College Summit The Joys of Surprise and Making a Difference (and Even the Travails of a Norovirus)

College Summit The Joys of Surprise and Making a Difference (and Even the Travails of a Norovirus) I recently heard Anthony Robbins say that as long as you have your attention on other people, and as long as you are making a difference for others, there is no way you can possibly be depressed. He is so right. This past week, despite contracting a norovirus that gave me serious gastrointestinal distress as well as flu-like symptoms, I was in as good a mood as I’ve been in in a long time. Why? I was making a difference for a group of low-income high school students at College Summit, a national program that supports young leaders to create a culture where kids go to college. I’m like a proud mother when it comes to the small group of four â€Å"peer leaders† I worked with in Berkeley. Every one of them surprised me in their own way. Let me kvell just a little (names are changed for confidentiality)! Keylon Keylon wrote his first two â€Å"free writing† exercises about topics like his relationships with girls and how he was going to find one that would make him be the man he wants to be. I feared he was bland and would not identify a relevant topic for his college admissions essay. On a break, however, he shared his real story- a story about abuse and how he turned to destructive behaviors and friends to compensate for his pain. It was also the story of how he changed direction, in part through a music program that saved his life. Keylon’s story surprised me when it came forth, and so did how industrious and focused a student he was. When I gave him questions to answer in writing, he sat down and didn’t stop until he was done. And when it came time to edit his essay, he was able to devise seamless transitions where they had been missing, and to cut out excess words without my even pointing out the spots where he could do so. Keylon says he wants to be a singer, and perhaps he will succeed. But I wouldn’t be surprised if he finds his stride as an editor! Keylon was also a great sport when we got realistic with him about his college choices. His top choices were out of his reach, and he needed to consider community college options. He adjusted course without protest or external upset. We could all learn a thing or two from this young man about acceptance and adaptation. Jaquon Jaquon had a sweetness to him and a clear, passionate life purpose under his non-plussed attitude. On the first day, he slumped down in his chair, hood over head, clearly not 100% enthusiastic about being asked to write †¦ anything. His first free write was not about much, and I had to remind him multiple times over the 10-minute time period to keep writing. Initially he would not volunteer to answer a question and would only participate if I called on him directly (though he always had something great to say when I did). Jacquon’s second free write was the big surprise. A saxophone player, he hit on the theme of music, and I’m telling you, it was pure poetry. He called music a â€Å"20-20 all access path†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and spoke about his purpose in life being to connect with people off all cultures through his gift. This goal was not just a pipe dream; Jacquon has already performed both in concert halls and on the street in the U.S. and abroad. Jacquon mentioned in his essay that he gets nervous when playing only because he is afraid people won’t connect with his music. When I asked him what it would be like for him if they didn’t connect with his music, his answer popped out: â€Å"It would be like I don’t exist.† An excerpt: â€Å"[I] put my all into every breath, note and melodic phrase so that whoever hears that will feel my passion, my struggle, my story, and my dreams.† That’s a man with a life purpose. A purpose, when not fulfilled, that makes him feel like he doesn’t exist. If only every one of us had one so clear. Rodrigo Rodrigo was my volleyball captain. He was a meticulous, methodical worker who edited himself as he wrote. The core story that emerged from Rodrigo’s free writes was about his father, who recently started working as a janitor in Rodrigo’s school. Although Rodrigo had weathered various insults as a volleyball captain for being short and young, he had a thick skin- until the insults started being aimed toward his father. Rodrigo wrote about how his father had taught him to stay positive and not judge others, and how ultimately he used what his father had taught him to rise above his anger toward his insulting classmates. Another thing that came out of Rodrigo’s writing was that he liked to make up words and had a penchant for metaphor. In one of his last drafts, his creativity emerged in a surprise conclusion: â€Å"I’m like a volleyball. You may kick me, push me around, hit me, or abandon me, but in the end I’m still persevering and surviving the ugliest actions against me.† Talisha Eager to participate and answer questions, Talisha was fast out of the gate but as the writing process went on, she somehow found a way to look like she was working when she really was spinning her wheels. I gave her what I thought were clear questions and instructions and she would nod and put her pen to paper, but 10 minutes later she would not have made progress. In my mind, we finally reached a growth point when Talisha realized that growing up as the middle of two sisters and taking care of both of them gave her management skills that have helped her in her production design projects at school. I’m not sure I’ll ever see the essay she writes on this topic though, since she only saw this connection for herself literally at the last hour. Really the biggest surprise from Talisha was what she told me at the end of the program: that I helped her learn things about herself that she might never have known- not just on the last day, but from the time we started doing free writing exercises. And all that time I thought she was refusing to let me make a difference for her. Brenda As I mentioned, there was a norovirus that went around and knocked out almost every one of the writing coaches in the program for some period of time. I barely made it through my part of the Saturday night banquet presentations- but it was worth it to hear Rodrigo say in front of the entire program, â€Å"Your joyous, encouraging, and gentle nature brought us to fully understand how and what to write †¦ [and] created a bond within our group that will never be forgotten. I will definitely not forget the experience I had with these motivated leaders from the East Bay. And I will be back next year.

Free Essays on Does Living In The Urban Environment Causes Mental Illness

Does the urban environment itself cause mental illness? Mental illness has been present in the world as far back as biblical times, and stigma against the mentally ill has had a long and inglorious history in western civilization. For centuries, the mentally ill have had to suffer an unremitting cycle of exile, extermination, and inhumane confinement. They have had few advocates. Ignorance about brain illness has fueled the theory that mentally ill persons are demon-possessed. To our disgrace, even today there are those who still hold that belief and act on it. In the Middle Ages, a few enlightened centers of care, such as the community at Gheel in Belgium where a group of compassionate monks reached out, have provided support and caring to people suffering from mental disorders. The center at Gheel continues to offer foster care and asylum in 1993. But it is a notable exception. More prevalent practices have been to exile the mentally ill, burn them as witches, or set them adrift on overcrowded ships to wander between European ports. Pop e Innocent VII authorized the extermination of witches in 1484, and a Dominican publication, the Malleus Maleficarum, detailed the recognizable behaviors of "witches." These behaviors would be clearly recognizable to any modern psychiatrist as the same symptoms of schizophrenia, manic-depression, and severe depression that are detailed in the present Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (Minkoff 32-36). Within last years, more and more mental illnesses appear in the society, especially in the urban environment. Usually excessively stressful conditions of the urban life cause mental disorders. Why does that happen? Different theories explaining human emotion, thought, and behavior abound. Societies and mental health professionals continued to be puzzled about what constituted an appropriate approach to severely ill people whose behaviors and expressions frightened their neighbors. In eighteenth-century En... Free Essays on Does Living In The Urban Environment Causes Mental Illness Free Essays on Does Living In The Urban Environment Causes Mental Illness Does the urban environment itself cause mental illness? Mental illness has been present in the world as far back as biblical times, and stigma against the mentally ill has had a long and inglorious history in western civilization. For centuries, the mentally ill have had to suffer an unremitting cycle of exile, extermination, and inhumane confinement. They have had few advocates. Ignorance about brain illness has fueled the theory that mentally ill persons are demon-possessed. To our disgrace, even today there are those who still hold that belief and act on it. In the Middle Ages, a few enlightened centers of care, such as the community at Gheel in Belgium where a group of compassionate monks reached out, have provided support and caring to people suffering from mental disorders. The center at Gheel continues to offer foster care and asylum in 1993. But it is a notable exception. More prevalent practices have been to exile the mentally ill, burn them as witches, or set them adrift on overcrowded ships to wander between European ports. Pop e Innocent VII authorized the extermination of witches in 1484, and a Dominican publication, the Malleus Maleficarum, detailed the recognizable behaviors of "witches." These behaviors would be clearly recognizable to any modern psychiatrist as the same symptoms of schizophrenia, manic-depression, and severe depression that are detailed in the present Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (Minkoff 32-36). Within last years, more and more mental illnesses appear in the society, especially in the urban environment. Usually excessively stressful conditions of the urban life cause mental disorders. Why does that happen? Different theories explaining human emotion, thought, and behavior abound. Societies and mental health professionals continued to be puzzled about what constituted an appropriate approach to severely ill people whose behaviors and expressions frightened their neighbors. In eighteenth-century En...

Feudalism - Worldwide Political and Social System

Feudalism - Worldwide Political and Social System Feudalism is defined by different scholars in different ways, but in general, the term refers to a sharply hierarchical relationship between different levels of landowning classes. Key Takeaways: Feudalism Feudalism is a form of political organization with three distinct social classes: king, nobles, and peasants.In a feudal society, status is based on land ownership.In Europe, the practice of feudalism ended after the Black Plague decimated the population. A feudal society has three distinct social classes: a king, a noble class (which could include nobles, priests, and princes) and a peasant class. Historically, the king owned all the available land, and he portioned out that land to his nobles for their use. The nobles, in turn, rented out their land to peasants. The peasants paid the nobles in produce and military service; the nobles, in turn, paid the king. Everyone was, at least nominally, in thrall to the king, and the peasants labor paid for everything. A Worldwide Phenomenon The social and legal system called feudalism arose in Europe during the Middle Ages, but it has been identified in many other societies and times including the imperial governments of Rome and Japan. American founding father Thomas Jefferson was convinced that the new United States was practicing a form of feudalism in the 18th century. He argued that indentured servants and slavery were both forms of yeoman farming, in that access to land was provided by the aristocracy and paid for by the tenant in a variety of ways. Throughout history and today, feudalism arises in places where there is an absence of organized government and the presence of violence. Under those circumstances, a contractual relationship is formed between ruler and ruled: the ruler provides access to the required land, and the rest of the people provide support to the ruler. The entire system allows the creation of a military force that protects everyone from violence within and without. In England, feudalism was formalized into a legal system, written into the laws of the country, and codifying a tripartite relationship between political allegiance, military service, and property ownership. Roots English feudalism is thought to have arisen in the 11th century CE under William the Conquerer, when he had the common law altered after the Norman Conquest in 1066. William took possession of all of England and then parcelled it out among his leading supporters as tenancies (fiefs) to be held in return for services to the king. Those supporters granted access to their land to their own tenants who paid for that access by a percentage of the crops they produced and by their own military service. The king and nobles provided aid, relief, wardship and marriage and inheritance rights for the peasant classes. That situation could arise because Normanized common law had already established a secular and ecclesiastical aristocracy, an aristocracy that relied heavily on the royal prerogative to function. A Harsh Reality The upshot of the takeover of the land by the Norman aristocracy was that peasant families who had for generations owned small farmsteads became renters, indentured servants who owed the landlords their allegiance, their military service and part of their crops. Arguably, the balance of power did allow for long-term technological progress in agricultural development  and kept some order in an otherwise chaotic period. Just before the rise of the black plague in the 14th century, feudalism was firmly established and working across Europe. This was a near-universality of family-farm tenure by conditionally hereditary leases under noble, ecclesiastical or princely lordships who collected cash and in-kind payments from their subject villages. The king essentially delegated the collection of his needs- military, political and economic- to the nobles. By that time, the kings justice- or rather, his ability to administer that justice- was largely theoretical. The lords dispensed the law with little or no kingly oversight, and as a class supported each others hegemony. Peasants lived and died under the control of the noble classes. The Deadly End Plague Victims Blessed by a Priest (14th Century Illuminated Manuscript). http://scholarworks.wmich.edu/medieval_globe/1/. Quibik An ideal-typical medieval village was comprised of farms of about 25–50 acres (10–20 hectares) of arable land managed as open-field mixed farming and pasturage. But, in reality, the European landscape was a patchwork of small, medium, and large peasant holdings, which changed hands with the fortunes of the families. That situation became untenable with the arrival of the Black Death. The late-medieval plague created catastrophic population collapse among rulers and ruled alike. An estimated number of between 30–50 percent of all Europeans died between 1347 and 1351. Eventually, the surviving peasants in most of Europe achieved new access to larger land parcels  and gained enough power to shed the legal shackles of medieval servility. Sources Clinkman, Daniel E. The Jeffersonian Moment: Feudalism and Reform in Virginia, 1754–1786. University of Edinburg, 2013. Print.Hagen, William W. European Yeomanries: A Non-Immiseration Model of Agrarian Social History, 1350–1800. Agricultural History Review 59.2 (2011): 259–65. Print.Hicks, Michael A. Bastard Feudalism. Taylor and Francis, 1995. Print.Pagnotti, John, and William B. Russell. Exploring Medieval European Society with Chess: An Engaging Activity for the World History Classroom. The History Teacher 46.1 (2012): 29–43. Print.Preston, Cheryl B., and Eli McCann. Llewellyn Slept Here: A Short History of Sticky Contracts and Feudalism. Oregon Law Review 91 (2013): 129–75. Print.Salmenkari, Taru. Using Feudalism for Political Studia Orientalia 112 (2012): 127–46. Print.Criticsm and for Promoting Systemic Change in China.

Global Challenges for Business, Management & Leadership Essay

Global Challenges for Business, Management & Leadership - Essay Example ................................................................ 7 2.3 Kraft Foods - Porter’s Five Forces ........................................................... 8 2.4 PESTEL Analyses .................................................................................... 9 2.5 Global Management Strategy .................................................................. 10 3.0 The Challenge - CSR ..................................................................................... 10 3.1 Impact of this Challenge on Kraft Foods ............................................... 11 4.0 Recommendation ........................................................................................... 11 5.0 Conclusion ..................................................................................................... 11 Works Cited ........................................................................................................ 12 1.0 Introduction Within a realistic context, it is no t easy to define the term management. In the academic circles there exist as many definitions of management as there are the books on the subject. It goes without saying that there are many genuine reasons behind this dilemma. The first and foremost, management pertains to a very vast and expansive subject. It is indeed very extensive. It is, therefore, not possible to outline all the essential features of management in a single formula. Besides, management is a subject that has primarily to do with human beings, which in a behavioural context tend to be highly unpredictable. Moreover, management is a discipline that is still in the nascent stages of its development and, hence, the concepts associated with it are continuously changing. Yet, there is no denying the fact that the most of the definitions of management tend to emphasise one common idea that the discipline of management is concerned with the accomplishment of objectives through the efforts of people performing certain fu nctions. The primary function of the managers is to create conditions and environment that enable the organizations to survive, thrive and grow. In that context it will be really interesting to attempt a viable definition of management by taking into consideration varied theories of management. Boddy defines management as â€Å"Management is the activity of getting things done with the aid of people and other resources† (Boddy 695). The one attribute of management that pops up from Boddy’s definition of management is that management seeks to achieve certain goals. These goals may be economic or non-economic. For instance in a business organization the primary goal is to produce and distribute goods with the aim and objective of earning profits. On the contrary, in a service organization like hospitals, educational institutions, etc, the goal might be to extend customer service. Another salient feature of management embodied in Boddy’s definition is that manageme nt also happens to be a social process because it deals with people. To make the best use of human efforts, managers are required to give way to close cooperation and coordination amongst the employees in an organization. Managers are required to look after the interests of employees, shareholders, investors and the community at large. Also management happens to be a group activity. Management is concerned with getting things done through people. People join in groups in order to achieve results collectively. Management helps people in realising individual as

Effect of Mad Cow Disease Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Effect of Mad Cow Disease - Research Paper Example The key events that formed the world meat market in the last decade include the change in trade policy regimes ushered in by the 1995 Uruguay Round Agreement in Agriculture, the macroeconomic crises in Asia and the Former Soviet Union in 1998 and the series of animal disease outbreaks in major livestock producing regions in Asia and the European Union. However, these challenges have aided in stringent policies and regulations in this industry.  Mad Cow Disease is the common name for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) that was first recognized in the United Kingdom in the year 1986. In simple terms it the name "mad cow disease" came because it affects a cattle's nervous system. It is a chronic, degenerative disorder affecting the central nervous system of cattle. The main culprit of the cause of this disease is the rogue proteins, known as prions that reproduce inside the brain of the infected cow. Once the disease progresses, the brain attains a sponge nature and hence it is al so termed as "spongiform". In fact, BSE is categorized to a group of progressive, degenerative neurological diseases known as Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies or TSEs. The other disease in this group includes scrapie, which affects sheep and goats and has symptoms similar to BSE. As of now, there is no cure for BSE (Department of Primary Industries and Water, 2008).  If we look at how BSE can have an impact on human. In humans, this disease is known as variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease or in short vCJD. The scientific community has still not found a cure for this disease and is fatal in nature (Department of Primary Industries and Water, 2008). In the food industry, this disease has posed a significant threat and could seriously affect both export and domestic markets for cattle and cattle products. Additionally, it is also possible that it can have a serious impact on jobs and businesses in the meat industry and its various support industries. It could also have a consid erable effect on the tourism and hospitality industries. Since there is no cure for this disease, the only options are slaughtering the affected animal. Since its initial outbreak, the food industry has formulated various policies (Department of Primary Industries and Water, 2008). One of the major problems with this disease is the identification of the affected animals. Contrasting the Foot and Mouth Disease that spreads rapidly if not controlled, BSE spreads comparatively slowly. Besides it is found that both BSE and its human counterpart, vCJD, have an unusually long incubation period. In other words, if a human is diagnosed with vCJD, it might be the result of eating infected animal probably up to twenty years earlier. This makes tracking the disease source much more difficult (Department of Primary Industries and Water, 2008). Mad Cow Disease is possibly one of the most significant food-safety-related issues to have troubled the hospitality industry in recent years. In the Unit ed Kingdom, where the disease was first identified and had extensive effects, the consequence for this industry has been characterized as catastrophic-yet little experiential facts support this.

Supply chain management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Supply chain management - Essay Example Big companies, for instance multinationals, normally have corporate purchasing departments and also local purchasing departments (Maskell 2003, p. 67). This implies that, at the HQs, they have a purchasing department, which directs the entire regulation to the local departments. Normally, the purchasing functions are just duplicated at every department meaning that there is a waste of resources. Some vendors, at times, even send incorrect information mistakenly because of the long flow of information from the headquarter to them. This incorrect information can also negatively affect the HQ as that make decisions based on incorrect information as it gets to them (Schonberger 2010, p. 51). What an organisation can do about this is reduce the number of levels that information takes to reach the local departments that deal one on one with the client. Like the way multinational organisations such as McDonalds have done (Schonberger 2010, p. 55). This can be done through incorporating tech nology which top decision makers can use to communicate with the locals instead of having other departments in the middle. These new technology can assist the organisation in its procurement process, for instance, technology that allows internet based buying will allow the top managers to deal straight with the client. Lean management gained recognition in the manufacturing field because this is where vital enhancement can easily be achieved. The processes of manufacturing can be enhanced to significantly decrease waste and resources whereas supporting operational performance (MacInnes 2002, p. 25). Quality is a vital element of lean manufacturing. Having absolutely zero defects in the manufacturing process decreases waste and increases efficiency in the firm all together (MacInnes 2002, p. 25). With many clients not complaining about the goods, this will be a way of building

Crtical apprisal 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Crtical apprisal 2 - Essay Example LTRA is the main subject of this paper by Currie, et al. This study is focused because it clearly states its target population of concern which is patients with persistent asthma. Secondly it addresses the issue of what physicians turn to when asthma is persistent. Specifically, these are LTRA and LABA. These two play a very important role as they are legally administered and known second line therapy. In the UK, their guidelines state that in the first instance, LABA should be administered as a therapeutic trial. If this is unsuccessful, then this is the time to administer LTRA. Third, outcomes are clearly defined. Physicians give inhaled corticosteroids when a patient is diagnosed with asthma. For persistent symptoms, they choose to introduce LABA. This is known to be more effective than an increase in dosage of the inhaled corticosteroids. Additional therapy with LTRA is presented to be more effective than LABA in its overall efficacy. Only appropriate, related and relevant papers and journals were included in this review article. In fact, in the material and methods section of this paper, the researchers pointed out that they searched for suitable trials with its relevance evident in the title and abstract. This therefore implies that no literature included used LTRA or LABA as a secondary topic. Researchers focusing on these were included and not those that just merely mentioned the two. The data base used MEDLINE Clinical Evidence, Cochrane Library and EMBASE database, are supported by reputable organizations. The research for significant literature also had key guidelines limiting searches to about 11 words. This definitely narrowed down the search and only produced crucial and relevant journals that are directly related to the research topic. A statistical analysis was not used. Certain data from the studies were taken and reviewed. This included the study design,