Suicide in the Military

Suicide in the Military Free Online Research Papers Stressed by war and long overseas tours, U.S. soldiers killed themselves last year at the highest rate on record, the toll rising for a fourth straight year and even surpassing the suicide rate among comparable civilians. Army leaders said they were doing everything they could think of to curb the deaths and appealed for more mental health professionals to join and help out. Clearly, the military is going above and beyond to try and prevent further lives from being taken. According to the sociologist Emile Durkheim, when a person has a very strong degree of social connectedness, he or she may identify with its values or causes to such an extent that the sense of his or her own personal identity is diminished. For example, the values of the military predominated over the individual’s values. Such is the case in altruistic suicide, which has been defined as the â€Å"the self destruction demanded by a society as a price for being a member of that society.† (DeSpelder Strickland). The highest officer in each service told lawmakers they are working hard to fix the problems - devoting more senior leadership attention, instituting more and better training, attacking the stigma of asking for help, hiring more mental health providers and working across agency lines to keep an eye on and fund care for at-risk troops who transition back to civilian life. The specific steps range from implementing or strengthening â€Å"battle buddy† programs to ensure troops look out for each other; embedding, as the Marines have done, more mental health professionals within units; improving the â€Å"handoff† from the war zone to providers back home; and ensuring better continuity of care when troops transition from military to VA care, officials said. (Air Force Times, 2009) This is the first time since the Vietnam War that the rate of suicide in the Army, about 20 deaths per 100,000 soldiers, has surpassed the civilian suicide rate. Last year in the Army alone there were 140 suicides, translating into a rate of 20.2 per 100,000 soldiers. Also, the number of Army suicides increased for the fourth consecutive year, according to the Army’s 2008 Suicide Data report released on January 29, 2009. The Army’s high suicide rate is attributable in large part to deployment stress, Gen. Peter Chiarelli, Army vice chief of staff stated. Long deployments and other factors including job-related difficulties and financial, personal and legal problems are other contributing factors. â€Å"A high mission tempo clearly can place strain on a military, and with wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, 12 months or longer deployment rotations and 12 months or less downtime at home, the Army certainly has been busy,† Chiarelli said. The Army found about 35 percent of suicides came after soldiers returned home from deployment, while another 35 percent of suicides occurred among soldiers with no history of deployment. 30 percent occurred while soldiers were in the field. To help combat the suicide increases, the Army has entered into an unprecedented five-year, $50 million partnership with the National Institute of Mental Health (American Forces Press Service). The purpose of the study is to understand the urgency of the situation, to identify risks and prevention factors, and to develop new and better intervention. The knowledge will benefit both soldiers and families as well as the civilian population. One of the key issues the Army has been trying to address is the feeling among many soldiers that seeking psychological help is a sign of weakness and could be harmful to their career. Since Oct. 1, an average of three hot line callers per day have identified themselves as being on active duty, said Kathryn Power, director of the Center for Mental Health Services in the Department of Health and Human Services. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said that indicates many conflicted troops continue to feel a sense of stigma over reporting suicidal thoughts to superiors or military mental health officials. â€Å"When you’ve got this many people feeling they can’t talk to someone within the system, that’s a problem,† Graham said. â€Å"We must eliminate the perceived stigma, shame and dishonor of asking for help,† said Adm. Patrick Walsh, vice chief of naval operations. â€Å"This is not simply an issue isolated to the medical community to recognize and reso lve† Such efforts should include keeping an eye on those closest to the suicide victim, said Brian Altman, acting chief operating officer for Suicide Prevention Action Network USA, a Washington-based public policy and advocacy group. (Air Force Times). The Air Force lost 38 airmen to suicide in 2008, a rate of 11.5 suicides per 100,000 airmen. The average over the past five years - since the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom - was 11 deaths per 100,000 annually. Of the airmen lost in 2008, 95 percent were men and 89 percent were enlisted. Young enlisted men with a rank of E1 to E4 and between the ages of 21 and 25 have the highest risk of suicide. Recently released data indicates that active duty males carry, for the first time in known history, a suicide risk greater than that of comparable males in the general population (Psychotherapy Brown Bag, 2009). This is particularly noteworthy considering that the military entrance process screens out serious mental illness prior to entry onto active duty, and that the rate of suicide in military males has historically been significantly lower than comparable civilian populations. To help prevent and reduce these alarming statistics, military psychologists and mental health professionals have begun research to gain empirical support for a simple model to improve assessment, treatment, and prevention of suicidal behaviors in active duty members. In a report to Congress, Craig Duehring, assistant secretary of the Air Force for manpower, said, â€Å"there does not appear to be a strong correlation between deployments and suicide.† A check of deployment records found that from 2003 to 2008, only 39 Air Force suicide victims had deployed in the previous 12 months. Another 150 had never deployed. A more common indicator of risk was seeking mental health counseling for issues ranging from alcohol abuse to marriage counseling, Duehring’s report said. Fifty-five percent of airmen who killed themselves had attended counseling sessions (Air Force Times, 2009). Other factors in the Air Force suicide rate include relationships gone awry and poor communication between the treating mental health providers and commanders. There is always tension in the military between confidentiality and the need to communicate with supervisors. This is now being addressed so that soldiers can discuss personal issues without being worried a bout facing discharge. The Navy’s suicide rate has remained roughly steady over the past four years, but suicide ranks as the service’s third-leading cause of death, said Walsh. The Navy reported 41 suicides in 2008, a rate of 11.6 per 100,000. About 39 percent of the sailors who committed suicide last year were facing disciplinary action, he added. Financial issues were also a factor, said Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Rick West. West added that the Navy has been setting up support programs such as operational stress control, and has also vamped up its financial counseling programs. The Marine Corps lost 41 Marines last year to confirmed or suspected suicides - up from 25 two years earlier - a rate of 19 per 100,000. General James F. Amos, USMC, Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps, said the most likely Marine to die by suicide is a Caucasian male, 18 to 24 years old, between the ranks of private and sergeant. The most likely cause is a failed relationship with a woman. Active duty military members aren’t the only ones who are affected by suicide. According to Dr. Thomas Insel, the director of the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Maryland, post-war suicides may outnumber deaths from combat. In the aftermath of war, many experience symptoms such as numbness, irritability, depression, difficulties in relationships, and guilt at surviving when others did not. The term posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been used to describe such symptoms, although such reactions have also been termed â€Å"delayed grief syndrome† or posttraumatic grief disorder.† (DeSpelder Strickland, 2005) People who suffer from PTSD often relive the experience through nightmares and flashbacks, have difficulty sleeping, and feel detached or estranged, and these symptoms can be severe enough and last long enough to significantly impair the persons daily life. The two main forms of post combat mental illness include PTSD and depression, both of which are cited most often as causes of suicides by returning soldiers. Among additional factors related to the suicide rates are personal, marital and family problems, repeated and extended deployments, extended periods of hard combat and even undiagnosed preexisting mental disorders. The military has stated that at least one in five American soldiers who were deployed overseas to Iraq or Afghanistan suffer from some degree of PTSD. Army officials have been committed to finding out why more soldiers committed suicide in 2008 than ever recorded. â€Å"It’s a national problem we’re committed to doing everything we can to address (the issues) better and (and) put programs in place,† said Army Secretary Pete Geren. The Army is using a variety of short- and long-term programs. One of those is the Strong Bonds program. Strong Bonds has specialized programs for single Soldiers, couples and families. Those Soldiers being deployed or redeployed can also learn special coping tactics. Strong Bonds empowers Soldiers and their loved ones with relationship-building skills, and connects them to community health and support resources. It is a holistic, preventative program committed to the restoration and preservation of Army families, even those near crisis. The program is initiated and led by the Army Chaplains. More than 90% of those who have attended the program rate it positively. Another program recen tly launched is called Battlemind. The objective of Battlemind is to reduce combat stress reactions. The staggering statistics of combat are eye-opening: 65% of deployed soldiers have have seen a dead or seriously injured American, 50% have had to handle or uncover human remains, 48% are responsible for the death of an enemy combatant, and 21% have had to save the life of a Soldier or civilian. Combat leaves haunting memories. After the shooting stops, the mind must â€Å"sort out and file the almost incomprehensible facts of war† (DeSpelder Strickland). The Air Force has aggressively pursued increasing community awareness of suicide risks and available services and decreasing the stigma surrounding accessing mental health services. Senior Air Force staff reinforce the perspective that suicide prevention is a community effort and regularly distribute notices to personnel regarding the problem of suicide within the Air Force (USAFMS, 2000). Regular staff development courses have also now incorporated suicide prevention education for all officers. Such training describes the risk and protective factors for suicide, including contexts and symptoms of acute suicide risk, and when and to whom to refer individuals at risk of suicide. Enhancing the mental well-being of the entire unit is conveyed as each staff member’s responsibility. Supervisors and unit members alike are encouraged to persuade those facing mental health issues (including substance abuse and domestic violence) to self-refer to counseling. The Air Force presents such actions as a means of increasing unit productivity and helping the individual reach his or her fullest potential, and explicitly states these goals as motivation for commander-directed mental health evaluations when individuals do not self-refer (USAFMS, 2000). Further, the Air Force has implemented suicide awareness training for staff, changed certain Air Force policies in response to epidemiological research, and developed a database for collecting a broad array of information regarding suicide attempts and completions throughout Air Force personnel and their families. Clearly military suicide numbers are rising at an alarming rate, but I believe the military is doing all it can to reverse this disturbing trend. Some people wonder why we should care so much about military suicides compared to civilian ones. Service members go to war because we ask, or rather demand, that they do so. We owe them our best effort to make them as whole as they can be. I care about members of the military because theyre serving their country by doing difficult and dangerous work for small tangible reward. For that, they deserve the best of medical care, including mental health care, and if something about their current situation is causing a significant increase in depression, that needs to be investigated and dealt with. REFERENCES Carden, M.J. (2009, January 29). Army Works to Combat Rising Suicide. Retrieved from defenselink.mil/utility/printitem.aspx?print=defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=52879 DeSpelder, L.A., Strickland, A.E. (2005). The last dance. Boston: McGraw-Hill. McMichael, W.H. (2009, March 23). Suicide rates remain high. Retrieved from airforcetimes.com/news/2009/03/airforce_suicide_032309w/ Morrow, C. (2009, September 1). Suicide in active duty military personnel. Retrieved from psychotherapybrownbag.com/psychotherapy_brown_bag_a/2009/09/suicide-in-active-duty-military-personnel-the-september-2009-psychotherapy-brown-bag-featured-articl.html Ritchey, J. (2009, February 09). US military suicide on the increase. Retrieved from speroforum.com/a/18082/US-military-suicide-on-the-increase SUICIDE IN THE MILITARY 1 Research Papers on Suicide in the MilitaryArguments for Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS)Influences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesQuebec and CanadaIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductAppeasement Policy Towards the Outbreak of World War 2Assess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeTwilight of the UAWLifes What Ifs

Using TDictionary for Hash Tables in Delphi

Using TDictionary for Hash Tables in Delphi Introduced in Delphi 2009, the TDictionary class, defined in the Generics.Collections unit, represents a generic hash table type collection of key-value pairs. Generic types, also introduced in Delphi 2009, allow you to define classes that dont specifically define the type of data members. A dictionary is, in a way, similar to an array. In an array you work with a series (collection) of values indexed by an integer value, which can be any ordinal type value. This index has a lower and an upper bound. In a dictionary, you can store keys and values where either can be of any type. The TDictionary Constructor Hence the declaration of the TDictionary constructor: In Delphi, the TDictionary is defined as a hash table. Hash tables represent  a collection of key-and-value pairs that are organized based on the hash code of the key. Hash tables are optimized for lookups (speed). When a key-value pair is added to a hash table, the hash of the key is computed and stored along with the added pair. The TKey and TValue, because theyre generics, can be of any type. For example, if the information you are to store in the dictionary is coming from some database, your Key can be a GUID (or some other value presenting the unique index) value while the Value can be an object mapped to a row of data in your database tables. Using TDictionary For the sake of simplicity, the example below uses integers for TKeys and chars for TValues.   First, we declare our dictionary by specifying what the types of the TKey and TValue will be: Then the dictionary is filled using the Add method. Because a dictionary cannot have two pairs with the same Key value, you can use the ContainsKey method to check if some key-valued pair is already inside the dictionary. To remove a pair from the dictionary, use the Remove method. This method will not cause problems if a pair with a specified key is not a part of the dictionary. To go through all the pairs by looping through keys you can do a for in loop. Use the TryGetValue method to check if some key-value pair is included in the dictionary. Sorting The Dictionary Because a dictionary is a hash table it does not store items in a defined sort order. To iterate through the keys that are sorted to meet your specific need, take advantage of the TList a generic collection type that supports sorting. The code above sorts keys ascending and descending and grabs values as if they were stored in the sorted order in the dictionary. The descending sorting of integer-type Key values uses TComparer and an anonymous method. When Keys and Values Are of TObject Type The example listed above is a simple one because both the key and the value are simple types. You can have complex dictionaries where both the key and the value are complex types like records or objects. Heres another example: Here a custom record is used for the Key and a custom object/class is used for the value. Note the usage of a specialized TObjectDictionary class here. TObjectDictionary can handle objects lifetime automatically. The Key value cannot be nil, while the Value value can. When a TObjectDictionary is instantiated, an Ownerships parameter specifies whether the dictionary owns the keys, values or both and therefore helps you not have memory leaks.

African American Family & Resistance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

African American Family & Resistance - Essay Example In the late eighteenth century, Methodists formulated strong rules against slavery, claiming it to be contrary to the laws of God, and also threatening to excommunicate all slaveholders who did not free their slaves. However, it was not until the rebellion of Nat Turner in 1831 that the white slave owners truly became afraid for their lives. With the view of preserving their lives and their way of life, the southern slave owners got laws passed restricting the rights of the slaves to hold meetings, whether religious or otherwise, and even to read or write. They feared that once the slaves were allowed to do all this on their own, they would no longer be able to be controlled by the slave owners. The reasons behind the slave owners wish for control over the religious schooling of their slaves was not only that by this method they could ensure that the slaves learned to turn the proverbial other cheek, as Christianity preached, but also that this was the only way to ensure that the slaves did not read the bible on their own and got their own message from it, like that of the Exodus. By ensuring that the religious teaching remained in the hands of the whites, the slave owners ensured that only the message they wanted to send across would reach the slaves. One can say that it was their way of portraying Christianity in a light they wished to make the slaves docile and subservient. A lot of this teaching was designed to prevent the slaves from mounting any insurrection and to ensure there were no rebellious thoughts fostering in the minds of the slaves due to a free reading of the Bible by the slaves themselves. In a way Christianity does not deal directly with the prohibition of slavery, there is no verse that specifically denounces it, however, there are chapters in the Bible, especially the Old Testament, that lay bare the fact that whenever there is oppression, God leads the oppressed to safety and

Research on Project Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Research on Project Management - Essay Example A project is a collection of activity to achieve a particular objective. It involves the directing of many activities towards a particular objective. A project is not a whole time activity. It always has a start date and end date. The duration of the project depends on the size of the project. A project is always guided and lead by a set of instructions and plans. A project always has a deadline within which it has to be completed and handed over to the required authority. The project will consume more than the estimated cost if it is not completed within the deadline. A project is a pooling up of men, money, materials and other resources for the achievement of a specific goal. A project is an effort of a group of people. A project is done in different phases. The different phases of a project are initiating stage, planning stage, executing stage and controlling stage. The initiating stage of the project is where the project idea is generated. A structure has to be given to the gener ated idea before it is being carried foreword. This structure is given in the planning stage. The executing stage of the project is the most crucial stage. It is where all the resources are pooled up properly. This is the stage that requires more cost. In the controlling stage the project is examined and reexamined for any deviations. Corrective measures are taken for controlling the deviations that have occurred. A project is entirely different from business in the sense that the project is for a specified period whereas the business is a continuing process. Therefore, in simple sense project management refers to the managing of all the activities concerned with the successful implementation of the project. Managing a project is a complex task and managing that complex task is the duty of the project management experts. The techniques used for the management of the project differ from the nature of the project. The project management is done by a team of experts comprising the

Learning and Memory.An introduction to theories of learning Essay Example for Free

Learning and Memory.An introduction to theories of learning Essay Learning and Memory Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Cleaning the room is the target behaviour in Bobby’s case. Mr. Kelly tries to keep on reminding his eight year old child to clean his room but it is always in vain. Since Mr. Kelly needs help in increasing the frequency of his child cleaning his room it could be assumed that bobby is trained and knows how to clean his room. The possible reason as to why he keeps on refraining from this task is however unclear.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Operant conditioning is a method of learning that incorporates acquisition of behaviour and facing the consequences of the behaviour. In this type of learning rewards are given to the learner either to encourage or discourage future repetition of the same behaviour (Olson Hergenhahn, 2013). Operant conditioning can be used to encourage Bobby in cleaning up his room. Through the various components of operant conditioning Mr. Kelly can apply to encourage Bobby clean his room. Operant conditioning has two major concepts, reinforcement and punishment, which could be used in different ways to encourage bobby to clean his room.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Reinforcement involves using reward that would otherwise increase the chances of bobby cleaning his room more often. Mr. Kelly could use various rewards such as giving bobby time to watch T.V, buying little gifts that are issued each time bobby cleans his room. Such motivating factors will encourage bobby to clean up his room. Reinforcement is of two types, positive and negative reinforcement, both ways can be capitalised in changing the behaviour of bobby. In positive reinforcement for instance Mr. Kelly needs to look for items such as toys or bars of chocolate, preferably Mr. Kelly could choose some of the items bobby loves most and use them to reward bobby after cleaning the room.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Continuous use of negative reinforcement over a long period of time would lead to Bobby developing an attitude towards cleaning his room. Thus positive reinforcement could be applied. For reinforcement to be effective both method should be used concurrently. Fixed ratio schedule and variable ratio schedules can be used to implement and encourage bobby to always clean the room. Fixed ratio schedule will always reward bobby after a number of times he has cleaned the room. This method will give immediate positive responses from bobby but would be consuming for Mr. Kelly. Variable ratio schedule would award bobby after irregular intervals of response from him. This can be very effective to reinforce Bobby to clean the room because the reinforcement can come all through the first week and make the reluctance of cleaning the house an extinct behaviour.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I will apply the operant conditioning to account for Jackie’s development of the behaviour of phobia towards dogs. This is because the operant conditioning shows or explains why the organisms will acquire learned behaviour that they exhibit. The vital focus of operant conditioning is by use of reinforcements as punishments or reward so as to increase or decrease the likelihood of occurrence or repetition of certain behaviour (Staddon Cerutti, 2003). In the case of Jackie, she received a negative reinforcement from the dog bite and hence the phobia towards dogs development. Also the stitches and the time that she spent on medication made her develop the negative attitude towards dogs. This is because, in operant conditioning, it is clear that continued use of negative reinforcement will lead to the victim developing an attitude towards that object or behaviour.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Some of the behaviour modification that could be designed to help Jackie to overturn the phobia that she has with dogs could be: Jackie could first of all spend time with her spouse with a company the trained dogs. This will help Jackie to see that dogs were not wild and they always do not bite any time you had an encounter with them. This will somehow help her reverse the phobia she had towards dogs and also help her see the positive side of the dogs. She should also be allowed to spend time with the trained dogs with the dogs being guided by the trainer to remain lively, obedient and helpful to Jackie. This will act as a positive reinforcement towards Jackie’s behaviour. She will slowly by slowly start liking dogs and hence they will have a happy life with her partner thereafter.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are two main principles of operant conditioning that are evident in the case of Emma. First by the parents trying to offer Emma some kind of reward, they are trying to positively reinforce the behaviour of cleaning her room and toys through the principle of positive reinforcement. Also through putting her out, they are applying the principle of positive punishment by trying to add something bad so that she cannot repeat the same mistake.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Operant conditioning theory could be applied in this case to correct Emma’s behaviour through application of the four main principles of operant conditioning. The parents could apply the principle of negative punishment which is to take something good away so as to decrease certain behaviour. Through application of this principle, they could cut away buying of toys to Emma so that she could be reinforced to clean the room. Also through negative reinforcement principle, which is taking something bad so as to reinforce behaviour could be applied by Emma’s parents. They could stop putting her in time any time that she cleans her room so that she can be reinforced to always clean her room and toys.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Extinction of behaviour in operant conditioning theory can be defined as the disappearance of previously learned behaviour if the behaviour is not reinforced (Hunt et al, 2008). As we have earlier said, reinforcement is the necessity for learning and in which certain behaviour grows. It is either a means to encourage or discourage certain behaviour (Olson Hergenhahn, 2013). For instance, the Emma is conditioned to the behaviour that when she screams hard and through the toys away, her parents will collect them and clean them up for her. If the parents stopped this behaviour, Emma could not adopt this behaviour because it will lack reinforcement and slowly it will cease and become extinct. References Hunt, Elgin F. and Colander, David C. (2008). Social Science, An Introduction to the Study of Society. Olson, M. H. Hergenhahn, B. R. (2013). An introduction to theories of learning (9th ed.). Upper Saddle; River, NJ: Pearson. Staddon, J. E. R., Cerutti, D. T. (2003). Operant conditioning. Annual Review of Psychology, 54, 115-44. Source document

Poe and Morrison Transformed Jalopies into Hot Rods Essay -- Poetry A

The subconscious is said to control various aspects of the life of a human to include major and minor decisions alike; whether to follow the path carved out so cautiously by others or to forge a unique path and travel it fiercely with reckless abandon and ambition guided by extreme individuality. What is this perplexing, intangible thing we call the subconscious? And what role does it play in the writing process of a poet? In general, when given the task of defining the subconscious, the initial impulse is to provide an ordinary idea such as, â€Å"one’s natural instinct that lies beneath the actively aware mind and its intentional thoughts†; however, what if the subconscious is something more? What if the subconscious is actually the culmination of all life experiences up to a specific point in time and this culmination is the true vehicle of the poet’s thoughts? This culmination is the vehicle that drives these thoughts from the subconscious to the conscious, from the pen to the paper and to their final destination that is termed poetry. If the latter is accepted then it is certainly safe to say that both Edgar Allan Poe and Jim Morrison’s vehicles had a few dents and dings, maybe even a crack in the windshield, but they managed to turn these beaters into high performance sleepers. Both Poe and Morrison faced premature emotional distress, gaunt paternal connections, and parallel views on the process of writing poetry; all of which became the catalysts of recurring dark, shocking and unconventional themes in their poetry. Edgar Allan Poe and Jim Morrison experienced traumatic events involving death at a young age. Poe was orphaned twice, once at the tender age of two when his mother Eliza Poe fell ill and passed away, and again wh... ... rigors of prudish societies, to push reputation aside in hopes of revealing unpopular perspectives on the realities of life. Whatever the case may be the truth of the matter is that both Morrison and Poe were able to harness the magnificent talent of turning not so favorable life experiences into brilliant, unforgettable and timeless poetry. Works Cited Ackroyd, Peter. Poe: A Life Cut Short. New York: Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, 2008. Print. Hopkins, Jerry. The Lizard King: The Essential Jim Morrison. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1992. Print. Hutchisson, James M. Poe. Jackson: University of Mississippi, 2005. Print. Poe, Edgar Allan, and Thomas Ollive Mabbott. Complete Poems. Urbana: University of Illinois, 2000. Print. Riordan, James, and Jerry Prochnicky. Break on Through: The Life and Death of Jim Morrison. New York: Morrow, 1991. Print.

From her arrival in 1568, Mary Stuart posed a major threat to the security of Elizabeth and her government

Mary's arrival in England triggered the discontent among some Catholic sympathisers to become prevalent, as Mary provided a clear leader to focus their religious dissatisfactions with the moderately Protestant settlement imposed by Elizabeth. This is why religious motivations behind some of the laity were the most dangerous threat from Mary. Political advantages from individuals supporting Mary are contributory factors to threaten Elizabeth, without the laity's religious motivations however they cannot amount to a crucial significance. International implications from Mary's presence were potentially huge but were never anything more than potential. All these factors revolving around Mary that threatened Elizabeth were compounded by the way Elizabeth mismanaged situations. Mary can be seen as the reaction pathway in the threat towards Elizabeth, she does not do much herself to endanger Elizabeth, however she provided the discontented with the motivation to threaten Elizabeth because she was the next Catholic heir. Those who felt discontented about Elizabeth's moderate Protestant settlement now had a clear leader to focus their ambitions of a Catholic England. The Northern Rebellion is a prime example of this religious discontent of many of the laity being focused on releasing Mary to restore Catholicism to England (5600/6000 were individuals not tenants of the landowners who would have been forced into fighting). The reason why this is the paramount threat to Elizabeth is because of the number of people who had grievances against the religion and saw Mary Stuart as the way to gain their religion back. Tied into this is the political danger of those Nobles who also had Catholic sympathies but were also in a position to challenge Elizabeth i. e. he Duke of Norfolk who was under demands from Mary Stuart to gain her release from prison by force if needed. Mary was always going to be the main centre of Catholic plots against Elizabeth because she was the heir to the throne. Catholic dissatisfactions were already present before her arrival but were compounded and given direction with her arrival. Therefore Mary can be seen as the instigator behind the Catholic threat to Elizabeth. This is shown by the fact that until 1568 Elizabeth was relatively free from Catholic threats, however with the arrival of Mary Stuart the question of Elizabeth's successor arisen and the Catholic plots began. Moreover with a Catholic heir to the throne available to the Catholics in England then Elizabeth's life was under increased threat. This is because the extreme Catholics were undoubtedly prepared to kill Elizabeth, their Queen, to gain their religion. After all their route to heaven or hell was controlled by Elizabeth and if she got it wrong then they would not gain salvation. This personal threat to Elizabeth is shown by the St Bartholomew's Day massacre, where French Catholics killed their Protestant King in the name of their religion. This threat is also emphasised by the assassination of William of Orange by Dutch Catholics. Mary behaves like a catalyst in the Catholic threat to Elizabeth, without her the plots that surrounded her would have no meaning because there is nobody to restore Catholicism for them. However as Mary was in England then repeats of what had happened in France and Spain to Protestant leaders similar to Elizabeth could also happen. Politically Mary Stuart provides an alternative for those Nobles who were not content with their position under Elizabeth. Nobles who were isolated from power under Elizabeth may see supporting Mary Stuart as a way to gain power in court or getting back positions that they had deprived under Elizabeth. Example of these nobles includes the Earl of Northumberland who under Elizabeth had his wardship of the Middlemarch deprived. This plan by Elizabeth to decrease the power of the magnates in the North had loosened the allegiance between Elizabeth and nobles such as Northumberland to such an extent that they saw taking a risk on Mary Stuart as being more advantageous than serving under Elizabeth an having their power and prestige slowly eaten away. Once again Mary has not done anything herself to threaten Elizabeth but inversely her position as heir to the throne has attracted supporters who are willing to threaten Elizabeth, therefore Mary is the main pathway for Catholic threats. Tied in with the threats from isolated Nobles were the threats from within Elizabeth's court involving Mary Stuart, which were also very dangerous to Elizabeth. The main court intrigue was the proposed marriage between the Duke of Norfolk and Mary Stuart. This faction came to be mainly because of the fact that they wanted Elizabeth to name Mary as her heir. However this faction contained many powerful Nobles, who it seemed were plotting against Elizabeth around Mary. International threats revolving around Mary Stuart were potentially huge, especially from Spain who at that time were the major Catholic leaders in Europe. In theory it would be thought that Spain would want to support Mary Stuart onto the English throne because of her Catholicism. However because Mary Stuart was in the Guise family who controlled France and Scotland, then Spain would rather not have France effectively controlling England as well. Despite the disadvantages of Spain supporting Mary Stuart there are still examples of how Mary Stuart's presence in England gave rise to danger to the security of Elizabeth's throne from Spainish involvement, nor could Elizabeth ignore this potentially massive threat. For example the Ridolfi Plot which once again aimed to secure Mary's release and position on the English throne also included military assistance from Spain, however the plot was discovered and the troops did not come. Although the military did not come form Spain, Mary Stuart's qualities as a ruler i. e. she is Catholic, once again means that these international threats are going to see her as a means to weaken Elizabeth if not to replace her altogether. Foreign involvement centring around Elizabeth also came from France, after all Mary was half-French and therefore a clear motivation for France can be seen to control England as well. This is shown by the Throckmorton plot were the Duke of Guise was planning to lead an army to depose Elizabeth and place Mary on the throne. Although it failed it shows that Mary was the link between almost all the people who felt unhappy with Elizabeth's reign from the English laity in the North to some of the French Catholics. She united people who felt frustrated with Elizabeth's reign and those who saw advantages from supporting Mary. The security of Elizabeth's throne is definitely challenged here, although it does not go ahead, it is warning of what can happen, and foreign involvement from the leading two Catholic powers in Europe, i. e. Spain and France in supporting Mary Stuart cannot be taken lightly. Elizabeth's mismanagement of situations that may have deflated the threats aimed towards her centring around Mary Stuart made them worse. Politically Elizabeth tried to reduce the power of the magnates in the North by setting up councils. This alienated Nobles such as Northumberland from power and therefore distanced the Noble's allegiance to Elizabeth. This is a major factor in why the Revolt of the Northern Earls took place. This would not have been such a problem if not for the fact that Mary Stuart was present in England. She gave the isolated Nobles a chance to avenge their disfavour from Elizabeth. Elizabeth can also be identified in mismanaging the religious settlement to make some Catholics discontented enough to support Mary, a French women, over their own English Queen. To drive 5400 individuals to a point where they felt they had to rebel in the Northern Rebellion must have been down to something Elizabeth did. For example Elizabeth introduced the use of the Protestant prayer Book. Therefore Elizabeth created support for Mary Stuart with her own actions. This increases Mary's threat and shows that the security of Elizabeth's throne was intensified by some actions taken by Elizabeth. Elizabeth also hampered the security of her own throne by not taking the opportunities to subdue the threat from Mary. This could have easily been done by naming Mary Stuart as her heir, this would have pleased a lot of people and had a lot to commend itself. Including the fact that the Catholic threat, the main threat centring around Mary, would have decreased significantly because they would have been most likely been content with knowing that the next Monarch of England was going to restore Catholicism. However instead Elizabeth hesitated and refused to make her decision by ignoring the subject. For example during the court intrigue she refused to name her heir under significant pressure from her court. Once again Elizabeth has intensified the threat orbiting around Mary, not taking the opportunities to relieve the pressure that Mary is placing on the security of Elizabeth's throne. Mary Stuart's threat to Elizabeth not only came from the fact that she was the Catholic heir but she did have tremendous political skill and personal magnetism. This is clear to see from the way she manipulated the Duke of Norfolk into trying to secure her release. For example before the Northern Rebellion when Mary met Norfolk and she old him to get her released by force if necessary and Norfolk undoubtedly did what he was told and was involved in a number of plots to release Mary. Cecil knew about Mary's personal danger an tried to persuade Elizabeth to have her executed much earlier than she was, however Elizabeth refused, this is another example of how Elizabeth's indecision over crucial matters failed to remove the danger of Mary Stuart and is clearly linked to her mismanagement of matters as shown above. Mary Stuart's arrival in England was the instigator in many of the plots against Elizabeth. She was the turning point in the security of Elizabeth's throne, from being relatively calm pre 1568, to continuous strain on Elizabeth's throne after 1568. Mary herself was not the actual threat to Elizabeth, but she was the motivation for them. Most significantly religious threats orbiting around the fact that Mary was Catholic and placing Mary on the throne were paramount compared to all other motivations. Political factors were contributory to religion and international threats were conceivable but never got off the ground. However Mary's overall threat could have been reduced by Elizabeth but of her mismanagement. Nobody troubled Elizabeth more than Mary Stuart in her reign due to the fact that she was the Catholic heir and therefore Catholics who felt religiously dissatisfied were prompted to threaten Elizabeth.

Marvel Enterprises

Marketing Strategy 8050 Marvel Enterprises, Inc. Case Writing by Xiaodan Dong February, 2008 Marvel Enterprises, Inc. (b) Why was Marvel’s turnaround so successful? Would you characterize that success as a fluke? Or do you view it as sustainable? Why? How? Marvel’s success is not a fluke because its business model is sustainable. Marvel’s new strategy monetized the content library by licensing characters for use with media products. During an era in which mass media is very important in people’s life, only one media tool, publishing, is not strong enough to expand Marvel’s influence to consumers.Comic books can target a very limited market, mostly composed of male teenagers and young adults from 13 to 23 years old. It is very difficult to expand this traditional market. After many years of development, this market has matured and is very stable. Meanwhile, people have been more exposed to movies, televisions, and video games, which more effectively influence people’s consumption behavior than do comic books. All these media modes are able to reach more consumer segments than traditional comic-book publishing.Marvel’s potential to develop increased dramatically when its market expanded to broadcast media. Other consumer products, such as toys, worked in conjunction with media products, these two kinds of products reinforced each other. Marvel’s market expansion developed in both a comprehensive and intensive manner. Marvel emphasized long-term value in its new management strategy. They planed â€Å"career† for each of their characters. For example, Spider-Man’s career over the next five years is to have two more movies, DVDs, toys, a video game, and a promotion with Burger King.The intensive â€Å"career plan† extend character’s life and can have each character penetrate into people’s lives by media on a long term basis. The third main strategic dimension is to ensure the quality of the content which featured Marvel characters. Creation and consistency in characters and stories mean everything for Marvel. Before Marvel’s turnaround, the low publishing market share was mostly due to a lack of quality control. When efforts were put into improving creativity and fine artwork, the publishing business was rejuvenated and the market share increased.The publishing business provides the primary support for both licensing and toys. Marvel’s success will sustain, because the products lives are extended with well-planed â€Å"career†, and the market is expanded with thriving licensing and toy businesses. Investment in quality can enhance the product’s competitive ability in terms of both product life and market expansion. Great potential exists in each aspect of Marvel’s market. (c) How important are each of Marvel’s three divisions – Comic books, toys, and licensing – to its past and future performance? T he comic book business was Marvel’s core in the past and earned almost all revenue.Comic books were so important for Marvel that its market share determined if Marvel would live or die. That is why Marvel went bankrupt in the mid-1990s, when mismanagement caused a huge drop in comic-book sales. After Marvel turned around, comic-book publishing was important as a primary business, but not a core business. Since 1997, Marvel’s financial performance in comic-book industry has been very stable and the annual sales totaled around 300 million every year. While comic book revenue should continue to be stable, its percentage will decrease in the future as Marvel’s other businesses grow.Licensing was only a small part of Marvel’s overall revenue in the past. Marvel’s licensing was mostly concentrated within the comic-book industry, selling the publishing license to some book-related businesses or some toy merchants. After Marvel took advantage of broadcast media, such as movies, television, and video games, its licensing become the largest division and collected the majority of the profit for the company. In 2003, licensing accounted for 70. 5% of the gross profit (See Appendix A Figure 1). Licensing profit had a much sharper increase from 2000 to 2003 than the other two businesses (See Appendix A Figure 2).In the future, licensing will keep increasing and its percentage of revenue will grow, especially if the management adopts a strategy of capitalizing on it. In the past, the toy business was just an annex of the publishing industry. Little effort was invested in toys which were not even mentioned strategic plans. Now the toy industry is the second-highest profit maker in Marvel, generating over $20 billion in sales in 2003. The toy business is very promising in the future. However its percentage in revenue will still remain stable or slightly decrease, just as publishing will do, because licensing has such a strong possibility for growth.In addition, while the toy industry competition is too fierce to permit further achievements. (d) To what extent is Marvel’s success due to only one character, Spider-Man? How can Marvel develop its lesser-known characters? There is no doubt that, to a great extent, Marvel’s success since the 1960s is due to Spider-Man. However, during the 1990s, the company declined despite such a successful superhero. â€Å"Exploiting† strategy by significantly increasing the number of titles stretched out consumers’ interest. Marvel’s new CEO, Peter Cuneo, restructured the company with negative assets and turned the company around.Spider-Man was resuscitated in comic-book sales. In the Publishing Division, Marvel’s 64. 7% revenue was from Spider-Man among the top famous titles in the second half year of 2003 (See Appendix A Figure 3). In the movie box office revenue, Spider-Man collected 33. 75% revenue in the US market and 37. 2% in the world mark et among Marvel’s eight titles movies, ranking the first (See Appendix A Figure 4). Spider-Man has gained great achievements, since the company turned around. However, Marvel’s success is not due to only one character.According to figure 3 and figure 4, other lesser-known characters, such as the X-Men and Fantastic Four, have also contributed to the company’s success. The entertainment market is difficult to predict. Consumers’ interests for media products are notoriously fickle. It could be very risky to continue to infuse resources to Spider-Man. Spreading limited resources to lesser-known characters helps the company reduce risk. Marvel needs to shift their focus to lesser-known characters which have great potential to be popular with wider public.Integrated marketing communication can be a very useful strategy to promote lesser-known characters by using prominent characters. For example, the Fantastic Four can be guests in Spider-Man’s comic-bo oks or movies. When lesser-known characters and Spider-Man are presented to people as â€Å"Marvel’s Superheroes†, lesser-known characters can be promoted by the fame of prominent characters. As Marvel’s previous CEO Peter Cuneo (2003) said, â€Å"this is about converting Spider-Man fans into Marvel fans. †

Essay on Doctor Amilcare Andrea Mussolini

Essay on Doctor Amilcare Andrea Mussolini Essay on Doctor: Amilcare Andrea Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (Italian pronunciation: [beˈnito musoˈlini]; 29 July 1883 – 28 April 1945) was an Italian politician, journalist, and leader of the National Fascist Party, ruling the country as Prime Minister from 1922 until his ousting in 1943. He ruled constitutionally until 1925, when he dropped all pretense of democracy and set up a legal dictatorship. Known as Il Duce ("the leader"), Mussolini was one of the key figures in the creation of fascism.[1] Originally a member of the Italian Socialist Party (PSI), Mussolini was expelled from the PSI due to his opposition to the party's stance on neutrality in World War I. Mussolini denounced the PSI, and later founded the fascist movement. Following the March on Rome in October 1922 he became the youngest Prime Minister in Italian history until the appointment of Matteo Renzi on February 2014. After destroying all political opposition through his secret police and outlawing labor strikes,[2] Mussolini and his fascist followers consolidated their power through a series of laws that transformed the nation into a one-party dictatorship. Within five years he had established dictatorial authority by both legal and extraordinary means, aspiring to create a totalitarian state. Mussolini remained in power until he was deposed by King Victor Emmanuel III in 1943. A few months later, he became the leader of the Italian Social Republic, a German client regime in northern Italy; he held this post u ntil his death in 1945.[3] Since 1939, Mussolini had sought to delay a major war in Europe until at least 1942. Germany invaded Poland on 1 September 1939, starting World War II. On 10 June 1940, Mussolini sided with Germany, though he was aware that Italy did not have the military capacity in 1940 to carry out a long war with France and the United Kingdom.[4] Mussolini believed that after the imminent French surrender, Italy

How to Stay Calm When You Are Stressed

How to Stay Calm When You Are Stressed Stress is inevitable; whether it is from work or our personal lives. It is just something that we have to deal with. We can’t let that overwhelmed feeling get the better of us. Here are some ways to overcome this feeling and stay calm, cool, and collected during these trying times. Â  Source [PoundsToPocket]

Is there wage rate discrimination in the government today Essay

Is there wage rate discrimination in the government today - Essay Example This draft paper seeks to create a general outline of the main paper that will establish if there is any wage rate discrimination in the Canadian government as well as make several recommendations as to how to best tackle the problem. In this section, the economic theories affecting wage rate discrimination will be critically analyzed and various assumptions that are made by these theories will also be established. Some of the economic theories of wage rate discrimination that will be analyzed include: The theory of Competitive Market: This economic theory predicts equal pay being paid to equally productive workers. This theory makes the assumption that the level of discrimination in a given labor market is measured by using the ratio of the majority wages to those of the minority wages in a labor market. This theory makes the assumed hypothesis that for different labor markets, the levels of discrimination are greater if the monopoly levels are also greater. It therefore follows that empirical investigations could possibly be conducted to help in the quantification of the relationship that exists between discrimination and competition. This could potentially aid in the estimation of the increase in the ratio of majority wages to minority wages as the competition in the given market is increased (Cain, 1984, p. 11-12). The Theory of Wage Determination: This theory is seen to specify the existence of a positive relationship between some of the assumed causes of worker productivity such as training and education in a given labor market and the wages received. Empirical studies on the prevalent relations between wage/productivity relations for the majority and minority groups have concentrated on attempting to discover the possible sources of wage discrimination that exist as well as the provision of cost/benefit information that can essentially be used in the