Thursday, October 31, 2019

Textual Analysis Of Western Europe In South-West India Essay

Textual Analysis Of Western Europe In South-West India - Essay Example For example, one set of authors might indicate the absence of nothing positive to learn from  one  part of the world. On the other hand, a different set of authors might provide a positive viewpoint of the same part of the world provided by the first set of authors. Nonetheless, the differences in the differing viewpoints are a result of the different undertakings that these authors carried out in order to build their opinions and justifications for their viewpoints. In their separate articles, Richard Grove and James D. Tracy provide two different viewpoints of Europe’s involvement in the South East Asia during the Renaissance period. In this case, the two authors use different sources to provide evidence about two differing sets of societies in South East Asia that Europeans interacted with during this period. On  one hand, Grove presents a dark side of the region during the time the Dutch East India Company carried out its operations. In this regard, Grove’s ar ticle depicts a region whose leaders represented an illustration of ways not to govern territories since the authors used sources that identified the leadership of the Asian region as despotic. In effect, Grove does not identify any influential role that the region played in Europe. On the other hand, James D. Tracy's article identifies the region as influential in developing medicine and botany in Europe. In this case, Tracy’s sources outline the influential role of the South East Asia society in developing classification systems and defining contemporary medicine and botany. Hence, this expose is an analysis of these differing viewpoints and identifies the authors disagreement due to the various sources used in developing the two disagreeing articles. In a synopsis, Grove’s article is a description of what the Portuguese and Dutch learnt from their interaction with the indigenous communities in South-West India. The author indicates the simulation of an awareness of the wider world in Western Europe. In addition, the author indicates that the voyages and the explorations enabled the development of natural history and the status of government. In this case, the article seems to indicate that the Dutch and Portuguese and the entire Western Europe benefited from their interactions with South-East Asia. For example, as the first explorers, the Portuguese had earlier settled and occupied territories of the indigenous people of South-West India. In line with this, the Portuguese explorative agenda was instrumental in accelerating the renewed interest in botanic gardens and medicine, which was through the knowledge offered by the indigenous communities in South-West India.1Conversely, the author argues that the Dutch’s replacement of the Portuguese in South-West India also benefited the Dutch since they interacted with the local communities and established a relationship that contributed to modern-day medicine and classification system.2 To del iver the argument about the benefits that the Portuguese and Dutch accrued from these communities, the author argues that European and Asian constructions of nature are a result of the South-West India and the Leiden botanic gardens incorporation.3 The author identifies two texts as core in the diffusion of botanic gardens into the explorative nature of the Europeans. The first of this text is the Coloquioso by Da Orta while the other text is Hortus Malabaricus by Van Reede.4 The author identi

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Should Pluto be considered as a Planet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Should Pluto be considered as a Planet - Essay Example In the end around 2700 astronomers agreed that the solar system be divided into two categories called 'Planet' and 'Dwarf Planet'. Pluto being put in the category of 'Dwarf Planet' that means it will no longer be placed in the company of eight planets viz. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. A new distinct class of objects called 'Dwarf planets was decided with Ceres, Pluto and 2003 UB313 (temporary name) being the first three members of this club. When Pluto was discovered, in 1930 astronomers assumed that it had a mass comparable to Earth's. Only gradually, in the ensuing decades, did celestial mechanicals come to realize that this grossly overestimated. Pluto turned out to be less than 1% of Earth's size. With the advent of powerful new telescopes on the ground and in space, planetary astronomy has gone though an exciting development over the past decade and we are bound to find many more dwarf planets in future, if we continue placing them all in the list of 'Planets', in the company of Earth moon then we'll doing injustice to this elite club members having such distinctive features as life, air, water, atmosphere etc. Astronomy, the branch of physics studying celestial bodies, gives room for improvements and evolutions with newer discoveries. Since the time in 1930 when Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto, many similar objects were discovered in the outer solar system, most notably the Trans-Neptunian object Eris which is slightly larger than Pluto. If we continue to treat Pluto as a Planet, it is bound to give room for more debates for including some more names in the list. Pluto is very unlike its inner neighbors, the gas giants Uranus and Neptune. This thought led to the exclusion of Pluto from the refurbished Hayden Planetarium in New York City when it unveiled its spiral planet walk. This goes on to prove that Pluto's place in the list was being doubted for long. We now know of thousands of small icy bodies in a zone called the Kuiper Belt and at least 100 of them are like Pluto. Studies are still on to look for many more. The article states that 'there are two fundamentally different ways to define planets. One is to treat the planets as dynamically interacting ensemble with bodies that perturb each other gravitationally. This approach is what led to Pluto originally being considered as massive as the Earth-to account for the perturbations on Neptune and Uranus that were supposedly the basis of Percival Lowell's prediction of a trans-Neptunian planet. But as the decade rolled by, astronomers realized that apparent irregularities in the motions of the outer planets were attribution to an erroneous mass assigned to Neptune. Pluto, discovered by coincidence roughly where Lowell said it should be, is actually an irrelevant lightweight compared to the main family of planets.' Pluto, Eris and others require to be studied and analyzed further, before we arrive

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Marxist Theory of Crime: An Overview and Analysis

Marxist Theory of Crime: An Overview and Analysis What can a Marxist understanding of society contribute to criminological theory? Marxist understanding of the society sets the tone by giving an economic analysis of the society that sees a class struggle between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie. This struggle contains the attempts by the proletariat to free themselves from the domination of the bourgeoisie as they seek to take over the means of production. As Chablis states, the capitalist society is where the means of production are in private hands and where the inevitably develops a division between the class that rules and the class that is ruled, it creates a substantial amount of crime (Chablis, 2016). Marxism is a conflict theory established to create a belief that the capitalist system is just a way in which the bourgeoisie control and exploit the proletariat. It underlines the unequal conflict between these two social classes in the society. Marxist understanding of the society provides an explanation or gives us the opportunity to understand the criminological theory from a different perspective. It perpetuates an understanding of how the significant gaps between the social classes are the prime reason for criminal acts, it explains this through the income gaps, the exploitation of profit through labour, using consumers as an instrument to the end profit. Chablis Crime diverts the lower classes attention from the exploitation they experience and directs it towards other members of their own class rather than towards the capitalist class or the economic system. (Chablis, 2016) this reinforces the whole idea of capitalism structured only to favour the bourgeoisie as the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. It also underlines how weve accepted being exploited as something natural and making ourselves wage slaves (i.e. slave to the market, low pay and precarious employment, to the petty tyranny of managers, to the crises of capitalism). This essay would address how the Marxist perspective comes into play in contributing to the criminological theory. The mode of production consists of both the means of production (the technological process) and the relationship of different classes to the means of production. The distinction between those who own and those who work for others is crucial. Often of the most violent sort, as a result,it emanate from the capitalist system. Chablis in his writing reinforces upon the prime Marxist factor in understanding the criminological theory Due to the division of class, conflicts awake and this manifests in rebellions and riots among the proletariats, the state, acting in interests of the owners of the means of production will pass laws designed to control, through the application of state-sanctioned force, those acts of the proletariat which threaten the interests of the bourgeoisie. This act is defined as criminal. (Chablis, 2016) The capitalist system is one which is subject to the crisis, due to its structure and how it functions, Marx and Engel argue that capitalism brutalises the poor, it f osters immorality and creates a higher likelihood for people to want to commit a crime. This can be supported from Mertons idea of the strain theory; he explains this theory using the idea of the American Dream. In this, he illustrates how the end goal, is to achieve the American dream, however, those who cant achieve this dream through legal means become delinquent in an attempt to achieve their goal in one way or the other. The structure of capitalism creates both the desire to consume and for a large mass of people. For those with the inability to earn the money necessary to purchase the items, they have been taught to want means they become delinquent. On this note, Marx would say, capitalism functions on this factors, without people being delinquent, capitalism cannot function as it thrives on poverty, unemployment and crime. Marx would also further on say, the bourgeoisies power to create and make law is what provides power, work and ability to control and bend the rules in th eir favour. As also argued by Chablis, The criminal law is not a reflection of custom but is a set of rules laid down by the state in the interests of the ruling class. Due to class structure, criminal behaviour is now inevitable. Criminal behaviour is a product of the economic and political system in a capitalist society. (Chablis, 2016) Criminality is simply not something that people have or dont have, crime is not something some people do and some dont. Crime is a matter of who can pin the label on whom and underlie this socio-political process is the structure of social relations determined by the political economy.so therefore, Marxist understanding of society contributes in making us understanding the criminological theory but illustrating how the apparent significant social gap amongst class contributes to the criminological theory. The starting point for the understanding of society is the realisation that the most fundamental feature of peoples lives is their relationship to the mode of production. Willem Bonger view on the criminological theory underlines that capitalism is a culture of egoism, greed, the rich legitimately but also criminally greedy, the poor illegitimately greedy. He illustrated how the criminal justice system permits the selfish greed of the rich but criminalises that of the poor. This shows that the system significantly favours one social class and on the other hand significantly criminalises the other. The war or fight against crime is one which cant be won. The criminal justice system doesnt help but rather create a system of policing and punishment which reproduces the problem of crime which causes re-offenders to re-offend. Marxist understanding of the society creates a premise that there is a causal system in play. The proletariat is constantly in the struggle of overthrowing the bour geoisie to create a utopian society ruled by all people. The constant attempt of the proletariat in overthrowing the bourgeoisie means it gets defined as a crime and therefore the proletariats are classed as criminals. This is as a result of the bourgeoisie actively working to set laws in place that oppress the proletariat by creating crimes that target the proletariat or put in place systems such as unemployment equals prison. As once the consumer cant consume at will, they become delinquent. So, therefore, Marxist understanding of society contributes to criminological theory in illustrating how the social gaps cause a causal effect where the bourgeoisie uses their power in making the proletariat delinquent. Marxist understanding of the society on criminological theory poses the notion that crime is an ideological construct as they do not refer to those behaviours which objectively cause harm, injury and suffering. Marxist understanding denotes that the capitalist structure creates a state of illusion. In this, he explains how the bourgeoisie uses their control to keep the masses ignorant of their exploitation. These results in the isolation of the worker from the process of production, the lack of control over work mean that the person identifies themselves as a machine and therefore work appears alien. The difference class system gap leaves the proletariat oppressed, with no power whatsoever to alleviate their situation. This then brings into light the whole idea of ideological control through the use of media in portraying an image of something which isnt necessarily the case. This, of course, depicts a false illusion and creates a society where people are unsure of their identity or in fact living a fake identity in and within their societies. This essentially means the proletariat are being set up to fail by the bourgeoisie and punished by the legal system when they do fail. As Greenberg states there must be something rotten in the very core of a social system which increases its wealth without diminishing its misery, (Greenberg, 1993; 54) Marxists understanding also believe that when it comes to crime, governments fabricate information to suit their purposes and to get public backing for any action taken by that government that might be construed as trespassing on freedoms. Marx himself also recognises that we can observe in recent times that the continuous repetition of mass incarceration has turned into an economic attempt. It creates jobs (in the legal profession and in law enforcement) and it creates new technologies (e.g., electronic tags). Furthermore, the existence of criminals might foster the feeling of societal cohesion among the law-abiding and amo ng those who appear to be law-abiding. Law enforcement agency discretion in making arrests, prosecuting attorney discretion in refusing to take legal action; dropping or reducing charges or going ahead with the prosecution, judges discretion in setting sentences and discretion in releasing criminals from custody, all operates to the advantage of the bourgeoisie. The right to a lawyer benefited those who could afford such superior legal representation more than it benefited others. Significantly, Marxian criminologists began to see these discriminations not as an unfortunate product of prejudice on the part of isolated individuals, but rather as a reproduction of the inequalities in power that follow from the inequalities of the bourgeoisie. On the other hand, Marxist understanding also gave room for some questioning. The major problem with Marxist understanding makes an attempt to apply actions to people which are only applicable to a small minority. In addition to, the assumption or the conclusion that every form of crime that happens or occurs is due to the economic class struggle is tough to sustain. We must not dismiss the fact that Marxist understanding of the society doesnt contribute to the criminological theory today but it is plausible to say such views are invalid in todays society as Marxist understanding of the society was an explanation for the situations paying at hand in the 19th century but we are in a different era now. So, therefore, his understanding of the society is slowly becoming irrelevant. This is plausible and fair to say because we now live in a society where most people have undergone considerable improvements in their standard of living and we live in a society, where people are not trying t o overthrow the bourgeoisie and the bourgeoisie arent in control of manipulating the criminal justice system as unlike before, most politicians, corporate companies, the rich, the enforcer of the law are being held accountable for any deviant actions and not rather just the proletariat being criminalised. So, therefore, it is fair to say the system now holds everyone accountable. In addition to, functionalist criminology would attribute more to flawed socialisation and see crime as a necessary element of the society to help bring about a collective change but also to support the combined conscience of the people. Marxism ignores the process involved with the criminal system. For example, Becker and Edwin Lemert focus on labelling theory to identify how and why people are identified, labelled delinquent and criminalised. Many fundamentalists such as Oakley argues more in common with a Marxist understanding of the society but with an emphasis on patriarchy rather than capitalism. This , therefore, shows that there are some loopholes for criticism in Marxist understanding of the society in contributing to criminological theory. However, one notion still stands firm and plausible, the gap between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat is one which is still apparent as the rich gets richer and the poor get poorer. To conclude, Marxist understanding of the society supporting contribution to criminological theory outlines the facts that crime occurs due to the class gaps amongst the proletariat and bourgeoisie, Marx also further goes to elaborate that the class gaps creates an effect where the bourgeoisie are in charge of the criminal justice system and therefore are capable of bending and making the law. This in facts put power only in the hands of the bourgeoisie and therefore makes the whole process undemocratic. Due to this, this creates and an economic gap where the poor are exploited of their services as the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. This understanding illustrates that capitalism only thrive and survive on this factor, Marx explain this through the whole concept of the proletariat being sold a reality that they cant afford and therefore are paid lower wages and in order to reach this goal, they either become delinquent or work harder and get exploited. The crimes of the rich are unaccounted for as they are in control of the law and the bourgeoisie ability to define law means they decide who a criminal is and what makes a criminal. Marx also touches upon the idea that crime is an ideological construct created by the capitalist system to create a state of illusion and as a result, he endorsed or highlights a revolution and such notion against the bourgeoisie would be considered an act of crime. Although briefly highlighted,, there are some loopholes in Marxist understanding of the society, it is plausible to conclude that Marxist understanding has helped put things into perspective in understanding the criminological theory as the social class and economic class gap amongst the rich and the poor, the bourgeoisie and the proletariat is still an issue that needs addressing in todays society. Bibliography Chambliss, W. (1975) Towards a Political Economy of Crime, Extract reprinted in J. Muncie et al (eds.)(1996) Criminological Perspectives: A Reader, London: Sage pg. 249-255 Bonger, W. (1916) Criminality and Economic Conditions (excerpt), in J. Muncie et al (eds.) (1996) Criminological Perspectives: A Reader, London: Sage. Scraton, P. (1987)(ed.) Law, Order and the Authoritarian State: Readings in Critical Criminology, Buckingham: Open University Pres. GREENBERG, D. (Ed.). (1993). Crime and Capitalism: Readings in Marxist Criminology. Temple University Press. Pg.54 Howard Becker (1973). Outsiders: studies in the sociology of crime and deviance. New York: New York free press. 1-18. Lemert, E. (1951) Social Pathology. New York: McGraw-Hill Lynch, M. J., Groves, W. B. (1986). A primer in radical criminology. Harrow and Heston. Sims, B. A. (1997). Crime, punishment and the American dream: Toward a Marxist integration. Journal of research in crime and delinquency, 34(1), 5-24. doi:10.1177/0022427897034001002 Sparks, R. F. (1980). A critique of Marxist criminology. Crime and justice, 2, 159-210. Margaret E. Reid. (2008). A feminist sociological imagination. Reading Ann Oakley. 5 (1), 84-91. Akers, R. L., Sellers, C. S. (2009). Criminological theories: Introduction, evaluation, and Application. (5th Ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Kenny Chesney Essay -- Country Singers Biographies Musicians Essays

Kenny Chesney Introduction: â€Å"No shoes, No shirt, No problems. Blues what blues†¦hey I forgot them. The sun and the sand and a drink in my hand with no bottom and no shoes, no shirt, and no problems! (Lyrics on Demand). These are the lyrics of infamous country legend Kenney Chesney. Kenney Chesney is a leading artist in the country music industry. Earlier in his life, he experienced several set backs and disappointments on his way to becoming a country singer. Nashville, TN was very difficult on this young song writer, as it was the same to others. However, with persistants and dedication, Kenny Chesney finally made a name for himself, and is now a â€Å"Big Star.† Country Music History Unlike other genres of music, country music did not begin until August 1, 1927. On this day in Bristol, Tennessee, Ralph Peer signed Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family to recording contracts for Victor Records. These two acts set the tone for others to follow – Rodgers with his unique singing style and the Carters with their extensive recording of old-time music (Roughstock’s History of Country Music). However, it was not until 1950 when the â€Å"Nashville Sound† began. The â€Å"Nashville Sound† is defined as a blend of pop and country music. This is the category of country music in which Kenny Chesney falls into. K.C's History: Kenney Chesney grew up in a very small town called Luttrell, Tennessee. There, he was what you would call a typical â€Å"red neck.† He was a starter on his high school football team and his heart was broken by his high school sweetheart. Additionally, he idolized country singers like â€Å"Conway and Waylon, George Jones and Lefty Frizzell, Willie nelson and George Strait and Merle haggard, Vern Gosdin and John Conley and whatever ... ...Chesney has sold over eight million albums. Conclusion: Kenney Chesney has definitely made a name for himself in the country music industry. Through his had work and persistence, this guy from a small town in Tennessee has become a â€Å"Big Star.† Although Kenney Chesney is known thought the world, Chesney said for me, it’s â€Å"about the guy in the baseball hat and the girl that guy thinks is pretty. Real life the double platinum boy, who finds his solace in the ocean, realizes doesn’t’ always who up with the glided edges and profound pronouncements – you gotta find the truth as it rolls by with tan lines, an easy smile and a twinkle in its eye. And you know, so far, that’s worked just fine† (Official Website). Works Cited: href="www.roughstock.com"Rough Stock href="www.kchesney.com"The Official KC Homepage href="www.lyricsondemand.com"Lyrics on Demand

Thursday, October 24, 2019

On Becoming a Leader Essay

The book I chose to review is â€Å"On Becoming a Leader† by Warren Bennis. At the crux of this book is a search to understand how leaders are made. Throughout the book, the author tries to prove through polls and observations, that leaders are not born but are made through a combination of nature and nurture. Leaders who excel tend to have similar characteristics which have been developed by a series of experiences in their lives (these include embracing mistakes, taking risks and learning from adversity). Another idea discussed in the book is that of the role of education in making leaders. Bennis notes a number of qualities and abilities that are common amongst the leaders he interacts with. Some of those are relating well to others, trusting others and in turn being trustworthy, the ability to motivate people and to not give up, inspiration and competence in the job. However, he claims that a major problem in business & leadership is the â€Å"societal disease of our time† (as said by Norman Lear to him) – short term thinking. He highlights throughout the book that this form of thinking is not beneficial to organizations and that a good leader should be able to look further and not give the short term too much importance. At one point he claims that short term thinking is what kills one of the most important attributes a leader must have – innovation. The author mentions that leaders are important to an organization since they are of paramount importance to the operational performance, stability and integrity of the organization. To this end, Warren Bennis presents in a systematic manner various attributes that are required of a leader to be able to perform well. The first attribute discussed is the ability to â€Å"Master the context†. In this chapter, the author discusses the fact that a leader must be able to understand the reasons and outcomes of different situations. Only once he has managed this, will he be able to act in the best possible way for his organization. This is in line with what we have learned throughout our course regarding improving one’s self-awareness as well as the 4 perspectives of organizational effectiveness. A leader must be able to understand the context of work and respond by being aware that he needs to look after different perspectives of people and systems related to the organization. The second thing discussed is â€Å"understanding the basics†, which is quite similar to mastering the context. In this, Warren Bennis explains that leaders need to understand the underlying concepts at work before making decisions. He lists a series of attributes that can be found in most leaders including self-knowledge, passion, vision and trust. He argues that most of the leaders are not born with these attributes but life experiences and a desire to lead people enables them to develop a good understanding of this. Their drive to acquire and learn are much higher than on average and they actively pursue these drives while taking risks and placing lesser importance on their drive for safety. In this he also discusses the difference between managing people and leading them. We have gone through various topics related directly to this effect in class. According to me, one of the strongest drives an individual has is the drive to safety. An individual would be much more comfortable if they can trust their leader. The ability to understand the thought process of their leader and their belief/trust in him helps shore up their drive for safety. Across cultures, people tend to avoid uncertainty and if a leader is able to, through knowledge and an understanding, provide people with an image of consistency; it goes a long way in settling people and reducing stress. The third lesson is â€Å"knowing yourself†. Warren Bennis argues that in order to lead others, one must fully understand themselves. To be able to trust your decisions/inner feelings is extremely important for leading people and making correct choices. The author goes on to highlight 4 lessons that enable an individual to understand themselves. They are â€Å"you are your own best teacher†, â€Å"accept responsibility†, â€Å"you can learn anything you want to learn† and â€Å"true understanding comes from reflecting on your own experience†. All these lessons are at the core of organizational behavior as we have learnt. These 4 lessons can apply even to organizations as well as being useful for individuals. Self-concept is an important part of an individual’s make up and to feed that we must be able to reflect on our past experiences to learn from them. Social learning, learning through reinforcement and learning through experience are discussed as important factors of learning in organizations in our course. I believe this same applies to individuals as they are able to develop their social identity and self-concept through these lessons. Next, the author discusses â€Å"Knowing the world†. This takes a similar route to the previous subject of knowing yourself, while developing a greater scope to the understanding. Cultural understanding is an extremely important attribute in a leader. In an increasingly diverse workforce coupled with increasing globalization, a leader must have the ability to and desire to understand various cultures and behaviors. Values and behavior are very different for different cultures, and a lot of organizations have failed due to the incompatible understanding of their leaders. The HP-Compaq merger was a major case where while it was beneficial financially and operationally for the companies to merge, their leaders were not able to fully adapt the two company’s cultures properly, causing the merger to have not performed anywhere near expectations. One point that I found particularly interesting and felt that was very important was the need for a person to find a mentor who can help them enhance and shape their cultural understanding. The social learning aspect discusses similar concepts, where a person learns from someone whom they aspire to be. Being able to find a mentor who has an in depth understanding of cultures, or at least has a desire to learn cultural differences can help an individual become a more complete leader. The next thought discussed by the author is â€Å"Operating on instinct†. This discussion focuses on the fact that a good leader should be able to believe in himself and should be able to take decisions from his gut feeling. More often than not a leader and even individuals will have to make decisions without knowing all the details they would like to know. The presence of incomplete information should not make the leader less likely to make a decision. A good leader will have developed enough self-awareness and through self-evaluation and verification be able to rely on his instinct to make the right choice. This enables the leader to be able to quickly and decisively contemplate and decide issues. The next discussion is based on †Deploying yourself†. In this the author talks about the fact that a successful leader is a person who is willing to take on challenges even though he might have failed in earlier challenges. The drive to learn and acquire are, I feel, major contributors to this topic. A good leader will be able to reflect on his past experiences and learn from them; and this gives them confidence to continually drive for newer challenges and tasks. Another topic discussed is â€Å"Moving through chaos†. In this chapter, Warren Bennis describes the difference between all individuals and leaders. He points out that everyone faces problems and issues in their career, but that leaders analyze these problems and tend to learn from these. Conflict resolution can take many forms through third-party conflict resolution or negotiation. Leaders reflect on their conflicts and develop an understanding of how to overcome those challenges. â€Å"Getting people on your side† is the next topic covered. The main point of this discussion, and a very important learning for me personally, is the ability of the leader to be trustworthy. To be trusted, a leader must display consistency in his actions, congruity – meaning what they say, reliable to their followers and have a strong integrity. This once again gravitates towards the drive for safety individuals have. To be lead by someone, an individual must trust them to act on their behalf and be able to predict to a certain extent what their leaders will do for them. The concept of romanticizing leadership is down to this ability of leaders. If a leader is able to bring their employees/followers on their side, the leader’s ability to work through tasks and challenges is increased. Even mistakes made by them will be viewed in a positive light, enabling them to continue taking risks. â€Å"Organizations can help – or hinder† is the next topic that is discussed. This focuses on the fact different organizations will have different expectations from their leaders. The culture at an organization will dictate how well a leader will be able to lead the organization. A good leader will be able to understand the context of the organization and will try to devise strategies he can implement to make changes. The author also mentions that the leader should try and develop organizational characteristics that are in line with their culture. This also transposes into the last discussion of â€Å"Forging the future†. The impediments faced by leaders in an organization can be very hard, but a good leader will be able to develop his own culture and characteristics to move the organization forward. One major issue I had with this book was that while the author continually refers to short term thinking as a â€Å"societal disease†; he himself to a certain extent subscribes to that notion. His interaction with the leaders seems comparatively very short term. Throughout the statements made in the book, it felt that the interviews were more about successful past rather than forward looking. I understand that one of the major attributes is to learn from experiences but the I’d prefer if the author also focused equally on the leader’s thoughts about the future. Secondly I felt that there was quite a bit of political commentary in the book. I knew that it was going to have some after reading the reviews while selecting the book, but the political leadership aspect seemed to be a comparatively one sided. I feel that the author could have refrained from making this political and focused instead on the corporate leadership aspect.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Music Appreciation Paper

Every musical needs two things script and music, the musical that I saw at the civic center â€Å"A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Forum. † It is witty characters and humorous songs made it a delight to see and you left with a smile. The music was the best out of the whole play. The orchestra was small having a piano, two violins, bass guitar, reed one and two, trumpet one and two, trombone, and percussion each instrument being a big part of production. The play starts with a song â€Å"comedy to night† giving a background in the streets of ancient Rome of three houses.The center of the house Senex who lives there with his wife Domina, son Hero, and the many slaves them owned. Hero has his own slave Pseudolus who is the main character and head slave Hysteria. One of the other neighbors is owned my Marcus Lycus, the house is a whorehouse. The other neighbor is Erronius who has been gone for many years trying to find his children who were abducted my pirates. Thin g singer who plays Pseudolus tone was raspy, pitch high, two beats, and tempo allegro the music flowed well and pulling the audience in quickly with it being very humorous.I thought the texture was monophonic being only one person singing the song and form being AB. The song ends giving a summary of the whole play, and it goes on to the next song. Hero the son of Senex has fallen in love with a girl who he has never spoken too. He starts to sing â€Å"love, I hear† his tone was rich, pitch was high, dynamic was mezzo forte, the tempo of the song was allegro it was a lovely song that expressed his love for a girl he has never spoken to. The song had two beats with the texture of the music monophonic because it was only one person singing it. After he ends he tells his slave Pseudolus if you get me that girl.I will let you be free and Pseudolus is so shocked that he cannot believe it and starts to sing â€Å"free† his texture is very raspy, with tempo vivace, and dynamic s Mezzo Piano. The pitch is high and form verse course and recitative singing like speech. This song was very funny and a great laugh. The play goes on to Pseudolus and Hero trying to think of plan so they go to Lycus house to find the girl to buy her from Lycus. When the song â€Å"the house of Marcus Lycus† starts to play, this song is made more dancing then singing the pitch is low, form was verse then instrumental, the tempo moderato, and dynamic mezzo forte.This song has a lot of bras and saxophone. The next song â€Å"lovely† where tone color of Hero is dark and Philia is bright, the pitch is high, the dynamics is forte, tempo of the music was andante, and with each the song being four beats. Pseudolus tries to keep them together; however, one problem Philia is to be married to the Caption a general for Rome. They Pseddolus, Philia, and hero start singing about what their life could be called â€Å"pretty little picture† it is high pitch, a funny song with the dynamic being forte.The form is verse, chores, verse, chores, and the texture homophonic because it had three people singing it. Pseudolus tells hero to hide Philia in the house while he goes to find away to keep them together. However, Philia is not smart at all and does not know what her husband looks like and gets confused with Heroes father Senex and he thinks Philia is a new maid Hysterium brought on. An a new song begins â€Å"Everyone Ought have a Maid† the song is sung by Senex whose tone is bright, then Psedulous comes in with a raspy tone, and then Hysterium who comes in at the end and tone being mellow.The texture for this song starts monophonic, then because Psedulous joins in it becomes polyphonic, and then because Hysterium joins in to the end it becomes homophonic with all three singing together. The tempo was vivace with the three men, pitch was high, the form was verse, chores, verse, chores, and with two beats. After the song ends Senex hides from his w ife and goes to take a bath and tells Hysterium to bring the maid Phila after he finishes into Erronius house where Senex was staying. But while this is happening, Erronius returns home, finally having given up the search for his long-lost children.Hysterium, desperate to keep him out of the house where his master is bathing, tells the old man that his house has become haunted – a story seemingly confirmed by the sound of Senex singing in his bath. Erronius immediately determines to have a soothsayer come and banish the spirit from his house, and Pseudolus obligingly poses as one, telling Erronius that in order to banish the spirit, he must travel seven times around the seven hills of Rome (thus keeping the old man occupied and out of the way for quite a while). Hysterium starts to go crazy and sings â€Å"I’m Calm† the music has a lot of plucking from the strings.The tone was mellow, with only one beat, pitch was high, and tempo Presto, dynamic is fortissimo, A B form, one beat. The story goes on to Histerium not bring Phila to Senex who she thinks is Miles Glorious. However, Phila comes out and goes and hugs Hero while Senex sees and Phila then winks at Senex. Both men are confused and wonder what the heck is happening. They start to sing â€Å"impossible† the pitch was high, tempo vivace, dynamics mezzo forte, texture polyphonic, form verse chores, and tome color for the father Senex was bright and Hero the son was dark.After the song the captain Miles Gloriosus comes into town and comes for his bride who he paid for Phila. He starts to sing ‘Bring me my Bride† his tone color was dark, four beats, tempo allegro, texture homophonic, pitch low and form verse, chores. They finished the song and Act one ended. Then Act two starts with Complicating matters further, Domina returns from her trip early, suspicious that her husband Senex is â€Å"up to something low. † She disguises herself in virginal white robes and a veil (much like Philia's) to try to catch Senex being unfaithful.She starts to sing â€Å"that dirty old man† out of the whole cast, I hated her voice she was screaming the song and belting all the words. Her tone color was bright, two beats, pitch was high, tempo allegro, dynamics forte, texture is monophonic, and AB form. The story goes on where Hero and Phila in front of all three houses and wishing they could be with each other. They try to think of a plan, but they had nothing so Phila start to sing â€Å"That’ll show him† in this song Phila is telling Hero that when she is kissing the Captain, but she will be thinking of Hero and kiss the Captain more. She is not the smartest girl.Her tone color was bright, pitch high, tempo allegretto, texture monophonic, two beats, and form verse, chores. Pseudolus convinces Hysterium to help him by dressing in  drag and pretending to be Philia, â€Å"dead† from the plague. An starts to sing â€Å"lovely (repri se)† to make him feel beautiful and confident to be a girl even though he is a guy. His pitch was moderate; tempo andante, dynamic mezzo forte, he is tone color was rich because he was a smoker, and texture monophonic. While Hysterium is acting like Phila dead the captain wants a big funeral for her so all the slave girls and soldiers are there morning her.And the â€Å"funeral sequence† starts in the song there were words from Miles Gloriosus and everyone else doing a melodic crying. In the whole play this is the only song that has three beats, pith moderate, tempo andante, AB form, dynamic mezzo piano, and texture monophonic. Unfortunately, it turns out that Miles Gloriosus has just returned from Crete, where there is of course no actual plague. With the trick revealed, the main characters run for their lives, resulting in chase with both Miles and Senex pursuing all three Philae’s; Domina, Hysterium, and the actual Philia – all wearing identical white r obes and veils.Meanwhile, the whores from the house of Marcus Lycus who had been recruited as mourners at Philia’s ersatz funeral have escaped, and Lycus sends his  eunuch  out to bring them all back, adding to the chaos. Finally, the Captain's troops are able to round everyone up. Pseudolus appears to be in deep trouble; however, Erronius, completing his third circuit of the Roman hills, shows up unexpectedly to discover that Miles Gloriosus and Philia are wearing matching rings which mark them as his long-lost children. Philia's betrothal to the Captain is canceled by the unexpected surprise that he's her brother.Philia weds Hero; Pseudolus gets his freedom and the lovely slave girl Gymnasia; Gloriosus receives twin courtesans to replace Philia; Erronius gets his children, and a happy ending prevails for all – except for poor Senex, stuck with his shrewish wife Domina. It ends with are last song â€Å"final comedy tonight† with Pseudolus singing and then e veryone joins in. the pitch is high, tempo allegro, dynamics mezzo forte, texture polyphonic, AB form, two beats, and the genre of all the songs would be a musical comedy. This musical was fun and delight to see and if I could see it again I would.For my cousins birthday we got to go to Taylor Swift concert in South Carolina where I stayed for spring break with family. On March 23 we went and it was amazing, there was seventeen songs she sang and also Ed Sheeran as her opening act. It was load and a lot of fun, their genre of both singers was pop. Ed Sheeran was the opening act singing A-Team pitch low, two beats, texture monophonic, dynamic piano, tempo moderato. The next song he played â€Å"give me love† pitch high, tempo allegretto, dynamics crescendo, texture monophonic, and tone color was dark. He did sing more songs; however, I came late so I only got to here two of his songs.Then the amazing Taylor Swift came on and started to sing â€Å"state of grace† pitch w as high, dynamic crescendo, tempo allegretto, and texture monophonic. Taylor’s next song was â€Å"holy ground† pitch was moderate, dynamic forte, tempo presto, two beats, and form verse, chores. She is an inspiration to all girls who want to be themselves and to have fun. Her voice never wavered and kept going to the very end. Her next song â€Å"you belong with me† which is one of my favorite songs from her. Her pitch was high, dynamic mezzo forte, tempo allegretto, form verse, chores, and two beats.She does clothing change and goes to the next song â€Å"the lucky one† pitch low, temp moderato, dynamic mezzo piano, and texture polyphonic. Her next song which is now her signature â€Å"red† tempo moderato, pitch high, dynamic mezzo forte, texture monophonic, and two beats. †the lucky one† pitch high, dynamics mezzo forte, tempo moderato, and form verse, chores. She starts to sing after giving an inspirational speech â€Å"mean† tempo allegretto, dynamic mezzo forte, texture homophonic, and two beats. She starts to sing after giving an inspirational speech â€Å"mean† tempo allegretto, dynamic mezzo forte, texture homophonic, and two beats.Next song â€Å"stay stay stay† texture homophonic, tempo vivace, pitch moderato, and dynamic crescendo. She changes into another outfit and starts to sing â€Å"22† her tone color bright, tempo vivace, and pitch high. She changes again and talks to the fans and tells that this most requested and plays acoustic â€Å"starlight† pitch low, texture monophonic, two beats, and dynamic mezzo piano. The next song was a duet with Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift called â€Å"everything has changed† texture polyphonic, dynamic mezzo forte, tempo moderato, and form verse, chores.The next song is her and her guitar â€Å"begin again† pitch low, tempo andante, dynamic mezzo piano, and texture monophonic. Her next song â€Å"sparks fly† wh ich she starts playing on a twelve string guitar. Pitch is high, tempo is allegro, and dynamic forte. Taylor’s next song starts off with her violinist making an awesome entrance. Then Taylor comes out in a new outfit singing â€Å"I knew you were trouble† pitch was high, tempo presto, dynamic forte, and form verse, chores. She goes on the piano and talks to fans about writing her songs and being amazing and then starts to sing. All too well† pitch was low, tempo adagio, dynamic piano, and texture monophonic. Taylor changes and comes out of the stage singing â€Å"love story† pitch high, tempo allegretto, and two beats. Taylor changes again and starts to sing â€Å"Treacherous† pitch low, tempo moderato, and dynamic is mezzo piano. The last song â€Å"we are never getting back together† which is a fun high pitch song, tempo is vivace, dynamic forte, and two beats. I loved the play and the concert, learning about the music was fun and I learned a lot. I won’t look at music the same.