (struggles with) is organized: Go to the people. Live among them. Learn from them. Plan with them. Work with them. Start with what they know. Build on what they have. Teach by showing. Learn by doing. Not by showcase, but a pattern. Not odds and ends, but a system. Not piecemeal, but an integrated approach. Not to conform, but to transform. Not relief, but release. Go to the people and live among the people.Learn the culture of the people and try to integrate into the culture. Learn, plan and work wi th the people. The people are highly knowledgeable about the local situation so the community organizer must avail of this opportunity. Start from where the people are in their development. There must be a proportionate blend between top-down and bottom-up technologies in order to tap the indigenous resources in the community. Teach by learning first from the people. The community organizer must realize that local or indigenous knowledge is not inferior to Western or scientific knowledge.Respecting the people’s knowledge will encourage them to learn other skills to complement what they already know. Integrative and holistic approach. The community organizing must focus on the interdependency and the interrelatedness of the factors needed to transform the situation of the people for the better. Cumulative and continuous. CO is not one time great even but grows gradually without break until specific problems are addressed and phased-out. (Source: ASI CD Monograph, 1998)