Fatima Mernissi about the Womens Way of Life in Islam

Introduction Islam is one of the wide spread religions especially in the Asian world. However, the teachings endorsed in the Quran and other religious books in the Islamic culture culminate into the oppression of women especially in issues dealing with taking up of leadership roles. Although some Islamic scholars criticize the teachings, most Islamic women condemn women rulers branding them ‘dissidents’. Fatima Mernissi, a famous scholar in the Arab world skillfully interprets the laws governing women’s leadership in the Islamic culture.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Fatima Mernissi about the Women’s Way of Life in Islam specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Mernissi Mernissi sets out to inquire about her people’s view on women as Muslim leaders. She encounters three men, a grocer, a customer and a schoolteacher. All of the three fall in shock when she asks about women being leaders . Although one of the men is literate (schoolteacher), he gives her a Hadith, a Quran counterpart (Al-Bukhari and Al-Sahih 226). Furthermore, he tells her to understand it to avoid attracting a curse on the land for the Hadith condemns women leadership (Mernissi 1). Full of disappointment, Mernissi leaves the market with urge to go through the holy book to investigate its authenticity. On the other hand, she thinks about the constitution of her country (Morocco). The constitution grants women the right to vote and take up office. However, during elections very few women ever become parliamentarians. Ironically, about 50% of the voters are women but they refrain from taking up the offices due to the misunderstanding of the holy books and fear of rejection from the society especially men who are against women leaders. Origin of Hadith and its effect to Islamic culture The Hadith and Quran are large books with enormous volumes, one of the factors that discourage people from reading the m. However, Mernissi finds out that the teachings in the Hadith as the main source of oppression to women. The book asserts that any society, which empowers women, ends up in destruction. Unfortunately, men use the book to admonish women from engaging in politics due to fear of competition. Additionally, Hadith is a reference book in matters concerning women and politics. An amazing factor about the origin of the Hadith is that, its recording took place twenty-five years after the death of the prophet who allegedly recited it. In addition, the recitation of the supposedly holy book occurs only when there is leadership conflict between men and women. After the death of the prophet, a conflict breaks out concerning who should ascend to power. Aisha, one of the prophet’s wives has good judgmental abilities and ruling skills hence decides to take over. However, Ali opposes her as the ruler and this conflict leads to a battle that sees Aisha lose the coveted post. According to one of the scholars, Al-Bukhari, Abu Bakra was one of the men who were close to the prophet before his death. Abu Bakra decides to recite some of the prophet’s sayings such as ‘women should not rule.’ However, Asqalani, one of the elites, views this as Bakra’s tricks, which favors him and Ali to take up leadership roles.Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Furthermore, he says the prophet’s view about women came after the endorsement of Persian, a woman ruler. Surprisingly, Abu Bakra does not go further to interpret the words, which leaves the reader unsatisfied and scarcely informed. Unfortunately, this argument is the current reason why Muslim women do not take up political offices. Abu Bakra is a governor in one of the cities and decides to back Ali, a fellow man. When Aisha calls for discussions and consultation to iron out their political diffe rences, both Ali and Bakra decline her request. Ironically, when the prophet was alive, he preached forgiveness, freedom, wealth and power to all Muslim communities including women. Due to jealousy and Bakra’s preaching, Aisha loses power because the public is misinformed concerning women leadership. The Hadith also encourages Muslims to support their leaders’ actions; whether they are unjust or just. Abu Musa is one of the elites who refuse to back up Ali. He declines Ali’s request to send an army to the war branding it a ‘useless act.’ Musa’s stand underscores the fact that early Muslim elites did not concur with matters propagating women oppression. Consequently, when Ali takes over power, he dismisses Musa from leadership and hands it over to one of his loyal people. Therefore, critical analysis of the Hadith shows that it originated from liars and selfish people who were out to destruct democracy. Some of the people recite words that the prophet did not say. Due to these batches of lies, Bakra says he suffers public humiliation for testifying falsely in a case concerning fornication. Additionally, there was a division between the first Muslim leaders concerning the laws of the Hadith. Some of the elites did not support the hadith’s ruling on women and politics, while others were in full support of this misconstrued book. However, this was to exclude competition from women in political circles. Al- Tabari was one of the scholars who were against the Hadith’s stand to eliminate women from politics. Mernissi recalls the recitation of Quran throughout her childhood. Like Abu Bakra, her teachers read only the verses that condemn women. Similarly, the teachings view women as animals, not human beings; actually the readings liken women to dogs. Additionally, women are interrupting creatures explaining why they should not pass before men during prayers. Malik is against the interpretation of the Quran and Had ith because the origin of the material or information lacks sufficient evidence. For instance, Tabari cites Abu Hurayra, another ancient man who despised women for no apparent reason; he simply disliked women and to him, they passed for animals like cats. Ironically, in Abu’s homeland, Yemen, most leaders were women including the Queen of Sheba. One day Aisha challenges him about the false Hadith that he loves quoting; however, as expected he defends himself that Aisha does not consider keenly the prophet’s sayings.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Fatima Mernissi about the Women’s Way of Life in Islam specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Surprisingly, the Islamic law on purification of women after sex or when in their menstruation are not among the prophet’s assertion. The prophet did not purify himself after sex as Aisha confirms. Therefore, Hadith is simply meant to separate women from the truth and freedom. Personally, Muslim women have the right to take any leadership roles, be it in politics or not because the ancient Islamic rulers did not condemn their women in political office meaning the two genders have equal opportunities. Conclusion In summary, the laws concerning women’s way of life, especially leadership have false origin. The people interpreting the holy books such as the Quran concentrate on the verses that condemn and undermine women without reading the context of the message. Apparently, Hadith was men’s plot to push women out of politics and leadership for they (women) would perhaps pose unnecessary competition to these power-hungry men. Apparently, men fear competing with women who may end up defeating them. The ancient Muslim leaders, except few did not undermine women in the society. Finally, although the Muslim community holds that women do not have leadership skills, the ancient women rulers like Aisha and Queen of Sheba did so skillfully and men of the time supported this ‘feminine’ leadership. Works Cited Al-Bukhari, Sahih, and Al-sahih, Muslim. Collection of Authentic Hadiths, with  Commentary by Al-Said. Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Ma’rifa, 1978. Mernissi, Fatima. â€Å"A feminist interpretation of women rights in Islam.† Oxford  Islamic Studies Online, 31 March, 2011. Web. http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/Public/Home.html This essay on Fatima Mernissi about the Women’s Way of Life in Islam was written and submitted by user Aleigha Copeland to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Citing Primary Sources in OSCOLA Referencing

Citing Primary Sources in OSCOLA Referencing Citing Primary Sources in OSCOLA Referencing citation systems as well. In the UK, the most common form of legal referencing is OSCOLA (or the Oxford Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities). And in this post, we look at how to cite primary sources with OSCOLA. First, though, what exactly is a primary source? Primary and Secondary Sources OSCOLA classes sources as either â€Å"primary† or â€Å"secondary.† Primary sources are legal sources, such as cases and legislative documents. Secondary sources cover everything else, including books, journal articles, and websites. In either case, you will use superscript numbers (e.g., 1, 2, 3) to indicate a citation, with details of the source given in a footnote. But the information you give here will depend on the source in question. For primary sources, this usually means either a case report or a legislative act. Citing Case Reports in OSCOLA When citing a UK case with a neutral citation, you will need to provide the following information in the accompanying footnote: Case Name | [Year] | Court | Number,| [Year] | Volume | Report Abbreviation | First Page However, you only need to include the case name in the footnote if it is not used in the text. And as shown, the neutral citation should be separated from the law report citation by a comma. Cases from before 2001 will not have a neutral citation, so footnotes for older cases should only include the following details: Case Name | [Year] | Volume | Report Abbreviation | First Page | (Court) Examples of the above would thus appear as follows in footnote citations: Neutral Citation: PI vs Walls [2008] UKHL 15, [2008] 4 AC 1284 No Neutral Citation: GM vs Nissan [1983] 1 AC 154 (UKHL) Citing Legislation in OSCOLA Other than cases, the main primary sources in OSCOLA referencing are legislative acts and statutory instruments. When citing a UK legislative act, all you need is the short title and year. For instance: Act of Supremacy 1558 To reference a particular section, meanwhile, simply add it after the year: Human Rights Act 1998 s 7 The â€Å"s† before the â€Å"7† above is short for â€Å"section.† However, the correct abbreviation here may depend on what you’re citing: part/parts pt/pts section/sections s/ss subsection/subsections sub-s/sub-ss paragraph/paragraphs para/paras subparagraph/subparagraphs subpara/subparas schedule/schedules sch/schs You may also need to cite a statutory instrument at some point. To do this, the footnote should include the title, year and the SI number (after a comma). So, for instance, we could cite a statutory instrument as follows: The Deregulation Act 2015 (Commencement No. 4) Order 2015, SI 2015  2074 (C.  130) Cases and Legislation in an OSCOLA Bibliography As well as footnote citations, you will need to list all primary sources in a bibliography at the end of your document. For primary sources, the general rules in an OSCOLA bibliography are: Provide full information for each source. Divide primary sources into a Table of Cases and a Table of Legislation (you may also want to separate acts of legislation from legislative instruments). Sort cases/acts into separate sections by jurisdiction (unless you have not cited many sources, in which case they can be combined). List sources within their categories alphabetically by case name/title. List secondary sources separately under the heading â€Å"Bibliography.† This will make it easy for readers to find the various primary sources you have used in your work. And if you’d like someone to double check your referencing when youve finished writing, we’re always happy to help.

RCWW Response Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

RCWW Response - Assignment Example Additionally, some students do not know how to make conversations because they are used to texting on their phones and when asked about it they state that they will learn how to do it eventually. It is true that people who chat online think that those conversations are actual while in the real sense people need to have face to face conversations to connect and strengthen their relationships. Conversation is vital in people’s lives because through conversations new relationships are created. It is believed that through conversation people learn how to relate with others because they understand their likes and dislikes. For that reason, conversing with people becomes imperative at all times. However, today when a person is not in a position to text or post something online they feel anxious or lonely, as they do not have anyone to make a conversation with on the digital gadgets. The assumption about technology being a way of keeping away from other people is not true because today the only time people can find to talk to their friends is through making conversations with their friends digitally. Therefore, if people wanted to keep themselves separate they would not text or email their

Q 4 week 4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Q 4 week 4 - Essay Example All the departmental heads should be encouraged to share their views and ideas and effectively communicate the same to the top level management. Also, the employees should be encouraged to generate and share their ideas, views and concerns and facilitate the sharing of such information through establish effective channels of communication. These strategies should be well suited to combat disaster recovery management in case of drastic deviance from the targeted goals and ensure adequate measures to enable business continuity. The sharing of information and ideas facilitates greater and smoother functioning of the organization as a whole, and faster achievement of its goals and aims, thus the top level management should be entrusted with the authority to design and develop appropriate information sharing communication channels across all departments of the organization. The process of converting an organizational strategy into actionable and achievable goals involves rigorous implementation of project management methodologies and application of critical strategic measures developed at the organizational levels to prevent any deviances from the stated goals / objectives. Leadership plays a significant role in the process as well, as it is the leadership qualities and the sheer grit and determination of the leader, his faith in his visions and the ability to execute his dreams into realizable and achievable goals that ensures timely and successful fulfillment of the common organizational goals. Various significant concepts and tools applied in the simulation that could be used for development of a strategic plan include, assessing the internal and external factors critical for organizational success, developing of appropriate long term organizational objectives and strategies to achieve the same, conducting SWOT analysis, Matched Pair Analysis etc to analyze the

Pain management of central chest pain of patients in the Emergency Essay

Pain management of central chest pain of patients in the Emergency department - Essay Example This means these groups of patients need special support from the nursing professionals and measures to relieve these pains as soon as possible, at least in order to decrease these feelings. In order to be able to handle and manage these cases appropriately in the Emergency Department setting the nurses must be able to critically analyse the signs and symptoms of these patients on presentation. It is also expected that the nursing staff must be able to assess these patients in a structured manner in the least possible time frame since the risks associated with adult patients presenting with chest pain may be enormous. In some cases rapid and timely institution of interventions may impact the outcomes of care very favourably, while failure to stratify these risks and to appropriately assess these patients may lead to a defective and ineffective care plan leading to serious morbidity and mortality. In fact current research evidence suggests that nurses should be trained to acquire skil ls in appropriately assessing a patient and then reaching a provisional diagnosis that can be ruled out or supported by point of care protocols such as C-Troponin, CK-MB, and Pro-BNP so legitimate care may be instituted at the earliest. In this assignment, a problem-solving approach will be elicited in the context if emergency nursing care delivered to a group of patients with central chest pain during a recent placement of this writer, where nursing skills of assessment, planning, implementation, evaluation and documentation of care will be demonstrated (Hamer and McCallin, 2006). Moreover this account will also demonstrate how critical the nursing communication skill becomes in delivering an effective, standard, and competent care to these patients while working independently or through interprofessional collaboration. Throughout this assignment, there will be demonstration of the process of nursing diagnosis and management

Explanation of theme

Explanation of theme Explanation of Theme The theme of this spring Carnegie Hall program is painful love. Whether unrequited, long distance, untimely ended, or secret, the types of love represented by the songs on this recital are painful to each of the narrators in a profound way. Program Notes Henry Purcell, an English Baroque composer, began his studies at a young age as a chorister in Westminster Abbey, later attending the Westminster School and receiving the position of organist at Westminster Abbey in 1676. He began composing at nine years old and in all, composed 65 strophic songs, 148 theatrical songs, and four main operas, including the famous Dido and Aeneas. By 1690 he was considered a full time composer for the theatrical stage. â€Å"Not all my torments,† the first song of the program, comes from Purcells Gresham Manuscript and is said to have been written around 1693. It is one of the early composers most melismatic pieces and only utilizes four lines of text from an anonymous source, describing a lovers despair at his unrequited love. The second song â€Å"What shall I do?† is derived from Purcells opera, Dioclesian, a tragicomedy in five acts written in 1622. The opera is based on the play The Prophetess by John Fletcher and Philip Massinger. Th e librettist, Thomas Betterton, an English actor born around 1635, had an extensive acting career and collaborated efficiently with Purcell on Dioclesian. â€Å"What shall I do?† appears in Act III of the opera, at which point the character asks what he can to do show Aurelia, his love, the way he feels about her without pushing her away. The final Purcell song is â€Å"Draw near, you lovers,† poetry by Thomas Stanley. Stanley, English author and translator, wrote â€Å"The Exquies† in 1647, from which the text of the song is derived. The narrator describes the pure sadness he feels about his experiences with love and that even in death he feels the turmoil of his misery. The next set of songs is by Italian bel canto composer Vincenzo Bellini. He was a child prodigy and began composing at six years old, later continuing his studies at the conservatory in Naples under Nicolo Zingarelli. Considered the â€Å"quintessential composer of bel canto opera,† he wrote 12 operas, of which La Sonnambula and Norma are considered his greatest. The four songs on this program are all considered composizioni/romanze da camera, which are songs written for the amateur singer and comparable to miniature arias, with little thought to the fusion of poetry and music. Dedicated to Countess Sofia Voina, â€Å"Il fervido desiderio† describes the narrators longing to see his lover. â€Å"Il fervido desiderio† is no. 1 of Bellinis Tre Ariette. â€Å"Vanne, o rosa fortunata,† number 2 of Sei Ariette, tells the story of someone who envies a rose because, unlike him, it can rest on the bosom of Nice, his true love. In â€Å"Vaga luna,† an arietta also from Bellinis Tre Ariette – number 3 – the speaker sings to the moon of the longing he feels for his far away lover and asks it to relay those feelings to her. The final song of the set is â€Å"Per pieta, bellidol mio,† number 5 from Sei Ariette, in which the speaker begs for his lover to not say he is ungrateful and acknowledges the pain he feels because of his love. The piece that begins the second half of the recital, â€Å"Ah! Mio cor† from Handels Alcina, is sung by the character Alcina. Although the character is a soprano role, the aria can be sung by mezzo sopranos as well. Alcina is a sorceress who seduces every knight that arrives on her island and casts a spell on the knight Ruggiero, who then falls in love with her. The aria appears in Act II, Scene 1, at which point Alcina finds out that Ruggiero has escaped from her and describes her pain and unhappiness. Alcina is based on Ludovic Ariostos Orlando furioso, an epic poem set around the time of Charlemagnes rule and is an opera seria consisting of a prologue and four acts. The composer, G.F. Handel, was German-born and at a young age, was already proficient on the pipe organ and harpsichord; he studied composition and the keyboard with Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow. Later moving to Italy and working for the Medici family in Florence, the prolific composer is best known for his numerou s operas, oratorios, and concerti. The â€Å"La Maja dolorosa† songs are derived from Enrique Granados Coleccion de tonadillas, written in 1910, poetry by Periquet. Granados was a Catalan born Spanish composer influenced strongly by the painter Francesco Goya and is well known for his tonadillas, which are short songs and scenes about everyday life that are written in the vernacular and not danced. These three â€Å"La Maja dolorosa† songs trace the terrible feelings a woman experiences after her lover has passed away.

Jane Goodall :: essays papers

Jane Goodall Jane Goodall is one of the world’s most admired women, acclaimed scientist, and conservationist (www.nationalgeographic.com). The work that she does is called ethology, which is the study of animal behavior. Such a successful woman has numerous admirable qualities. She has contributed greatly to society as well as to the animal kingdom. Her research paved the way for countless primate studies, and has changed the way many people view chimpanzees. Trying to narrow down only three admirable qualities about her is difficult, since she has so many. To me, her most admirable qualities are her patience and persistence to understand animals, her research involving chimpanzees, and her contributions she has made to the world by establishing various institutions. Studying chimpanzees is not an easy task. Subsequently, Jane Goodall made it look as simple as doing everyday activities. When she started the research, the chimpanzees fled from her in fear. It took many months for her to get close to them. With patience and persistence, she searched the forest everyday, deliberately trying not to get too close to them. Everyday she did this for many months. On some days Jane would observe the chimpanzees through binoculars from a peak overlooking the forest, just so she wouldn’t disturb their natural behavior. Gradually over a long period of time the chimpanzees became accustomed to her. At this time, she would be able to move up to them and just sit there and study them. She believed that this was her breakthrough in her research. Jane tells us â€Å"I must find a way to watch free, wild animals living their own, undisturbed lives. I wanted to learn things that no one else knew, uncover secrets through patient observation. I wanted to co me as close to talking to animals as I could (www.nationalgeographic.com).† To be able to have such patience and persistence is remarkable. Jane’s scientific discoveries have laid the foundation for all future primate studies. Her interest was studying the chimpanzees to gain insight into humans’ evolutionary past. Her observations have changed the way researchers and everyday individuals view chimpanzees. Jane had observed chimpanzees making and using tools for different reasons, such as using straws for extracting termites from nests. Her studies have showed many similarities between humans and chimpanzees, this discovery had amazed the world. The longer her research continued, the more it became obvious how like people chimpanzees really are. Some people believed that her research would last only a few months, however it has become the longest field study on any animal species in their natural surroundings (www.

Humor within Leadership Theory Essay

The key to the success of any venture is strong leadership (Howe 1994). Courage, vision, and humor are key ingredients in the formula for success. Service to the community or communities also plays a critical role in the development of leadership potential. The importance of humor in this model is fundamental. Every leader has some selfdoubt, but using humor and spiritual authenticity to overcome self-doubt will lead to success and prosperity. And what is said for leaders also can be said for those who are led. Muslim humor is famous all over the Western world. There is an almost endless number of collections, anthologies, and treasuries of Muslim humor, bulging with tens of thousands of Muslim jokes and anecdotes. That the humor of every ethnic group mirrors its conditions of life, its economic, political, and social circumstances, its position vis-a-vis other population groups, is so self-evident that it needs but passing mention. What is perhaps not so apparent is that the jokes, the anecdotes, and the other manifestations of humor are keys to understanding the life of the people in question and can serve as peepholes through which we can look into otherwise hidden corners of existence. As far as muslim communities are concerned, treasuries of Muslim humor can and should be used, and humor should be applied to make the West more likable and admired by the young muslim communities of the world. The techniques and strategies of humor are equally relevant at several levels of living systems, as well as between levels. Thus, the study of humor in multicultural society is interdisciplinary and is becoming a discipline in its own right. The current work is toward methods of negotiation with humor in which the objectives are to obtain a more cooperative long-term relationship and a more rewarding substantive outcome for young muslim communities. Muslim humor is second to no other product of the Muslim mind in revealing the mental state of the Muslims in any given place and at any given time. Whether it contains selfcriticism, directing its barbs at a Muslim group from which the humorist wishes to distance himself, or whether it compares the Muslims and the Gentiles, most often to the latter’s detriment, the Muslim joke is a manifestation of Muslim thinking and feeling about the in-group and various categories of out-groups. For example, the actor Sasha Cohen in the movie Borat makes young muslims laugh by making fun of Israel, despite him being Muslim himself. It would be ridiculous to pretend that none of the people who found Sasha Cohen funny were laughing at him for the wrong reasons. Some would have been laughing at what they took to be his imitation, others at one further remove, were probably laughing at the black parts of his monstrous hybrid. They laughed louder and longer because he revealed it to be alien, eccentric, and absurd in its snobbery, stupidity, and perverse attachment to numerous forms of destructive hierarchy-class, race, religion. Those dismal qualities were not being exposed from the outside by a stranger but explored from the inside in a daring act of patriotic love. That laughter does not intersperse loathing and self-hatred with manic elation. It helps instead to cultivate the everyday, ordinary virtue involved in managing healthier relationships with otherness that are not deformed by fear, anxiety, and violence. The most powerful weapon for creative mind stretching and therefore for reconstruction is humor, especially when it is self-directed rather than outward bound. Humor directed at another serves to break the lifelong habits of a sickly (symbiotic) relationship between people. Self-directed humor is a real mind healer: By flooding the anxious mind with grotesquely exaggerated fears, it banishes phobias and obsessions. In general, it drastically corrects in the mind and in behavior habitual neurotic (self-sabotaging and destructive) patterns. Humor is a technique involves any action one take to cause the proposals, ideas, or values of another to be rejected in favor of own by getting group members to laugh at, ridicule, or scorn the other person’s proposals (Duncan, 1990). Rationalization is founded on trust and respect, and if respect is lost, so too is much of power. While power may abhor a vacuum, it equally abhors scorn. Without respect, dominance cannot be maintained. Getting others to laugh at or denigrate in any way the proposals of others that one oppose is another way to exercise power in the organization. Perhaps the ultimate in withdrawal of consent is laughter. Nyberg (1981) proposes that laughter, not revolution, is more common in overthrowing a regime. Authority fears rejection more than any other threat to its legitimacy. Especially in informal organizations, if the leader loses the respect of the fellows he or she is incapable of securing their compliance in even nominal organizational transactions. Humor is a motivated process of communication between living systems with the goal of reaching agreement about certain joint or reciprocal acts. These acts may involve management of conflict, exchange of resources, or cooperation on actions directed at the mutual environment. Behavior within a system is normally regulated by the template of that system. Internal conflict may indicate a need to amend the template. Humor can be used to modify the template so as to remove the source of conflict. For instance, when negotiation occurs between components or subsystems of a system, as in talks to manage conflict between two divisions of a corporation, the resulting humor may modify the template with respect to the roles and required behavior of the divisions. Three general stances facilitate reflexive humor: not-knowing, curious, and collaborative. They provide a way for individuals to explore, express, and share the views and meanings of situations that, otherwise, can drive them apart. Let us examine each in turn. Not-knowing Stance This stance involves taking the nonexpert position of not knowing. Taking this stance encourages humor by levelling the hierarchies of position and knowledge. While hierarchies exist in all organizations, emphasizing them discourages humor; deemphasizing them encourages humor. Reflexive humor emphasizes equal participation rather than hierarchical power, thereby bringing about a shift from hierarchy to collaboration. Humor is characterized by content and relationship aspects. We all are aware of the content aspect of communication – the information that a message is intended to convey. The egalitarian ethic of reflexive humor eliminates the positions of hierarchy and power in the humor. A not-knowing stance conveys the message that everyone is equally qualified to generate ideas, opinions, and perspectives about a situation or a problem. This means that the manager enters into the dialogue without any preconceived notions or ideas. The not-knowing stance also encourages listeners to attend to both the â€Å"outer† humor of others as well as to their own â€Å"inner† humor. This egalitarian approach encourages each participant to contribute to the mutual exploration of ideas. Curious Stance The curious stance simply means that one expresses one’s ideas in a funny manner. A dogmatic or assertive expression of ideas often hinders the creative process, but a comic mode of expression encourages others to take, leave, or develop ideas at will without vesting or territoriality. This climate encourages the free exchange of ideas on their own merit and without threat of penalty. Taking this stance helps to multiply varying perspectives on a problem and, naturally, leads to an evolved solution. A final advantage is that emergent solutions are usually not only the best thought-out and most fitting but also explored and designed by the individuals who will implement them. Collaborative Stance This stance is the result of the two preceding stances. The shared perspectives, ideas, and meanings contributed by the conversants evolve into common knowledge. This process filters many levels of perceptions and triggers deep involvement among participants making possible the co-construction of a jointly-owned outcome. They bring about better understanding among individuals whose culture and gender may create varying perceptions of the same reality. There is nothing simple about dealing with diversity. Diversity is one of the most complex and refracted areas of management because it involves the intimacy of the self with the impersonality. The first step in implementing reflexive humor in university setting is to form small, voluntary, diverse groups. Participants can come from either the same class or a variety of divisions. There are only two rules for membership in the group – commitment and confidentiality. One quickly comes to realize that the premises and stances of reflexive humor are not part of normal communication repertoire. People have learned to function in the hierarchical worlds of home, school, and, the university. In these settings they do not always relate to one another on an egalitarian basis. Much less accepted is the practice of communicating with others, whether colleagues or superiors, from a curious or not-knowing stance. Furthermore, assuming a collaborative stance in their dealings with one another is not an everyday occurrence either. One achieves competence in reflexive humor through learnable skills that require practice. One trains individuals in reflexive humor by introducing each premise and stance and allowing time for practice. The individual being trained acquires the command of one skill before moving on to the next. It may be difficult to begin the training by talking about diversity issues. To create a conducive climate, groups might begin by discussing study-related or other relatively neutral matters because such topics are more familiar and potentially less explosive. Reflexive humor is a general theory that lends itself to any communication context. Therefore, in any setting or on any topic, the process of reflexive humor will evoke multiple points of view and generate mutual self-awareness for the participants. Jointly concentrating on common tasks is an excellent way to begin diversity training. With practice, the process of reflexive humor will engender a sense of trust among its participants. The structure of reflexive humor creates an environment wherein participants can freely exchange their views and, eventually, communicate with one another on deeper and more meaningful levels. Trust and synergy. †¢ Trust reduces the amount of time and energy wasted in suspicion and politics. This time and effort can therefore be better deployed on added-value activities that help to deliver the purpose and vision. †¢ When trust, competence and alignment come together we can achieve synergy, and unlock high performance. †¢ To develop into an attuned team the members of the group have to be able to trust each other. Reflexive humor is a new approach to face-to-face communication. It offers a process by which one can access the uniqueness of each individual as well as each individual’s cultural paradigm. Through this approach, individuals can better generate information and co-construct those mutual realities that lead to enhanced problem solving. Reflexive humor is particularly useful to individuals from different cultures who wish to establish a common ground for mutual understanding and action. Humor is not just joking, and management is not just the bloodless supervision of humans in the machine-like achievement of goals. Human emotions and feelings are involved in many issues, especially in culturally diverse settings. The reflection of feeling captures the emotional aspect of human nature. The purpose of this microskill is to identify and make explicit emotions that are often concealed allowing the listener to tune into the speaker’s emotional experience. While nothing seems more ordinary than to empathize with another, the reflection of feeling has a specific structure. The reflection of feeling informs the speaker that you are aware of his or her emotions. This in turn encourages the speaker to clarify further the issue at hand. The listener needs to be cautious about inaccurately labelling feelings. Adequate time and care must be given to identify the precise feeling correctly. Mislabelling an emotion is a sure sign of misunderstanding the speaker. The reflection of meaning may be the microskill that is most relevant to the diverse workplace. It has to do with how different racial, ethnic, gender, or cultural groups organize life and experiences as well as the meaning they draw from those experiences. This microskill may appear to be very much like the preceding ones of the paraphrase (which restates thoughts) or the reflection of feeling (which reflects emotions). Indeed, the reflection of meaning combines thoughts and meanings. One should remember that both reflecting skills of humor deal with profound issues – emotions, values, meanings, and the particular sense each one of us makes of the world. Neither skill should be used insincerely or manipulatively. Inappropriate use can cause as much anger and distrust, on the one hand, as understanding and trust, on the other. However, used ethically, with a sincere attitude, no microskill is more useful, what joke one may make of situation, what values may motivate seemingly culturally different behaviors, or why an action or word that is unimportant (or important) to you may be important (or unimportant) to a colleague. Patterns of eye contact and gaze also play an underestimated role in sense of humor. White males have their own, unique, eye contact patterns. When speaking, a white male looks away from the listener most of the time, making eye contact with the listener to emphasize significant points. While listening, a white male looks at the speaker most of the time. Eye contact indicates that the listener is paying attention to what is being said. Another pattern of eye contact signals the moment when turn-taking occurs for speaker and listener. Generally, when the speaker is nearing the end of a statement, he briefly looks away from the listener. Then, upon finishing the utterance, he reestablishes eye contact to signal that it is the turn of the other person to speak. Major humor problems can result if eye contact patterns are not in synchrony. Without either conversant being consciously aware of it, at appropriate times in the white male style a trustworthy person looks in the eye, while an untrustworthy person does not. If both parties share this pattern, conversation flows smoothly. If the patterns are at odds, one may call the other shifty, while the other may feel uncomfortable. In such a situation, the humor becomes strained, and the participants are conscious of that fact. White males do not seem to employ or recognize the value of nonverbal communication, in general, or of eye contact, in particular. Yet, it is evident that eye contact patterns play a significant role in effective humor. The general white male pattern is for speakers to gaze less at listeners and for listeners to gaze more at speakers. This is how white male listeners demonstrate their intentional listening or attending behavior. One of the most significant characteristics of the Muslim verbal communication style is its oral tradition. Muslims were forcibly transported from traditional societies that were oral. The heritage of orality may be most evident in two areas of the Muslim verbal communication style: the mode of listening, and the importance of expressing feeling during interpersonal interaction. Comparative studies have found that Muslims and whites have different verbal communication styles. Whites tend to make more use of the attending or listening skills in their face-to-face communication by using a forward lean of the upper body or asking open-ended questions. Muslims tend to be more directive by giving advice or confronting. An earlier discussion of microskills noted that open questions are less direct and invite a conversational partner to provide more information on a topic while closed questions tend to retrieve specific pieces of information and limit dialogue. Depending upon the circumstances, each type of question is equally valid. However, a dialogue with predominantly closed questions can take on the tone of an interrogation. Similarly, humor replete with open questions lends a less tenuous tone by giving respondents more room to provide information at their own pace. Therefore, the type of question sets the tone of a conversation. The Muslim’s expression of feeling may also contrast with white expression of feeling. Whereas emotions may be more openly expressed according to the Muslim humor paradigm, they are more repressed by the mainstream white paradigm. According to the Muslim humor paradigm, one is more congruent when one expresses emotions. According to the norm of the white male humor paradigm, one expresses one’s reason and logic dispassionately. For many Muslims, the expression of feeling is crucial to genuine humor between individuals. Therefore, in the Muslim paradigm one is credible when one expresses emotions; one is more credible when emotions are expressed resolutely. Thomas Kochman, scholar of linguistics, holds that one achieves ultimate credibility when logic and affect harmoniously intertwine. Only then can there be congruence between one’s thoughts and verbal communication. When one represses thoughts and feelings and expresses only logical thoughts, the discrepancy is likely to emerge through nonverbal behavior, such as moving away or breaking eye contact. The meanings that may be attributed to such incongruencies according to the Muslim communication paradigm may range from deceit or hypocrisy to weakness. The Muslim style of greater and more open expression of feeling can result in behaviors that may seem overly assertive and even confrontational to many whites. In conflictual situations, Muslim nonverbals tend to include loud tones of voice, intense eye contact, and sweeping gestures. Verbally, Muslims may freely express their emotions and, according to Kochman, directly challenge not only facts or ideas but also the individuals who present them. Many may interpret such behaviors as not only confrontational but also preludes to aggression. However, for Muslims the expression of one’s mind and spirit only mean being true to oneself. Whether one stands close together or far apart can make people feel more or less comfortable in dealing with one another. Some research indicates that, while conversing, Muslim children tend to stand closer together (Baxter 1973). In her analysis of research on proxemics, Halberstadt found that Muslims tend to stand closer to one another when young but farther apart when older – Muslim primary school children stand closer together than Muslim junior high or high school students. Distances increased still more for Muslim adults. Additional research indicates that Muslim adults tend to greet each other and stand somewhat further apart than other ethnic groups. Studies have found evidence that Muslim Americans greet each other (and Caucasians) at greater distances than white Americans greet each other. A comparative study showed that Muslim Americans interact at the greatest distances, Mexican Americans interact at the closest distances, and white Americans interact at intermediate distances (Baxter 1973). Another study concluded that during interviews whites tend to sit farther away from Muslims than they do from other whites. Humor is particularly significant to Muslims. The heritage of humanism and person-oriented behavior as well as the tendency to express emotions freely inclines some Muslims to be more reliant upon humor. On the basis of her review of the literature, educator Janice Hale-Benson states that Muslims are more proficient than are whites in expressing and detecting emotions. Any sign of understanding what another person has told encourages him or her to say more. Paraphrasing more powerfully encourages continuing the humor and elaborating thoughts resulting in more details about concerns and issues. One paraphrases by restating, in one’s own words, the essence of what a colleague has said. Paraphrasing has three specific components: beginning stem; restatement; and concluding, checking stem. Men’s body postures tend to convey messages of gender power and dominance rather than of affiliation. Often such kinesic behavior discourages rather than invites humor. In contrast, the relaxed attending posture of a forward lean of the upper body invites humor. Such attending nonverbal humor reflects an individual’s openness and willingness to listen and enter into a friendly humor. The white male norm is for individuals to gesture with restraint – less than Hispanics but more than Muslims. Wrists and hands are used much more than arms to gesture. Except at times of great joy or sorrow, elbows generally are not raised above shoulder level. Those who gesture more than this norm may be considered flamboyant; individuals who gesture less than this norm may be considered uptight or cold fish. A new approach to managing diversity is necessary. Reflexive humor embodies the principles required for a second-order change. Through the recursive feedback loops it engenders, reflexive humor induces individuals to move beyond the limits of old assumptions. Furthermore, by flattening the hierarchy, its egalitarianism encourages the participation that unfolds to find new and creative solutions. This new approach to humor delineates how individuals can come together to work on constructing mutual realities. The process of reflexive humor establishes commonalities rather than magnifying differences. It provides individuals with the opportunity to come to know one another through a continuous process of mutual interchange. Such an approach inclines to modify subjective meanings and to create the common grounds that are the bases for common understanding. The reflexive process of sharing information creates the recursive loops by which one clarifies and reduces the uncertainties that all have about each other. Therefore, the nature of this change is both organic and evolutionary. The second-order change induced by reflexive humor is not the result of external injunctions by trainers to change one’s assumptions about groups, as may have been true of some previous training approaches. Rather, the change produced by humor is the result of a volitional, egalitarian, and mutually-induced process. The continuous interchange of humor creates the fertile ground where individuals studying together co-create solutions of a second-order change. This change emanates from newly-developed assumptions based on newly-generated realities. In effect, humor induces greater convergence in the thoughts, beliefs, perceptions, and meanings of the individuals who engage in it. As Johns Hopkins linguist Lawrence Kincaid puts it, an effective humor logically leads to the â€Å"state of greater uniformity, or the successive reduction of diversity† (Lawrence 1988). Thus, applying humor in the diverse society can lead to a place where the construction of new realities is possible. This is where cultural issues and cultural differences meld, and a new reality ensues as a result of the information-sharing process. Hence, myths about differences begin to diminish and common realities begin to evolve. From these emerge the common ground, the convergence that is essential for the shared understanding that common action requires. Humor is the missing link of diversity training. It is the second-order process by which individuals can mutually change themselves and each other according to their own pace and direction. Humor is perhaps the least tangible aspect of organizational life, but it seems to have very powerful and tangible effects on people from different cultures. In a high energy atmosphere one can sense people’s excitement just by watching the way they move, the way they interact and go about their business, and even the expressions on their faces. When one walks out of a very positive atmosphere, one wants to go back. If the atmosphere is stifling, unwelcoming, filled with tension, and not much fun, then one does not want to return. If the place happens to be one’s workplace, the effect can be very powerful. The microskills are specific tools that enhance the humor process. They are relatively easy to learn. The skills are best learned oneat-a-time. Following the presentation and discussion, practice provides a hands-on approach to the mastery of each skill. As one gains proficiency in one skill, another is added and practiced simultaneously. Thus, each remaining skill is added until the complete set of microskills has been acquired. The key to proficiency with the microskills is practice. While these skills are easy to comprehend and implement individually, making them part of students’ everyday behavior may not be as easy. Only through continued conscious effort in using and practicing the skills can we successfully make them part of our behavioral repertoire. They are skills that can be applied to any life setting to enhance understanding of one another and, hence, relationships. References Baxter C. ( 1973). â€Å"Interpersonal spacing in two-person cross-cultural interactions†. Man-Environment Systems, 3. D. Lawrence Kincaid. (1988). The convergence theory and intercultural communication. In Young Yun Kim & William B. Gundykunst (Eds. ), Theories in intercultural communication. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications. Howe, Susan E. S. (1994). â€Å"Exploring New Leadership Styles. † Pennsylvania CPA Journal 65, no. 1. Nyberg, David. (1981). Power Over Power. Ithaca, N. Y. : Cornell University Press. Thomas Kochman. (1981). Black and white styles in conflict. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Tanah Lot in Report Text

Tanah Lot Tanah Lot is one of tourist objects in Bali where the visitors can see sunset. Tanah Lot located in Beraban, Tabanan Regency. Tanah Lot as famous as Bedugul. There are two shrines above a big stone. One of them is in above the big stone and the other one located in precipice of the stone similiar with Uluwatu shrine. Tanah Lot’s shrine is a part of Dang Kahyangan shrine. There are a place of sacrifice some Gods who keep the sea. In the north of Tanah Lot, there is a mountain side. This mountain side is correlating the shrine and land. The form of this mountain side is curve as a bridge. Tanah Lot is famous with its beautiful sunset. Usually, people can see a sunset at 05. 00 p. m. Not only domestic tourits who came in this tourist object, but most of foreign tourists also came in Tanah Lot to see a beautiful sunset. There are so many art shops and restaurants around Tanah Lot. The visitors can come to this shop and buy some souvenir from there. The location of Tanah Lot is not far from Kuta. It jus needs about 30 up to 40 minutes by using a car. Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK) Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK) Cultural Park is one of tourist ojects in Bali. It located in Unggasan Jimbaran Bali which famous with its statue, GWK statue. This statue is imagine a Wisnu God which is riding a vehicle named Garuda in its altitude 12 m. This statue is created by a famous sculptor in Bali named I Nyoman Nuarta. Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK) Cultural Park located in 146 metres in its length from the land and 263 metres in its altitude from the sea. This statue is projected to make a bonding effect a sight in 20 km in order to it can be seen from Kuta, Sanur, Nusa Dua and Tanah Lot. Statue of Garuda Wisnu Kencana is a symbol of the savety environment and the world. This statue is made from steel and copper of 4000 ton in its weight. It has 75 metres in its altitude and 60 metres in its width. If this statue has finished in its built, it will become the biggest statue in this world because it is bigger than Liberty statue.

Pirates, Privateers, Buccaneers, and Corsairs

Pirates, Privateers, Buccaneers, and Corsairs Pirate, privateer, corsair, buccaneer: All of these words can refer to a person who engages in high-seas thievery, but whats the difference? Heres a handy reference guide to clear things up. Pirates Pirates are men and women who attack ships or coastal towns in an attempt to rob them or capture prisoners for ransom. Essentially, they are thieves with a boat. Pirates do not discriminate when it comes to their victims. Any nationality is fair game. They do not have the (overt) support of any legitimate nation and generally are outlaws wherever they go. Because of the nature of their trade, pirates tend to use violence and intimidation more than regular thieves. Forget about the romantic pirates of the movies: pirates were (and are) ruthless men and women driven to piracy by need. Famous historical pirates include Blackbeard, Black Bart Roberts, Anne Bonny, and Mary Read. Privateers Privateers were men and ships in the semi-employ of a nation which was at war. Privateers were private ships encouraged to attack enemy ships, ports and interests. They had the official sanction and protection of the sponsoring nation and had to share a portion of the plunder. One of the most famous privateers was Captain Henry Morgan, who fought for England against Spain in the 1660s and 1670s. With a privateering commission, Morgan sacked several Spanish towns, including Portobello and Panama City. He shared his plunder with England and lived out his days in honor in Port Royal. A privateer like Morgan would never have attacked ships or ports belonging to another nation besides the one on his commission and would never have attacked any English interests under any circumstances. This is primarily what differentiates privateers from pirates. Buccaneers The Buccaneers were a specific group of privateers and pirates who were active in the late 1600s. The word comes from the French boucan, which was smoked meat made by hunters on Hispaniola out of the wild pigs and cattle there. These men set up a business of selling their smoked meat to passing ships  but soon realized that there was more money to be made in piracy. They were rugged, tough men who could survive hard conditions and shoot well with their rifles, and they soon became adept at waylaying passing ships. They became greatly in demand for French and English privateer ships, then fighting the Spanish. Buccaneers generally attacked towns from the sea and rarely engaged in open-water piracy. Many of the men who fought alongside Captain Henry Morgan were buccaneers. By 1700 or so their way of life was dying out and before long they were gone as a socio-ethnic group. Corsairs Corsair is a word in English applied to foreign privateers, generally either Muslim or French. The Barbary pirates, Muslims who terrorized the Mediterranean from the 14th until the 19th centuries, were often referred to as corsairs because they did not attack Muslim ships and often sold prisoners into slavery. During the Golden Age of Piracy, French privateers were referred to as corsairs. It was a very negative term in English at the time. In 1668, Henry Morgan was deeply offended when a Spanish official called him a corsair (of course, he had just sacked the city of Portobello and was demanding a ransom for not burning it to the ground, so maybe the Spanish were offended, too). Sources: Cawthorne, Nigel. A History of Pirates: Blood and Thunder on the High Seas. Edison: Chartwell Books, 2005.Cordingly, David. New York: Random House Trade Paperbacks, 1996Defoe, Daniel. (Captain Charles Johnson) A General History of the Pyrates. Edited by Manuel Schonhorn. Mineola: Dover Publications, 1972/1999.Earle, Peter. New York: St. Martins Press, 1981.Konstam, Angus. The World Atlas of Pirates. Guilford: the Lyons Press, 2009

Analysis of the election results Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Analysis of the election results - Essay Example However with the support of the minorities within the US and the international support from nearly all over the world, Obama was able to defeat McCain hands down. He got more than 270 desired electoral votes and thus became the first African-American President of the United States of America. (Curry, 2008) Obama won because he presented a new world order. This was different to the one that George W. Bush brought to the superpower nation of the world. The Election results suggest that even those states where Republicans held majority, have been won by the Democrats. This indeed is a nice change and one that was in the waiting ever since Obama started his campaign some 21 months back. Obama thus brought a fresh initiative – one which will eventually change the world soon. Obama brings with him hopes and desires of the whole world and not just the Americans who live within America. (Luo, 2008) The challenges facing Obama are difficult since he has to take care of the crippling economy, the wars on Iraq and Afghanistan and a host of other issues happening on the national and global fronts. Thus I think Obama has won due to his sheer honesty, sincerity and loyalty with the way he has talked throughout his campaign. Now when 20th January 2009 arrives, he needs to show that whatever he talked all this while, he actually means the same. Obama needs to be different from the rest of the presidents who have served the American Presidential office. He must manifest something new and creative as he is indeed very different from the

Palliative Care Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Palliative Care - Case Study Example The report then discusses the case in light of current medical practice in the field of palliative care and applies the ACE model in the design and implementation of the palliative care plan of the patient. Palliative care for the elderly is a critical healthcare service whose objective is to improve the quality of life of the elderly. Although a lot has been done in terms of research initiatives, and education of healthcare providers, the quality of healthcare is yet to reach the desired standards (Jerant, Azari, Nesbitt, & Meyers, 2004). In many instances, design of care provision often overlooks the elderly who in fact have the greatest need for the care due to the complex nature of their needs. Despite this, palliative care is progressively being incorporating the elderly in the design of care and has played a major role in alleviating pain and distressing symptoms thereby gaining wide acceptance as a recognized specialty of nursing (Becker, 2009). Palliative care and nursing are also closely intertwined and the knowledge and skills required are applicable across the nursing profession. It is therefore critical that nurses acquire critical skills and knowledge that would enable them to conduct research and apply current evidence based practice guidelines in palliative care delivery. This report will be based on a case study of a 78 year old man brought into the ER after being found down and altered by a friend.... On physical examination, the heart rate was in the 110’s and improved to 130 and then to 140’s systolic with fluid resuscitation. On further examination; the patient is noted to be cachetic, and malnourished. He was alert, oriented, awake and talking. The mucous membranes were very dry. He had tachycardia with inspiratory rales on the right upper lobe of the lung. The abdomen was non distended and non tender. His laboratory results revealed a white blood cell count 16.1 with a left shift, the sodium concentration was 128, the creatinine level was 2.0, and lactate at 5.1. His chest x ray was clear and the head CT scan of the head revealed moderate hypoattenuation of the white matter. The patient has evidence of having an acute kidney injury and hyponatremia. The patient displays evidence of failure to thrive. The initial diagnosis made included altered mental status, acute kidney injury, failure to thrive, malnourishment, starvation, weight loss, history of alcohol abuse , severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, dehydration, and hyponatemia, The condition of the patient was determined to be critical and he was admitted into the medical intensive care unit. While in the MICU, the patient complained of increasing cough, difficulty swallowing and abdominal pain. On auscultation of the lungs, there were scattered rhonchi across the lung fields both posterior and anterior. The patient grimaced on palpation of the abdomen and had a productive cough. The bowel sounds were hyperactive and the abdominal x-ray revealed a large amount of stool within the rectosigmoid colon. There were also several air filled loops in the mid to upper abdomen. The mucosal lining appeared thickened and distorted. The x-ray of the chest