Reflection paper Essay Example for Free

Reflection paper Essay â€Å"Mabuhay ang Pilipinas! †, after watching Jose Rizal the Movie, these are the words that wanted to find its way out into my mouth. Words that wanted to travel beyond distance and beyond boundaries that would defy ages to finally find a resonating voice that sent earthquake to the stoned floor of the holy temple of God that sheltered fiends who clothed themselves in white and who spoke His words with fluency but undoubtedly knew nothing of His language. I could not say it better, as a realization hit me, but I admire my Motherland. I could not help but think how did she, after everything that was done to her, have found it in her heart to forgive? The film did not only depict the life of Jose Rizal during the gripping of the Spaniards’ iron hands but also the Filipinos during those darkest times before the crack of dawn. The movie did not also just settled for only Rizal and the Filipino people during the Spanish colonization, but it made a sort of movie adaptation of the two notable masterpieces of Rizal; the Noli Me Tangere and the El Filibusterismo. The movie itself was faithful to accuracy that you could see what it wants people to see and that is to see. The movie suggested us to see what had really happened to our motherland. It is to see what she had been through to keep her standing in her place in the map of the world. It is to see how many times our country had lost her identity, her dignity, her freedom, her voice, her rights, and her name. It is to see how many lives she had to remorsefully sacrifice just to keep standing. Watching the movie, I saw her. She took all pain and suffering and given up almost everything she has because she loves her children. She love the Filipinos that she kept standing and resisted the embrace of the god of the sea for us to have our feet on earth to land on. Realizing all she had borne made me proud to be molded from the earth of the Land of the Morning. Jose Rizal the Movie made it crystal cleared to everyone who would watch it how the Filipino people loved our country that they had given up their lives to free her from her iron cage. The movie showed that during the time of Rizal, Filipinos had started stirring from their seemed to be forever slumbering, although the Spaniards oppression continued to darken the skies. During those times, as portrayed, there was social unrest that resulted revolts. Most prominent movements were initiated by the Katipuneros led by Andres Bonifacio. A lot of native eyes had started to see the real faces inside the holy veil worn by the Spaniards that led them to the realization of their own scraped image. Spaniards had continued to use religion, specifically the teachings of the Catholic Church and the words of God to frightened majority of the Filipinos to conform and manipulate them. The film portrayed the Spaniards abuse of power and authority over the Filipinos. Friars shrouded their corruption in the cloak of church contributions and tributes. They collected high imposed taxes from the farmers who till their own soil. They acquired lands by authority and force. Worst of it, Spaniards did not content themselves in getting hold of our country but also our dignity. Filipinos had been treated unfairly. The Spaniards made sure that we had no equal human rights, no parity before the law, no seat for the government, no mercy from the church, and no place for morality. Filipinos became slaves. Our native women were victimized. There was racial discrimination. Only elites were granted to have a formal education and even in school, Filipinos were slandered, mocked and belittled. Even the justice system was in favor of the State. Filipinos who have committed crime in the eyes of their justice were subjected to persecution and death. Spaniards would then scheme any person who go against their regime; that would include the conspiracy they had done to Rizal as he was sentenced by prejudiced to death before his trial was even performed. They stripped our nation’s identity and clothed us in ballooned dresses to conform but even so denied our right-I believe-to baptize our country a name. Those lowest times, people who had finally perceived the truth tried to raise their voices but mostly failed to do so because there was no firmed foundation. Their flares were not enough. When Rizal gave light, flickers were rekindled to a raging fire. Jose Rizal became their source of strength though he did not purposely want to ignite insurgency. Though his writings were double edged sword, he wanted to address his appeal for freedom and equality in a diplomatic manner. Unfortunately, it did not go as planned because not only the Spaniards wanted to bind him for the trouble he had cause to the name of the Spanish government. I really liked the portrayal of those people close to Rizal after he was shot and had fallen on the ground; none of them even shed a tear. They held their ground, Rizal was not a traitor. They were the ones who held his pride when he was deprived to die with dignity. He doesn’t deserve a cry of sympathy because he had done nothing but to love and to be faithful to his country. Because he was not married to a woman; he was married to our country, faithfully. Watching that scene, I felt dignified. He was not a traitor and so were those lives that fought to free our country. They were Filipinos who desired to regain our freedom and identity from the Spaniards. As the movie concluded, I realized I have never been so proud of my country, and never did I really give proper acknowledgement to the many lives that, especially those nameless faces that did not have the chance to have a space in paper. â€Å"Give credit to who is due†, as the saying goes. All of us, we walk in different paths of life. We see strangers every day but I never really consider looking at their faces in a different way. After watching the film, I learned to see the faces of past through the faces of the present. We are all carrying fragments of souls of the people of the past. How we are giving shape to those fragments of souls is the real challenge in us. I have learned from watching the film how embarrassing we have become to cater these fragments in us because we failed and ignored to recognize them and the way we savor the liberty they struggled to regain but tragically did not had the chance to hold. These souls had once fought for freedom. We have to see them in us to fix how we abused our freedom. I still see our motherland in her situation back then because we failed to get the lessons from our past. How many more times does she have to be in same situation she thought she had been freed from? One lesson I clearly got from the movie, we have to carry the past in us like it is our own experience for us to never want to be in that situation again. We should never forget our own history and the importance of it, for the sake of those souls who only had the chance to experience true freedom in us.

Psychological Factors of Bilingualism

Psychological Factors of Bilingualism Table of Contents (Jump to) Introduction Psychological factors of bilingualism – Cognitive, Executive and Perception Based Challenges towards adopting bilingual learning in UAE and Recommendations Conclusion References Introduction Bilingualism is primarily concerned with use of twin languages in a country. This paper discusses the use of English and Arabic languages in UAE and how it related to the individual identity and psychology of people in UAE. This paper analyses the impact of bilingual habits and identity of an individual and the psychological adjustments that a person must make to a-fit himself or herself in a bicultural environment. In an environment where individuals have to adjust to more than one cultures and deal in more than one language, it has a very positive implication on the psychology of an individual leading to benefits such as multiple group loyalties, bilingual competence learning to impressive personalities and beneficial outcomes at work or career places through better mingling (Appel, 1987). Psychological factors of bilingualism – Cognitive, Executive and Perception Based In a study conducted by Worall, children of age groups between four-six and six-nine were studied have monolingual and bilingual backgrounds of learning for their choices of phonetic and semantic words. It was observed during the study that the children, who had a bilingual approach, had a better understanding of semantic words in comparison to children who had a single language approach. The children with bilingual background reached at a semantic language learning advantage at least 2-3 years early than then singular language counterparts. This clearly states that bilingualism enhances language developmental aspects in an individual’s personality. It has also been established by Ellen and Hatuka in their study that the individuals who have a bilingual approach have a better thinking pattern and can think and work on more than one direction than the people who speak and understand only one language. So, the people in UAE who can understand and think in both languages, English and Arabic have a stronger chance of excelling as individuals in their own fields rather than people who can speak only Arabic. These people are able to control their mind better and work according to the grammatical as well as syntax requirements of the languages – English and Arabic. This better understanding of languages leads to better awareness and increased power to control structures in an individual. Such people can better understand and control uncertainty and arbitrary aspects of objects (Hakuta, 1985). The people of UAE who observe the immersion and study of both languages – English and Arabic – from an early stage, are better able to think and act according to instructions in both languages and have a higher degree of cognitive development than their counterparts who have studied only in native language i.e. Arabic. Such individuals have a better understanding of concepts as a part of their personality and are able to better map the words and labels towards the concepts of life (Bialystok, 1987). These individuals also have a better functioning and understanding of executive functions and skills such a problem solving capabilities, mentally flex and control the individual attention, enhances inhibitory control and effectively switching between the tasks. The individuals who can also control their language power while dealing in English, besides the native language, Arabic have better cognitive and executive functions understanding. Not only they have an understanding of executive functions, but also prevent the decline of cognitive functions when the old age arrives. Bilingual factors also influence the perception based psychological factors. This includes the creative power and psychological flex to assume situations. The individuals who have an ability to perceive and understand both English and Arabic languages, have a better conceptualization and imaginary power leading to a psychology pertaining to better understanding of life situations. They are able to better manipulate the life and work situations to work in accordance with expectations and favorable situations. This advantage is of extreme importance in comparison to their colleagues who have a monolingual approach towards work and life situations (Emmorey, 2008). Also it has been noticed that bilingual individuals have a better understanding of mathematical concepts that even immerse into real life challenges and calculations – thus, leading to beneficial and profitable situations and decision making power. They have a better understanding of mathematical concepts, say, for example, logically placing the objectives and issues in accordance with profit making or loss based studies. Such perception based advantage also percolate into non mathematical situations, for example, understanding a problem based upon depiction through pictures. Thus, it can be established that individuals have a better understanding of life and work concepts as well as cognitive, executive and perception based problem solving psychological factors if they are bilinguals, over their monolingual counterparts (MacSwan, 2008). Challenges towards adopting bilingual learning in UAE and Recommendations The poor quality of education pertaining to Arabic language learning is the major challenge in UAE. Both in private and public schools, the language which is the native of UAE, does not observe adequate teaching skills or learning resources, as there must be. This is in no match to the global English language learning resources. The teachers fail to match the global standards of learning. It is highly recommended that the educational authorities realize the benefits of bilingual teaching and develop resources for Emiratis for adopting both English and Arabic language that matches the global aspects of learning. Specific focus must be laid on bringing Arabic language at par of English standard. Also, Arabic and English languages must be immersed with each other in learning at a very early level for appropriate development of cognitive and executive functions of individuals. It is thus recommended that the English and Arabic languages must be immersed at a very early level. Conclusion It is very important to introduce and continue bilingual approach for the corporate, government and educational institutions of UAE. English language must be introduced and Arabic language must be preserved. It is important to consider that bilingual approach can be challenging for the psychology of individuals due to the differences in language basics and the ambiguity that is associated with adopting these languages at all levels such as schooling, corporate etcNeedless to mention, that before the emphasis can be laid on learning of English language and finding places for this foreign language in the lives and identity of UAE people, prominence has to be given to Arabic language learning from a very early stage. A bilingual language approach for Emiratis means higher degree of cognitive, perception and executive skills development in students as well corporate people. References Appel, R. Muysken, P. (1987). Language contact and bilingualism. London: Edward Arnold. Hakuta K., Diaz R. M. (1985). The relationship between degree of bilingualism and cognitive ability: a critical discussion and some new longitudinal data.. In Nelson K. E. Childrens Language, vol.5. Erlbaum. pp. 320–344. Bialystok E. (1987). Influences of bilingualism on metalinguistic development. Second Language Research 3: 154–166. Emmorey K., Luk G., Pyers J. E., Bialystok E. (2008). The Source of Enhanced Cognitive Control in Bilinguals: Evidence From Bimodal Bilinguals. MacSwan, J. (February, 2000). The threshold hypothesis, semilingualism, and other contributions to a deficit view of linguistic minorities. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Science, 22(1), 3-45. Newspaper Resource: http://www.thenational.ae/opinion/editorial/solid-bilingual-system-would-bolster-arabic-in-the-uae

Purchasing And Procurement In The Construction Industry Construction Essay

Purchasing And Procurement In The Construction Industry Construction Essay In this ever changing world that has become so competitive that the expectations in the construction industry regarding deliverables, cost, time and quality have made companies shift to more robust and competitive operational strategies. Other industries have successfully implemented new and improved strategy but the construction industry still has to follow suit. One of the major factors that are identified in the construction industry is the rather slow changing procurement chain management system. The current strategies used for procurement do not live up to the market requirements and rather is stifling the growth of this particular industry. Understanding these various models are being implemented throughout the industry which will have a significant impact on the growth as well as improve productivity to help this industry sustain the drastic economic changes. Historically, the sourcing of subcontracting services was the most neglected element in the construction process. Only when the cost of materials and the subcontracting increased did management investigate alternative methods to planning and control. Labor was the focus since this industry is labor intense and more emphasis was given to the cost of labor. Firms also started investing heavily into technology and technology related products. The traditional view of purchasing and sourcing management as a clerical function has been negated and emerged as a viable and profitable function more than any other functions in the construction industry. The lifecycle of a typical construction project consists of the following stages, The construction life cycle stages are mutually exclusive or independent of each other. Many of these stages occur concurrently. Depending on the size of the organization the supply sourcing maybe implemented in varying degree of ownership. Regardless of the size of the company ownership in the supply souring function must be well defined. The supply sourcing must be carried out according to the specification of the projects, budgetary and scheduling constraints. Supply sourcing function involves working with upstream and downstream relationships, inside and outside each organization. The supply sourcing process involves assisting the project manager with subcontracting services, bulk material and equipment requirements. The construction manager or contractor coordinates the transformational process based on three basic criteria which is completing the project on time, making sure he/she sticks to the budget and delivered with an accepted level of quality. Review of Existing Purchasing Options In the construction sector, procurement has become difficult due to the different methods for acquisition of buildings and infrastructure. The main features of current procurement options are listed below. The section is divided into the various methods of contracting / funding, methods of selection and methods of payment. Methods of contracting General Contracting: design is done by independent consultants who are in direct contact with the client or designers who are part of the client organization. There is a separate contract for the construction of the project which is placed with a building contractor who sub-lets the elements of the work. Payment is done monthly based on the amount of work done. Design and Build (pure): Design and Build (DB) is the procurement system in which a single organization takes the responsibility and risks for both the design and construction phases. The client engages a building contractor who is responsible for the design and the construction. The method of payment is lump sum, payable in monthly installments. Novated Design and Build: This is a variation of the pure DB and is used when the client employs a design team for the early stages and once a building contractor is selected by tender the team is shifted to this builder. The advantage of such a system is that the original design is kept intact from the early stages and ultimately is passed on to the contractor. Management Contracting: This type of system came into existence with the needs of developers to take more commercial risk on construction projects as compared to general contracting. The trend of building contractors to sub-let all the work resulted in the need to procure a project management and co-ordination input and also harness close relationship between client and contractor. Construction Management: Effectively the same as management contracting, the only difference being that there is no general contractor, instead a series of direct contractual links between the client and the trade contractors. This makes the role of CM more like a consultant than a contractor. Package Deals: This is a way of increasing the scope of the contractor. For large engineering projects like oil rigs, harbors and docks they are structures as Engineer, Procure and Construction. Under such an arrangement the EPC contractor takes the responsibility for carrying out all the design, construction and commissioning work so that the client only has to pay. Systems Involving Service Agreements: sometimes organizations maybe contracted to provide other inputs. These include commissioning, operation and maintenance. Collaborative working: Sometimes in projects various organizations come together to have a collaborative relationships. There is a lot that can be gained from such alliances and have success for both the project and the organization in the long run. The continual relationship building plays a crucial role in such circumstances. The trend towards long term arrangements is clear with strategies like framework agreements and serial or strategic partnering. Such alliances prove effective with the savings in costs of re-bidding, the prospects of continuous improvement and a predictable workflow. Methods of selection Long term or short term relations need to be formed to accomplish where there is a greater need on competition or cooperation. Levels of competition arise from open tendering to single negotiation. Open and selective tendering relies on price as their main criterion. Some clients adopt a more cooperative approach and favor negotiations where non-price plays a significant part. Two stage tendering is a hybrid approach that seeks to exploit the advantage of negotiations and competition. The appointment of a contractor takes two stages. Stage 1 is competitive and based on costs. Stage 2 is made after the completion of open book negotiations for the final price. Methods of payment Price-based systems: these include lump-sum arrangements that range from Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) to remeasurable contracts. GMP is used when contractors control the design and remeasurable contracts are characterized by the contract bill of quantities. In such contracts the amount of work is measured after it is finished with reference to the rates in the bills of quantities. Cost-based systems: cost-based payment methods include cost-plus and target cost. Cost plus contracts removes the risk of variable production costs from the contractor, who is paid on the time spent and the materials used rather than sticking to the tendered price. Target cost contracts are used as an incentive to increase efficiency from the contractor. The costs are shared between the contractor and the employer. Even if the cost exceed the agreed target cost or in a situation where the costs are less than the target cost, it is shared between both parties. Todayà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s Construction industry uses this particular model (Fig. 1) because the specialty contractor has been responsible for material procurement. In this model, the owner and the general contractor rely on the specialty contractor to procure all the equipment and material for the project. Owners use the SCPM over 80% of the time to procure build-to-order equipment and to procure commodity material over 90% of the time. Majority of the material is transferred between manufacturers, manufacturing reps, distributors and specialty contractors. With this model the SC has reviews the design specifications and notifies the owner or GC of equipment or material incompatibility issues, design change recommendations or lower cost equipment and material substitutions. Once the design is confirmed the material orders flow from the SC to both distributor and manufacturer. The material and equipment then flow back to the SC at the jobsite. Knowledge and service transfer in the SCPM model are between manufacturers, distributors and specialty contractors. The figure below illustrates the knowledge transfer between the parties involved. This model is less common than SCPM in the construction industry. In this model the owners procure the material and equipment directly from the manufacturer or from a distr4ibutor. This is mainly used to remove transactional costs from the supply chain. This model is typically used about 10% of the time for the entirety of their equipment and material purchases. This model is particularly used for procurement of build-to-order materials than it is for commodity materials. The transfers are directly between the owner and manufacturer. The owner has his own design team to procure the correct material and equipment. The input from a specialty contractor varies. The owner has a strong standing relation with individual specialty contractors and such cases the SC gives input about material to the owner. In this model the material is directly shipped to the jobsite and stored until installation. The knowledge and service transfers in this model are very limited. Knowledge is primarily obtained from the ownerà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s past experience and through design specifications that were developed for previous projects. This is the least commonly used purchasing model in the construction industry. In this model the owners commission the GC to procure material and equipment. In most cases the GC seeks to purchase all the material and equipment from the manufacturers directly. Most manufacturers are not set up to sell their products directly to customers and hence the GC has to go through the normal distribution channels. Only 2% of the time is this model used in the construction industry. The transfers in this model occur between the GC, distributor and manufacturer or directly between the GC and manufacturer. The flow is such that once the order is given to the GC the GC purchases the material without the consultation of the SC. In this model the GC procures the material and equipment according to the specifications of the project. The knowledge and service transfers in the GCPM are similar to the OPM model. The GC must depend on his own experience as well as details from the manufacturer and/or distributor in order to purchase the proper material. Knowledge from installation experience does not exist because the SC is not involved in the procurement process and the GC is not involved in the installation process. Summary The procurement process of the construction industry is complex and involves various amount and degree of procurement. Several untouched and untrained areas exist in the procurement process of construction. It stands that it is an important cog in the entire process of construction. Various avenues still exist and with careful study of internal process and finding a suitable fit so as to be effective and competitive is essential for the success of an organization in this industry. A huge potential exists in having a cost effective process that can make achieve acceptable levels of quality and on time delivery are the key elements to have a procurement process model.

film analysis :: essays research papers

Theme of Bodies, Rest and Motion This is a story about searching and trying to find home. Four people are looking for their place in life. It’s about belonging. They are at the beginning of the film living a superficial temporary existence. We have a character Nick who is a man lost, he is looking for a purpose, a sense of belonging and direction. He is disconnected from his family and even from society, from his job, from his girlfriend. He seeking and wanting and does not know what that is but he knows he is missing something or someone. Next we have Sid who at the beginning of the film is just the opposite of Nick. He is a body at rest. He belongs. His is happy with where he is and who he is and is not wanting. He is self-aware, comfortable with his life. He is happy just exactly where he is doing what he does and sure of his place in life. His character is unconventional. He doesn’t know to feel inferior that he is a painter, that he’s never been out of Enfield. When Carol asks him which is his career, the painting or the lawn mowing, her condescension is lost on him. He is free of want until he meets Beth. Beth is in a sort of a lull. She too is searching but not in the way that Nick is. She is not pained by it. Beth is the one that nudges Sid into motion. Beth is living with Nick and senses his chaos but is less pained and less needy. The film opens with everything already in transition, in motion. We first see an escalator moving up and down. People are going places and the escalator tells us that nothing is going to remain as they are. Nick works as a TV salesman but he’s been fired and it’s his last day, he lives with Beth but that soon changes, he lives in Enfield, Arizona but he plans to move tomorrow to Butte, Montana. Nothing is concrete nothing is working, not even the toaster. The next image we see is the desert, vast, endless and un-chartered desert, again the idea of being lost, searching and of course being nowhere. Next, we see Beth at a left turn lane of an intersection, lost in thought, staring into space, she neither knows where she is nor does she know where she is heading.

Essay --

Reo Matsuda Ms.Green Communications 8-2 2 December 2013 Was Hitler actually a bad person? The Holocaust was a massacre of over 10 million people, including 6 million Jews in the 1900’s. The Holocaust was for torturing and killing the Jews, because of the hatred toward them. The guy who led the Nazis and killed all the Jews was Hitler. Hitler was very intelligent but he used his knowledge in a bad way. I think if Hitler were to use his knowledge in another way the world would’ve been a better place. The holocaust has hurt many and even has killed many, but it has ended. The long-lasting war has ended and people has been released from the torture. People got left with fear and was traumatized. After the war has ended how did the people live? How did people live during the Holocaust? What actually happened during the Holocaust? Well, I will now explain it all. After World War I has ended, in 1918, Germany was far in debt. Many German fleets have been destroyed and transportation system have been wrecked, making it hard for people to get food. In the winter of 1918 many people died of starvation, the government was in turmoil, people lost jobs. Many bad things had happened to Germany. Nazis organized a party in 1919, and merged with Political Workers Circle. Nazis back then were called â€Å"National Socialist German Workers Party†. In 1919 Adolf Hitler joined the party and the party got even powerful. The party defined German people as â€Å"Only those of German blood, whatever their creed, may be members of the nation. Accordingly no Jews may be a member of the nation.† Jews were the first of many targeted groups by Adolf Hitler, and the hatred kept rising from 1919 to 1923. There were a group of people called Aryans who Hitler classifie... .... They lived through and some still live, even to this day. They live bold, strong, and wise despite what has happened to them. This may have been something that couldn’t have been stopped, or maybe it was just another thing that could’ve been changed if someone made a different choice. Perhaps this was the right choice, maybe we were the ones who was misunderstanding them. Maybe this was something that needed to happen, maybe Hitler had a reason to do this. We will never know, since he isn’t here anymore. All we can do right now is to live today, and to keep living for tomorrow. Worksited Heroes of the Holocaust - Ted Gottfried Tell Them we Remember - Susan D. Bacharach http://www.hitlerschildren.com/article/1286-how-did-people-escape-the-holocaust - viewed 10-9-13 http://www.hitlerschildren.com/article/1278-about-adolph-hitler#.UlWa_1yHeSo - viewed 10-9-13

A Discussion of Heroism in Literature and Film Essay

Defining Heroism Each individual has their own personal definition of heroism or more specifically the characteristics of a true hero. Some may believe that a hero must be a person of high morals, while others may believe that a hero must a brave person, and yet others may believe that a hero can conceivably be a hero by chance and must not possess any specific qualities. Dictionary.com defines a hero or heroine as a person of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his or her brave deeds and noble qualities. The Greek philosopher Aristotle defined heroism in his book titled Poetics. According to Anthony Ubelhor, an instructor at the University of Kentucky, â€Å"Aristotle describes the tragic hero as a protagonist who is otherwise perfect except for a tragic or fatal flaw that eventually leads to his demise. In fact, an Aristotelian tragic hero must have four characteristics: goodness, superiority, a tragic flaw, and a realization of both his flaw and his inevitable demise†. However, it is important to note that different societies have different values, and the values of a society do change over time. These differences and changes will affect the concept of heroism. â€Å"Many people who may have been heroes during their time may not be looked upon as heroes today. Davy Crocket, for example, chased away the Indians, raped the land and killed animals. He might not be considered a hero today, but he was during another time in history† (Pendharkar). This author will attempt to define heroism while making an allowance for societal differences and changes. Therefore, this author’s definition of a hero or heroine is a person who performs a legal or ethical act that is of benefit to another entity without first considering any personal gain or  harm that may be received due to said act. In this author’s opinion, this definition means that a firefighter is a hero, a man who rescues abused animals is a hero, and a pimp who happens to catch a stumbling man and prevent him from falling in front of a moving bus is a hero. Of these three examples, the first two are what could be called the conventional types of hero, while the third is what this author believes to be an â€Å"accidental† hero. Examples of Heroism in Literature There are many examples of heroism in literature. Atticus Finch, a character in Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird, is viewed by many as a hero. In the novel, which takes place in Alabama during 1935, the lawyer Atticus Finch defends a black man accused of raping a white woman. The reader learns through the actions of Atticus Finch â€Å"what it means to behave morally – to do the right thing – in the face of tremendous social pressure. In short, To Kill a Mockingbird reveals the heroic nature of acting with moral courage when adhering to social mores would be far less dangerous† (Profiles in Courage). Nancy Drew is another example of heroism in literature. The character Nancy Drew appeared in several books written by Carolyn Keene. A young girl helping others by solving mysteries, Nancy Drew â€Å"came along in 1930 when girls needed a new kind of heroine, a perfectly groomed teenage sleuth at the wheel of a blue roadster — unflappable and brave in the face of a modern world full of dangers and mysteries† (Otto). A third hero in literature is Robin Hood, who has appeared in countless novels written by various authors. Robin Hood is often considered â€Å"the first hero of the common people of England† (Keen). He fought against the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham for the benefit of the residents who had been subjected to the evil deeds of the Sheriff. The tales of Robin Hood endorse the â€Å"old-fashioned virtues of altruism and swashbuckling heroism† (Roush). Father Merrin in William Peter Blatty’s novel The Exorcist is a fourth example of heroism in literature. In the novel, a young girl is possessed by demons. Father Karras enlists the help of Father Merrin in exorcising the demons from the girl. While performing the exorcism, the demons leave the  girl and possess Father Merrin. Realizing this, the priest jumps out the window to his death. In a classic example of heroism in the face of good versus evil, Father Merrin saves the girl by becoming possessed himself, and then gives his life in order to prevent the demons from leaving his body and entering another. Examples of Heroism in Film Examples of heroism in film are also numerous. However, they are a bit harder to identify, because many films are adapted from novels. For example, The Exorcist, mentioned above, was adapted to a 1973 film that won several awards, including Oscars and Golden Globes. One example of heroism in film is Batman. Originally appearing in comic books, the character Bruce Wayne takes on the identity of Batman in order to fight evil in Gotham City. In the original Batman film, as well as the sequels, Batman fights various evil characters, saves innocent people, and restores order in the city of Gotham. Neither Batman, nor Bruce Wayne, receives any form of compensation for, or personal benefit from, performing these heroic tasks. Buffy Summers from the film Buffy the Vampire Slayer is another example of heroism in film. Buffy discovers that she has been chosen to protect humanity by destroying evil vampires. She does not receive any compensation for her heroic acts. As a matter of fact, Buffy gives up the normal, teenage life that she would prefer in order to protect others. Continuing on this theme, the film was later adapted to television and was a popular series for seven seasons. Conclusion These examples of heroism in literature and film illustrate an important point. There is no list of required acts or characteristics that define a hero. Atticus Finch, Nancy Drew, Robin Hood, Father Merrin, Batman, and Buffy Summers are very different characters, and they are all heroic in different ways. In the end, each of these characters helped others without personal gain as a determining factor. http://voices.yahoo.com/a-discussion-heroism-literature-film-218006.html References â€Å"Hero.† Dictionary.com website. URL: http://Dictionary.reference.com/browse/hero Keen, M. â€Å"Robin Hood a Peasant Hero.† EBSCOhost database. URL: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=9110210460&loginpage=Login.asp&site=ehost-live Otto, M. â€Å"Girl Sleuth and the Fountain of Youth; At 75, Nancy Drew Continues to Enchant Readers–and Now Academics, Too.† ProQuest database. URL: http://proquest.Umi.com/pqdweb?did=899780321&Fmt=3&clientId=65562&RQT=309&VName-PQD Pendharkar, L. â€Å"The Hero Chronicles.† The Heroism Project website. URL: http://www.heroism.org/decades.html â€Å"Profiles in Courage: Harper Lee’s to Kill a Mockingbird.† National Endowment for the Humanities EDSITEment website. URL: http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=525 Roush, M. â€Å"Rockin’ Robin.† TV Guide. Vol. 55, No. 9, p. 21. Ubelhor, A. â€Å"Fairy Tales, Myths & Other Archetypal Stories.† University of Kentucky website. URL: http://www.uky.edu/~aubel2/eng104/myth/essay2.html

Salvationist Governance

3. Explain how people (ministers, social workers, other employees, board members, volunteers) can be involved in governance in their day-to-day activities The organization of the Salvation Army calls for participation of key individuals in matters of governance. Being a registered charitable organization in many countries means adequate participation of concerned parties in religious denominations and international capacity. Participation of parties in matters of governance in the day to day activity serves a very important purpose of Salvation Army. The spread of gospel is a major concern of the ministers especially when dealing with society members. (Stephen, John, 2006, p. 6) Visiting the sick, providing food and other basic commodities to individuals serve a very important aspect of minister’s involvement. The congregation is a very important element that needs the support of ministers in evaluation of certain tasks. Serving the entire society or congregation calls for full participation of different stakeholders. Such individuals involved in Salvation Army include social workers, volunteers, employees and board members. These individuals are involved in various activities such taking care of the sick old and disadvantaged members of the society (Milkler, 1997, p. 21). For instance, volunteers participate in activities such as cleaning the sick, feeding the poor, providing clothes to the poor, and constructing houses for less disadvantaged especially the disabled. Social workers and other employees at Salvation Army organize social activities such as games that lead to socialization. The board members are involved in making decisions that keep the organization strong and going (Holktzman, 2003, p. 24). 4. In your opinion, what aspects of private sector organizations governance can be transferred to the Salvation Army? Governance in private sector calls for implementation of certain policies in the running affairs of the organization. Since Salvation Army is similar to private sector certain governance components can be adopted. Some of the leadership policies that can be borrowed from private sector include directors who are independent and diligence. This means that the board of directors is supposed to show signs of commitment to management and should not be given any other responsibility. In addition, the directors should be diligent in their governance models to ensure that affairs of Salvation Army are well addressed (Charities Review Council, 2010). Application of good leadership models such as proper channels of communication is another major governance policy that can be borrowed from private sector to Salvation Army. What aspects of the Salvation Army’s governance mechanisms can be transferred to other nonprofits and what is peculiar to this organization? The Salvation Army is a non-profit making organization that aims at serving its congregation and the entire society in matters of religion. This being the case, some non-profit making organizations can borrow certain governance models from Salvation Army. One outstanding mechanism is about auditing of accounts by qualified auditors a common practice in Salvation Army (Where Most needed, 2009). This involves preparation and presentation of strong, accountable and transparent financial statements reflecting the usage of funds and assets of the entity. The congregation support activities of Salvation Army through contributions and this call for preparation of financial statements which are subject to auditing by qualified auditors. Adopting this measure by non-profit making organization builds confidence of its stakeholders which leads to proper dissemination of duties to the entire society. Another possible mechanism that can be adopted by the private sector is participation in charitable activities like visiting the sick and old in the society (Siegel, 2007). These are peculiar activities carried on at Salvation Army and can be applied to non-profit making organizations for purpose of promoting the dignity of relevant stakeholders. Bibliography Charities Review Council 2010, Got Standards? So Do Charities, Viewed August 24 2010 from Holktzman, M 2003, Internal Control in the Talmud: the Jerusalem Temple, The Accounting Historians, Vol. 30, p. 23-25 Milkler, G 1997, Financial Accounting and Management in Governments, public Service and Charities, John Willey and Sons, New York Siegel, J 2007, Is There a Duty To Gentrify?: The Salvation Army As Real Estate Tycoon, Viewed August 24, 2010 from Stephen, G. & John, H 2006, Corporate Governance Consultants: the Issue of Qualifications. The CPA Journal, Vol.76, pp.1-15 Where most needed 2009, Salvation Army Embraces Centralized, Corporate Management, Viewed August 24 2010 from