A Soldiers Home :: essays papers

A Soldiers Home The willingness to risk failure-as difficult as that can be-often leads us to remarkable discoveries about ourselves and our world. But on the other hand, not taking risks can save us from amounts of devastation and heartache. I think that was a major principle for Krebs in the short story, "Soldiers Home." After going to hell and back, it's almost inevitable that anyone under the circumstances would be completely overwhelmed by all that Krebs had experienced and risked. He risked his life, and was then thrown back into a society that he had been absent from for years, and finds that its all the exact way that he had left it, except he says, "Nothing was changed in the town except that the young girls had grown up." In Krebs case, after returning from war, he had become a completely different person. Distant, quiet and depressed. He didn't want to risk any complications. He didn't want to risk any part of himself ever again. He didn't want to work for what he wanted, he had worked hard enough and had been through a lifetime of disaster. All he wanted was to sit back and just live. Not enjoy life, not experience new and better things, he just wanted to live without any complications and without taking any risks. He mentions that he would like to have a girl, or more so wouldn't mind. But he doesn't want to work to get her, or do anything drastic to get her attention. It would just all be to complicated. He wants no commitment, no strings attached. "He did not want any consequences. He did not want any consequences ever again. He wanted to live without consequences. Besides, he did not really need a girl. The army had taught him that." For Krebs, asking out a girl would be a risk and lead to complications whether good or bad. And taking that risk just wasn't worth anything. Krebs was dead inside. Not intentionally, but subconsciously. He knew not of what he was doing.

bob dylan Essay -- essays research papers

Imagine: Everyday thousands of people get killed in a war no-one asked for. Friends and family are send to a horrible place with little chance you’ll ever see them again. This war, a useless and disgusting war started without any reasons and only goes on because the leaders of your country are too proud to make it end. For millions of American citizens this nightmare became truth. In 1964 the American president Johnson started sending soldiers to Vietnam. At the end of the war in 1972, it is estimated that, in total, over 2,5 million people on both sides were killed. As the war continued, the American people got more and more unsatisfied and angry at their government. They wanted the war to stop, it had been going on long enough and too many people had been killed, president Johnson, ho...

Stages of Group Development

The Forming – Storming – Norming – Performing is a model of group development, first proposed by Bruce Tuckman in 1965, who maintained that these phases are all necessary and inevitable in order for the team to grow, to face up to challenges, to tackle problems, to find solutions, to plan work, and to deliver results. Forming In the first stages of team building, the forming of the team takes place. The individual's behavior is driven by a desire to be accepted by the others, and avoid controversy or conflict. Serious issues and feelings are avoided, and people focus on being busy with routines, such as team organization, who does what, when to meet, etc. But individuals are also gathering information and impressions – about each other, and about the scope of the task and how to approach it. This is a comfortable stage to be in, but the avoidance of conflict and threat means that not much actually gets done. Group members learn about each other and the task at hand. Indicators of this stage might include: Unclear objectives, Uninvolvement, Uncommitted members, Confusion, Low morale, Hidden feelings, Poor listening, etc. The team meets and learns about the opportunities and challenges, and then agrees on goals and begins to tackle the tasks. Team members tend to behave quite independently. They may be motivated but are usually relatively uninformed of the issues and objectives of the team. Team members are usually on their best behavior but very focused on themselves. Mature team members begin to model appropriate behavior even at this early phase. Sharing the knowledge of the concept of â€Å"Teams – Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing† is extremely helpful to the team. Supervisors of the team tend to need to be directive during this phase. The forming stage of any team is important because, in this stage, the members of the team get to know one another, exchange some personal information, and make new friends. This is also a good opportunity to see how each member of the team works as an individual and how they respond to pressure. Storming Every group will then enter the storming stage in which different ideas compete for consideration. The team addresses issues such as what problems they are really supposed to solve, how they will function independently and together and what leadership model they will accept. Team members open up to each other and confront each other's ideas and perspectives. In some cases storming can be resolved quickly. In others, the team never leaves this stage. The maturity of some team members usually determines whether the team will ever move out of this stage. Some team members will focus on minutiae to evade real issues. The storming stage is necessary to the growth of the team. It can be contentious, unpleasant and even painful to members of the team who are averse to conflict. Tolerance of each team member and their differences needs to be emphasized. Without tolerance and patience the team will fail. This phase can become destructive to the team and will lower motivation if allowed to get out of control. As group members continue to work, they will engage each other in arguments about the structure of the group which often are significantly emotional and illustrate a struggle for status in the group. These activities mark the storming phase: Lack of cohesion, Subjectivity, Hidden agendas, Conflicts, Confrontation, Volatility, Resentment, anger, Inconsistency, Failure. Supervisors of the team during this phase may be more accessible but tend to still need to be directive in their guidance of decision-making and professional behavior. The groups will therefore resolve their differences and group members will be able to participate with one another more comfortably and they won't feel that they are being judged in any way and will therefore share their own opinions and views†¦ Norming The team manages to have a one goal and come to a mutual plan for the team at this stage. Some may have to give up their own ideas and agree with others in order to make the team work. In this stage, all the team members takes the responsibility and have the ambition to work for the success of the goals of the team. Group members establish implicit or explicit rules about how they will achieve their goal. They address the types of communication that will or will not help with the task. Indicators include: Questioning performance, Reviewing/clarify objective, Changing/confirming roles, Opening risky issues, Assertiveness, Listening, Testing new ground, Identifying strengths and weaknesses. Performing Some teams will reach the performing stage. These high-performing teams are able to function as a unit as they find ways to get the job done smoothly and effectively without inappropriate conflict or the need for external supervision. Team members have become interdependent. By this time they are motivated and knowledgeable. The team members are now competent, autonomous and able to handle the decision-making process without supervision. Dissent is expected and allowed as long as it is channeled through means acceptable to the team. Supervisors of the team during this phase are almost always participative. The team will make most of the necessary decisions. Even the most high-performing teams will revert to earlier stages in certain circumstances. Many long-standing teams will go through these cycles many times as they react to changing circumstances. For example, a change in leadership may cause the team to revert to storming as the new people challenge the existing norms and dynamics of the team. Groups reach a conclusion and implement the solution to their issue. Indicators include: Creativity, Initiative, Flexibility, Open relationships, Pride, Concern for people, Learning, Confidence, High morale, Success, etc. Adjourning Tuckman later added a fifth phase, adjourning, that involves completing the task and breaking up the team. Others call it the phase for mourning. A team that lasts may transcend to a transforming phase of achievement. Transformational management can produce major changes in performance through synergy and is considered to be more far-reaching than transactional management.

Hassan’s Story Essay

A. Baru is using surface markings to identify the gender of a skull. What two major types of surface markings do bones have? a. The depressions and openings. B. Why are Liu and Hassan surprised to find a metopic suture on an adult skull? In which skull bone do metopic sutures occur? b. Because right after birth the left side and right side of the frontal bone are united by the metopic suture. They were surprised because this suture should have disappeared between the ages of six to eight years of age. C. What delicate skeletal structures are found inside the nasal cavity that might be missing from an excavated skull? c. The perpendicular plate D. How would Hassan and his team be able to tell the ages of the skeletal remains of the woman and baby? d. By the four main sutures such as coronal suture, sagittal suture, lambdoid suture and squamous sutures. E. What features of the vertebral column would the larger skeleton in the sarcophagus show to indicate it was female? e. The vertebral column of a male in about 71 cm (28 in.) for a female the vertebral column of a female would be about 61 cm (24 in.) F. What bone in the neck region other than cervical vertebrae may be damaged during strangulation or neck trauma? f. The hyoid bone. G. If the bones of a person found at the excavation site were mixed up and out of sequence, how could the anthropologists determine which vertebrae were cervical, lumbar or thoracic? g. Because the cervical bones are the smallest, the thoracic bones are larger than the cervical bones, and the lumbar bones are the largest. H. Why would bones with their hard structure, be subject to and show signs of the disease that destroyed this community? h. Because bones will show signs of wear and tear and can also be also be tested. I. What structure passes through the transverse foramina of cervical vertebrae that would cause death if damaged as in the child’s skeleton? i. Arteries

National Security and Homeland Defense Research Paper

National Security and Homeland Defense - Research Paper Example This paper shows that the various agencies involved at the state, federal or local agencies make a perfect team in making the country safe for its entire citizen. Introduction There are many threats that face us daily in the society that we live. Whether it is from terrorist attacks, theft attack, attack amongst ourselves or threat issues, we are still faced with danger all around us. Many agencies are deployed to protect us from such kinds of attack. They investigate in to the matter and come up with solutions to our problems. They assure us that we will be all right and every single matter will be handled professionally in accordance with the laws that govern us. Given their different roles in the society, they work together to protect its citizens. The agencies involved are federal, State Law Enforcement agencies or local agencies that are the municipal or county police. The federal Given to them the duty under the United States Code, the Federal agencies that exist in the United States have the authority to enforce laws only at the level of federal. The federal agencies have the same powers as the police in that they both act together with the police. They are only given the permission to investigate issues within the range of power they are endowed. Their investigate powers is clearly seen nowadays especially after the USA patriotic act was passed. At the federal level, most of the duties of enforcement are placed under the department of Justice. An instance of a federal agency is the Drug Enforcement Administration and the United States Marshals. In addition to that, the homeland security department has many federal agencies that work together with it. An instance of a federal agency that works with the department of homeland security is the United States Secret Service and the Transportation Security Administration (Reiss & Albert 1992). Since the government of the United States is structured as sovereign states in which each state is responsible for mai ntaining their own military, police and any other agency involved in the law making process, the constitution has not given the federal agencies to practice the benefits that a normal police has. The constitution has only allowed the federal agency to exercise their powers on affairs between states and any affair that is foreign. In the case of policing, if a crime happens at a different state, then the federal agency does not have any power. If the federal agency acts on a different state, then they have gone against the law of federal that governs the interstate relation and they can be charged by the jurisdiction of federal. The United States Secret Service As a part of the United States Department of Homeland Security, the United States Secret Service is an example of a federal agency that exists in the United States. The United States Secret Service is involved in many responsibilities in the federal department. Responsibilities of the United States Secret Service The primary d uty of the United States Secret Service as stated in their mission is to protect the financial system and the payment process of systems n the United States. They are usually involved in crimes that involve any financial fraud whether it is institutional, electronic, identification of false documents or any money laundering process. It is also responsible for the protection of the President of the United States. That is the second main mission of the United Sta

7 days in the art world Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

7 days in the art world - Coursework Example There is the element of dilemma through the book to an extent that the reader the at the end of the book the reader still yarns for more in order to understand the reasons as to why some arts are more valued than others. It truly offers the "elegant, evocative, sardonic view into some of the art worlds most prestigious institutions." It brings out in someone the desire to understand and know more about the hidden quirkiness of the area of interest. Bringing out the inner cycles of the inner art world through the hope of drawing and capturing the attention of the affluent collectors, dealers, curators, and advisers surrounding the scene of art in the contemporary society (Sarah, 174). The most intriguing part of the story is the shift from one chapter to the next with a view of an art from outside. As such, she puts forward an idea that her work is beyond simply the questions of who make, market, sell and buy art. Rather her scope is to put forth the idea of good work as is seen in her saying that; "why mention, in acknowledgments, that you talked to them at all? No one likes a tease." The work has also bagged major art warriors such as Nicholas Serota and Philippe Segalot. The portrayal of religious matters of the art does not guide well her well-chosen structure of work hence breaking the art world down. The light she sheds son the characters especially those of religious scripts does not truly conform to the kind of religion one would expect from such characters. Her eye for telling only the detailed circumstances just as much as a journalist would, is circumstantially devoted to ascertaining skewed attention towards some features and ignoring some details. Just to point out, in the studio several passports and visas are spotted by her together with entry and exit stamps, this is used to symbolize the international trade that goes on in the arena of art. The

Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Lab Report Example The product produced is easy to handle and easy to apply due to the use of peppermint oil. The peppermint also improves its flavor. As provided by the ingredients we can see that calcium carbonate is the major ingredient with the heaviest weight (Field). As discussed above the ingredient is responsible for protection against tooth decay, dental carries and other forms of tooth infections. Re-mineralization is a basic concern in preparation of any toothpaste since it helps in fighting dental carries a common disease worldwide. Calcium and phosphate are also important since they are able to alter cariogenic potential of dental plaque biofilm. The paste is applied depending on the size of the toothbrush. A small amount is applied and brushed over the teeth in a normal brushing way (Perlich, Bacca and Bollmer). The contents should be disposed immediately the process of brushing is over. The mouth should be cleaned and rinsed with fresh clean water. The toothpaste has no harmful effects and can be used regularly depending on the user needs. The paste should be stored in a cool and dry place to prevent it from drying. The paste should be used while fresh and valid. If it expires it can have negative and harmful effects. Since it is homemade and non-medicated it is advisable that little content is made at a time to prevent cases if impurity. Homemade paste made ensured protection of the gums and the teeth in general since these are the main reasons as to why people go for toothpastes. The paste helps in re-mineralization which is also an important aspect of dental carries control and other infections in the mouth. Perlich, MA, et al. "The clinical effect of a stabilized stannous fluoride dentifrice on plaque formation, gingivitis and gingival bleeding: a six-month study." The Journal of Clinical Dentistry (1995): 6 (Special Issue):