Thursday, November 28, 2019

The Literary Paper Essays - Fiction, Literature, New Criticism

The Literary Paper Your assignment is to analyze and interrogate the class's readings from this semester from your own perspective. The purpose of the literary analysis paper is to bring in outside sources to communicate some insight you have about the stories, poems, and plays we've talked about this semester. As with everything we do in class, there is no "right" or "wrong" answer; it's just a matter of supporting your claims with evidence and convincing your audience. Your paper should be about 3-5 pa ges and include a minimum of three sources (though, the texts themselves count). Look for interviews with the authors, scholarly articles written by other experts, or criticism. Your essay should be in MLA format and include a works cited page. The best place to begin with this assignment is to think about what the readings have left you wondering this semester. Think about a question or a discussion that we've had that got you particularly curious. I suggest coming to talk to me about your topic. Here are three basic "prompts" you can choose from: Write a literary paper in which you analyze an author's use of a literary element and explain how it contributes to the piece' s overall theme (For example, how does Flannery O'Connor use irony to depict the lives of women in the old south?). Choose a "lens" to analyze a piece from to discuss a social issue (for example, give a feminist reading of "The Yellow Wallpaper " or a historical reading of "A Rose for Emily," write about the class issues present in " The Death of a Salesman.") How does your lens or approach to this piece of literature shed light on its meaning or significance? Write a literary research paper in which you incorporate primary research, exploring how people respond to different texts. (How do men vs. women react to the poem "Barbie Doll" differently?). Here are some other ideas I had while thinking about this project today -- How do these stories/poems/plays portray the experiences of immigrants in the United States? You could choose perhaps two or three pieces to focus on here, and compare/contrast the way they illustrate the immigrant experience. How does a piece (or pieces) explore, illustrate, or challenge the idea of "American Exceptionalism?" Here, you could perhaps use a contemporary piece and show similarities/differences between it and Winthrop's City on a Hill sermon and/or Common Sense. How do these stories/poems/plays challenge social stereotyping of minorities (or choose a specific group) in the United States? How do these stories/poems/plays portray the experiences those in poverty in America? What makes a piece of literature "feminist?" Here, you would have to do a little research and find a definition of what "feminist" literature means. Then, you could discuss how certain pieces do/don't fit into that definition. Some possible pieces include " The Yellow Wallpaper ," and "Trifles." What image of the "American Dream" do these stories/poems/plays portray? (Or maybe even examine how the idea of the American Dream has developed or changed by comparing/contrasting some of our pieces ). How do different groups of people (age, gender class) interpret (a specific piece of literature) differently? This one would require a little primary research, which can be just as interesting. I would suggest using a short piece, though , like a poem. For example, how do men vs. women react to Poe's "Annabel Lee?" How do authors use irony (or another literary device) to portray the plights of women (or another group of people) ? Good questions Are open-ended and have no clear answer. They are open to interpretation. Have a clear direction Can be explored through analysis and/or research A proposal is due to me by Wednesday, October 11 th First rough draft due Monday, November 13 th Final draft due Wednesday, December 6 In the proposal, give me a brief description of what you plan to write and an outline of your argument

Monday, November 25, 2019

Michelle Obama Staff Size and Salaries

Michelle Obama Staff Size and Salaries Michelle Obamas staff consisted of 18 employees who got paid nearly $1.5 million in salary in 2010, according to the administrations Annual Report to Congress on White House Staff. The size of Michelle Obamas 2010 staff is comparable to the staff of former First Lady Laura Bush in 2008. Both First Ladies had 15 staffers directly under them, plus three more in the Office of the White House Social Secretary. The 15 employees who were members of Michelle Obamas staff in the Office of the First Lady were paid $1,198,870 in 2010. Three more staffers worked in the Office of the Social Secretary, which is under the jurisdiction of the Office of the First Lady; they earned a total of $282,600, the administrations Annual Report to Congress on White House Staff stated. Since 1995, the White House has been required to deliver a report to Congress listing the title and salary of every White House Office employee. List of Michelle Obamas Staff Here is a list of Michelle Obamas staff and their salaries in 2010. To see the annual salaries of other top U.S. government officials go here. Natalie F. Bookey Baker, executive assistant to the chief of staff to the first lady, $45,000;Alan O. Fitts, deputy director of advance and trip director for the first lady, $61,200;Jocelyn C. Frey, deputy assistant to the president and director of policy and projects for the first lady, $140,000;Jennifer Goodman, deputy director of scheduling and events coordinator for the first lady, $63,240;Deilia A.L. Jackson, deputy associate director of correspondence for the first lady, $42,000;Kristen E. Jarvis, special assistant for scheduling and traveling aide to the first lady, $51,000;Camille Y. Johnston, special assistant to the president and director of communications for the first lady, $102,000;Tyler A. Lechtenberg, director of correspondence for the first lady, $50,000;Catherine M. Lelyveld, director and press secretary to the first lady, $85,680;Dana M. Lewis, special assistant and personal aide to the first lady, $66,000;Trooper Sanders, deputy director of policy and projects for the first lady, $85,000; Susan S. Sher, assistant to the president and chief of staff and counsel to the first lady, $172,200;Frances M. Starkey, director of scheduling and advance for the first lady, $80,000;Semonti M. Stevens, associate director and deputy press secretary to the first lady, $53,550;and Melissa Winter, special assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff to the first lady, $102,000. Other Michelle Obama Staff The White House social secretary is responsible for planning and coordinating all social events and entertaining of guests - a sort of Event Planner in Chief for the president and first lady, if you will. The White House social secretary works for the first lady and serves as head of the White House Social Office, which plans everything from the casual and educational student workshops to elegant and sophisticated state dinners welcoming world leaders. In the Office of White House Social Secretary were the following staffers: Erinn J. Burnough, deputy director and deputy social secretary, $66,300;Joseph B. Reinstein, deputy director and deputy social secretary, $66,300;and Julianna S. Smoot, deputy assistant to the president and White House social secretary, $150,000. Melania Trump’s Leaner Staff According to the June 2017 report to Congress on White House personnel, First Lady Melania Trump maintains a significantly smaller staff than her predecessor, Michelle Obama. As of June 2017, only four people were listed as working directly for First Lady Trump for a total combined annual salary of $486,700. They were: Lindsay B. Reynolds $179,700.00 assistant to the president and chief of staff to the first ladyStephanie A. Grisham $115,000.00 – special assistant to the president and director of communications for the first ladyTimothy G. Tripepi $115,000.00 – special assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff of operations for the first ladyMary†Kathryn Fisher $77,000.00 – deputy director of advance for the first lady As did the Obama administration, the Trump administration acknowledged several additional White House staffers beyond those listed in the report with the term â€Å"first lady† in their titles. However, even counting those employees, the total of nine for the current first lady compared to a high of 24 for Michelle Obama, Melania Trump’s total staff is relatively small. For sake of comparison, First Lady Hillary Clinton retained a staff of 19, and Laura Bush at least 18. Updated by Robert Longley

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Criminological Theory Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Criminological Theory - Assignment Example Many theorists have contributed by presenting theories linking crime to the fields of biology, psychology and sociology. The basic tenets of the biological, psychological, and sociological perspectives for explaining crime will be identified and discussed here. In the 19th century, Cesare Lombroso gave biological description of crime. Lombroso gave significance to criminals instead of crime (Beccalossi, 2010). Lombroso attached ape like characteristics to criminals. According to his theory, criminals were born criminals and contained facial and bodily features alike to apes. The criminals were considered to have big jawbones, high cheekbones, longer arms, larger ears, extra hand fingers and toe fingers, and much more (Gibson, 2002). According to Lombroso, criminals were â€Å"vain, vindictive, lazy, dominated by a thirst for blood, and delighting in orgies† (Beccalossi, 2010, p. 564). Lombroso criminal personalities were savage and contained animalistic physical features. He connected criminality as something that one obtained by birth. He gave specific consideration towards genetically characterized appearances of people and rejected any social happening linked with criminality of criminals (Gibson, 2002). After Lombroso, Charles Goring presented his theory of genetic criminology, but unlike Lombroso, he did not specified bodily features of criminals. According to Goring, criminals showed criminal behavior because of having low IQ (Rafter, 2008). Goring also explained criminals as having deviated towards criminality by birth. William Sheldon, another biological theorist, described different bodily appearances as descriptive of criminal associations. Humans, according to Sheldon, were to be divided in three types of bodies were ectomorphs, endomorphs and mesomorphs (Rafter, 2008). Out of these three types, only mesomorphs were the one who were deviated towards crime. They had intimidating appearances like muscular bodies and strong figures

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Course Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Course Reflection - Essay Example s discussed in each weak indeed contributed towards acquiring rich understanding and knowledge about different aspects pertaining to strategic human resources planning. Human resource, finance and marketing and other related concepts and discussion covered in each week enhanced my knowledge base to be competent future managers. Moreover, from human resource I have gathered knowledge about organizational policies and programs and other functional activities such as forecasting, succession management, downsizing & restructuring, mergers & acquisitions, and outsourcing among others. Alongside, from marketing and finance studies I learnt about varied strategies and functional activities of management. The understanding derived in each week helped me to perform more effectively in my professional and personal life. More importantly, prior to attending the weekly session I have little knowledge about strategic human resource planning. However, the understanding that I acquired in each week together made the role of strategic human resource planning crystal-clear. Notably, with the help of human resource management, an individual can develop a positive attitude about cultural belief and value in the workplace. Therefore, I believed that human resource management helps an individual to maintain proper balance among personal and professional life. Reflecting upon the understanding and knowledge that I derived from the discussion facilitated an in-depth insights. Accordingly, f human resource management has been linked with marketing and finance. In general, sustainability of an organization in a market depends on productivity and labor force (Anderson & Nilsson, 2012). Moreover, it was learnt that human resource has helped managerial heads to perform better in market. Management functions include planning, organizing and motivating. With the help of human resource, managerial heads has implement strategy for enhancement of organizational growth. Besides, decision-making is

Monday, November 18, 2019

Toxic Chemical Agent Incident Response Assignment

Toxic Chemical Agent Incident Response - Assignment Example Incident command system is a well-organized tool that can be used to manage a disaster in a smooth way. It is a tool that is used for control, command and coordination of the emergency response to protect life, property, and the environment. The tool integrates procedures, policies, facilities, equipment and personnel into a common organizational structure that is specifically designed to improve the emergency response operations. By applying the principles of the incident command system, management of disaster can occur smoothly without confusion. These principles occur in a systematic manner and functions to allow smooth rescue plan for casualties in an emergency response. For methyl isocyanate leak, immediate response plan using the principles of incident command system can minimize the number of casualties (Williams, 2013). In case of the of the methyl isocyanate gas leak, the response teams should use similar terminologies to avoid confusion. The response team should use a common language that each person understands and all commonly used areas should have the same names. For instance, the area where casualties are being staged should have a common name such as the staging area. The gas plant facilities and units should be given similar titles that each response team is familiar with for easy access of resources and to avoid confusion (Strong, et al., 2009). During the gas leak, the first arriving officer to the gas plant assumes the position of the incident commander. The incident commander will start activating other section areas of the response team. The incident commander will raise the alarm, call the ambulance and start organizing on how to evacuate the casualties from the power plant after triaging. The incident commander will, therefore, help make a communication flow smoothly during the rescue process (Williams, 2013). There should be a common communications plan between different response teams.

Friday, November 15, 2019

Strategies for Change Management in Healthcare

Strategies for Change Management in Healthcare An Overview of Change by Management for Better Patient Care Smitha B. Vadakkan Registered nurses are on the front line in all the hospitals for early detection and prompt intervention when patients conditions deteriorate. So better patient outcomes and patient satisfaction are influenced by the number of registered nurses available to assess patients on an ongoing basis. So I like to select a change that management could undertake to improve patient care where I work is the staffing patterns. Adequate nursing care delivered directly depends on the nurse patient ratio. Change can be planned and managed, or it can occur haphazardly (Grohar-Murray Langan, 2011). Nursing is in the middle of so many revolutionary changes. To bring changes to the workplace depends on nurse’s attitude to adapt the change and the learning options and the support from the management. One of the theoretical perspective for the change is the learning dimensions. Continual learning is needed for an accelerated change and it provides ongoing learning of employees. Ongoing learning improves adaptation, resilience, and the hardiness of employees, which in turn result in desired responses to accelerated change (Grohar-Murray Langan, 2011). Skills that are needed to augment this change are systems thinking, personal proficiency, team learning, shared vision and use of information technology increases the access to needed knowledge. Normative-reeducative strategy is the most appropriate for nursing because it is the most likely to advance the profession. It is the strategy employed throughout nursing today to incorporate the latest informatics technology into everyday practice (Grohar-Murray Langan, 2011). In this strategy the members of the system work out programs of change under their own direction. Definition of the change problem includes the probability that shifts in attitudes, values, norms, and relationships between players in the system and between the system and its external environment (Miles, 2007). There is a mutual collaboration between the members and the management in the development of the final strategy. There are external and internal factors that influence change in nursing. The internal factors include the patient acuity levels, staff- patient ratio, treatment modules, and the use of modern technologies in nursing. External factors include social and economic factors that influence how nursing is practiced. Nurses are socialized in a unique way during their education and experience in practice and therefore prepared like no other group to monitor nursing practice (Grohar-Murray Langan, 2011). Nursing strength is found stronger when there is a collaborative effort of nurses in four different roles such as practitioners, educators, researchers, and managers. To have a better change in safe staffing the nurse managers should understand the external and internal factors and make changes which can bring better patient outcomes. Planned change is a better option in safe staffing. When there is a change to be made in the workplace, it is always good to include the nurses and other health care professionals in the unit for opinions and recommendations. The nurses in the unit better know how is the patient acuity level of the unit, how many assisted personnel working on the unit, which shift is the busiest, how can the structure of the unit to be modified for easy access of supplies etc.. There are many ways of implementing change. However, planned change, which is a purposeful, calculated and collaborative effort to bring about improvements with the assistance of a change agent, is commonly adopted in nursing (Roussel 2006). So the nurse manager should ask the nurses for recommendations how safe staffing can be implemented in the unit. Nurse manager with the help of the nurses in the unit can work out safe staffing by not giving two or more people vacation or holidays at the same time or balancing the schedule without giving more people off on the same day, not allowing the same person for more than two overtimes in one month, leaving the person for burnout, if the unit really needs more nurses, the nurse manager has to plan and explain the reasons and submit to the management. The safety of the patient is everyones responsibility. Once a decision has been reached to implement a change, time must be allowed for the sequence of stages designed to reduce resistance and maintain support from others (Grohar-Murray Langan, 2011). According to Kurt Lewin model of implementing change, there are three stages which are unfreezing, moving, refreezing. During unfreezing, more information and time is needed for the change. The people who are going to be affected are motivated for the change because of the benefits and the people who gave the ideas for the change are commented for their participation. By moving, the second stage of the change process is like a vacuum. This transitional stage when everyone is expected of the change when the old is gone and the new is not in place yet. The third stage of the change process is refreezing. Ongoing monitoring for continued quality must follow refreezing, because it provides valuable information about the ongoing effectiveness of the change (Grohar-Murray Langan, 2011). In the unionized city hospital, everything goes with seniority. When the senior nurses enjoy more vacation and holidays and leaving the younger nurses to work which results in more sick calls and also bad retention of the staff which compromises safe patient care and patient outcomes. Even the overtime is given according to the seniority where some older nurses are happy to do more overtimes by taking easy assignments and leaving the heavier assignments for younger nurses which also results in burnout and poor staff retention. The nurse manager should collect ideas from the nurses for the change and should update the management of what is going on in the unit and the need for hiring new nurses if the unit needs for safe staffing. During the unfreezing stage the staff in the unit should be notified of the equal rights for everyone and the management should be notified about the need to hire more RNs. All the nurses should be motivated for the change. During the moving process, it is h ard for the adjustment to the change for the senior nurses who is the majority in the unit. The nurse manager should make fair schedules and assignments and make everybody comply with the change. During refreezing stage the nurse manger should continue to make the best schedules and should check for the effectiveness of the staff and the patient outcomes. The characteristics and qualities of change agents include experience, success, being respected, leadership skills, and management competencies (Grohar-Murray Langan, 2011). Change is a long process and is difficult to achieve. The nurse manager who is the change agent should be calm, positive, optimistic, enthusiastic and able to spend enough time in correcting the problem. The nurse manager’s initial responsibility is to establish a plan of action. The nurse manager should inform her staff and management the reason for a change and should be able to show in measurable terms. The nurse manager should notify all the nurses and the management about the modified vacation time, schedules and the overtimes for safe staffing. The nurse manager should plan for each stage of implementation and should anticipate accommodating any new information and change. Not everybody will be satisfied with the schedule or there may be unexpected staff emergencies or sickness so the nurse manager should be able to get the cooperation of all the staff to perform her duties and should give enough time for the change. According to Lewin’s field theory, there are two opposing forces, the driving force and the restraining force in response to a change. Driving forces generate planned change and restraining forces generate resistance to change (Grohar-Murray Langan, 2011). The nurse manager by all means has to decrease the resistance to the change so the drive can be increased. The most important element in reducing the resistance is establishing trust by giving explanations, requesting input, acknowledging concerns, making changes in small doses, offering to assist, explaining benefits, and acknowledging success (Grohar-Murray Langan, 2011). The nurse manager has to explain to the senior nurses and the union representatives and the management, the need for safe staffing by balancing the schedules and assignments to avoid unnecessary vacation time for more than two people at a time during the busiest season, to reduce burnout and overtimes and to improve retention. Staff retention saves lots of money for the management and it improves better patient outcomes. The nurse manager should succeed in the way she/he explain the need for safe staffing, which can decrease falls, medication errors, pressure ulcers, decrease hospital stays, infections and death. Human behavior and interaction is far too complex to be able to gain total support for a change (Grohar-Murray Langan, 2011). There will be some resistance even with the best explanations given by the nurse manager, but in the long run it will be reduced and can get full support from everybody. The plan for evaluation is consistent with the overall change design, with outcomes being measured against the criteria found in the statements of purpose and objectives for change (Grohar-Murray Langan, 2011). The nurse manager should evaluate the changes. The evaluation of safe staffing can be seen with improved patient and staff satisfaction, better patient outcomes, decrease falls, pressure ulcers and infection rates, decrease sick calls, decrease employee turnover, good feedbacks by the patients and the employees. By interpreting the role of evaluation and the outcomes of changes, the nurse manager can improve and make better plans and modifications. References Grohar-Murray, M. E., Langan, J. (2011). Leadership and management in nursing (4th ed., p. 250-256). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Health Science. Miles, M. (2007).An overview of strategies for planned change in human systems. Retrieved from http://www.innovation.cc/scholarly-style/classic-theories.pdf Roussel, L (2006) Management and Leadership for Nurse Administrators. Fourth edition. Jones and Barlett, London.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

The Scottsboro Trials Essay -- Racial Relations, Segregation

March 25, 1931, nine men hopped on to a freight train of no return (Uschan 10). Unjust, prejudice, and racist the Scottsboro Trials, were definitely not just another ordinary case. The Scottsboro Trials changed how America viewed segregation. The nine young men, who hopped onto that train that day, were innocent and harmless. The Scottsboro Trials revealed the unjust treatment that African Americans faced outside of the Harlem Renaissance and changed views on segregation. Boarding the train from Chattanooga to Memphis seems like an innocent thing to do (â€Å"UMKC† par. 2). For the Scottsboro boys, boarding that train was one of the worst things they could have done. Two dozen whites and black road the train that day, and within the first 2 hours a fist fight broke out between the two races. The blacks won the fight, and the white men were thrown off the train and ran to the station master and reported that they had been assaulted by a gang of blacks on the train. Alabama stopped the train and dozens of men showed up and surrounded the train with guns in their hands. They took the nine African Americans aboard the train and put them into the Scottsboro jail (UMKC par. 2-5). Two other people were on the train at that time too. Victoria Price and Ruby Bates were found on the train unexpectedly while the search men were looking for any more black citizens. The women identified themselves and then Ruby Bates told the search men â€Å"We’ve been raped. All those colored boys raped us.†(Uschan 14).This caused an uproar throughout America not because rape was a horrible crime, but because back then a white woman having sexual relations with a black man was considered one of the worst things a person could do. The act was considered so terr... ... thing of the past. Racism is a very harsh and dangerous thing to participate in. Being racist can cause a person’s life to be in danger and it can ruin their life too. Helping African Americans understand that these racist people are sick and will be punished is just one way we can help the fight against racism. And so, the Scottsboro Trials ended up being victorious. It changed how America felt about discrimination and segregation and opened up many opportunities for blacks. America has changed as a whole because of the Scottsboro Trials and racism is slowly fading away. Segregation has caused many hardships throughout history and finally, it ended partially because of the Scottsboro Trials. Soon, America will be a place where it is as if seclusion against African Americans never existed. African Americans are one of us and together we are America.