How Teachers Can Achieve Happiness

How Teachers Can Achieve Happiness The stereotype around elementary school teachers is that they are always peppy and happy and full of life. While this may hold true for some elementary school teachers, it sure does not for all teachers. As you know, having a job in the teaching profession can be quite challenging. Teachers have a lot of pressure on them. Not only do they have to learn and teach the common core standards to students, but they also have the challenging job of making sure that their students are ready to be productive citizens once they get out of school. With all of this pressure, along with the responsibilities of  lesson planning, grading, and discipline, the job can sometimes take a toll on any teacher, no matter how peppy their nature. To help relieve some of these pressures, use these tips on a daily basis to help you deal and, hopefully, bring some joy to your life.   1. Take Time for Yourself One of the best ways that you can achieve happiness is to take time for yourself. Teaching is a very selfless profession and sometimes you just need to take a moment and do something for yourself. Teachers spend so much of their free time scouring the internet looking for effective lesson plans or grading papers, that they sometimes end up neglecting their personal needs. Set aside one day of the week for lesson planning or grading, and set aside another day for yourself. Take an art class, go shopping with a friend, or try that yoga class that your friends are always trying to get you to go to.   2. Make Your Choices Wisely According to Harry K. Wong in the book â€Å"How to Be an Effective Teacher† the way a person chooses to behave (as well as their reactions) will dictate what their life will be like. He says that their are three categories of behavior that people can exhibit, they are protective behaviors, maintenance behaviors, and enhancement behaviors. Here are examples of each behavior. Protective Behavior –These are people who are full of excuses, who complain a lot, and are good at justifying their behavior. You probably always see them in the teachers’ lounge complaining about everything and anything that is happening in their classroom as well as at the school. Maintenance Behavior – These are the people who are very hardworking and who spend a lot of time wishing (I wish I won the lottery, I wish I had a bigger classroom). They tend to get along well with others, and don’t complain or put people down in the teachers’ lounge. They are concerned with their own individual survival, health, and safety. Enhancement Behavior –These individuals enjoy active learning and participating in groups. They go to every teacher conference and meeting, and are known around the school as a leader. Now that you know the three types of behavior, which category do you fall into? Which type of teacher do you want to be? The way that you decide to act can greatly increase or decrease your overall happiness and well-being. 3. Lower Your Expectations Let go of the expectation that every lesson has to go exactly as planned. As a teacher, you will always have misses along with the hits. If your lesson was a flop, try to think of it as a learning experience.  Just as you teach your students that they can learn from their mistakes, so can you. Lower your expectations and you will find that you will be much happier. 4. Do Not Compare Yourself to Anyone One of the many problems with social media is the ease with which people can present their lives in any way they wish. As a result, people tend to only portray the version of themselves and their life that they want others  to see. If you are scrolling down your Facebook news feed you may see many teachers that look like they have it all together, which can be quite intimidating and result in feelings of inadequacy. Compare yourself to no one. It’s hard not to compare yourself to others when we have Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest in our lives. But just remember that it probably takes some of these teachers hours to create the perfect-looking lesson. Do your best and try to be satisfied with the results.   5. Dress for Success Never underestimate the power of a nice outfit.   While dressing up to teach a bunch of elementary students may seem like a bad idea, research shows that it can actually make you feel happier. So the next morning that you want an instant pick-me-up, try wearing your favorite outfit to school. 6. Fake it Weve all heard the expression, Fake it til you make it. Turns out, it might actually work. Some studies that show if you smile when you are unhappy, you can trick your brain into feeling like you are happy. The next time your students are driving you crazy, try smiling- it might just turn your mood around. 7. Socialize with Friends and Colleagues Do you find that you tend to be alone a lot when you are feeling unhappy? Studies found that the more time unhappy people spent socializing with others, the better that they felt. If you’re spending a lot of time by yourself, try getting out and socializing with your friends or colleagues. Go eat lunch in the faculty lounge instead of your classroom, or go for that drink after school with your friends.   8. Pay it Forward There have been so many studies conducted that show that the more that you do for others, the better you feel about yourself. The sheer act of doing a good deed can make a huge impact on your self-esteem, as well as your happiness. The next time that you are feeling down, try doing something nice for someone else. Even if its just holding the door open for a stranger or making extra photocopies for your colleague, paying it forward can really improve your mood. 9. Listen to Music   Studies find that focused listening to music that is upbeat, or even just reading lyrics that are positive, can improve your mood.   Classical music is also said to have a mood-boosting effect on people. So the next time you’re sitting in your classroom and are in need of a pick-me-up, turn on some upbeat or classical music. Not only will it help to boost your mood, it will help your students moods as well.   Ã‚   10. Express Gratitude A lot of us spend a lot of our time focusing on what we dont have, rather than focusing our time on what we do have. When we do this, it can make you feel sad and unhappy. Try expressing gratitude and focusing all of your attention on the positive things that you have in your life. Think about what is going right in your life, and all of things that you are grateful for. Each morning before your toes even hit the ground, say three things that you are grateful for. Here are a few examples of what you can do each morning to express gratitude. Today I am grateful for: My health and the health of my familyThat I have food, clothes and a roof over my headThat I have a wonderful job that helps me provide for my family You have the ability to control how you feel. If you wake up feeling unhappy then you have the ability to change that. Use these ten tips and practice them daily. With practice, you can form lifelong habits that can increase your overall happiness.

Bigot, The All-Purpose Insult

Bigot, The All-Purpose Insult Bigot, The All-Purpose Insult Bigot, The All-Purpose Insult By Maeve Maddox Bigot, a word usually associated with religion, has expanded its meaning considerably. Its original sense was â€Å"a person who shows excessive religious zeal, a religious hypocrite.† Here are some (unedited) examples of its current use: Obama: Close-Minded Economic Bigot Sailor Calls Romney a ‘narrow-minded bigot’ Jehmu Greene: Portrait of Black Bigotry Liberals are some of the most bigoted people in America There are simple minded bigots on both sides of the isle. Kirstie Alley Slams Leah Remini as a Bigot After Anti-Scientology Remarks Elisabeth Hasselbeck flung a hefty tar ball in the direction of Joy Beharon Tuesday mornings The View Hot Topics segment, calling the carrot-topped co-host a bigot. [Arne] Duncans a bigot, a bully, an elitist and a foot-in-mouth fool all rolled into one The word bigot has been in the language since the Middle Ages. Of uncertain origin, it entered the language from French and quickly became a term of abuse. In modern usage, bigot, together with its other forms, bigotry and bigoted, is not confined to religious contexts. These definitions from the OED and Merriam-Webster illustrate the expanded usage. bigot: noun. a fanatical adherent or believer; a person characterized by obstinate, intolerant, or strongly partisan beliefs. OED bigot: noun. a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices; especially: a person who regards or treats the members of a group (such as a racial or ethnic group) with hatred and intolerance. Merriam-Webster Bigot is a strong word, especially useful in today’s close-minded social and political climate. Its force is diluted by speakers who employ it as a knee-jerk term of abuse to fling at anyone who merely voices a different opinion on some matter. opinion: a view held about a particular issue; a judgement formed or a conclusion reached; a belief; a religious or political conviction. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:5 Uses of InfinitivesTry to vs. Try andNeither... or?

Merchant of Vinice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Merchant of Vinice - Essay Example One of the central characters (Shylock) is a money lending Jew. Many Christians during the time in which this play took place believed that money lending was a sin so it was relatively common for Jews to participate in this activity. At the time of the play’s setting, Venice was an exceedingly wealthy city which was funded largely by trade, which meant that money lending was somewhat of a â€Å"Necessary evil†. For the purpose of this paper, avarice will pertain to the sin of excess and the desire to gain more material wealth. It could be argued that the character of Shylock is guilty of the sin of Avarice by the very nature of his profession. As highlighted earlier, the simple lending of money for the purpose of collecting interest was in itself a form of greed. Antonio leant money at zero interest partially to undermine Shylock’s business but also because gaining from other peoples transactions was viewed as sinful. However, Shylock went beyond earning simple interest and it was made abundantly clear that he revered money and often collected high rates of interest. It is the case that envy pertains to an insatiable desire that applies to more than just material wealth, as well as resenting something that somebody else has. It is upon this foundation that it could be argued that Shylock is guilty of the sin of envy insofar as he celebrated at the sinking of the massive fleet while out at sea. Moreover Shylock was also envious of how the law ended up favoring Antonio. Finally it could be argued that because Shylock was often reviled for being a Jew he was envious of the relative freedom that Christians were able to enjoy. Finally this paper will conclude with a discussion on how Shylock was guilty of the sin of wrath. For the purpose of this report, Wrath will refer to some sort of uncontrolled feelings of rage. Probably the most obvious example would be how Shylock demanded

High and Law Involvement Buying Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

High and Law Involvement Buying - Essay Example An example can be, when one wants to purchase a product like hair gel, that is from different companies and they have a similarity in price. The consumer has to find a difference to convince them to buy one product and this makes a great impact on the consumer’s decision. On the other hand, a consumer may be confused in purchasing two similar goods but which are different, in terms of quality and price. This also, can be known as ‘high involvement in buying’ and the consumer usually looks for what will be favorable for them financially and the best quality (Groucutt, Leadley , Forsyth (2004). An example could be seen when one may be interested in purchasing a TV and they have to decide between a high quality one that is very expensive versus an average one that is of a much lower price. However, effects of advertisement fall under short persuasion. These effects are not obvious but in order to understand them, there has to be a measure of these effects. To underst and these effects, a beam balance can serve as a good tool. Two brands are put on either side of the beam, it can only take a very small feather to cause a change on the balance when placed on one side of the beam. Feathers can represent balancing effects in this case instead of heavy weights. Examples of items that have a high involvement decision-making are highly priced items like cars, vacations, appliances. There is a great similarity between low-involvement items. In most cases, they are identical. It is never a major concern for customers on which of this products to buy. Advertisement effects are often greater in the low involvement products. With high involvement decisions however, there is more concern about the outcome of the weighing up process, so there is the thought about how much weight is given to each feature (Groucutt, Leadley , Forsyth (2004). This features include, quality, size or power. There are usually both positive and negative aspects involved and the more complex a product is, the more complex the assessment. If a brand is favored by an advertisement, it does not necessarily have to persuade people to buy it. All it does is to raise awareness about the product. Even though it is not easily noticeable, advertisement plays a great role. These is however visible after a significant amount of time. After the process repeating itself, small increments produce major perceived differences between brands. Considering that the making a decision to purchase the newspaper presents no significant challenge and the decision does not impact the buyer’s lifestyle significantly, low involvement buying applies to advertisement 2. This is also reinforced by the fact that people appreciate how low a chance they have at winning the high price given the number of participants that try their lack. In this sense, the potential reader does not take a lot of time deciding whether or not to buy the product. In fact, in most cases, the potential custom er is little influenced by the advert as he/she has a preconditioned mind whether or not to buy the paper with or without the advert. The advert 1 below involves low involvement buying. This is because it not of much concern as it is concerned with entertainment, which has no great impact on a person’

Ancient Egypts Effect on Modern Society Essay Example for Free

Ancient Egypts Effect on Modern Society Essay The museum has always been a place for all different types of people from the public to go and appreciate art and feel reconnected with the past. People may go to the museum for these reasons or a variety of others. But for whatever reasons they choose to go to the museum it always has an influence on that person’s relationship between them and the history they viewed. Specifically speaking the museum has a big influence on the public and Ancient Egypt. The museum is already a place of history and mystery and Ancient Egypt is one of the most mysterious ancient cultures. With so little known about these ancient people it only makes sense that the museum would be a good place to strengthen that feeling of mystery. Ever since the modern discovery of Ancient Egypt the public have been fascinated by the mystery left behind by these ancient people. The modern public is always interested in learning about Egypt. Weather that be from books to movies or trips to the museum the general public uses a variety of methods to learn about the Ancient Egyptians culture. Stereotypically speaking when most people talk of Egypt they think of mummies. Most people one speaks to have generally the same depiction of what Egypt is in their heads. So a lot of times people don’t really know the truth about Ancient Egypt. And that is where the museum comes into play. The museum has always been found as a viable source of accurate information regarding history. So in today’s media rich society most people who are really curious about learning about Egypt would rather visit the museum rather than pick up a book on Egyptology and read it. The museum is a good place to start for people to go and observe visually what is left of Ancient Egypt. And these exhibits help to construct an idea of what this Ancient civilization was truly like compared to the entertainment industries depiction of it. This act of going to the museum to fulfill ones curiosity on the subject is just one way the museum helps strengthen the bond between the public and Ancient Egypt. Another way the museum helps strengthen the relationship between the public and Ancient Egypt is by giving them an escape from reality. Most people get fed up with the normal day in and day out of adult life and are always looking for something new exciting and mysterious. Ancient Egypt is something that is tantalizing for people to learn and talk about because so little is known and so much can be speculated. So the museum helps give this bored person a chance to view what is left of Ancient Egypt and to escape from their reality and escape to this mysterious world. This strengthens the relationship between Ancient Egypt and the public because people desire that mystery and they can get it by viewing the mystery of Ancient Egypt at the museum. One more way the museum strengthens this relationship is by adding more to the mystery. Meaning the museum shows the public a depiction of the past but no definitive answers, if anything I found you leave the Ancient Egyptian exhibit with more questions than answers. This quest for answers strengthens the relationship because the public is searching for an element of mystery and find it in Ancient Egypt, but every time they get more of a taste they get more unanswered questions. This causes more of a desire to learn and explore and it all begins with the museum giving just a taste of the mystery surrounding Ancient Egypt. Following this drive for knowledge on Ancient Egypt the museum also helps strengthen the physical relationship between the public and Ancient Egypt. Ancient antiquities are one of the most sought after items for just aesthetic position. People will go out of their way to bring back a piece of history with them that they can hold in their hands. Weather that be through artifact relics or souvenirs somebody is always trying to take a piece of history with them. They might be doing this for a variety of reasons. They may just want something interesting on a shelf to start a discussion where they can gloat about their recent trip to Egypt. Or they may want to have it because it makes them feel closer to the ancient times and the mystery of it all. But for whatever reason people always want to have some sort of item that relates them to the history or journey. The museum does this by providing them with a large varieties, the person who wants to fulfill that desire of owning a souvenir or relic, to choose from. You can buy almost anything Ancient Egypt related at the gift shop in a museum. From Lego pens to imitation artifacts, the museum is a great place to fill a need to buy a souvenir. Also what better time would it be to buy something Egyptian than right after viewing an exhibit of the real artifacts. So by being able to create a need for a physical relic and then fulfill it the museum is a perfect place to strengthen the bond between the public and Ancient Egypt. So the museum as it seams is a very powerful place when it comes to strengthening the bond between the public and Ancient Egypt. Weather the museum is providing just a simple craving of curiosity or to providing the perfect place to shop for a relic you can take home with you, it has been a great place to strengthen the bond between the public and Ancient Egypt. This place of mystery, knowledge and unanswered question will hopefully be around for a long time to fulfill the publics desire to know more and become closer with Ancient Egypt.

Fight Club Essay -- Film Movie

This movie is mainly about a narrators search for meaning and the fight to find freedom from a meaningless way of life. It setting is in suburbia, an abandoned house located in a major large city. Ed Norton, plays the nameless narrator, Brad Pitt, is Tyler Dunden, and Helena Boaham Carter is Marla Singer, the three main characters. David Fincher directs this film in 1999, which adapted it from the novel written by Chuck Palahnuik. It begins depicting Edward Norton, the narrator, working for an insurance company as a representative, who produces evidence for recalling automobiles. He lives in a 15 story, glass front condominium, with the best expensive furniture, designer clothes and a totally empty way of life. Society has yet to understand how employment can influence a person life experiences. His first experience in solving his problem is to seek medical advice for insomnia, which is not the answer. He was advised by his doctor to really see pain, participate in is a group of men who have testicular cancer and really experience pain. This begins his phony search and fix to his search for a painless life. He portrays his self as a cancer survivor, and creates an identity to fill his emptiness, and thus ends up attending seven groups a week. He then meets Bob, who is later killed because of his participation in a bombing of a coffee house. During this process the narrator meets the chain smoking, Marla Singer. Confronted with realization, they were both liars and looking in the mirror irritated him, Marla and the narrator agreed to a plan not to be at the same group, and they could both also avoid self-reflection and contact at the same time. These groups lead the narrator into finding his ?cave and finding t... ... up, Marla and the narrator holding hands and he says ?you met me at a very strange time in my life.? The last song is ?Where is my Mind It also can be a symbol representing the narrators search for his true identity. This movie is sending a message to society about what can happen in a world of confused, angry men. Its points to the hypocrisy of the general public which promotes enforcements of movie ratings, gun control but drops its children off the see ?The Matrix?. In my opinion, this is a good movie for college students, who are studying in Sociology, Mental Health or Nursing Careers. This assignment required many skills, to understand the information you required. This information was hidden in the plot so distinctly a freshman student could have easily missed it. I think this movie would be a challenge for upper level college students.

When Consultants and Clients Clash

When consultants and client clash: Problem Essay Statlers have failed to get their clients to acknowledge the differences in thinking about the merger. The rationale behind every merger is that the sum is greater than the parts. Typically, clients identify synergies for the merger and from then on consultants suggest the decisions necessary for attaining them. The synergy cited in this case, economies of scale, is only possible if the two firms worked together as a single unit.Susan Barlow ¶s lack of experience in conducting with clients and failure to understand the need for merger coupled with Kellogg ¶s ineptness in handling sticky situations has led to the current state. Susan, in her initial briefing with Mr. Kellogg, started off on a wrong note. First, she patronized the entrepreneur-turned-CEO, accepted his list of interviewees and even agreed to his deadlines. If she was any experienced, she would have been more pro-active, played the role of a devil ¶s advocate to expl ore other views about merger and understand its need.More importantly, as John Rau suggests, she would have done independent fact finding which would give her an idea about who to talk to. Another important task she missed out was talking to Mr. Carpenter and exploring his views about the merger. If she had any knowledge about mergers she would have replied to Mr. Kellogg ¶s remarks on mergers and explained to him that acquisitions have far higher success rates than  µmergers of equals ¶. All these point to her lack of expertise in mergers and inexperience with conducting with clients. Royce Kellogg acknowledges how he always relied on Mort Meyer to deal with people problems.Further, his naive view of the merger, which is so far only an agreement between two heads, reinforces his skewed understanding of the problem. In response to numerous calls from employees, who had already been given heads-up, Kellogg was quick in drawing conclusion that consultants are stirring up trouble rather than understand the underlying causes. Mr. Kellogg ¶s belief that derivatives are harder than the assignment Susan is currently dealing with shows how little interest he has in organizational issues and understanding their importance.With only Mort ¶s death triggering the merger, it was pretty thin to start with. For two firms with almost equal share operating on similar lines of business, the only value that could be derived out of merger is to cut the costs through staff reductions and higher scale of operations. To realize this, one of the firms needed to be an underdog and everybody, including the consultants missed this entirely. Kellogg spoke about mergers of equals without realizing how dangerous it was. This evidence strongly suggests the desperate need for mergers and acquisitions expert.Hence, any corrective measure should start with bringing in an expert on mergers into the team. Statler should start with a fresh slate by bringing in a new team to work on the project and let go of the costs for the initial two weeks. This will also greatly alleviate Kellogg ¶s anger and frustration with the consultants. The new policies that should govern the Kellogg Champion should be centered on cutting costs and achieving a merit-based organization structure rather than keeping a set of policies and disregarding the other.

Hrm – the Google Way

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT – THE GOOGLE WAY SUBMITTED BY AKANSHA AGARWAL -100031 DEEPTI HORA – 100016 GAZAL BABEL- 100011 PRIYAM MAHESHWARI-100055 ROHIT NAIR – 100201 CONTENTS Executive Summary3 Introduction4 Company Overview4 People Operations at Google4 (with the help of Harvard and Guest models) Standard Recruitment and Selection10 Google India Code Jam11 Recommendations11 References12 Appendix15 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT – THE GOOGLE WAY In this project, we discuss the Human Resource practices at Google Inc. They are known as â€Å"PEOPLE OPERATIONS† headed by Laszlo Bock.Googlers(Google employees) work hard, and have fun too. The workforce is diversified with international communities, Gayglers (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender), and Greyglers (Googlers over 40 years). We have tried to use HRM Models such as â€Å"The Harvard Model† and â€Å"The Guest Model† which link the current HRM policies of Google wi th the theoretical aspect of HRM as a subject. The Harvard model throws light on aspects such as situational factors, stakeholder’s interest, HR management choices and decisions, their outcomes and consequences.Whereas the Guest Model throws light on aspects such as HRM practices like hiring, training, appraisals, relations, etc. and also aspects such as behavioural, financial and performance outcomes. In accordance with these models we saw that the success of Google lies in its open policy to accept the employee’s ideas. Google has been able to instil creativity and innovation among its employees. The next part of the project gives a detailed idea about the standard recruitment and selection process at Google offices all over the world including India.Google conducts the GLAT (Google Lab Aptitude test) to see if the prospective employees are compatible with the work environment. Bringing to light techniques such as the GOOGLE INDIA CODE JAM, through which they hire th e best techies from all across India to work for the company. Finally we have given recommendations wherein keeping in mind the drawbacks of some of its practices, we suggest corrective measures. INTRODUCTION This report identifies the current HRM policies of Google Inc. The company which had less than 20 employees in 1998 now has over 20000 on its pay rolls.We have evaluated them against the Harvard and Guest model of HRM. Also recruitment and selection procedures have been discussed. Some of them are standard while some unusual concluding with a few recommendations. COMPANY OVERVIEW Google is one of the leading internet technology and advertising companies in the world. It flagship product is its internet search engine. It also provides advertising services which is its main source of revenue. Google employees named GOOGLERS, which are now almost 20,000 in numbers. (Datamonitor 2010) PEOPLE OPERATONS AT GOOGLEThe HRM activities are classified on the basis of the parameters given b y the HARVARD MODEL and the GUEST MODEL. Situational factors and Stakeholder interest of the Harvard model and HR practices and Outcomes of the Guest model have been identified w. r. t Google. (Bratton. J and Gold. J 2007) Refer to Appendix for diagrammatic representation. SITUATIONAL FACTORS : Business strategy and conditions – The mission is to gather the entire world’s information and make it accessible to everyone. At the company data is sacred. Employees are encouraged to voice out inferences from data and not feelings.It is believed that more data equals more knowledge and better decisions. (Hardy. Q 2005). Its informal corporate motto â€Å"Don’t be Evil†, reminds Googlers that being ethical is essential. However this can be debated in view of its acceptance of filtering search results in China. Management philosophy – The management believes that if any employee fails, his/her managers are to blame. (Sullivan. J 2007) Labour market – The IT industry has a labour market with engineers from Ivy League Schools (full-timers) as well as contractors.Task technology – The IT industry is highly dynamic and competitive and to thrive one must continually innovate and delight the customers. Laws and societal values – There have been instances where Googlers have taken the company to court for outstanding payment of salary and disabled accounts which could prove harmful to the company. (Google 2010) STAKEHOLDER INTEREST : Management – LASZLO BOCK, vice president of people operations, Google. A Chief Cultural Officer or Director of Human Resources is designated to maintain the company’s unique work culture.He is in charge of making sure that the company’s values are adhered to. (Kuntze. R & Matulich. E, 2010) Community – It gives back to society through its philanthropic wing which undertakes in-kind product donations, volunteering and charity. (Google 2011) HRM PRACTICES : Hiring à ¢â‚¬â€œ Due to the dynamic work environment the company hires people who are quick learners and innovative. (Sullivan. J 2007). The hiring process is quite long and difficult with tests, pre-interview screening and finally at least 4 rounds of interviews. Reward system – Refer to Appendix TABLE 1 for Compensation of top 5 executives in Google.The Google infrastructure has day care and elder care centres, spa and hair salons, car wash and oil check facilities and everything else that technology obsessed person would need in terms of a benefits package. Employees must work for 70% of their working hours and are entitled to unlimited sick leave, stock options and various other perquisites. (Logan. G 2008) WORK SYSTEM The employees have experience in three main areas – human resource, business consulting with good problem-solving skills, statistics and psychology. (Anonymous 2008) Google has an informal ‘value-added’ environment. The environment is creative, f un and relaxed.Individuality and innovation is encouraged. There is neither dress code nor formal daily meetings. TGIFs or weekly Friday meetings are held where questions can be posed to the co-founders also. Nooglers are given special treatment and made to experience the spirit of co-operation. The downside of such an environment is that Googlers show up late, don’t pay attention, leave early and keep messaging on their mobiles. 20% TIME. Simply put, employees get 1/5th of their time to work on projects of their own choosing. This keeps employees challenged and at the same time provides good business opportunities for the company. Kuntze. R & Matulich. E, 2010). Hourly time isn’t tracked so there’s no way to know what percentage of time people are spending on side projects. The concept functions more as an attitude – that new projects should be started anyone, not necessarily those at the top. Also giving time is of no use if the culture of the company d oes not support it. Training and Development – Google sponsors lessons in foreign languages. Unique development opportunities are provided to engineers. EngEDU, an engineering training group provides training classes and career development services to them.It is mandatory to undergo training and development sessions for a minimum of 120 hours/year. Google stresses development of the people through on-the-job learning. It occurs through frequent departmental â€Å"tech talks†, new mentors, etc. (Sullivan. J 2007) Appraisal – Google says it puts a â€Å"twist on 360-degree feedback by providing functionality for managers and employees to nominate `peer reviewers' from anywhere across the organization†. Quarterly goals are set and performance evaluations are based on these; the company aims for a 70 percent success rate. Anonymous 2008) Relations – HR practices at Google are coined ‘People Operations’. Employee passion is maintained by li miting bureaucracy. Ideas which are unique are encouraged no matter where they came from. (Sullivan. J 2007) When many employees started to leave it formulated a mathematical algorithm to look for unhappy Googlers. The idea was to get inside the employees head even before they thought of leaving the company. However, it can be argued that it was a waste of money. James Smither, a professor at La Salle University, Philadelphia, says that it doesn’t make sense. â€Å"No algorithm is any better than the data you feed it.And most data about behaviour has questionable reliability. † If we put in garbage the algorithm will give the same back. (Watson. T 2009) LONG TERM CONSEQUENCES : Individual well-being – Google allows employees to work on any project of their choice which boosts creative thought and instils job satisfaction. (Kuntze. R ; Matulich. E 2010). Career development and tutorial services are provided. ( Sullivan. J 2007) One way Google speeds development i s through a yearlong â€Å"base camp† training initiative that features a combination of HR specialist training and MBA-like curriculum.Organisational effectiveness – The Company was placed fourth in Fortune’s list of America’s most Admired Companies and first in the list of Best Companies to Work For. (Hansen. F 2008)and (Logan. G 2008) BEHAVIOURAL OUTCOMES : Motivation – The main factors of motivation in the company is the dynamic environment, quick decision making and a culture where ambitious ideas are not only encouraged but also accepted. (Sullivan. J 2007) Co-operation – Googlers across levels and departments say that it doesn’t matter if they are designing search engines or cooking meals for their colleagues, they feel that their work can change the world. (Salter.C et al. 2008) Commitment – The thing about Google is that even after 12 years, it continues to instil a sense of creativity and ambition within its employees and now has more than 20000. The freedom given to its workers infuses in them a sense of responsibility and obligation: â€Å"Are we taking advantage of what we've got here? † they ask. â€Å"Are we doing enough? Are we doing everything we can? † (Salter. C et al. 2008) PERFORMANCE OUTCOMES : POSITIVE Productivity – Matt Glotzbach(2008) – PRODUCT MANAGEMENT DIRECTOR FOR GOOGLE ENTERPRISE Generally a new employee is required to fill out paperwork but at Google it is done electronically. I went to a staff meeting that afternoon and got assigned to figure out how Google could launch Enterprise [applications for corporations] in Europe. I was told to come back with the answer at the end of the week. It was like, ‘Hey, New Guy, you don't know anything about our business yet, and you don't have any international experience, but here are some people who can help you. Go figure it out. ‘ We launched in Europe a few months later. † Innovation â €“ 20% time. Simply put, employees get 1/5th of their time to work on projects of their own choosing.This keeps employees challenged and at the same time provides good business opportunities for the company. Google services that were all started as individual projects are Gmail, Google News, Orkut etc. (Kuntze. R & Matulich. E, 2010). NEGATIVE Turnover – The Company had to raise the wages by 10 % starting 2011 to reduce defection of workers who were looking for brighter pastures. With $33 billion in cash and a stock market capitalization of almost $180 billion, Google can afford to throw money and shares at its employees. Yet the significance of Google's across-the-board pay raise extends far beyond corporate competition. Farell. C 2010) Paul Buchheit, a Googler who coined â€Å"Don't be evil! † is a founder, with three ex-Googlers, of a social-networking company called FriendFeed. Nathan Stoll, who managed Google News, is hard at work on his new company, Mechanica l Zoo. Several top people have gone to Facebook, most notably Sheryl Sandberg, who ran Google's automated ad sales, and Elliot Schrage, who ran PR. (Lashinsky. A et al. 2008) FINANCIAL OUTCOMES : Profits – Google has matured very quickly in the last twelve years since its inception in 1998. The company’s operating profit and net profit have increased to $8312. million and $6520. 4 million in 2009 respectively which is almost 25. 3% and 54. 3% as compared to the previous years. (Datamonitor 2010) STANDARD RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION The HR Technology and Operations Manager, Melissa Karp says that the fast pace with which Google is growing means that the senior managers have to spend 30% of their time in interviewing prospective employees. The company says every applicant goes through at least four rounds of interviews taken by direct line managers, potential peers and subordinates. Liane Hornsey apparently had to go through fourteen interviews before getting her job.Once selected and the contract signed, presents are given to the NOOGLER, his/her desk is decorated with balloons and an invitation is given to dine with his/her manager. This tough entry means that only the most talented and culturally compatible people are hired and firing of employees is less. There is not much stress among people over being thrown out. (Wright. A. D 2008) and(Dempsey. K 2007) Refer to Appendix AD for the hiring advertisement of Google. After anyone applies online in the company, it uses its applicant tracking system (ATS) to weigh in on applicants.Background information on education and work experience is collected and stored in the ATS. Then it is compared to data about existing Google employees and if there is a match, an e-mail is sent to ask the particular employee for internal references. Employees update the ATS by replying to this e-mail. Google uses its GOOGLE LAB APTITUDE TEST (GLAT) which tries to measure his/her compatibility with its work environment. It is put in technology magazines and applicants hand it in accompanied by their resume. It also serves to select those applicants who have the desired skills and mindset for the interview stage. (Willock.R 2007) GOOGLE INDIA CODE JAM The India Code Jam is a contest where software writers are asked to write codes which can land them a job at Google’s Research and Development Centre which otherwise is a long and difficult process. The fastest writer also gets $6,900. It is a hunt to find the most brilliant code writer in South and Southeast Asia. Their problem solving, designing and code writing skills are put to test. Finalists are required to create and test software and finally programme a war-based game. However this contest is so complex to complete that only the most brilliant code writers think of applying.Google has been unsuccessful in finding these brilliant engineers for its Indian office. According to insiders the Bangalore office wanted to hire 100 employees but thei r staffs has only 25 people. (Puliyenthuruthel. J 2005) RECOMMENDATIONS The work culture of Google is very motivating and challenging. The 20% time concept is a huge success. The perquisites offered are more than any employee hopes for. However, after studying the policies of Google and arguments of various third parties in favour or against them we have come up with a few suggestions for improvement. Employee turnover rate – The number of employees leaving the company has been increasing in the last few years. Some of the cited reasons were low pay, bureaucracy and poor mentoring. We suggest that superiors pay more attention to employees and guide them wherever necessary. Also an environment that is fun may backfire. A balance between work and fun must be maintained. * Mathematical Algorithm – James Smither, a professor of management at La Salle University in Philadelphia argues that the idea of the mathematical algorithm is very unrealistic as the behavioural data ma y or may not be accurate.Rather it is suggested that Googlers should be approached directly so as to know why they are dissatisfied. * It has a bad reputation for underpaying the employees, even though they are trying to motivate them by providing stock options. Thus Google should see that the employees they hire are paid in accordance to the work that they do and at the same time see that they are not dissatisfied. * Recruitment – Google India Code Jam is an innovative way of recruiting people, but the only drawback is that it is a very difficult process.Thus measures should be taken to see that the process is neither too easy nor too difficult, so that the best talent is selected and at the same time it should not deter people from applying. REFERENCES 1. Kuntze R. , and Matulich E. , (2010). Google: Searching for Value. Journal of Case Research in Business and Economics. Volume 2. Pp 2-7. [online]Available at :- http://www. aabri. com/manuscripts/09429. pdf [Accessed on 5 April 2011]. 2. The Finest People, The Coolest Environment. Times Ascent: HR Forum, Empowering Potential, New Delhi. 18th January’ 07. Pp. , 22. [online]Available at :- http://www. myadrenalin. om/india/Downloads/news/CAP_2007_1_18_22. pdf [Accessed on 3 April 2011]. 3. Wright A. D. , (2008). At Google, It Takes A Village To Hire An Employee. HR Magazine. SHRM’s HR Trend. Volume 53. Pp 56-57. [online]Available at :- http://web. ebscohost. com. ezproxy. lancs. ac. uk/ehost/detail? vid=3;hid=8;sid=ed72b75c-a4b7-4a49-85f0-b26e67d8e6ff%40sessionmgr4;bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=buh;AN=36048756 [Accessed on 2 April 2011]. 4. Anonymous (2008)Google’s Lessons for Employers: Put Your Employees First. HR Focus. Volume 85(9). Pp 8-9. [online]Available at :- http://web. ebscohost. com. ezproxy. ancs. ac. uk/ehost/detail? vid=5;hid=8;sid=ed72b75c-a4b7-4a49-85f0-b26e67d8e6ff%40sessionmgr4;bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=buh;AN=33764457 [Accessed on 2 April 201 1]. 5. Shipman. D (2006). Can We Learn A Few Things from Google? Nursing Management. Volume 37(8). Pp 10-12. [online]Available at :- http://web. ebscohost. com. ezproxy. lancs. ac. uk/ehost/detail? vid=7;hid=8;sid=ed72b75c-a4b7-4a49-85f0-b26e67d8e6ff%40sessionmgr4;bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=buh;AN=21819793 [Accessed on 2 April 2011]. 6. DataMonitor, 2010. [online]Available at :- http://web. ebscohost. om. ezproxy. lancs. ac. uk/ehost/companyinfo? sid=653132a9-31a4-40e4-83bf-024bc4691e5b%40sessionmgr115;vid=5;hid=111;bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=buh;authdb=dmhco;AN=5B199F61-608D-4923-B4A3-F5EE15285ADE [Accessed on 1 April 2011]. 7. Verma. M(2008), Google’s HR Dilemma, Human Asset Management, ICFAI Books Volume 1, Chennai, ICFAI University Press, Pp-140-149 8. Bratton J. and Gold. J (2007), Human Resource Management, 4th Edition, London, Macmillan, Chapter 1. 9. Work Example- Google (2010), T+D. Volume 64(5). Pp 44. [online]Available at :- http://web. ebscoh ost. com. ezproxy. lancs. c. uk/ehost/detail? vid=9;hid=8;sid=ed72b75c-a4b7-4a49-85f0-b26e67d8e6ff%40sessionmgr4;bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=buh;AN=50256392 [Accessed on 2 April 2011]. 10. Hansen. F (2008). TOP of the CLASS. Workforce Management. Volume 86(20). [online]Available at :- http://web. ebscohost. com. ezproxy. lancs. ac. uk/ehost/detail? vid=11;hid=8;sid=ed72b75c-a4b7-4a49-85f0-b26e67d8e6ff%40sessionmgr4;bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=buh;AN=33066193 [Accessed on 2 April 2011]. 11. Logan, G. ,(2008). Hiring Policy makes Google best place to work in UK: Personnel Today, 3June. [Online] Available at: http://web. ebscohost. com. ezproxy. lancs. ac. uk/ehost/detail? vid=15;hid=8;sid=ed72b75c-a4b7-4a49-85f0-b26e67d8e6ff%40sessionmgr4;bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=buh;AN=33066355 [Accessed on 4 April 2011] 12. Watson, T. ,(2009). A Google Eye: Canadian Business, 16 June. , Volume 82 (11), [Online] Available at: http://web. ebscohost. com. ezproxy. lancs . ac. uk/ehost/detail? vid=17;hid=8;sid=ed72b75c-a4b7-4a49-85f0-b26e67d8e6ff%40sessionmgr4;bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=buh;AN=42208422 [Accessed on 2 April 2011] 3. Willock, R. ,(2007). Google makes the mind boggle with its recruitment challenges: Personnel Today, 6 Feb. , [Online] Available at: http://web. ebscohost. com. ezproxy. lancs. ac. uk/ehost/detail? vid=17;hid=8;sid=ed72b75c-a4b7-4a49-85f0-b26e67d8e6ff%40sessionmgr4;bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=buh;AN=42208422 [Accessed on 4 April 2011] 14. Dempsey, K. ,(2007). Invest more time in Hiring to spend less time firing: Personnel Management, 6 Feb. , [Online] Available at: http://web. ebscohost. com. ezproxy. lancs. ac. uk/ehost/detail? id=22;hid=8;sid=ed72b75c-a4b7-4a49-85f0-b26e67d8e6ff%40sessionmgr4;bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=buh;AN=24663216[Accessed on 29 March 2011] 15. Farrell, C. , (2010). On pay raises, its Google or Bust: Business week, 1 Dec. , [Online] Available at: http://web. ebscohost. com. ezproxy. lancs. ac. uk/ehost/detail? vid=33;hid=8;sid=ed72b75c-a4b7-4a49-85f0-b26e67d8e6ff%40sessionmgr4;bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=buh;AN=55618496 [Accessed on 3 April 2011] 16. Hardy, Q. (2005). Google Thinks Small: Forbes, 14 Nov. ,Volume 176 (10), [Online]Available at: http://web. bscohost. com. ezproxy. lancs. ac. uk/ehost/detail? vid=30;hid=8;sid=ed72b75c-a4b7-4a49-85f0-b26e67d8e6ff%40sessionmgr4;bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=buh;AN=18728217 [Accessed on 1 April 2011] 17. Puliyenthuruthel, J. ,(2005). How Google Searches-For Talent: Business week, 11 April, Issue 3928. [Online] Available at:http://web. ebscohost. com. ezproxy. lancs. ac. uk/ehost/detail? vid=28;hid=8;sid=ed72b75c-a4b7-4a49-85f0-b26e67d8e6ff%40sessionmgr4;bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=buh;AN=16599813 [Accessed on 1 April 2011] 18. Salter, C. , et al. (2008).Google: The Faces and Voices of the world’s most Innovative company: Fast Company, March, Issue 123. [Online]Availab le at: http://web. ebscohost. com. ezproxy. lancs. ac. uk/ehost/detail? vid=26;hid=8;sid=ed72b75c-a4b7-4a49-85f0-b26e67d8e6ff%40sessionmgr4;bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=buh;AN=29959444[Accessed on 5 April 2011] 19. Lashinsky, A. , et al. (2008). Where Does Google Go Next? Fortune, 26 May,Volume 157 (11). [Online] Available at:http://web. ebscohost. com. ezproxy. lancs. ac. uk/ehost/detail? vid=24;hid=8;sid=ed72b75c-a4b7-4a49-85f0-b26e67d8e6ff%40sessionmgr4;bd

Stanley Tookie Williams †Death Penalty Case Study

Stanley Tookie Williams – Death Penalty Case Study Free Online Research Papers Crime is a major problem in our world today. Some people in our country live in fear that they will be the next victim of a crime; they could be robbed, raped, or even murdered. There are so many theories on how to stop crime. One of the theories is the use of the death penalty as a deterrent. There are a lot of issues that surround that idea that make the use of the death penalty just as bad as the accused committing murder. It is very contradictive, inconsistent, and unethical. Although some people believe that the death penalty deters crime, there are many arguments against it. For example, the costs are extremely high, racism is involved, and there are innocent people on death row to list a few. Stanley Tookie Williams is a great example of how the death penalty is unethical. He was the person responsible for creating the Crips gang in California back in the seventies. He was later charged with the death penalty for murdering three people. Over the course of 10 years, Tookie Williams, with the help of his supporter and friend Barbara Becnel, wrote eight childrens books all with the aim of stopping youngsters living a violent gang life. He also earned five Nobel peace prize nominations, a letter from President George W Bush commending him on his work, and a movie portraying his life called, simply, Redemption (Leithead). He was executed in December, 2005 by lethal injection. Some people believe that he deserved to die because even though he had so many accomplishments in prison, out of prison he was a monster. They didn’t believe that he was being genuine in his good deeds. Some people say that he is a success story because he turned his life around despite hi s surroundings. The system should have let him serve life in prison without the possibility of parole after all of his accomplishments because in this case he had turned his life around and instead of hurting others in society, he was helping society. Even though a great person like Stanley Williams was executed, the American public has long been favorably disposed toward capital punishment for convicted murderers, and that support continues to grow. In a 1981 Gallup Poll, two-thirds of Americans voiced general approval for the death penalty. That support rose to 72% in 1985, to 76% in 1991, and to 80% in 1994. Although these polls need to be interpreted with extreme caution, it is clear that there are few issues on which more Americans agree: in at least some circumstances, death is seen as a justifiable punishment (Radelet, Akers). Part of the support for capital punishment comes from the belief that the death penalty is legitimate. This justification suggests that murderers should be executed for retributive reasons: murderers should suffer, and the retributive effects of life imprisonment are insufficient for taking a life. While such views are worthy of debate, no empirical research can tell us if the argument is correct or incorrect. Empirical studies can neither answer the question of what specific criminals (or non-criminals) deserve, nor settle debates over other moral issues surrounding capital punishment. In some people eyes the moral issues of capital punishment don’t outweigh the public concern with violent crime. It is generating strong support for the death penalty. Thirty-eight states have passed capital punishment laws in the past 20 years. One reason for skepticism about the death penaltys value as a deterrent is the never-ending parade of homicides from convenience- store shootings to high-profile crimes of passion. A much-watched case involved Susan V. Smith of Union, S.C. She made national headlines when she told police that an armed black man had commandeered her car and driven off with her two little boys. But nine days later, Smith was charged in the childrens drowning deaths. According to police, Smith confessed to strapping the youngsters into their car seats and letting the car roll down a boat ramp to the bottom of a lake (Worsnop). The death penalty will not deter crimes of passion because in the heat of the moment people that kill do not think about the co nsequences. That shows that the people that believe that the death penalty is a deterrent is incorrect because people still kill even if there is a possibility that they will receive the death penalty. Some people receive the death penalty for crimes that they did not commit. Having someone serve life in prison instead of the death penalty gives that person time to prove their innocence. The debate over erroneous convictions has increased in recent years because DNA testing now allows inmates to prove their innocence years after their convictions. Former death row inmate Aaron Patterson is one of seventeen wrongfully convicted men freed in Illinois, the only state with a death penalty moratorium. The American Bar Association has called for a nationwide moratorium on executions, citing documented problems in capital trials and sentencing such as racial discrimination, inadequate legal representation and other constitutional violations. The advent of DNA testing - which has been credited with â€Å"exonerating† more than 160 prison inmates over the last 15 years, including 14 men on various states death rows - has focused attention on using new technology to prevent execut ions of innocent defendants (Jost). State officials disagree that this new technology has proven that innocent people have been executed.. Law enforcement groups emphasize in particular that anti-death penalty groups have yet to document a case in the modern era of someone who was executed and later proven conclusively to have been innocent of the crime. Prosecutors and law enforcement supporters, however, say the high court should maintain strict standards for state prisoners to meet before asking federal judges in effect to give them a second trial. â€Å"If youre going to retry every capital case, youre going to have an even more inefficient system than you have now,† says Barry Latzer, a professor at City University of New Yorks John Jay College of Criminal Justice (Jost). If there is speculation that there are innocent people in prison, there should not be a death penalty. One life being taken over a wrong conviction is enough to end it. The price of an innocent life is far more than trying to prove th at the death penalty works. It price of execution is far more than to keeping him or her in prison for life. A recent New Jersey Policy Perspectives report concluded that the states death penalty has cost taxpayers $253 million since 1983, a figure that is over and above the costs that would have been incurred had the state utilized a sentence of life without parole instead of death. From a strictly financial perspective, it is hard to reach a conclusion other than this: New Jersey taxpayers over the last 23 years have paid more than a quarter billion dollars on a capital punishment system that has executed no one, the report concluded. Michael Murphy, former Morris County, NJ prosecutor, remarked: If you were to ask me how $11 million a year could best protect the people of New Jersey, I would tell you by giving the law enforcement community more resources. Im not interested in hypotheticals or abstractions, I want the tools for law enforcement to do their job, and $11 million can buy a lot of tools (Death Pen alty Focus). This country hates paying irrelevant taxes; they should be taking this information into account. There is no justification for paying taxes for something that is not being used. There are some justifications for the death penalty. One of those is that the death penalty saves innocent lives by preventing convicted murderers from killing again. Some sense of the risk here is the fact that of roughly 52,000 state prison inmates serving time for murder, an estimate 810 had previously been convicted of murder and had killed 821 persons following those convictions. Executing each of these inmates after the first murder conviction would have saved the lives of more than 800 persons (Cassell). But having the people serve life sentences could’ve served the same purpose of preventing murder. Politics, quality of legal counsel and the jurisdiction where a crime is committed are more often the determining factors in a death penalty case than the facts of the crime itself. The death penalty is a lethal lottery: of the 22,000 homicides committed every year approximately 150 people are sentenced to death (Death Penalty Focus). Most of the 150 people were Africa n American, which shows that the system is unethical and displays racism. Racism in the imposition of the death penalty has been widely documented over the years. From roughly 1930 to the late 1960s, 49 percent (1,630 out of 3,334) of people executed for murder were African American even though they only made up between 9 and 10 percent of the total U.S. population during this 30-year period. In the early 1970s the courts first challenged the constitutionality of the death penalty because of this probable racial bias. Specifically, the Supreme Court case Furrnan v. Georgia (1972) ruled that the death penalty was cruel and unusual punishment because of the arbitrary and discriminatory manner in which it was imposed. Race discrimination was at the center of the critique of the death penalty and something the post- Furman reforms were designed to remedy. Despite the implementation of death penalty reforms, race discrimination continues to influence the application of the death penalty. Research has found that racism manifests itself in two ways: 1) defendan ts who kill white victims are more likely to be given the death penalty compared to those who kill blacks; and 2) black defendants (regardless of the race of victim) are more likely to receive the death penalty compared to white defendants (Bordt). The idea that the death penalty can stop crime would not be the big debate that it is if there wasn’t discrimination in the justice system. Justice John Paul Stevens has become the latest member of the Supreme Court to voice strong concerns off the bench about the way that death penalty cases are handled in the United States. In a speech to the American Bar Association on Aug. 6, Stevens noted the â€Å"substantial number† of erroneously imposed death sentences and then suggested the need to re-examine jury-selection and sentencing procedures to eliminate what he called â€Å"special risks of unfairness† in death penalty cases. Stevens had gone even further three months earlier. In a speech in May to lawyers and ju dges at the Seventh Circuit Bar Association, the 85-year-old leader of the courts liberal bloc said, â€Å"This country would be much better off if we did not have capital punishment† (Jost). The death penalty is too inconsistent and unfair to African Americans. The inconsistencies are also shown for people with juveniles and people with mental disabilities. Deserved retribution as punishment presupposes that the offender is fully responsible for his crime. In the United States we currently have several juveniles on death row, yet few of us are prepared to argue that juveniles are always fully responsible for the harms they cause. We also regularly execute offenders who suffer from various forms of incapacitation mental illness, disability, or retardation. If retribution is such a crucial and fundamental consideration in shaping the punishment a convicted criminal deserves, why don’t they use their theory to protest the execution of the young and the abnormal offenders, as they do to demand the execution of adult offenders who are normal by their standards? One is tempted to conclude either that they do not take the consequences of their own theory very seriously or that they are prepared to be widely inconsistent in its applicat ions (Bedau). These examples of inconsistencies in the justice system does not help the families of victims heal from the pain of losing a loved one. Many family members who have lost love ones to murder feel that the death penalty will not heal their wounds nor will it end their pain; the extended process prior to executions can prolong the agony experienced by the family. Funds now being used for the costly process of executions could be used to help families put their lives back together through counseling, restitution, crime victim hotlines, and other services addressing their needs (Death Penalty Focus). At what price should we kill to get things solved? If society is saying that murder is a terrible thing to do, then why do we do the same to punish others? The death penalty should be abolished because there is too much evidence to show that it is inconsistent, unethical and contradicting. Bedau, Hugo A., and Paul G. Cassell, eds. Debating the Death Penatly. Should America Have Capital Punishment? The Experts from Both Sides Make Their Case. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. 29 Oct. 2007. Bordt, Rebecca L. Only Some Are Dead Men Walking: Teaching about Race Discrimination and the Death Penalty . Teaching Sociology 32.4 (2004): 358-73. 20 Oct. 2007 . Facts. Death Penalty Focus. 03 APR 2007. Death Penalty Focus. 3 Dec 2007 . Jost, Kenneth. Death Penalty Controversies. CQ Researcher 15.33 (2005): 785-808. CQ Researcher Online. CQPress. Leithead, Alistair . 2005. 22 Oct. 2007 . Radlet, Michael L., and Ronald L. Akers. Deterrence and the Death Penalty: The Views of the Experts . The Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology 87.1 (1996): 1-16. 18 Oct.2007. Research Papers on Stanley Tookie Williams - Death Penalty Case StudyCapital PunishmentThe Masque of the Red Death Room meaningsArguments for Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS)Book Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoThe Fifth HorsemanThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationHip-Hop is ArtEffects of Television Violence on Children

Queen Victoria, Queen of England and Empress of India

Queen Victoria, Queen of England and Empress of India Queen Victoria (May 24, 1819–January 22, 1901), was the queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the empress of India. She was the longest-ruling monarch of Great  Britain until Queen Elizabeth II surpassed her record and ruled during a time of economic and imperial expansion known as the Victorian Era. Fast Facts: Queen Victoria Known For: Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (r. 1837–1901), Empress of India (r. 1876–1901)Born: May 24, 1819 in Kensington Palace, London, EnglandParents: Edward, Duke of Kent and Victoire Maria Louisa of Saxe-CoburgDied: January 22, 1901 in Osborne House, Isle of WightPublished Works: Letters, Leaves From the Journal of Our Life in the Highlands, and More LeavesSpouse:  Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (m. Feb. 10, 1840)Children: Alice Maud Mary (1843–1878), Alfred Ernest Albert (1844–1900), Helena Augusta Victoria (1846–1923), Louise Caroline Alberta (1848–1939), Arthur William Patrick Albert (1850–1942), Leopold George Duncan Albert (1853–1884), Beatrice Mary Victoria Feodore (1857–1944) Queen Victorias children and grandchildren  married into many royal families of Europe, and some  introduced the hemophilia gene  into those families. She was a member of the house of Hanover, later called the house of Windsor. Early Life Queen Victoria was born Alexandrina Victoria at Kensington Palace, London, England on May 24, 1819. She was the only child of Edward, Duke of Kent (1767–1820), the fourth son of King George III (1738–1820, r. 1760–1820). Her mother was Victoire Maria Louisa of Saxe-Coburg (1786–1861), sister of Prince (later King)  Leopold of the Belgians (1790–1865, r. 1831–1865). Edward had married Victoire when an heir to the throne was needed after the death of Princess Charlotte, who had been married to Prince Leopold.  Edward died in 1820, just before his father did.  Victoire became the guardian of Alexandrina Victoria, as designated in Edwards will. When George IV became king (r. 1821–1830),  his dislike for Victoire helped isolate the mother and daughter from the rest of the court.  Prince Leopold helped his sister and niece financially. Heiress In 1830 and at the age of 11, Victoria became heir-apparent to the British crown on the death of her uncle George IV, at which point the parliament granted her income.  Her uncle William IV (1765–1837, r. 1830–1837) became king. Victoria remained relatively isolated, without any real friends, though she had many servants and teachers and a succession of pet dogs.  A tutor, Louise Lehzen (1784–1817), tried to teach Victoria the kind of discipline that Queen Elizabeth I had displayed. She was tutored in politics by her uncle Leopold. When Victoria turned 18, her uncle King William IV offered her a separate income and household, but Victorias mother refused. Victoria attended a ball in her honor and was greeted by crowds in the streets. Queen When William IV died childless a month later, Victoria became Queen of Great Britain and was crowned June, 20, 1837. Victoria began to exclude her mother from her inner circle. The first crisis of her reign came when rumors circulated that one of her mothers ladies-in-waiting, Lady Flora, was pregnant by her mothers adviser, John Conroy.  Lady Flora died of a liver tumor, but opponents at court used the rumors to make the new queen seem less innocent. Queen Victoria tested the limits of her royal powers in May 1839, when the government of Lord Melbourne (William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, 1779–1848), a Whig who had been her mentor and friend, fell. She refused to follow established precedent and dismiss her ladies of the bedchamber so that the Tory government could replace them.  In the bedchamber crisis she had the support of Melbourne.  Her refusal brought back the Whigs and Lord Melbourne until 1841. Marriage Neither Victoria nor her advisers favored the idea of an unmarried queen, despite or because of the example of Elizabeth I (1533–1603, r. 1558–1603).  A husband for Victoria would have to be royal and Protestant, as well as an appropriate age, which narrowed the field. Prince Leopold had been promoting her cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1819–1861)  for many years. They had first met when both were 17 and had corresponded ever since. When they were 20, he returned to England and Victoria, in love with him, proposed marriage. They were married on Feb. 10, 1840. Victoria had traditional views on the role of wife and mother, and although she was queen and Albert was prince consort, he shared government responsibilities at least equally. They fought often, sometimes with Victoria shouting angrily. Motherhood Their first child, a daughter, was born in November 1840, followed by the Prince of Wales, Edward, in 1841. Three more sons and four more daughters followed.  All nine pregnancies ended with live births and all the children survived to adulthood, an unusual record for that time.  Although Victoria had been nursed by her own mother, she used wet-nurses for her children. Though the family could have lived at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, or the Brighton Pavilion, they worked to create homes more appropriate for a family.  Albert was key in  designing their residences at Balmoral Castle and Osborne House. The family traveled to several places, including Scotland, France and Belgium.  Victoria became especially fond of Scotland and Balmoral. Government Role When Melbournes government failed again in 1841, he helped with the transition to the new government to avoid another embarrassing crisis. Victoria had a more limited role under Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet (1788–1850), with Albert taking a lead for the next 20 years of dual monarchy.  Albert guided Victoria to an appearance of political neutrality, though she didnt become any fonder of Peel. Instead, she became involved with establishing charities. European sovereigns visited her at home, and she and Albert visited Germany, including Coburg and Berlin.  She began to feel herself part of a larger network of monarchs.  Albert and Victoria used their relationship to become more active in foreign affairs, which conflicted with the ideas of the foreign minister, Lord Palmerston (Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, 1784–1865).  He didnt appreciate their involvement, and Victoria and Albert often thought his ideas too liberal and aggressive. Albert worked on a plan for a Great Exhibition, with a Crystal Palace in Hyde Park. Public appreciation for this construction completed in 1851 finally led to a warming of the British citizens toward their queens consort. Wars In the mid-1850s, the Crimean War (1853–1856) engrossed Victorias attention; she rewarded Florence Nightingale (1820–1910) for her service in helping protect and heal soldiers. Victorias concern for the wounded and sick led to her founding Royal Victoria Hospital in 1873.  As a result of the war, Victoria grew closer to the French emperor Napoleon III and his empress Eugà ©nie.  Napoleon III (1808–1873) was president of France from 1848–1852, and when he was not reelected, seized power and ruled as an emperor from 1852–1870. The unsuccessful revolt of Indian infantrymen in the army of the East India Company known as the Mutiny of the Sepoys (1857–1858) shocked Victoria. This and subsequent events led to British direct rule over India and Victorias new title as empress of India on May 1, 1876. Family In family matters, Victoria became disappointed with her eldest son, Albert Edward, prince of Wales, heir presumptive. The eldest three children- Victoria, Bertie, and Alice- received better educations than their younger siblings did, as they were most likely to inherit the crown. Queen Victoria and the Princess Royal Victoria werent as close as Victoria was to several of the younger children; the princess was closer to her father.  Albert won his way in marrying the princess to Frederick William, son of the prince and princess of Prussia. The young prince proposed when Princess Victoria was only 14. The queen urged delay in marriage to be sure that the princess was truly in love, and when she assured herself and her parents that she was, the two were formally engaged. Albert had never been named prince consort by parliament. Attempts in 1854 and 1856 to do so failed. Finally in 1857, Victoria conferred the title herself. In 1858, Princess Victoria was married to the Prussian prince.  Victoria and her daughter, known as Vicky, exchanged many letters as Victoria attempted to influence her daughter and son-in-law.   Mourning A series of deaths among Victorias relatives kept her in mourning starting in 1861. First, the king of Prussia died, making Vicky and her husband Frederick crown princess and prince. In March, Victorias mother died and Victoria collapsed, having reconciled with her mother during her marriage.  Several more deaths in the family followed, and then came a scandal with the prince of Wales.  In the middle of negotiating his marriage with Alexandra of Denmark, it was revealed that he was having an affair with an actress. Then Prince Alberts health failed.  He caught a cold and couldnt shake it. Perhaps weakened already by cancer, he developed what may have been typhoid fever and died on Dec. 14, 1861.  His death devastated Victoria; her prolonged mourning lost her much popularity. Death Eventually coming out of seclusion in February 1872, Victoria maintained an active role in government by building many memorials to her late husband. She died on January 22, 1901. Legacy Her reign was marked by waxing and waning popularity, and suspicions that she preferred the Germans a bit too much diminished her popularity. By the time she had assumed the throne, the British monarchy was more figurehead and influence than it was a direct power in the government, and her long reign did little to change that. Queen Victorias influence on British and world affairs, even if often was a figurehead, led to the naming of the Victorian Era for her.  She saw the largest extent of the British empire and the tensions within it.  Her relationship with her son, keeping him from any shared power, probably weakened the royal rule in future generations, and the failure of her daughter and son-in-law in Germany to have time to actualize their liberal ideas probably shifted the balance of European history. The marriage of her daughters into other royal families and the likelihood that her children bore a mutant gene for hemophilia affected the following generations of European history. Sources Baird, Julia. Victoria the Queen: An Intimate Biography of the Woman Who Ruled an Empire. New York: Random House, 2016.Hibbert, Christopher. Queen Victoria: A Personal History. New York: Harper-Collins, 2010.Hough, Richard. Victoria and Albert. New York: St. Martins Press, 1996.Rappaport, Helen. Queen Victoria: A Biographical Companion. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2003.

The Knight's Tale and The Wife of Bath's Tale Essay

The Knight's Tale and The Wife of Bath's Tale - Essay Example ‘The Wife of Bath’s Tale’ has a prologue where one woman talks about the five husbands she has had and in relation to her husbands, she encompasses in the conversation, topics like love, sex, religion, pleasure, gender roles, culture, society, beauty, jealousy and marriage. She talks about how these factors have remained interconnected with her life but in an almost sarcastic and humorous way. Of her five husbands, four loved her immensely and were docile to her wishes. They laid their life, love and wealth at her feet and praised her day and night and sought her attention and love. She had loved none of her first four husbands because they were old and had just married them for their money. However, if they satisfied and pleased her she let them have their way with her sometimes; she had their reigns in the palm of her hand. The Wife of Bath’s fifth husband was a man much younger than she and she loved him dearly. This is where she explains that women only love what they cannot have, and since this husband was â€Å"cool† to her affections she coveted him. But soon, aided by her clever shenanigans the lady of Bath had him in the palm of her hand too. He happily granted her authority over him and succumbed to her. The actual tale of the lady of Bath tells the story of a knight who was overcome by lust and raped a young girl in court. As punishment he was given a year to find out what women really want and if he found correct, his life would be spared, otherwise he would be killed. He had no success until the last day; he met an old woman who gave him the correct answer. What truly makes women happy is to have utter control over their lovers and husbands. Later, the old woman asks the young knight to marry her in return of her favor. He complies, but is unhappy because she is old and ugly. She gives him a choice; she can either be a good, faithful, ugly wife or an unfaithful but beautiful one. He leaves the decision at her discr etion. Made truly happy by her control over him, she turns into a beautiful and faithful wife. In sum, ‘The Wife of Bath’s Tale’ talks of a love that is selfish and riddled with coy plots and plans. In comparison, ‘The Knight’s Tale’ talks of a love that is pure and the things men do to attain their beloved. Through the progress of this story we learn that Palamon and Arcite are willing to risk their lives and freedom just to get to their beloved. Their love is blind and fearless and knows no bounds and they are willing to put everything that is most precious to them to be able to marry and possess the love of Emelye, with which the both are in love. In a way these tales are biased accounts of the topics of love, marriage, passion and desire for they confine each gender to a role and motive of an extreme, when in reality the truth is far from this. There are countless men who plot and scheme for love and when it comes to it, love only for self ish reasons and there are just as many, if not more women in this world who love blindly and faithfully regardless of how beautiful they are. However, there is much to learn from them too. Each defines a stereotype that exists in these settings, and even if the factor of gender roles is removed from the equation, most of the subject matter still rings true. In essence, the two stories talk about love from the perspective of the two different genders and